Socio-economic development drives solid waste management performance in cities: A global analysis using machine learning.

Mismanaged municipal solid waste (MSW), the major source of plastics pollution and a key contributor to climate forcing, in Global South cities poses public health and environmental problems. This study analyses the first consistent and quality assured dataset available for cities distributed worldwide, featuring a comprehensive set of solid waste management performance indicators (Wasteaware Cities Benchmark Indicators - WABI). Machine learning (multivariate random forest) and univariate non-linear regression are applied, identifying best-fit converging models for a broad range of explanatory socioeconomic variables.

Bayesian Inference for Brain Activity from Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Collected at Two Spatial Resolutions.

Neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons increasingly opt to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map functionally relevant brain regions for noninvasive presurgical planning and intraoperative neuronavigation. This application requires a high degree of spatial accuracy, but the fMRI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) decreases as spatial resolution increases. In practice, fMRI scans can be collected at multiple spatial resolutions, and it is of interest to make more accurate inference on brain activity by combining data with different resolutions.

The nine development bands: A conceptual framework and global theory for waste and development.

Solid waste management (SWM) is an essential utility service. More than two to three billion people worldwide still lack basic services, whereas some countries are already moving beyond SWM towards waste and resource management (WaRM) and a circular economy. This paper sets out a novel conceptual framework and global theory of waste and development, providing a road map, allowing a country or city to locate their current position and plot their way ahead.

Exposure-Focused CBT Outperforms Relaxation-Based Control in an RCT of Treatment for Child and Adolescent Anxiety.

Objective: The relative contribution of individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) components to treatment outcomes for child anxiety disorders (CADs) is unclear. Recent meta-analyses suggest that exposure may be the primary active ingredient in CBT for CADs, and that relaxation may be relatively less effective. This brief report tests the hypothesis that exposure-focused CBT (EF-CBT) would outperform a relaxation-based active therapy control (Relaxation Mentorship Training; RMT) for the treatment of CADs.

Deceased donors as nondirected donors in kidney paired donation.

As proof of concept, we simulate a revised kidney allocation system that includes deceased donor (DD) kidneys as chain-initiating kidneys (DD-CIK) in a kidney paired donation pool (KPDP), and estimate potential increases in number of transplants. We consider chains of length 2 in which the DD-CIK gives to a candidate in the KPDP, and that candidate's incompatible donor donates to theDD waitlist. In simulations, we vary initial pool size, arrival rates of candidate/donor pairs and (living) nondirected donors (NDDs), and delay time from entry to the KPDP until a candidate is eligible to receive a DD-CIK.

Operator models for delivering municipal solid waste management services in developing countries: Part B: Decision support.

This is the second of two papers reporting the results of a major study considering 'operator models' for municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in emerging and developing countries. Part A documents the evidence base, while Part B presents a four-step decision support system for selecting an appropriate operator model in a particular local situation. Step 1 focuses on understanding local problems and framework conditions; Step 2 on formulating and prioritising local objectives; and Step 3 on assessing capacities and conditions, and thus identifying strengths and weaknesses, which underpin selection of the operator model.

Operator models for delivering municipal solid waste management services in developing countries. Part A: The evidence base.

This article presents the evidence base for 'operator models' - that is, how to deliver a sustainable service through the interaction of the 'client', 'revenue collector' and 'operator' functions - for municipal solid waste management in emerging and developing countries. The companion article addresses a selection of locally appropriate operator models. The evidence shows that no 'standard' operator model is effective in all developing countries and circumstances.

Entorhinal volume, aerobic fitness, and recognition memory in healthy young adults: A voxel-based morphometry study.

Converging evidence supports the hypothesis effects of aerobic exercise and environmental enrichment are beneficial for cognition, in particular for hippocampus-supported learning and memory. Recent work in humans suggests that exercise training induces changes in hippocampal volume, but it is not known if aerobic exercise and fitness also impact the entorhinal cortex. In animal models, aerobic exercise increases expression of growth factors, including brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Hippocampal subfield and medial temporal cortical persistent activity during working memory reflects ongoing encoding.

Previous neuroimaging studies support a role for the medial temporal lobes in maintaining novel stimuli over brief working memory (WM) delays, and suggest delay period activity predicts subsequent memory. Additionally, slice recording studies have demonstrated neuronal persistent spiking in entorhinal cortex, perirhinal cortex (PrC), and hippocampus (CA1, CA3, subiculum). These data have led to computational models that suggest persistent spiking in parahippocampal regions could sustain neuronal representations of sensory information over many seconds.

'Wasteaware' benchmark indicators for integrated sustainable waste management in cities.

This paper addresses a major problem in international solid waste management, which is twofold: a lack of data, and a lack of consistent data to allow comparison between cities. The paper presents an indicator set for integrated sustainable waste management (ISWM) in cities both North and South, to allow benchmarking of a city's performance, comparing cities and monitoring developments over time. It builds on pioneering work for UN-Habitat's solid waste management in the World's cities.

Structural differences in hippocampal and prefrontal gray matter volume support flexible context-dependent navigation ability.

Spatial navigation is a fundamental part of daily life. Humans differ in their individual abilities to flexibly navigate their world, and a critical question is how this variability relates to differences in underlying brain structure. Our experiment examined individual differences in the ability to flexibly navigate routes that overlap with, and must be distinguished from, previously learned trajectories.

Interaction between serum BDNF and aerobic fitness predicts recognition memory in healthy young adults.

Convergent evidence from human and non-human animal studies suggests aerobic exercise and increased aerobic capacity may be beneficial for brain health and cognition. It is thought growth factors may mediate this putative relationship, particularly by augmenting plasticity mechanisms in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory. Among these factors, glucocorticoids, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hormones that have considerable and diverse physiological importance, are thought to effect normal and exercise-induced hippocampal plasticity.