Fare differently, feel differently: mental well-being of UK-born and foreign-born working men during the COVID-19 pandemic

Despite numerous studies that have demonstrated widening social inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, we do not yet see research on whether the surge in social inequalities would also have unequal consequences for people’s subjective experience. By linking the countrywide Understanding Society COVID-19 longitudinal survey with the latest wave of the main-stage survey, we examine whether and how the psychological costs of economic lockdowns are unevenly distributed between UK-born and foreign-born working men. Findings provide direct evidence for a widening gap in mental well-being resulting from the widening socioeconomic gap between immigrant and native-born working men, during COVID-19 lockdowns. Employment disruption does not necessarily hurt mental well-being of the native-born, as long as their income is protected. For immigrants, however, work hour reduction is generally accompanied by psychological costs, with greater mental suffering among immigrant men who experience work hour reduction without income protection – particularly in the extreme scenario of reduction to no work hours

Iridium- and Platinum-Free Ring Opening of Indan

A 3- and 2-fold increase in selectivities toward 2-ethyltoluene and <i>n</i>-propylbenzene, respectively, in indan ring opening (RO) was achieved by introducing palladium to the ruthenium catalyst. The product selectivities for the Ru–Pd system with the 4:1 molar ratio were the same as those for monometallic iridium, known for its outstanding single cleavage selectivity; the lights formation was suppressed as compared with the monometallic platinum catalyst. A further increase in the Pd amount did not result in the selectivity improvement and brought down the activity to the low level of Pd. The bimetallic catalysts were synthesized in the presence of poly-(vinylpyrrolidone). The bimetallic systems revealed sintering resistance up to 400 °C, as compared with their monoforms. The indan RO activity was maximized after precalcination at 200 °C. The suggested nanoparticles’ bimetallicity was consistent with the results of CO-TPD, CO–DRIFTS, thermal stability tests, and a chemical probe reaction (olefin hydrogenation, in which only Pd is active). The Pd–Ru system is envisioned as a viable alternative to monometallic Ir for RO

Table_1_Impact of soda tax on beverage price, sale, purchase, and consumption in the US: a systematic review and meta-analysis of natural experiments.DOCX

BackgroundAs a primary source of added sugars in the US diet, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is presumed to contribute to obesity prevalence and poor oral health. We systematically synthesized and quantified evidence from US-based natural experiments concerning the impact of SSB taxes on beverage prices, sales, purchases, and consumption.MethodsA keyword and reference search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and EconLit from the inception of an electronic bibliographic database to Oct 31, 2022. Meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled effect of soda taxes on SSB consumption, prices, passthrough rate, and purchases.ResultsTwenty-six natural experiments, all adopting a difference-in-differences approach, were included. Studies assessed soda taxes in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco in California, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, Boulder in Colorado, Seattle in Washington, and Cook County in Illinois. Tax rates ranged from 1 to 2 ¢/oz. The imposition of the soda tax was associated with a 1.06 ¢/oz. (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.90, 1.22) increase in SSB prices and a 27.3% (95% CI = 19.3, 35.4%) decrease in SSB purchases. The soda tax passthrough rate was 79.7% (95% CI = 65.8, 93.6%). A 1 ¢/oz. increase in soda tax rate was associated with increased prices of SSBs by 0.84 ¢/oz (95% CI = 0.33, 1.35).ConclusionSoda taxes could be effective policy leverage to nudge people toward purchasing and consuming fewer SSBs. Future research should examine evidence-based classifications of SSBs, targeted use of revenues generated by taxes to reduce health and income disparities, and the feasibility of redesigning the soda tax to improve efficiency.</p

Cationic Hemicellulose As a Product of Dissolving Pulp Based Biorefinery

In the present technology practiced, hemicelluloses dissolved in the prehydrolysis liquor (PHL) of the kraft-based dissolving pulp production process is mixed with black liquor and incinerated in the kraft mill. In this study, solvent precipitation was used for isolating lignin and hemicelluloses from PHL. The results showed that acetone was a more effective and selective solvent than ethanol to isolate hemicelluloses. Furthermore, the cationization of hemicelluloses with glycidyl-trimethylammonium chloride resulted in cationic hemicelluloses with the charge density of 2.3 meq/g and molecular weight of 6330 g/mol. Based on these results, an integrated dissolving pulp-based biorefining process was proposed that would produce dissolving pulp and cationic hemicellulose as main products

Cyclometalated Iridium Complex-Based Label-Free Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for DNA Detection by Hybridization Chain Reaction Amplification

Photoactive material is the most crucial factor which intimately determines analytical performances of the photoelectrochemical sensor. On the basis of the high affinity of dipyrido [3,2-a:2′,3′-c] phenazine (dppz) with DNA helix, a novel photoactive intercalator, [(ppy)₂Ir­(dppz)]⁺PF₆^–(ppy = 2-phenylpyridine and dppz = dipyrido [3,2-a:2′,3′-c] phenazine) was prepared and characterized by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The photoelectrochemical properties of the as-prepared iridium­(III) complex immobilized on the ITO electrode was investigated. Either cathodic or anodic photocurrent generation can be observed when triethanolamine (TEOA) or dissolved O₂ is used as a sacrificial electron donor/acceptor, respectively. The probable photocurrent-generation mechanisms are speculated. A highly sensitive iridium­(III) complex-based photoelectrochemical sensor was proposed for DNA detection via hybridization chain reaction (HCR) signal amplification. Under optimal conditions, the biosensor was found to be linearly proportional to the logarithm of target DNA concentration in the range from 0.025 to 100 pmol L^–1 with a detection limit of 9.0 fmol L^–1 (3σ). Moreover, the proposed sensor displayed high selectivity and good reproducibility, demonstrating efficient and stable photoelectric conversion ability of the Ir­(III) complex

DFT Study on the Mechanism of the Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ Catalyzed by Cobalt Porphyrins

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ is a promising way to store renewable energy in fuels or other chemicals. However, the high overpotential and low efficiency of the reaction hinder the development of the area. More work is needed on the investigation of the mechanism in order to obtain new insights into developing efficient catalysts. We report here a density functional theory (DFT) study of the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ on cobalt porphyrin. The CO₂^– anion adduct is demonstrated to be the key intermediate formed only when the cobalt center of the complex is in the Co^I oxidation state. We find that formic acid can be produced as minor product through a [Co­(P)–(OCHO)] intermediate, while CO is the main product through a decoupled proton–electron transfer. CH₄ is produced as minor product from subsequent CO reduction by concerted proton-coupled electron transfers assumed for each electrochemical step. Our theoretical interpretations are consistent with the experimental results presented in our recent experiments and give deeper insights into the mechanism of the CO₂ electrochemical reduction on cobalt porphyrin complexes

Insecticidal Constituents from <i>Buddlej aalbiflora</i> Hemsl.

<p>Eleven known compounds, deoxymikanolide (<b>1</b>), 1,3-dihydroxyxanthone (<b>2</b>), kumatakenin (<b>3</b>), apigenin (<b>4</b>), chrysin (<b>5</b>), kaempferol (<b>6</b>), <i>Iso</i>-kaempferol (<b>7</b>), luteolin (<b>8</b>), luteolin-3′,4′-dimethylether-7-O-<i>β</i>-glucoside (<b>9</b>), luteolin-7-O-<i>β</i>-glucoside (<b>10</b>) and quercetin (<b>11</b>) were identified in MeOH extract of <i>Buddleja albiflora</i> Hemsl (Oleaceae). These compounds (each, 1, 0.5 and 0.25 mg mL⁻¹) were tested for insecticidal activity against 3rd and 4th-instar larvae of <i>Plutella xylostella</i>, 3rd-instar larvae of <i>Mythimna separata</i> and 3rd-instar larvae of <i>Macrosiphoniella sanborni</i>. The lowest 50% anti-feedant concentration (AFC₅₀) against <i>P. xylostella</i> and 50% lethal concentration (LC₅₀) against <i>P. xylostella</i> and <i>M. sanborni</i> were observed as 0.0058, 0.0046 and 3.4048 mg L⁻¹<i>,</i> respectively.</p

Additional file 1: of Effect of in ovo folic acid injection on hepatic IGF2 expression and embryo growth of broilers

The summary of regression analysis for methylation data. (DOC 42 kb

Synthesis and Study of Three Novel Macrocyclic Selena[<i>n</i>]ferrocenophanes Containing a Naphthalene Unit

Three novel macrocyclic ligands, <b>L1–L3</b>, in which a ferrocene unit and a fluorescent moiety are linked to polyselena rings have been designed and prepared from 1,1′-bis­(3-bromopropylseleno)­ferrocene. Reaction of <b>L</b> with [M­(NCMe)₄]­(PF₆)₂ (M = Pd and Pt) led to complexes [M<b>L</b>]­(PF₆)₂ (M = Pd and Pt). Crystal structure analysis revealed that after complexation, the macrocyclic ligand adopts the unusual <i>c</i>,<i>c</i>,<i>c</i> conformation due to intramolecular C–H···π interactions from the hydrogen atoms of ferrocene moieties to the naphthalene ring. Electrochemical studies showed that in [M<b>L</b>]­(PF₆)₂ (M = Pd and Pt) the half-wave potential of the 1,1′-ferrocenediyl group shifts to much more positive potentials due to electron density withdrawn from Se donor atoms. Electrochemical and optical measurements were used to calculate HOMO and LUMO levels as well as HOMO–LUMO band gaps. Results were compared and correlated with the differences in molecular structures

Synthesis and Study of Three Novel Macrocyclic Selena[<i>n</i>]ferrocenophanes Containing a Naphthalene Unit

Three novel macrocyclic ligands, <b>L1–L3</b>, in which a ferrocene unit and a fluorescent moiety are linked to polyselena rings have been designed and prepared from 1,1′-bis­(3-bromopropylseleno)­ferrocene. Reaction of <b>L</b> with [M­(NCMe)₄]­(PF₆)₂ (M = Pd and Pt) led to complexes [M<b>L</b>]­(PF₆)₂ (M = Pd and Pt). Crystal structure analysis revealed that after complexation, the macrocyclic ligand adopts the unusual <i>c</i>,<i>c</i>,<i>c</i> conformation due to intramolecular C–H···π interactions from the hydrogen atoms of ferrocene moieties to the naphthalene ring. Electrochemical studies showed that in [M<b>L</b>]­(PF₆)₂ (M = Pd and Pt) the half-wave potential of the 1,1′-ferrocenediyl group shifts to much more positive potentials due to electron density withdrawn from Se donor atoms. Electrochemical and optical measurements were used to calculate HOMO and LUMO levels as well as HOMO–LUMO band gaps. Results were compared and correlated with the differences in molecular structures