Effect Of Age Research Articles

Achieving carbon neutrality and SDGs: assessing roles of solar energy, government stability, and population aging in greenhouse gas emissions

ABSTRACT In recent years, solar energy (SOE) has become a popular source of green energy that can stimulate energy transition, reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGE), and mitigate global warming. In addition, population aging and government stability can also influence GHGE levels. However, there is a lack of research studies on the environmental impacts of SOE and population aging on GHGE in top emitters. Therefore, this research aims to unveil the heterogeneous effects of SOE, population aging, and government stability on GHGE in top emitters from 1992 to 2020. This study employed the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MM-QR) because it can focus on the entire distribution of GHGE disclosing heterogeneous impacts of variables on GHGE. The outcomes of the study disclosed that population aging decreases the GHGE across all quantiles. However, government stability exacerbates GHGE with a slightly decreasing trend across all percentiles. SOE, however, reduces the GHGE only at the higher quantiles, while on lower quantiles, it is positively linked with the GHGE. It shows the usefulness of SOE in reducing GHGE in countries with higher emissions. Economic growth has a positive impact on GHGE, with this impact intensifying from lower to upper percentiles. This indicates that economic development exacerbates environmental deterioration, and therefore, higher GHGE and increased development are closely linked. The study did not notice any significant impact of financial globalization on GHGE. Based on the findings, a policy framework is proposed to reduce GHGE for achieving carbon neutrality and SDGs.

Association of circulating Robo4 with obesity, hypertension and atherosclerotic plaque burden.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for ASCVD development, being associated with endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerosis. In the current study we aimed to explore the potential value of circulating Robo4 (soluble Robo4, sRobo4), an endothelial-specific receptor that regulates endothelial cell (EC) junctional integrity, vascular permeability, EC-mediated inflammatory responses and angiogenesis, as a marker of vascular disease in individuals with or without T2DM. Thirty-four individuals with T2DM and 15 non-diabetic individuals (control) of similar age and sex were included in the study. sROBO4 was comparable between individuals with T2DM and control (T2DM: 1.54±1.19 vs control: 1.59±0.77 ng/mL, P=0.46). Of interest, sRobo4 positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) (rs=0.384, P=0.006), and negatively correlated with renal function as determined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (rs= -0.429, P=0.003). Moreover, individuals with arterial hypertension had higher sRobo4 compared to normotensive individuals (P=0.03). More importantly, we observed that individuals with 2 or more atherosclerotic plaques (n=28) in their femoral and/or carotid arteries had significantly higher sRobo4 levels compared to individuals with a total of none or 1 atherosclerotic plaque (n=20) (P=0.008). The association of sRobo4 with higher atherosclerotic burden remained significant when separately controlling for the effect of age, sex, presence of T2DM, total cholesterol, or BMI levels. In vivo studies utilizing models of atherosclerosis as well as larger prospective cohort studies are warranted to delineate causality and prognostic value of sRobo4 in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

PTNS: patent citation trajectory prediction based on temporal network snapshots

With the rapid development of science and technology, the pace of development in the knowledge economy is accelerating. Intellectual property, especially patents, is a strategic resource for technological innovation and a crucial support for building an innovative country. Therefore, it is particularly important to predict patents with high value and strong impact from the numerous and uneven-quality patents. However, patent citation behavior involves many uncertainties, and it is difficult to capture its temporal variations effectively. Therefore, this paper proposes a patent citation trajectory prediction model (PTNS) based on temporal network snapshots. It adopts relational graph convolutional networks (R-GCN) to learn the complex relationships among multiple attributes of patents and utilizes bidirectional long short-term memory networks (BiLSTM) to aggregate the temporal evolution differences of patents. Subsequently, principal component analysis (PCA) is used to explore the evolution characteristics of patent citations in depth, thereby capturing the aging effect and the ‘sleeping beauty’ phenomenon. Compared with other baselines, the PTNS performs well. In predicting new, grown, and random patents, the RMSLE decreases by approximately 0.04, 0.14, and 0.18 respectively, while the MALE decreases by approximately 0.04, 0.12, and 0.16 respectively.

Effects of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment and its aging behaviors on interfacial strength of PI/PEEK composite film

AbstractSince the properties of surface roughness with time and the wettability pattern of polymer surfaces transformed by plasma remain unclear. In order to understand the mechanism of aging effect on film properties, this paper analyzes the aging of plasma‐treated PI films. The optimal treatment conditions were first explored by adjusting the plasma treatment power. Based on the effect of plasma treatment power on the surface physicochemical properties and mechanical properties of PI films. It was found that the content of oxygen‐containing functional groups on the surface of the film was highest at a plasma treatment power of 800 W, and the surface energy reached a maximum value of 67.71 mJ/m2. As the treatment power increases, the surface etching of the PI film increases significantly, as does the roughness. However, if the power is too high, it can cause excessive etching, resulting in peeling of the film surface. In addition, the mechanical properties of the films decreased with increasing plasma treatment power. Based on the effect of plasma treatment power on the surface physicochemical and mechanical properties of PI films, the best overall modification effect of PI films was determined when the treatment power was 800 W and the speed was 6 mm/s. And at 800 W, the peel strength of the PI/PEEK composite film reached a maximum value of 9.55 N/cm, which was 77.84% higher than that of the untreated composite film. However, plasma‐treated PI films can experience surface remodeling after being exposed to air for a period of time. In this paper, the wettability as well as the mechanical properties of the films are analyzed for different aging times. The results showed that after 30 days of plasma treatment, the O/C and N/C contents on the surface of the PI film decreased, and the wettability performance decreased by 19.45% compared with that of the recently treated film.

Yiqihuoxue decoction (GSC) inhibits mitochondrial fission through the AMPK pathway to ameliorate EPCs senescence and optimize vascular aging transplantation regimens

BackgroundDuring the aging process, the number and functional activity of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are impaired, leading to the unsatisfactory efficacy of transplantation. Previous studies demonstrated that Yiqihuoxue decoction (Ginseng-Sanqi-Chuanxiong, GSC) exerts anti-vascular aging effects. The purpose of this study is to evaluated the effects of GSC on D-galactose (D-gal)induced senescence and the underlying mechanisms.MethodsThe levels of cellular senescence-related markers P16, P21, P53, AMPK and p-AMPK were detected by Western blot analysis (WB). SA-β-gal staining was used to evaluate cell senescence. EPCs function was measured by CCK-8, Transwell cell migration and cell adhesion assay. The morphological changes of mitochondria were detected by confocal microscopy. The protein and mRNA expression of mitochondrial fusion fission Drp1, Mff, Fis1, Mfn1, Mfn2 and Opa1 in mitochondria were detect using WB and RT–qPCR. Mitochondrial membrane potential, mtROS and ATP of EPCs were measured using IF. H&E staining was used to observe the pathological changes and IMT of the aorta. The expressions of AGEs, MMP-2 and VEGF in aorta were measured using Immunohistochemical (IHC). The levels of SOD, MDA, NO and ET-1 in serum were detected by SOD, MDA and NO kits.ResultsIn vitro, GSC ameliorated the senescence of EPCs induced by D-gal and reduced the expression of P16, P21 and P53. The mitochondrial morphology of EPCs was restored, the expression of mitochondrial Drp1, Mff and Fis1 protein was decreased, the levels of mtROS and ATP were decreased, and mitochondrial function was improved. Meanwhile, the expression of AMPK and p-AMPK increased. The improvement effects of GSC on aging and mitochondrial morphology and function were were hindered after adding AMPK inhibitor. In vivo, GSC improved EPCs efficiency, ameliorated aortic structural disorder and decreased IMT in aging mice. The serum SOD level increased and MDA level decreased, indicating the improvement of antioxidant capacity. Increased NO content and ET-1 content suggested improvement of vascular endothelial function. The changes observed in SOD and MMP-2 suggested a reduction in vascular stiffness and the degree of vascular damage. The decreased expression of P21 and P53 indicates the delay of vascular senescence.

The role of age and sex in non-linear dilution adjustment of spot urine arsenic

BackgroundPrevious research introduced V-PFCRC as an effective spot urinary dilution adjustment method for various metal analytes, including the major environmental toxin arsenic. V-PFCRC normalizes analytes to 1 g/L creatinine (CRN) by adopting more advanced power-functional corrective equations accounting for variation in exposure level. This study expands on previous work by examining the impacts of age and sex on corrective functions.MethodsLiterature review of the effects of sex and age on urinary dilution and the excretion of CRN and arsenic. Data analysis included a Data Set 1 of 5,752 urine samples and a partly overlapping Data Set 2 of 1,154 combined EDTA blood and urine samples. Both sets were classified into age bands, and the means, medians, and interquartile ranges for CRN and TWuAs in uncorrected (UC), conventionally CRN-corrected (CCRC), simple power-functional (S-PFCRC), sex-aggregated (V-PFCRC SA), and sex-differentiated V-PFCRC SD modes were compared. Correlation analyses assessed residual relationships between CRN, TWuAs, and age. V-PFCRC functions were compared across three numerically similar age groups and both sexes. The efficacy of systemic dilution adjustment error compensation was evaluated through power-functional regression analysis of residual CRN and the association between arsenic in blood and all tested urinary result modes.ResultsSignificant sex differences in UC and blood were neutralized by CCRC and reduced by V-PFCRC. Age showed a positive association with blood arsenic and TWuAs in all result modes, indicating factual increments in exposure. Sex-differentiated V-PFCRC best matched the sex-age kinetics of blood arsenic. V-PFCRC formulas varied by sex and age and appeared to reflect urinary osmolality sex-age-kinetics reported in previous research.V-PFCRC minimized residual biases of CRN on TWuAs across all age groups and sexes, demonstrating improved standardization efficacy compared to UC and CCRC arsenic.InterpretationSex differences in UC and CCRC arsenic are primarily attributable to urinary dilution and are effectively compensated by V-PFCRC. While the sex and age influence on V-PFCRC formulas align with sex- and age-specific urinary osmolality and assumed baseline vasopressor activities, their impact on correction validity for entire collectives is minimal.ConclusionThe V-PFCRC method offers a robust correction for urinary arsenic dilution, significantly reducing systemic dilution adjustment errors. Its application in various demographic contexts enhances the accuracy of urinary biomarker assessments, benefiting clinical and epidemiological research. V-PFCRC effectively compensates for sex differences in urinary arsenic. Age-related increases in TWuAs are exposure-related and should be additionally accounted for by algebraic normalization, covariate models, or standard range adjustments.

The Influence of Age and Exercise Training Status on Left Ventricular Systolic Twist Mechanics in Healthy Males-An Exploratory Study.

Age-related differences in twist may be mitigated with exercise training, although this remains inconclusive. Moreover, temporal left ventricular (LV) systolic twist mechanics, including early-systolic (twistearly), and beyond peak twist (twistpeak) alone, have not been considered. Therefore, further insights are required to ascertain the influence of age and training status on twist mechanics across systole. Forty males were included and allocated into 1 of 4 groups based on age and training status: young recreationally active (YRA, n = 9; 28 ± 5 years), old recreationally active (ORA, n = 10; 68 ± 6 years), young trained (YT, n = 10; 27 ± 6 years), and old trained (OT, n = 11, 64 ± 4 years) groups. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed to determine LV twist mechanics, including twistearly, twistpeak, and total twist (twisttotal), by considering the nadir on the twist time-curve during early systole. Twisttotal was calculated by subtracting twistearly from their peak values. LV twistpeak was higher in older than younger men (p = 0.036), while twistpeak was lower in the trained than recreationally-active (p = 0.004). Twistpeak is underestimated compared with twisttotal (p < 0.001), and when early-systolic mechanics were considered, to calculate twisttotal, the age effect (p = 0.186) was dampened. LV twist was higher in older than younger age, with lower twist in exercise-trained than recreationally-active males. Twistpeak is underestimated when twistearly is not considered, with novel observations demonstrating that the age effect was dampened when considering twistearly. These findings elucidated a smaller age effect when early phases of systole are considered, while lower LV systolic mechanics were observed in older aged trained than recreationally-active males.

Reference Range of Quantitative MRI Metrics Corrected T1 and Liver Fat Content in Children and Young Adults: Pooled Participant Analysis.

Multiparametric MRI markers of liver health corrected T1 (cT1) and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) have shown utility in the management of various chronic liver diseases. We assessed the normal population reference range of both cT1 and PDFF in healthy child and adult volunteers without any known liver disease. A retrospective multi-centre pooled analysis of 102 child and young adult (9.1 years (6-18)) volunteers from three centres: Children's Memorial Health Institute (N = 21), University Hospital Southampton (N = 28) and Hospital Infantil de Mexico (N = 53). Sex and ethnic differences were investigated for both cT1 and PDFF. Age effects were investigated with comparison to a pooled adult cohort from the UK Biobank (N = 500) and CoverScan (N = 71), covering an age range of 21 to 81 years. cT1 values were normally distributed with a median of 748 ms (IQR: 725-768 ms; 2.5-97.5 percentiles: 683-820 ms). PDFF values followed a normal distribution with a median of 1.7% (IQR: 1.3-1.9%; 2.5-97.5 percentiles: 1-4.4%). There were no significant age and sex differences in cT1 and PDFF between children and young adults. No differences in cT1 and PDFF were found between ethnicities. Age comparisons showed statistically significant, but clinically negligible, cT1 (748 ms vs. 732 ms) and PDFF (2.4% vs. 1.9%) differences between paediatric and adult groups, respectively. Median healthy cT1 and PDFF reference ranges in children and young adults fall within the reported limits for normal of 800 ms and 5%, respectively.

A Novel First-Order Kinetic Model for Simultaneous Anaerobic–Aerobic Degradation of Municipal Solid Waste in Landfills

A first-order kinetic model for the simultaneous anaerobic–aerobic degradation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is presented in the study. The model incorporates the effect of oxygen concentration on anaerobic degradation, enabling the coexistence of anaerobic and aerobic processes within specific oxygen ranges. The model can thoroughly consider the impacts of temperature, moisture content, oxygen concentration, and free air space (FAS) on the degradation rates of five substrates, i.e., holocellulose, non-cellulosic sugars, proteins, lipids, and lignin. The model was successfully verified against two experimental results. The sequential model underestimates both compression strain and degradation ratio, with peak underestimation ratios of 8.7% and 9.2%, respectively. Using the simultaneous model, the effects of anaerobic age, temperature, and aeration rate on landfill aerobic remediation efficacy are quantitatively assessed. Two evaluation criteria, namely the advance rate of aerobic remediation stabilization time (Rt) and the degradation rate after 100 days of aerobic remediation (λ100a), are adopted. The results indicate the following: (1) Rt is more sensitive to anaerobic age and temperature, while λ100a is more affected by anaerobic age and aeration rate; (2) under optimal conditions, Rt and λ100a can reach 86.3% and 70.9%, respectively. The present model provides a crucial theoretical framework for evaluating aerobic remediation effectiveness in both anaerobic sanitary landfills and informal landfills, offering valuable insights for practical implementation and management.

Does Camouflaging Cause Reduced Quality of Life? A Co-Twin Control Study.

Camouflaging has been proposed to have a detrimental effect on quality of life, yet previous research has not accounted sufficiently for potential confounding by genetic and shared environmental factors. The current study utilized a co-twin control design providing stringent control for a range of confounders to investigate the hypothesis that camouflaging autistic traits has a negative impact on quality of life. The sample included 140 individual twins from 42 monozygotic (MZ) and 28 dizygotic (DZ) twin-pairs, enriched for participants with neurodevelopmental conditions including 22 autistic participants. All twins provided self-reports of camouflaging and quality of life. Autistic participants and specifically autistic females displayed increased camouflaging behaviors compared to non-autistic participants. Across the sample, higher levels of camouflaging were associated with reduced quality of life, surviving adjustment for confounding effects of autistic traits, ADHD, sex, and age. Within DZ- as well as MZ-pairs, which provide the highest level of control for unmeasured confounders, twins who camouflaged more reported lower quality of life compared to their co-twins, consistent with a causal influence of camouflaging on quality of life. Our results strengthen previous claims purporting camouflaging behaviors as a risk factor for reduced quality of life.

Assessing inter-ocular fixational eye movements throughout the lifespan.

This study aims to assess fixational eye movements (FEMs) obtained under binocular and monocular viewing in normal individuals across different age groups. We recruited 68 healthy participants divided into Group 1 (children, 3-9 years, n = 20), Group 2 (adolescents, 10-19 years, n = 26), and Group 3 (adults, 20-73 years, n = 22). FEMs were collected using a high-resolution video-based tracker under 3 viewing conditions: binocular viewing (BV), monocular viewing right eye (MV_RE), and monocular viewing left eye (MV_LE). We quantified fixation stability, the frequency, amplitude, and disconjugacy of fixational saccades, and inter-saccadic drift velocity in BV, MV_RE, and MV_LE. We also computed inter-ocular fixation stability under binocular viewing and monocular viewing in the 3 groups. Fixation instability (FI) and fixational saccade amplitudes were higher in Group 1 than in Group 3 whereas inter-saccadic drifts were increased in Group 3. Vergence stability was greater in binocular viewing than in monocular viewing likely due to binocular summation in all groups. However, the fixational saccade amplitude and drift velocity of the right and left eye did not significantly differ across different viewing conditions within each group. Interestingly, the inter-ocular fixation stability ratio and vergence stability showed no significant differences between the groups. In conclusion, FEMs differ across age groups but inter-ocular FEMs are immune to the effects of age and can be a valuable parameter while evaluating FEM abnormalities in diseases like amblyopia.

Age, period, and cohort effects of Clonorchis sinensis infection prevalence in the Republic of Korea: Insights and projections.

With decades of containment efforts, the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in Korea has shown a declining trend. However, well-tailored intervention assessments remain challenging, particularly when considering the potential impacts of cohort variations in raw freshwater fish consumption behavior, a major transmission route to humans, on this observed decline. We applied an age-period-cohort modeling approach to nationally representative C. sinensis infection prevalence data from 1981-2012 in Korea to assess age, period, and cohort effects on its secular trend and to project the age-stratified prevalence up to 2023. Our analysis suggests that both cohort and period effects have substantially contributed to the declining prevalence of C. sinensis infection in Korea. Age-stratified projections up to 2023 suggest a decline in prevalence across all age groups, while those aged over 40 are anticipated to maintain prevalences above the elimination threshold of 1%. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating cohort effects into intervention assessments aimed at controlling C. sinensis infection. The effectiveness of interventions remains evident in Korea despite adjusting for the cohort effect. This approach, applicable to other endemic countries, would provide valuable insights for intervention assessments and inform future public health planning to eliminate C. sinensis infection.

Relation of CMV and brain atrophy to trajectories of immunosenescence in diverse populations.

Immunosenescence (ISC), the aging of the immune system, has largely been studied in populations of European descent. Here, circulating immune cell cytometric data from African-American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White participants were generated. Known and novel age effects were identified using either a meta-analysis approach or a parallel genetic approach. Most results are consistent across the three populations, but some cell populations display evidence of heterogeneity, such as a PD-L1 + CD56 + NK cell subset. The study estimated "Immunological Age" (IA) during physiologic aging. While we found no relation of IA to Multiple Sclerosis, IA is associated with entorhinal cortex atrophy, a presymptomatic feature of Alzheimer's disease, linking neurodegeneration and peripheral immunity. ISC trajectories were also inferred, highlighting age, CMV status, and genetic ancestry as key influences. Our assessment offers reference ISC trajectories for personalization of assessments of immune function over the life course in diverse populations.

Sharing Stories Versus Explaining Facts: Comparing African American Children's Microstructure Performance Across Fictional Narrative, Informational, and Procedural Discourse.

Both fictional oral narrative and expository oral discourse skills are critical language competencies that support children's academic success. Few studies, however, have examined African American children's microstructure performance across these genres. To address this gap in the literature, the study compared African American children's microstructure productivity and complexity across three discourse contexts: fictional narratives, informational discourse, and procedural discourse. The study also examined whether there were age-related differences in microstructure performance by discourse type. Participants were 130 typically developing African American children, aged 59-95 months old, enrolled in kindergarten through second grades in a Midwestern U.S. public school district. Wordless children's books were used to elicit fictional narratives, informational, and procedural discourse. Indicators of microstructure performance included measures of productivity (i.e., number of total words and number of different words) and complexity (i.e., mean length of communication unit and complex syntax rate). The effects of genre and age on microstructure performance were assessed using linear mixed-effects regression models. Children produced longer discourse and used a greater diversity of words for their fictional stories compared to their informational or procedural discourse. Grammatical complexity was greater for fictional narratives and procedural discourse than informational discourse. Results showed greater productivity and complexity among older children compared to younger children, particularly for fictional and informational discourse. African American children exhibit variation in their microstructure performance by discourse context and age. Understanding this variation is key to providing African American children with support to maximize their oral language competencies.

The Effect of Solution Aging on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Laser Powder Bed Fusion-Formed WC-Reinforced 18Ni300 Composite

The addition of WC particles has the potential to improve the properties of 18Ni300 alloy, but the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 18Ni300 matrix composites needs to be further investigated. In this work, WC-reinforced 18Ni300 composites were fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The composites were made into solutions at 846 °C for 51 min, followed by aging at 388 °C for 300 min. The microstructural evolution and compressive properties of the composites before and after heat treatment were systematically studied. The results indicate that the microstructures of the composites consist of heterogeneous cellular and fine columnar grains. As the WC content increases, the primary phase in the LPBF-formed samples gradually shifts from α-Fe martensite to γ-Fe austenite. After heat treatment, the primary phase transforms to α-Fe with only a small residual amount of γ-Fe. The microstructure becomes more uniform, featuring a significant reduction in grain size. Many precipitated phases can be found in the intergranular, accompanied by an increase in the thickness of diffusion layers. The WC content in the composite material is positively correlated with its hardness and compressive strength. As the WC reinforcement content increases from 5% to 20%, the yield strength and compressive strength of the LPBF-formed composites increase to 1042.5 MPa and 2900.7 MPa, respectively, while the compressive elongation decreases from 64% to 43%. After heat treatment, the yield strength of the composites significantly increases to 2356.8 MPa, with a slight increase in the compressive strength to 2939.7 MPa. However, the elongation decreases from 32.5% to 22%.

Unveiling the synergistic effect of thermal aging and irradiation corrosion on the passivation performance and stress corrosion cracking of 308 L stainless steel under high-temperature water environment

This study investigated coupling of thermal aging with irradiation corrosion, and carried out the microstructure and electrochemical characterization of 308 L stainless steel (SS). The passivation performance of 308 L SS was studied under the simulated pressurized water reactor (PWR) environmental condition and its stress corrosion cracking (SCC) performance was tested under thermal aging-irradiation conditions. The experimental results indicate that thermal aging results in spinodal decomposition of δ-ferrite, giving rise to G-phase precipitate and carbide precipitate formation at δ/γ-phase interface, whereas irradiation causes Cr depletion and Ni enrichment at the interface. Both thermal aging and irradiation lead to the decreased corrosion resistance of 308 L SS. Under coupling conditions of the two, severe Cr loss occurs at the phase boundary, which leads to severe corrosion on δ/γ phase boundary and also reduces SCC resistance of 308 L SS.

Amygdala Subregion Volumes and Apportionment in Preadolescents - Associations with Age, Sex, and Body Mass Index.

The amygdala, a key limbic structure, plays a critical role in emotional, social, and appetitive behaviors that develop throughout adolescence. Composed of a heterogeneous group of nuclei, questions remain about potential differences in the maturation of its subregions during development. To characterize the associations between developmental variables and amygdala subregion volumes during preadolescence. Cross-sectional Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development SM (ABCD®) Study data was collected from 3,953 9- and 10-year-old children between September 1, 2016, and October 15, 2018. Data analysis was conducted between June 1, 2023, and July 30, 2024. Using the CIT168 Amygdala Atlas , nine amygdala subregion volumes were quantified from high-quality MRI scans. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the effects of age, sex, pubertal stage, and body mass index z-score (BMIz) on subregion volumes and their relative apportionment within the amygdala. The study population consisted of 3,953 preadolescents (mean [SD] age, 120 [7.41] months; 1,763 [44.6%] female; 57 [1.4%] Asian, 527 [13.3%] Black, 740 [18.7%] Hispanic, 2,279 [57.7%] white, and 350 [8.9%] from other racial/ethnic groups [identified by parents as American Indian/Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Guamanian, Samoan, other Pacific Islander, or other race]). Distinct associations were observed between age, sex, and BMIz and whole amygdala volume, subregion volumes, and subregion apportionment. Pubertal stage was not related to amygdala subregion volumes. Age was associated with near-global expansion of amygdala subregions during this developmental period. Female sex was linked to smaller volumes in most amygdala subregions, with larger relative apportionment in dorsal amygdala subregions and smaller apportionment in the basolateral ventral paralaminar subregion. Higher BMIz was associated with smaller volumes in large laterobasal subregions, with increased relative apportionment in smaller subregions. This cross-sectional study suggests that age, but not pubertal stage, is associated with near-global expansion of the amygdala at ages 9 and 10, while sex and BMIz are linked to distinct changes in amygdala subregions that explain observed differences in total volumes. These findings provide a foundational context for understanding how developmental variables influence amygdala structure in preadolescents, with implications for understanding future risk for brain disorders.

Effects of different accelerated aging modes on the mechanical properties, color and microstructure of wood

This research experimentally investigated the mechanical properties, color and microstructure of wood materials based on three accelerated aging modes. The moisture content, density, tension properties, compression properties, bending properties, shear properties, color, chemical composition and microstructure of the aged woods were studied. The density was reduced by 24–29 % within accelerated aging. The shear properties decreased the most (nearly 50 %), followed by the tensile and compressive properties, and the bending properties decreased the least (20–30 %). Lightness changed significantly during accelerated aging, which was the main reason affecting the color differences. The degradation of hemicellulose was the most (23–33 %), followed by lignin, while that of the cellulose was the least (about 5 %). Accelerated aging modes primarily influenced the degrees of the crystallinity, rather than altering the crystalline structures. The swelling of the wood particles and the degradation of the cellulose microfibril revealed by the microstructure characterized the reductions in mechanical properties. The CSA 2-h boil mode can be used as the accelerated aging mode for wood materials, while the other two accelerated aging modes had a similar aging effect with a slight extent.

The FinSwed study: Using verbal NEPSY-II subtests with a cultural minority group

While it has been established that cultural differences in test performance are common, few studies have compared groups from different countries that speak the same language. The aim of this study was to investigate the generalizability of selected linguistic and verbal memory subtests from the Swedish NEPSY-II to the Finland-Swedish minority group. The participants were 275 Swedish-speaking children from Finland aged 5–16-years. The performance was compared to the U.S. norms used in the test. The Finland-Swedish children scored around scaled score 12 and significantly higher than the normative mean on the subtests Comprehension of Instructions, Phonological Processing, Word Generation Semantic, List Memory, and Sentence Repetition, whereas no significant differences to the norms emerged for the subtests Word Generation Initial Letter, Narrative Memory, and Word List Interference. There was a significant age effect for two subtests, with scaled scores increasing with age. Lower parental education and male sex were associated with lower test scores on some subtests, whereas bilingualism was not. The findings were viewed in relation to previous comparison studies involving the NEPSY-II/NEPSY. The differences were suggested to relate to cultural, educational, and test-related differences between Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. The results add to the clinical utility of the NEPSY-II.

Adherence to high-frequency ecological momentary assessment in persons with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury.

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves repeated collection of real-time self-report data, often multiple times per day, nearly always delivered electronically by smartphone. While EMA has shown promise for researching internal states, behaviors, and experiences in multiple populations, concerns remain regarding its feasibility in samples with cognitive impairments, like those associated with chronic moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study examines adherence to a 7-week high-frequency (5x daily) EMA protocol in individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI, considering changes in response rate over time, as well as individual participant characteristics (memory function, education, injury severity, and age). In the sample of 39 participants, the average overall response rate was 65% (range: 5%-100%). Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed a small but statistically significant linear decay in response rate over 7 weeks of participation. Individual trajectories were variable, as evidenced by the significant effect of random slope. A better response rate was positively associated with greater educational attainment and better episodic memory function (statistical trend), whereas the effects of age and injury severity were not significant. These findings shed light on the potential of EMA in TBI studies but underscore the need for tailored strategies to address individual barriers to adherence.