What can be deduced from open cluster metallicity measurements?

The dependence of [Fe/H] on galactocentric distance, distance from the galactic mid-plane and age is studied. Both ordinary least-squares and non-parametric regression in the form of a ‘generalized additive model’ are used. The radial metallicity slope is found to be shallower than previously claimed in the literature, and there is a significant abundance gradient perpendicular to the galactic plane. There may be a tendency for metallicity to increase with cluster age.Web of Scienc

Is there evolution in the infrared Tully–Fisher relation? Comparing two linear regressions

In a recent paper, Puech and co-workers compared K-band Tully–Fisher relations derived for nearby and distant galaxies, respectively. They concluded that the two relations differ, and deduced that there is evolution in the Tully–Fisher relations. The statistical comparison between the two regression lines is re-examined, and it is shown that the statistical test used gives non-significant results. It is argued that better results can be obtained by comparing the ‘inverse’ Tully–Fisher relations, and it is demonstrated by two different methods that the nearby- and distant-sample relations do indeed differ at a very high significance level. One of the statistical methods described is non-parametric, and can be applied very generally to compare linear regressions from two different samples.Web of Scienc

The Population Resemblance Statistic: A Chi-Square Measure of Fit for Banking

The Population Stability Index (PSI) is a widely used measure in credit risk modeling and monitoring within the banking industry. Its purpose is to monitor for changes in the population underlying a model, such as a scorecard, to ensure that the current population closely resembles the one used during model development. If substantial differences between populations are detected, model reconstruction may be necessary. Despite its widespread use, the origins and properties of the PSI are not well documented. Previous literature has suggested using arbitrary constants as a rule-of-thumb to assess stability, regardless of sample size. However, this approach too often calls for model reconstruction in small sample sizes while not detecting the need often enough in large sample sizes. This paper introduces an alternative discrepancy measure called the Population Resemblance statistic (PRS). It is based on the Pearson chi-square statistic. Properties of the PRS follow from the non-central chi-square distribution. Notably, the PRS accommodates sample-size dependent critical values and enables the specification of risk tolerances. Its efficacy is demonstrated in a simulation study and with real-world examples.Comment: 33 pages. 5 figures. 10 table

Fungi Associated with Decay in Treated Southern Pine Utility Poles in the Eastern United States

Approximately 1,320 fungi were isolated and studied from 246 creosote- or pentachlorophenol-treated southern pine poles in service in the eastern United States. The fungi identified were Basidiomycete decayers, soft rotters, and microfungi. White rot fungi predominated in the 262 Basidiomycete decayers isolated from 180 poles. The major Basidiomycetes isolated by radial position from poles of varying service ages appeared to develop initially in the outer treated zones and were often associated with seasoning checks. Some decay origins, however, appeared to be cases of preinvasion and escapes of preservative treatment. Five species of soft rot fungi comprised nearly 85% of 211 isolates obtained from 131 poles. They were isolated primarily from creosote-treated poles in outer treated zones at the groundline. Dissection analysis of 92 poles indicated that six developmental decay patterns and certain fungi were associated commonly with a pattern. The pole mycoflora isolated was relatively uniform in distribution in the eastern United States. The soft rotters and white rot group of Basidiomycete decayers appear to be a more important component of the treated southern pine pole mycoflora than has been recognized previously

A re-assessment of the nearest neighbour alignment of the X-ray isophotes of galaxy clusters

Alignment is defined as the tendency of the distribution of pointing angles between the major axes of clusters and their nearest neighbours to be more concentrated towards small values for small nearest neighbour distances, whereas the distribution is expected to be uniform over all angles at larger distances. Conflicting pronouncements on the reality of this effect have been published in the astronomy literature. A re-assessment of the evidence for alignment is presented, based on three recently published X-ray data sets. We find that whereas there is evidence for alignment, it is not as convincing as previously claimed. In particular, the scale to which the effect has been claimed to extend seems to have been severely overstated

Individual common variants exert weak effects on the risk for autism spectrum disorders.

While it is apparent that rare variation can play an important role in the genetic architecture of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), the contribution of common variation to the risk of developing ASD is less clear. To produce a more comprehensive picture, we report Stage 2 of the Autism Genome Project genome-wide association study, adding 1301 ASD families and bringing the total to 2705 families analysed (Stages 1 and 2). In addition to evaluating the association of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we also sought evidence that common variants, en masse, might affect the risk. Despite genotyping over a million SNPs covering the genome, no single SNP shows significant association with ASD or selected phenotypes at a genome-wide level. The SNP that achieves the smallest P-value from secondary analyses is rs1718101. It falls in CNTNAP2, a gene previously implicated in susceptibility for ASD. This SNP also shows modest association with age of word/phrase acquisition in ASD subjects, of interest because features of language development are also associated with other variation in CNTNAP2. In contrast, allele scores derived from the transmission of common alleles to Stage 1 cases significantly predict case status in the independent Stage 2 sample. Despite being significant, the variance explained by these allele scores was small (Vm< 1%). Based on results from individual SNPs and their en masse effect on risk, as inferred from the allele score results, it is reasonable to conclude that common variants affect the risk for ASD but their individual effects are modest

Insight into trade‐off between wood decay and parasitism from the genome of a fungal forest pathogen

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91191/1/j.1469-8137.2012.04128.x.pd

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Rethinking place-making: aligning placeness factors with perceived urban design qualities (PUDQs) to improve the built environment in historical district

Understanding the concept of place is critically important for urban design and place-making practice, and this research attempted to investigate the pathways by which perceived urban design qualities (PUDQs) influence placeness factors in the Chinese context. Twelve hypotheses were developed and combined in a structural equation model for validation. The Tanhualin historical district in Wuhan, China was selected for the analysis. As a result, place attachment was verified as a critical bridge factor that mediated the influence of PUDQs on place satisfaction. Among the five selected PUDQs, walkability and space quality were revealed as the most influential factors associated with place attachment and place satisfaction. Accessibility was actually indirectly beneficial to place-making via the mediation of walkability. Corresponding implications and strategies were discussed to maintain the sense of place for historic districts