Consumer behaviour of Chinese pre-teen and teenage youth

   The purpose of this study is to investigate how age, gender, information sources and parent-child communication may influence Chinese pre-teen (9–12 years old) and teenage (13–18 years old) shopping behaviour. A quantitative research method and a self-administered questionnaire was employed to measure the significance of clothing evaluative cues, parent-child communication and shopping behaviour of pre-teens and teens in the People’s Republic of China. In total, 273 usable data were collected for this study. It is evident that peer influence was considered by respondents as an important information source, followed by store displays. Parent–child communication also played an important role on clothing consumption. In order to meet the needs and aspirations of these young consumers, fashion designers should pay attention to material selection and usage. In addition, fashion retailers should focus on the visual and experiential aspects of the store environment in order to build a stronger connection and resonance with these young consumer groups.</p

Quantification of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Commercial Cows’ Milk from California by Gas Chromatography–Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometry

<div><p>We determined 12 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 19 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners in eight different brands of commercial whole milk (WM) and fat free milk (FFM) produced and distributed in California. Congeners were extracted using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method, purified by gel permeation chromatography, and quantified using gas chromatography-triple quadruple mass spectrometry. PBDEs and PCBs were detected in all FFM and WM samples. The most prevalent PBDE congeners in WM were BDE-47 (geometric mean: 18.0 pg/mL, 0.51 ng/g lipid), BDE-99 (geometric mean: 9.9 pg/mL, 0.28 ng/g lipid), and BDE-49 (geometric mean: 6.0 pg/mL, 0.17 ng/g lipid). The dominant PCB congeners in WM were PCB-101(geometric mean: 23.6 pg/mL, 0.67 ng/g lipid), PCB-118 (geometric mean: 25.2 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid), and PCB-138 (geometric mean: 25.3 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid). The sum of all 19 PCB congeners in FFM and WM were several orders of magnitude below the U.S. FDA tolerance. The sum of PBDEs in milk samples suggest close proximity to industrial emissions, and confirm previous findings of elevated PBDE levels in California compared to other regions in the United States.</p></div

The limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), detection frequency (DF) and geometric mean (GM), geometric standard deviation (GSD) and median concentrations (pg/mL) of analyzed PCBs in eight brands of bovine milk samples analyzed in triplicate.

<p>The limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), detection frequency (DF) and geometric mean (GM), geometric standard deviation (GSD) and median concentrations (pg/mL) of analyzed PCBs in eight brands of bovine milk samples analyzed in triplicate.</p

The geometric mean (GM), geometric standard deviation (GSD) and median of analyzed PCBs and PBDE concentrations corrected by milk fat (ng/g lipid) in eight brands of bovine milk samples analyzed in triplicate.

<p>The geometric mean (GM), geometric standard deviation (GSD) and median of analyzed PCBs and PBDE concentrations corrected by milk fat (ng/g lipid) in eight brands of bovine milk samples analyzed in triplicate.</p

Image_1_Preoperative plasma fibrinogen and C-reactive protein/albumin ratio as prognostic biomarkers for pancreatic carcinoma.pdf

ObjectivePancreatic carcinoma is characterised by high aggressiveness and a bleak prognosis; optimising related treatment decisions depends on the availability of reliable prognostic markers. This study was designed to compare various blood biomarkers, such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (Alb), plasma fibrinogen (PF), and CRP/Alb in patients with pancreatic carcinoma.MethodsOur study retrospectively reviewed 250 patients with pancreatic carcinoma diagnosed between July 2007 and December 2018. The Cutoff Finder application was used to calculate the optimal values of CRP/Alb and PF. The Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test was used to analyse the correlation of CRP/Alb and PF with other clinicopathological factors. Conducting univariate and multivariate analyses allowed further survival analysis of these prognostic factors.ResultsMultivariate analysis revealed that, in a cohort of 232 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the PF level exhibited statistical significance for overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.464; p = 0.023); however, this correlation was not found in the entire group of 250 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. Contrastingly, the CRP/Alb ratio was demonstrated statistical significance in both the entire pancreatic carcinoma cohort (HR = 0.471; p = 0.026) and the PDAC subgroup (HR = 0.484; p = 0.034). CRP/Alb and PF demonstrated a positive association (r=0.489, pConclusionPF concentration is a convenient, rapid, and noninvasive biomarker, and its combination with the CRP/Alb ratio could significantly enhance the accuracy of prognosis prediction in pancreatic carcinoma patients, especially those with the most common histological subtype of PDAC.</p

The limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), detection frequency (DF) and geometric mean (GM), geometric standard deviation (GSD) and median of analyzed PBDEs in eight brands of bovine milk samples analyzed in triplicate.

<p>The limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), detection frequency (DF) and geometric mean (GM), geometric standard deviation (GSD) and median of analyzed PBDEs in eight brands of bovine milk samples analyzed in triplicate.</p

The concentrations of ∑PBDEs and ∑PCBs with the relative amount of chlorination and bromination.

<p>(A) ∑PBDEs (Tri: BDE-17 and -28, Tetra: BDE-47, -49 and -66; Penta: BDE-85, -95, -99 and -100; Hexa: BDE-153 and -154; Hepta: BDE-183). (B) ∑PCBs (Di: PCB-11; Tetra: PCB-77; Penta: PCB-84, -91, -95, -101 and -118; Hexa: PCB-131, -132, -135, -136, -138, -149 and -153; Hepta: PCB-174, -175, -176 and -180; Octa: PCB-196). Number 1 to 8 represent eight different brands of commercial milk. ‘C’ indicates conventional milk, while ‘O’ indicates organic milk. Data shown are the geometric mean (pg/mL).</p

The concentrations of ∑PBDEs and ∑PCBs in fat free milk and whole milk.

<p>Data shown are the geometric mean (pg/mL) with geometric standard deviation, of eight brands of milk samples analyzed in triplicate (fat free milk n = 24, whole milk n = 23).</p

Nonisothermal Decomposition Kinetics of Abietic Acid in Argon Atmosphere

Abietic acid was isolated from rosin by means of reaction-crystallization coupled with exposure to ultrasonic waves, and it was then characterized by its specific rotation, infrared spectra, and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The thermal decomposition of abietic acid in argon atmosphere was studied under nonisothermal conditions using TG-DTG techniques with heating rates of 5, 10, 20, and 25 K/min. For the kinetic study, the nonisothermal kinetic parameters were obtained via the analysis of the TG-DTG curves by using the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) method, the Kissinger method, and the integral method. The results showed that the nonisothermal decomposition mechanism of abietic acid in argon atmosphere followed Mampel Power law with <i>n</i> = 3/2, whose differential and integral forms were <i>f</i>(<i>α</i>) = 2/3<i>α</i>^–1/2 and <i>G</i>(<i>α</i>) = <i>α</i>^3/2. The apparent activation energy <i>E</i>_a and the pre-exponential factor <i>A</i> were 123.44 kJ/mol and 1.78 × 10¹¹ s^–1, respectively. The kinetic equation can be expressed as d<i>α</i>/d<i>t</i> = 1.19 × 10¹¹ <i>α</i>^–1/2 exp(−1.48 × 10⁴/<i>T</i>). The thermodynamic parameters (Δ<i>H</i>^<i>⧧</i>, Δ<i>G</i>^<i>⧧</i>, and Δ<i>S</i>^<i>⧧</i>) were calculated as well

Supplementary material from A Ni-based catalyst with Polyvinyl pyrrolidone as a dispersant supported in a pretreated fluid catalytic cracking catalyst residue for C9 petroleum resin hydrogenation

data of catalyst performance test