Objectives: Loneliness is a modifiable risk factor for depression and dementia in older age. Validated interventions are needed to mitigate the impact of loneliness in older adults. Some evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation may reduce stress, improve mood and cognitive function, and may also impact loneliness per se. Many meditation apps offer an accessible way to meditate at home. However, robust research is needed to assess the benefits of meditation using this technology for older adults. Muse is a meditation app that analyzes brain signals during meditation and provides users with real-time neurofeedback on their level offocus.

Methods: We conducted a pilot, randomized controlled trial to establish the acceptability and feasibility of a remote, mindfulness intervention using Muse in older adults, and to obtain preliminary data on its impact on mood and cognition. Twenty-six adults reporting feeling lonely were enrolled and randomized to an 8-week Muse- based meditation (MM) or a brain- training active control (BT) program. The MM group completed meditation sessions with real- time neurofeedback and guided meditation sessions using Muse. The BT group completed cognitively challenging games on the commercially available Peak app and listened to podcasts. The groups were matched on the amount of interactions with study staff and total program duration. Outcome measures included standardized self-report scales of loneliness, stress, depression, well-being, quality of life, sleep disturbance, resilience, and mindfulness. Staff blinded to program assignment administered cognitive tasks of episodic memory, working memory, and sustained attention, as well as a breath counting task. Assessments were taken at Pre, Mid, and Post intervention, and after a 2-month and 4-month (4M) follow-upperiod.

Results: Participants found both programs engaging and the remote assessments were feasible. The MM group showed a greater improvement in depressive symptoms, and psychological andphysical QOL, compared to the BT group, at Post and at 4M.

Conclusions: A Muse-based mindfulness program is an acceptable and accessible intervention for older adults. A large-scale randomized trial is warranted to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention in this group.

We find that organization capital is negatively related to the cost of bank loans. This finding is robust to additional analyses including those that address omitted variable bias and reverse causality. In addition, we find that organization capital reduces all-in-spread-undrawn. When we decompose the bank loan cost, we find that organization capital increases facility fees due to its risk-engendering characteristics. Finally, we find that organization capital is positively associated with a high likelihood of the presence of inventors and innovation output, consistent with the argument that organization capital is embedded in the key talent within a firm.

Bragg scattering of nonlinear surface waves over a wavy bottom is studied using two-dimensional fully nonlinear numerical wave tanks (NWTs). In particular, we consider cases of high nonlinearity which lead to complex wave generation and transformations, hence possible multiple Bragg resonances. The performance of the NWTs is well verified by benchmarking experiments. Classic Bragg resonances associated with second-order triad interactions among two surface (linear incident and reflected waves) and one bottom wave components (class I), and third-order quartet interactions among three surface (linear incident and reflected waves, and second-order reflected/transmitted waves) and one bottom wave components (class III) are observed. In addition, class I Bragg resonance occurring for the second-order (rather than linear) transmitted waves, and Bragg resonance arising from quintet interactions among three surface and two bottom wave components, are newly captured. The latter is denoted class IV Bragg resonance which magnifies bottom nonlinearity. It is also found that wave reflection and transmission at class III Bragg resonance have a quadratic rather than a linear relation with the bottom slope if the bottom size increases to a certain level. The surface wave and bottom nonlinearities are found to play opposite roles in shifting the Bragg resonance conditions. Finally, the results indicate that Bragg resonances are responsible for the phenomena of beating and parasitic beating, leading to a significantly large local free surface motion in front of the depth transition.

In the livestock husbandry compensatory growth may be explored as a means to improve nutrient utilization, to reduce gut health problems due to excess protein intake, to simplify feeding strategies and thus to improve production efficiencies. This study investigated the effects of early protein restriction (EPR) and early antibiotic intervention (EAI) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, colonic bacteria, metabolites and mucosal gene expressions during the restriction phase and re-alimentation phase. A total of 64 piglets (10.04 ± 0.73 kg) were randomly divided into four treatment groups according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two levels of proteins (14% v. 20%) and two levels of antibiotics (0 v. 50 mg/kg kitasamycin and 20 mg/kg colistin sulphate). After a 30-day restriction phase with four kinds of diets, all groups were fed the same diets for another 74 days. The results showed that EPR decreased BW, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake in the restriction phase (P < 0.01) and increased ADG on days 66 to 104 of the late re-alimentation phase. Early protein restriction could decrease the villus height in the jejunum (P < 0.05), while shifting to the same diets restored the villus height. Meanwhile, during the re-alimentation phase, pigs in the protein restriction groups had increased concentrations of total short chain fatty acids (P < 0.05), and modified the abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the colon. Furthermore, the lower microbial diversity caused by EPR was improved, and gene expression analysis indicated a better barrier function in the colon. During the whole trial, EAI had no interaction with EPR and played a dispensable role in compensatory growth. Collectively, the retardation of growth caused by EPR can be compensated for in the later stages of pig raising, and accompanied by altered intestinal morphology, microbial composition.

Seed shape (SS) affects the yield and appearance of soybean seeds significantly. However, little detailed information has been reported about the quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting SS, especially SS components such as seed length (SL), seed width (SW) and seed thickness (ST), and their mutual ratios of length-to-weight (SLW), length-to-thickness (SLT) and weight-to-thickness (SWT). The aim of the present study was to identify QTL underlying SS components using 129 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between Dongnong46 and L-100. Phenotypic data were collected from this population after it was grown across nine environments. A total of 213 simple sequence repeat markers were used to construct the genetic linkage map, which covered approximately 3623·39 cM, with an average distance of 17·01 cM between markers. Five QTL were identified as being associated with SL, five with SW, three with ST, four with SLW, two with SLT and three with SWT. These QTL could explain 1·46–22·16% of the phenotypic variation in SS component traits. Three QTL were identified in more than six tested environments three for SL, two for SW, one for ST, two for SLW and one for SLT. These QTL have great potential value for marker-assistant selection of SS in soybean seeds.

Lutein benefits human health significantly, including that of the eyes, skin and heart. Therefore, increasing lutein content in soybean seeds is an important objective for breeding programmes. However, no information about soybean lutein-related quantitative trait loci (QTL) has been reported, as of 2016. The aim of the present study was to identify QTLs underlying the lutein content in soybean seeds. A population including 129 recombinant inbred lines was developed from the cross between ‘Dongnong46’ (lutein 13·10 µg/g) and ‘L-100’ (lutein 23·96 µg/g), which significantly differed in seed lutein contents. This population was grown in ten environments including Harbin in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015; Hulan in 2013, 2014 and 2015; and Acheng in 2013, 2014 and 2015. A total of 213 simple sequence repeat markers were used to construct the genetic linkage map, which covered approximately 3623·39 cM, with an average distance of 17·01 cM between markers. In the present study, eight QTLs associated with lutein content were found initially, which could explain 1·01–19·66% of the observed phenotypic variation in ten different tested environments. The phenotypic contribution of qLU-1 (located near BARC-Satt588 on chromosome 9 (Chr 9; linkage group (LG) K)) was >10% across seven tested environments, while qLU-2 (located near Satt192 of Chr 12 (LG H)) and qLU-3 (located near Satt353 of Chr12 (LGH)) could explain 5–10% of the observed phenotypic variation in more than seven environments, respectively. qLU-5, qLU-6, qLU-7 and qLU-8 could be detected in more than four environments. These eight QTLs were novel, and have considerable potential value for marker-assistant selection of higher lutein content in soybean lines.

Relativistic collisionless shock charged particle acceleration is considered as a possible origin of high-energy cosmic rays. However, it is hard to explore the nature of relativistic collisionless shock due to its low occurring frequency and remote detecting distance. Recently, there are some works attempt to solve this problem by generating relativistic collisionless shock in laboratory conditions. In laboratory, the scheme of generation of relativistic collisionless shock is that two electron–positron pair plasmas knock each other. However, in laboratory, the appropriate pair plasmas have been not generated. The 10 PW laser pulse maybe generates the pair plasmas that satisfy the formation condition of relativistic collisionless shock due to its ultrahigh intensity and energy. In this paper, we study the positron production by ultraintense laser high Z target interaction using numerical simulations, which consider quantum electrodynamics effect. The simulation results show that the forward positron beam up to 1013/kJ can be generated by 10 PW laser pulse interacting with lead target. The estimation of relativistic collisionless shock formation shows that the positron yield satisfies formation condition and the positron divergence needs to be controlled. Our results indicate that the generation of relativistic collisionless shock by 10 PW laser facilities in laboratory is possible.

Outbreak of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections associated with acupuncture has not been reported. Thirteen patients with a painful swollen lump were referred to our hospital. The index patient received acupuncture and paraspinal muscular injection at a local acupuncture clinic in April 2011 and was diagnosed with M. tuberculosis 1 month later. From May 2011 to August 2011, 12 more patients with a swollen lump on the nuchal region or in the lower back or the buttocks region were referred to our hospital. Tuberculin skin test (TST), T-SPOT.TB, acid-fast stain, M. tuberculosis culture, chest radiograph, and lump magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed and the patients were diagnosed with tuberculous abscess of the lump. All 13 patients received intramuscular injection at the paraspinal muscle by two acupuncturists at a local clinic and reported a swollen lump at the injection site. The needles and syringes were reused after autoclave sterilization. The TST was positive in all patients. Twelve patients had positive acid-fast stains. Mycobacterial cultures of abscess specimens were positive in all 13 patients. T-SPOT.TB tests were positive in all patients who underwent the test. The lesions and biopsies were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene sequencing by the Disease Control Center of Zhejiang Province, China and the causative agent was identified as M. tuberculosis, Beijing type. In conclusion, physicians should consider the possibility of mycobacterial infections, apart from other bacterial agents, in patients with a swollen paraspinal lump following intramuscular injection.

We report an interesting property of carbon dots: they emit light under charge injection. We synthesized carbon dots in diameter about 20 nm using wet chemistry methods. The photoluminescence quantum efficiency of the carbon dots dissolved in water was about 11%. We observed strong electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) from the sample. This observation of ECL from carbon dots indicates that they could be a good candidate material for carbon-based electroluminescent devices.

Polymer/oxide nano hybrid multilayer permeation barriers are emerging as a promising solution to the stringent barrier requirement of flexible electronics. Yet the mechanical failure of the multilayer permeation barriers could be fatal to their barrier performance. We study two co-evolving failure mechanisms of the multilayer permeation barriers under tension, namely, the cracking of the inorganic oxide layer and the delamination along the oxide-organic interface, using computational modeling. An effective driving force for the oxide layer cracking is determined, which decreases as the oxide-organic interfacial adhesion increases.

The Common Objects Memory Test (COMT) was developed to assess age-related memory impairments in individuals with a range of educational, language and cultural backgrounds. The COMT is a list-learning protocol that uses photographs of common objects to bypass difficulties posed by written words for individuals who are illiterate or have limited education. Preliminary data are presented for 336 healthy adults and 90 patients with dementia. Their age ranged from 54 to 99 years, education ranged from 0 to 22 years, and they were from five culturally and linguistically distinct populations: Caucasian and African-American English speakers, and native Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese speakers. Performance on the COMT was influenced by age, but little influenced by education, and un-influenced by gender or ethnic background. Among 11 neuropsychological tests, the recall scores from the COMT best distinguished healthy individuals from patients with dementia, underscoring its clinical utility for ethnically diverse populations. (JINS, 2010, 16, 537–545.)

A community survey of dementia was conducted on a Chinese islet. A total of 221 men and 234 women in the age range of 50–92 were assessed. The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), a 100-point cognitive test designed for cross-cultural studies and adapted in Chinese for individuals with little or no formal education, was administered twice by trained field workers with a retest interval of 3 to 4 weeks. In addition, all participants were assessed by physicians who did not know the CASI scores. The physicians' assessment included a complete neurological examination, plus semi-structured tests and interviews covering cognitive abilities, daily activities, depression, cerebrovascular disease, and Parkinson's disease. Dementia was diagnosed by consensus among the physicians according to the DSM-III-R criteria. Among the 455 participants, 16 cases of dementia were identified, including 13 with probable Alzheimer's disease and 1 each with vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, and alcoholism. The rates of dementia were 0, 3·9 and 11·5% for the age groups of 50–69, 70–79 and 80–92; and 4·4, 2·0 and 0% for the education groups of 0–1, 2–6 and 7–15 years of schooling. No sex difference was found after controlling for education. The Chinese version of the CASI had an intraclass retest reliability of 0·90. Using a cut-off score of ≤ 50 for dementia, the sensitivity was 0·88 and the specificity was 0·94. The preliminary study suggests that the CASI can be used in Chinese populations with generally low education levels and that Alzheimer's disease was the most common type of dementia in this population.

Estimates of the prevalence rates for dementia vary significantly among countries. Such variation may be explained, at least in part, by methodologic differences in studies. The disparities in prevalence rates of dementia subtypes, particularly Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia, are especially apparent in studies conducted in Eastern and Western countries. In Japan and China, the prevalence of multi-infarct dementia exceeds that of Alzheimer's disease, whereas in the West, Alzheimer's disease predominates in the vast majority of studies. Clearly, cross-cultural studies of incidence using standard methods are needed to investigate whether a true difference in risk exists, and which risk factors differentially contribute to this variation. Migrant studies of genetically homogeneous populations offer a unique opportunity to answer these questions. This article explores the value of migrant studies, their application to etiologic questions of dementia and its subtypes, and recommendations concerning how to conduct such studies.

This study presents results of wavelength-dependent Raman scattering from amorphous silicon carbon (a-Si:C:H). The a-Si:C:H films were produced by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Prior results with amorphous carbon indicate that laser excitation selectively probes clusters with differing sizes. Our measurements with a-Si:C:H indicate that when using red (632.8 nm), green (514.5 nm), and blue (488.0 nm) excitation, the Raman D and G peaks shift to higher wave numbers as the excitation energy increases. The higher frequency is associated with smaller clusters that are preferentially excited with higher photon energy. It appears that photoluminescence occurs due to radiative recombination from intracluster transitions in Si-alloyed sp2-bonded carbon clusters

New and modified mechanisms are proposed to account for detailed observations of carbon encapsulation of Fe, Ni, and Co nanocrystals. The mechanisms are based on aerosol and gas phase chemistry and on the catalytic effects of transition metals. Two parameters are found to qualitatively dominate production: the local-path carbon-to-metal ratio (LCM) and the global carbon-to-metal ratio (GCM). LCM's select which mechanisms are active along each pathway within the reactor. The GCM places bounds upon and determines the weighting between different LCM's and thus determines the distribution of different nanoscale products within the collected, macroscopic product. A two part processing parameter → mechanism → product map links the components. The generality of the model is discussed throughout with reference to related processes and the encapsulation of other materials.

Background. Two recent surveys of depression among Chinese elderly people sampled different populations, used different case ascertainment methods and resulted in a seven-fold difference in prevalence rates. The present study was conducted to compare prevalence rates obtained with two commonly used methods in the same population, and to examine the risk factors for depression.

Methods. The target population included all residents aged 65 years and over in a rural Chinese community. Participants were interviewed for demographic and medical information, examined by a neurologist and administered Chinese versions of the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-S), the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and an Activities of Daily Living (ADL) form. Individuals who screened positive on the GDS-S were also interviewed by a psychiatrist for diagnosis according to the DSM-III-R criteria.

Results. Among the 1313 participants, 26% screened positive on the GDS-S and 13% were diagnosed as having a depressive disorder, including 6·1% with major depression. Individuals with depressive disorders were more likely to have poor ADL scores, lower CASI scores, and chronic physical illnesses. They were also more likely to be female, older, illiterate and without a spouse, but adding these variables did not increase the overall association with the GDS-S score.

Conclusions. Depression was quite common in this Chinese rural geriatric population. The prevalence rate was twice as high when judged by depression symptomatology rather than clinical diagnosis. The critical risk factors were functional impairments, poor cognitive abilities and the presence of chronic physical illnesses.

Graphitically encapsulated ferromagnetic Ni nanocrystals have been synthesized via a modified tungsten arc-discharge method. By virtue of the protective graphitic coating, these nanocrystals are stable against environmental degradation, including extended exposure to strong acids. The magnetic properties of the encapsulated particles are characterized with regard to the nanoscale nature of the particles and the influence of the graphitic coating which is believed to be benign insofar as the intrinsic magnetic properties of the encapsulated nanocrystals are concerned. The Curie temperature of graphitically encapsulated Ni nanocrystals is the same as that of microcrystalline Ni. However, saturation magnetization, remanent magnetization, and coercivity of these particles are reduced, for a range of temperatures. The unique features are compared with those of unencapsulated nanocrystalline and coarse microcrystalline nickel particles.

With 150KeV Mg+ ion implantation, the optical and structural characteristics of GaN films were studied. Post-implant annealing up to 1000°C was performed in N2 ambient with a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) system, without an encapsulation layer. We observed a green band photoluminescence from Mg-implanted GaN. This green band photoluminescence should be associated with Mg induced defect-clustering in GaN. We also use the x-ray diffraction method to study the correlation between structure defects and implantation. We observed an extra shoulder peak at the small angle side of the GaN[0004] diffraction peak. The origin of this shoulder may be attributed to implanted magnesium induced GaN lattice strain.