Ethnic differences in and childhood influences on early adult pulse wave velocity: the determinants of adolescent, now young adult, social wellbeing, and health longitudinal study

Early determinants of aortic stiffness as pulse wave velocity are poorly understood. We tested how factors measured twice previously in childhood in a multiethnic cohort study, particularly body mass, blood pressure, and objectively assessed physical activity affected aortic stiffness in young adults. Of 6643 London children, aged 11 to 13 years, from 51 schools in samples stratified by 6 ethnic groups with different cardiovascular risk, 4785 (72%) were seen again at aged 14 to 16 years. In 2013, 666 (97% of invited) took part in a young adult (21–23 years) pilot follow-up. With psychosocial and anthropometric measures, aortic stiffness and blood pressure were recorded via an upper arm calibrated Arteriograph device. In a subsample (n=334), physical activity was measured >5 days via the ActivPal. Unadjusted pulse wave velocities in black Caribbean and white UK young men were similar (mean±SD 7.9±0.3 versus 7.6±0.4 m/s) and lower in other groups at similar systolic pressures (120 mm Hg) and body mass (24.6 kg/m2). In fully adjusted regression models, independent of pressure effects, black Caribbean (higher body mass/waists), black African, and Indian young women had lower stiffness (by 0.5–0.8; 95% confidence interval, 0.1–1.1 m/s) than did white British women (6.9±0.2 m/s). Values were separately increased by age, pressure, powerful impacts from waist/height, time spent sedentary, and a reported racism effect (+0.3 m/s). Time walking at >100 steps/min was associated with reduced stiffness (P<0.01). Effects of childhood waist/hip were detected. By young adulthood, increased waist/height ratios, lower physical activity, blood pressure, and psychosocial variables (eg, perceived racism) independently increase arterial stiffness, effects likely to increase with age

3-De­oxy-1,2-di-O-isopropyl­idene-5-O-tosyl-d-threo-pentofuran­ose

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C15H20O6S, the two independent mol­ecules crystalllize in a chiral setting with two different conformations, twisted 4 T 3 and envelope 4 E, for the furan­ose rings. Weak C—H⋯O contacts strengthen the crystal structure

Geographic variation in phenology behavior and response to drought of cork oak populations is crucial to cope with climate change

Cork oak is widely distributed in the Western Mediterranean region, spanning a range of different environmental conditions, and frequently dominating open woodlands of high conservation and socioeconomic value. Cork oak woodlands spread-out for over 715000 ha in Portugal, covering 21% of the national forested area and 30% of the world’s cork producing area. Cork oak is well adapted to the seasonal drought of Mediterranean climate, following several decades of warming- up and frequent drought years. However, since the 70's, maximum and minimum temperatures have risen in Portugal about 0.5 ºC each decade, corresponding to twice the average world temperature increment. In addition, since longer, more frequent, and more intense drought periods are expected, stress caused by the expansion of arid and semi-arid climate throughout the country will affect the species distribution. Consequently, not only established stands may be prone to tree mortality, but also the current reforestation effort may be jeopardized by low survival rates attributed to the use of unsuitable genetic material. It is expected that, through genetic adaptation and/or phenotypic plasticity, cork oak populations may have developed significant differences in fitness and the traits related to it. In this context, provenance trials are the best resource of material to assess the variability between and within populations from seed sources sampled in a wide range of locations (stands) covering the geographical distribution of the species. This will enable to assess the levels and patterns of genetic variation for growth and traits determining adaptation to a specific environment, hence providing crucial information to select appropriate seed sources for planting, as well as to develop sustainable breeding and gene conservation programs. In 1998, multi-site provenance trials were established at three locations in Portugal, as a part of the “European Network for the Evaluation of Genetic Resources of Cork Oak for Appropriate Use in Breeding and Gene Conservation Strategies”. Results from these field trials at 7 years from planting pointed out that seed origin must be considered in reforestation programs, since survival, growth and adaptive traits (phenology, water use efficiency - wue) showed significant differences among populations. Responses to drought (a major limitation to cork oak regeneration) of four contrasting populations, selected according to their field performance for growth, phenology and wue, were further studied under controlled-environment conditions where drought stress was induced. In addition, morphological (total height, root/shoot biomass), physiological (wue, water potential, relative water content and gas exchange) and biochemical (maximum quantum yield of PSII) traits were assessed in 6-month seedlings produced from acorns collected in the stands representing the four contrasting provenances. Results from the controlled experiment provided an indication that drought adaptation was mainly related to early stomatal closure and root investment, with these traits showing significant differences between the studied populations. We have also observed significant differences in growth rhythm, as well as dissimilar temporal drought responses, in the populations under study. In conclusion, both field trials and controlled environment showed consistent results and indicated an important influence of geographic origin on growth performance and wue.projeto PTDC/AGR-AAM/104364/200

Exploring access to end of life care for ethnic minorities with end stage kidney disease through recruitment in action research

BACKGROUND: Variation in provision of palliative care in kidney services and practitioner concerns to provide equitable access led to the development of this study which focussed on the perspectives of South Asian patients and their care providers. As people with a South Asian background experience a higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and end stage kidney failure (ESKF) compared to the majority population but wait longer for a transplant, there is a need for end of life care to be accessible for this group of patients. Furthermore because non English speakers and people at end of life are often excluded from research there is a dearth of research evidence with which to inform service improvement. This paper aims to explore issues relating to the process of recruitment of patients for a research project which contribute to our understanding of access to end of life care for ethnic minority patients in the kidney setting. METHODS: The study employed an action research methodology with interviews and focus groups to capture and reflect on the process of engaging with South Asian patients about end of life care. Researchers and kidney care clinicians on four NHS sites in the UK recruited South Asian patients with ESKF who were requiring end of life care to take part in individual interviews; and other clinicians who provided care to South Asian kidney patients at end of life to take part in focus groups exploring end of life care issues. In action research planning, action and evaluation are interlinked and data were analysed with emergent themes fed back to care providers through the research cycle. Reflections on the process of patient recruitment generated focus group discussions about access which were analysed thematically and reported here. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were recruited to interview and 45 different care providers took part in 14 focus groups across the sites. The process of recruiting patients to interview and subsequent focus group data highlighted some of the key issues concerning access to end of life care. These were: the identification of patients approaching end of life; and their awareness of end of life care; language barriers and informal carers' roles in mediating communication; and contrasting cultures in end of life kidney care. CONCLUSIONS: Reflection on the process of recruitment in this action research study provided insight into the complex scenario of end of life in kidney care. Some of the emerging issues such as the difficulty identifying patients are likely to be common across all patient groups, whilst others concerning language barriers and third party communication are more specific to ethnic minorities. A focus on South Asian ethnicity contributes to better understanding of patient perspectives and generic concepts as well as access to end of life kidney care for this group of patients in the UK. Action research was a useful methodology for achieving this and for informing future research to include informal carers and other ethnic groups.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Improving land cover classification using genetic programming for feature construction

Batista, J. E., Cabral, A. I. R., Vasconcelos, M. J. P., Vanneschi, L., & Silva, S. (2021). Improving land cover classification using genetic programming for feature construction. Remote Sensing, 13(9), [1623]. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13091623Genetic programming (GP) is a powerful machine learning (ML) algorithm that can produce readable white-box models. Although successfully used for solving an array of problems in different scientific areas, GP is still not well known in the field of remote sensing. The M3GP algorithm, a variant of the standard GP algorithm, performs feature construction by evolving hyperfeatures from the original ones. In this work, we use the M3GP algorithm on several sets of satellite images over different countries to create hyperfeatures from satellite bands to improve the classification of land cover types. We add the evolved hyperfeatures to the reference datasets and observe a significant improvement of the performance of three state-of-the-art ML algorithms (decision trees, random forests, and XGBoost) on multiclass classifications and no significant effect on the binary classifications. We show that adding the M3GP hyperfeatures to the reference datasets brings better results than adding the well-known spectral indices NDVI, NDWI, and NBR. We also compare the performance of the M3GP hyperfeatures in the binary classification problems with those created by other feature construction methods such as FFX and EFS.publishersversionpublishe

Improving the design of nozzles used in zamak high-pressure die-casting process

The injection of light alloys is an activity that requires a high effort on the part of Engineering to maintain its competitiveness. Due to the temperatures used, the wear of the components connected to this manufacturing process is quite intense, requiring a constant updating effort. This work was developed with a view to solving problems related to the excessive wear of injection nozzles used in the die casting process, and corresponding electrical resistances, with a view to increase its lifetime and improve the competitiveness of the process in the injection of low-cost parts in zamak for the automotive industry. To study and solve the problems of premature wear of the injection nozzles, the action-research method was used, which, through several iterations, allowed to arrive at an improved design of the nozzle, as well as the corresponding electrical resistance, thus increasing the life span of these components, also improving safety around the process and generating knowledge that can be transferable to other similar situations.The authors would like to thank Mr. Mário Cardoso from FicoCables, Lda. for his continuous support, proving interesting challenges for applied research. Authors would like to thank Ing. Fátima Andrade due to her help in preparing the samples and collecting images in the optical microscope. Authors would also thank INEGI - Instituto de Ciência e Inovação em Engenharia Mecânica e Engenharia Industrial, Porto, Portugal, due to its continuous support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A new strategy for using banana as an ingredient in the brewing process

Beer is a traditionally fermented beverage made from malted grains of barley, hops, yeast, and water, while banana is an important food crop cultivated widely in tropical and subtropical areas and is one of the major fruits in Brazil. Besides, the banana is also very favorable to food industry (e.g. fermented beverages) due to its rich content on soluble solids, presence of minerals, and providing low acidity. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate a new strategy for using banana as adjunct to increase the fermentable sugars and to supply a specific aroma in pilot-plant brewing experiments. For this, static fermentations were conducted in a 180 L cylindrical-conical reactor using 140 L as working volume. Addition of banana was evaluated when changing the concentration of the wort from 10 to 12 ºP and from 10 to 13.5 ºP (ºP is the weight of the extract or the sugar equivalent in 100 g solution, at 20 ºC) and fermented under a constant temperature of 10 and 12.5 ºC, respectively. The results showed that the increment in the initial sugar concentration (12 to 13.5 ºP, due to the use of banana juice as adjunct), and in the temperature (10 to 12.5 ºC), increased approximately 17% the ethanol productivity. Thus, it was concluded that by using of simple preparation techniques of banana juice, banana can be used as adjunct in brewing processes, helping in the development of new products as well as in the elaboration of more concentrated worts when compared the traditional brewing worts.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Malteria do ValeCorn Products BrasilWallerstein Industrial e ComercialDiverseyLever (Brazil)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)CAPES/GRICES (Brazil/Portugal