Introgression Progress for Phenotypic Traits and Parent-progeny Diversity at Advanced Segregation Population From Oryza Barthii and Oryza Glaberrima/oryza Sativa Crosses

Rice is a cereal staple of global fame and importance. Oryza barthii, a wild species holds significant traits and its utilization in rice breeding is rare. This study traced introgression trend of heritable traits in the offspring of O. barthii with an Africa-Asian progenitor to F8 and assessed diversity between the parents and the F8 population. Significant (P<0.05) genotypic variation existed for all the traits except tiller number, panicle/meter squared, grains/panicle and 1000 grain weight. Grains/panicle and days to 50% flowering had respective least (3.34%) and highest (96.32%) broad sense heritabilities. All traits had lower GCV compared to PCV. The least (5.28% and 8.05%) and the highest (90.8% and 98.1%) GCV and PCV were respectively from grains/panicle and tiller number. Clear variations on the panicles and grains include: variations in sizes, shapes, colours, presence or absence of awns. The total variance explained by five principal component axes was 80.1%. Plant height at maturity was the only trait with significant (p ≤ 0.01) correlation and regression between F6 and F7. Progenies resemblance to Parent 1(IRGC 104084) retrogressively declined but parent-offspring to parent 2 (TGS 25) progressively increased from F6 to F8. Three visible groups of rice type in this study were: the O. barthii (11%), O. sativa (67%) and the intermediate group (22%). This research has added to rice genetic resources; an investigation of the nutritional status of the progenies would be an interesting research.

Language Interfaces in Adult Heritage Language Acquisition: A Study on Encoding of Nominal Reference in Mandarin Chinese as a Heritage Language

According to the Interface Hypothesis in the field of bilingualism, the interface connecting a linguistic module with a language-external domain (e.g., syntax-discourse) will present prolonged difficulties for adult bilingual learners, as compared with the interface connecting language-internal modules (e.g., syntax-semantics). This study tested whether the Interface Hypothesis is applicable to the acquisition of Mandarin Chinese as a heritage language. An internet-based acceptability judgment task (AJT) was administered to 58 advanced and intermediate adult Chinese heritage speakers to collect data in accuracy and reaction time to investigate the adult heritage speakers’ mastery of referential nominal expressions regulated at the syntax-semantics and syntax-discourse interfaces, respectively, in Mandarin Chinese. The target linguistic phenomena involved three nominal expressions (i.e., the bare N(oun), the [Cl(assifier)-N], and the [Num(eral)-Cl-N]) under four interface-regulated referential readings (i.e., type-denoting, quantity-denoting, indefinite individual-denoting, and definite individual-denoting). In terms of accuracy, the results showed that (i) for the N and the [Num-Cl-N], regardless of the interface type, the advanced group acquired the target phenomena to a nativelike level, who significantly outperformed the intermediate group; (ii) for the [Cl-N], the advanced group exhibited nativelike attainment at the syntax-discourse interface but not at the syntax-semantics interface, and performed significantly better than the intermediate group at both interfaces. Regarding reaction time, no significant differences were reported between the advanced group and the native group for the target structures at either the syntax-semantics or the syntax-discourse interface, while the advanced group performed significantly better than the intermediate group, regardless of the interface type and the structure type. The findings suggest that the nature of the language interface, i.e., whether it pertains to language-external domains (i.e., the external interface) or not (i.e., the internal interface), should not be a reliable factor for predicting the (im)possibility of nativelike attainment of bilingual grammar knowledge, contra the predictions of the Interface Hypothesis. The present study provides new empirical evidence to show that language-external interface properties are not necessarily destined for prolonged difficulties in heritage language acquisition, and that it is possible for adult heritage speakers to make developmental progress in both accuracy and processing efficiency at different types of interfaces.

Analysis of Morphological Characteristics and Variation in Five Populations of Zabelia tyaihyonii in South Korea

Background and objective: Native to the limestone zones of the Korean Peninsula, Zabelia tyaihyonii is a popular plant for landscaping. As it is now classified as a rare species, the conservation of its genetic resources is necessary.Methods: In this study, which aimed to understand the morphological variation of Z. tyaihyonii, 18 characteristics of Z. tyaihyonii from five habitats were examined.Results: Of these 18 characteristics, 16 characteristics showed significant differences among sites, and the coefficient of variation ranged from 5.4% (for corolla lobe number) to 31.3% (for flower number). Notable variations were observed in the size of flower and calyx lobe. When the corolla length and calyx lobe length were used as the classification key of Z. tyaihyonii, the sites were divided into those with small, intermediate, and large values. Hair was observed on the filament of all samples, a finding which conflicts with an earlier report. Rather than classifying Z. tyaihyonii into different species on the basis of corolla length (COL) and calyx lobe length (CALL) values, we recommend modifying the species description to incorporate the variation in these characteristics of interest. Principal component analysis results showed that the first main component was highly correlated with the traits related to the size of the calyx lobe (length: 0.819, width: 0.758), and the second main component was highly correlated with the traits related with the size of the inflorescence (length: 0.790, width: 0.626).Conclusion: Several notable variations were identified among the characteristics related to inflorescence and calyx lobe. There is little genetic exchange among groups, or each group is influenced by micro environmental factors, because sites that are located nearby. In addition, the difference between COL and CALL, which is used as the classification key for Z. tyaihyonii, was divided into small group, large group, and intermediate group, regardless of the sites’ geographical distance.

Solidarity in diversity: online petitions and collective identity in Hong Kong's Anti-Extradition Bill Movement

Collective identity is a key catalyst of protest mobilization. How does collective identity come into existence among strangers with diverse backgrounds, especially in movements without a centralized leadership? Although collective identity is often seen as something constructed by movement organizations or out of established networks, we describe a more bottom-up and decentralized process in which movement collective identity is created through the horizontal mobilization of intermediate identities, which leverage pre-existing social identifications to induce commitment among individuals. Focusing on Hong Kong's Anti-Extradition Bill Movement of 2019, we argue that online petitions against the controversial bill created intermediate group identities among myriad social groups, such as alumni, professions, hobby groups, and residential communities. These intermediate identities provided rich discursive resources for previously disconnected individuals to collectively perceive the threat of the bill and see the obligation to act, which, in turn, shaped a strong collective identity early on in the protests. Our findings may help contribute to a more nuanced understanding of collective identity formation in contemporary leaderless movements.

Development of a new clinical index to easily assess frailty of elderly patients with multiple myeloma in Asian population

The number of elderly people is rapidly growing, and the proportion of elderly patients with multiple myeloma (MM) continues to increase. This study aimed to develop a frailty assessment tool based on clinical data and to estimate its feasibility in elderly patients with MM. This study analyzed data from 728 elderly transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed MM who were treated between January 2010 and October 2019. Our clinical frailty index included age (< 75, and ≥ 75 years), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI; < 3 and ≥ 3), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score (ECOG score; 0, 1–2, and ≥ 3). Patients were classified as fit, intermediate, or frail if they had a score of 0, 1, or ≥ 2, respectively. The overall survival rates differed significantly according to frailty (fit vs. intermediate: hazard ratio [HR] = 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.43–4.06; P = 0.001; fit vs. frail: HR = 4.61; 95% CI = 2.74–7.77; P < 0.001 and intermediate vs. frail: HR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.49–2.45, P < 0.001, respectively). The frail had significantly shorter EFS compared with the fit and intermediate group in our frailty index (fit vs. intermediate: HR = 1.34, 95% CI = 0.92–1.96, P = 0.132; fit vs. frail: HR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.40–3.02, P < 0.001; and intermediate vs. frail: HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.22–1.92, P < 0.001, respectively). The new clinical frailty index, which is based on age, CCI, and ECOG PS, can easily assess frailty in elderly patients with MM and can be helpful in predicting survival outcomes in real world clinical setting.

Predictive Value of Albumin and Neutrophil Combined Prognostic Grade in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients Treated With anti-PD-1 Therapy

Background The application of immunotherapy is gradually increasing in advanced gastric cancer (AGC), but only some patients could benefit from it. Validated biomarkers can screen out the beneficiaries. The objective of this research is to explore the predictive value of albumin and neutrophil combined prognostic grade ( ANPG) in AGC patients receiving immunotherapy. Methods A total number of 268 AGC patients were included. The cut-off value of albumin was 38 g/L obtained by the median value, and neutrophil was 4.16 g/L estimated by the average value. The high levels of albumin (≥38 g/L) and neutrophil (≥4.16 g/L) were considered to be two risk factors for ANPG. Based on these two risk factors, patients were categorized into 3 groups：the risk factor number for the "good" group was 0, for the "intermediate" group was 1, and for the "poor" group was 2. Results Patients with the good ANPG was related to longer progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), compared to those with the intermediate and the poor ANPG (5.6 months vs 5.3 months vs 3.4 months, 17.8 months vs 11.8 months vs 8.2 months). The poor group was independently correlated with an over 1.9 times risk of disease progression (HR=1.901; 95% CI, 1.314-2.750; P=0.001) and an over 2 times risk of death (HR=2.003; 95% CI, 1.306-3.072; P=0.001) than the good group. The intermediate group was independently correlated with an over 1.3 times risk of disease progression (HR=1.385; 95% CI, 1.004-1.911; P=0.048) and an over 1.4 times risk of death (HR=1.484; 95% CI, 1.046-2.106; P=0.027) than the good group. Conclusion Our study verifies, for the first time, that ANPG is an independent factor affecting survival of AGC patients receiving immunotherapy. Patients with the good ANPG could benefit from immunotherapy.

Importance of Tricuspid Regurgitation Velocity Threshold in Risk Assessment of Pulmonary Hypertension-Long-Term Outcome of Patients Submitted to Aortic Valve Replacement

Background: The upper physiological threshold for tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) of 2.8 m/s proposed by the Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) guidelines had been questioned. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative PH in patients with aortic stenosis, long-term after valve replacement, using two different TRV thresholds (2.55 and 2.8 m/s).Methods: Four hundred and forty four patients were included (mean age 73 ± 9 years; 55% male), with a median follow-up of 5.8 years (98% completed). Patients were divided into three PH probability groups according to guidelines (low, intermediate and high) for both thresholds (TRV ≤ 2.8 m/s and TRV ≤ 2.55 m/s), using right atrial area&gt;18 cm2 and right ventricle/left ventricle ratio&gt;1 as additional echocardiographic variables.Results: In patients with measurable TRV (n = 304), the low group mortality rate was 25% and 30%, respectively for 2.55 and 2.8 m/s TRV thresholds. The intermediate group with TRV &gt; 2.55 m/s was an independent mortality risk factor (HR 2.04; 95% CI: 1.91 to 3.48, p = 0.01), in contrast to the intermediate group with TRV&gt;2.8 m/s (HR 1.44; 95% CI: 0.89 to 2.32, p = 0.14). Both high probability groups were associated with an increased mortality risk, as compared to their respective low groups. When including all patients (with measurable and non-measurable TRV), both intermediate groups remained independently associated with an increased mortality risk: HR 1.62 (95% CI 1.11 to 2.35 p = 0.01) for the new cut-off point; and HR 1.43 (95% CI: 0.96 to 2.13, p = 0.07) for guidelines threshold.Conclusion: A TRV threshold of 2.55 m/s, together with right cavities measures, allowed a better risk assessment of patients with PH secondary to severe aortic stenosis, with or without tricuspid regurgitation.

YouTube as a Source of Patient Information on Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Introduction Myofascial pain syndrome is a local disorder characterised by pathological myofascial constrictions and trigger points. One of the most popular sources of internet-based information for patients is YouTube, which provides a lot of videos related to myofascial pain syndrome, making it one of the top clinical conditions searched for on the site. This study aimed to examine the quality of the YouTube video content on myofascial pain syndrome. Method This study was designed as a cross-sectional study and used the YouTube video sharing website as the main source of data. A search of the relevant videos was performed by entering the words “myofascial pain syndrome” in June 2021. Video characteristics were recorded, and the quality of the videos was assessed according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, the DISCERN Scale and the Global Quality Scale. Results A total of 322 videos were evaluated, 186 of which were subjected to analysis after applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The videos were categorised into groups, with 10 (5.4%) falling into the high-quality group, 16 (8.6%) into the intermediate quality group, and 160 (86%) into the low-quality group. The findings from the study showed that the most popular videos, the highest number of video likes and the highest number of video views were in the intermediate group, while the high-quality group had the lowest popularity level, number of video likes and number of video views (p ˂ 0.05). Conclusions Although there are videos with high-quality content on YouTube offering guidance to patients about the disease, it is important to keep in mind that inaccurate and deficient information about the disease may also be present on this platform.

High CRP-Albumin Ratio Predicts Poor Prognosis in Transplant Ineligible Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Introduction. Older patients aged over 65 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are often ineligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and generally have a poor prognosis. The personalized strategy for appropriate treatment for these patients has not yet been completely established. While C-reactive-protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) based on serum level of CRP and albumin (Alb) predicts prognosis of patients with hematological malignancies treated with HSCT (Miyashita E, BBMT. 2019), the prognostic significance of this inflammatory and nutritional assessment in transplant-ineligible elderly patients with AML remains to be clarified. Methods. Hokkaido Leukemia Net (HLN) is prospective cohort study collecting AML samples from hospitals of North Japan Hematology Study Group (NJHSG). In this study, we focused on older (≥65 years) patients with newly diagnosed AML treated without HSCT and investigated cytogenetic and molecular abnormality of leukemic cells including FLT3-ITD, NPM1, CEBPA, and KIT. We stratified the patients into favorable, intermediate, and adverse risk group based on NCCN 2017. Based on the result of blood sample test, we assessed CAR [CRP (mg/dL) / Alb (g/dL)] at diagnosis for each patient. Since the median CAR at diagnosis was 0.52 in this cohort, we defined CAR &lt; 0.52 and ≥ 0.52 as CAR low and CAR high, respectively. We evaluated the impacts of NCCN 2017 and CAR on overall survival (OS) in these patients. The study procedures were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration and institutional ethical guidelines, conducted under the auspices of the institutional ethics committee, and approved by the institutional review boards. Results. In total, 197 patients with newly diagnosed AML patients aged 65 or older enrolled in HLN between April 2010 and March 2019. Nine patients undergone HSCT were excluded, and 188 patients were reviewed (Age 65-93, median 72; male 119, female 69). In this cohort, classification based on NCCN 2017 successfully divided the prognosis of the patients for 2-year and 5-year OS [2-year OS; favorable group, 58.1%; intermediate group, 29.4%; adverse group, 12.6%, 5-year OS; favorable group, 33.7%, intermediate group, 8.74%; adverse group, 9.44%, P=0.000079, Figure A]. OS in patients with CAR 0.52 or more was significantly lower than the low score group [2-year OS; CAR low group, 43.4%; CAR high group, 21.5%; 5-year OS; CAR low group, 21.0%; CAR high group, 9.96%, P=0.00013, Figure B]. In a univariate analysis, higher age, adverse group in NCCN 2017, high CAR, and not reached complete remission (CR) after first induction chemotherapy were associated with poor 2-year OS. A multivariate analysis demonstrated that adverse group in NCCN 2017 and high CAR were independently associated with poor 2-year OS (adverse group in NCCN 2017; HR, 1.671; 95% CI, 1.157 to 2.421, P=0.007, high CAR; HR, 1.572; 95% CI, 1.093 to 2.276, P=0.01618; log-rank). Combined with NCCN 2017, while there were no significant prognostic impacts of CAR at diagnosis in patients with favorable or adverse risk groups (Figure C, E), we found that in intermediate risk group the patients with high CAR had poorer prognosis than patients with low CAR [2-year OS; CAR low group, 43.7%; CAR high group, 15.9%, P=0.0000658; Figure D]. Altogether, we demonstrated that high CAR predicts poor prognosis in the transplant-ineligible elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML and improves risk stratification of the patients with NCCN 2017 intermediate risk group. Conclusion. CAR is a simple and easily evaluable parameter for predicting outcomes of transplant-ineligible elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML, independently from NCCN disease risk classification. Moreover, CAR can further stratify the prognosis of patients with NCCN 2017 intermediate risk group and improve the predictive risk stratification for elderly AML patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Kondo: SANWA KAGAKU KENKYUSHO CO.,LTD.: Consultancy; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis Pharma KK: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Honoraria; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.: Honoraria. Teshima: Merck Sharp & Dohme: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.: Research Funding; Pfizer Inc.: Honoraria; Fuji pharma CO.,Ltd: Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin Co.,Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; TEIJIN PHARMA Limited: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.: Other; CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis International AG: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other, Research Funding; Gentium/Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Sanofi S.A.: Research Funding.

Distinctive Negative Reactions to Intermediate Social Groups (manuscript & supplement) 2021-10-31

Although considerable research has examined how members of advantaged groups think and feel about disadvantaged groups, fewer studies have examined responses to “intermediate” social groups—groups that are perceived as falling between traditionally recognized advantaged and disadvantaged groups. We measured judgments of intermediate groups, including novel groups designed to manipulate social group intermediacy (Studies 1-5), Black/White biracial people (Study 6), and bisexual people (Study 7). In each study, participants provided separate evaluations of an intermediate group and two comparison groups (e.g., Black/White biracial people, Black people, White people). Intermediate groups were consistently rated as less conceptually legitimate (e.g., less distinctive, not a “real” group) than other groups. The view that intermediate groups are not “real” groups helped explain negative evaluations of them, and participants who strongly identified with an advantaged ingroup were especially prone to this pattern of judgments. These results are consistent with the idea that an intermediate group can threaten the distinctiveness of a valued ingroup, leading people to dismiss and denigrate the intermediate group. Studying perceptions of intermediate groups facilitates a nuanced account of an increasingly heterogeneous social world.