bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First-photon imaging with independent depth reconstruction
Authors: Cheng A. Yu , Xin-Yu Zhao B. , Li-Jing Li C. , Ming-Jie Sun D.
Published: March 2022

First-photon imaging allows the reconstruction of scene reflectivity and depth information with a much fewer number of photon countings, compared with conventional time-correlated single-photon counting based imaging systems. One problem of the original first-photon imaging is that the quality of depth reconstruction is significantly based on the denoising effect led by the result of reflectivity reconstruction; therefore, once the detection environment has a low SBR (signal-to-background ratio), the depth image denoising and reconstruction result is poor. In this work, an improved first-photon imaging scheme is proposed, in which the depth is reconstructed independently by optimizing the denoising method. A denoising module based on K-singular value decomposition is applied to remove the practical noise, including ambient noise and the dark count of the detector before the reconstruction of the depth image. The numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is capable of denoising adaptively under different noise environments, especially severe ones. Under the condition of SBR being 1.0, the averaged root mean square error of depth reconstruction images is 36.2% smaller than that of the original first-photon imaging scheme.
Yield and zinc accumulation response of basmati rice to incremental zinc fertilisation of a zinc-deficient soil
Authors: Verma Gayatri , Dhaliwal S. S. , Sharma Vivek
Published: March 2022

Zinc (Zn) deficiency in basmati rice grown under submerged conditions leads to decrease in yield and nutritional quality. Fertilisation with Zn is a cost-effective and rapid way to increase crop productivity with Zn-enriched grain. A field experiment was conducted with five Zn levels (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 kg ha−1) for two consecutive years to assess the effects of Zn fertilisation on yield, Zn content and accumulation in basmati rice grown in a Zn-deficient soil. Maximum grain and straw yields were measured with Zn application of 40 kg ha−1, although statistically similar to yields with applications of 10 and 20 kg Zn ha−1. Increases in average yield compared with the control varied from 14.8% to 27.7% for grain and from 20% to 33.5% for straw with Zn application treatments. Accumulation of Zn in basmati rice grains was highest with Zn application of 40 kg ha−1, although not significantly different from accumulation with 10 and 20 kg Zn ha−1. Indexes of Zn use efficiency were as follows: agronomic efficiency 21–88 kg kg−1, physiological efficiency 6.93–7.39 t kg−1, grain physiological efficiency 14.95–15.21 t kg−1, apparent recovery efficiency 0.97–4.19%, and utilisation efficiency 6.7–31.0 t kg−1. All of these were higher at lower Zn levels and decreased at increasing levels of Zn. The highest benefit–cost ratio occurred with Zn application of 10 kg ha−1. Therefore, we conclude that Zn application of 10 kg ha−1 was the best treatment in terms of high grain yield, maximum benefit–cost ratio, and Zn accumulation in a Zn-deficient soil.
Iron fortification of food crops through nanofertilisation
Authors: Chugh Gaurav , Siddique Kadambot H. M. , Solaiman Zakaria M.
Published: March 2022

Micronutrient deficiencies are a significant cause of malnutrition worldwide, particularly in developing countries, affecting nearly 1.8 billion people worldwide. Agriculture is the primary source of nutrients for humans, but the increasing population and reducing arable lands areas are putting the agricultural sector under pressure, particularly in developing and less developed countries, and calls for intensive farming to increase crop yield to overcome food and nutrients deficiency challenges. Iron is an essential microelement that plays a vital role in plant and human growth, and metabolism, but its deficiency is widely reported and affects nearly one-third of the world population. To combat micronutrient deficiency, crops must have improved nutritional qualities or be biofortified. Several biofortification programs with conventional breeding, biotechnological and agronomic approaches have been implemented with limited success in providing essential nutrients, especially in developing and under-developed countries. The use of nanofertilisers as agronomic biofortification method to increase yields and nutrients, micronutrient availability in soil and uptake in plant parts, and minimising the reliance on harmful chemical fertilisers is essential. Using nanoparticles as nanofertilisers is a promising approach for improving the sustainability of current agricultural practices and for the biofortification of food crop production with essential micronutrients, thus enhanced nutritional quality. This review evaluates the current use of iron nanofertilisers for biofortification in several food crops addressing critical knowledge gaps and challenges that must be addressed to optimise the sustainable application.
Limited underthrusting of India below Tibet:
3
He/
4
He analysis of thermal springs locates the mantle suture in continental collision
Authors: Klemperer Simon L. , Zhao Ping , Whyte Colin J. , Darrah Thomas H. , Crossey Laura J. , Karlstrom Karl E. , Liu Tianze , Winn Carmen , Hilton David R. , Ding Lin
Published: March 2022

Significance

Our regional-scale geochemical dataset (
3
He/
4
He) resolves the geometry of the continental collision between India and Asia. Geophysical images have led to contradictory interpretations that India directly underthrusts Tibet as a horizontal plate or India subducts steeply into the mantle. Helium transits from mantle depths to the surface within a few millennia, such that the ratio of mantle-derived
3
He to dominantly crust-derived
4
He provides a snapshot of the subsurface.
3
He/
4
He data from 225 geothermal springs across a >1,000-km-wide region of southern Tibet define a sharp boundary subparallel to the surface suture between India and Asia, just north of the Himalaya, delineating the northern limit of India at ∼80-km depth. The India–Asia collision resembles oceanic subduction with an asthenospheric mantle wedge.
Is it you you’re looking for?
Authors: Westbury Chris , Wurm Lee H.
Published: March 2022

Previous evidence has implicated personal relevance as a predictive factor in lexical access. Westbury (2014) showed that personally relevant words were rated as having a higher
subjective familiarity than words that were not personally relevant, suggesting that personally relevant words are processed more
fluently than less personally relevant words. Here we extend this work by defining a measure of personal relevance that does not
rely on human judgments but is rather derived from first-order co-occurrence of words with the first-person singular personal
pronoun, I. We show that words estimated as most personally relevant are recognized more quickly, named faster,
judged as more familiar, and used by infants earlier than words that are less personally relevant. Self-relevance is also a strong
predictor of several measures that are usually measured only by human judgments or their computational estimates, such as
subjective familiarity, age of acquisition, imageability, concreteness, and body-object interaction. We have made all
self-relevance estimates (as well as the raw data and code from our experiments) available at https://osf.io/gdb6h/.
Some Translation Studies informed suggestions for further balancing methodologies for machine translation quality evaluation
Authors: Krüger Ralph
Published: March 2022

This article intends to contribute to the current debate on the quality of neural machine translation (NMT) vs. (professional) human translation quality, where recently claims concerning (super)human performance of NMT systems have emerged. The article will critically analyse some current machine translation (MT) quality evaluation methodologies employed in studies claiming such performance of their MT systems. This analysis aims to identify areas where these methodologies are potentially biased in favour of MT and hence may overvalue MT performance while undervaluing human translation performance. Then, the article provides some Translation Studies informed suggestions for improving or debiasing these methodologies in order to arrive at a more balanced picture of MT vs. (professional) human translation quality.
Gap junctions and hemichannels keep the RPE connected
Authors: Short Ben
Published: March 2022

JGP study shows that the electrical properties of the retinal pigment epithelium are influenced by connexin-based gap junctions and hemichannels.
A review on SRAM-based computing in-memory: Circuits, functions, and applications
Authors: Lin Zhiting , Tong Zhongzhen , Zhang Jin , Wang Fangming , Xu Tian , Zhao Yue , Wu Xiulong , Peng Chunyu , Lu Wenjuan , Zhao Qiang , Chen Junning
Published: March 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) processes data-centric applications with minimal effort. However, it poses new challenges to system design in terms of computational speed and energy efficiency. The traditional von Neumann architecture cannot meet the requirements of heavily data-centric applications due to the separation of computation and storage. The emergence of computing in-memory (CIM) is significant in circumventing the von Neumann bottleneck. A commercialized memory architecture, static random-access memory (SRAM), is fast and robust, consumes less power, and is compatible with state-of-the-art technology. This study investigates the research progress of SRAM-based CIM technology in three levels: circuit, function, and application. It also outlines the problems, challenges, and prospects of SRAM-based CIM macros.
Tunable crystal structure of Cu–Zn–Sn–S nanocrystals for improving photocatalytic hydrogen evolution enabled by copper element regulation
Authors: Yin Zhe , Hu Min , Liu Jun , Fu Hao , Wang Zhijie , Tang Aiwei
Published: March 2022

Hydrogen energy is a powerful and efficient energy resource, which can be produced by photocatalytic water splitting. Among the photocatalysis, multinary copper-based chalcogenide semiconductor nanocrystals exhibit great potential due to their tunable crystal structures, adjustable optical band gap, eco-friendly, and abundant resources. In this paper, Cu–Zn–Sn–S (CZTS) nanocrystals with different Cu content have been synthesized by using the one-pot method. By regulating the surface ligands, the reaction temperature, and the Cu content, kesterite and hexagonal wurtzite CZTS nanocrystals were obtained. The critical factors for the controllable transition between two phases were discussed. Subsequently, a series of quaternary CZTS nanocrystals with different Cu content were used for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. And their band gap, energy level structure, and charge transfer ability were compared comprehensively. As a result, the pure hexagonal wurtzite CZTS nanocrystals have exhibited an improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity.
Modelling and fabrication of wide temperature range Al0.24Ga0.76As/GaAs Hall magnetic sensors
Authors: Fan Hua , Yue Huichao , Mao Jiangmin , Peng Ting , Zuo Siming , Feng Quanyuan , Wei Qi , Heidari Hadi
Published: March 2022

Silicon Hall-effect sensors have been widely used in industry and research fields due to their straightforward fabrication process and CMOS compatibility. However, as their material property limitations, technicians usually implement complex CMOS circuits to improve the sensors’ performance including temperature drift and offset compensation for fitting tough situation, but it is no doubt that it increases the design complexity and the sensor area. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a superior material of Hall-effect device because of its large mobility and stable temperature characteristics. Concerning there is no specified modelling of GaAs Hall-effect device, this paper investigated its modelling by using finite element method (FEM) software Silvaco TCAD® to help and guide GaAs Hall-effect device fabrication. The modeled sensor has been fabricated and its experimental results are in agreement with the simulation results. Comparing to our previous silicon Hall-effect sensor, the GaAs Hall-effect sensor demonstrates potential and reliable benchmark for the future Hall magnetic sensor developments.
A GPU-based general numerical framework for plasma simulations in terms of microscopic kinetic equations with full collision terms
Authors: ZHANG Junjie , ZHANG Xin , PENG Guoliang , REN Zeping
Published: March 2022

We have proposed a general numerical framework for plasma simulations on graphics processing unit clusters based on microscopic kinetic equations with full collision terms. Our numerical algorithm consistently deals with both long-range (classical forces in the Vlasov term) and short-range (quantum processes in the collision term) interactions. Providing the relevant particle masses, charges and types (classical, fermionic or bosonic), as well as the external forces and the matrix elements (in the collisional integral), the algorithm consistently solves the coupled multi-particle kinetic equations. Currently, the framework is being tested and applied in the field of relativistic heavy-ion collisions; extensions to other plasma systems are straightforward. Our framework is a potential and competitive numerical platform for consistent plasma simulations.
Effectiveness of acute geriatric unit care on functional decline, clinical and process outcomes among hospitalised older adults with acute medical complaints: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: O’Shaughnessy Íde , Robinson Katie , O’Connor Margaret , Conneely Mairéad , Ryan Damien , Steed Fiona , Carey Leonora , Leahy Aoife , Shanahan Elaine , Quinn Colin , Galvin Rose
Published: March 2022

Background

the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to update and synthesise the totality of research evidence on the effectiveness of acute geriatric unit (AGU) care for older adults admitted to hospital with acute medical complaints.

Methods

MEDLINE, CINAHL, CENTRAL and Embase databases were systematically searched from 2008 to February 2022. Screening, data extraction and quality grading were undertaken by two reviewers. Only trials with a randomised design comparing AGU care and conventional care units were included. Meta-analyses were performed in Review Manager 5.4 and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations framework was used to assess the certainty of evidence. The primary outcome was incidence of functional decline between baseline 2-week prehospital admission status and discharge and at follow-up.

Results

11 trials recruiting 7,496 participants across three countries were included. AGU care resulted in a reduction in functional decline at 6-month follow-up (risk ratio (RR) 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66–0.93; moderate certainty evidence) and an increased probability of living at home at 3-month follow-up (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.99–1.13; high certainty evidence). AGU care resulted in little or no difference in functional decline at hospital discharge or at 3-month follow-up, length of hospital stay, costs, the probability of living at home at discharge, mortality, hospital readmission, cognitive function or patient satisfaction.

Conclusions

AGU care improves clinical and process outcomes for hospitalised older adults with acute medical complaints. Future research should focus on greater inclusion of clinical and patient reported outcome measures.
Using the Modified Frailty Index to Predict Complications in Breast Reduction: A National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Study of 14,160 Cases
Authors: Liu Helen , Akhavan Arya , Ibelli Taylor , Alerte Eric , Etigunta Suhas , Kuruvilla Annet , Katz Abigail , Taub Peter
Published: March 2022

Background

Breast reduction is a generally well-tolerated procedure with high patient satisfaction and low risk of surgical site infection and other complications. Although age, obesity, and comorbidities have historically been used as surgical risk proxies, recent literature suggests “frailty” measures, such as the modified 5-item Frailty Index (mFI-5), may be a superior predictor.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate if mFI-5 can predict the likelihood and magnitude of 30-day complications resulting from breast reductions.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database to assess patients who underwent breast reduction without other concurrent procedures, from 2013 to 2019. mFI-5 scores were calculated for each patient, and complication data were gathered. Age, BMI, number of major comorbidities, American Association of Anesthesiologists class, smoking status, diabetes, steroid use, and mFI-5 score were compared as predictors of all-cause 30-day complications, 30-day surgical site complications of any kind, length of stay, and aggregate Clavien-Dindo complication severity score. Univariate logistic, linear regressions, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate predictive value. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results

A total of 14,160 patients were analyzed. The overall complication rate was 5.6%. The mFI-5 score significantly predicted overall 30-day complications, surgical site complications, complication severity, overnight stay, and likelihood of readmission (all P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

The mFI-5 is a statistically significant predictor for adverse outcomes in breast reduction surgery. The mFI-5 is a simple and reliable tool that can be efficiently used to conduct a preoperative evaluation of patients requesting breast reductions.

Level of Evidence: 4
Non-negative Independent Factor Analysis disentangles discrete and continuous sources of variation in scRNA-seq data
Authors: Mao Weiguang , Pouyan Maziyar Baran , Kostka Dennis , Chikina Maria
Published: March 2022

Motivation

Single-cell RNA-seq analysis has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding inter-cellular heterogeneity. Due to the inherent noise of the data, computational techniques often rely on dimensionality reduction (DR) as both a pre-processing step and an analysis tool. Ideally, DR should preserve the biological information while discarding the noise. However, if the DR is to be used directly to gain biological insight it must also be interpretable—that is the individual dimensions of the reduction should correspond to specific biological variables such as cell-type identity or pathway activity. Maximizing biological interpretability necessitates making assumption about the data structures and the choice of the model is critical.

Results

We present a new probabilistic single-cell factor analysis model, Non-negative Independent Factor Analysis (NIFA), that incorporates different interpretability inducing assumptions into a single modeling framework. The key advantage of our NIFA model is that it simultaneously models uni- and multi-modal latent factors, and thus isolates discrete cell-type identity and continuous pathway activity into separate components. We apply our approach to a range of datasets where cell-type identity is known, and we show that NIFA-derived factors outperform results from ICA, PCA, NMF and scCoGAPS (an NMF method designed for single-cell data) in terms of disentangling biological sources of variation. Studying an immunotherapy dataset in detail, we show that NIFA is able to reproduce and refine previous findings in a single analysis framework and enables the discovery of new clinically relevant cell states.

Availability and implementation

NFIA is a R package which is freely available at GitHub (https://github.com/wgmao/NIFA). The test dataset is archived at https://zenodo.org/record/6286646.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Face recognition improvements in adults and children with face recognition difficulties
Authors: Bate Sarah , Dalrymple Kirsten , Bennetts Rachel J.
Published: March 2022

While there have been decades of clinical and theoretical interest in developmental and acquired face recognition difficulties, very little work has examined their remediation. Here, we report two studies that examined the efficacy of an existing face training programme in improving face-processing skills in adults and children with developmental face recognition impairments. The programme has only been trialled in typical children to date, where 2 weeks of perceptual training (modelled on an adapted version of the popular family game Guess Who?) resulted in face-specific improvements for memory but not perception after 2 weeks of training. In Study 1, we performed a randomized, parallel groups, placebo-controlled trial of the same programme in 20 adults with a pre-existing diagnosis of developmental prosopagnosia. Assessment tasks were administered immediately before and after training, and 2 weeks later. Face-specific gains in memory (but not perception) were observed in the experimental group and were greatest in those with the poorest face recognition skills at entry. These gains persisted 2 weeks after training ceased. In Study 2, a case-series approach was used to administer the experimental version of the training programme to four children who presented with difficulties in face recognition. Improvements in face memory were observed in three of the participants; while one also improved at face perception, there was mixed evidence for the face specificity of these gains. Together, these findings suggest plasticity in the human face recognition system through to at least mid-adulthood and also pave the way for longer-term implementations of the face training programme that will likely elicit greater gains in both adults and children.
ImmuMethy, a database of DNA methylation plasticity at a single cytosine resolution in human blood and immune cells
Authors: Qi Huiying , Song Shibin , Wang Pingzhang
Published: March 2022

Differential DNA methylation is a feature of numerous physiological and pathological processes. However, the extent to which single-base cytosine methylation modifies cellular responses to various stimuli has not been well characterized. In this study, we carried out a systematic analysis of methylome data derived from human blood and immune cells and constructed the ImmuMethy database. ImmuMethy allows interrogation of DNA methylation plasticity (MPL) at the single cytosine level. MPL, which refers to the variability of DNA methylation, is quantitatively measured in multiple ways, such as quartiles and standard deviations. ImmuMethy comprises over 36 000 samples from the Human Methylation450 and MethylationEPIC BeadChips platforms and provides multiple applications, such as an overview of methylation status and plasticity, differential methylation analysis, identification of methylation markers and sample stratification. An analysis of all datasets revealed that DNA methylation is generally stable, with minimal changes in beta values. This further supports the characteristics of DNA methylation homeostasis. Based on the beta value distribution, we identified three types of methylation sites: methylation tendency sites, unmethylation tendency sites and dual tendency or nonbiased methylation sites. These sites represent different methylation tendentiousness of DNA methylation across samples. The occurrence of multiple methylation tendencies in a site means split methylation, which generally corresponds to high MPL. Inverted methylation tendencies from methylation tendency sites to unmethylation tendency sites, or vice versa, represent strong differential methylation in response to conditions. All these sites can be identified in ImmuMethy, making it a useful tool for omics-based data-driven knowledge discovery.

Database URL: http://immudb.bjmu.edu.cn/immumethy/
Performance-based risk-sharing arrangements for devices and procedures in cardiac electrophysiology: an innovative perspective
Authors: Boriani Giuseppe , Vitolo Marco , Svennberg Emma , Casado-Arroyo Ruben , Merino Josè L , Leclercq Christophe
Published: March 2022

There is an increasing pressure on demonstrating the value of medical interventions and medical technologies resulting in the proposal of new approaches for implementation in the daily practice of innovative treatments that might carry a substantial cost. While originally mainly adopted by pharmaceutical companies, in recent years medical technology companies have initiated novel value-based arrangements for using medical devices, in the form of ‘outcomes-based contracts’, ‘performance-based contracts’, or ‘risk-sharing agreements’. These are all characterized by linking coverage, reimbursement, or payment for the innovative treatment to the attainment of pre-specified clinical outcomes. Risk-sharing agreements have been promoted also in the field of electrophysiology and offer the possibility to demonstrate the value of specific innovative technologies proposed in this rapidly advancing field, while relieving hospitals from taking on the whole financial risk themselves. Physicians deeply involved in the field of devices and technologies for arrhythmia management and invasive electrophysiology need to be prepared for involvement as stakeholders. This may imply engagement in the evaluation of risk-sharing agreements and specifically, in the process of assessment of technology performances or patient outcomes. Scientific Associations may have an important role in promoting the basis for value-based assessments, in promoting educational initiatives to help assess the determinants of the learning curve for innovative treatments, and in promoting large-scale registries for a precise assessment of patient outcomes and of specific technologies’ performance.
The antioxidant activity, α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity, and chemical composition of Paeonia delavayi petal
Authors: Song Jing , Zhang Huaibi , Wang Zhenxing , Wang Juan
Published: March 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the functional activity and phytochemical composition in the flower petals of Paeonia delavayi (P. delavayi) in different colors.

Materials and Methods

P. delavayi petal extracts were prepared by maceration in methanol, including purple petal extract (PPE), red petal extract (RPE), and yellow petal extract (YPE), and their antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activities were evaluated. To correlate these measured activities to phytochemicals in the petals, an ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS)-based metabolomics method was applied to profile the compositions in the petals of different colors. Finally, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways database was used to identify the related metabolic pathways that are responsible for the production of these polyphenolic phytochemicals in the petals.

Results

The results showed that PPE had the highest total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and the strongest 2,2ʹ-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging ability, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition ability in all three samples, while YPE showed the strongest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity and α-glucosidase inhibition ability. A total of 232 metabolites were detected in the metabolomic analysis, 198 of which were flavonoids, chalcones, flavonols, and anthocyanins. Correlation analysis indicated that peonidin-3-O-arabinoside and cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside were the major contributors to the antioxidant activity. Principal component analysis showed a clear separation among these three petals. In addition, a total of 38, 98, and 96 differential metabolites were identified in PPE, RPE, and YPE, respectively. Pathway enrichment revealed 6 KEGG pathways that displayed significant enrichment differences, of which the anthocyanin biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis were the most enriched signaling pathways, revealing a potential reason for the differences in metabolic and functional levels among different colors of P. delavayi petal.

Conclusions

P. delavayi petals in different colors have different metabolite contents and functional activities, of which the anthocyanin, flavone, and flavonol metabolites are critical in its functional activities, suggesting the anthocyanin biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways are the key pathways responsible for both petal color and bioactive phytochemicals in P. delavayi flowers.
High-Resolution Estimates of Crossover and Noncrossover Recombination from a Captive Baboon Colony
Authors: Wall Jeffrey D. , Robinson Jacqueline A. , Cox Laura A.
Published: March 2022

Homologous recombination has been extensively studied in humans and a handful of model organisms. Much less is known about recombination in other species, including nonhuman primates. Here, we present a study of crossovers (COs) and noncrossover (NCO) recombination in olive baboons (Papio anubis) from two pedigrees containing a total of 20 paternal and 17 maternal meioses, and compare these results to linkage disequilibrium (LD) based recombination estimates from 36 unrelated olive baboons. We demonstrate how COs, combined with LD-based recombination estimates, can be used to identify genome assembly errors. We also quantify sex-specific differences in recombination rates, including elevated male CO and reduced female CO rates near telomeres. Finally, we add to the increasing body of evidence suggesting that while most NCO recombination tracts in mammals are short (e.g., <500 bp), there is a non-negligible fraction of longer (e.g., >1 kb) NCO tracts. For NCO tracts shorter than 10 kb, we fit a mixture of two (truncated) geometric distributions model to the NCO tract length distribution and estimate that >99% of all NCO tracts are very short (mean 24 bp), but the remaining tracts can be quite long (mean 4.3 kb). A single geometric distribution model for NCO tract lengths is incompatible with the data, suggesting that LD-based methods for estimating NCO recombination rates that make this assumption may need to be modified.
Blood DNA Methylation Patterns in Older Adults With Evolving Dementia
Authors: Pérez Raúl Fernández , Alba-Linares Juan José , Tejedor Juan Ramón , Fernández Agustín Fernández , Calero Miguel , Román-Domínguez Aurora , Borrás Consuelo , Viña José , Ávila Jesús , Medina Miguel , Fraga Mario Fernández
Published: March 2022

Dementia and cognitive disorders are major aging-associated pathologies. The prevalence and severity of these conditions are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Reflecting this, epigenetic alterations have been associated with each of these processes, especially at the level of DNA methylation, and such changes may help explain the observed interindividual variability in the development of the 2 pathologies. However, the importance of epigenetic alterations in explaining their etiology is unclear because little is known about the timing of when they appear. Here, using Illumina MethylationEPIC arrays, we have longitudinally analyzed the peripheral blood methylomes of cognitively healthy older adults (>70 year), some of whom went on to develop dementia while others stayed healthy. We have characterized 34 individuals at the prediagnosis stage and at a 4-year follow-up in the postdiagnosis stage (total n = 68). Our results show multiple DNA methylation alterations linked to dementia status, particularly at the level of differentially methylated regions. These loci are associated with several dementia-related genes, including PON1, AP2A2, MAGI2, POT1, ITGAX, PACSIN1, SLC2A8, and EIF4E. We also provide validation of the previously reported epigenetic alteration of HOXB6 and PM20D1. Importantly, we show that most of these regions are already altered in the prediagnosis stage of individuals who go on to develop dementia. In conclusion, our observations suggest that dementia-associated epigenetic patterns that have specific biological features are already present before diagnosis, and thus may be important in the design of epigenetic biomarkers for disease detection based on peripheral tissues.
Living Arrangements and Dementia Among the Oldest Old: A Comparison of Mexicans and Mexican Americans
Authors: Cantu Phillip A , Kim Jiwon , López-Ortega Mariana , Rote Sunshine , Mejia-Arango Silvia , Angel Jacqueline L
Published: March 2022

Background and Objectives

The growing population of adults surviving past age 85 in the United States and Mexico raises questions about the living arrangements of the oldest old and those living with dementia. This study compares Mexican and Mexican American individuals aged 85 and older to identify associations with cognitive status and living arrangements in Mexico and the United States.

Research Design and Methods

This study includes 419 Mexican Americans in 5 southwestern states (Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly) and 687 Mexicans from a nationally representative sample (Mexican Health and Aging Study). It examines characteristics associated with living alone using logistic regression and describes the living arrangements of older adults with probable dementia in each country.

Results

Older adults with dementia were significantly less likely to live alone than with others in the United States while there were no relationships between dementia and living arrangements in Mexico. However, a substantial proportion of older adults with dementia lived alone in both nations: 22% in the United States and 21% in Mexico. Among Mexican Americans with dementia, those living alone were more likely to be women, childless, reside in assisted living facilities, and less likely to own their homes. Similarly, Mexican individuals with dementia who lived alone were also less likely to be homeowners than those living with others.

Discussion and Implications

Contextual differences in living arrangements and housing between the United States and Mexico pose different challenges for aging populations with a high prevalence of dementia.
Analysis of temporal variations of seismicity through non-extensive statistical physics
Authors: Rotondi R , Bressan G , Varini E
Published: March 2022

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in theoretical descriptions of seismicity in terms of statistical physics. Most aspects of these studies are encompassed by the concept of ‘intermittent criticality’, in which a region alternately approaches and retreats from a critical point. In this study, we analyse a descriptor of seismic activity that acts as a measure of the criticality of a system, such that its variations can be associated with changes in the state of the system. As some classical methods of analysis are not suitable for dealing with some of the features of complex systems such as the Earth’s crust, we derive the probability distribution of the magnitude by maximizing a non-extensive generalization of the Boltzmann–Gibbs entropy given by the Tsallis entropy. In particular, the shape parameter q of this distribution, called the entropic index, characterizes the subadditive q > 1 and superadditive q < 1 regimes. Following the Bayesian approach for parameter estimation, we examine the seismic activity that has affected two seismogenic areas in central Italy that were hit recently by destructive earthquakes: L’Aquila in 2009, and Amatrice–Norcia in 2016. To analyse in detail the variations of the q index and the entropy, we estimate these for time windows of a fixed number of events that shift at each new event. Both the q index and the Tsallis entropy show significant and lasting decreases before the first strong earthquake in the sequences, and sudden increases after them. This indicates that these quantities can be considered as indicators of the level of concentration of energy, and hence of the activation state of the systems. More reliable results need to come from further studies of different cases in different seismotectonic settings.
Greenhouse Chrysanthenums, Green Peach Aphid Control
Authors: Appleby James E.
Published: March 2022

INDIANA, 1975: Chrysanthenum plants growing in greenhouse benches were in the bud stage with some flower color showing when the tests were conducted. All the stems were heavily infested with all stages of the aphid prior to treatment application. A 3-gallon pressurized hand sprayer was used to apply the treatments as foliar sprays until runoff. Each treatment was applied onto 12 plants of each of 5 cultivars. A stem was considered infested if a live wingless aphid was found on it. The greenhouse temperature was 72°F when nSe treatments were applied on March 14, 1975. Two days after application the number of aphid-infested stems were counted in each treatment.
Juniper, Bagworm Control, Zanesville, Ohio, 1975
Authors: Nielsen D. G. , Balderston C. P.
Published: March 2022

A commercial planting of 5'-7' tall junipers with a uniform infestation of middle-instar bagworm larvae was selected for insecticide evaluation. Population density was ca. 1 larva/10 cm of branch tip. Larvae carried bags ca. 1-1.5 cm long at time of application. Treatments were applied to each of 4 single tree replicates July 7, 1975, under sunny skies, 85°F and calm. A Myers hydraulic sprayer operating at 200 psi was used to apply ca. 1 gallon of finished spray/tree (= spraying to runoff). Treatment effectiveness was evaluated July 10, by inspecting ten 20 cm tips/tree.
Goldcourse Turf,

P

.

Japonica

Control, Madison, Connecticut, 1975
Authors: Dunbar Dennis M.
Published: March 2022

Insecticides were applied on August 28, 1975, to 100 ft2 plots at Madison Country Club, Madison, Ct. Each treatment was replicated 4 times in a randomized complete block design. The infestation of P. japonica was considered heavy (53.9/ft2). Larvae were in the 2nd and 3rd stages. Granular formulations were mixed with sifted sand to increase bulk and applied with a push-type fertilizer spreader. Liquid and wettable powder formulations were mixed in water and applied in 1 gal total volume/plot (= 10 gal/1000 ft2). All plots received fairway irrigation for 5 minutes before treatment and 30 minutes after treatment. Soil type was Hinckley gravelly sandy loam with 3% organic matter. Treatments were evaluated 32 days after treatment on September 29, 1975. Data are based on six 0.23 ft2 diggings/plot. Total rainfall between treatment and evaluation was 7.95 inches.
Apple,

P.

Ulmi

Early Control, 1975
Authors: Forsythe H. Y.
Published: March 2022

Test materials were applied to apple trees at Monmouth, Maine, as dilute sprays with a hand gun from a hydraulic sprayer operating at 300 psi. In Tests 1 and 2, 10-year-old trees were sprayed at rates of 300 and 500 gallons per acre, respectively; in Test 3, 25-year-old trees were treated at 200 gallons per acre. Spray dates were May 9 (half-inch green). May 20 (pink), May 30 (petal fall), and June 10-11 (first cover). The standard pesticide program consisted of captan 80W (1.0-1.5 lb/100 gal) on 11 dates, Epsom salts (15 lb) on May 30, Solubor (1 lb) on June 10, Marlate 50W (3 lb) on May 30, June 10, and 23, and lead arsenate (2 lb) on July 3. There were no tank-mixtures of acaricides with other pesticides. There were 4 single-tree replications per treatment. A randomized complete block design was utilized with 1 Cortland (C) and 3 Red Delicious (RD) cultivars per treatment in Test 1; 1 Golden Delicious (GD), 1 Early Mcintosh, 1 RD, and 1 C per treatment in Test 2; and 1 RD and 3 GD per treatment in Test 3. From each tree, 25 leaves were collected mostly at chest height around the periphery of the tree, brought into the laboratory, and brushed onto glass plates coated with a Tween 20-alcohol mixture; mites were counted the same day. Mite population pressure was very severe. May and June were hot and dry except for unusually rainy weather the first 2 weeks of June.
Apple, Insecticide Tests, 1975
Authors: Jackson J. O. , Koval C. F.
Published: March 2022

Dilute insecticide sprays were applied at 300 psi with a no. 2 gunjet until run-off to apple test plots at the Arlington Horticultural orchard (Arlington, Wisconsin) and the Potter Preserve orchard (Baraboo, Wisconsin). Polyram (2 lb) was applied at green tip (May 13) and with all plots at petal-fall (May 19) and covers (June 3, 9; July 7, 21; August 6, 25) at Arlington. At Baraboo, Cyprex (0.75 lb) was applied prebloom (May 12,20) and to all plots (June 2, 9, 30; July 15, 28; August 13,26). Treatment plots included 10-14 trees each at Arlington and blocks of 40 to 50 trees each at Baraboo.
Control of Fall Webworm, 1975
Authors: Nielsen D. G. , Baldersfon C. P.
Published: March 2022

On September 3, 1975 we tagged and sprayed 18 native trees and shrubs (including cherry, elm and honeysuckle) which supported light infestations (1-2 webs/tree) of early to middle instar fall webworm larvae (8-25 mm long). Three plants (replicates) were sprayed with each treatment. An hydraulic Myers sprayer was used at 200 psi to thoroughly drench webs and entire host plante. Special effort was made to destroy webs wim the stream of spray. Prior to treatment, each web was closely inspected and the number of larvae and their size were estimated. Mortality was recorded 48 hours post treatment by inspecting webs and surrounding foliage.
Blueberry Thrips Control, 1975
Authors: Forsythe H. Y.
Published: March 2022

On a new burn field at Sedgwick, Maine, test materials were applied to 2 x 3 ft plots on May 21 (newly emerging stems averaged 1/4 inch in height), May 24 (new growth averaged 1/2 inch), and May 28 (new growth at 3/4 inch). Dusts were placed into test tubes and applied onto the plots with a bicycle hand pump; a cage covered with clear plastic and located over the plot during the dusting was used to confine the dust to the plot. Cygon was mixed with water added at a rote of 50 gal per acre and sprayed onto the plots with a hand sprayer. No other pesticides were applied to the plots. There were 4 replications per treatment. A randomized complete block design was utilized with some blocks located in high thrips’ pressure areas and some in low. On July 30 all stems in each plot were counted, and stems were recorded as being curled (thrips’ injury) or noncurled. Percent effectiveness is based on Abbott’s formula. The number of stems ranged from 1402 to 1566 per treatment.
Citrus Rust Mite Control with Selected Acaricides, 1975
Authors: French J. Victor
Published: March 2022

Acaricides were screened for efficacy against citrus rust mite on grapefruit. Treatments were completely randomized with each acaricide replicated on 3 mature trees. Tree spacing was 25 ft x 25 ft. To minimize chance contamination from spray drift trees in alternate rows were used for treatment. No emulsifiers or sticking agents were added; however, in one case an acaricide-citrus oil spray combination was tested. Treatments were applied by handgun of a Hardie Dilute Sprayer at 550 psi, ca. 20 gal spray per tree. Treatments were made initially on May 20, 1975 and reapplied on August 18, 1975. Leaf samples (20 per tree) were picked at two week intervals posttreatment and examined microscopically for rust mite. A leaf was considered infested if any living mites were found. Percent of infested leaves were averaged for the 3 replicates of each treatment.
Dry Beans, Mexican Bean Beetle Control, 1975
Authors: York Alan C.
Published: March 2022

Light red kidney beans were planted using a “Planet Junior” in 25 ft rows on 30 inch centers on June 5, 1975 near French Lick, Indiana. Three treatments including a check were arranged in a randomized block design with 4 replicates. Each treatment consisted of 2 sprayed rows separated from the next treatment by an unsprayed row. Soil type was silt loam with fragipans, moderate to poorly drained. Insecticides were applied on 5 dates (June 18/ June 27, July 8, July 16, July 30) with a compressed air sprayer at the rate of 100 gallons spray per acre, 40 psi. Mexican bean beetles (egg masses, larvae, and adults) were counted on 3 occasions: the first 2, entire plants were examined; on the third, 10 trifoliate leaves were examined. Plots were harvested by hand on September 17 (15 row feet per repl), shelled, and weighed.
Arden Symphylan Control With Furadan
Authors: Berry Ralph E.
Published: March 2022

Studies were conducted in 1974 and 1975 in naturally infested fields to evaluate the effectiveness of Furadan and Dyfonate against the garden symphylan. Plots (20 x 12 ft) were arranged in pairs and treatments were applied at random in a randomized block design to one plot of each pair and the other was left as a check. Check plots were used to adjust the response in the treated plots for variation in the distribution of symphylans in the fields. Each pair of plots was replicated twice in 1974 and fcJur times in 1975. Granular (10 G) and flowable (4 F) Furadan and Dyfonate were applied with a hand applicator (liquids in I gallon of water) in a 7-inch band to previously marked rows spaced 36 inches apart. Furadan was applied at 1.0 and 2.0 lb a.i./acre and Dyfonate at 2.0 lb a.i./acre. In 1974, four rows of sweet corn (var. Golden Bantam) were planted through the bands immediately after treatment (May 8). In 1975, two rows of sweet corn (var. Jubilee) and two rows of field corn (var. Pioneer 3872) were planted through the bands immediately after treatment (May 14 and May 20 at location one and two, respectively). In 1974, four soil samples (25.4 cm deep) were taken at random with a small spade from each treatment on June 17 and August 6. In 1975, two soil samples were taken at random from each treatment on June 17 and June 30 at location one, and on July 8 and July 16 at location two. Soil samples were placed in plastic bags and symphylans were extracted from the samples in the laboratory by water flotation. In 1974, estimates of sweet corn yield were taken August 27 by picking all ears from the center two rows of each treatment. In 1975, estimates of sweet corn yield were token September 2 from all rows at both locations and estimates of yield of field corn were taken from all rows on September 22.
European Corn Borer Control and Yield of Yolo Wonder Peppers
Authors: Libby J. L.
Published: March 2022

Yolo Wonder variety sweet peppers were transplanted on May 23, 1975. Plots consisted of 10 plants per row, 4 rows per plot and 4 replicates per treatment in a complete block design. The soil type was Plainfield Loamy Sand, pH 6.2. The moisture on this crop was 16 inches of rainfall and overhead irrigation. The 2 center rows of each plot were sprayed on July 9, 16, 23, 30, August 6, and 13 using tractor mounted Myers sprayer with a 6 ft boom delivering 33 gal of spray per acre. European corn borer egg masses at 2 egg masses per plant were pinned on one sprayed row of plants in each plot on July 29. European corn borer damage readings and yields were taken on August 18.
Control of Alfalfa Looper Larvae on Spring Spinach, 1975
Authors: Halfhill J. E. , Treat T. L.
Published: March 2022

All insecticides were applied at 4.2 kg/cm2 (air pressure) and 380 1/ha through D2-13 “TEEJET” hollowcone nozzles mounted 28 cm apart on a rear-mounted boom sprayer fitted to a JD-420 tractor travelling at 4.4 km/hr. The boom height was adjusted to provide maximum coverage of the foliage as the plants grew. There were 3 replications of each treatment. Treatments were applied to 1.5 x 6 m, 4-row beds (35 cm interrow spacing). The crop was planted on April 2 and was sprinkler irrigated (2.5 cm), usually 2 to 3 days prior to each of the weekly treatments begun May 30. Temperatures ranged from 10 to 30°C during the test period. The afternoon prior to each treatment, two, 1.2 x 1.5 m sites at the ends of each bed were stocked with 2nd to 5th stage larvae from the laboratory culture to ensure populations of uniform size and stage. The percentage control obtained at harvest on June 15 was determined by cutting and examining the foliage, and the soil beneath at each site.