Quality issues of self-report of hypertension: Analysis of a population representative sample of older adults in Taiwan

[[abstract]]The study was to evaluate the quality of self-report of hypertension and examine the factors associated with under- and over-reporting of hypertension in older Taiwanese. Data for this analysis were from the Social Environment and Biomarkers Study in Taiwan 2000, which involved a national sample of 1021 Taiwanese over 54 years of age. We performed binary classification tests to compare the prevalence rates of self-reported vs. clinically measured hypertension according to World Health Organization (WHO) (blood pressure ≥ 160/95 mm Hg or on hypertension medication) and JNC-6 (140/90 mm Hg or on hypertension medication) definitions. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the potential factors associated with under- or over-reporting of blood pressure status. Results showed the test characteristics of self-reports were: sensitivity 73%, specificity 93%, and kappa = 0.68 (p < 0.001) based on the WHO definition; and sensitivity 51%, specificity 95% and kappa = 0.43 (p < 0.001) based on the JNC-6 definition. Old age was associated with over-reporting whereas having no health checkup during the past 12 months was associated with under-reporting. The relatively low agreement between self-reports and clinically measured hypertension (JNC-6 definition) was mainly due to the lack of a well-defined hypertension practice guideline and the failure of clinicians to clearly inform patients of their diagnoses. The consistency of hypertension practice guidelines and the effectiveness of informing the patients of their diagnoses are two main factors impacting the quality of self-report of hypertension in elderly Taiwanese. Better self-reports of health data can improve the efficiency of public health surveillance effort

The association of body mass index (BMI) with all-cause mortality in older Taiwanese: Results of a national cohort study

[[abstract]]In older adults, underweight has been shown to be associated with increased all-cause mortality, but the association with excessive weight is inconclusive. The study aimed to determine the association of weight status with subsequent all-cause mortality risk in older Taiwanese. The study analyzed the dataset of the "Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan", a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study. Baseline BMI calculated from self-reported weight and height (kg/m(2)) was used to predict all-cause mortality risk during subsequent four years in 2462 ≥ 53 years old Taiwanese. Cox-regression analysis was performed to determine the significance of the association of weight status with all-cause mortality during follow-up four-years controlled for demographic, lifestyle and health-related variables. Results showed that underweight was associated with increased risk of mortality risk in all age ranges examined, but excessive weight was not significantly associated with increased risk of mortality. Results suggest that the association between BMI status and all-cause mortality is "L-shaped" and "obesity paradox" may indeed exist in these specific age groups in Taiwanese over 65 years old. However, some uncertainty remains because confounding factors could not be totally controlled. Large scale prospective studies with better control of confounding factors are needed to resolve this important public health issue. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Predictors of smoking cessation in 50–66-year-old male Taiwanese smokers: A 7-year national cohort study

[[abstract]]The study was aimed to determine the predictors of smoking cessation in 50–66-year-old male Taiwanese smokers. The study analyzed datasets of the “Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan” (SHLSET), a population-based longitudinal cohort study conducted by the Bureau of Health Promotion of Taiwan. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association of demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and health-related variables with changes in smoking status at baseline, or with subsequent changes in smoking status in 50–66-year-old male Taiwanese. Functional impairment was the strongest predictor of quitting smoking for 50–66-year-old Taiwanese men. Other factors including a first hospitalization, emergency visit, or diagnosis of heart disease, quitting drinking, living with a spouse and older age were associated with increased likelihood of quitting smoking. Men with long smoking history, heavy daily cigarette consumption and more formal education were less likely to quit. Results suggest that functional decline is the major cause for quitting smoking for older Taiwanese men. Physical impairment and traumatic diseases that cause physical impairment have the most impact whereas “silent diseases” such as hypertension or diabetes have little impact. These findings should be useful for designing target-specific intervention strategies for older male Taiwanese smokers

Deep Learning of Phase Transitions for Quantum Spin Chains from Correlation Aspects

Using machine learning (ML) to recognize different phases of matter and to infer the entire phase diagram has proven to be an effective tool given a large dataset. In our previous proposals, we have successfully explored phase transitions for topological phases of matter at low dimensions either in a supervised or an unsupervised learning protocol with the assistance of quantum information related quantities. In this work, we adopt our previous ML procedures to study quantum phase transitions of magnetism systems such as the XY and XXZ spin chains by using spin-spin correlation functions as the input data. We find that our proposed approach not only maps out the phase diagrams with accurate phase boundaries, but also indicates some new features that have not observed before. In particular, we define so-called relevant correlation functions to some corresponding phases that can always distinguish between those and their neighbors. Based on the unsupervised learning protocol we proposed [Phys. Rev. B 104, 165108 (2021)], the reduced latent representations of the inputs combined with the clustering algorithm show the connectedness or disconnectedness between neighboring clusters (phases), just corresponding to the continuous or disrupt quantum phase transition, respectively.Comment: 18 pages, 21 figure

Environmental Tax Reform, R&D Subsidies and CO2 Emissions: View Double Dividend Hypothesis

This study investigated whether environmental taxes achieve the double dividend of coexistence of economic growth and environmental protection. The research method used dynamic industrial relations models to estimate the influence of environmental taxes influence on the economy and environment. The goal was to conduct an objective analysis with scientific data. The conclusions provide a clue indicating that environmental taxes could only be used to facilitate short-term coexistence between economic growth and environmental protection. Once entering the mid-term and long term, the lack of innovation and technical progress would eventually cause economic development and environmental protection to diverge, which is why studies are yet to reach a consensus. The results suggest that although using environmental taxes to promote economic development and environmental protection can achieve the double dividend in the short term, in the midterm, the first dividend disappears unless a solution for improved energy efficiency and technical innovation can be determined immediately. Furthermore, to sustain its economic development and environmental protection efforts, Taiwan must first optimize its industrial structure, which can only be achieved through advanced research and development. Keywords: Environmental Tax Reform, R&D Subsidies, CO2 Emissions, Double Dividend Hypothesis JEL Classifications: C67, D57, Q50, Q5

Using Knowledge Building to Foster Conceptual Change

In recent years, there have been many exchanges of perspectives and debates in the field of conceptual change. Most of the classical views on conceptual change have been criticized, and there have been recent discussions around bridging the cognitive and socio-cultural approaches in the research on conceptual change. On the other hand, researchers and educators in the knowledge building communities have been working towards advancing the frontier of knowledge work and knowledge creation in education in order to cope with the challenges of an emerging knowledge society. In this paper, we examine some of the main principles of knowledge building in relation to fostering conceptual change with reference to specific examples. Specifically, we highlight the foundational goal of knowledge building with respect to conceptual change

Clustering Heart Rate Dynamics Is Associated with β-Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphisms: Analysis by Information-Based Similarity Index

Background: Genetic polymorphisms in the gene encoding the β-adrenergic receptors (β -AR) have a pivotal role in the functions of the autonomic nervous system. Using heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of autonomic function, we present a bottom-up genotype–phenotype analysis to investigate the association between β -AR gene polymorphisms and heart rate dynamics. Methods: A total of 221 healthy Han Chinese adults (59 males and 162 females, aged 33.6610.8 years, range 19 to 63 years) were recruited and genotyped for three common β-AR polymorphisms: β$_1$-AR Ser49Gly, β$_2$-AR Arg16Gly and β$_2$-AR Gln27Glu. Each subject underwent two hours of electrocardiogram monitoring at rest. We applied an information-based similarity (IBS) index to measure the pairwise dissimilarity of heart rate dynamics among study subjects. Results: With the aid of agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis, we categorized subjects into major clusters, which were found to have significantly different distributions of β$_2$-AR Arg16Gly genotype. Furthermore, the non-randomness index, a nonlinear HRV measure derived from the IBS method, was significantly lower in Arg16 homozygotes than in Gly16 carriers. The non-randomness index was negatively correlated with parasympathetic-related HRV variables and positively correlated with those HRV indices reflecting a sympathovagal shift toward sympathetic activity. Conclusions: We demonstrate a bottom-up categorization approach combining the IBS method and hierarchical cluster analysis to detect subgroups of subjects with HRV phenotypes associated with β-AR polymorphisms. Our results provide evidence that β$_2$-AR polymorphisms are significantly associated with the acceleration/deceleration pattern of heart rate oscillation, reflecting the underlying mode of autonomic nervous system control

Genomic sequencing and analyses of Lymantria xylina multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Outbreaks of the casuarina moth, <it>Lymantria xylina </it>Swinehoe (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), which is a very important forest pest in Taiwan, have occurred every five to 10 years. This moth has expanded its range of host plants to include more than 65 species of broadleaf trees. LyxyMNPV (<it>L. xylina </it>multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus) is highly virulent to the casuarina moth and has been investigated as a possible biopesticide for controlling this moth. LdMNPV-like virus has also been isolated from <it>Lymantria xylin</it>a larvae but LyxyMNPV was more virulent than LdMNPV-like virus both in NTU-LY and IPLB-LD-652Y cell lines. To better understand LyxyMNPV, the nucleotide sequence of the LyxyMNPV DNA genome was determined and analysed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genome of LyxyMNPV consists of 156,344 bases, has a G+C content of 53.4% and contains 157 putative open reading frames (ORFs). The gene content and gene order of LyxyMNPV were similar to those of LdMNPV, with 151 ORFs identified as homologous to those reported in the LdMNPV genome. Two genes (Lyxy49 and Lyxy123) were homologous to other baculoviruses, and four unique LyxyMNPV ORFs (Lyxy11, Lyxy19, Lyxy130 and Lyxy131) were identified in the LyxyMNPV genome, including a <it>gag-like </it>gene that was not reported in baculoviruses. LdMNPV contains 23 ORFs that are absent in LyxyMNPV. Readily identifiable homologues of the gene <it>host range factor-1 </it>(<it>hrf-1</it>), which appears to be involved in the susceptibility of <it>L. dispar </it>to NPV infection, were not present in LyxyMNPV. Additionally, two putative <it>odv-e27 </it>homologues were identified in LyxyMNPV. The LyxyMNPV genome encoded 14 <it>bro </it>genes compared with 16 in LdMNPV, which occupied more than 8% of the LyxyMNPV genome. Thirteen homologous regions (<it>hr</it>s) were identified containing 48 repeated sequences composed of 30-bp imperfect palindromes. However, they differed in the relative positions, number of repeats and orientation in the genome compared to LdMNPV.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The gene parity plot analysis, percent identity of the gene homologues and a phylogenetic analysis suggested that LyxyMNPV is a Group II NPV that is most closely related to LdMNPV but with a highly distinct genomic organisation.</p