This study investigated associations of adherence to the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) with cognitive performance and cognitive decline over 6 years. We used longitudinal data from the Sydney Memory and Aging Study comprising 1037 community-dwelling non-demented participants aged 70–90 years. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline using the Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiological Studies Version 2. Adherence to the ADG was scored using the Dietary Guideline Index 2013 (DGI-2013). Cognition was assessed using neuropsychological tests in six cognitive domains and global cognition at baseline and 2, 4 and 6 years later. Linear mixed models analysed the association between adherence to the ADG and cognitive function and cognitive decline over 6 years. Results indicated that overall adherence to the ADG was suboptimal (DGI-2013 mean score 43⋅8 with a standard deviation of 10⋅1; median score 44, range 12–73 with an interquartile range of 7). The percent of participants attaining recommended serves for the five food groups were 30⋅2 % for fruits, 11⋅2 % for vegetables, 54⋅6 % for cereals, 28⋅9 % for meat and alternatives and 2⋅1 % for dairy consumption. Adherence to the ADG was not associated with overall global cognition over 6 years (β = 0⋅000; 95 % CI: −0⋅007, 0⋅007; P = 0⋅95). Neither were DGI-2013 scores associated with change in global cognitive performance over 6 years (β = 0⋅002; 95 % CI: −0⋅002, 0⋅005; P = 0⋅41) nor in any individual cognitive domains. In conclusion, adherence to the ADG was not associated with cognitive health over time in this longitudinal analysis of older Australians. Future research is needed to provide evidence to support specific dietary guidelines for neurocognitive health among Australian older adults.

We prove an equivalence between the Bryan-Steinberg theory of $\pi $-stable pairs on $Y = \mathcal {A}_{m-1} \times \mathbb {C}$ and the theory of quasimaps to $X = \text{Hilb}(\mathcal {A}_{m-1})$, in the form of an equality of K-theoretic equivariant vertices. In particular, the combinatorics of both vertices are described explicitly via box counting. Then we apply the equivalence to study the implications for sheaf-counting theories on Y arising from 3D mirror symmetry for quasimaps to X, including the Donaldson-Thomas crepant resolution conjecture.

Background: With advancements in technology, the use of video as a pedagogical method in medical education has gained in popularity, and may aid in teaching clinical skills. In the UBC MD program, videos have been used to assist in teaching the -neurological exam for several decades, but the currently available videos are outdated and not of contemporary quality. Methods: Drawing upon the cognitive theory of multimedia learning from Mayer and Moreno (2003) which describes methods to maximize learning by minimizing cognitive load, we developed a tool to systematically assess pedagogical videos. We inventoried twelve existing neurology videos and analyzed their use of methods such as weeding (removing extraneous information), signalling (visually highlighting important information), and chunking (grouping similar information together). Results: Generally, older videos had poor audiovisual quality that introduced extraneous load, while more current videos had higher production value, albeit inconsistent with the depth of their content. We therefore produced a new three-part neurological exam video series. We wrote storyboards, filmed with a focus on visually depicting the exam and findings, and edited to elucidate relevant physiological concepts. Conclusions: The end product has been adopted by the UBC MD program, and can be shared with other programs who may wish to adopt them.

Short-chain oligomers of aniline are attractive semi-metallic materials for applications as organic electrodes or hole-transporting layers in organic photovoltaics. However, conventionally processed oligoanilines are often amorphous, which limits their conductivities and carrier transport mobilities. Here, we report a simple solvent-exchange method that can render a variety of oligoanilines and their derivatives into crystals of different shapes and dimensions, including 1-D fibers and wires, 2-D ribbons, and 3-D plates, hollow spheres, porous sheets, and flower-like structures. Dopant ions are also simultaneously incorporated into the crystals during self-assembly, allowing them to become conducting. Mechanistic studies suggest that the higher order crystals arise from the most primitive nanofibrillar morphology via hierarchical assembly, providing insights into a general approach to control organic crystal morphologies. Selected area electron diffraction studies reveal their single crystalline nature.

Conventionally cast and hot-rolled Ni-Fe-AI-B alloys containing 4-20 at.% Fe, 23.9- 31.5 at.% Al, and 300 wppm B were investigated in this study. After oil quenching from 1300°C, all the alloys—except SMA-15 (27A1-14Fe)—have at least a two-phase microstructure, one phase of which is martensite with the characteristic plate morphology, and the other a globular second phase distributed throughout the microstructure. The amount of second phase generally increases with increasing Fe content. Alloys containing less than 14% Fe were found to be quite brittle at room temperature, indicating that a ductile second phase is at least partly responsible for the improved room-temperature ductility in the high-Fe alloys. The best tensile ductility (12%) was obtained in SMA-17 (23.9AI-20Fe) which was shown by X-ray diffraction to consist of 40% (mostly disordered) fcc [(Ni,Fe)3 (AI,Fe)] + 30% (partly ordered) bct martensite + 30% B2. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the transformation temperatures for this alloy were MP = 65°C and AP = 95°C. Room-temperature tensile strains of 2-3% could be almost completely recovered in SMA-17 by heating for 3 min. at 600°C with the load removed. Upon subsequent cycling (i.e., strain-anneal cycling), the amount of strain recovery increased dramatically from 70% in the first cycle to nearly 100% after 4-5 cycles, indicating that cold work may help in improving the shape memory characteristics of this alloy. SMA-15 was found to have significantly higher transformation temperatures (Mp = 143°C and Ap = 170°C) than SMA-17; however, it is relatively brittle compared to SMA-17.

This paper summarizes our recent study of NiAI+Fe+B alloy ribbons containing 4 to 20% Fe and doped with 300 wt ppm B. Alloy ribbons were successfully fabricated by rapid solidification via melt spinning. The alloys with 8% Fe and 34% Al-equivalent [=Al%+(Fe%)/2] showed the best bend ductility at room temperature. The ribbons exhibited a reversible martensite (body-centered orthorombic structure) to B2 transformation as evidenced by DSC, X-ray and TEM studies. The shape-memory effect, as characterized by measuring the recovery of bend angles with temperature, is sensitive to alloy composition, with the best recovery observed in SMA-15 (B-doped Ni-27% Al-14% Fe). Annealing at 600°C causes aging embrittlement; in particular, in alloys containing 12% Fe.