bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Response approach to the integrated shear 3-point correlation function: the impact of baryonic effects on small scales
Authors: Halder Anik , Barreira Alexandre
Published: July 2022

The integrated shear 3-point correlation function ζ± is a higher-order statistic of the cosmic shear field that describes the modulation of the 2-point correlation function ξ± by long-wavelength features in the field. Here, we introduce a new theoretical model to calculate ζ± that is accurate on small angular scales, and that allows to take baryonic feedback effects into account. Our model builds on the realization that the small-scale ζ± is dominated by the non-linear matter bispectrum in the squeezed limit, which can be evaluated accurately using the non-linear matter power spectrum and its first-order response functions to density and tidal field perturbations. We demonstrate the accuracy of our model by showing that it reproduces the small-scale ζ± measured in simulated cosmic shear maps. The impact of baryonic feedback enters effectively only through the corresponding impact on the non-linear matter power spectrum, thereby permitting to account for these astrophysical effects on ζ± similarly to how they are currently accounted for on ξ±. Using a simple idealized Fisher matrix forecast for a DES-like survey we find that, compared to ξ±, a combined $\xi _{\pm }\ \&\ \zeta _{\pm }$ analysis can lead to improvements of order $20\!-\!40{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ on the constraints of cosmological parameters such as σ8 or the dark energy equation of state parameter w0. We find similar levels of improvement on the constraints of the baryonic feedback parameters, which strengthens the prospects for cosmic shear data to obtain tight constraints not only on cosmology but also on astrophysical feedback models. These encouraging results motivate future works on the integrated shear 3-point correlation function towards applications to real survey data.
Developing a victorious strategy to the second strong gravitational lensing data challenge
Authors: Bom C R , Fraga B M O , Dias L O , Schubert P , Blanco Valentin M , Furlanetto C , Makler M , Teles K , Portes de Albuquerque M , Metcalf R Benton
Published: July 2022

Strong lensing is a powerful probe of the matter distribution in galaxies and clusters and a relevant tool for cosmography. Analyses of strong gravitational lenses with deep learning have become a popular approach due to these astronomical objects’ rarity and image complexity. Next-generation surveys will provide more opportunities to derive science from these objects and an increasing data volume to be analysed. However, finding strong lenses is challenging, as their number densities are orders of magnitude below those of galaxies. Therefore, specific strong lensing search algorithms are required to discover the highest number of systems possible with high purity and low false alarm rate. The need for better algorithms has prompted the development of an open community data science competition named strong gravitational lensing challenge (SGLC). This work presents the deep learning strategies and methodology used to design the highest scoring algorithm in the second SGLC (II SGLC). We discuss the approach used for this data set, the choice of a suitable architecture, particularly the use of a network with two branches to work with images in different resolutions, and its optimization. We also discuss the detectability limit, the lessons learned, and prospects for defining a tailor-made architecture in a survey in contrast to a general one. Finally, we release the models and discuss the best choice to easily adapt the model to a data set representing a survey with a different instrument. This work helps to take a step towards efficient, adaptable, and accurate analyses of strong lenses with deep learning frameworks.
Optical selection bias and projection effects in stacked galaxy cluster weak lensing
Authors: Wu Hao-Yi , Costanzi Matteo , To Chun-Hao , Salcedo Andrés N , Weinberg David H , Annis James , Bocquet Sebastian , da Silva Pereira Maria Elidaiana , DeRose Joseph , Esteves Johnny , Farahi Arya , Grandis Sebastian , Rozo Eduardo , Rykoff Eli S , Varga Tamás N , Wechsler Risa H , Zeng Chenxiao , Zhang Yuanyuan , Zhang Zhuowen ,   DES Collaboration
Published: July 2022

Cosmological constraints from current and upcoming galaxy cluster surveys are limited by the accuracy of cluster mass calibration. In particular, optically identified galaxy clusters are prone to selection effects that can bias the weak lensing mass calibration. We investigate the selection bias of the stacked cluster lensing signal associated with optically selected clusters, using clusters identified by the redMaPPer algorithm in the Buzzard simulations as a case study. We find that at a given cluster halo mass, the residuals of redMaPPer richness and weak lensing signal are positively correlated. As a result, for a given richness selection, the stacked lensing signal is biased high compared with what we would expect from the underlying halo mass probability distribution. The cluster lensing selection bias can thus lead to overestimated mean cluster mass and biased cosmology results. We show that the lensing selection bias exhibits a strong scale dependence and is approximately 20–60 per cent for ΔΣ at large scales. This selection bias largely originates from spurious member galaxies within ±20–60 $h^{-1}\, \rm Mpc$ along the line of sight, highlighting the importance of quantifying projection effects associated with the broad redshift distribution of member galaxies in photometric cluster surveys. While our results qualitatively agree with those in the literature, accurate quantitative modelling of the selection bias is needed to achieve the goals of cluster lensing cosmology and will require synthetic catalogues covering a wide range of galaxy–halo connection models.
Impact of the primordial stellar initial mass function on the 21-cm signal
Authors: Gessey-Jones T , Sartorio N S , Fialkov A , Mirouh G M , Magg M , Izzard R G , de Lera Acedo E , Handley W J , Barkana R
Published: July 2022

Properties of the first generation of stars [referred to as the Population III (Pop III) stars], such as their initial mass function (IMF), are poorly constrained by observations and have yet to converge between simulations. The cosmological 21-cm signal of neutral hydrogen is predicted to be sensitive to Lyman-band photons produced by these stars, thus providing a unique way to probe the first stellar population. In this paper, we investigate the impacts of the Pop III IMF on the cosmic-dawn 21-cm signal via the Wouthuysen–Field effect, Lyman–Werner feedback, Ly α heating, and cosmic microwave background heating. We calculate the emission spectra of star-forming haloes for different IMFs by integrating over individual metal-free stellar spectra, computed from a set of stellar evolution histories and stellar atmospheres, and taking into account variability of the spectra with stellar age. Through this study, we therefore relax two common assumptions: that the zero-age main-sequence emission rate of a Pop III star is representative of its lifetime mean emission rate, and that Pop III emission can be treated as instantaneous. Exploring bottom-heavy, top-heavy, and intermediate IMFs, we show that variations in the 21-cm signal are driven by stars lighter than 20 M⊙. For the explored models, we find maximum relative differences of 59 per cent in the cosmic-dawn global 21-cm signal, and 131 per cent between power spectra. Although this impact is modest, precise modelling of the first stars and their evolution is necessary for accurate prediction and interpretation of the 21-cm signal.
The heliospheric ambipolar potential inferred from sunward-propagating halo electrons
Authors: Horaites Konstantinos , Boldyrev Stanislav
Published: July 2022

We provide evidence that the sunward-propagating half of the solar wind electron halo distribution evolves without scattering in the inner heliosphere. We assume the particles conserve their total energy and magnetic moment, and perform a ‘Liouville mapping’ on electron pitch angle distributions measured by the Parker Solar Probe SPAN-E instrument. Namely, we show that the distributions are consistent with Liouville’s theorem if an appropriate interplanetary potential is chosen. This potential, an outcome of our fitting method, is compared against the radial profiles of proton bulk flow energy. We find that the inferred potential is responsible for nearly 100 per cent of the proton acceleration in the solar wind at heliocentric distances 0.18-0.79 AU. These observations combine to form a coherent physical picture: the same interplanetary potential accounts for the acceleration of the solar wind protons as well as the evolution of the electron halo. In this picture the halo is formed from a sunward-propagating population that originates somewhere in the outer heliosphere by a yet-unknown mechanism.
Linear change and minutes variability of solar wind velocity revealed by FAST
Authors: Liu Li-Jia , Peng Bo , Yu Lei , Liu Bin , Lu Ji-Guang , Yu Ye-Zhao , Xi Hong-Wei , Xiong Ming , Chang O
Published: July 2022

Observation of Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) provides an important and effective way to study the solar wind and the space weather. A series of IPS observations were conducted by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The extraordinary sensitivity and the wide frequency coverage make FAST an ideal platform for IPS studies. In this paper, we present some first scientific results from FAST observations of IPS with the L-band receiver. Based on the solar wind velocity fitting values of FAST observations on 2020 September 26–28, we found that the velocity decreases with increasing frequency linearly, which has not yet been reported in literature. And we have also detected a variation of solar wind velocity on a time-scale of 3–5 min, which imply the slow change of the background solar wind, a co-existence of high- and low-speed streams, or a reflect of the quasi-periodic electron-density fluctuations.
In vitro and in vivo antitumor studies of potential anticancer agents of platinum(II) complexes of dicyclopentadiene and dithiocarbamates
Authors: Sulaiman Adam A A , Sobeai Homood M As , Aldawood Eman , Abogosh Ahmad , Alhazzani Khalid , Alotaibi Moureq R , Ahmad Saeed , Alhoshani Ali , Isab Anvarhusein A
Published: July 2022

Three platinum(II) complexes of dicyclopentadiene (DCP) and dithiocarbamates (DTCs), namely, [Pt(η4-DCP)(Me2DTC)]PF6 (1), [Pt(η4-DCP)(Et2DTC)]PF6 (2), and [Pt(η4-DCP)(Bz2DTC)]PF6 (3) [Me2DTC = dimethyldithiocarbamate, Et2DTC = diethyldithiocarbamate, and Bz2DTC = dibenzyldithiocarbamate] were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H, and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data indicated the coordination of both DCP and DTC ligands to platinum(II). The solution chemistry of complex 1 revealed that the complexes are stable in both dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 1:1 mixture of DMSO:H2O. In vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes relative to cisplatin was tested using MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay, against CHL-1 (human melanoma cancer cells), MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer cells), A549 (lung cancer cells), and B16 (murine melanoma cancer cells). The antiproliferative effect of all three prepared complexes was found to be significantly higher than cisplatin. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis of complex 1 showed that the complex induced apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial potential depolarization and cell cycle arrest in a concentration-dependent pattern in the CHL-1 cells. Confirmation of apoptosis via gene expression analysis demonstrated down-regulation of anti-apoptotic genes and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic genes in the CHL-1 cells. Wound-healing assays also lent support to the strong cytotoxicity of the complexes. In vivo studies showed a significant reduction of tumor volume at the end of the experiment. In addition, the drug did not change the weight of the mice. In conclusion, complex 1 inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and reduced tumor growth in vivo.
Characterization of benzo[a]pyrene and colchicine based on anin vivorepeat-dosing multi-endpoint genotoxicity quantitative assessment platform
Authors: Zeng Zhu , Huo Jiao , Zhu Xuejiao , Liu Yunjie , Li Ruirui , Chen Yiyi , Zhang Lishi , Chen Jinyao
Published: July 2022

Two prototypical genotoxicants, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and colchicine (COL), were selected as model compounds to deduce their quantitative genotoxic dose–response relationship at low doses in a multi-endpoint genotoxicity assessment platform. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with B[a]P (2.5–80 mg/kg bw/day) and COL (0.125–2 mg/kg bw/day) daily for 28 days. The parameters included were as follows: comet assay in the peripheral blood and liver, Pig-a gene mutation assay in the peripheral blood, and micronucleus test in the peripheral blood and bone marrow. A significant increase was observed in Pig-a mutant frequency in peripheral blood for B[a]P (started at 40 mg/kg bw/day on Day 14, started at 20 mg/kg bw/day on Day 28), whereas no statistical difference for COL was observed. Micronucleus frequency in reticulocytes of the peripheral blood and bone marrow increased significantly for B[a]P (80 mg/kg bw/day on Day 4, started at 20 mg/kg bw/day on Days 14 and 28 in the blood; started at 20 mg/kg bw/day on Day 28 in the bone marrow) and COL (started at 2 mg/kg bw/day on Day 14, 1 mg/kg bw/day on Day 28 in the blood; started at 1 mg/kg bw/day on Day 28 in the bone marrow). No statistical variation was found in indexes of comet assay at all time points for B[a]P and COL in the peripheral blood and liver. The dose–response relationships of Pig-a and micronucleus test data were analyzed for possible point of departures using three quantitative approaches, i.e., the benchmark dose, breakpoint dose, and no observed genotoxic effect level. The practical thresholds of the genotoxicity of B[a]P and COL estimated in this study were 0.122 and 0.0431 mg/kg bw/day, respectively, and our results also provided distinct genotoxic mode of action of the two chemicals.
A single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of the dog hippocampus reveals the potential relationship between specific cell types and domestication
Authors: Zhou Qi-Jun , Liu Xingyan , Zhang Longlong , Wang Rong , Yin Tingting , Li Xiaolu , Li Guimei , He Yuqi , Ding Zhaoli , Ma Pengcheng , Wang Shi-Zhi , Mao Bingyu , Zhang Shihua , Wang Guo-Dong
Published: July 2022

The process of domestication has led to dramatic differences in behavioral traits between domestic dogs and gray wolves. Whole-genome research found that a class of putative positively selected genes were related to various aspects of learning and memory, such as long-term potentiation and long-term depression. In this study, we constructed a single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of the dog hippocampus to illustrate its cell types, cell lineage and molecular features. Using the transcriptomes of 105 057 nuclei from the hippocampus of a Beagle dog, we identified 26 cell clusters and a putative trajectory of oligodendrocyte development. Comparative analysis revealed a significant convergence between dog differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and putative positively selected genes (PSGs). Forty putative PSGs were DEGs in glutamatergic neurons, especially in Cluster 14, which is related to the regulation of nervous system development. In summary, this study provides a blueprint to understand the cellular mechanism of dog domestication.
A Health Inequity: Associations Between Cigarette Smoking Status and Mammogram Screening Among Women of Color
Authors: Llaneza Danielle H , Kim Hanjoe , Correa-Fernández Virmarie
Published: July 2022

Introduction

We evaluated differences in yearly mammogram screening by smoking status in a sample of US women. We also examined differences in mammogram screening by race/ethnicity, age, and health care coverage.

Methods

Data were from 1884 women participants in the 2018 Health of Houston Survey study. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between smoking status (current/former/non-smokers) and mammograms within 12 months. Moderators included race/ethnicity (Hispanic, Black, Asian, Other, White), age, and health care coverage

Results

In comparison to women who were non-smokers, current and former smokers showed lower odds to get a yearly mammogram (OR = 0.720; 95% CI = 0.709, .730 and OR = 0.702; 95% CI = 0.693, 0.710, respectively). Current smokers who identified as Hispanic or Black women and former smokers who identified as Hispanic, Asian, and other women showed lower odds of getting a mammogram (OR = 0.635, 95% CI = 0.611, 0.659; OR = 0.951, 95% CI = 0.919, 0.985) and (OR = 0.663, 95% CI = 0.642, 0.684; OR = 0.282, 95% CI = 0.263, 0.302; OR = 0.548, 95% CI = 0.496, 0.606) compared to White women. There were significant interactions by age and health care coverage.

Conclusions

Women of color who are current and former smokers showed lower odds to engage in mammogram screening, thus increasing their risk of undiagnosed breast cancer when compared to non-smokers. Ethnically diverse women already experience increased health disparities and smoking puts them at exacerbated risk of health complications and death.

Implications

Our findings suggest that smoking status is a modifiable behavioral risk factor that requires further attention in the prevention of breast cancer in ethnic minority women. Health care institutions and policymakers need to increase their awareness of and outreach efforts to women of color who smoke. These outreach efforts should focus on increasing access to smoking interventions and cancer screenings.
Smoking Cessation Interventions in Indigenous North Americans: A Meta-Narrative Systematic Review
Authors: Rusk Ann M , Kanj Amjad N , Murad Mohammad H , Hassett Leslie C , Kennedy Cassie C
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Indigenous North Americans have the highest cigarette smoking prevalence among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. We seek to identify effective components of smoking cessation interventions in Indigenous people in the United States associated with favorable cessation outcomes.

Methods

A review of literature studying smoking cessation interventions in Indigenous North Americans (American Indians and Alaska Natives) from January 2010 through August 2021 was completed. The primary objective of this study was to identify components of interventions associated with positive smoking cessation outcomes in Indigenous people. The studies identified were synthesized in a meta-narrative approach.

Results

Ten studies out of 608 titles were included (6 randomized trials, 2 single-arm studies, 1 cohort study, and 1 prospective observational study). Five categories of smoking cessation interventions were identified; phone or web-based tools, culturally-tailored interventions, the inclusion of Indigenous study personnel, pharmaceutical cessation aids, and behavioral health interventions. Phone and web tools, cultural tailoring, and inclusion of Indigenous personnel conditions inconsistently influenced smoking cessation. Pharmaceutical aids were viewed favorably among participants. Individualized behavioral counseling sessions were effective at promoting smoking cessation, as was input from local communities in the planning and implementation phases of study.

Conclusion

A successful smoking cessation intervention in Indigenous North Americans includes Tribal or community input in intervention design and implementation; should provide individualized counseling sessions for participants, and offer access to validated smoking cessation tools including pharmacotherapy.

Implications

This study identifies a paucity of smoking interventions utilizing standard of care interventions in Indigenous North Americans. Standard of care interventions including individualized cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy were effective at promoting cessation. The use of novel culturally tailored cessation interventions was not more effective than existing evidence-based care with the exception of including Tribal and local community input in intervention implementation. Future smoking cessation interventions in Indigenous North Americans should prioritize the use of standard of care cessation interventions.
Productivity-enhancing reallocation during the Great Recession: evidence from Lithuania
Authors: Garcia-Louzao Jose , Tarasonis Linas
Published: July 2022

This article studies the impact of the Great Recession on the relationship between reallocation and productivity dynamics in Lithuania. Using detailed micro-level data, we first document the aggregate contribution of firm dynamics and employment reallocation to productivity growth. Next, we estimate firm-level regressions to confirm the findings and to perform a heterogeneity analysis. The analysis shows that productivity shielded firms from exit, and that this relationship became stronger during the Great Recession. Moreover, we demonstrate that more productive firms experienced on average lower employment losses, especially during the economic slump. Taken together, our results suggest that reallocation was productivity-enhancing during the Great Recession. However, the analysis also indicates that the intensity varied with the sector’s dependence on external financing or international trade as well as market concentration.
A Question-Sensitive Theory of Intention
Authors: Beddor Bob , Goldstein Simon
Published: July 2022

This paper develops a question-sensitive theory of intention. We show that this theory explains some puzzling closure properties of intention. In particular, it can be used to explain why one is rationally required to intend the means to one’s ends, even though one is not rationally required to intend all the foreseen consequences of one’s intended actions. It also explains why rational intention is not always closed under logical implication, and why one can only intend outcomes that one believes to be under one’s control.
Reality from maximizing overlap in the periodic complex action theory
Authors: Nagao Keiichi , Nielsen Holger Bech
Published: July 2022

We study the periodic complex action theory (CAT) by imposing a periodic condition in the future-included CAT where the time integration is performed from the past to the future, and extend a normalized matrix element of an operator $\hat{\mathcal {O}}$, which is called the weak value in the real action theory, to another expression $\langle \hat{\mathcal {O}} \rangle _{\mathrm{periodic}~\mathrm{time}}$. We present two theorems stating that $\langle \hat{\mathcal {O}} \rangle _{\mathrm{periodic}~\mathrm{time}}$ becomes real for $\hat{\mathcal {O}}$ being Hermitian with regard to a modified inner product that makes a given non-normal Hamiltonian $\hat{H}$ normal. The first theorem holds for a given period tp in a case where the number of eigenstates having the maximal imaginary part B of the eigenvalues of $\hat{H}$ is just one, while the second one stands for tp selected such that the absolute value of the transition amplitude is maximized in a case where B ≤ 0 and |B| is much smaller than the distances between any two real parts of the eigenvalues of $\hat{H}$. The latter proven via a number-theoretical argument suggests that, if our universe is periodic, then even the period could be an adjustment parameter to be determined in the Feynman path integral. This is a variant type of the maximization principle that we previously proposed.
Site-Specific Dry and Wet Deposition Velocities Using 7BE and Mass Interception Factor for Various Types of Plant Leaves at Narora Site, India
Authors: Gautam Y P , Sharma A K , Kumar Deepak , Kumar Vineet , Tripathi A R , Kumar J , Saradhi I V , Kumar A Vinod
Published: July 2022

Comprehensive studies were carried out during the period 2016–19 on the estimation of site-specific wet and dry deposition velocities and the mass interception factor for Narora site based on the concentrations of 7Be in air, air deposits, rain water and vegetation samples. Mean wet and dry deposition velocities for Narora site were found to be 1.64E-2 and 1.58E-3 m s−1, respectively. Mass interception factors for vegetation found to be 0.34–2.51 m2 kg−1 dry weight with a mean of 0.97 m2 kg−1 dry weight. The obtained parameters shall be used for estimation of impact due to radionuclide related to Narora Atomic Power station.
Automated Estimation of Patient’s Size Using Autowed Tool and Indosect Program: A Dosimetric Study for Paediatric Head CT Examinations
Authors: Saeed Mohammed K , Alshamrani Hassan A , Sulieman Abdelmoneim , Abdullah Youssef M , Yousef Mohamed , Ali Ali S A M , Alshamrani Khalaf A
Published: July 2022

Size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), which can be calculated by measuring the effective diameter (De) or water equivalent diameter (Dw) of the patient, is one of the recent approaches for verifying the individual doses during computer tomography (CT) examinations. This work aimed to compare the Dw estimated by the AutoWED tool and IndoseCT software and to investigate CT axial (ARH) and paediatric head (PH) protocols used in southern Saudi Arabia to calculate the dose received by paediatric patients using metrics of volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and SSDE. The distribution between the ARH and PH protocols was 57.8 and 42.2%, respectively. There was no significant difference in Dw values between the AutoWED tool and the IndoseCT program (0.13%). Including CT table or other objects during estimation of Dw can lead to variation up to 11.4%. The impact of selecting IndoseCT options to identify the border of the patient may be part of the explanation for these variations. A strong linear relationship was obtained between De and Dw in paediatric head size (R2 = 0.96). Using IndoseCT, for 0–1.5, 1.5–5 and 5.0–18 age groups (years), the Dw was found to be 13.2, 15.3 and 16.8 cm, respectively. The SSDE for the PH protocol was substantially lower than that of the ARH protocol. As a result, education of the individuals engaging in paediatric CT examinations is necessary for dose optimization.
Contrasting Frontoparietal Network Connectivity in Antipsychotic Medication-Naive First-Episode Psychosis Patients Who Do and Do Not Display Features of the Deficit Syndrome
Authors: King Victoria L , Lahti Adrienne C , Maximo Jose O , ver Hoef Lawrence W , John Sooraj , Kraguljac Nina V
Published: July 2022

Background

The deficit syndrome is a clinical subtype of schizophrenia that is characterized by enduring negative symptoms. Several lines of evidence point to frontoparietal involvement, but the frontoparietal control network (FPCN) and its subsystems (FPCNA and FPCNB) proposed by Yeo et al. have not been systematically characterized at rest in patients with the deficit syndrome.

Methods

We used resting-state fMRI to investigate the FPCN and its subnetworks in 72 healthy controls and 65 antipsychotic medication-naive, first-episode psychosis patients (22 displayed deficit syndrome features, 43 did not). To assess whole-brain FPCN connectivity, we used the right posterior parietal cortex as the seed region. We then performed region of interest analyses in FPCN subsystems.

Results

We found that patterns of FPCN dysconnectivity to the whole brain differed in patients who displayed deficit syndrome features compared with those who did not. Examining the FPCN on a more granular level revealed reduced within-FPCN(A) connectivity only in patients displaying deficit features. FPCNB connectivity did not differ between patient groups.

Discussion

Here, we describe a neurobiological signature of aberrant FPCN connectivity in antipsychotic-naive, first-episode patients who display clinical features of the deficit syndrome. Importantly, frontoparietal subnetwork connectivity differentiated subgroups, where the FPCNA is selectively involved in patients with deficit features. Our findings add to the growing body of literature supporting a neurobiological distinction between two clinical subtypes of schizophrenia, which has the potential to be leveraged for patient stratification in clinical trials and the development of novel treatments.
Frontal grey matter microstructure is associated with sleep slow waves characteristics in late midlife
Authors: Chylinski Daphne , Narbutas Justinas , Balteau Evelyne , Collette Fabienne , Bastin Christine , Berthomier Christian , Salmon Eric , Maquet Pierre , Carrier Julie , Phillips Christophe , Lina Jean-Marc , Vandewalle Gilles , Van Egroo Maxime
Published: July 2022

Study Objectives

The ability to generate slow waves (SW) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep decreases as early as the 5th decade of life, predominantly over frontal regions. This decrease may concern prominently SW characterized by a fast switch from hyperpolarized to depolarized, or down-to-up, state. Yet, the relationship between these fast and slow switcher SW and cerebral microstructure in ageing is not established.

Methods

We recorded habitual sleep under EEG in 99 healthy late midlife individuals (mean age = 59.3 ± 5.3 years; 68 women) and extracted SW parameters (density, amplitude, frequency) for all SW as well as according to their switcher type (slow vs. fast). We further used neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to assess microstructural integrity over a frontal grey matter region of interest (ROI).

Results

In statistical models adjusted for age, sex, and sleep duration, we found that a lower SW density, particularly for fast switcher SW, was associated with a reduced orientation dispersion of neurites in the frontal ROI (p = 0.018, R2β* = 0.06). In addition, overall SW frequency was positively associated with neurite density (p = 0.03, R2β* = 0.05). By contrast, we found no significant relationships between SW amplitude and NODDI metrics.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the complexity of neurite organization contributes specifically to the rate of fast switcher SW occurrence in healthy middle-aged individuals, corroborating slow and fast switcher SW as distinct types of SW. They further suggest that the density of frontal neurites plays a key role for neural synchronization during sleep.

Trial registration number

EudraCT 2016-001436-35.
The Social Construction of Cannabis in Social Work
Authors: Lavie-Ajayi Maya
Published: July 2022

The social construction of cannabis has important implications for policy, research, practice, and education in social work. The objective of this article is to chart the construction of cannabis in articles published in social work journals across the past half century. The author critically reviews empirical articles with references to cannabis published in 15 key social work journals between 1970 and 2018. Systematic searches resulted in a combined set of 510 articles, of which 244 matched the inclusion criteria for this study. A content and thematic analysis of the corpus identified the dominant construction of cannabis in social work research literature as a harmful substance undifferentiated from other drugs. This construction was challenged by a minority of the articles in three ways: (1) by differentiating between use and abuse and between cannabis as a soft drug and a hard drug; (2) by highlighting social inequality as an important component of any consideration of social work policy and practice with regard to cannabis use; and (3) by considering the possible positive effects of cannabis use. This article calls for a revision of the construction of cannabis use in social work.
Anti-Asian Hatred and Japanese Parents’ Support of Their Children’s Acculturation to the United States
Authors: Kayama Misa , Haight Wendy
Published: July 2022

This ethnographic study explores how Japanese immigrant and temporary resident parents support their children’s acculturation to U.S. society. Anti-Asian hatred is a neglected social justice issue with a long history extending to hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the U.S. population includes an increasing number of Asian immigrants. Some of them, such as recent Japanese immigrants and temporary residents, are from majority groups in their countries of origin, and do not have cultural socialization practices to protect their children from racism and xenophobia. This article focuses on in-depth, individual interviews with 14 Japanese immigrant and temporary resident parents of children attending U.S. local schools. Parents described their cultural socialization as centering on developing a Japanese cultural self, for example, through participation in a Japanese supplementary school. Parents also reported experiences of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia, including social exclusion. However, they typically did not describe preparing children directly for responding to and coping with anti-Asian bias. Rather, they and their children took responsibility for bias directed against them, and avoided drawing attention to their differences. Authors discuss implications for how social workers can recognize distress in Japanese children and effectively support them and others experiencing similar acculturation challenges.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Plus for Youth in Out-of-Home Care: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation
Authors: Cosgrove John A , Lee Bethany R , Greeno Elizabeth J , Horen Maria Jose
Published: July 2022

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Plus (CBT+) has emerged as a promising intervention to address the myriad emotional and behavioral health needs of youth in the child welfare system. Existing CBT+ research has shown reductions in target clinical symptoms, but child welfare placement outcomes have not yet been assessed. The current study tested the effects of CBT+ on placement stability and psychiatric inpatient treatment use among youth in out-of-home care at one countywide CBT+ site. This study used a quasi-experimental design that compared three inverse probability-weighted groups: (1) 40 youth who received CBT+, (2) 38 youth referred for CBT+ but not served, and (3) 90 youth screened in as clinically eligible for CBT+ but not referred because they were receiving other services. Difference-in-differences estimates found that CBT+ significantly improved placement stability. Further, youth served by CBT+ had a greater reduction in psychiatric inpatient treatment use than those referred but not served, although this difference did not reach statistical significance. Findings from this study provide preliminary evidence for CBT+ effects on placement outcomes for youth in out-of-home care, contributing to the growing evidence for CBT+ as a promising intervention for child welfare–involved youth. Methodological limitations and considerations for further investigation are discussed.
Social Workers’ Attitudes toward Evidence-Based Practice: The Mediating Role of Work-Related Self-Efficacy
Authors: Kagan Maya
Published: July 2022

The aim of the current study was to explore the mediating role of work-related self-efficacy in the association between organizational context variables (workplace social support, accessibility of work-related data and information resources, and role ambiguity) and social workerss’ attitudes toward adoption of evidence-based practice (EBP). For the purpose of the study, 559 social workers were sampled by means of structured questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the proposed model. Accessibility of data and information resources and workplace social support were positively associated with self-efficacy, and role ambiguity was negatively associated with self-efficacy, which was in turn positively related to social workerss’ attitudes toward EBP. The findings of the current study may assist policymakers and professional supervisors in developing interventions designed to promote more positive attitudes toward EBP among social workers. In the effort to promote the integration of EBP in social services settings, the impact of organizational factors on social workerss’ work-related self-efficacy should be taken into account.
Validation of maternal and terminal sheep breeding objectives using Irish field data
Authors: McHugh Noirin , McDermott Kevin , Bohan Alan , Farrell Lydia J , Herron Jonathan , Pabiou Thierry
Published: July 2022

Genetic evaluations provide producers with a tool to aid in breeding decisions and highlight the increase in performance achievable at the farm level through genetic gain. Despite this, large-scale validation of sheep breeding objectives using field data is lacking in the scientific literature. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the phenotypic differences for a range of economically important traits for animals divergent in genetic merit for the Irish national maternal and terminal sheep breeding objectives. A dataset of 17,356 crossbred ewes and 54,322 progeny differing in their maternal and terminal breeding index recorded in 139 commercial flocks was available. The association of the maternal index of the ewe or terminal index of the ram and a range of phenotypic performance traits, including lambing, lamb performance, ewe performance, and health traits, were undertaken. Ewes excelling on the maternal index had higher litter sizes and produced progeny with greater perinatal lamb survival, heavier live weights from birth to postweaning and reduced days to slaughter (P < 0.05). Ewe maternal index had no quantifiable impact on lambing ease, carcass conformation, or fat, the health status of the ewe or lamb, ewe barren rate, or ewe live weight. Lambs born to rams of superior terminal index produced heavier lambs from preweaning onwards, with a reduced day to slaughter (P < 0.05). Lambing traits, lamb health, and carcass characteristics of the progeny did not differ between sires stratified as low or high on the terminal index (P > 0.05). Results from this study highlight that selecting either ewes or rams of superior maternal or terminal attributes will result in an improvement on pertinent performance traits of the national sheep flock, resulting in greater flock productivity and profitability.
Spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of stem methane flux from two poplar forests with different soil textures
Authors: Han Menghua , Feng Huili , Peng Changhui , Lei Xiangdong , Xue Jianhui , Malghani Saadatullah , Ma Xuehong , Song Xinzhang , Wang Weifeng
Published: July 2022

In forest ecosystems, the majority of methane (CH4) research focuses on soils, whereas tree stem CH4 flux and driving factors remain poorly understood. We measured the in situ stem CH4 flux using the static chamber–gas chromatography method at different heights in two poplar (Populus spp.) forests with separate soil textures. We evaluated the relationship between stem CH4 fluxes and environmental factors with linear mixed models and estimated the tree CH4 emission rate at the stand level. Our results showed that poplar stems were a net source of atmospheric CH4. The mean stem CH4 emission rates were 97.51 ± 6.21 μg·m−2·h−1 in Sihong and 67.04 ± 5.64 μg·m−2·h−1 in Dongtai. The stem CH4 emission rate in Sihong with clay loam soils was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that in Dongtai with sandy loam soils. The stem CH4 emission rate also showed a seasonal variation, minimum in winter and maximum in summer. The stem CH4 emission rate generally decreased with increasing sampling height. Although the differences in CH4 emission rates between stem heights were significant in the annual averages, these differences were driven by differences observed in the summer. Stem CH4 emission rates were significantly and positively correlated with air temperature (P < 0.001), relative humidity (P < 0.001), soil water content (P < 0.001) and soil CH4 flux (P < 0.001). At these sites, the soil emitted CH4 to the atmosphere in summer (mainly from June to September) but absorbed CH4 from the atmosphere during the other season. At the stand level, tree CH4 emissions accounted for 2–35.4% of soil CH4 uptake. Overall, tree stem CH4 efflux could be an important component of the forest CH4 budget. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more in situ monitoring of stem CH4 flux to accurately estimate the CH4 budget in the future.
Leaf and tree water-use efficiencies of Populus deltoides × P. nigra in mixed forest and agroforestry plantations
Authors: Thomas Anaïs , Marron Nicolas , Bonal Damien , Piutti Séverine , Dallé Erwin , Priault Pierrick
Published: July 2022

In a global context where water will become a scarce resource under temperate latitudes, managing tree plantations with species associations, i.e., forest mixture or agroforestry, could play a major role in optimizing the sustainable use of this resource. Conceptual frameworks in community ecology suggest that, in mixed plantations, environmental resources such as water may be more efficiently used for carbon acquisition and tree growth thanks to niche complementarity among species. To test the hypotheses behind these conceptual frameworks, we estimated water-use efficiency (WUE) for poplar trees grown in a monoculture, in association with alder trees (forest mixture) and in association with clover leys (agroforestry) in an experimental plantation located in northeastern France. Water-use efficiency was estimated (i) at leaf level through gas exchange measurements and analysis of carbon isotope composition, (ii) at wood level through carbon isotope composition and (iii) at tree level with sap flow sensors and growth increment data. We hypothesized that species interactions would increase WUE of poplars in mixtures due to a reduction in competition and/or facilitation effects due to the presence of the N2-fixing species in mixtures. Poplar trees in both mixture types showed higher WUE than those in the monoculture. The differences we found in WUE between the monoculture and the agroforestry treatment were associated to differences in stomatal conductance and light-saturated net CO2 assimilation rate (at the leaf level) and transpiration (at the tree level), while the differences between the monoculture and the forest mixture were more likely due to differences in stomatal conductance at the leaf level and both transpiration and biomass accumulation at the tree level. Moreover, the more WUE was integrated in time (instantaneous gas exchanges < leaf life span < seasonal wood core < whole tree), the more the differences among treatments were marked.
IVChaucer
Authors: Menmuir Rebecca , Buchanan Peter , Brookes Lucy
Published: July 2022

This chapter has four sections: 1. General; 2. The Canterbury Tales; 3. Other Works; 4. Reception and Reputation. Section 1 is by Rebecca Menmuir; section 2 is by Lucy Brookes and Peter Buchanan; section 3 is by Peter Buchanan; section 4 is by Rebecca Menmuir.
Revised phylogeny from complete mitochondrial genomes of phyllostomid bats resolves subfamilial classification
Authors: Camacho M Alejandra , Cadar Dániel , Horváth Balázs , Merino-Viteri Andrés , Murienne Jérôme
Published: July 2022

Classically, molecular phylogenetic trees of Phyllostomidae have been inferred using a combination of a few mitochondrial and nuclear markers. However, there is still uncertainty in the relationships, especially among deep clades within the family. In this study, we provide newly sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes from 26 bat species, including genomes of 23 species reported here for the first time. By carefully analysing these genomes using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods and different ingroup and outgroup samples, partition schemes and data types, we investigated the robustness and sensitivity of our phylogenetic results. The optimal topologies were those inferred from the complete data matrix of nucleotides, with complex and highly parameterized substitution models and partition schemes. Our results show a statistically robust picture of the evolutionary relationships between phyllostomid subfamilies and clarify hitherto uncertain relationships of Lonchorhininae and Macrotinae.
Multi-Year Field Plantings Evaluating Boxwood Cultivars for Susceptibility to the Blight Pathogens (Calonectria spp.) in Northern Germany
Authors: Brand Thomas , Beltz Heinrich , Ehsen Björn , Adhikari Urmila , Daughtrey Margery , Luster Douglas G. , Kong Ping , Hong Chuanxue
Published: July 2022

Two multiyear field trials were conducted to evaluate boxwood cultivars for their susceptibility to the blight pathogens Calonectria pseudonaviculata and C. henricotiae in northern Germany. Fifteen cultivars were included in the first trial from 2007 to 2012, and 46 cultivars were included in the second trial from 2014 to 2017. Both trials were done in a naturally infested field that was supplemented with infected plant tissue added to the soil before planting. Each cultivar had three replicate hedge sections with 10 plants per section, and they were assessed annually for blight severity expressed as proportion of leaves blighted and fallen. Blight severity varied significantly among years (P < 0.0001) and cultivars (P < 0.05) within each trial. In the first trial, mean severity ranged from 0.03 to 0.11 for the most resistant cultivars and 0.35 to 0.96 for the most susceptible ones. Similarly, in the second trial, mean severity ranged from 0.06 to 0.27 and 0.71 to 0.97 for the most resistant and susceptible cultivars, respectively. ‘Suffruticosa’ was consistently the most susceptible cultivar, followed by ‘Marianne’, ‘Myosotidifolia’, ‘Raket’, and ‘Morris Midget’. ‘Herrenhausen’ was the most resistant cultivar, followed by B. microphylla var. japonica, B. microphylla var. koreana, ‘Green Mound’, ‘Faulkner’, and ‘Winter Beauty’. This study provides field data showing the performance of boxwood cultivars under different levels of disease pressure in an area where C. henricotiae was dominant. This knowledge will help boxwood growers and gardeners to choose less susceptible cultivars and help plant breeders to select for disease resistance.
Genetic Characteristics and Linkage of Virulence Genes of the Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici TSA-6 Isolate to Yr5 Host Resistance
Authors: Zhang Gensheng , Liu Wei , Wang Lin , Ju Meng , Tian Xiaxia , Du Zhimin , Kang Zhensheng , Zhao Jie
Published: July 2022

To understand the inheritance of the TSA-6 Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) isolate that is virulent to Yr5 and was recently detected in China, we analyzed avirulence and virulence of 120 selfed progeny lines from Berberis shensiana. The results showed that the TSA-6 isolate is virulent against the Yr5 resistance gene, and overall progeny lines were categorized into 73 virulence phenotypes (VPs); of these, 72 VPs differed from the isolate TSA-6, and only one VP, including three progeny, was identical to the parental isolate. The analyses indicated that the TSA-6 isolate is homozygous for avirulence at the Yr10, Yr15, and Yr26 resistance loci and virulence at the YrA resistance locus. The TSA-6 isolate is heterozygous for avirulence at the Yr2, Yr3, Yr5, Yr7, and Yr8 resistance loci, which are controlled by a dominant/recessive relationship. The Yr1, Yr6, Yr9, Yr17, Yr27, Yr25, Yr28, Yr29, Yr32, YrTr1, and YrSP resistance loci are governed by two complementary dominant/recessive genes. Avirulence against heterozygous Yr4, Yr43, Yr44, Yr76, and YrExp2 resistance loci is regulated by a dominant and recessive or a dominant and suppressor gene pair. In total, 117 multilocus genotypes were detected at 24 KASP-SNP marker loci among the 120 progenies. Using these marker loci, we constructed a linkage map with a genetic distance interval spanning 624.5 cM. Quantitative trait loci corresponding to phenotypic segregation for virulence at 20 Yr resistance loci in addition to the Yr1 resistance locus were identified. These results facilitate our understanding of Pst virulence evolution and simplify breeding of wheat cultivars with effective resistance to wheat stripe rust.