Are Global and Regional Improvements in Life Expectancy and in Child,Adult and Senior Survival Slowing?

Improvements in life expectancy have been considerable over the past hundred years. Forecasters have taken to applying historical trends under an assumption of continuing improvements in life expectancy in the future. A linear mixed effects model was used to estimate the trends in global and regional rates of improvements in life expectancy, child, adult, and senior survival, in 166 countries between 1950 and 2010. Global improvements in life expectancy, including both child and adult survival rates, decelerated significantly over the study period. Overall life expectancy gains were estimated to have declined from 5.9 to 4.0 months per year for a mean deceleration of -0.07 months/year²; annual child survival gains declined from 4.4 to 1.6 deaths averted per 1000 for a mean deceleration of -0.06 deaths/1000/year²; adult survival gains were estimated to decline from 4.8 to 3.7 deaths averted per 1000 per year for a mean deceleration of -0.08 deaths/1000/year². Senior survival gains however increased from 2.4 to 4.2 deaths averted per 1000 per year for an acceleration of 0.03 deaths/1000/year². Regional variation in the four measures was substantial. The rates of global improvements in life expectancy, child survival, and adult survival have declined since 1950 despite an increase in the rate of improvements among seniors. We postulate that low-cost innovation, related to the last half-century progress in health–primarily devoted to children and middle age, is reaping diminishing returns on its investments. Trends are uneven across regions and measures, which may be due in part to the state of epidemiological transition between countries and regions and disparities in the diffusion of innovation, accessible only in high-income countries where life expectancy is already highest.     

Comparative Study of Seed Protein Profiles in the Genus Pisum

Seed protein profiles of 24 wild and cultivated taxa of Pisum have been compared by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. No consistent differences were detected either among wild taxa or between wild and cultivated taxa. This shows that Pisum forms a single-species complex on the basis of seed protein profiles.     

On the Performance of Highly Sensitive and Accurate Graphene-on-Aluminum and Silicon-Based SPR Biosensor for Visible and Near Infrared

We demonstrate the numerical analysis of surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on graphene on aluminum and silicon. Employing matrix method, it is found that the proposed sensor exhibits high imaging sensitivity ～400 RIU^?1 to 550 RIU^?1 in a large dynamic range from visible to near IR region. It is observed that the application of monolayer or bilayer graphene over aluminum not only protects it from oxidation but also enhances the adsorption of biomolecules, which results in the detection of large refractive indices ranging from aqueous solution to biomolecules (refractive index 1.330 to 1.480) with overall high performance in terms of imaging sensitivity and detection accuracy.     

Efficacy of New Inexpensive Cyanobacterial Biofertilizer Including its Shelf-life

Summary Four cyanobacterial inoculants all significantly increased grain and straw yield of rice either alone or in combination with chemical fertilizer. A saving of 25 kg N ha⁻¹ can be attained through cyanobacterial fertilization. Tobacco waste-based cyanobacterial biofertilizer was best in performance. Cyanobacterial acetylene reducing activity in vivo varied from 144 to 255 μmol C₂H₄ m⁻² h⁻¹ in different treatments, being highest for tobacco-based cyanobacterial biofertilizer integrated with 50% chemical N. The nutrient balance for total N, available N, total P and available P was found positive in biofertilizer- and chemical fertilizer-treated plots. The total and available K showed negative balance in all the treatments. The shelf-life of cyanobacterial biofertilizer can be augmented by selecting translucent packing material, dry mixing and paddy straw as a carrier. Dry mixing and a mixing ratio of 50:50 (carrier:cyanobacteria) gave better inoculum loading and shelf-life. Decrease in cyanobacterial population was least in dried cyanobacterial flacks, indicating a possibility of developing cyanobacterial biofertilizer without carrier mixing at the time of production.     

Urban land use limits regional bumble bee gene flow

Potential declines in native pollinator communities and increased reliance on pollinator‐dependent crops have raised concerns about native pollinator conservation and dispersal across human‐altered landscapes. Bumble bees are one of the most effective native pollinators and are often the first to be extirpated in human‐altered habitats, yet little is known about how bumble bees move across fine spatial scales and what landscapes promote or limit their gene flow. In this study, we examine regional genetic differentiation and fine‐scale relatedness patterns of the yellow‐faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, to investigate how current and historic habitat composition impact gene flow. We conducted our study across a landscape mosaic of natural, agricultural and urban/suburban habitats, and we show that B. vosnesenskii exhibits low but significant levels of differentiation across the study system (F_ST = 0.019, D_est = 0.049). Most importantly, we reveal significant relationships between pairwise F_ST and resistance models created from contemporary land use maps. Specifically, B. vosnesenskii gene flow is most limited by commercial, industrial and transportation‐related impervious cover. Finally, our fine‐scale analysis reveals significant but declining relatedness between individuals at the 1–9 km spatial scale, most likely due to local queen dispersal. Overall, our results indicate that B. vosnesenskii exhibits considerable local dispersal and that regional gene flow is significantly limited by impervious cover associated with urbanization.     

The STIM1 CTID domain determines access of SARAF to SOAR to regulate Orai1 channel function

Ca²⁺ influx by store-operated Ca²⁺ channels (SOCs) mediates all Ca²⁺-dependent cell functions, but excess Ca²⁺ influx is highly toxic. The molecular components of SOC are the pore-forming Orai1 channel and the endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ sensor STIM1. Slow Ca²⁺-dependent inactivation (SCDI) of Orai1 guards against cell damage, but its molecular mechanism is unknown. Here, we used homology modeling to identify a conserved STIM1(448–530) C-terminal inhibitory domain (CTID), whose deletion resulted in spontaneous clustering of STIM1 and full activation of Orai1 in the absence of store depletion. CTID regulated SCDI by determining access to and interaction of the STIM1 inhibitor SARAF with STIM1 Orai1 activation region (SOAR), the STIM1 domain that activates Orai1. CTID had two lobes, STIM1(448–490) and STIM1(490–530), with distinct roles in mediating access of SARAF to SOAR. The STIM1(448–490) lobe restricted, whereas the STIM1(490–530) lobe directed, SARAF to SOAR. The two lobes cooperated to determine the features of SCDI. These findings highlight the central role of STIM1 in SCDI and provide a molecular mechanism for SCDI of Orai1.     

Kidney Transplantation Is Associated with Catastrophic Out of Pocket Expenditure in India

Kidney transplantation (KT) is only viable renal replacement option for most patients in India. Most patients do not have health insurance and meet treatment expenditure from their own resources. We prospectively evaluated the expenses associated with KT and its impact on the socioeconomic status of families in a public hospital. All direct and indirect expenses incurred by the patients from the time of diagnosis of chronic kidney disease to KT were recorded. Direct expenses included physician fees, cost of drugs and disposables, dialysis, and expenses on investigations and hospitalization. Indirect expenses included travel, food, stay, and loss of income suffered by the family. Educational dropout and financial loss were also recorded. There were 43 males and 7 females between the ages of 12 and 57 years. Direct expenses ranged from US$ 2,151–23,792 and accounted for two-thirds of the total expenses. Pre-referral hospitalization, dialysis and medication accounted for majority of direct expense. Indirect expenses ranged from US$ 226–15,283. Travel expenses and loss of income accounted for most of indirect expense. About 54%, 8%, and 10% of families suffered from severe, moderate, and some financial crisis respectively. A total of 38 families had job losses, and 1 patient and 12 caregivers dropped out of studies. To conclude, KT is associated with catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure and pushes a majority of the patients who come for treatment to public hospitals into severe financial crisis. Educational dropout and loss of jobs are other major concerns. Systematic efforts are required to address these issues.     

Implications of biofuel policy‐driven land cover change for rainfall erosivity and soil erosion in the United States

Large‐scale conversion of traditional agricultural cropping systems to biofuel cropping systems is predicted to have significant impact on the hydrologic cycle. Changes in the hydrologic cycle lead to changes in rainfall and its erosive power, and consequently soil erosion that will have onsite impacts on soil quality and crop productivity, and offsite impacts on water quality and quantity. We examine regional change in rainfall erosivity and soil erosion resulting from biofuel policy‐induced land use/land cover (LULC) change. Regional climate is simulated under current and biofuel LULC scenarios for the period 1979–2004 using the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model coupled to the NOAH land surface model. The magnitude of change in rainfall erosivity under the biofuel scenario is 1.5–3 times higher than the change in total annual rainfall. Over most of the conterminous United States (~56%), the magnitude of the change in erosivity is between ?2.5% and +2.5%. A decrease in erosivity of magnitude 2.5–10% is predicted over 23% of the area, whereas an increase of the same magnitude is predicted over 14% of the area. Corresponding to the changes in rainfall erosivity and crop cover, a decrease in soil loss is predicted over 60% of the area under the biofuel scenario. In Kansas and Oklahoma, the states in which a large fraction of land area is planted with switchgrass under the biofuel scenario, soil loss is estimated to decrease 12% relative to the baseline. This reduction in soil loss is due more to changes in the crop cover factor than changes in rainfall or rainfall erosivity. This indicates that the changes in LULC, due to future cellulosic biofuel feedstock production, can have significant implications for regional soil and water resources in the United States and we recommend detailed investigation of the trade‐offs between land use and management options.