BACKGROUND The effects of biological and physical factors on cognitive aging are widely studied. Less is known about the role of psychosocial factors such as stress and social relationships for cognitive functioning. METHODS Speakers in Session IV of the Summit focused on possible mechanisms linking social interactions and stressful experiences to cognitive changes with aging. RESULTS Eleva...

Conflict of interest: All authors are employees and equity holders in CogState Ltd, the company that develops and markets the CogSport computerised cognitive testing software.

Coal mining originates environmental impacts on soil and water bodies, including the leaching of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mine waste piles. This research aims to identify characterize changes induced by self-burning Technosols from a coal pile means comprehensive hydropedological assessment encompassing geochemical, mineralogical, hydrological...

Natural mineral dust storms (DS) from the Arabo-African region blow over the Mediterranean, reach Israel, and add to the anthropogenic particulate pollution. The effects of mineral dust on air quality in Israel were investigated using only PM10 and PM2.5 automatic measurements. The method does not require any other inputs such as satellite observations, model back-trajectories, dust forecast mo...

A principal goal of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity is to identify and characterize past habitable environments on Mars. Determination of the mineralogical and chemical composition of Martian rocks and soils constrains their formation and alteration pathways, providing information on climate and habitability through time. The CheMin X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescen...

More than half of the >5000 approved mineral species are known from five or fewer localities and thus are rare. Mineralogical rarity arises from different circumstances, but all rare mineral species conform to one or more of four criteria: (1) P-T-X range: minerals that form only under highly restricted conditions in pressure-temperature-composition space; (2) Planetary constraints: minerals th...

Organic matter removal is accomplished rapidly and efficiently without removing carbonates by treating samples with a sodium hypochlorite solution. Quantities of organic matter left in samples by this treatment are commonly less than remain after hydrogen peroxide treatment of acidified samples. Stable suspensions result from the use of a sodium carbonate—sodium bicarbonate solution to wash and...

The clinical diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) can be challenging even to experienced clinicians. In the absence of a definitive clinical test, this diagnosis relies on behavioral criteria. Difficulty applying these criteria arise for four main reasons. First, FTD patients present with social and personality changes that defy the neuropsychological model of dementia. Second, FTD is not...

Formal assessment of cognitive decline with cognitive tests can be difficult, requiring either two measurement points or a comparison of 'hold' with 'don't hold' tests. Informant-based assessment provides an alternative approach because informants can adopt a longitudinal perspective and directly rate cognitive change. A study was carried out to assess the validity of informant ratings collecte...