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Prospect Theory predicts that people tend to be more risk seeking if their reference point is perceived as a loss and more risk averse when the reference point is perceived as a gain. In line with this prediction, Franken, Georgieva, Muris and Dijksterhuis (2006) showed that young adults who had a prior experience of monetary gains make more safe choices on subsequent decisions than subjects who had an early experience of losses. There are no experimental studies on how experiencing prior gains and losses differently influences young and older adults on a subsequent decision-making task (the Iowa Gambling Task). Hence, in the current paper, adapting the methodology employed by Franken et al.'s (2006), we intended to test the generality of their effect across the life span. Overall, we found that subjects who experienced prior monetary gains or prior monetary losses did not display significant differences in safe/risky choices on subsequent performance in the Iowa Gambling task. Furthermore, the impact of prior gains and losses on risky/safe card selection did not significantly differ between young and older adults. These results showed that the effect found in the Franken et al.'s study (2006) is limited in its generality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Theory of Mind (ToM) is a complex human ability that allows people to make inferences on others’ mental states such as beliefs, emotions and desires. Previous studies on ToM in normal aging have provided heterogeneous findings. In the present study we examined whether a mixed calculation of different aspects of ToM may have contributed to these conflicting results. We had two aims. First, we explored the age-related changes in the performance of cognitive vs. affective ToM. Second, we investigated the extent to which the effect of aging on cognitive vs. affective ToM is mediated by age-related differences in executive functions. Method To address these issues three age groups (young, young-old, and old-old adults) were compared on cognitive and affective ToM using the faux pas test. In addition, participants were tested using a battery of executive function tasks tapping on inhibition, working memory updating, and word fluency. Results The analyses indicated that young adults outperform both young-old and old-old adults on cognitive ToM but not on affective ToM. Correlations showed that, whereas cognitive ToM was significantly associated with age, working memory updating, and inhibition, affective ToM was not. Finally, analyses revealed that individual differences in working memory updating (but not inhibition) mediated the effect of age on cognitive ToM. Conclusion Our findings support the view of selective age-related differences on cognitive, but not affective, ToM in normal aging. The distinction between the two ToM components is further supported by a dissociable pattern of correlations with executive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Previous research on age-related changes in Theory of Mind (ToM) showed a decline in older adults, particularly pronounced over 75 years of age. Evidence that ToM may be enhanced in healthy aging people has been demonstrated, but no study has focused on the role of age on the effects of ToM training for elderly people. The present study was designed to examine the efficacy of a ToM training on practiced (ToM Strange Stories) and transfer tasks (ToM Animations) in both young and older adults. Method:The study involved 127 older adults belonging to two age groups: young–old (Mage= 64.41; SD = 2.49; range: 60–69 years) and old–old (Mage= 75.66; SD = 4.38; range: 70–85 years), randomly assigned to either a ToM group or a control group condition. All participants took part in two 2-hour testing sessions and four 2-hour training sessions. Results:Results showed that both young–old and old–old adults in the ToM group condition improved their ability to reason on complex-mental states significantly more than participants in the control group condition. This positive effect of the training was evident on practiced and transfer ToM tasks. Crucially, age did not moderate the effect of the ToM training. Conclusion:These findings demonstrate that young–old and old–old adults equally benefit from the ToM training. Implications for the positive effect of the ToM training in old–old adults are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High voltage equipment designed for DC applications is stressed differently from ac equipment. Most notably, the load conditions of the equipment play a major role in determining the electric field distribution in insulation under dc, due to the temperature dependence of conductivity. Additionally, polarization and space charge phenomena impose a time dependent behavior on the stress distribution. This has major consequences for the way in which degradation of the insulation under dc stress takes place. The nature of the stresses under dc may lead to accelerated degradation processes which could result in early breakdown of the insulation. This paper provides an overview of the stress conditions specific for dc application and highlights via which routes they may lead to failure. The stress distributions in converter transformers and dc cable systems will serve as typical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined cultural differences in stereotypes and attributions regarding aging and memory. Two subcultures belonging to the same country, Italy, were compared on general beliefs about memory. Sardinians live longer than other areas of Italy, which is a publically shared fact that informs stereotypes about that subculture. An innovative instrument evaluating simultaneously aging stereotypes and attributions about memory and memory change in adulthood was administered to 52 Sardinian participants and 52 Milanese individuals divided into three age groups: young (20–30), young–old (60–70), and old–old (71–85) adults. Both Milanese and Sardinians reported that memory decline across the life span is more typical than a pattern of stability or improvement. However, Sardinians viewed stability and improvement in memory as more typical than did the Milanese. Interestingly, cultural differences emerged in attributions about memory improvement. Although all Sardinian age groups rated nutrition and heredity as relevant causes in determining the memory decline, Sardinians’ rated typicality of life-span memory improvement correlated strongly with causal attributions to a wide number of factors, including nutrition and heredity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study examined age and cultural differences on both personal and general beliefs about memory by comparing three age groups within two subcultures belonging to the same country: Milanese and Sardinian. Two innovative instruments on general and personal beliefs with graphic-rating-scale format (General Beliefs about Memory Instrument and Personal Beliefs about Memory Instrument) and a memory task (recall of 40 words) were administrated to participants. Sardinians held more positive attitudes about the effects of aging on memory reporting a later onset of declining memory ability and control over memory across the life span. They were also more optimistic in rating their global memory efficacy, control, and retrospective change. The two subcultural groups differed in terms of memory performance, with Sardinian individuals outperforming the Milanese. Findings are discussed in relation to the view of aging in different subcultural contexts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In nonpathological elders, cognitive decline is more evident by middle age and depends on different factors, such as speed of processing, nature of the task (i.e., storing versus processing), and type of stimuli (i.e., verbal versus visual and spatial) to be recalled. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of age and environmental factors (i.e., retirement home versus one's own home) on visuo-spatial working memory functions of healthy elderly (73 to 81 years old) and very old participants (83 to 90 years old). Results showed that visuo-spatial working memory processes in the institutionalized sample were comparable with those in free-living participants. A differential age effect was more evident for mnestic tasks involving the manipulation of stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated whether computer familiarity could regulate the efficacy of a computer-based memory training intervention in an Italian sample of older adults. Participants were randomly assigned to either the training or the waiting-list control group and were tested on four computerized neuropsychological memory tasks and one paper-pencil task. Computer familiarity measures included a computer questionnaire, reaction times in a pointing task and mouse use ability. Only the training group was taught and practised two memory strategies on three computerized neuropsychological tasks during three training sessions. Compared to the waiting-list control group, participants in the training condition showed significant benefits after the intervention in the practiced tasks and they generalized training effects to the transfer tasks. Furthermore, no link resulted between computer familiarity and memory benefits. These findings support the application of the computer-based memory training with older adults, independently of them being computer users or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observation of the stage of ossification of the sagittal suture has been adopted as possible approach of age evaluation in anthropology and legal medicine, as area of cranial pathologies: craniosynostosis and scaphocephaly and as diagnosis resource in tomographies. Regarding it, we found many controversies in the specialized literature, thus we decided to accomplish this research with the following objectives: to examine the ossification of the external surface of the sagittal suture, observing eventual differences due to age, sex and ethnic group. Our material consists of 88 dry craniums of variable ages, both sexes belonging to the ethnic groups: white and black. In that material we observed that: with progression of age, the relation between age and stage of ossification of the sagittal suture stops existing. The statistical analysis didn't demonstrate significant differences between sexes and ethnic groups in the stages of ossification of the sagittal suture. The ossification of the sagittal suture starts developing from the posterior third. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of different types of memory training in young and older adults reported in a previous study [Cavallini, E., Pagnin, A., Vecchi, T., 2003. Aging and everyday memory: the beneficial effect of memory training. Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 37, 241–257] were again investigated from a longitudinal perspective 2 years after the original memory training sessions. The authors retested the original participants to measure the long-term effectiveness of two mnemonic strategies: the loci technique and strategic training. Three groups of participants (13 adults, M =24.1, 13 younger elderly, M =64.2 and 13 older elderly, M =74.4) were tested using a battery of seven tasks and four questionnaires, to evaluate memory performance and metamemory variables. The three age groups and the two trainings showed similar results on memory performance. Long-term effects were found only on two memory tasks, both were highly related to everyday life showing that, without additional practice, memory performance tended to go back to the original level. Moreover, the beneficial effects of the previous training sessions were particularly evident for older adults in metamemory knowledge and for strategic training in memory complaints. Results partially support the durability of memory training in improving memory performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Past literature on prosocial behavior in aging has mainly focused on age-related differences. However, the analysis of the predictors of prosociality in late adulthood is still under investigated. The present study examines how personality traits predict actual and self-reported prosocial behaviors, while considering the mediation effects of empathic concern and the moderator effect of age, in an Italian sample of 150 participants aged from 55 to 86 years old (M age = 69.52). Based on a path analysis model, results revealed that agreeableness has a direct association with self-reported prosocial behavior and an indirect relationship, via empathic concern, with actual prosocial behavior. In addition, emotional stability further explains variations in older adults' prosociality, via empathic concern. Age also plays a different role on actual and self-reported behaviors. While the relationship between empathic concern and actual behavior is the same in middle-aged and older adults, in the self-reported behaviors it changes according to the age of participants. As they grow older, people perform prosocial acts in daily life driven by basic dispositions, such as agreeableness, and not by empathic concern. These findings have important implications regarding the understanding of the motives that drive the different prosocial behaviors in the older population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging denotes a postmaturational deterioration of cells and organisms with the passage of time, an increased vulnerability to challenges and prevalence of age-associated diseases, and a decreased ability to survive. Causes of this deterioration may be found in an enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative damage and incomplete “housekeeping.” Caloric restriction is the most robust anti-aging intervention known so far. Similar beneficial effects on median and maximum life span were obtained by feeding animals a 40%-reduced diet or by every-other-day ad libitum feeding. In both instances, animals are forced to spend a great part of their time in a state of fasting and activated autophagy. Autophagy is a highly conserved process in eukaryotes, in which the cytoplasm, including excess or aberrant organelles, is sequestered into double-membrane vesicles and delivered to the lysosome/vacuole, for breakdown and eventual recycling of the resulting macromolecules. This process has an essential role in adaptation to fasting and changing environmental conditions, cellular remodeling during development, and accumulation of altered ROS-hypergenerating organelles in older cells. Several pieces of evidence show that autophagy is involved in aging and is an essential part of the anti-aging mechanism of caloric restriction. As an application, intensification of autophagy by the administration of an antilipolytic drug rescued older cells from accumulation of altered mtDNA in less than 6 hours. It is concluded that the pharmacologic intensification of autophagy (PISA treatment) has anti-aging effects and might prove to be a big step toward retardation of aging and prevention of age-associated diseases in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The hydrolipidic ratio (HLR) expresses the amount of water and fat in a tissue. HLR can be studied non-invasively in the living organism and can be mapped in different areas of the body with high spatial and temporal resolution. In the present work we have evaluated the HLR in different adipose tissue depots in young or adult rats using tissue arrays of fat fragments by 1H-spectroscopy. In young animals, the highest percentage of water (33%) was found in the interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT). Mesenteric fat (mWAT) also appeared highly hydrated (24%). The deposits composed of epididymal, retroperitoneal and pelvic white adipose tissue (eWAT, rWAT and pWAT, respectively) contained an amount of water ranging from 14% to 17%. In adult animals, a reduction of the water content was found in all the depots. In e/r/pWAT, the age-related maturation was characterized by large changes in adipocyte diameter accompanied by a small change in HLR. In the iBAT, the maturation was accompanied by small change in adipocyte diameter and a greater diminution of HLR. mWAT showed an intermediate pattern between e/r/pWAT and iBAT. In all the studied depots, an age-related increase in leptin expression was found. This increase was relatively low in iBAT (40%) and high in the e/r/pWAT (204–273%). The work expand the knowledge about the physiological significance of the HLR by 1H-spectroscopy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Criteria for defining biomarkers have been suggested. Accumulation of dolichol in tissues of older animals meets the following criteria: (a) levels of dolichol exhibit a quantitative correlation with age in all tissues and are not altered by several age-dependent diseases in the same direction as that of aging; (b) accumulation is not secondary to metabolic changes of aging and is altered appropriately by factors that modulate the aging rate like caloric restriction and physical exercise; (c) biomarker is applicable to different tissues across mammalian species, including humans, and to trisomy 21 and its hypothalamic digoxin-mediated model. Reliable changes in tissue dolichol levels are seen in relatively short intervals of time compared to over a life span, and levels can be tested on a small amount of tissue without causing death of the animal. In this article, we show applications to the study of host-graft interaction and detection of gender-related differences in biological age, and we discuss mechanism(s) of accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidemiological estimates of left ventricular mass are based on echocardiographic imaging from the parasternal view, which is often unavailable in subjects with obesity or lung disease. This study was undertaken to assess whether the subcostal view is a valid alternative to estimate left ventricular mass in an unselected older population. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of all the residents in Dicomano, Italy, aged ≥65 years, echocardiography was performed with a systematic attempt to obtain both the parastermal and the subcostal views. Results: The parasternal view was missing in 73/614 participants, 48 of whom were imaged from the subcostal view. In participants imaged from both views, the subcostal view underestimated left ventricular cavity dimension and, consequently, left ventricular mass [79.7 (1.3) vs. 93.3 (1.5) g/m2; p<0.001]. Furthermore, the subcostal view was only 25% sensitive for the diagnosis of hypertrophy. Several multivariate regression models, developed in an equation development subgroup and tested in a validation subgroup, failed to correct the prediction of left ventricular mass based on measures taken from the subcostal view, also after inclusion of demographic, anthropometric, and spirometric covariates. Conclusions: In unselected older persons, the subcostal view does not improve the accuracy of echocardiographic estimation of left ventricular mass, which remains biased in epidemiological studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Genetic disruption of insulin and insulin-like signaling pathways may extend lifespan. Hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance may accelerate aging. The hypothesis was tested that a once-a-week life-long inhibition of insulin secretion by the administration of anti-lipolytic drugs might have anti-aging effects. Groups of 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were (a) given standard laboratory food ad libitum (AL); (b) fed AL 6 days and fasted 1 day every week (FW); (c) fed AL every other day (EOD), (d) fed like FW and given Acipimox (50 mg/kg b.w.) on the day of fasting (FWA) by the gastric tube. The AL, FW and EOD groups received saline intragastrically. Treatment with ACIPIMOX transiently decreased plasma free fatty acids, glucose and insulin and increased valine plasma levels, and had no long-term effect on food consumption and body weight. By age 6, 12 and 24 months subgroups were taken and the age-related changes in liver dolichol and autophagic proteolysis—which are correlated with life-expectancy—were measured. Liver dolichol levels increased and autophagic proteolysis decreased in mature and older AL rats; EOD and FWA fully counteracted these changes; FW rats had significant but smaller beneficial effects. It is concluded that life-long weekly-repeated transient inhibition of insulin secretion by antilipolytic drugs may have an anti-aging effect, additive to the anti-aging effect of a milder caloric restriction. Speculation is that transiently lower plasma insulin levels might stimulate the anti-aging cell-repair mechanism autophagy, which has longer lasting effects on cell housekeeping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The authors investigated elderly people''s ability to benefit from specific memory training. Empirical evidence of cognitive aging shows a deterioration in working memory ability but also suggests that elderly people maintain the ability to acquire new information and strategies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of two different mnemonic strategies (Loci mnemonic vs. Strategic training) in young and older adults and to evaluate the ability of the older groups to improve performance. Participants received extensive practice in the use of a specific strategy. Three groups of participants (20 adult, 20 younger elderly, and 20 older elderly) were tested in the laboratory, as well as in ecological conditions using a battery of cognitive tests. Questionnaires were also administrated to explore cognitive, metacognitive and emotive motivational aspects of working memory performance. The results show the efficacy of both trainings in improving performances in different tasks, particularly the ecological. The elderly benefit from strategies as much as younger people; nevertheless, the memory performances of the latter are higher. Differences between the two trainings are found only in the task evaluating ability to re-use learnt strategies in other unfamiliar situations. Improvement in performance was more pronounced for the strategic training. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reciprocity is a fundamental element in social interactions and implies an adequate response to the previous actions of our interactant. It is thus crucial to detect if a person is cooperating, deceiving, or cheating, to properly respond. However, older adults have been shown to have a lower ability to detect reciprocity compared to younger adults, partially tying this decline to cognitive functions. Another likely association to reciprocity in literature is made with personality dispositions, i.e., agreeableness, altruism, and empathic concern, and Theory of Mind (ToM). Consequently, the present study investigated age-related differences in the detection of the different components of reciprocity, as well as examined the predictors of reciprocity, such as cognitive measures, personality dispositions, and true and false beliefs in young (n = 98; 20–39 years), middle-aged (n = 106; 40–64 years), and older adults (n = 103; 65–96 years). The Mind Picture Story-Theory of Mind Questionnaire was used to measure the reciprocity components and true and false beliefs in each group. This study reported a significant decline in reciprocity detection from adults aged 65 years old and over. Additionally, the ability to detect reciprocity was significantly linked to cognitive functioning and ToM across all age groups, especially in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Previous research has shown a decline in Theory of mind (ToM) associated with normal aging. However, very few studies have investigated older people's ToM using an ecological approach. The present study was designed to fill this gap and examine older people's frequency of mental state talk (MST) in describing their best friend, together with their performance on a traditional ToM task. In addition, the study examined the association between these two ToM indices and relationships with friends and family members. Method: Seventy-two healthy older adults (age range 60–79) participated in the study. We measured ToM ability with a classic measure, the Faux Pas task, and selected the Describe-a-friend task to measure MST frequency; social relationships were investigated with the Lubben Social Network Scale. Correlation and regression analyses were performed. Results: No significant association between MST and scores on the Faux Pas task emerged. In addition, MST (but not Faux Pas scores) significantly predicted friendships (but not family relationships) over and above general cognitive functioning. Conclusion: These findings show the crucial distinction between possessing an ability and using it in daily life and suggest the need to move toward more ecological measures of older adults' abilities. In addition, the present results indicate that the spontaneous use of ToM ability, not the ability per se, impacts on older adults' social relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidence indicates that Theory of Mind (ToM) declines in normal aging. However, the majority of this research has used classic and static verbal tasks that present scenarios, which are very different from real life. The present study was designed to fill this gap by administering the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) to young and older participants. It allows one to analyze not only the accuracy, but also the typology of error in mental states attribution distinguishing between iper-ToM (over-mentalization), ipo-ToM (insufficient mentalization), and no-ToM (lack of mentalization). We recruited 30 young (20-29 years), 39 young-old (65-74 years), and 31 old-old (75-86 years) participants. Along with the MASC, we administered a classic ToM task, the Strange Stories, and several measures of cognitive functioning. Results showed that older adults were less accurate in mental state attribution than young adults in the MASC, but not in the Strange Stories. In addition, compared to young adults, older adults committed more errors of both ipo- and no-ToM, while young adults committed more often iper-ToM errors. Additionally, older adults, but not young adults, did not show a difference between iper-ToM and ipo-ToM errors, which were equally frequent in this age group. Globally, results indicated that older adults' failure in classic ToM tasks may be due to both ipo- and iper-ToM and provide needed evidence for the MASC as a suitable measure of ToM in aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A specific evaluation of the capacity to consent to research in older adults with cognitive decline is often not included routinely in research practice. However, there is a need to evaluate this competence adopting brief standardized instruments to guarantee their ethical rights. The present study evaluated in older adults with normal cognitive functioning, and major and mild neurocognitive disorders whether the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a brief battery of neuropsychological tests are sensitive and specific to discriminate subjects able to provide consent to research. Methods: 54 participants with Major Neurocognitive Disorder (MajorNCD), 22 with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder (MildNCD), and 37 Normal Cognitive Functioning individuals (NCF). The capacity to provide consent was assessed using the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the MMSE, Verbal Fluency Tests, Trail Making Test (TMT-A), Immediate and Delayed Recall Test. Results: In the MildNCD and NCF groups, the aggregate score of neuropsychological tests showed high sensitivity and specificity in classifying subjects able to provide consent to research. In the MajorNCD group, MMSE, Recall test, and TMT-A performed better than the aggregate score in classifying subjects as able of consenting to the hypothetical research. Conclusion: The choice of the best tool to assess the ability to provide consent to research may depend on the degree of cognitive impairment. MMSE is a good tool for subjects with MajorNCD. A more comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests would represent a better tool in NCF and MildNCD individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused on the reliability evaluation of an electric vehicle (EV) motor based on hairpin technology. Besides bearings (not discussed here), the weak point of an electric motor is its insulating system. For inverter-fed motors, the inception of partial discharges might lead to failure in a matter of days, and thus, deserves particular attention. Qualification and lifetime evaluation of inverter-fed machines are described in IEC 60034-18-41, which specifies accelerated aging procedures and considers partial discharge inception as the end-of-life criterion. This standard was used as a reference for this paper. The only exception is that insulation models were subjected to the mechanical stress profile reported in the ISO 16750-3-2012 standard since an automotive motor is subject to significant vibrations during its operation. From the tests performed, we observed that, with the hairpin technology, turn-to-turn is the weakest link in the insulation system. All the insulation models were partial discharge (PD) free from the beginning of the tests to breakdown and the root cause for breakdown was, in all cases, traced back to cracks on the surface of the insulation. This suggests that, depending on insulating enamel thickness and conductor geometry, some insulation systems are intrinsically PD free by design, despite the effect of aging. Considering the severe vibration profiles typical of EVs, and the principal breakdown mechanism (cracking of the insulation), mechanical stress coupled with thermal stress appears as the main aging driver. Therefore, this paper spotlights the lack of proper standards for the qualification of automotive electric motors and hints at the possibility that IEC 60034-18-41 considers dealing with motors that might be intrinsically partial discharge free even after long-term exposure to operational stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the framework of developing defect-based life models, in which breakdown is explicitly associated with partial discharge (PD)-induced damage growth from a defect, ageing tests and PD measurements were carried out in the laboratory on polyethylene (PE) layered specimens containing artificial cavities. PD activity was monitored continuously during aging. A quasi-deterministic series of stages can be observed in the behavior of the main PD parameters (i.e. discharge repetition rate and amplitude). The evolution of the parameters reflects the physicalchemical changes taking place at the dielectric/cavity interface during the aging process. PD activity shows similar time behavior under constant cavity gas volume and constant cavity gas pressure conditions, suggesting that the variation of PD parameters may not be attributed to the variation of the gas pressure. It is speculated that the change of PD activity is related to the composition of the cavity gas, as well as to the properties of dielectric/cavity interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NT-proBNP is a sensible and specific marker of heart failure, and its plasma levels also increase with age. The mortality predictive value of NT-proBNP in patients without heart failure, especially older adults, is less established. • In the present study of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus stabilised after an ACS, elevated NT-proBNP levels are the most powerful predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality across age categories, and its predictive information does not tend to decrease with age. • This information should inform treatment strategies and future practice Guidelines. To assess the impact of age on the prognostic value of NT-proBNP concentration in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) stabilised after an Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). The AleCardio study compared aleglitazar with placebo in 7226 patients with T2DM and recent ACS. Patients with heart failure were excluded. Median follow-up was 104 weeks. Baseline NT-proBNP plasma concentration was measured centrally. Multivariable Cox regression was used to determine the mortality predictive information provided by NT-proBNP across age groups. Median age was 61y (IQR 54, 67). NT-proBNP concentration increased by quartile (Q) of age (median 264, 318, 391, and 588 pg/ml). Compared to Q1, patients in Q4 of NT-proBNP had higher (p < 0.001) adjusted HR for all-cause (aHR 6.9; 95 % CI 4.0–12) and cardiovascular (11; 5.4–23) death. Within each age Q, baseline NT-proBNP in patients who died was 3 times higher than in survivors (all p < 0.001). When age and NT-proBNP levels were modeled as continuous variables, their interaction term was nonsignificant. The relative prognostic information provided by NT-proBNP (percent of total X2) increased from 38 % in age Q1 to 75 % in age Q4 for mortality, and from 50 % to 88 % for CV death. Among patients with T2DM stabilised after an ACS, NT-proBNP level predicts death irrespective of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is a process that sequesters and degrades altered organelles and macromolecular cytoplasmic constituents for cellular restructuring and repair, and as a source of nutrients for metabolic use in early starvation it may be involved in anti-aging mechanisms of caloric restriction. The effects of 40% daily dietary restriction (DR) and intermittent feeding (EOD) on the age-related changes in the endocrine regulation of autophagic proteolysis were studied by monitoring the rate of valine release from isolated rat liver cells. Results show that in ad libitum-fed rats sensitivity of autophagy to glucagon and insulin declines by one order of magnitude in older rats. Both DR and EOD maintain the sensitivity to glucagon at juvenile levels, whereas only EOD can fully maintain response to insulin. It is concluded that changes in the sensitivity to glucagon may have a role in the aging process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dolichol is a polyprenol compound broadly distributed in membranes, biosynthetized by the general isoprenoid pathway from acetate via mevalonate and farnesyl pyrophosphate. Dolichol lays inside the membrane between the two leaflets of the lipid bilayer very close to the tail of phospholipid fatty acids. No definite catabolic pathways for this molecule have yet been identified. Evidence is produced that dolichol levels increase dramatically with increasing age; that anti-ageing caloric restriction retards this age-associated change; that dolichol may act as a radical scavenger of peroxidized lipids belonging to the cell membranes. In view of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), dolichol and Vitamin E location and stechiometry, it is proposed that molecules might interact each-other to form a highly matched free-radical-transfer chain, whose malfunctioning might be involved in statin toxicity and neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical machines for transportation applications need to be highly reliable, particularly if they drive safety-critical systems. At the same time, another main requirement is represented by the significant torque density, especially for aerospace, where weight constraints are extremely stringent. For achieving high peak torque, an effective strategy consists in supplying the windings with a current greater than the rated value; thus, thermally overloading the machine for limited time periods. However, if the insulation is overheated, the machine lifetime is shortened and reliability issues can arise. This paper experimentally investigates the influence of short-time thermal overload on the insulation lifetime for low voltage, random wound electrical machines. The analysis is performed on round enameled magnet wire coils, which are aged by accelerated thermal cycles. The obtained results are statistically processed through a two parameter Weibull distribution. According to the findings of the experimental data postprocessing, a lifetime prediction model is built. This model is employed for predicting the lifetime consumption of a motor embedded into an electromechanical actuator for aerospace application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes an experiment on degradation mechanisms of InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) test structures which do not fulfill the requirements of longlife products. We present a combined capacitance-voltage (C-V), deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), electroluminescence (EL), and cathodoluminescence (CL) study of short-term instabilities of InGaN/GaN LEDs submitted to low current aging tests at room temperature. In the early stages of the aging tests, the EL and CL characterizations showed an optical power decrease, more prominent at low current levels. The C-V profiles indicated that the stress induced an apparent charge increase, well related to the deep level changes detected by DLTS and to the optical power decrease. It is supposed that the main cause of the degradation is the generation of nonradiative paths, due to the generation/propagation of defects activated by carrier transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to the ability to attribute mental states to the self and others in order to explain and predict social behaviour. Meta-analytic results have shown a decline in ToM abilities in healthy older adults. Recent research has also highlighted the possibility of enhancing older adults' ToM performance through group conversations focused on mental states. Our aim was to determine whether the extent to which older people benefited from a ToM training was predicted by performance on a battery of executive functioning tasks, on baselines in ToM tasks, on verbal knowledge. Forty-three older adults (60-84 years) participated in a three-session ToM training programme that has previously shown to be effective in improving ToM ability. Results showed that verbal knowledge predicted training gains in practiced ToM tasks. In addition, age, executive functions and baseline performance predicted training gains in non-practiced ToM tasks. Results are discussed in light of the amplification model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults perform worse than younger adults when applying decision rules to choose between options that vary along multiple attributes. Although previous studies have shown that general fluid cognitive abilities contribute to the accurate application of decision rules, relatively little is known about which specific cognitive abilities play the most important role. We examined the independent roles of working memory, verbal fluency, semantic knowledge, and components of executive functioning. We found that age-related decline in applying decision rules was statistically mediated by age-related decline in working memory and verbal fluency. Our results have implications for theories of aging and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Research on aging has shown a significant decline in ToM after 65 years of age. Despite these age-related difficulties, no study has yet investigated the possibility to improve ToM in older adults. To address this gap we tested the efficacy of a conversation-based ToM training with age-appropriate ToM tasks and its transfer effects on metamemory. Method We examined 72 older adults ( M age = 67.61 years, SD = 6.39 years) assigned to three training conditions: a ToM training, a physical-conversation training and a social-contact group. All participants took part in two 2-h testing and to two 2-h training sessions. Results Results showed that after the intervention, older adults in the ToM training group improved their mental states’ understanding significantly more than participants in the physical-conversation training and in the social-contact groups. Crucially, the positive effect of the ToM intervention generalized to metamemory knowledge. Conclusions This is the first study investigating the efficacy of a ToM training and its transfer effect on metacognition in older adults. From a theoretical point of view, it supports the relation between ToM and metamemory. Practical implications of these data are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the multi-componential nature of executive functions, we compared 48 outpatients affected by Type 2 diabetes and 49 control subjects on the executive domains of inhibition, updating, shifting, and word fluency. Variables commonly associated with diabetes were considered in explaining the relationship between diabetes and executive functioning. Each participant underwent a clinical and cognitive (addressing the four executive domains) evaluation. Raw test scores were standardized per domain and compared between groups. Possible risk factors related to diabetes were examined. The diabetes group scored lower than the control subjects only in the inhibition measure, whereas no differences resulted in the other executive domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the task-affordance hypothesis, people will be more likely to use a specific strategy as tasks more readily afford its use. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined the degree to which older and younger adults used a self-testing strategy to learn items, because previous studies suggest that age-related differences in the use of this powerful strategy vary across tasks. These tasks (words affixed to a board vs. pairs on flashcards) differentially afford the use of the self-testing strategy and may moderate the age-related effects on strategy use. Participants performed a recall-readiness task in which they continued to study items until they were ready for the criterion test. As predicted, self testing was used less often on tasks that least afforded its use. Namely, participants used self testing less when they studied single words affixed to a board than when they studied pairs on flashcards. Most important, age-related deficits in strategy use were greater for the former task and nonexistent for the latter one, suggesting that task affordance moderates age differences in strategy use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 8-Hydroxy-deoxyguanosine adducts (8-OHdG), indices of oxidative DNA damage, were measured by immunohystochemistry with diaminobenzidine detection in the brain, skeletal muscle, heart, liver, tenuum mucosa and lymphocytes from young (4 months) and aged (24 months) Sprague–Dawley rats fed ad libitum or held on two different caloric restriction diets (alternate day ad libitum feeding or daily feeding with 40% reduced calories). In the absence of caloric restriction the levels of oxidative DNA damage increased as a function of age in all tissues examined, with a maximum ∼3-fold increase being detected in the peripheral lymphocytes and the heart and a minimum ∼2-fold increase being detected in the liver and brain tissues. Caloric restriction regimens effectively reduced age-dependent increase of oxidative DNA damage in all tissues examined; in particular, the brain and small intestine did not exhibit any age-related increase of oxidative DNA damage. We propose that the levels of 8-OHdG in peripheral lymphocytes may serve a biochemical index of age-related whole organism oxidative DNA damage. Immunohistochemistry might be exploited as a rapid and simple techniques for measuring lymphocytes oxidative DNA damage in large scale studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• We investigated the unexplored domain of pragmatic intervention in healthy aging. • We used a novel training program (PragmaCom) compared with a cognitive training. • Both PragmaCom and cognitive training produced improvement in pragmatics. • Individual factors played a greater role in the cognitive than in PragmaCom group. • Results point to pragmatic plasticity. Among all aspects of the linguistic and communicative competence, pragmatics seems especially vulnerable in aging, due also to cognitive decline. However, pragmatics has never been considered as an intervention target in healthy aging. Here we tested the effects of a novel training program to improve pragmatics (PragmaCom) in older adults, compared with an active cognitive control group in a randomized-controlled-trial design. Both the PragmaCom group and the control group improved in pragmatic skills such as understanding metaphors and avoiding off-topic speech, indicating that it is possible to improve pragmatics in aging both with a specific training and with a cognitive training. Individual cognitive factors predicted pragmatic improvement in the control group, while in the PragmaCom group benefits were less dependent on individual characteristics. We discuss the results in terms of pragmatic plasticity, highlighting the importance of these findings for promoting older adults' social communication and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among all aspects of the linguistic and communicative competence, pragmatics seems especially vulnerable in aging, due also to cognitive decline. However, pragmatics has never been considered as an intervention target in healthy aging. Here we tested the effects of a novel training program to improve pragmatics (PragmaCom) in older adults, compared with an active cognitive control group in a randomized-controlled-trial design. Both the PragmaCom group and the control group improved in pragmatic skills such as understanding metaphors and avoiding off-topic speech, indicating that it is possible to improve pragmatics in aging both with a specific training and with a cognitive training. Individual cognitive factors predicted pragmatic improvement in the control group, while in the PragmaCom group benefits were less dependent on individual characteristics. We discuss the results in terms of pragmatic plasticity, highlighting the importance of these findings for promoting older adults' social communication and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]