More than 50 million older people worldwide are suffering from dementia, and this number is estimated to increase to 150 million by 2050. Greater caregiver burdens and financial impacts on the healthcare system are expected as we wait for an effective treatment for dementia. Researchers are constantly exploring new therapies and screening approaches for the early detection of dementia. Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely applied in dementia research, including machine learning and deep learning methods for dementia diagnosis and progression detection. Computerized apps are also convenient tools for patients and caregivers to monitor cognitive function changes. Furthermore, social robots can potentially provide daily life support or guidance for the elderly who live alone. This review aims to provide an overview of AI applications in dementia research. We divided the applications into three categories according to different stages of cognitive impairment: (1) cognitive screening and training, (2) diagnosis and prognosis for dementia, and (3) dementia care and interventions. There are numerous studies on AI applications for dementia research. However, one challenge that remains is comparing the effectiveness of different AI methods in real clinical settings.

A study of polynya characteristics in East Antarctica was undertaken using ice concentrations derived from special sensor microwave/imager data for the period July 1987-August 1994. The areas of polynyas were defined as having an ice concentration ≤75%. The analysis revealed a total of 28 coastal polynyas within the study region. The spatial and temporal variability in areal extent was quantified. The timing of mean maximum areal extent varied from June to October. The bathymetry and wind regime at each polynya site was examined to gauge the relative importance of these parameters in polynya formation and maintenance. In 20 locations, shallow banks and shoals form grounding zones for icebergs and anchoring sites for fast ice, which form barriers to the predominantly westward drift of the pack ice; elsewhere north-south coastal protrusions or alignments form similar barriers. The subsequent removal of newly formed sea ice from the lee of such barriers by katabatic and synoptic winds maintains areas of reduced ice concentration and open water. Very few coastal polynyas are attributed solely to katabatic outflow. The combined influence of bathymetry, topography and winds is responsible for the characteristics of the majority of polynyas. Many were considered to be marginal, characterised by occasional periods when the ice concentration falls below 75%. An analysis of annual winter totals of areas with ice concentrations < 75% shows no trends in total polynya areal extent over the period 1987-94. Known locations of emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) rookeries were also found to be associated with the locations of coastal polynyas.

This paper presents surface temperature data collected over East Antarctic sea ice by two thermal infrared radiometers mounted on the RSV Aurora Australis in March-May 1993. Operating at wavelengths equivalent to those utilised by channels 4 and 5 of AVHRR and similar channels of ATSR, the radiometers provided high-reso-lution data on surface (skin) temperature along the ship track. Additional information on the sea-ice conditions was obtained from hourly observations made from The ship's bridge, video footage and direct measurements made at ice stations. Following calibration, time series of temperatures from each of the radiometers were compared wi th ice-surface and near-surface air temperatures. Observed changes in the surface temperature are related to different snow and ice conditions. For a given air temperature, the surface temperature depends upon the thickness of ice and its snow cover. While open water areas (leads) have temperatures near -2.0°C, thick ice is characterised by surface temperatures which approximate those of the air. Taken as a whole, the along-track profile of surface temperature provides a proxy estimate of The proportion of open water and thin ice with in the pack. The presence of a snow cover has a significant effect on the surface temperature. It is anticipated that the results will be of use in the validation of sea-ice models and satellite thermal infrared data.

Atom probe is a powerful technique for studying the composition of nano-precipitates, but their morphology within the reconstructed data is distorted due to the so-called local magnification effect. A new technique has been developed to mitigate this limitation by characterizing the distribution of the surrounding matrix atoms, rather than those contained within the nano-precipitates themselves. A comprehensive chemical analysis enables further information on size and chemistry to be obtained. The method enables new insight into the morphology and chemistry of niobium carbonitride nano-precipitates within ferrite for a series of Nb-microalloyed ultra-thin cast strip steels. The results are supported by complementary high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

Coastal polynyas, which form around the Antarctic coast due to persistent katabatic winds, play an important role in enhancing air-sea interaction. This paper discusses how thermal imagery from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) can be used to track the direction of katabatic winds, and hence facilitate research into air-sea interaction.

Geolocating-time-depth-temperature-recorders (GLTDTR) provided a continuous record of diving behaviour in relation to water temperature for ten female southern elephant seals from Macquarie Island during their post-breeding trips to sea. Four water bodies were determined from depth/temperature profiles recorded by the GLTDTRs. These water bodies corresponded to Sub-Antarctic Mode Water (SAMW), Polar Front Zone Water (PFZW), Polar Front Water (PFW) and Antarctic Water Masses (AWM). Thermal structures within these water bodies did not influence seal diving behaviour. Overall mean dive depth, nocturnal dive depths, diurnal dive depths and dive duration were similar in all areas. However, individuals did change behaviour as they moved between different water bodies. Seals also used different water bodies in the two different years of the study. We suggest that variations in foraging behaviour among seals are a result of prey distribution associated with local oceanographic conditions, but also reflect important individual foraging strategies within thermal zones.

The expanding field of cryobiology, in particular that of the study of vitrification for long term storage of tissues for transplantation, has demonstrated that ice is damaging to smooth muscle tissue. Consequently conventional methods such as ultrarapid freezing and freeze substitution are becoming routine protocols to determine the quality of cryopreservation. This article introduces the scientific community to the PS-1000 cryofixation unit (Delaware Diamond Knives, Wilmington, DE) which provides both ultrarapid freezing and a means of validation of freeze substitution methods. When any tissue is frozen or vitrif ed for clinical use it is imperative to know the structural and functional integrity of these tissues. Ice formation within the extracellular matrix and dehydration of multi-cellular tissues, using conventional cryopreservation, is the principal reason why these methods frequently prove to be ineffective.

The field of cryobiology is expanding and incorporating conventional methods used in electron microscopy into protocols heretofore unexplored; two of those methods is that of ultrarapid freezing and freeze substitution. When tissues such as heart valves and/or vascular tissue is frozen for clinical applications it is imperative to know the quality of the freezing process.

Ultrarapid Freezing: Various methods of ultrarapid freezing have been employed routinely by those utilizing electron microscopy. In particular, questions involving immunocytochemistry and x-ray microanalysis may indeed require the use of one or more of these methods.. Metal mirror fixation (slamming) is the preferred method of cryopreservation for most subsequent protocols. It is also the preferred, and probably the only, method to check the accuracy of freeze substitution protocols. The metal mirror method utilizes a copper block, which is brought into contact with the tissue, at a predetermined speed, via a pneumatically operated system. The chilled metal block, devoid of scratches or imperfections, ensures maximal preservation of tissue to a depth of 15μm, which can serve as a control, for both fixation and the substitution process.