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The neural architecture in the auditory cortex — the part of the brain that processes sound — is virtually identical in profoundly deaf and hearing people, a new study has found.The study raises a host of new questions about the role of experience in processing sensory information, and could point the way toward potential new avenues for intervention in deafness. The study is described in a June 18 paper published in Scientific Reports.The paper was written by Ella Striem-Amit, a postdoctoral researcher in Alfonso Caramazza’s Cognitive Neuropsychology Laboratory at Harvard, Mario Belledonne from Harvard, Jorge Almeida from the University of Coimbra, and Quanjing Chen, Yuxing Fang, Zaizhu Han, and Yanchao Bi from Beijing Normal University.“One reason this is interesting is because we don’t know what causes the brain to organize the way it does,” said Striem-Amit, the lead author. “How important is each person’s experience for their brain development? In audition, a lot is known about [how it works] in hearing people, and in animals … but we don’t know whether the same organization is retained in congenitally deaf people.”Those similarities between deaf and hearing brain architecture, Striem-Amit said, suggest that the organization of the auditory cortex doesn’t critically depend on experience, but is likely based on innate factors. So in a person who is born deaf, the brain is still organized in the same manner.But that’s not to suggest experience plays no role in processing sensory information.Evidence from other studies has shown that cochlear implants are far more successful when implanted in toddlers and young children, Striem-Amit said, suggesting that without sensory input during key periods of brain plasticity in early life, the brain may not process information appropriately.To understand the organization of the auditory cortex, Striem-Amit and her collaborators first obtained what are called “tonotopic” maps showing how the auditory cortex responds to various tones.To do that, they placed volunteers in an MRI scanner and played different tones — some high frequency, some low frequency — and tracked which regions in the auditory cortex were activated. They also asked groups of hearing and deaf subjects to simply relax in the scanner, and tracked their brain activity over several minutes. This allowed the researchers to map which areas were functionally connected — essentially those that showed similar, correlated patterns of activation — to each other.They then used the areas showing frequency preference in the tonotopic maps to study the functional connectivity profiles related to tone preference in the hearing and congenitally deaf groups and found them to be virtually identical.“There is a balance between change and typical organization in the auditory cortex of the deaf” said Bi, the senior researcher, “but even when the auditory cortex shows plasticity to processing vision, its typical auditory organization can still be found.”The study raises a host of questions that have yet to be answered.“We know the architecture is in place — does it serve a function?” Striem-Amit said. “We know, for example, that the auditory cortex of the deaf is also active when they view sign language and other visual information. The question is: What do these regions do in the deaf? Are they actually processing something similar to what they process in hearing people, only through vision?”In addition to studies of deaf animals, the researchers’ previous studies of people born blind suggest clues to the puzzle.In the blind, the topographical architecture of the visual cortex (the visual parallel of the tonotopic map, called “retinotopic”) is like that in the sighted. Importantly, beyond topographic organization, regions of the visual cortex show specialization in processing certain categories of objects in sighted individuals; the same specialization in the congenitally blind when stimulated through other senses. For example, the blind reading Braille, or letters delivered through sound, process that information in the same area used by sighted subjects in processing visual letters.“The principle that much of the brain’s organization develops largely regardless of experience is established in blindness,” Striem-Amit said. “Perhaps the same principle applies also to deafness.”
By Dialogo March 04, 2011 Thank you More than two thousand military personnel went out on 2 March, to patrol the streets together with the police in Honduras’s major cities, under the banner of containing a crime wave that has President Porfirio Lobo’s administration up against a wall. Defense Minster Marlon Pascua and Security Minister Oscar Alvarez dropped the flag to start the joint operation with a small ceremony held in Tegucigalpa’s central park. Immediately afterward, vehicles loaded with police officers and military personnel were deployed to neighborhoods and districts in the capital to begin the patrols, which were ordered by President Lobo starting on the night of 28 February. Operations were also launched in San Pedro Sula (240 km to the north), the country’s industrial capital and now – in addition – its crime capital, taking first place in the incidence of crime, according to official statistics. The decision to send the military into the streets was taken by President Porfirio Lobo at a meeting with the defense and security ministers, Human Rights Minister Ana Pineda, and authorities from the bodies that operate the judicial system, including the association of judges and the bar association. The crimes of two notable individuals – an evangelical pastor and a lawyer – in recent days, as well as the continuation of a series of kidnappings for ransom, were the immediate triggers for the decision. “We’ve made agreements that we’re going to work together, agreements that we’re going to re-establish the interinstitutional criminal justice commission, which will enable us to work jointly,” Alvarez declared. The commission, which ceased operating a few months ago, was formed in response to complaints by authorities from the Security Ministry that criminals who were detained were being released by the courts. The judges, for their part, complained about the lack of evidence to support the charges, due to the deficiencies of the police force. Pineda told AFP that one of the agreements reached at the meeting was to adopt “an interinstitutional plan to prevent and fight crime,” respecting human rights. Ordinary citizens and human-rights organizations complain that patrols, like those embarked on for an indefinite period at the beginning of March, violate human rights, because military personnel and police officers mistreat individuals during searches.
FLA now handling more psychological problems July 15, 2004 Regular News FLA now handling more psychological problems The last two years have been the assistance program’s busiest Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc., is now helping more lawyers with psychological problems than those with substance abuse problems, and the past two years have been its busiest in its 18-year existence.The organization’s executive director, Mike Cohen, gave his annual report to the Bar Board of Governors recently and emphasized the important role the agency plays.“The money that you allocate to Florida Lawyers Assistance is probably the only money that goes directly to saving lawyers’ lives, their families, and their careers,” he said. “What you do here makes a real difference.. . . Your organization should take great pride that there are a number of great lawyers out there who are still practicing. . . who, without you giving them support, would not still be practicing.”The agency’s mission, Cohen said, is to help lawyers suffering from substance abuse, psychological problems, or other compulsive disorders. FLA, Inc., has added a part-time mental health clinician to help deal with the rising number of psychological cases.He praised the Bar for supporting the addition of psychological treatment to the agency’s initial charge of helping lawyers with addiction problems. “This was not an issue that needed to be hidden. This was an issue that had to be dealt with and this is something that The Florida Bar did address,” Cohen said. “This Bar was the second one in the country to do that.”One reason for increasing caseloads, he said, is the word is getting out about FLA, Inc., and its services.Information is now presented at all Practicing with Professionalism seminars, as well as at all law school orientations and other venues. As a result, the number of referrals from judges, law schools, and the Florida Board of Bar Examiners is increasing. “I think the word is getting out that lawyers with problems have an alternative to the grievance system,” Cohen said.He also praised the change, now about 15 years old, that allowed conditional admission for new lawyers who had had problems.He said more than 400 lawyers have been conditionally admitted, and fewer than 10 percent had any further problem. “I think you can take a tremendous amount of pride in that,” Cohen said.But for all that has been accomplished, much still needs to be done. Cohen said there were at least three lawyer suicides in the past year, as well as four deaths from overdoses and several high-profile arrests.“I think one of those is too many,” he said. “We are dealing with a population of 73,000 to 74,000 lawyers, and it’s not all going to be a success.” FLA Workshop Florida Lawyers Assistance also will hold its Annual Workshop and Seminar July 30-31 in Naples. The registration fee is $160 and scholarships are available on a qualifying basis. Requests must be in writing and mailed or faxed to FLA at (954) 568-0803. The CLE event will be held at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club at 851 Gulf Shore Blvd., in Naples.For more information log on to www.fla-lap.org/workshop04.html.
3SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr “Community banks fear them. Big banks think they can crush them. But over the years, the credit union has proved resilient. And unknown to most people, credit unions thrive by writing car loans.”by: Christina PontissoJordan Wathen, from The Motley Fool, explains why and how credit unions can offer lower rates compared to banks on auto loans.Wathen recommends that credit unions are a consumers best bet for choosing an auto loan in 2015. Thanks to the credit union non-for-profit structure, CUs are able to offer better interest rates on savings and loan products to their members. Most of the time credit unions offer their rates 1%-2% lower than banks!The difference are significant, see for yourself in the graphs below: continue reading »
continue reading » ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr The Federal Reserve Board last week announced details of the FedNow℠ Service, a new 24x7x365 interbank settlement service with clearing functionality to support instant payments in the United States.The features and functionality described represent a key milestone in the FedNow Service’s development and are based on input received from the public in response to the Board’s 2019 request for comment. CUNA strongly supported the service in its comment letter sent in November.According to the Fed, it will take a phased approach to service implementation.The first release of the FedNow Service will provide core clearing and settlement features that will support market needs and help financial institutions manage the transition to a 24x7x365 service. Based on ongoing stakeholder engagement, additional features and service enhancements will be introduced over time.
Lynfield said the key to the successful development of the flu line was the phone triage expertise of the state’s health system partners and having private partners that are very public health minded. “They had the flexibility to quickly ramp things up and they understand what the priority needs are,” she said. Minnesota Health Commissioner Sanne Magnan, MD, said today at a press conference, “By providing support and treatment over the phone, we hope this new service will allow our healthcare providers and facilities to focus on those people who need the most attention.” Another benefit is keeping sick people from spreading the virus when they visit clinics and emergency departments, she said. Health plans are interested in measures such as the flu line that can improve the quality of and access to care, she said. “Not everyone is knowledgeable about how to access healthcare,” Brust said, adding that Minnesota’s system has the potential to seamlessly connect people to all their different plans by calling one number. See also: Minnesota’s flu line is the first in the country that has a statewide reach and can prescribe antivirals over the phone under standing orders from a physician. The service was developed through a public-private partnership that includes the MDH, the Minnesota Hospital Association, the Minnesota Council of Health Plans, healthcare providers, local health departments, and the Children’s Physician Network. Its developers also received advice from others partners, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Oct 21, 2009 (CIDRAP News) In a move designed to lighten the burden on emergency departments and clinics, Minnesota officials today unveiled a flu triage line staffed by nurses who can discuss symptoms with sick patients, suggest treatment steps, and prescribe an antiviral drug if the caller is in a high-risk category. However, he said prescribing antivirals over the phone may raise liability issues. At today’s press conference, Magnan said most actions of triage line workers, unless they are egregious, will be covered under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act, a federal law that provides liability protection for healthcare workers in public health emergencies and provides compensation to patients who are injured by countermeasures. Magnan said the flu line was developed with a $2.5 million federal grant and that state officials won’t know the total cost until they can get a fix on the line’s usage. “But if we can keep people who need information out of doctor’s offices, it won’t take long for savings to accrue,” she added. Janny Brust, director of community affairs and medical policy for the Minnesota Council of Health Plans, told CIDRAP News that private medical groups and state officials have been working on flu issues and emergency preparations for several years. “We already had those relationships,” she said. Magnan said one of the state’s medical providers told her their calls have tripled because of patients with suspected flu infections. Aaron DeVries, MD, a medical epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), told reporters, “The flu is stretching our healthcare system in new ways and we need new options.” Ruth Lynfield, MD, Minnesota’s state epidemiologist, told CIDRAP News that the flu line offers the potential for patients to begin antiviral treatment sooner. Over the past few weeks, federal officials have voiced concerns about delays in antiviral treatment as a contributing factor in some of the more serious and fatal flu cases. Earlier this week the CDC sent a health alert network message urging clinicians not to depend on rapid tests for treatment decisions and to start antiviral treatment promptly in at-risk patients, without waiting for the results of more definitive tests. A round-the-clock serviceThe Children’s Physician Network is spearheading flu line operations with 50 lines staffed by nurses around the clock, 7 days a week. Callers who have flu symptoms are connected to either a CPN nurse or, if they have health insurance, a nurse at a triage line operated by their health system. Liability concern raisedCarl Schultz, MD, professor of emergency medicine at the University of California at Irvine, told CIDRAP News that a flu line like Minnesota’s is a reasonable public health response that has the potential to reduce the burden on hospital emergency departments. Schultz also chairs the disaster preparedness and response committee of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Schultz said emergency departments in the Irvine area are seeing an increasing number of flu cases but have not resorted to any surge plans. He said some California counties and some of its larger health systems have flu hotlines, but Minnesota’s is the only one he knows of that covers the whole state and has the capacity to prescribe antivirals. “Minnesota has had a tradition of pulling together lots of different participants,” he said. For low-risk patients with mild illnesses, nurses are likely to suggest rest and fluids at home. Patients with more serious symptoms are urged to be evaluated at a clinic or hospital. Those who nurses believe to be at high risk, such as pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions, can receive an antiviral prescription, which is faxed to the patient’s pharmacy. Antiviral medications for people who are uninsured will come out of the state’s antiviral stockpile, officials said. Oct 19 CDC health alert network messagehttp://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/HAN/101909.htm
“The Games [used to be] gorgeous and extravagant, which I experienced before…,” Yamashita, a former Olympic gold medalist judoka, said at JOC headquarters.”But I don’t think the concept of these Games will pursue these things. The first priority is to be safe and secure.”Yamashita, installed as JOC chairman in June last year in place of Tsunekazu Takeda, who is being investigated over corruption allegations, said the pandemic was also causing his organization to suffer financially.”In regards to the next fiscal year [the financial situation of JOC] will be quite tough,” he said after a difficult first year in charge. “…I think there is a high possibility that we may have to consider borrowing money.”The situation under which a president of a host country’s Olympic committee is changed a year before the Games “shouldn’t happen,” he added. Topics : The rearranged Tokyo Olympics are likely to be a pared-down version of recent editions of the four-yearly Games, Japanese Olympic Committee chairman Yasuhiro Yamashita said on Tuesday.Japan and the International Olympic Committee postponed the Tokyo Games until 2021 in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.Since then, organizers have spoken of trying to simplify the event – which had been due to start in 10 days’ time – to reduce costs and ensure athletes’ safety.
DailyMail 25 October 2013Married couples enjoy far greater wealth and health than those who cohabit, an influential think-tank revealed yesterday.They are more likely to own their home, have better jobs and be more highly educated – and less likely to struggle to pay the bills.They have less chance of splitting up and their children are less likely to smoke or take drugs, a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies said.One piece of research showed that married parents of a three-year-old were twice as likely as cohabiting couples to be in the wealthiest fifth of families. They were half as likely to be in the poorest fifth.Married fathers were more than twice as likely as cohabiting fathers to have a professional occupation and in the sample studied 86 per cent of married couples were homeowners compared with 54 per cent of cohabitees.The study found that teenagers whose parents cohabit were 10 per cent more likely to smoke or use cannabis by the age of 16 than children from married families.The IFS admitted that no reason for the difference could be detected and that one explanation may be the positive effect on youngsters of being brought up by parents who are married.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2477190/How-marriage-DOES-benefit-wealth-health-children–think-tank-used-say-didnt-matter.html
Sheriff Matt MyersTen of the state’s top sheriffs have been re-elected as trustees of the Indiana Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch, a non-profit academy under development to mentor future law enforcement officers, bond with at-risk kids and comfort young witnesses and victims of crime. Two of those sheriffs serve southeastern IndianaBartholomew County Sheriff Matt MyersRipley County Sheriff Jeff CumberworthMost have helped lead the project since its inception in 2016. Last year, the volunteer group had raised enough private donations to purchase a West Central Indiana property featuring three lakes and 62 acres of rolling woods.A former veterinary clinic on the Youth Ranch property was remodeled and expanded to become the Search and Rescue Training Center for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security – providing lease income to help sustain the Youth Ranch and K-9 and drone training experiences for visiting teens. Several unsafe, unwanted barns were demolished with the help of Indiana Department of Correction inmate workers and personnel, as well as MacAllister Machinery. An existing five-bedroom home is being transformed into a Sheriffs’ Lodge and Conference Center with the help of Mohawk Flooring, Sherwin-Williams and Ashley Furniture Homestores. Sheriff Jeff CumberworthThis fall, the ISYR board of sheriffs and former sheriffs across Indiana is establishing a group of Student Advisors For Educating Tomorrow’s Youth (S.A.F.E.T.Y.) Leaders, who will help advise the sheriffs and deputies as they determine programs and policies for the not-for-profit training retreat.S.A.F.E.T.Y. Leaders will be middle and high school students who have attended previous camps offered by police, sheriffs and fire departments. In addition to meeting new friends from across the state, S.A.F.E.T.Y. Leaders will able to voluntarily participate in K-9, drone and safe-ATV training. Nearby hotel lodging will be provided, if needed, for the Saturday events. This year’s S.A.F.E.T.Y. Leaders’ meetings will be sponsored by Boar’s Head Provision Company of Henry County
RelatedPosts COVID-19: Winter Olympics star gives palliative to Nigerians Video: Inside Lagos COVID-19 isolation centre: Patients, beds, food, treatment COVID-19: Photos as Lagos converts stadium to isolation centre The Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, says the Federal Government will collaborate with the Lagos State Government to accelerate the process of concessioning the National Stadium, Surulere.Dare said this on Saturday in Lagos, during the inspection of the stadium and Teslim Balogun Stadium, both in Surulere, as well as the Onikan Stadium.He noted that there could be no sports development without corresponding improved facility, hence the need for the inspection of the facilities in the stadia to assess their state.According to him, the inspection tour is in line with the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that stadia in the country are properly maintained.He said that the inspection was a sign of what would happen to the stadia in Lagos and other sporting facilities across the country.“Today is historical because we are seeing the next level in sports development in this country.“There is no sports development without facilities; hence we need to maintain our facilities. We need to upgrade them and we need to manage them properly.“What you see today is the first step towards maintaining what is a national monument,” Dare said.The minister said the plan was to renovate and upgrade the national stadium to an international standard.Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, said he had gone round with the minister and seen the state of negligence and misuse of the national stadium.Sanwo-Olu said that the state was ready to turn the stadium to an international asset that Nigerians would be proud of.He said that the federal government had agreed to work with the Lagos state government on the process of concessioning the stadium.“Lagos state has indicated interest to help manage and bring back the dead assets that we have there and turn them into a viable asset for our teeming youth,” Sanwo-Olu said.The governor promised that the stadium would soon wear a new look to gaurantee a sporting future for the people around as well as the sporting community at large.He said that the stadium was built over 43 years ago and the infrastructure was still very strong.“We just need to do a whole lot more to revamp it, put it to use and monitor how it is managed,” the governor said.He said that the state government was committed to making the national stadium ready for the second FIFA inspection team’s visit.Sanwo-Olu said that government was working with security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth FIFA Under-20 Women World Cup tournament scheduled for 2020. Tags: Onikan StadiumSurulere