University of Hawaii at Manoa

About: University of Hawaii at Manoa is a education organization based out in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Sea surface temperature. The organization has 13693 authors who have published 25161 publications receiving 1023924 citations.

Frailty: Emergence and Consequences in Women Aged 65 and Older in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study

Abstract: Author(s): Woods, Nancy Fugate; LaCroix, Andrea Z; Gray, Shelly L; Aragaki, Aaron; Cochrane, Barbara B; Brunner, Robert L; Masaki, Kamal; Murray, Anne; Newman, Anne B; Women's Health Initiative | Abstract: ObjectivesTo define frailty using simple indicators; to identify risk factors for frailty as targets for prevention; and to investigate the predictive validity of this frailty classification for death, hospitalization, hip fracture, and activity of daily living (ADL) disabilityDesignProspective study, the Women's Health Initiative Observational StudySettingForty US clinical centersParticipantsForty thousand six hundred fifty-seven women aged 65 to 79 at baselineMeasurementsComponents of frailty included self-reported muscle weakness/impaired walking, exhaustion, low physical activity, and unintended weight loss between baseline and 3 years of follow-up Death, hip fractures, ADL disability, and hospitalizations were ascertained during an average of 59 years of follow-upResultsBaseline frailty was classified in 163% of participants, and incident frailty at 3-years was 148% Older age, chronic conditions, smoking, and depressive symptom score were positively associated with incident frailty, whereas income, moderate alcohol use, living alone, and self-reported health were inversely associated Being underweight, overweight, or obese all carried significantly higher risk of frailty than normal weight Baseline frailty independently predicted risk of death (hazard ratio (HR)=171, 95% confidence interval (CI)=148-197), hip fracture (HR=157, 95% CI=111-220), ADL disability (odds ratio (OR)=315, 95% CI=247-402), and hospitalizations (OR=195, 95% CI=172-222) after adjustment for demographic characteristics, health behaviors, disability, and comorbid conditionsConclusionThese results support the robustness of the concept of frailty as a geriatric syndrome that predicts several poor outcomes in older women Underweight, obesity, smoking, and depressive symptoms are strongly associated with the development of frailty and represent important targets for prevention

A Survey of z > 5.8 quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey I: Discovery of three new quasars and the spatial density of luminous quasars at z ~ 6

Abstract: We present the results from a survey of i-dropout objects selected from ~1550 deg2 of multicolor imaging data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to search for luminous quasars at z 5.8. Objects with i*-z* > 2.2 and z* 0.90. The ARC 3.5 m spectrum of SDSSp J103027.10+052455.0 shows that over a range of ~300 A immediately blueward of the Lyα emission, the average transmitted flux is only 0.003 ± 0.020 times that of the continuum level, consistent with zero flux over a ~300 A range of the Lyα forest region and suggesting a tentative detection of the complete Gunn-Peterson trough. The existence of strong metal lines in the quasar spectra suggests early metal enrichment in the quasar environment. The three new objects, together with the previously published z = 5.8 quasar SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2, form a complete color-selected flux-limited sample at z 5.8. We estimate the selection function of this sample, taking into account the estimated variations in the quasar spectral energy distribution, as well as observational photometric errors. We find that at z = 6, the comoving density of luminous quasars at M1450 < -26.8 (H0 = 50 km s-1 Mpc-1, Ω = 1) is 1.1 × 10-9 Mpc-3. This is a factor of ~2 lower than that at z ~ 5 and is consistent with an extrapolation of the observed quasar evolution at z < 5. Using the current sample, we discuss the constraint on the shape of the quasar luminosity function and the implications for the contribution of quasars to the ionizing background at z ~ 6. The luminous quasars discussed in the paper have central black hole masses of several times 109 M⊙ by the Eddington argument, with likely dark halo masses on the order of 1013 M⊙. Their observed space density provides a sensitive test of models of quasar and galaxy formation at high redshift.

Improved maize reference genome with single-molecule technologies

Abstract: Complete and accurate reference genomes and annotations provide fundamental tools for characterization of genetic and functional variation. These resources facilitate the determination of biological processes and support translation of research findings into improved and sustainable agricultural technologies. Many reference genomes for crop plants have been generated over the past decade, but these genomes are often fragmented and missing complex repeat regions. Here we report the assembly and annotation of a reference genome of maize, a genetic and agricultural model species, using single-molecule real-time sequencing and high-resolution optical mapping. Relative to the previous reference genome, our assembly features a 52-fold increase in contig length and notable improvements in the assembly of intergenic spaces and centromeres. Characterization of the repetitive portion of the genome revealed more than 130,000 intact transposable elements, allowing us to identify transposable element lineage expansions that are unique to maize. Gene annotations were updated using 111,000 full-length transcripts obtained by single-molecule real-time sequencing. In addition, comparative optical mapping of two other inbred maize lines revealed a prevalence of deletions in regions of low gene density and maize lineage-specific genes.

Contextualization and value-in-context: How context frames exchange:

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of context in service provision and, more broadly, in market co-creation. We oscillate foci from an individual actor at the micro level to a market at the macro level to make the scaleable influence of context more salient. This reveals the meso level, which is nestled between the micro and macro levels. We discuss how these market levels influence one another. We conceptualize markets as simultaneous, continuous exchanges that are bounded by each of these levels of context.