By adopting the differential age method, we utilize selected 17832 luminous red galaxies (LRGs) from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Seven (SDSS DR7) covering redshift 0 < z < 0.4 to measure Hubble parameters. Using a full spectrum fitting package UlySS, these spectra are reduced with single stellar population (SSP) models and optimal age information of our selected sample are derived. With the decreasing ageredshift relation, four new observational H(z) data (OHD) points are obtained, which are H(z) = 69.0 ± 19.6 km s −1 Mpc −1 at z = 0.07, H(z) = 68.6 ± 26.2 km s −1 Mpc −1 at z = 0.12, H(z)=72.9 ± 29.6 km s −1 Mpc −1 at z = 0.2 and H(z)=88.8 ± 36.6 km s −1 Mpc −1 at z = 0.28, respectively. Combined with other 21 available OHD data points, a performance of constraint on both flat and non-flat ΛCDM model is presented.

A sample of close major-merger pairs (projected separation kpc, K s -band magnitude Ϫ1 Ϫ1 5 h kpc ≤ r ≤ 20 h difference mag) is selected from the matched Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)/Two-Degree Field dK ≤ 1 s Galaxy Redshift Survey catalog of Cole et al. The pair primaries are brighter than mag. After corrections K p 12.5 sfor various biases, the comparison between counts in the paired galaxy sample and counts in the parent sample shows that for the local " galaxies" sampled by flux-limited surveys, the fraction of galaxies in the close M * major-merger pairs is . Using 38 paired galaxies in the sample, a K s -band luminosity function 1.70% ‫ע‬ 0.32% (LF) is calculated. This is the first unbiased LF for a sample of objectively defined interacting/merging galaxies in the local universe, while all previously determined LFs of paired galaxies are biased by mistreating paired galaxies as singles. A stellar mass function (MF) is translated from the LF. Compared to the LF/MF of 2MASS galaxies, a differential pair fraction function is derived. The results suggest a trend in the sense that less massive galaxies may have a lower chance to be involved in close major-merger pairs than more massive galaxies. The algorithm presented in this Letter can be easily applied to much larger samples of 2MASS galaxies with redshifts in the near future.

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ObjectiveTo examine the prevalence of snoring during pregnancy and its effects on key pregnancy outcomes.MethodsPregnant women were consecutively recruited in their first trimester. Habitual snoring was screened by using a questionnaire in the 1st and 3rd trimester, respectively. According to the time of snoring, participants were divided into pregnancy onset snorers, chronic snorers and non-snorers. Logistic regressions were performed to examine the associations between snoring and pregnancy outcomes.ResultsOf 3 079 pregnant women, 16.6% were habitual snorers, with 11.7% were pregnancy onset snorers and 4.9% were chronic snorers. After adjusting for potential confounders, chronic snorers were independently associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (RR 1.66, 95%CI 1.09–2.53). Both pregnancy onset and chronic snorers were independently associated with placental adhesion (RR 1.96, 95%CI 1.17–3.27, and RR 2.33, 95%CI 1.22–4.46, respectively). Pregnancy onset snorers were at higher risk of caesarean delivery (RR 1.37, 95%CI 1.09–1.73) and having macrosomia (RR 1.54, 95%CI 1.05–2.27) and large for gestational age (LGA) (RR 1.71, 95%CI 1.31–2.24) infants. In addition, being overweight or obese before pregnancy plays an important role in mediating snoring and adverse pregnancy outcomes.ConclusionsMaternal snoring may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and being overweight or obese before pregnancy with snoring is remarkable for researchers. Further studies are still needed to confirm our results.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), platelet count (PLT), and a RDW-to-PLT ratio (RPR) have been associated with inflammatory activity and adverse outcomes in many diseases. This study has aimed to investigate the association between these indicators and the mortality rate of severe burn patients. From 2008 to 2014, 610 cases of severe burn patients from two burn centers in eastern China were enrolled in this study. Eighty-eight patients died within 90 days after admission. The RDW, PLT, and RPR were studied through Cox regression analysis on the 3rd and 7th day. The RDW, PLT, and RPR values on the 3rd and 7th day were significantly associated with the outcomes of severe burn patients (P < 0.01). High RPR was significantly associated with a 90-day mortality rate at the two time points. However, the RDW and PLT did not provide independent predictive values. Our results indicated that the RPR values on the 3rd and 7th day were associated with the mortality rates of severe burn patients (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, the RDW and PLT values at these time points failed to provide independent values for burn mortality prediction. Thus, the RPR can serve as an independent and novel marker for mortality rates prediction in severe burn patients.