State trajectories of suffrage in the United States, 1900-1950

One of the most important components of a democratic state is the degree to which the citizenry can freely elect their leaders. Most political systems call for the universal suffrage of the citizenry, although this is rarely a reality. This paper adds to the current scholarship on suffrage by providing a new, more comprehensive measure for suffrage in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century which allows for the inclusion of extensions that occurred during that time as well as suffrage retractions such as poll taxes, literacy, felon disenfranchisement, and citizenship. Using this new measure, this project then provides longitudinal trajectories of each state's suffrage expansions, and retractions during the first half of the twentieth century. A preliminary analysis of these trajectories is then completed in order to empirically test several theories on suffrage extensions and retractions and some mixed support of these theories is found.Master of Art

Attractiveness Compensates for Low Status Background in the Prediction of Educational Attainment

People who are perceived as good looking or as having a pleasant personality enjoy many advantages, including higher educational attainment. This study examines (1) whether associations between physical/personality attractiveness and educational attainment vary by parental socioeconomic resources and (2) whether parental socioeconomic resources predict these forms of attractiveness. Based on the theory of resource substitution with structural amplification, we hypothesized that both types of attractiveness would have a stronger association with educational attainment for people from disadvantaged backgrounds (resource substitution), but also that people from disadvantaged backgrounds would be less likely to be perceived as attractive (amplification)

REDES EDUCATIVAS, ESPAÇOS MULTIRREFERENCIAIS DE APRENDIZAGEM E TECNOLOGIAS DIGITAIS DE INFORMAÇÃO E COMUNICAÇÃO

A Revista Observatório chega com esperada veemência ao seu quinto ano editorial, com capa produzida pela colega, professor e artista Adriano Alves da Silva, trazendo com tenacidade mais dois dossiês especiais! Nosso quinto ano editorial será marcado por diversas mudanças (principalmente no número de dossiês e de artigos publicados), conforme serão vistas ao longo de 2019! Convidamos você leitor a continuar a prestigiar e compartilhar o conteúdo disponibilizado, fruto do esforço coletivo pela divulgação científica e qualidade. O primeiro, intitulado REDES EDUCATIVAS E ESPAÇOS MULTIRREFERENCIAIS DE APRENDIZAGEM, foi organizado pelas colegas Edméa de Oliveira Santos, Frieda Maria Marti e Rosemary dos Santos, com foco em contribuir para a discussão sobre modos outros de “pensarfazer” a pesquisa e a prática em Educação, tomando como ponto de partida as bases epistemológicas da multirreferencialidade e a noção de redes educativas e espaços multirreferenciais de aprendizagemensino. O dossiê apresenta relatos e reflexões científicas de autores brasileiros e do exterior (Inglaterra) derivadas de investigações sistemáticas e de experiências institucionais relevantes para o contexto nacional. O segundo, intitulado TECNOLOGIAS DIGITAIS DA INFORMAÇÃO E COMUNICAÇÃO (TDIC): PENSAMENTO COMPUTACIONAL, EDUCAÇÃO, DESENVOLVIMENTO HUMANO E SOCIAL, foi organizado pelas colegas Lina Maria Gonçalves e Suzana Giglioli Nunes, ambas da Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT), tendo como foco a divulgação de pesquisas que abordam as TDIC como importantes instrumentos para o desenvolvimento humano e social, especialmente no que se refere ao desenvolvimento do pensamento lógico e computacional

Species separation within, and preliminary phylogeny for, the leafhopper genus Anoscopus with particular reference to the putative British endemic Anoscopus duffieldi (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

The subfamily Aphrodinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) contains ~33 species in Europe within four genera. Species in two genera in particular, Aphrodes and Anoscopus, have proved to be difficult to distinguish morphologically. Our aim was to determine the status of the putative species Anoscopus duffieldi, found only on the RSPB Nature Reserve at Dungeness, Kent, a possible rare UK endemic. DNA from samples of all seven UK Anoscopus species (plus Anoscopusalpinus from the Czech Republic) were sequenced using parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and 16S rRNA genes. Bayesian inference phylogenies were created. Specimens of each species clustered into monophyletic groups, except for Anoscopusalbifrons, A. duffieldi and Anoscopuslimicola. Two A. albifrons specimens grouped with A. duffieldi repeatedly with strong support, and the remaining A. albifrons clustered within A. limicola. Genetic distances suggest that A. albifrons and A. limicola are a single interbreeding population (0% divergence), while A. albifrons and A. duffieldi diverged by only 0.28%. Shared haplotypes between A. albifrons, A. limicola and A. duffieldi strongly suggest interbreeding, although misidentification may also explain these topologies. However, all A. duffieldi clustered together in the trees. A conservative approach might be to treat A. duffieldi, until other evidence is forthcoming, as a possible endemic subspecies

Impacts of herbivory by ecological replacements on an island ecosystem

The use of ecological replacements (analogue species to replace extinct taxa) to restore ecosystem functioning is a promising conservation tool. However, this approach is controversial, in part due to a paucity of data on interactions between analogue species and established taxa in the ecosystem. We conducted ecological surveys, comprehensively DNA barcoded an ecosystem's flora and inferred the diet of the introduced Aldabra giant tortoise, acting as an ecological replacement, to understand how it might have modified island plant communities on a Mauritian islet. Through further dietary analyses, we investigated consequential effects on the threatened endemic Telfair's skink. Dietary overlap between tortoises and skinks was greater than expected by chance. However, there was a negative correlation between tortoise and skink preferences in herbivory and minimal overlap in the plants most frequently consumed by the reptiles. Changes in the plant community associated with 7 years of tortoise grazing were characterised by a decrease in the percentage cover of native herbs and creepers, and an increase in the cover of an invasive herb when compared to areas without tortoises. However, tortoise dietary preferences themselves did not directly drive changes in the plant community. Tortoises successfully dispersed the seeds of an endemic palm, which in time may increase the extent of unique palm-rich habitat. We found no evidence that tortoises have increased the extent of plant species hypothesised to be part of a lost Mauritian tortoise grazed community. Synthesis and applications. Due to a negative correlation in tortoise and skink dietary preferences and minimal overlap in the most frequently consumed taxa, the presence of tortoises is unlikely to have detrimental impacts on Telfair's skinks. Tortoise presence is likely to be beneficial to skinks in the long term by increasing the extent of palm-rich habitat. Although tortoises are likely to play a role in controlling invasive plants, they are not a panacea for this challenge. After 7 years, tortoises have not resurrected a lost tortoise grazed community that we hypothesise might have existed in limited areas on the islet, indicating that further interventions may be required to restore this plant community

STK35L1 Associates with Nuclear Actin and Regulates Cell Cycle and Migration of Endothelial Cells

BACKGROUND: Migration and proliferation of vascular endothelial cells are essential for repair of injured endothelium and angiogenesis. Cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors play an important role in vascular tissue injury and wound healing. Previous studies suggest a link between the cell cycle and cell migration: cells present in the G(1) phase have the highest potential to migrate. The molecular mechanism linking these two processes is not understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we explored the function of STK35L1, a novel Ser/Thr kinase, localized in the nucleus and nucleolus of endothelial cells. Molecular biological analysis identified a bipartite nuclear localization signal, and nucleolar localization sequences in the N-terminal part of STK35L1. Nuclear actin was identified as a novel binding partner of STK35L1. A class III PDZ binding domains motif was identified in STK35L1 that mediated its interaction with actin. Depletion of STK35L1 by siRNA lead to an accelerated G(1) to S phase transition after serum-stimulation of endothelial cells indicating an inhibitory role of the kinase in G(1) to S phase progression. Cell cycle specific genes array analysis revealed that one gene was prominently downregulated (8.8 fold) in STK35L1 silenced cells: CDKN2A alpha transcript, which codes for p16(INK4a) leading to G(1) arrest by inhibition of CDK4/6. Moreover in endothelial cells seeded on Matrigel, STK35L1 expression was rapidly upregulated, and silencing of STK35L1 drastically inhibited endothelial sprouting that is required for angiogenesis. Furthermore, STK35L1 depletion profoundly impaired endothelial cell migration in two wound healing assays. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The results indicate that by regulating CDKN2A and inhibiting G1- to S-phase transition STK35L1 may act as a central kinase linking the cell cycle and migration of endothelial cells. The interaction of STK35L1 with nuclear actin might be critical in the regulation of these fundamental endothelial functions

Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. Methods: We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18–85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)25–75 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)of 300–5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders)were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days)or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure)in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Findings: Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325)or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4–2·9). 79 (6·0%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%)of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR]0·65 [95% CI 0·49–0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%)of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85–2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%)patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%)in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75–1·59]; p=0·65). Interpretation: Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Funding: AbbVie

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities(.)(1,2) This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity(3-6). Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.Peer reviewe

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks