Obesity prevalence and time trend among youngsters in China, 1982-2002

Purpose of present study is to describe the prevalence and trend of overweight and obesity, as well as its coexistence with stunting, among youngsters in China, from 1982 to 2002. Data from children 7-17 years of age from three cross-sectional national surveys: 1982 China National Nutrition Survey (5 334 boys and 4 793 girls), 1992 China National Nutrition Survey (8 048 boys and 7 453 girls) and 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey (23 242 boys and 21 638 girls) were used in this study. Overweight and obesity were defined according to age, sex specific BMI cut-off points from the International Obesity Task Force, while stunting was defined as height-for-age below -2 standard deviation from the NCHS/WHO reference median value. Results: Overweight prevalence of Chinese youngsters was 1.2%, 3.7% and 4.4%, while the obesity prevalence was 0.2%, 0.9% and 0.9% in 1982, 1992 and 2002, respectively. Both the overweight and obesity prevalence and their increment were higher among boys in urban areas. In 1982, 28.4% of overweight and 69.6% of obese youngsters were stunted, this decreased to 22.0% and 46.4% in 1992, and then to 5.7% and 7.7% in 2002, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chinese youngsters were low in 1982. There has been a rapid increase since then. If this trend continues, overweight will soon reach epidemic proportions. Stunting among overweight and obese youngsters decreased dramatically at the same time

Multi-gap superconductivity in a BaFe1.84Co0.16As2 film from optical measurements at terahertz frequencies

We measured the THz reflectance properties of a high quality epitaxial thin film of the Fe-based superconductor BaFe$_{1.84}$Co$_{0.16}$As$_2$ with T$_c$=22.5 K. The film was grown by pulsed laser deposition on a DyScO$_3$ substrate with an epitaxial SrTiO$_3$ intermediate layer. The measured $R_S/R_N$ spectrum, i.e. the reflectivity ratio between the superconducting and normal state reflectance, provides clear evidence of a superconducting gap $\Delta_A$ close to 15 cm$^{-1}$. A detailed data analysis shows that a two-band, two-gap model is absolutely necessary to obtain a good description of the measured $R_S/R_N$ spectrum. The low-energy $\Delta_A$ gap results to be well determined ($\Delta_A$=15.5$\pm$0.5 cm$^{-1}$), while the value of the high-energy gap $\Delta_B$ is more uncertain ($\Delta_B$=55$\pm$7 cm$^{-1}$). Our results provide evidence of a nodeless isotropic double-gap scenario, with the presence of two optical gaps corresponding to 2$\Delta/kT_c$ values close to 2 and 7.Comment: Published Versio

Generation of ultrabright beams in high energy Nd:glass and KrF laser systems

The development of ultrabright lasers is progressing rapidly particularly in the direction of table-top-terawatt systems operating at high pulse repetition rate with relatively low pulse energy. The highest pulse energies and highest absolute powers are being generated by the adaptation of larger-scale high energy laser systems operating in single pulse mode. The maximum focused intensity from either type of laser is determined by the beam brightness B which can be expressed in units of Watts cm where P is the power, lambda the wavelength and S the Strehl ratio, quantifying the ratio of brightness in a beam with less than diffraction limited quality to that in a diffraction limited beam

Genome-wide meta-analysis uncovers novel loci influencing circulating leptin levels.

Leptin is an adipocyte-secreted hormone, the circulating levels of which correlate closely with overall adiposity. Although rare mutations in the leptin (LEP) gene are well known to cause leptin deficiency and severe obesity, no common loci regulating circulating leptin levels have been uncovered. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of circulating leptin levels from 32,161 individuals and followed up loci reaching P<10(-6) in 19,979 additional individuals. We identify five loci robustly associated (P<5 × 10(-8)) with leptin levels in/near LEP, SLC32A1, GCKR, CCNL1 and FTO. Although the association of the FTO obesity locus with leptin levels is abolished by adjustment for BMI, associations of the four other loci are independent of adiposity. The GCKR locus was found associated with multiple metabolic traits in previous GWAS and the CCNL1 locus with birth weight. Knockdown experiments in mouse adipose tissue explants show convincing evidence for adipogenin, a regulator of adipocyte differentiation, as the novel causal gene in the SLC32A1 locus influencing leptin levels. Our findings provide novel insights into the regulation of leptin production by adipose tissue and open new avenues for examining the influence of variation in leptin levels on adiposity and metabolic health

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (F-ROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that F-ROH is significantly associated (p <0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: F-ROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44-66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of F-ROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in F-ROH is independent of all environmental confounding.Peer reviewe

Characteristics of the nuclear (18S, 5.8S, 28S and 5S) and mitochondrial (12S and 16S) rRNA genes of Apis mellifera (Insecta: Hymenoptera): structure, organization, and retrotransposable elements

As an accompanying manuscript to the release of the honey bee genome, we report the entire sequence of the nuclear (18S, 5.8S, 28S and 5S) and mitochondrial (12S and 16S) ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-encoding gene sequences (rDNA) and related internally and externally transcribed spacer regions of Apis mellifera (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apocrita). Additionally, we predict secondary structures for the mature rRNA molecules based on comparative sequence analyses with other arthropod taxa and reference to recently published crystal structures of the ribosome. In general, the structures of honey bee rRNAs are in agreement with previously predicted rRNA models from other arthropods in core regions of the rRNA, with little additional expansion in non-conserved regions. Our multiple sequence alignments are made available on several public databases and provide a preliminary establishment of a global structural model of all rRNAs from the insects. Additionally, we provide conserved stretches of sequences flanking the rDNA cistrons that comprise the externally transcribed spacer regions (ETS) and part of the intergenic spacer region (IGS), including several repetitive motifs. Finally, we report the occurrence of retrotransposition in the nuclear large subunit rDNA, as R2 elements are present in the usual insertion points found in other arthropods. Interestingly, functional R1 elements usually present in the genomes of insects were not detected in the honey bee rRNA genes. The reverse transcriptase products of the R2 elements are deduced from their putative open reading frames and structurally aligned with those from another hymenopteran insect, the jewel wasp Nasonia (Pteromalidae). Stretches of conserved amino acids shared between Apis and Nasonia are illustrated and serve as potential sites for primer design, as target amplicons within these R2 elements may serve as novel phylogenetic markers for Hymenoptera. Given the impending completion of the sequencing of the Nasonia genome, we expect our report eventually to shed light on the evolution of the hymenopteran genome within higher insects, particularly regarding the relative maintenance of conserved rDNA genes, related variable spacer regions and retrotransposable elements

Genetic insights into resting heart rate and its role in cardiovascular disease.

Resting heart rate is associated with cardiovascular diseases and mortality in observational and Mendelian randomization studies. The aims of this study are to extend the number of resting heart rate associated genetic variants and to obtain further insights in resting heart rate biology and its clinical consequences. A genome-wide meta-analysis of 100 studies in up to 835,465 individuals reveals 493 independent genetic variants in 352 loci, including 68 genetic variants outside previously identified resting heart rate associated loci. We prioritize 670 genes and in silico annotations point to their enrichment in cardiomyocytes and provide insights in their ECG signature. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that higher genetically predicted resting heart rate increases risk of dilated cardiomyopathy, but decreases risk of developing atrial fibrillation, ischemic stroke, and cardio-embolic stroke. We do not find evidence for a linear or non-linear genetic association between resting heart rate and all-cause mortality in contrast to our previous Mendelian randomization study. Systematic alteration of key differences between the current and previous Mendelian randomization study indicates that the most likely cause of the discrepancy between these studies arises from false positive findings in previous one-sample MR analyses caused by weak-instrument bias at lower P-value thresholds. The results extend our understanding of resting heart rate biology and give additional insights in its role in cardiovascular disease development

The Influence of Age and Sex on Genetic Associations with Adult Body Size and Shape : A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Interaction Study

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 100 genetic variants contributing to BMI, a measure of body size, or waist-to-hip ratio (adjusted for BMI, WHRadjBMI), a measure of body shape. Body size and shape change as people grow older and these changes differ substantially between men and women. To systematically screen for age-and/or sex-specific effects of genetic variants on BMI and WHRadjBMI, we performed meta-analyses of 114 studies (up to 320,485 individuals of European descent) with genome-wide chip and/or Metabochip data by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) Consortium. Each study tested the association of up to similar to 2.8M SNPs with BMI and WHRadjBMI in four strata (men 50y, women 50y) and summary statistics were combined in stratum-specific meta-analyses. We then screened for variants that showed age-specific effects (G x AGE), sex-specific effects (G x SEX) or age-specific effects that differed between men and women (G x AGE x SEX). For BMI, we identified 15 loci (11 previously established for main effects, four novel) that showed significant (FDR= 50y). No sex-dependent effects were identified for BMI. For WHRadjBMI, we identified 44 loci (27 previously established for main effects, 17 novel) with sex-specific effects, of which 28 showed larger effects in women than in men, five showed larger effects in men than in women, and 11 showed opposite effects between sexes. No age-dependent effects were identified for WHRadjBMI. This is the first genome-wide interaction meta-analysis to report convincing evidence of age-dependent genetic effects on BMI. In addition, we confirm the sex-specificity of genetic effects on WHRadjBMI. These results may providefurther insights into the biology that underlies weight change with age or the sexually dimorphism of body shape.Peer reviewe

Analysis Of The Multifractal Nature Of Speech Signals

Frame duration is an essential parameter to ensure correct application of multifractal signal processing. This paper aims to identify the multifractal nature of speech signals through theoretical study and experimental verification. One important part of this pursuit is to select adequate ranges of frame duration that effectively display evidence of multifractal nature. An overview of multifractal theory is given, including definitions and methods for analyzing and estimating multifractal characteristics and behavior. Based on these methods, we evaluate the utterances from two different Portuguese speech databases by studying their singularity curves (τ(q) and f(α)).We conclude that the frame duration between 50 and 100 ms is more suitable and useful for multifractal speech signal processing in terms of speaker recognition performance [11]. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.7441 LNCS740748Campell, J., Speaker Recognition: A Tutorial (1998) Proceeding of the IEEE, 85 (9)Reynolds, D.A., Rose, R.C., Robust Text-Independent Speaker Identification Using Mixture Speaker Model (1995) IEEE Trans. Speech Audio Processing, 3 (1), pp. 72-82Langi, A., Kinsner, W., Consonant Characterization Using Correlation Fractal Dimension for Speech Recognition (1995) Proc. on IEEE Western Canada Conference on Communications, Computer, and Power in the Modem Environment, Winnipeg, Canada, 1, pp. 208-213Jayant, N., Noll, P., (1984) Digital Coding of Waveforms: Principles and Applications to Speech and Video, p. 688. , Prentice-Hall, Englewood CliffsSant'Ana, R., Coelho, R., Alcaim, A., Text-Independent Speaker Recognition Based on the Hurst Parameter and the Multidimensional Fractional Brownian Motion Model (2006) IEEE Trans. on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, 14 (3), pp. 931-940Zhou, Y., Wang, J., Zhang, X., Research on Speaker Recognition Based on Multifractal Spectrum Feature (2010) Second International Conference on Computer Modeling and Simulation, pp. 463-466Maragos, P., Fractal Aspects of Speech Signals: Dimension and Interpolation (1991) Proc. IEEE ICASSP, 1, pp. 417-420Langitt, A., Soemintapurat, K., Kinsners, W., Multifractal Processing of Speech Signals Information, Communications and Signal Processing (1997) LNCS, 1334, pp. 527-531. , Han, Y., Quing, S. (eds.) ICICS 1997. Springer, HeidelbergKinsner, W., Grieder, W., Speech Segmentation Using Multifractal Measures and Amplification of Signal Features (2008) Proc. 7th IEEE Int. Conf. on Cognitive Informatics (ICCI 2008), pp. 351-357Adeyemi, O.A., Multifractal Analysis of Unvoiced Speech Signals (1997) ETD Collection for University of Rhode Island. Paper AAI9805227González, D.C., Lee, L.L., Violaro, F., (2011) Use of Multifractal Parameters for Speaker Recognition, , M. Eng. thesis, FEEC/UNCAMP, Campinas, BrazilSténico, J.W., Lee, L.L., (2009) Estimation of Loss Probability and An Admission Control Scheme for Multifractal Network Traffic, , M. Eng. thesis, FEEC/UNCAMP, Campinas, BrazilRiedi, R.H., Crouse, M.S., Ribeiro, V.J., Baraniuk, R.G., A Multifractal Wavelet Model with Application to Network Traffic (1999) IEEE Trans. on Information Theory, 45 (3), pp. 992-1018Krishna, M.P., Gadre, V.M., Dessay, U.B., (2003) Multifractal Based Network Traffic Modeling, , Kluwer Academic Publishers., Ed. BombayYnoguti, C., Violaro, F., (1999) Continuous Speech Recognition Using Hidden Markov Models, , D. Eng. thesis, FEEC/UNCAMP, Campinas, BrazilHolmes, J., Holmes, W., (2001) Speech Synthesis and Recognition, , 2nd edn. Tayor & Francis, LondonResearch Center INRIA Saclay, , http://fraclab.saclay.inria.fr