Higher Daily Air Temperature Is Associated with Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length

[Image: see text] Higher air temperature is associated with increased age-related morbidity and mortality. To date, short-term effects of air temperature on leukocyte telomere length have not been investigated in an adult population. We aimed to examine the short-term associations between air temperature and leukocyte telomere length in an adult population-based setting, including two independent cohorts. This population-based study involved 5864 participants from the KORA F3 (2004–2005) and F4 (2006–2008) cohort studies conducted in Augsburg, Germany. Leukocyte telomere length was assessed by a quantitative PCR-based method. We estimated air temperature at each participant′s residential address through a highly resolved spatiotemporal model. We conducted cohort-specific generalized additive models to explore the short-term effects of air temperature on leukocyte telomere length at lags 0–1, 2–6, 0–6, and 0–13 days separately and pooled the estimates by fixed-effects meta-analysis. Our study found that between individuals, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in daily air temperature was associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length at lags 0–1, 2–6, 0–6, and 0–13 days (%change: −2.96 [−4.46; −1.43], −2.79 [−4.49; −1.07], −4.18 [−6.08; −2.25], and −6.69 [−9.04; −4.27], respectively). This meta-analysis of two cohort studies showed that between individuals, higher daily air temperature was associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length

Immobilization of Horseradish Peroxidase on Multi-Armed Magnetic Graphene Oxide Composite: Improvement of Loading Amount and Catalytic Activity

U ovom je radu po prvi puta sintetiziran novi tip zvjezdastog kompozita polietilen glikola (PEG) s grafen oksidom (GO@Fe3O4@6arm-PEG-NH2), te je upotrijebljen kao podloga za imobilizaciju peroksidaze iz hrena. Udjel peroksidaze iz hrena na kompozitu bio je relativno velik (186,34 mg/g) zbog velikog broja amino skupina iz 6arm-PEG-NH2 prisutnih na površini nosača. Brzina razgradnje fenolnih spojeva bila je bitno veća (95,4 %) zbog sinergijskog učinka slobodne peroksidaze (45,4 %) i podloge (13,6 %). Nakon imobilizacije povećala se toplinska stabilnost, te su se produljili vrijeme trajanja i iskoristivost enzima u usporedbi sa slobodnim enzimom. Imobilizirana peroksidaza je zadržala više od 68,1 % aktivnosti i nakon što je upotrijebljena osam puta. Rezultati pokazuju da se zvjezdasti magnetizirani kompozit može uspješno primijeniti za imobilizaciju enzima.In this study, a novel type of multi-armed polymer (poyltehylene glycol, PEG) magnetic graphene oxide (GO) composite (GO@Fe3O4@6arm-PEG-NH2) has been synthesized as a support for immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for the first time. The loading amount of HRP was relatively high (186.34 mg/g) due to the surface of carrier material containing a large amount of amino groups from 6arm-PEG-NH2, but degradation rate of phenols was also much higher (95.4 %), which is attributed to the synergistic effect between the free HRP (45.4 %) and the support material of GO@Fe3O4@6arm-PEG-NH2 (13.6 %). Compared with the free enzyme, thermal, storage and operational stability of the immobilized HRP improved. The immobilized HRP still retained over 68.1 % activity after being reused 8 times. These results suggest that the multi-armed magnetic composite has good application prospect for enzyme immobilization

The Hidden Hydroxide in BaNiO3 Single Crystals Grown from a KOH Flux

Hexagonal oxide perovskites with one-dimensional chains of face-sharing MO6 octahedra are of enduring interest. Specifically, the hexagonal perovskite BaNiO3, prepared via non-ceramic approaches, acts as a highly functional catalyst for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media, with numerous studies focusing on this behavior, while its fundamental structural and physical properties have been somewhat overlooked. The current work is intiated by the observation of contrasting magnetic properties of BaNiO3 synthesized via KOH flux growth and high O2 pressure ceramic synthesis. To shed light on this difference, we have performed a series of rigorous analyses and found that the KOH flux-grown crystals made in open-air are actually a wet form of BaNiO3 that can be dried upon annealing in O2 flow but will then slowly degrade if stored under a condition where the O2 partial pressure is not high enough. Therefore, the present work not only provides insightful information to unveil a previously unknown aspect of the OER catalyst BaNiO3, but also rings a bell that the hidden hydroxide principle described here may also be applied to other hexagonal perovskite oxides prepared in wet conditions.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

Level of physical activity among middle-aged and older Chinese people: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

Background: With data from different regions accumulated, physical inactivity (PI) was found to be pandemic worldwide. Using China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a nationwide longitudinal survey data, we aimed to delineate the prevalence, incidence and risk factors of physical inactivity (PI) among Chinese people aged 45 years and older. Methods: The CHARLS covered nearly all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities of mainland China. With data from CHARLS, three cross-sectional analyses and a cohort analysis were conducted. In cross-sectional studies, we used surveys at 2011, 2013 and 2015 to examine the prevalence and its trend of PI. Multivariate generalized linear model was conducted in survey at 2011 to examine the risk factors for prevalent PI. Multiple imputation of missing values was used and results before and after imputation were compared. In cohort analysis, we identified people free of PI at 2011 and followed them up until 2015 to estimate the incidence of PI. Generalized estimating equation was used to examine the risk factors associated with incidence PI. In all analyses, PI was defined as insufficient physical activity according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) criterion. Results: 6650, 5946 and 9389 participants were eligible for cross-sectional analyses, and 4525 participants were included for cohort analysis. The weighted prevalence of PI was 22.25% (95% CI: 20.63–23.95%) in 2011, 20.64% (95% CI: 19.22–22.14%) in 2013 and 19.31% (95% CI: 18.28–20.38%) in 2015. In multivariate analysis, PI was associated with older age, higher education, overweight, obesity and difficulties in daily living, and was negatively associated with working and higher level of expenditure. No material change was detected in results after multiple imputation. In cohort analysis, older age, abundant public facilities, difficulties in daily living were identified as risk factors of incidence PI, while urban areas, college and above education, and working were protective factors. Conclusions: PI is pandemic in 45 years and older people in China. People with older age, difficulties in daily living and people who are not working are at higher risk. More efforts should be paid in estimating and promoting leisure-time physical activities

Maternal periconceptional consumption of sprouted potato and risks of neural tube defects and orofacial clefts

Abstract Background The association between maternal consumption of sprouted potato during periconceptional period on the development of neural tube defects (NTDs) or orofacial clefts (OFCs) remains unclear. We aimed to examine the association between maternal consumption of sprouted potatoes during periconceptional period and risks of NTDs or OFCs. Methods Subjects included 622 NTD cases, 135 OFC cases and 858 nonmalformed controls, were recruited from a case-control study in Shanxi Province of northern China between 2002 and 2007. Information on demographics, maternal sprouted potato consumption, lifestyle behaviors and folic acid supplementation was collected. Results Consumption of sprouted potatoes was associated with elevated odds of total NTDs (OR = 2.20; 95% CI, 1.12–4.32) and anencephaly (OR = 2.48; 95% CI, 1.10–5.58); no association for spina bifida or encephalocele. Sprouted potato consumption increased the risk of total OFCs (OR = 3.49; 95% CI, 1.29–9.49) and cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL ± P) (OR = 4.03; 95% CI, 1.44–11.28). Conclusion Maternal consumption of sprouted potatoes during periconceptional period may increase the risks of NTDs and OFCs. Given that potato is commonly consumed around the world, improper preservation and use should be a matter of concern in respect of the potential teratogenicity

Impact of cooking on the sensory perception and volatile compounds of Takifugu rubripes

Takifugu rubripes is well-known for its unique flavour but can also develop a putrid off-note. To eliminate off-note and promote desirable flavour, four cooking processes (boiling, steaming, microwave-heating and roasting) were explored to determine their effects on cooked T. rubripes. The temperature and water dynamics, physico-chemical properties were analysed and correlated with sensory qualities. The changes of centre temperature dynamics during cooking decreased the water mobility and led to varied sensory properties. Six out of ten orthonasal aroma attributes and four out of five mouthfeel attributes were significantly different among samples (p < 0.05). Based on partial least squares regression analysis, orthonasal aroma attributes “roasted” and “earthy/putrid fish” highly correlated with the volatile compounds generated from Maillard reaction and lipid oxidation, respectively; meanwhile mouthfeel attributes of chewy/fibre and tender/juicy were highly associated with water loss and moisture, respectively. This study provides insights for optimising cooking conditions to create desirable fish flavour

Sensitivity of Multi-Source SAR Backscatter to Changes in Forest Aboveground Biomass

Accurate estimates of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) after anthropogenic disturbance could reduce uncertainties in the carbon budget of terrestrial ecosystems and provide critical information to policy makers. Yet, the loss of carbon due to forest disturbance and the gain from post-disturbance recovery have not been sufficiently assessed. In this study, a sensitivity analysis was first conducted to investigate: (1) the influence of incidence angle and soil moisture on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) backscatter; (2) the feasibility of cross-image normalization between multi-temporal and multi-sensor SAR data; and (3) the possibility of applying normalized backscatter data to detect forest biomass changes. An empirical model was used to reduce incidence angle effects, followed by cross-image normalization procedure to lessen soil moisture effect. Changes in forest biomass at medium spatial resolution (100 m) were mapped using both spaceborne and airborne SAR data. Results indicate that (1) the effect of incidence angle on SAR backscatter could be reduced to less than 1 dB by the correction model for airborne SAR data; (2) over 50% of the changes in SAR backscatter due to soil moisture could be eliminated by the cross-image normalization procedure; and (3) forest biomass changes greater than 100 Mg·ha−1 or above 50% of 150 Mg·ha−1 are detectable using cross-normalized SAR data

Assembly and photocatalysis of three novel metal–organic frameworks tuned by metal polymeric motifs

<div><p></p><p>By using a thiodiacetate, phenanthroline and tuning the metal salts in the reaction system, three new metal-organic coordination complexes, {[Co(MOPIP)₂(tda)]·H₂O}_1∕2 (<b>1</b>), [Cd(MOPIP)₂(tda)]₂·3H₂O (<b>2</b>) and [Cu₅I₄(MOPIP)₃·H₂O]_n (<b>3</b>) (tda = S(CH₂COO)₂²⁻, thiodiacetate; MOPIP = 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1<i>H</i>-imidazo[4,5-<i>f</i>][1,10]phenanthroline), have been prepared through hydrothermal reactions. In <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, the metal (Co²⁺/Cd²⁺) centers are connected by tda to form a mononuclear molecule, which connect to a two-dimensional (2D) layer by N-H···O hydrogen bonds. By selecting the copper iodide salt we get <b>3</b>, where the Cu⁺ center exhibits three different coordination types, which has never been seen before in the same compound, and linked by iodide and MOPIP to construct a new 3D framework. <b>3</b> represents the first example of MOPIP showing a new coordination mode with four nitrogens all coordinated. The metal salts play an important role in assembly of the structures of <b>1</b>-<b>3</b>. Introduction of MOPIP shows significant effect on the dimensionalities of complexes. The fluorescence and catalytic properties of <b>1</b> and <b>3</b> have also been investigated.</p></div