https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1XfbgcmeOw

Zoom adds ‘pronoun’ integration in 5.7.0 update The platform wants users to feel more included, able to express themselves, and be seen. By Karandeep Oberoi@DeepReportingJUN 22, 2021 5:56 PM EDT0 COMMENTS Until now, Zoom users wanting to add pronouns to their profile had to do so manually by adding them in front of their name. With the release of Zoom’s 5.7.0 update, the video conferencing platform has added pronoun integration to help “users feel more included, able to express themselves, and be seen.” For users with an account under the free Basic Zoom plan, as well as those with a single licenced user, pronouns will be shown by default on the profile pages. For accounts with numerous users, the field will be turned off by default, although users can manually enable it in their account settings. Zoom users can also choose whether their pronouns be shown in meetings or not. Zoom profile settings allow you to choose whether to “always share,” “do not share,” or “ask me every time” if pronouns should be displayed in each meeting. By default, this feature is set on “always share.” To learn how to add your personal pronoun to your Zoom profile, click here. It’s worth noting that to use the new pronoun integration, you need to update your ‘Zoom client to 5.7.0.’ Other changes brought about in the 5.7.0 update also include Scheduling privileges, consistent date formatting, improved iPad visual experience and more. To learn about all the new features, click here. Image credits: Zoom

Read more at MobileSyrup.com: Zoom adds ‘pronoun’ integration in 5.7.0 update

Self-Reported Declines in Cognition May Be Linked to Changes in Brain Connectivity

FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·June 22, 2021

Summary: Self-reported cognitive decline was associated with altered functional connectivity in the hippocampus and dorsal anterior insular, a new study reports.

Source: Wayne State University

 Jessica Damoiseaux, Ph.D., an associate professor with the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University, recently published the results of a three-year study of cognitive changes in older adults.

The team followed 69 primarily African American females, ages 50 to 85, who complained that their cognitive ability was worsening though clinical assessments showed no impairments. Three magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) at 18-month intervals showed significant changes in functional connectivity in two areas of the brain.

“An older adult’s perceived cognitive decline could be an important precursor to dementia,” Damoiseaux said. “Brain alterations that underlie the experience of decline could reflect the progression of incipient dementia and may emerge before cognitive assessment is sensitive enough to detect a deficit.”

The resulting paper, “Longitudinal change in hippocampal and dorsal anterior insulae functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline,” appeared in the May 31 issue of Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy. Damoiseaux conducted the study with graduate student Raymond Viviano, Ph.D., who is first author.

Subjective cognitive decline, defined as a perceived worsening of cognitive ability not noted on clinical assessment, may be an early indicator of dementia. Previous cross-sectional research has demonstrated aberrant brain functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline, but longitudinal evaluation has been limited.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.468.0_en.html#goog_1366752935

Viviano and Damoiseaux’s three-year study found that persons reporting more subjective cognitive decline showed a larger decrease in connectivity between components of the default mode network and a larger increase in connectivity between salience and default mode network components. The functional connectivity changed in the absence of a change in cognitive performance.

Since these brain changes occurred without concomitant cognitive changes, they could indicate that brain changes underlie the perception of decline. These changes could be a sensitive marker for nascent dementia months or years before assessments detect any cognitive deficit.

About this cognitive decline research news

Source: Wayne State University
Contact: Julie O’Connor – Wayne State University
Image: The image is in the public domainhttps://928647d838b905a06fcc62fe3365890d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Original Research: Open access.
“Longitudinal change in hippocampal and dorsal anterior insulae functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline” by Jessica Damoiseaux et al. Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy

1 in 4 couples sleep in separate bedrooms. It affects the whole family.

Daryl AustinSpecial to USA TODAYAD0:11SKIPhttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.468.0_en.html#goog_1886106319

Throughout her childhood, Leina Hsu never thought it odd that her parents chose to sleep in separate bedrooms. It wasn’t until she started seeing how couples were portrayed on TV that she started to recognize the practice was unusual.

After that, Hsu, a Chinese American writer and student at Georgetown University, began to feel the stigma of her parents’ sleeping arrangements whenever she confided in her peers.

“Anytime a friend was visiting my house, I felt the need to explain and justify my parent’s bedroom situation before they saw the layout of our home,” she says. Though her friends tried to appear supportive, “some of them couldn’t hide their shock or surprise.” 

Couples sleeping apart has become increasingly common: A 2012 survey by the Better Sleep Council and a 2017 survey from the National Sleep Foundation both showed 1 in 4 couples now sleep in separate beds. But “there’s still shame attached to it for some people because of how taboo the topic is,” says Dr. Meir Kryger, a professor of medicine at Yale’s School of Medicine and author of “The Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine.”https://cdab4a63f417caf1e56ce0f19357d324.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Kryger says no couple should feel embarrassed about the practice: “For a lot of couples, sleeping apart can be the best thing for their relationship.” However, experts agree sleeping separately impacts the family as a whole, and it’s important parents address the sleeping arrangements with their kids. 

Kryger has met with families where children have experienced embarrassment, insecurities, or concerns as a result of their parents’ sleeping arrangements.

“Some kids have even wondered if their parents’ decision to sleep apart means they’re not in love anymore,” he says.

Parents can also worry they’re modeling unhealthy behavior, or that their children may want to similarly sleep apart from their significant other someday.

“The effects of sleeping in separate rooms can be extremely positive for a relationship, extremely negative for a relationship, or anything in between,” says Manhattan psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona, who explains it all comes down to the couple’s reason for wanting to sleep apart in the first place. “Each couple should examine and discuss clearly and specifically their thoughts, feelings, and needs around this issue to find a mutually satisfying compromise.” 

Some common reasons couples sleep apart include  snoring, restlessness, parasomnia, frequent trips to the bathroom, or incompatible sleep schedules. 

Kryger says, “There’s no research that suggests that couples who sleep apart for the purpose of better sleep have any less of a romantic connection than couples who share a bed.”https://omny.fm/shows/usa-today/playlists/usa-today-alexa-newsstream/embed?style=cover

Another point Kryger stressed was that parents who sleep apart can mitigate their children’s concerns over the strength of their bond by demonstrating their love in other ways.

“Children who observe their parents regularly holding hands, complimenting each other, or snuggling together on the couch will find any insecurities they’ve felt quickly abated,” he says. 

Of course, sometimes sleeping separately does represent a disconnection. Story from PhilipsCreating a healthier future for allThe 2021 Philips’ Future Health Index offers insight on what global healthcare leaders are most concerned about going forward and how they are addressing challenges posed — and exposed — by the pandemic.See More →

“There are some couples for whom the decision to sleep apart is a sign of something awry in the relationship,” says Wendy Troxel, a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corp. and author of “Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep.”

Kryger adds that if a couple’s desire to sleep apart stems from a romantic disconnection or marital problems, “parents shouldn’t mince words or send the children mixed messages.” Get the Coronavirus Watch newsletter in your inbox.

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He also says there’s hope for couples who sleep apart due to sleep incompatibility who may want to start sleeping in the same bed or bedroom again.

“Virtually every sleep problem has a solution,” he says. “Many fixes are quite simple; other times, couples should seek professional help.” 

Parents who are worried their decision to sleep apart might negatively impact their children should consider the long-term strain of unhappily sharing a bed, Cilona says.

“Incompatible sleep schedules has been associated with relationship difficulties and higher rates of divorce,” he says, adding that adults are “not so different than children” when it comes to how a lack of sleep affects our behavior toward others. 

While Troxel says there’s very little research on how children are impacted by their parents’ sleeping arrangements, the “rising trend of couples choosing to sleep apart,” indicates “this will become an issue that more families may need to address.” Troxel says such conversations should be open and honest, age-appropriate, and matter-of-fact. 

“Explain to the child that families are different in many different ways,” she says, adding that for certain families, “parents sleep better when they sleep apart, and getting healthy sleep is really important.” 

In the end, even younger children understand the importance of a good night’s rest – and older children may even see the wisdom in their parents choosing less orthodox sleeping arrangements. 

A conclusion Hsu says she came to herself: “My parents sleeping apart demonstrated to me that they had enough confidence in their relationship that they were willing to detour from the normative path.”

Philips’ Hue Amarant Ambiance Outdoor Light adds a dash of colour to your backyard Paint those tomato plants pink By Patrick O’Rourke@Patrick_ORourkeJUN 23, 2021 1:01 PM EDT0 COMMENTS Though I’ve always been interested in gardening, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and being stuck at home nearly all the time, I’ve really dove headfirst into the hobby. Whether it’s borrowing a few flat rocks from a nearby Lake Ontario retaining wall for a path, building overpriced raised wooden garden beds or trying to outsmart the never-ending onslaught of animals trying to eat my plants, I’ve enjoyed every moment of creating my personal backyard oasis over the past year. That’s why when Philips reached out to me regarding trying the company’s Amarant White and Colour Ambiance Linear Outdoor Lights, I jumped at the opportunity. I already have a wide array of Hue products, including Smart Bulbs, Lamps, Lightstrips and of course, a Hub, so the setup process was relatively simple. It’s worth noting that like a lot of Hue’s outdoor lights, the Amarant doesn’t come with its own power supply. This means that unless you already own a power supply you purchased for other outdoor Hue lights, like the cylinder-shaped Calla lights, for example, you’ll need to buy a $79 power adapter on top of the $199 Amarant light. On the more positive side, Hue’s ecosystem of outdoor lights is surprisingly modular. I used a Hue extension cable to extend my outdoor lighting setup along my fence, with the Amarant light in the middle behind my garden and one of my two Calla lights in the back corner of my backyard. You’ll also need a Philips Hue Bridge to connect the Amarant, though I already owned one for my other Hue lights. I slid the Amarant Light behind my raised garden to add a little ambiance to my expanding collection of crops. Given the backlight shines on my ageing fence that’s a rapidly fading grey, certain colours stand out more than others. For example, white is barely visible, while something more vibrant like pink or orange looks great and more intense than I expected. You can also mount the Amarant Light with screws if that better suits the placement of the smart light. Like Philips’ other outdoor lights, the LED-powered Amarant can emit 16 million different colours, works with the company’s iOS and Android app and is entirely weatherproof. For example, I’ve left my Calla lights out for several winters now and haven’t encountered any issues with them. I expect the Amarant to feature a similar level of durability. The light is also compatible with Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home platform, allowing it to work with voice commands. As with all of Hue’s products, the Amarant is expensive, but in a sense, you really do get what you pay for. There may be cheaper ambient smart outdoor lights available, but in my experience, they don’t come close to matching the vibrancy, reliability and overall versatility of Hue’s product line. Philips’ Hue Amarant White and Colour Ambiance Linear Outdoor Light costs $199 at Home Depot and Best Buy.

Read more at MobileSyrup.com: Philips’ Hue Amarant Ambiance Outdoor Light adds a dash of colour to your backyard

You Can Lock Your Shady Incognito Tabs With This Hidden Face ID Setting

A new, hidden Chrome setting makes it easy to keep others out of your incognito tabs.

Brendan HesseYesterday 5:00PM1SaveAlerts

Google is testing a new feature for Chrome on iPhone and iPad that lets you lock incognito tabs with facial ID when they’re left open in the background. (Unfortunately, the feature is not available on Android—at least not yet).

Chrome’s incognito mode prevents your device from saving your browsing history, which can be helpful when you need to stealthily look something up. However, unless you close your incognito tabs every time you stop using Chrome, someone could easily open your background tabs to see what you’re up to. By enabling the new privacy feature, though, you can safely leave incognito tabs open in Chrome without fear of someone snooping into whatever it is you have hidden while you’re not looking.

The feature is available in the stable iOS Chrome app, but it’s hidden in the experimental flags menu and not readily available in the app settings. It’s possible Google will make it a standard feature in a future app update, but here’s how to turn it on for now:

1. Open chrome://flags in a new Chrome tab on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Use the search bar to find “Device Authentication for Incognito.”
3. Set the flag to “Enabled” from the drop-down.
4. Tap to reboot Chrome when prompted to save and apply your changes.
5. Reopen Chrome, then go to Settings > Privacy.
6. Enable the new “Lock Incognito Tabs When You Close Chrome” option.

With the feature enabled, you can leave incognito tabs open in the background with less worry, as anyone trying to access your active incognito tabs will need to provide a matching Face ID to unlock them.

Over 50? Try These Secret Tricks for Sleeping Better, Says Science

Sleep issues get increasingly common as you age. Here’s how to fight back for those Zs.

BYJOHN ANDERERJUNE 23, 2021FACT CHECKED BYALEX DANIEL

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Sleep can be elusive at any age, but chronic sleep issues—and full-blown insomnia—are particularly common among older adults starting right around the age of 50.

“Tell me if this sounds familiar,” says clinical psychologist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., founder of The Sleep Doctor. “You slept like a log in your 20s, and pretty well in your 30s, maybe even into your early 40s. Then, somewhere in your later 40s or 50s, sleep started to get…wonky. You go to bed exhausted but still have trouble falling asleep. You wake at least once or twice a night—sometimes to go to the bathroom, sometimes just because. Often, you don’t sleep all the way to dawn, waking way ahead of your alarm, wishing you could grab that extra 45 minutes or hour of rest. Welcome to sleep in middle age.”Train Your Brain For Better Sleep With These Easy Tips!

What is it about the big 5-0 that leads to so many sleepless nights? The Sleep Foundation tells us that much of this phenomenon is related to natural age-related changes within the body’s internal clock. Our circadian rhythms dictate when we wake, feel tired and fall asleep, and become hungry. As the decades pass by, however, the “master clock” in our minds responsible for those bodily rhythms slowly changes and deteriorates.

Luckily, there are plenty of tricks, changes, and lifestyle adjustments older adults can make to combat age-related sleep problems. Keep reading to learn what you can do to counter poor sleep in middle age. And for more great sleep advice, make sure you know why It’s Worse for You to Sleep on This Side of Your Body, Says Science.1

Soak in the Sunshine in the Morning

It may sound counterintuitive to talk about a sleep trick to employ in the AM after you wake up, but hear us out. Remember the master clock in your mind mentioned above? Well, scientists refer to it as the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus), and it receives most of its information via the eyes. Consequently, natural light is one of the biggest visual cues the SCN looks for to re-adjust and recalibrate circadian rhythms. In simpler terms, spending more time surrounded by natural light can help older adults get their sleep schedules back on track.

This research published in Holistic Nursing Practice found that spending two hours in the sun each morning for five straight days helped a group of older adults improve their overall sleep quality. And for more amazing sleep tips, consider trying these Secret Tricks for Falling Asleep When You Can’t Fall Asleep, Say Experts.2

Perform Moderate Exercise in the Evening

There are plenty of benefits to getting your daily workout done early in the day. Interestingly, though, older adults struggling with quality sleep may want to consider adding some moderate physical activity to their evening routine. A study recently published in the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology separated a group of 60 older adults into two experimental groups: one that engaged in low-intensity aerobic exercise in the morning and another that did the same at night. Adults assigned to the evening exercise group were able to fall asleep faster each night and reported greater satisfaction with their sleep quality. And for more advice for getting more Zs, don’t miss Why Listening to Taylor Swift Before Bed Will Ruin Your Sleep!3

Don’t Take Long Naps

Many people who were never habitual nappers earlier in life find themselves snoozing in the afternoon much more regularly after entering their 50s. One study published in BMC Geriatrics that included over 7,000 adults ages 60 and older found 59.3% were “habitual” daytime nappers. While it makes some sense to recoup lost sleep with new naps here and there, the Mayo Clinic advises avoiding long or frequent naps if you’re struggling with sleep at night. A few minutes of napping in the afternoon may lead to hours spent awake at night.4

Don’t Dwell on Your Poor Sleep

One specific sleep complaint cited by older adults is frequently waking up in the middle of the night. If you’ve been dealing with this problem and can’t help but worry about it all the time, Therapist Laura Mueller-Anderson, MSW, LICSW has a re-assuring piece of advice: Remember that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.

“The biggest sleep issue I have seen over the age of 50 is frequent waking during the night,” she says. “This is completely to be expected, because our sleep cycles change over the course of our lifetimes. As people age the amount of time they spend in deep sleep decreases and time spent in light sleep increases, and typically people have more frequent awakening during the night as they cycle through the lighter stages of sleep. It is completely normal and people’s bodies are still gaining the benefits of rest and sleep.”

So now you know frequent nighttime sleep disruptions aren’t necessarily a big problem. So what should you do?

“A major strategy to combat this sleep disruption is just to have the knowledge that not only is it normal, but you are also gaining the benefits of deep rest even when you awaken in the middle of the night,” says Mueller-Anderson. “This is because in that first stage of sleep, we can still have some awareness of surroundings so although you think you have woken up you may actually still be getting the benefits of stage one sleep. It may be helpful to come up with a reassuring phrase to say to oneself on these occasions. An example would be, ‘I’ve awoken and I’m getting rest, I will return to sleep soon.'” And for more on sleep, make sure you know What Your Weird Dreams Really Mean, According to a New Study.5

Add Magnesium—and De-Stress

There’s no shortage of prescription and OTC meds and concoctions that claim to provide the perfect night’s sleep. While the validity of many of those claims are dubious to say the least, Aaron Hartman, MD, recommends a few natural supplements for older adults struggling with sleep.

“Cortisol is a stress hormone that increases as we age that can also disrupt our sleep. Supplementing phosphatidylserine (a lipid that lowers cortisol), l-theanine, and ashwagandha can help abate cortisol,” he suggests. “Many medications, stressors, and health conditions common in older age can cause magnesium deficiency. Glycine is an amino acid that turns into GABA, which is the ‘zen’ neurotransmitter that helps calm us down and induces sleep. So a nice combination of magnesium glycinate powder gives your brain the magnesium it needs and preps for sleep.” And for more on sleep, don’t miss The Secret Side Effect of Sleeping in Too Late, Says New Study.

A Robot Has Learned to Combine Vision and Touch

Artificial IntelligenceDeep LearningFeaturedMachine LearningNeuroscienceNeuroscience VideosNeurotechRobotics·June 21, 2021

Summary: Combining deep learning algorithms with robotic engineering, researchers have developed a new robot able to combine vision and touch.

Source: EBRAINS / Human Brain Project

On the new EBRAINS research infrastructure, scientists of the Human Brain Project have connected brain-inspired deep learning to biomimetic robots.  

How the brain lets us perceive and navigate the world is one of the most fascinating aspects of cognition. When orienting ourselves, we constantly combine information from all six senses in a seemingly effortless way–a feature that even the most advanced AI systems struggle to replicate. 

On the new EBRAINS research infrastructure, cognitive neuroscientists, computational modelers, and roboticists are now working together to shed new light on the neural mechanisms behind this, by creating robots whose internal workings mimic the brain. 

“We believe that robots can be improved through the use of knowledge about the brain. But at the same time, this can also help us better understand the brain”, says Cyriel Pennartz, a Professor of Cognition and Systems Neurosciences at the University of Amsterdam.  

In the Human Brain Project, Pennartz has collaborated with computational modelers Shirin Dora, Sander Bohte and Jorge F. Mejias to create complex neural network architectures for perception based on real-life data from rats. Their model, dubbed “MultiPrednet” consists of modules for visual and tactile input, and a third that merges them.  https://25ee146709f8e9b466cc79bb00725824.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

“What we were able to replicate for the first time, is that the brain makes predictions across different senses”, Pennartz explains. “So you can predict how something will feel from looking at it, and vice versa”. 

The way these networks “train” resembles how scientists think our brain learns: By constantly generating predictions about the world, comparing them to actual sensory inputs, and then adapting the network to avoid future error signals. 

To test how the MultiPrednet performs in a body, the researchers teamed up with Martin Pearson at Bristol Robotics Lab. Together they integrated it into Whiskeye, a rodent-like robot that autonomously explores its environment, using head-mounted cameras for eyes, and 24 artificial whiskers to gather tactile information. 

The researchers observed first indications that the brain-based model has an edge over traditional deep learning systems: Especially when it comes to navigation and recognition of familiar scenes; the MultiPredNet seems to perform better – a discovery the team now investigates further. https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.468.0_en.html#goog_104795048

To accelerate this research, the robot has been recreated as a simulation on the Neurorobotics Platform of the EBRAINS research infrastructure. “This allows us to do long duration or even parallel experiments under controlled conditions,” says Pearson. “We also plan to use the High Performance and Neuromorphic Computing Platforms for much more detailed models of control and perception in the future.” https://25ee146709f8e9b466cc79bb00725824.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

See also

FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceFebruary 9, 2021

What’s Driving ‘Brain Fog’ in People With COVID-19?

All code and analysis tools of the work are open on EBRAINS, so that researchers can run their own experiments. “It’s a unique situation,” says Pennartz: “We were able to say, here’s an interesting model of perception based on neurobiology, and it would be great to test it on a larger scale with supercomputers and embodied in a robot. Doing this is normally very complicated, but EBRAINS makes it possible.”

New optical technique paves the way for “hair-thin” endoscopes

By Ben CoxworthJune 22, 2021

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Sample images obtained utilizing the system – each one is a twentieth of a millimeter wide University of Exeter
VIEW 1 IMAGES

Medical endoscopes may look small, but their tips are actually several millimeters wide, making them too big to image living cells within the body. A new system, however, allows users to view images through a single ultra-thin strand of optical fiber.

Just one tenth the width of a standard endoscopic optical cable, individual strands of optical fiber can much more easily be inserted into the body via a needle, then used to view living cells. Unfortunately, though, it’s very challenging to obtain useable images directly through such strands, as they scramble the light that passes through them.

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One solution to this problem involves figuring out the manner in which an individual strand scrambles light, then using that knowledge as a key to”decode” its garbled light patterns into understandable images. As the strand bends and twists, though, that key changes, and has to be recalculated all over again.

Led by Dr. David Phillips, scientists from the University of Exeter and elsewhere have developed a way around that limitation.

The process is inspired by an astronomical technique, in which optical distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence are compensated for by paying attention to a reference “guide star.” Because the astronomers already know what that star is supposed to look like, they can correct the distorted images simply by adjusting them to make the star appear “right” again.

In the case of an optical fiber strand endoscope, a small brightly fluorescing particle on the end of the strand serves the same purpose as a guide star. Since the proper appearance of that particle is already known, it’s easy to automatically compensate for changes in the scrambled-light key that occur as the strand twists and bends.

As a result, it’s possible to continuously obtain clear images of tiny targets via that strand.https://3ae4f92a6a96a2da98d66db692503334.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

“We hope that our work brings the visualization of sub-cellular processes deep inside the body a step closer to reality – and helps to translate this technology from the lab to the clinic,” says Philips.

A paper on the research, which also involved scientists from Boston University and Germany’s Liebniz Institute of Photonic Technologies, was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: University of Exeter

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