Igneous rock area and age in continental crust

Abstract Rock quantity and age are fundamental features of Earth's crust that pertain to many problems in geoscience. Here we combine new estimates of igneous rock area in continental crust from the Macrostrat database (https://macrostrat.org/) with a compilation of detrital zircon ages in order to investigate rock cycling and crustal growth. We find that there is little or no decrease in igneous rock area with increasing rock age. Instead, igneous rock area in North America exhibits four distinct Precambrian peaks, remains low through the Neoproterozoic, and then increases only modestly toward the recent. Peaks in Precambrian detrital zircon age frequency distributions align broadly with peaks in igneous rock area, regardless of grain depositional age. However, detrital zircon ages do underrepresent a Neoarchean peak in igneous rock area; young grains and ca. 1.1 Ga grains are also overrepresented relative to igneous area. Together, these results suggest that detrital zircon age distributions contain signatures of continental denudation and sedimentary cycling that are decoupled from the cycling of igneous source rocks. Models of continental crustal evolution that incorporate significant early increase in volume and increased sedimentation in the Phanerozoic are well supported by these data.</jats:p

In-n-out: The Gas Cycle From Dwarfs To Spiral Galaxies

We examine the scalings of galactic outflows with halo mass across a suite of 20 high-resolution cosmological zoom galaxy simulations covering halo masses in the range 10^9.5-10^12\M. These simulations self-consistently generate outflows from the available supernova energy in a manner that successfully reproduces key galaxy observables, including the stellar mass–halo mass, Tully–Fisher, and mass–metallicity relations. We quantify the importance of ejective feedback to setting the stellar mass relative to the efficiency of gas accretion and star formation. Ejective feedback is increasingly important as galaxy mass decreases; we find an effective mass loading factor that scales as v-circ-2.2, with an amplitude and shape that are invariant with redshift. These scalings are consistent with analytic models for energy-driven wind, based solely on the halo potential. Recycling is common: about half of the outflow mass across all galaxy masses is later reaccreted. The recycling timescale is typically ~1 Gyr, virtually independent of halo mass. Recycled material is reaccreted farther out in the disk and with typically ~2–3 times more angular momentum. These results elucidate and quantify how the baryon cycle plausibly regulates star formation and alters the angular momentum distribution of disk material across the halo mass range where most cosmic star formation occurs

Living well with dementia: An exploratory matched analysis of minority ethnic and white people with dementia and carers participating in the IDEAL programme

\ua9 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd.Objectives: The increasing heterogeneity of the population of older people is reflected in an increasing number of people with dementia and carers drawn from minority ethnic groups. Data from the IDEAL study are used to compare indices of ‘living well’ among people with dementia and carers from ethnic minority groups with matched white peers. Methods: We used an exploratory cross-sectional case-control design to compare ‘living well’ for people with dementia and carers from minority ethnic and white groups. Measures for both groups were quality of life, life satisfaction, wellbeing, loneliness, and social isolation and, for carers, stress, relationship quality, role captivity and caring competence. Results: The sample of people with dementia consisted of 20 minority ethnic and 60 white participants and for carers 15 and 45 respectively. People with dementia from minority ethnic groups had poorer quality of life (−4.74, 95% CI: −7.98 to −1.50) and higher loneliness (1.72, 95% CI: 0.78–2.66) whilst minority ethnic carers had higher stress (8.17, 95% CI: 1.72–14.63) and role captivity (2.00, 95% CI: 0.43–3.57) and lower relationship quality (−9.86, 95% CI: −14.24 to −5.48) than their white peers. Conclusion: Our exploratory study suggests that people with dementia from minority ethnic groups experience lower quality of life and carers experience higher stress and role captivity and lower relationship quality than their white peers. Confirmatory research with larger samples is required to facilitate analysis of the experiences of specific minority ethnic groups and examine the factors contributing to these disadvantages

Multi-Decadal Changes in Mangrove Extent, Age and Species in the Red River Estuaries of Viet Nam

This research investigated the performance of four different machine learning supervised image classifiers: artificial neural network (ANN), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) using SPOT-7 and Sentinel-1 images to classify mangrove age and species in 2019 in a Red River estuary, typical of others found in northern Viet Nam. The four classifiers were chosen because they are considered to have high accuracy, however, their use in mangrove age and species classifications has thus far been limited. A time-series of Landsat images from 1975 to 2019 was used to map mangrove extent changes using the unsupervised classification method of iterative self-organizing data analysis technique (ISODATA) and a comparison with accuracy of K-means classification, which found that mangrove extent has increased, despite a fall in the 1980s, indicating the success of mangrove plantation and forest protection efforts by local people in the study area. To evaluate the supervised image classifiers, 183 in situ training plots were assessed, 70% of them were used to train the supervised algorithms, with 30% of them employed to validate the results. In order to improve mangrove species separations, Gram–Schmidt and principal component analysis image fusion techniques were applied to generate better quality images. All supervised and unsupervised (2019) results of mangrove age, species, and extent were mapped and accuracy was evaluated. Confusion matrices were calculated showing that the classified layers agreed with the ground-truth data where most producer and user accuracies were greater than 80%. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficients (around 0.9) indicated that the image classifications were very good. The test showed that SVM was the most accurate, followed by DT, ANN, and RF in this case study. The changes in mangrove extent identified in this study and the methods tested for using remotely sensed data will be valuable to monitoring and evaluation assessments of mangrove plantation projects

Effectiveness of acellular pertussis vaccine in older adults: nested matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Despite recommendations that older adults receive acellular pertussis vaccines, data on direct effectiveness in adults aged over 50 years are sparse. METHODS: Case-control study nested within an adult cohort. Cases were identified from linked pertussis notifications and each matched to three controls on age, sex and cohort recruitment date. Cases and controls were invited to complete a questionnaire, with verification of vaccination status by their primary care provider. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated by conditional logistic regression, with adjustment for reported contact with children and area of residence. RESULTS: Of 1112 notified cases in the cohort, we had complete data for 333 cases and 506 controls. Among 172 PCR-diagnosed cases (mean age 61 years), 11.2% versus 19.5% of controls, had provider-verified pertussis vaccination, on average 3.2 years earlier. Adjusted VE against PCR-diagnosed pertussis was 52% (95%CI 15 to 73%); non-significantly higher if vaccinated within 2 years (63%, -5 to 87%). Adjusted VE was similar in adults born before 1950, presumed primed by natural infection (51%; -8% to 77%) versus those born 1950 or later who may have received whole-cell pertussis vaccine (53%; -11% to 80%); p-heterogeneity=0.9. Among 156 cases identified by single-point serology, adjusted VE was -55% (-177% to 13%). CONCLUSION: We found modest protection against PCR-confirmed pertussis among older adults (mean age 61 years, range 46-81) within five years after acellular vaccine. The most likely explanation for the markedly divergent VE estimate from cases identified by single titre serology is misclassification arising from limited diagnostic specificity in our setting

Loneliness and isolation among people with dementia and their carers: Prevalence, risk factors and a dyadic analysis

Poster presented at Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® 2020 (AAIC®) Meeting Abctracts: Dementia Care and Psychosocial Factors, streamed online, 27-31 July 2020, the Alzheimer's Association. Available free online at https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.041922.Background: People with dementia and their carers may be vulnerable to loneliness and isolation. We investigated: (a) prevalence of, and risk factors for, loneliness and isolation among people with dementia and their carers and (b) the interrelationship between loneliness and isolation for dyads (person with dementia and carer). Method: The IDEAL cohort of people with dementia and their carers includes two loneliness measures: the 6 item de Jong Gierveld (DJG) scale (range 0-6 and classified: not lonely (0-2), moderately lonely (3-4) and severely lonely (5+)) and a single-item question, plus a measure of social isolation, the six-item Lubben social network scale (range 0-30: not isolated (13+) or isolated (12 or less). For dyads consisting of a carer and a person with dementia, 1089 had complete data on loneliness and 1204 on social isolation. We report prevalence and examine loneliness/isolation risk factors using regression analysis for people with dementia and carers separately. We use Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) to examine the relationship between isolation and loneliness within dyads and vice-versa. Result: Prevalence of severe loneliness for people with dementia was 10% (single item score) and 5% (DJG score 5+) (15% and 18% respectively for carers). One third of people with dementia, 35%, were at risk of isolation (18% of carers). Social isolation was the only risk factor for loneliness consistent for both carers and people with dementia. Risk factors for loneliness in carers were caregiving stress and relationship quality and in people with dementia living alone, depression and life satisfaction/quality of life. Loneliness ratings were congruent in 43.1% of dyads (67.8% for isolation). Dyadic analysis using APIM demonstrates that loneliness is affected by both individuals’ own isolation and that of their partners.There were also actor and partner effects for the association between loneliness and isolation. Conclusion: Most people with dementia and their carers are neither lonely nor isolated. Risk factors for loneliness are different for carers and people with dementia. Isolation in the carers influences the loneliness of the person with dementia and vice versa.Economic and Social Research Council ref: ES/L001853/2 Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life: living well with dementia. The IDEAL study

Living well with dementia: An exploratory matched analysis of minority ethnic and white people with dementia and carers participating in the IDEAL programme

Data Availability Statement: IDEAL data were deposited with the UK data archive in April 2020. Details of how to access the data can be found here: https://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/854317/.Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Objectives: The increasing heterogeneity of the population of older people is reflected in an increasing number of people with dementia and carers drawn from minority ethnic groups. Data from the IDEAL study are used to compare indices of ‘living well’ among people with dementia and carers from ethnic minority groups with matched white peers. Methods: We used an exploratory cross-sectional case-control design to compare ‘living well’ for people with dementia and carers from minority ethnic and white groups. Measures for both groups were quality of life, life satisfaction, wellbeing, loneliness, and social isolation and, for carers, stress, relationship quality, role captivity and caring competence. Results: The sample of people with dementia consisted of 20 minority ethnic and 60 white participants and for carers 15 and 45 respectively. People with dementia from minority ethnic groups had poorer quality of life (−4.74, 95% CI: −7.98 to −1.50) and higher loneliness (1.72, 95% CI: 0.78–2.66) whilst minority ethnic carers had higher stress (8.17, 95% CI: 1.72–14.63) and role captivity (2.00, 95% CI: 0.43–3.57) and lower relationship quality (−9.86, 95% CI: −14.24 to −5.48) than their white peers. Conclusion: Our exploratory study suggests that people with dementia from minority ethnic groups experience lower quality of life and carers experience higher stress and role captivity and lower relationship quality than their white peers. Confirmatory research with larger samples is required to facilitate analysis of the experiences of specific minority ethnic groups and examine the factors contributing to these disadvantages.Economic and Social Research Council; National Institute for Health and Care Research. Grant Number: ES/L001853/

Understanding dementia in minority ethnic communities: The perspectives of key stakeholders interviewed as part of the IDEAL programme

Data availability statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Future populations of older adults in the UK, those aged 65+, will demonstrate increased diversity in terms of their ethnic identity resultant from the ageing of the post-war migrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Caribbean. As a consequence, there will be an increase in the numbers of older adults from these communities living with age-related chronic diseases such as dementia. In response to these demographic changes, we need to develop a research, policy and practice agenda that is inclusive and provides evidence for the development of culturally diverse and effective models of service delivery. This requires engagement with three key stakeholder groups: (a) people with dementia; (b) their carers; and (c) the wider community. As part of the IDEAL research programme on living well with dementia, we undertook semi-structured interviews with twelve community leaders, defined as known and trusted individuals active in their respective communities, and six community members (two people living with dementia and four carers). We explored their understandings, experiences, and views of about dementia. Our analysis identified two overarching themes. The migrant lifecourse highlighted issues of not belonging, discrimination and racism. This framed our second theme, the cultural context of dementia, which addressed dementia knowledge and attitudes, service provision and service access, and how being part of a minority ethnic community made a difference to these experiences. Our study highlights how lifecourse experiences of negative hostile social and policy environments and services can be profound and long-lasting and provide a prism through which accessing dementia care is experienced. Our findings argue for the inclusion of diverse views and lifecourse experiences within the context of developing a dementia strategy for research, policy and practice that is appropriate for a multicultural and heterogenous society.Economic and Social Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Research (ES/L001853/2); Alzheimer’s Society (348, AS-PR2-16-001)