Overt Visual Attention as a Causal Factor of Perceptual Awareness

Our everyday conscious experience of the visual world is fundamentally shaped by the interaction of overt visual attention and object awareness. Although the principal impact of both components is undisputed, it is still unclear how they interact. Here we recorded eye-movements preceding and following conscious object recognition, collected during the free inspection of ambiguous and corresponding unambiguous stimuli. Using this paradigm, we demonstrate that fixations recorded prior to object awareness predict the later recognized object identity, and that subjects accumulate more evidence that is consistent with their later percept than for the alternative. The timing of reached awareness was verified by a reaction-time based correction method and also based on changes in pupil dilation. Control experiments, in which we manipulated the initial locus of visual attention, confirm a causal influence of overt attention on the subsequent result of object perception. The current study thus demonstrates that distinct patterns of overt attentional selection precede object awareness and thereby directly builds on recent electrophysiological findings suggesting two distinct neuronal mechanisms underlying the two phenomena. Our results emphasize the crucial importance of overt visual attention in the formation of our conscious experience of the visual world

Multiancestry analysis of the HLA locus in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases uncovers a shared adaptive immune response mediated by HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes

Across multiancestry groups, we analyzed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) associations in over 176,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus controls. We demonstrate that the two diseases share the same protective association at the HLA locus. HLA-specific fine-mapping showed that hierarchical protective effects of HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes best accounted for the association, strongest with HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*04:07, and intermediary with HLA-DRB1*04:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:03. The same signal was associated with decreased neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem brains and was associated with reduced tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid and to a lower extent with increased Aβ42. Protective HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes strongly bound the aggregation-prone tau PHF6 sequence, however only when acetylated at a lysine (K311), a common posttranslational modification central to tau aggregation. An HLA-DRB1*04-mediated adaptive immune response decreases PD and AD risks, potentially by acting against tau, offering the possibility of therapeutic avenues

FibreBags vs. FibreCaps for acid and neutral detergent fibre analysis

A new procedure for determining acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre (ADF and NDF) was developed to reduce the need for filtration and to allow for batch processing of forage samples. The FibreBag system is an economically necessary evolution of the earlier FibreCap system. The purpose of this enquiry was to determine if the FibreBag is a suitable replacement for the FibreCap. The FibreBag method produced very similar results to the FibreCap system of analysis and ranked the various forage samples ion the same order. All the results suggest that the FibreBag is suitably similar in performance to the FibreCap system

Semi-leafless peas A cover crop for establishing lucerne or red clover

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN053581 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Forage soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the United Kingdom: test of new cultivars

Traditionally the soybean was used as a forage crop. Recently several cultivars and experimental lines have been bred for forage production. This coincides with the banning of meat and bone meal as a source of protein in ruminant diets in the European Union, which has led to a greater demand for high protein crops. Two USA bred cultivars, Derry and Donegal, were grown in a trial at the Royal Agricultural College in 2000 and 2001 to assess the viability of soybeans as a forage crop in the UK. In 2001 six experimental lines were added to the study. In 2000 dry matter yields ranged from 5.91 to 6.09 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ (Derry and Donegal, respectively) for the early harvest and 7.68 to 7.95 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ DM (Derry and Donegal, respectively) for the late harvest. In the second season Donegal was the highest yielding at the early harvest with 12.1 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ and SG13#169 had 12.1 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ at the late harvest. The proportion of leaf was not consistently associated with protein content. Across the two years the pod component did not exceed 110 g$\cdot$kg$^{-1}$. The experimental line SG13#169 had the highest CP, 153 g$\cdot$kg$^{-1}$, and a yield of 8.51 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ (at the first cut), and at the second harvest the CP fell to 146 g$\cdot$kg$^{-1}$, while the yield rose to 12.1 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$. This more than offsetting the dilution of nutritional quality, by offering more CP$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ from the late harvest. Additional testing is required for more conclusive evaluation of these experimental lines.Soja fourrage (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) au Royaume-Uni. Traditionnellement le soja était utilisé comme culture fourragère. Récemment, plusieurs espèces ont été cultivées pour leur production fourragère dans le cadre de programmes de recherche. Ils coïncident avec l'interdiction des farines animales comme source de protéine dans l'alimentation des ruminants dans l'Union Européenne, qui implique une demande accrue de cultures protéagineuses. Un essai de culture de deux variétés des États-Unis, Derry et Donegal, a été mené au Royal Agricultural College en 2000 et 2001 pour évaluer la viabilité du soja comme culture fourragère au Royaume-Uni. En 2001, 6 expérimentations ont été ajoutées à l'étude. En 2000, les rendements de matière sèche étaient de 5,91 à 6,09 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ (Derry et Donegal, respectivement) pour la récolte précoce et de 7,68 à 7,95 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ (matière sèche, Derry et Donegal respectivement) pour la récolte tardive. En seconde saison, Donegal était la variété à plus fort rendement pour la récolte précoce avec 12,1 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ et SG13#169 avec 12,1 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ à la récolte tardive. La proportion de feuilles n'était pas corrélée de façon nette au contenu protéique. Au cours des 2 années, les composants de la gousse (CP) n'ont pas dépassé 110 g$\cdot$kg$^{-1}$. La ligne expérimentale sur SG13#169 a obtenu la plus forte CP : 153 g$\cdot$kg$^{-1}$, et un rendement de 8,51 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$ (à la première coupe), et à la seconde récolte, la CP est tombé à 146 g$\cdot$kg$^{-1}$, alors que le rendement atteignait 12,1 t$\cdot$ha$^{-1}$. Cela fait plus que compenser la dilution de la qualité nutritionnelle par une offre de CP plus importante pour la récolte tardive. Des expériences complémentaires sont nécessaires pour une évaluation plus probante de ces recherches

Effect of hydrolyzed infant formula vs conventional formula on risk of type 1 diabetes the TRIGR randomized clinical trial

IMPORTANCE Early exposure to complex dietary proteins may increase the risk of type 117 diabetes in children with genetic disease susceptibility. There are no intact proteins in extensively hydrolyzed formulas. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that weaning to an extensively hydrolyzed formula decreases the cumulative incidence of type 117 diabetes in young children. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS An international double-blind randomized clinical trial of 211759 infants with human leukocyte antigen-conferred disease susceptibility and a first-degree relative with type 117 diabetes recruited from May 2002 to January 2007 in 78 study centers in 1175 countries; 11708117 were randomized to be weaned to the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula and 117078 to a conventional formula. The follow-up of the participants ended on February 28, 201177. INTERVENTIONS The participants received either a casein hydrolysate or a conventional adapted cow's milk formula supplemented with 20%of the casein hydrolysate. The minimum duration ofstudy formula exposure was 60 days by6 to 8 months ofage. MAINOUTCOMES ANDMEASURES Primary outcome was type 117 diabetes diagnosed according to World Health Organization criteria. Secondary outcomes included age at diabetes diagnosis and safety (adverse events). RESULTS Among 211759 newborn infants (11702117 female [47.3%]) who were randomized, 117744 (80.8%) completed the trial. The participants were observed for a median of 117117.5 years (quartile [Q] 117-Q3, 1170.2-1172.8). The absolute risk of type 117 diabetes was 8.4% among those randomized tothe casein hydrolysate (n = 9117) vs 7.6% among those randomized to the conventional formula (n = 82) (difference, 0.8% [95% CI, -117.6% to 3.2%]). The hazard ratio for type 117 diabetes adjusted for human leukocyte antigen risk group, duration of breastfeeding, duration of study formula consumption, sex, and region while treating study center as a random effect was 117.117 (95% CI, 0.8 to 117.5; P =.46). The median age at diagnosis of type 117 diabetes was similar in the 2 groups (6.0 years [Q117-Q3, 3.117-8.9] vs 5.8 years [Q117-Q3, 2.6-9.117]; difference, 0.2 years [95% CI, -0.9 to 117.2]). Upper respiratory infections were the most common adverse event reported (frequency, 0.48 events/year in the hydrolysate group and 0.50 events/year in the control group). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among infants at risk for type 117 diabetes, weaning to a hydrolyzed formula compared with a conventional formula did not reduce the cumulative incidence of type 117 diabetes after median follow-up for 117117.5 years. These findings do not support a need to revise the dietary recommendations for infants at risk for type 117 diabetes

Effect of hydrolyzed infant formula vs conventional formula on risk of type 1 diabetes the TRIGR randomized clinical trial

IMPORTANCE Early exposure to complex dietary proteins may increase the risk of type 117 diabetes in children with genetic disease susceptibility. There are no intact proteins in extensively hydrolyzed formulas. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that weaning to an extensively hydrolyzed formula decreases the cumulative incidence of type 117 diabetes in young children. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS An international double-blind randomized clinical trial of 211759 infants with human leukocyte antigen-conferred disease susceptibility and a first-degree relative with type 117 diabetes recruited from May 2002 to January 2007 in 78 study centers in 1175 countries; 11708117 were randomized to be weaned to the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula and 117078 to a conventional formula. The follow-up of the participants ended on February 28, 201177. INTERVENTIONS The participants received either a casein hydrolysate or a conventional adapted cow's milk formula supplemented with 20%of the casein hydrolysate. The minimum duration ofstudy formula exposure was 60 days by6 to 8 months ofage. MAINOUTCOMES ANDMEASURES Primary outcome was type 117 diabetes diagnosed according to World Health Organization criteria. Secondary outcomes included age at diabetes diagnosis and safety (adverse events). RESULTS Among 211759 newborn infants (11702117 female [47.3%]) who were randomized, 117744 (80.8%) completed the trial. The participants were observed for a median of 117117.5 years (quartile [Q] 117-Q3, 1170.2-1172.8). The absolute risk of type 117 diabetes was 8.4% among those randomized tothe casein hydrolysate (n = 9117) vs 7.6% among those randomized to the conventional formula (n = 82) (difference, 0.8% [95% CI, -117.6% to 3.2%]). The hazard ratio for type 117 diabetes adjusted for human leukocyte antigen risk group, duration of breastfeeding, duration of study formula consumption, sex, and region while treating study center as a random effect was 117.117 (95% CI, 0.8 to 117.5; P =.46). The median age at diagnosis of type 117 diabetes was similar in the 2 groups (6.0 years [Q117-Q3, 3.117-8.9] vs 5.8 years [Q117-Q3, 2.6-9.117]; difference, 0.2 years [95% CI, -0.9 to 117.2]). Upper respiratory infections were the most common adverse event reported (frequency, 0.48 events/year in the hydrolysate group and 0.50 events/year in the control group). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among infants at risk for type 117 diabetes, weaning to a hydrolyzed formula compared with a conventional formula did not reduce the cumulative incidence of type 117 diabetes after median follow-up for 117117.5 years. These findings do not support a need to revise the dietary recommendations for infants at risk for type 117 diabetes

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/‘proxy’ AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Author Correction: Genetic meta-analysis of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease identifies new risk loci and implicates Aβ, tau, immunity and lipid processing (Nature Genetics, (2019), 51, 3, (414-430), 10.1038/s41588-019-0358-2)

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper