Supporting information for National, regional, and worldwide estimates of low birthweight rates in 2015, with trends from 2000: a systematic analysis

Data produced by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, LSHTM and Johns Hopkins University to estimate national low birthweight (LBW) and numbers for 195 countries. LBW data was collated through a systematic review of national routine/registration systems, nationally representative surveys, and other data sources, and subsequently modelled using restricted maximum likelihood estimation with country-level random effects. Data includes a list of 1447 rate data points used as an input to the modelled estimates, yearly national-level covariates for each of the 195 countries studied from 2000 to 2015, and information on estimated low birthweight rates from 2000 to 2015 for 148 countries with data. Stata code used to generate these estimates is provided

Flexural buckling behaviour and residual strengths of stainless steel CHS columns after exposure to fire

The flexural buckling behaviour and residual strengths of stainless steel circular hollow section (CHS) columns after exposure to fire were studied, based on a thorough experimental and numerical modelling programme, and reported in this paper. The experimental programme was performed on three series of specimens, and each series contained five geometrically identical specimens, with one unheated and the other four heated to different levels of elevated temperatures (namely 300 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C and 1000 °C). The detailed heating, soaking and cooling processes, material testing and pin-ended column tests were described, with the derived key experimental results fully presented. The testing programme was supplemented by a numerical modelling programme, including a validation study where finite element models were developed and validated against the test results, and a parametric study where the validated finite element models were employed to derive further numerical results over an extended range of cross-section dimensions and member lengths. Due to the absence of existing design codes for stainless steel structures after exposure to fire, the codified design provisions for stainless steel CHS columns at ambient temperature, as established in the Europe, America and Australia/New Zealand, were assessed for their applicability to stainless steel CHS columns after exposure to fire, based on the obtained test and numerical data. The assessment results generally revealed that the design buckling curve, as adopted in the European code, and the tangent modulus method, as employed in the American specification, lead to unsafe and scattered design flexural buckling strengths for stainless steel CHS columns after exposure to fire, while the explicit approach, as used in the Australian/New Zealand standard, yields a high level of accuracy and consistency in predicting the post-fire flexural buckling strengths of stainless steel CHS columns

A Systematic review of blockchain technology for government information sharing

Government information sharing (GIS) refers to that act of required or provided for duty government information, commercial information and public welfare information, and it is a basic issue of government services. However, the existing GIS has low transparency and is lack of flexibility between different departments. Aiming at such problems, this paper takes blockchain as a solution, and systematically summarizes the development of digital GIS, the advantages and challenges of blockchain and its theoretical research and practical applications. Specifically, it reviews e-government interactive structure, big data and other solutions, analyses their imperfections, and puts forward blockchain-based solutions. The blockchain improves government service efficiency and data security, meanwhile it faces challenges in throughput and supervision. In order to meet these challenges, researchers propose solutions based on three data exchange scenarios: government-to-government, government-to-enterprise and government-to-individual. In addition to researches, blockchain-based GIS is put into use. The electronic licensing project of Nanjing (China) government is taken as an example to illustrate that blockchain has the ability to openly and securely verify, track, and exchange data, so as to improve management ability and public service level of government agencies

Association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and risk of hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundExisting evidence indicates that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may increase the risk of hypertension, but the findings are inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to explore the relationship between PFASs and hypertension through this systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science databases for articles published in English that examined the relationship between PFASs and hypertension before 13 August 2022. The random effects model was used to aggregate the evaluation using Stata 15.0 for Windows. We also conducted subgroup analyses by region and hypertension definition. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine the robustness of the findings.ResultsThe meta-analysis comprised 15 studies in total with 69,949 individuals. The risk of hypertension was substantially and positively correlated with exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.51), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.26), and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.09). However, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) exposure and hypertension were not significantly associated (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.17).ConclusionWe evaluated the link between PFASs exposure and hypertension and discovered that higher levels of PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS were correlated with an increased risk of hypertension. However, further high-quality population-based and pathophysiological investigations are required to shed light on the possible mechanism and demonstrate causation because of the considerable variability.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ PROSPERO, registration number: CRD 42022358142

Ultrafast Hole Trapping and Relaxation Dynamics in p-Type CuS Nanodisks

CuS nanocrystals are potential materials for developing low-cost solar energy conversion devices. Understanding the underlying dynamics of photoinduced carriers in CuS nanocrystals is essential to improve their performance in these devices. In this work, we investigated the photoinduced hole dynamics in CuS nanodisks (NDs) using the combination of transient optical (OTA) and X-ray (XTA) absorption spectroscopy. OTA results show that the broad transient absorption in the visible region is attributed to the photoinduced hot and trapped holes. The hole trapping process occurs on a subpicosecond time scale, followed by carrier recombination (~100 ps). The nature of the hole trapping sites, revealed by XTA, is characteristic of S or organic ligands on the surface of CuS NDs. These results not only suggest the possibility to control the hole dynamics by tuning the surface chemistry of CuS but also represent the first time observation of hole dynamics in semiconductor nanocrystals using XTA

National, regional, and worldwide estimates of low birthweight in 2015, with trends from 2000: a systematic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Low birthweight (LBW) of less than 2500 g is an important marker of maternal and fetal health, predicting mortality, stunting, and adult-onset chronic conditions. Global nutrition targets set at the World Health Assembly in 2012 include an ambitious 30% reduction in LBW prevalence between 2012 and 2025. Estimates to track progress towards this target are lacking; with this analysis, we aim to assist in setting a baseline against which to assess progress towards the achievement of the World Health Assembly targets. METHODS: We sought to identify all available LBW input data for livebirths for the years 2000-16. We considered population-based national or nationally representative datasets for inclusion if they contained information on birthweight or LBW prevalence for livebirths. A new method for survey adjustment was developed and used. For 57 countries with higher quality time-series data, we smoothed country-reported trends in birthweight data by use of B-spline regression. For all other countries, we estimated LBW prevalence and trends by use of a restricted maximum likelihood approach with country-level random effects. Uncertainty ranges were obtained through bootstrapping. Results were summed at the regional and worldwide level. FINDINGS: We collated 1447 country-years of birthweight data (281 million births) for 148 countries of 195 UN member states (47 countries had no data meeting inclusion criteria). The estimated worldwide LBW prevalence in 2015 was 14·6% (uncertainty range [UR] 12·4-17·1) compared with 17·5% (14·1-21·3) in 2000 (average annual reduction rate [AARR] 1·23%). In 2015, an estimated 20·5 million (UR 17·4-24·0 million) livebirths were LBW, 91% from low-and-middle income countries, mainly southern Asia (48%) and sub-Saharan Africa (24%). INTERPRETATION: Although these estimates suggest some progress in reducing LBW between 2000 and 2015, achieving the 2·74% AARR required between 2012 and 2025 to meet the global nutrition target will require more than doubling progress, involving both improved measurement and programme investments to address the causes of LBW throughout the lifecycle. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Children's Investment Fund Foundation, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and WHO

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Modeling Drug-Carrier Interaction in the Drug Release from Nanocarriers

Numerous nanocarriers of various compositions and geometries have been developed for the delivery and release of therapeutic and imaging agents. Due to the high specific surface areas of nanocarriers, different mechanisms such as ion pairing and hydrophobic interaction need to be explored for achieving sustained release. Recently, we developed a three-parameter model that considers reversible drug-carrier interaction and first-order drug release from liposomes. A closed-form analytical solution was obtained. Here, we further explore the ability of the model to capture the release of bioactive molecules such as drugs and growth factors from various nanocarriers. A parameter study demonstrates that the model is capable of resembling major categories of drug release kinetics. We further fit the model to 60 sets of experimental data from various drug release systems, including nanoparticles, hollow particles, fibers, and hollow fibers. Additionally, bootstrapping is used to evaluate the accuracy of parameter determination and validate the model in selected cases. The simplicity and universality of the model and the clear physical meanings of each model parameter render the model useful for the design and development of new drug delivery systems

Self-Doped Conjugated Polymeric Binders Improve the Capacity and Mechanical Properties of V₂O₅ Cathodes

Polymeric binders serve to stabilize the morphology of electrodes by providing adhesion and binding between the various components. Successful binders must serve multiple functions simultaneously, including providing strong adhesion, improving conductivity, and providing electrochemical stability. A tradeoff between mechanical integrity and electrochemical performance in binders for lithium-ion batteries is one of the many challenges of improving capacity and performance. In this paper, we demonstrate a self-doped conjugated polymer, poly(9,9-bis(4&#8242;-sulfonatobutyl)fluorene-alt-co-1,4-phenylene) (PFP), which not only provides mechanical robustness but also improves electrode stability at temperatures as high as 450 &#176;C. The self-doped PFP polymer is comprised of a conjugated polyfluorene backbone with sulfonate terminated side-chains that serve to dope the conjugated polymer backbone, resulting in stable conductivity. Composite electrodes are prepared by blending PFP with V2O5 in water, followed by casting and drying. Structural characterization with X-ray diffraction and wide-angle X-ray scattering shows that PFP suppresses the crystallization of V2O5 at high temperatures (up to 450 &#176;C), resulting in improved electrode stability during cycling and improved rate performance. This study demonstrates the potential of self-doped conjugated polymers for use as polymeric binders to enhance mechanical, structural, and electrochemical properties