144 research outputs found

    One-Pot Synthesis of Bi/Fe3O4 and Its Catalytic Performances for 4-Nitrophenol Reduction

    Get PDF
    A novel approach was successfully developed for the catalyst Bi-deposited Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles, which was used in the degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The Bi/Fe3O4 composite was prepared via a one-pot process from ferrous sulfate and bismuth chloride using hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In the composite pure Fe3O4 particles were synthesized and bismuth particles were well dispersed. The catalytic performances were investigated for the reduction of 4-NP with sodium borohydride. The catalyst has higher activity when Bi/Fe molar ratio is 1:4 in the composite and the rate constant k is about 0.611 min-1. The catalyst has good reusability which can be used 10 cycles without obvious deactivation. Furthermore, the catalyst can be easily separated by an external magnetic field.

    Children\u27s exposure to food advertising on free-to-air television: an Asia-Pacific perspective

    Get PDF
    There is an established link between food promotions and children\u27s food purchase and consumption. Children in developing countries may be more vulnerable to food promotions given the relative novelty of advertising in these markets. This study aimed to determine the scope of television food advertising to children across the Asia-Pacific to inform policies to restrict this marketing. Six sites were sampled, including from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. At each site, 192 h of television were recorded (4 days, 16 h/day, three channels) from May to October 2012. Advertised foods were categorized as core/healthy, non-core/unhealthy or miscellaneous, and by product type. Twenty-seven percent of advertisements were for food/beverages, and the most frequently advertised product was sugar-sweetened drinks. Rates of non-core food advertising were highest during viewing times most popular with children, when between 3 (South Korea) and 15 (Indonesia) non-core food advertisements were broadcast each hour. Children in the Asia-Pacific are exposed to high volumes of unhealthy food/beverage television advertising. Different policy arrangements for food advertising are likely to contribute to regional variations in advertising patterns. Cities with the lowest advertising rates can be identified as exemplars of good policy practice

    Genetic Variation of SARS Coronavirus in Beijing Hospital

    Get PDF
    To characterize genetic variation of severe acute respiratory syndrome–associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) transmitted in the Beijing area during the epidemic outbreak of 2003, we sequenced 29 full-length S genes of SARS-CoV from 20 hospitalized SARS patients on our unit, the Beijing 302 Hospital. Viral RNA templates for the S-gene amplification were directly extracted from raw clinical samples, including plasma, throat swab, sputum, and stool, during the course of the epidemic in the Beijing area. We used a TA-cloning assay with direct analysis of nested reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction products in sequence. One hundred thirteen sequence variations with nine recurrent variant sites were identified in analyzed S-gene sequences compared with the BJ01 strain of SARS-CoV. Among them, eight variant sites were, we think, the first documented. Our findings demonstrate the coexistence of S-gene sequences with and without substitutions (referred to BJ01) in samples analyzed from some patients

    User Oriented Resource Management with Virtualization: A Hierarchical Game Approach

    Get PDF
    The explosive advancements in mobile Internet and Internet of Things challenge the network capacity and architecture. The ossification of wireless networks hinders the further evolution towards the fifth generation of mobile communication systems. Ultra-dense small cell networks are considered as a feasible way to meet high-capacity demands. Meanwhile, ultradense small cell network virtualization also exploits an insightful perspective for the evolution because of

    Association of sleep behavior with depression: a cross-sectional study in northwestern China

    Get PDF
    BackgroundThis study aimed to examine the association between sleep duration, sleep problems, and depression in Northwest China.MethodDepression was diagnosed at the hospital and self-reported by the participants in the baseline survey. Sleep duration and problems, including difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, daytime dysfunction, use of sleeping pills or drugs, and any sleep problems, were obtained by a self-reported questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for exploring the association between sleep duration, sleep problems, and depression, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health behaviors. The association between depression and sleep duration was also evaluated continuously with restricted cubic spline curves based on logistic models.Results36,515 adults from Regional Ethnic Cohort Study in Northwest China were included. About 24.04% of participants reported short sleep duration (<7 h), and 15.64% reported long sleep duration (≥9 h). Compared with standard sleep duration (7–9 h), short sleep duration was associated with a higher risk of depression (OR: 1.69, 95%CI: 1.26–2.27, p = 0.001). Self-reported sleep problems were also related to four times depression risk increased (OR: 4.02, 95%CI: 3.03–5.35, p < 0.001) compared with no sleep problems. In addition, a nonlinear relationship was found between sleep duration and depression after adjusting covariates (p = 0.043).ConclusionSleep duration and sleep problems are associated with depression. Enough sleep time and healthy sleep habits in life course might be a practical health promotion approach to reduce depression risk in Northwest Chinese adults. A further study from cohort study is needed to verify the temporal association

    Health-related quality of life as measured with EQ-5D among populations with and without specific chronic conditions: A population-based survey in Shaanxi province, China

    Get PDF
    © 2013 Tan et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by EQ-5D and to investigate the influence of chronic conditions and other risk factors on HRQoL based on a distributed sample located in Shaanxi Province, China. Methods: A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method was performed to select subjects. EQ-5D was employed to measure the HRQoL. The likelihood that individuals with selected chronic diseases would report any problem in the EQ-5D dimensions was calculated and tested relative to that of each of the two reference groups. Multivariable linear regression models were used to investigate factors associated with EQ VAS. Results: The most frequently reported problems involved pain/discomfort (8.8%) and anxiety/depression (7.6%). Nearly half of the respondents who reported problems in any of the five dimensions were chronic patients. Higher EQ VAS scores were associated with the male gender, higher level of education, employment, younger age, an urban area of residence, access to free medical service and higher levels of physical activity. Except for anemia, all the selected chronic diseases were indicative of a negative EQ VAS score. The three leading risk factors were cerebrovascular disease, cancer and mental disease. Increases in age, number of chronic conditions and frequency of physical activity were found to have a gradient effect. Conclusion: The results of the present work add to the volume of knowledge regarding population health status in this area, apart from the known health status using mortality and morbidity data. Medical, policy, social and individual attention should be given to the management of chronic diseases and improvement of HRQoL. Longitudinal studies must be performed to monitor changes in HRQoL and to permit evaluation of the outcomes of chronic disease intervention programs. © 2013 Tan et al.National Nature Science Foundation (No. 8107239

    Geochronological and geochemical constraints on Late Cryogenian to Early Ediacaran magmatic rocks on the northern Tarim Craton:implications for tectonic setting and affinity with Gondwana

    Get PDF
    The Tarim Craton provides a geologic record of both the fragmentation of the Rodinian supercontinent and the subsequent assembly of Gondwana. However, the timing and interactions of these radically different tectonic processes remain contested. A critical part of this debate revolves around the Late Cryogenian-Ediacaran igneous rocks along the Craton’s northern margin, specifically, whether they record super-plume related Rodinian breakup or Gondwanan orogeny. To address this issue, we present zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic data and whole rock geochemistry from Late Cryogenian to Early Ediacaran granitoids of the northern Tarim Craton. U-Pb zircon ages reveal three magmatic periods along the northern Tarim margin: ca. 660–640 Ma, 635–625 Ma and 620–600 Ma, associated with small scale felsic and mafic magmas. These granitoids have an A2-type affinity and are enriched in alkalines, but are depleted in Nb, Ta, Sr, P and Ti. Elemental data and generally negative εHf(t) values (−13.96 to 1.65) suggest that they were mainly derived from partial melting of enriched, subduction-modified lithospheric mantle triggered by upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle along the active continental margin of northern Tarim. We suggest that the Tarim Craton travelled as an isolated plate for much of the Late Neoproterozoic, near the outer part of Rodinia and subsequently Gondwana. During this time it was affected by localized and periodic subduction-related intrusion and eruption. However, within the samples of this study, there is no U-Pb-Hf isotopic and whole-rock geochemical evidence to support either super-plume-related rifting (i.e. Rodinian breakup) or Pan-African orogeny (i.e. Gondwanan assembly).</p

    Assessment of dietary intake among pregnant women in a rural area of western China

    Get PDF
    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adequate maternal nutrient intake during pregnancy is important to ensure satisfactory birth outcomes. There are no data available on the usual dietary intake among pregnant women in rural China. The present study describes and evaluates the dietary intake in a cohort of pregnant women living in two counties of rural Shaanxi, western China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>1420 pregnant women were recruited from a trial that examined the effects of micronutrient supplementation on birth outcomes. Dietary information was collected at the end of their trimester or after delivery with an interviewed-administrated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Nutrients intake was calculated from the FFQ and compared to the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR). The EAR cut-offs based on the Chinese Nutrition Society Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) were used to assess the prevalence of inadequate dietary intakes of energy, protein, calcium, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin C and folate. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to compare nutrient intakes across subgroups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean nutrient intakes assessed by the FFQ was similar to those reported in the 2002 Chinese National Nutrition and Health Survey from women living in rural areas except for low intakes of protein, fat, iron and zinc. Of the participants, 54% were at risk of inadequate intake of energy. There were high proportions of pregnant women who did not have adequate intakes of folate (97%) and zinc (91%). Using the "probability approach", 64% of subjects had an inadequate consumption of iron.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results reveal that the majority of pregnant women in these two counties had low intakes of nutrients that are essential for pregnancy such as iron and folate.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN08850194.</p
    corecore