To assess the time scales and relative importance of temporal decoupling between hillslope erosion and the introduction of sediment to streams in a Yangtze River headwater basin, we used multiple techniques to date sediments in alluvial fans and terraces in a third-order stream valley draining a 30-km2 catchment in SW Sichuan, China. Poorly sorted angular sediments in tributary-junction alluvial fans ranged in age from 11261 BCE to 1844 CE, and predominantly fine-grained overbank sediments in alluvial terraces date to approximately 1700–1950. Ethnographic observations and field mapping of hillslope soil depths indicate that terrace sediments and upper strata of several fans correspond to a period of hillslope erosion associated with the intensification of hillslope swidden agriculture. Contemporary sediment production is dominated by lateral fluvial erosion of valley-bottom landforms rather than by hillslope erosion. The long-term temporal decoupling by valley storage of hillslope erosion from sediment delivery to streams has relevance to contemporary hillslope erosion and sedimentation control efforts in the Yangtze Basin. It also motivates investigating whether valley-filling anthropogenic “legacy sediments” may play a role in decoupling hillslope erosion from sediment production in other Yangtze Basin headwater basins.

Temporal variability and methodological differences in data normalization, among other factors, complicate effective trend analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) wastewater surveillance data and its alignment with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical outcomes. As there is no consensus approach for these analyses yet, this study explored the use of piecewise linear trend analysis (joinpoint regression) to identify significant trends and trend turning points in SARS-CoV-2 RNA wastewater concentrations (normalized and non-normalized) and corresponding COVID-19 case rates in the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area (Nevada, USA) from mid-2020 to April 2023. The analysis period was stratified into three distinct phases based on temporal changes in testing protocols, vaccination availability, SARS-CoV-2 variant prevalence, and public health interventions. While other statistical methodologies may require fewer parameter specifications, joinpoint regression provided an interpretable framework for characterization and comparison of trends and trend turning points, revealing sewershed-specific variations in trend magnitude and timing that also aligned with known variant-driven waves. Week-level trend agreement corroborated previous findings demonstrating a close relationship between SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance data and COVID-19 outcomes. These findings guide future applications of advanced statistical methodologies and support the continued integration of wastewater-based epidemiology as a complementary approach to traditional COVID-19 surveillance systems.

We examine the Holocene loess record in the Heye Catchment on the margins of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and China Loess Plateau (CLP) to determine: the region to which the Heye Catchment climate is more similar; temporal change in wind strength; and modification of the loess record by mass wasting and human activity. Luminescence and radiocarbon dating demonstrate loess deposited in two periods: >11–8.6 ka and <5.1 ka. The 8.6–5.1 ka depositional hiatus, which coincides with the Mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum, is more similar to the loess deposition cessation in the TP than to the loess deposition deceleration in the CLP. Grain-size analysis suggests the Heye loess is a mixture of at least three different grain-size distributions and that it may derive from multiple sources. A greater proportion of coarse sediments in the older loess may indicate stronger winds compared with the more recent depositional period. Gravel incorporated into younger loess most likely comes from bedrock exposed in slump scarps. Human occupation of the catchment, for which the earliest evidence is 3.4 ka, postdates the onset of slumping; thus the slumps may have created a livable environment for humans.

Young Latino children of immigrants typically speak primarily Spanish at home and are exposed to varying amounts of English. As a result, they often enter school with a wide range of proficiencies in each language. The current study investigated family background, language use at home and early childhood settings as predictors of Spanish and English language proficiencies among Latino dual language children (N = 228). Findings demonstrated divergent sets of predictors were associated with either Spanish or English proficiencies at kindergarten and second grade. Sociocultural variables (parent origin, gender, home language use, home literacy practices, and language use in early childhood settings) predicted children's Spanish proficiency, while socioeconomic variables (poverty, and maternal and paternal education) predicted children's English proficiency, with little to no overlap in these predictions. These results suggest that different supports are required for proficiency in Spanish and in English, highlighting the importance of sociocultural and socioeconomic factors.

Paratuberculosis is a chronic disease of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). It occurs worldwide and causes a significant loss in the animal production industry. There is no cure for MAP infection and vaccination is problematic. Identification of genetics of susceptibility could be a useful adjunct for programs that focus on management, testing and culling of diseased animals. A case-control, genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using Holstein and Jersey cattle in a combined analysis in order to identify markers and chromosomal regions associated with susceptibility to MAP infection across-breed. A mixed-model method (GRAMMAR-GC) implemented in the GenABEL R package and a Bayes C analysis implemented in GenSel software were used as alternative approaches to conduct GWAS analysis focused on single SNPs and chromosomal segments, respectively. After conducting quality control, 22 406 SNPs from 2157 individuals were available for the GRAMMAR-GC (Bayes C) analysis and 45 640 SNPs from 2199 individuals were available for the Bayes C analysis. One SNP located on BTA27 (8·6 Mb) was identified as moderately associated (P < 5 × 10−5, FDR = 0·44) in the GRAMMAR-GC analysis of the combined breed data. Nine 1 Mb windows located on BTA 2, 3 (3 windows), 6, 8, 25, 27 and 29 each explained ≥1% of the total proportion of genetic variance in the Bayes C analysis. In an analysis ignoring differences in linkage phase, two moderately significantly associated SNPs were identified; ARS-BFGL-NGS-19381 on BTA23 (32 Mb) and Hapmap40994-BTA-46361 on BTA19 (61 Mb). New common genomic regions and candidate genes have been identified from the across-breed analysis that might be involved in the immune response and susceptibility to MAP infection.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe cognitive, academic, and psychosocial outcomes after an incident demyelinating event (acquired demyelinating syndromes, ADS) in childhood and to investigate the contribution of brain lesions and confirmed MS diagnosis on outcome. Methods: Thirty-six patients with ADS (mean age=12.2 years, SD=2.7, range: 7–16 years) underwent brain MRI scans at presentation and at 6-months follow-up. T2-weighted lesions on MRI were assessed using a binary classification. At 6-months follow-up, patients underwent neuropsychological evaluation and were compared with 42 healthy controls. Results: Cognitive, academic, and behavioral outcomes did not differ between the patients with ADS and controls. Three of 36 patients (8.3%) were identified with cognitive impairment, as determined by performance falling ≤1.5 SD below normative values on more than four independent tests in the battery. Poor performance on a visuomotor integration task was most common, observed among 6/32 patients, but this did not differ significantly from controls. Twelve of 36 patients received a diagnosis of MS within 3 years post-ADS. Patients with MS did not differ from children with monophasic ADS in terms of cognitive performance at the 6-months follow-up. Fatigue symptoms were reported in 50% of patients, irrespective of MS diagnosis. Presence of brain lesions at onset and 6 months post-incident demyelinating event did not associate with cognitive outcome. Conclusions: Children with ADS experience a favorable short-term neurocognitive outcome, even those confirmed to have MS. Longitudinal evaluations of children with monophasic ADS and MS are required to determine the possibility of late-emerging sequelae and their time course. (JINS, 2016, 22, 1050–1060)

Dual language children enter school with varying levels of proficiencies in their first and second language. This study of Latino children of immigrants (N = 163) analyzes their dual language profiles at kindergarten and second grade, derived from the direct assessment of Spanish and English proficiencies (Woodcock Language Proficiency Batteries—Revised). Children were grouped based on the similarity of language profiles (competent profiles, such as dual proficient, Spanish proficient, and English proficient; and low-performing profiles, including borderline proficient and limited proficient). At kindergarten, the majority of children (63%) demonstrated a low-performing profile; by second grade, however, the majority of children (64%) had competent profiles. Change and stability of language profiles over time of individual children were then analyzed. Of concern, are children who continued to demonstrate a low-performing, high-risk profile. Factors in the linguistic environments at school and home, as well as other family and child factors associated with dual language profiles and change/stability over time were examined, with a particular focus on the persistently low-performing profile groups.

In Illinois and Texas, senate elections return members to serve terms of different length. Because term length schedules are randomized, these states provide a natural experiment. Cross-sectional comparison of chambers requires statistical controls for myriad factors that distinguish cases (chambers or periods). These two chambers, by contrast, produce direct evidence of term length's impact on electoral behavior. We test hypotheses about term length's impact on candidacies, campaign expenditures, and voter participation with data from 1968 to 2010. Surprisingly, there is little evidence of any significant differences between contests for two-year and four-year terms.

New trends in X-ray crystallography are concerned with the study of transient conditions of atomic structures, which take place after an energy activation agent is introduced. These time-resolved experiments require a fast mechanical shutter to interrupt the X-ray beam in a pump–probe cycle, with the aim to generate a stroboscopic effect. Thus, only diffraction data that are representative of the activated structure are actually collected. A rotating type of shutter, also known as chopper, is presented with the purpose to enable time-resolved experiments to be performed at I19 small-molecule single-crystal diffraction beamline. Exceptional stability in the rotational speed is critical to achieve the desired stroboscopic effect with minimum jitter. This requirement can be addressed only through design by the specification of suitable components and implementation of high-precision methods in manufacturing. The proposed equipment is comprised of a spindle supported on air bearings coupled to a slotted disc rotating inside a vacuum enclosure and driven by a brushless servo motor. Advanced control features are proposed to ensure that speed stability is achieved. Preliminary tests produced very encouraging results, giving strong indication that the chopper satisfies the specifications required for time-resolved experiments.