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A systematic review of the factors affecting textural perception by older adults and their association with food choice and intake
Get PDFEating behaviours among older adults can be affected by age-associated oral physiological changes. This may influence nutritional intake, liking and acceptance of foods, increasing malnutrition risk. To better understand age-associated changes to textural perception, a systematic review was designed to evaluate the factors that affect the perception of food texture among older adults, and the impact this has on food liking and intake. Electronic searches were conducted in three databases (Pubmed, WebofScience, Scopus), yielding 12,216 articles. The 2020 PRISMA guidelines were used to screen all articles; these were assessed in three stages, by title, abstract and full text. Subsequently, PECO (population, exposure, comparison, outcome) guidelines were applied to assess study eligibility. 13 articles were included in the final review, all of which were of sufficient quality. A wide range of methodologies and outcomes were identified, leading to the discussion of findings in three categories; (i) oral manipulation and processing of food types within the oral cavity, (ii) age-associated changes to the physical properties of this cavity, and (iii) psychological factors that influence food choice and acceptance. A combination of these factors facilitate textural manipulation and perception in older adults, which were shown to significantly drive product acceptance and intake. Whereas several perceptual and physiological changes that occur with aging are unavoidable, recognising the heterogenous nature of older adults will lead to a better understanding of the oral capabilities and sensory-specific needs of this population, and could be used to improve food acceptance, nutritional intake and reduce the risk of malnutrition.</p
Enhancing Accuracy In EMCCD Measurements Of Luminescence From Single Grains Through Minimising Signal Crosstalk
Get PDFThis study addresses the challenge of signal crosstalk in luminescence measurements from single sand-sized mineral grains, utilising Electron-Multiplying Charge-Coupled Devices (EMCCD) for imaging. Crosstalk, or signal interference between adjacent grains, may significantly hamper the accuracy of luminescence analysis of signals emitted by single mineral grains. The research aims to minimise crosstalk, thereby enhancing the integrity of the luminescence data from each grain. The effects of altering the aperture size and the spacing between grains on the sample disc are investigated using the 110◦C thermoluminescence (TL) peak of quartz as an example. Specifically, the introduction of a newly designed sample disc with increased spacing between grain holes shows promising results in mitigating signal overlap, as evidenced by the experimental data. In particular, we demonstrate that the new design dramatically decreases signal crosstalk, enabling reliable automatic data analysis with minimal interference. The study offers practical solutions for enhancing the reliability of single-grain based luminescence chronologies and dosimetric assessments. By minimising signal crosstalk, more precise and reliable analyses of thermoluminescence and OSL signals can be obtained. To demonstrate the potential of the new design, for the first time, we show the estimation of trap parameters of the 110◦C peak in quartz at a single-grain level using an EMCCD camera, comparing it with the lifetime of the electrons in the 110◦C trap measured directly through storage experiments.</p
SeqSNP-based genic markers reveal genetic architecture and candidate genes for low nitrogen tolerance in tropical maize inbred lines
Get PDFMaize production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces significant challenges due to low soil nitrogen. To enhance breeding efficiency for low nitrogen tolerance, identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in tropical germplasm is crucial to facilitate marker-assisted selection (MAS). In this study, gene targeting markers (GTM) derived from sequence-based single nucleotide polymorphisms (SeqSNP) were utilized to analyse the population structure and identify potential candidate genes associated with tolerance to low nitrogen. A total of 150 extra-early quality protein maize (QPM) inbred lines were assessed under both low (LN) and high (HN) nitrogen, followed by genotyping with 2,500 SeqSNPs targeting genes previously reported for LN tolerance-related traits. Population structure analysis revealed six sub-populations. Association mapping analysis revealed 15 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to several key traits. Specifically, two SNPs each were associated with the low nitrogen base index (LNBI), which combines grain yield with other agronomic traits under low nitrogen, and the low nitrogen tolerance index (LNTI), a measure of grain yield performance in high nitrogen environments relative to low nitrogen environments. Additionally, one and ten SNPs were identified for grain yield under low and high nitrogen conditions, respectively. The two SNPs associated with LNTI were found to co-localize a potential gene hotspot, GRMZM2G077863, which belongs to the GDSL esterase/lipase gene family and is highly expressed in the roots of young seedlings six days after planting and during tassel meiosis prior to flowering. Additionally, several other putative genes were identified across different chromosomes: GRMZM2G026137 and GRMZM2G004459 on chromosome 1, GRMZM2G111809 on chromosome 2, GRMZM2G380319 on chromosome 3, GRMZM2G442057 and GRMZM2G080314 on chromosome 6, GRMZM2G011213 and GRMZM2G090928 on chromosome 8, and GRMZM2G338056 and GRMZM2G150598 on chromosome 9. The genes are involved in several functions including normal growth, tassel meiosis, root architecture, cell proliferation, cell growth, reproduction, and post-embryonic development. We report PZE-103012466, a marker co-localizing GRMZM2G380319, which was previously found to be associated with root elongation, as a useful marker for breeding low soil nitrogen tolerance in tropical germplasm. The validation of these markers and candidate genes in other populations could make them useful for MAS in breeding for nitrogen tolerance.</p
The pick of the plot:An evidence-based approach for selecting and testing suitable plants to use in annual seed mixes to attract insect pollinators
Get PDFSocietal Impact Statement: Concern regarding wild pollinator declines has increased motivation to plant pollinator-friendly plants in gardens and urban areas, but ‘plants for pollinators’ recommendations are often anecdotal and inaccurate. Here, we use a scientific evidence base to design and test annual flowering seed mixes for bees and hoverflies. Seed mixes combining non-native and native plants had better establishment, flowered for longer, had more pollinator visits and were more aesthetically pleasing to the public. Using a scientific evidence base to design seed mixes has the potential to enhance their societal value, by increasing their attractiveness to insects and enhancing public well-being. Summary: Annual seed mixes are frequently grown in gardens and urban areas because they are considered to be ‘pollinator-friendly’, but choice of which plant species to include is often based on anecdotal evidence. Here, we build an evidence-base for which plants to use in annual seed mixes to attract bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies. We conduct a systematic review of plant–insect interactions and use field trials to assess the attractiveness of different seed mixtures. We determined which annual plant species are attractive to bees and hoverflies using interaction data extracted from 447 peer-reviewed articles. We then carried out field trials using four commercially available seed mixes to assess insect visitation. The plant list compiled from the literature and the results of the commercial trials were used to develop two novel experimental seed mixes that were assessed for insect visitation and aesthetic appeal. We found that seed mixes including non-native, along with native flowering plants, had higher establishment, a longer flowering period, a greater number of pollinator visits and were more aesthetically pleasing to the public. A small number of key plant species were visited frequently in the seed mixes, and these differ between pollinator groups. Our findings can be used to provide evidence-based guidance in the selection of plant species to be used in horticultural areas.</p
Sexual partner number and distribution over time affect long-term partner evaluation:Evidence from 11 countries across 5 continents
Get PDFA prospective partner’s sexual history provides important information that can be used to minimise mating-related risks. Such information includes the number of past sexual partners, which has an inverse relationship with positive suitor evaluation. However, sexual encounters with new partners vary in frequency over time, providing an additional dimension of context not previously considered. Across three studies (N = 5,331) with 15 samples, we demonstrate that the impact of past partner number on a suitor’s desirability as a long-term partner varies as a function of distribution over time. Using graphical representations of a suitor’s sexual history, we found that past partner number effects were smaller when the frequency of new sexual encounters decreased over time. This moderation effect was stronger, and often curvilinear, when past partner numbers were higher. We replicated these findings in 11 countries from five world regions. Sex differences were minimal and inconsistent pointing to a lack of a sexual double standards. Sociosexuality (openness to casual sex) was a consistent moderator and tended to mute the sexual history effects. These findings suggest that people not only attend to a potential long-term mate’s quantity of sexual partners, but also the context surrounding these encounters such as pattern and timing. Together, the findings raise the possibility of an evolved mechanism for managing mating risks present in both sexes and across populations and adds nuance to a contentious topic of public interest
Adaptive fuzzy transformation for abnormal breast mass detection
Get PDFBreast mass detection remains a significant challenge in developing effective computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) systems to assist clinicians in differentiating between benign and malignant masses. This paper introduces a ovel fuzzy rule-based CADx approach for mammographic mass classification, utilising Transformation-based Fuzzy Rule Interpolation with Mahalanobis matrices (MT-FRI). This method enables reliable and interpretable classification by transforming attributes into a new feature space and interpolating for unmatched cases, making it well-suited to limited-data scenarios. The proposed approach integrates a structured pipeline encompassing feature extraction, feature selection, fuzzy rule generation, and interpolation inference, all designed to enhance transparency in diagnostic decisions. The system implementing the approach is evaluated on four widely-used mammographic datasets-INbreast, CBIS-DDSM, BCDR-D01, and BCDR-F01. For the first time, comparative experiments demonstrate that state-of-the-art fuzzy rule interpolative methods, particularly MT-FRI, achieve superior classification performance over representative classical machine learning models and deep neural networks. Unlike deep learning models, which require extensive labelled data and function as “black boxes”, MT-FRI produces transparent, human-readable rules, supporting clinical interpretability. This work underscores the potential of MT-FRI as an adaptable and interpretable CADx solution for mammographic diagnosis, especially valuable in sparse-data environments.</p
Younger Dryas glacier advances in the tropical Andes driven by increased precipitation
Get PDFThere is currently a debate about the timing and drivers of former glacier behaviour and climate change in the tropical Andes. Using 10Be dating we determined the ages of 21 boulders on moraines in the Santa Cruz Valley, Peru (∼10°S, altitudes ~ 4100 to ~ 4300 m a.s.l.). Former glacier extent is marked by a suite of nested outer lateral and terminal moraines. These moraines are dated to 11.1 ka, 11.6 ka, 11.8 ka and 12.0 ka, falling within the Younger Dryas Chronozone (YDC; ∼12.9–11.6 ka). Nine 10Be samples from the Lake Arhuaycocha catchment document a period of glacier thinning and lateral contraction between 12.0 ka and 11.8 ka. Reconstructed glacier Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELA) at 11.0 to 12.0 ka with an area–altitude balance ratio (AABR) of 1.00-2.50 are between 4675 and 4835 m a.s.l. for the Arhuaycocha glacier, between 4692 and 4832 m a.s.l. for the Taullicocha glacier and between 4800 and 4940 m a.s.l. for the Artizon glacier. These values represent a depression of 300–400 m in elevation compared to contemporary values for the ELA. We infer that the glacier advances at this time were driven by increased precipitation and that these changes were most likely a response to seasonal changes in the position of the ITCZ
Dominant Trends in Jupiter's H3+ Northern Aurora II:Magnetospheric Mapping
Get PDFJupiter's auroral regions have previously been defined by broad-scale auroral structures, but these are typically obscured by the wide array of temporal variability observed at timescales between minutes and days, making it difficult to understand the underlying magnetospheric biases driving these brightness differences. Here, we follow on from an initial study of Jupiter's aurora, again utilizing a data set of (Formula presented.) 13,000 (Formula presented.) images of Jupiter mapped into latitude, longitude and local time, smoothed over tens of hours of integration and many days of observing. Having removed correlations between brightness and both magnetic field and planetary local time identified in the first study, we examine morphological changes in emission with both planetary and magnetic local time. We reveal that the (Formula presented.) main auroral emission is enhanced by a factor of three in the region mapping into the dusk magnetosphere. An additional strong auroral darkening is observed near noon, aligned with previous ultraviolet observations of an auroral discontinuity in this region, though this rotates duskward slightly in magnetic local time, as the ionospheric source mapping to this region moves duskward. The polar aurora contrasts with this strongly, showing brightness enhancement when the auroral pole points toward the dawn and dusk limbs. It also shows that the Dark region is fixed in local time, close to the dawnward edge of the polar region, while the Swirl region appears to match well with predictions from recent MHD models when the magnetic pole points toward dawn, but changes significantly at other magnetic pole directions.</p
Consensus clustering-based undersampling for improved classification of transient events in time-domain astronomy surveys
Get PDFAstronomical data analytics has rapidly expanded given the advancement of data handling techniques and computing system. The race to discover new events is subject to acquiring and digesting the high volume of data from sky surveys efficiently, yet accurately. The assumption is valid for many modern astronomy projects, with the issue of big data storage on the one hand, and effective data analysis on the other. This research deals with the latter by focusing on the classification of potential transient events initially detected in time-domain astronomical surveys. Most of these candidate transients represent false positives that are the results of fault in hardware, errors in data collection and/or data pre-processing. Hence, the ability to filter these out is much needed to avoid a laborious manual assessment down the line. The problem investigated here is that training data can be highly imbalanced. For the first attempt, the coupling of oversampling methods and several classifiers provides an improvement, but generally leads to overfitting. As a solution, this paper presents a novel application of consensus clustering to undersample majority-class instances instead. It not only helps to overcome the aforementioned drawback but also strengthen the recent approach that exploits a single clustering to guide the selection of representative samples
Automated classification and mapping for alluvial geomorphic units:Current approaches and future directions
Get PDFThis paper critically reviews existing methodologies for classifying alluvial landform units, emphasizing the semantic frameworks and historical evolution of taxonomies that currently underpin identification and mapping efforts. It highlights the inconsistencies and ambiguities inherent in existing classification schemes, underscoring the need for clearer semantic definitions. Subsequently, the paper examines automated and semi-automated approaches, including geomorphometry and Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA), for analyzing remote sensing imagery, with particular attention to their efficacy within fluvial environments. Recognizing recent advancements in remote sensing and computer vision, especially the increased adoption of taxonomies and ontologies to enable consistent, shareable, reusable, and interoperable geographic data, we advocate the systematic development of domain-specific ontologies for alluvial geomorphic units. We reference internationally accepted standards for ontology creation (ISO/IEC 21838–1:2021) and discuss methodologies for encoding these ontologies into machine-readable schemas suitable for machine learning implementations. From a multidisciplinary perspective, the paper assesses the potential of ontologies and derived knowledge graphs (KGs) to enhance the semantic segmentation of remote sensing imagery. It also explores emerging techniques integrating KGs with large language models (LLMs) and vision-language models (VLMs). Finally, we outline opportunities and considerations for applying and refining Vision Foundation and Language Models to improve object identification and segmentation in remote sensing applications.</p