N-(2-Chloro-2-nitro-1-phenyl­prop­yl)-4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamide

In the title compound, C16H17ClN2O4S, the dihedral angle between the phenyl and benzene rings is 19.4 (2)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as by intra- and inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

VLBI astrometry on the white dwarf pulsar AR Scorpii

AR Scorpii (AR Sco), the only-known radio-pulsing white dwarf binary, shows unusual pulsating emission at the radio, infrared, optical, and ultraviolet bands. To determine its astrometric parameters at the radio band independently, we conducted multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) phase-referencing observations with the European VLBI Network at 5 GHz and the Chinese VLBI Network plus the Warkworth 30-m telescope (New Zealand) at 8.6 GHz. By using the differential VLBI astrometry, we provide high-precision astrometric measurements on the parallax (pi = 8.52(-0.07)(+0.04) mas) and proper motion (mu(alpha) = 9.48(-0.07)(+0.04) mas yr(-1), mu(delta) = -51.32(-0.38)(+0.22) mas yr (-1)). The new VLBI results agree with the optical Gaia astrometry. Our kinematic analysis reveals that the Galactic space velocities of AR Sco are quite consistent with that of both intermediate polars and polars. Combined with the previous tightest VLBI constraint on the size, our parallax distance suggests that the radio emission of AR Sco should be located within the light cylinder of its white dwarf

Maternal cobalt concentration and risk of spontaneous preterm birth: the role of fasting blood glucose and lipid profiles

IntroductionSpontaneous preterm birth (SPB) is a significant cause of neonatal mortality, yet its etiology remains unclear. Cobalt, an essential trace element, might be a risk factor for SPB. This study aims to investigate the relationship between maternal serum cobalt concentration and SPB, and to clarify the role of blood lipids and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in this relationship.MethodsWe conducted a nested case-control study within the Beijing Birth Cohort Study. Serum samples were obtained from 222 pregnant women with SPB and 224 controls during the first (7–13 weeks of pregnancy) and third trimesters (32–42 weeks of pregnancy). Serum cobalt concentration was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Fasting blood glucose and lipids levels were detected using a fully automated biochemical immunoassay instrument. Logistic regression models and linear regression models were established to explore the association between serum cobalt concentration and the risk of SPB in pregnant women, and to test the mediating effect of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipids.ResultsWe found that the serum cobalt concentration in mothers with SPB and controls was similar in the first trimester, with values of 0.79 (0.58–1.10) ng/mL and 0.75 (0.51–1.07) ng/mL, respectively. However, in the third trimester, the cobalt concentration increased to 0.88 (0.59–1.14) ng/mL and 0.84 (0.52–1.19) ng/mL, respectively. In the logistic regression model, when considering the third trimester of pregnancy, after adjusting for ethnicity, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), maternal age, education, income, and parity, it was observed that the medium level of cobalt concentration (0.63–1.07 ng/ml) had a negative correlation with the risk of SPB. The odds ratio (OR) was 0.56, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.34–0.90 ng/mL and a p-value of 0.02. This suggests that cobalt in this concentration range played a protective role against SPB. Additionally, it was found that FBG in the third trimester of pregnancy had a partial intermediary role, accounting for 9.12% of the association. However, no relationship between cobalt and SPB risk was found in the first trimester.ConclusionDuring the third trimester, intermediate levels of maternal cobalt appear to offer protection against SPB, with FBG playing a partial mediating role. To further clarify the optimal cobalt concentrations during pregnancy for different populations, a multi-center study with a larger sample size is necessary. Additionally, exploring the specific mechanism of FBG’s mediating role could provide valuable insights for improving the prevention of SPB

Zn-Co metal organic frameworks coated with chitosand and Au nanoparticles for chemo-photothermal-targeted combination therapy of liver cancer

The toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs on normal tissues are still a major limiting factor in cancer treatment. In this paper, we report a metal-organic framework (Zn-Co ZIF) with chitosan-coated outer layer as a carrier for the drug adriamycin hydrochloride (DOX), a treatment for liver cancer, as a novel anti-cancer nanodrug-enhanced carrier. Gold nanoparticles, a good photothermal conversion agent, were combined with the target SH-RGD during surface functionalisation to prepare Zn-Co ZIF@DOX-CS-Au-RGD (ZD-CAR), a nanoplatform with good photothermal conversion properties and targeting for combined liver cancer therapy. ZD-CAR was developed after RGD accurately targeted the tumour and entered the tumour microenvironment (TME), it cleaves and releases the liver cancer therapeutic agent (DOX) in a weak acidic environment to effectively kill tumour cells. The metal skeleton cleavage releases Co2+, which catalyzes the production of oxygen from H2O2 to alleviate the tumour hypoxic environment. The dissolved oxygen could reach 14 mg/L after adding 80 mg/mL of ZD-CAR. Meanwhile, gold nanoparticles could convert light energy into heat energy under 808 NIR irradiation to induce local superheating and kill tumour cells. In summary, this study developed a nanoplatform that combines chemo-photothermal-targeted therapy. It has shown good therapeutic effeciency in cellular experiments and performance tests and has promising applications in anti-cancer therapy

Precessing jet nozzle connecting to a spinning black hole in M87

The nearby radio galaxy M87 offers a unique opportunity to explore the connections between the central supermassive black hole and relativistic jets. Previous studies of the inner region of M87 revealed a wide opening angle for the jet originating near the black hole. The Event Horizon Telescope resolved the central radio source and found an asymmetric ring structure consistent with expectations from General Relativity. With a baseline of 17 years of observations, there was a shift in the jet's transverse position, possibly arising from an eight to ten-year quasi-periodicity. However, the origin of this sideways shift remains unclear. Here we report an analysis of radio observations over 22 years that suggests a period of about 11 years in the position angle variation of the jet. We infer that we are seeing a spinning black hole that induces the Lense-Thirring precession of a misaligned accretion disk. Similar jet precession may commonly occur in other active galactic nuclei but has been challenging to detect owing to the small magnitude and long period of the variation.Comment: 41 pages, 7 figures, 7 table

Opportunities and challenges in sustainable treatment and resource reuse of sewage sludge: A review

Sludge or waste activated sludge (WAS) generated from wastewater treatment plants may be considered a nuisance. It is a key source for secondary environmental contamination on account of the presence of diverse pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, heavy metals, etc.). Innovative and cost-effective sludge treatment pathways are a prerequisite for the safe and environment-friendly disposal of WAS. This article delivers an assessment of the leading disposal (volume reduction) and energy recovery routes such as anaerobic digestion, incineration, pyrolysis, gasification and enhanced digestion using microbial fuel cell along with their comparative evaluation, to measure their suitability for different sludge compositions and resources availability. Furthermore, the authors shed light on the bio-refinery and resource recovery approaches to extract value added products and nutrients from WAS, and control options for metal elements and micro-pollutants in sewage sludge. Recovery of enzymes, bio-plastics, bio-pesticides, proteins and phosphorus are discussed as a means to visualize sludge as a potential opportunity instead of a nuisance

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Co-Regulations of Spartina alterniflora Invasion and Exogenous Nitrogen Loading on Soil N2O Efflux in Subtropical Mangrove Mesocosms

We thank Zhonglei Wang, Cunxin Ning, Hui Chen, Qian Huang, Fang Liu and Jian Zhou for their assistance with the greenhouse experiments and gas sampling. We are also grateful to Weimin Song, Rashid Rafique, Junyi Liang, Zheng Shi and Jianyang Xia for editing the manuscript.Both plant invasion and nitrogen (N) enrichment should have significant impact on mangrove ecosystems in coastal regions around the world. However, how N2O efflux in mangrove wetlands responds to these environmental changes has not been well studied. Here, we conducted a mesocosm experiment with native mangrove species Kandelia obovata, invasive salt marsh species Spartina alterniflora, and their mixture in a simulated tide rotation system with or without nitrogen addition. In the treatments without N addition, the N2O effluxes were relatively low and there were no significant variations among the three vegetation types. A pulse loading of exogenous ammonium nitrogen increased N2O effluxes from soils but the stimulatory effect gradually diminished over time, suggesting that frequent measurements are necessary to accurately understand the behavior of N-induced response of N2O emissions. With the N addition, the N2O effluxes from the invasive S. alterniflora were lower than that from native K. obovata mesocosms. This result may be attributed to higher growth of S. alterniflora consuming most of the available nitrogen in soils, and thus inhibiting N2O production. We concluded that N loading significantly increased N2O effluxes, while the invasion of S. alterniflora reduced N2O effluxes response to N loading in this simulated mangrove ecosystem. Thus, both plant invasion and excessive N loading can co-regulate soil N2O emissions from mangrove wetlands, which should be considered when projecting future N2O effluxes from this type of coastal wetland.Yeshttp://www.plosone.org/static/editorial#pee