Relationship between hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome

Objective: To investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and hyperuricemia. Methods: A total of 2 374 subjects who received health examination in our hospital from Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2006 were enrolled in our study. Hyperuricemia is defined as ≥7 mg/dl (in men) or ≥6.0 mg/dl (in women). Metabolic syndrome was defined using AHA/NHLBI (American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) criteria. Results: (1) The overall prevalence of hyperuricemia was 13.10%. The condition was more common in men than in women (19.07% vs 3.42%). (2) Among men, uric acid concentration is statistically significantly positively correlated with waist circumference, blood pressure, and triglyceride. Uric acid is negatively correlated with serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). Uric acid concentration is most strongly correlated with serum triglyceride (r=0.379) and waist circumference (r=0.297). Among women, statistically significant positive correlations were noted for the serum uric acid concentrations with waist circumference, triglyceride and fasting plasma glucose. Serum triglyceride (r=0.329) and waist circumference (r=0.234) are most strongly correlated with uric acid concentrations. (3) Men with hyperuricemia had a 1.634-fold increased risk of metabolic syndrome as compared with those without hyperuricemia odds ratio (OR)=1.634, P=0.000. Women with hyperuricemia had a 1.626-fold increased risk of metabolic syndrome (OR=1.626, P=0.000) as compared with those without hyperuricemia. Conclusion: Hyperuricemia is prevalent among Chinese population. Additionally, serum uric acid is positively associated with metabolic syndrome.     

WOMBAT A tool for mixed model analyses in quantitative genetics by restricted maximum likelihood （REML）

WOMBAT is a software package for quantitative genetic analyses of continuous traits, fitting a linear, mixed model; estimates of covariance components and the resulting genetic parameters are obtained by restricted maximum likelihood. A wide range of models, comprising numerous traits, multiple fixed and random effects, selected genetic covariance structures, random regression models and reduced rank estimation are accommodated. WOMBAT employs up-to-date numerical and computational methods. Together with the use of efficient compilers, this generates fast executable programs, suitable for large scale analyses. Use of WOMBAT is illustrated for a bivariate analysis. The package consists of the executable program, available for LINUX and WINDOWS environments, manual and a set of worked example, and can be downloaded free of charge from http://agbu. une.edu.au/~kmeyer/wombat.html     

Genetic analysis of fruit shape traits at different maturation stages in sponge gourd

The fruit shape is important quantitative trait closely related to the fruit quality. However, the genetic model of fruit shapes has not been proposed. Therefore, in the present study, analysis of genetic effects for fruit shape traits （fruit length and fruit perimeter） in sponge gourd was conducted by employing a developmental genetic model including fruit direct effects and maternal effects. Analysis approaches of unconditional and conditional variances were applied to evaluate the genetic behavior of fruit shape traits at economical and physiological maturation times. The results of variance analysis indicated that fruit length and fruit perimeter were simultaneously affected by fruit direct genetic effects and maternal effects. Fruit direct genetic effects were relatively more important for fruit shape traits at whole developmental period. The gene expression was most active at the economical maturation stage （1-12 d after flowering） for two shape traits, and the activation of gene was mostly due to direct dominance effects at physiological maturation stage （13-60 datter flowering）. The coefficients due to different genetic effects, as well as the phenotypic correlation coefficients, varied significantly between fruit shape traits themselves at various maturation stages. The results showed that it was relatively easy to improve fruit shape traits for industrial purpose by carefully selecting the parents at economical maturation stage instead of that at physiological maturation stage.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mrakia psychrophila</Emphasis> sp. nov., a new species isolated from Antarctic soil

The yeast strain （Y18） was isolated from a soil sample collected from Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica. The strain is a psychrophilic yeast with optimum and maximum growth temperatures of 10 ℃ and 18 ℃, respectively. Teliospores were formed after 7 d on malt agar, when the germination of teliospores was observed. Both inositol and D-glucuronate were assimilated. Positive results of the DBB （diazonium blue B） color reaction, urease test, and starch formation were observed. The major CoQ is Qs. All results indicated that Y18 belongs to the genes of Mrakia. The 18S rDNA sequence analyses showed that Y18 is closely related to Mrakiafrigida. DNA-DNA relatedness study, and some biochemistry characteristics indicated that Y18 represents a new species for which Mrakia psychrophila sp. nov. is proposed.     

Phonological processing and emergent literacy in younger and older preschool children

Phonological awareness, phonological memory, and phonological access to lexical storage play important roles in acquiring literacy. We examined the convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity of these phonological processing abilities (PPA) in 389 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of each PPA as separate from general cognitive ability and separate from each other. Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) with mean structure demonstrated that older preschoolers have better developed latent PPA than younger preschoolers but that the structure of PPA is equivalent. RAN was found uniquely associated with letter knowledge and text discrimination in younger preschoolers, and PA was found uniquely associated with word reading skills in older preschoolers. Finally, general cognitive ability was only indirectly associated with emergent literacy via PPA. These results highlight the importance of PPA in the early literacy development of English-speaking preschool children.     

Resistance partial factor and reliability of cast ball-and-socket support joint

Considering the uncertainty of material performance, geometric characteristic and analysis method, the analysis of statistical parameters of the resistance of cast ball-and-socket support joints and the reliability analysis are carried out by JC method (improved first-order second-moment method) based on the relevant experimental data. Results show that the resistance partial factor of the joint increases with the increase of the reliability index. The resistance partial factors are suggested corresponding to the reliability index under different load combinations. Moreover, the suggested resistance partial factor is adopted in reliability design, and it is found that the reliability index of the joint is larger than the target reliability index. The optimal load combination is the one in which live load plays an important control role. Finally, based on the suggested resistance partial factors, the reliability analysis of cast ball-and-socket support joints of a project is conducted.     

When Diversity Training Goes Wrong: A Case Study Analysis of the University of Delaware Residential Education Program

In an increasingly global and interconnected world, it is necessary for corporations and educational systems to develop mechanisms for community members to enhance multicultural competencies related to diversity including race, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, and the like. Some people internalize anger, fear, contempt, and guilt about these issues. As a result, people express their feelings in unhealthy and unproductive ways in school and in the workplace. The solution often is to provide diversity training or sensitivity training. This case study analysis utilizes Kaufman's systemic thinking model to examine what went wrong when one university attempted to implement a yearlong intensive diversity training program that brought national media attention and a potential lawsuit against the university, ultimately resulting in a dramatic shift in the university's out‐of‐classroom experiential learning policies.     

A Model for Peer Review in Instructional Design

Although many professions practice some type of formal peer review, similar support for increasing the quality and efficiency of instructional design products is largely informal. Most designers develop solutions in professional eommunilies-of-practice, but formal design methodologies ordained by many corporations and instructional design schools do not account for the strong influence these communities have on design decisions. This paper describes an instructional design review process that is modeled after a widely accepted practice among software developers in which peers offer feedback through “structured walkthroughs.” The instructional design review helps the practitioner develop stronger designs more quickly. provides a means to scaffold the novice designer in the vagaries of the workplace, and improves organizational memory. An artifact of a design review as well as guidelines and success factors are presented. The paper provides a summary of a formal peer review structure that has been developed and tested over the past three years at a major corporation.