Micro-sized Aluminum-air battery based on single-crystal Metal-organic frameworks as air cathode

Department of ChemistryAluminum-air batteries are promising energy sources due to their high theoretical voltage (2.7 V), high theoretical energy density (8.1 kWh/kg-Al), low cost, and safety and environmental friendliness etc. , , , However Al self-corrosion is limitation in Al-air battery??? in aqueous alkaline electrolytes, causing formation of passivating Al(OH)3 layer from Al(OH)4??? ??? is a major obstacle preventing continuous electrochemical reaction during discharge. Moreover, direct contact between Al and water (H2O) results in parasitic hydrogen evolution reaction which, in turn, lowers the operating potential of the battery. Here, we, achieve inhibition of parasitic corrosion by using (i) a polyester anion transport layer with Zn particles embedded in it , , and, most importantly, (ii) a single crystal of rubidium-cyclodextrin-metal-organic framework (Rb-CD-MOF) which not only serves as an air-cathode reducing oxygen but also as a diffuser , for Al(OH)4??? and OH??? ions to minimize the formation of Al(OH)3 passivation layer on the anode. Furthermore, the Rb-CD-MOF itself exhibits bifunctional electro-catalytic effect , by supporting efficient and stable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) close to the direct four-electron process, and also oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This ORR/OER bifunctionality allows the battery to efficiently use humid air (i.e., oxygen and water) as ???fuel??? powering its operation. Because of the inhibition of Al corrosion and the MOF???s bifunctional electro-catalysis, the Al-air battery shows ultra-high discharge capacity. above 15,000 mAh/cm2. The use of single-crystal electrocatalytic MOFs is a novel concept in battery design and, as illustrated by this work, can enhance performance of traditional batteries often limited by interfacial processes.ope

The Impact of Reservation Policy on Education in India: An Evaluation of Karnataka's Gram Panchayat Presidency Reservation and Children's Education Attainment for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Households

Reservation policy in local governments – Gram Panchayats – in India is one of three key means of affirmative action, ensuring lower caste groups are represented fairly in political institutions. Researchers have found local political reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) populations strongly associated with more SC- and ST-friendly policies, increases in welfare spending and investment in infrastructure, as well as lower household poverty levels. This paper explores one potential indirect benefit of reservations, namely improvements in education attainment. The theory of role model effects is applied to the context of political reservations - greater presence of SC and ST presidents in Gram Panchayats could act as a positive role model of stereotype-defying success for SC and ST children, incentivizing more investment in education attainment. The paper tests the relationship between reservation rates and average completed years of schooling in a dose-response regression model at the sub-district level, using a sample of 13,408 SC children and 6,066 ST children ages 5 to 18 in Karnataka. The results of the analysis suggest that more SC and ST presidents in Gram Panchayats are associated with increases in education attainment among SC and ST children. Further research would be valuable to strengthen these findings and expand the literature on indirect benefits of reservations

Intakes of Dairy Products and Calcium and Obesity in Korean Adults: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) 2007-2009

Background: The possible effects of dairy product intake against obesity have been suggested in animal studies; however, the association is still not well established in epidemiological studies. Few studies in Asian countries with relatively low intake of dairy products exist. Objective: We investigated the association between dairy products and calcium intake and obesity in Korean population with relatively low intake of dairy products. Subjects and Methods Our study population consisted of adults (n = 7173) aged 19–64 among participants of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had not made any attempt of intentional weight loss. Dietary intake data from food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 24-hour recall were used. Dairy products included milk and yogurt in the FFQ. Obesity was defined as BMI≥25 kg/m2. Results: Higher frequency of dairy product intake was associated with a reduced prevalence of obesity (OR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.45–0.89 for ≥2 times/day vs. ≤1 time/month; p for trend = 0.003) using the intake data from FFQ. Similarly, high frequency of milk or yogurt intake had an inverse association with obesity. The association between milk and yogurt intake and obesity was similar when the intake from 24-hour recall was examined. Higher calcium intake from dairy products as well as total dietary calcium intake was associated with a decreased prevalence of obesity (OR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.71–0.98 for highest vs. lowest quintile of dairy calcium intake; p for trend = 0.02, OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.64–0.94 for highest vs. lowest quintile of total calcium intake; p for trend = 0.04). The associations appeared to be stronger in women than in men. Conclusion: These results suggest that high consumption of dairy products is associated with a lower prevalence of obesity and that calcium in dairy products may be one of the components contributing to the association. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to replicate our findings

NRG1 functions downstream of EDS1 to regulate TIR-NLR-mediated plant immunity in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in plants involves a large family of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors, including Toll/IL-1 receptor-NLRs (TNLs) and coiled-coil NLRs (CNLs). Although various NLR immune receptors are known, a mechanistic understanding of NLR function in ETI remains unclear. The TNL Recognition of XopQ 1 (Roq1) recognizes the effectors XopQ and HopQ1 from Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas, respectively, which activates resistance to Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and Xanthomonas gardneri in an Enhanced Disease Susceptibility 1 (EDS1)-dependent way in Nicotiana benthamiana In this study, we found that the N. benthamiana N requirement gene 1 (NRG1), a CNL protein required for the tobacco TNL protein N-mediated resistance to tobacco mosaic virus, is also essential for immune signaling [including hypersensitive response (HR)] triggered by the TNLs Roq1 and Recognition of Peronospora parasitica 1 (RPP1), but not by the CNLs Bs2 and Rps2, suggesting that NRG1 may be a conserved key component in TNL signaling pathways. Besides EDS1, Roq1 and NRG1 are necessary for resistance to Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas in N. benthamiana NRG1 functions downstream of Roq1 and EDS1 and physically associates with EDS1 in mediating XopQ-Roq1-triggered immunity. Moreover, RNA sequencing analysis showed that XopQ-triggered gene-expression profile changes in N. benthamiana were almost entirely mediated by Roq1 and EDS1 and were largely regulated by NRG1. Overall, our study demonstrates that NRG1 is a key component that acts downstream of EDS1 to mediate various TNL signaling pathways, including Roq1 and RPP1-mediated HR, resistance to Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas, and XopQ-regulated transcriptional changes in N. benthamiana

Dietary protein sources in early adulthood and breast cancer incidence: prospective cohort study

Objective: To investigate the association between dietary protein sources in early adulthood and risk of breast cancer. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Health professionals in the United States. Participants: 88 803 premenopausal women from the Nurses’ Health Study II who completed a questionnaire on diet in 1991. Main outcome measure Incident cases of invasive breast carcinoma, identified through self report and confirmed by pathology report. Results: We documented 2830 cases of breast cancer during 20 years of follow-up. Higher intake of total red meat was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer overall (relative risk 1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.40; Ptrend=0.01, for highest fifth v lowest fifth of intake). However, higher intakes of poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, and nuts were not related to breast cancer overall. When the association was evaluated by menopausal status, higher intake of poultry was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women (0.73, 0.58 to 0.91; Ptrend=0.02, for highest fifth v lowest fifth of intake) but not in premenopausal women (0.93, 0.78 to 1.11; Ptrend=0.60, for highest fifth v lowest fifth of intake). In estimating the effects of exchanging different protein sources, substituting one serving/day of legumes for one serving/day of red meat was associated with a 15% lower risk of breast cancer among all women (0.85, 0.73 to 0.98) and a 19% lower risk among premenopausal women (0.81, 0.66 to 0.99). Also, substituting one serving/day of poultry for one serving/day of red meat was associated with a 17% lower risk of breast cancer overall (0.83, 0.72 to 0.96) and a 24% lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer (0.76, 0.59 to 0.99). Furthermore, substituting one serving/day of combined legumes, nuts, poultry, and fish for one serving/day of red meat was associated with a 14% lower risk of breast cancer overall (0.86, 0.78 to 0.94) and premenopausal breast cancer (0.86, 0.76 to 0.98). Conclusion: Higher red meat intake in early adulthood may be a risk factor for breast cancer, and replacing red meat with a combination of legumes, poultry, nuts and fish may reduce the risk of breast cancer

Meeting the Moment: New Data on Learning Loss and What We Can Do About It

The Evidence for Gender and Education Resource (EGER) program, under the Population Council’s Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center, hosted a virtual webinar titled “Meeting the Moment: New Data on Learning Loss and What We Can Do About It” in October 2021. This document provides a recap of the webinar, in which panelists shared the significant impact of closed schools on learning levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, striking disparities when we intersect poverty, as well as the crucial need to get children back to school and for evidence-based approaches to support learning, such as aligning teaching to the level of the child

From Data to Action: Informing Menstrual Health Management Programs

The Population Council’s Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center and Evidence for Gender and Education Resource (EGER) program hosted the second virtual webinar of its From Data to Action series, “Informing Menstrual Health Management Programs” in February 2022. This document provides a recap of the webinar, which featured a global systematic review and results from a randomized controlled trial in Kenya on menstrual health management (MHM) programs. ZanaAfrica shared perspectives on program implementation and how the evidence is shaping their approach

From Data to Action: Partnering with Governments on Evidence to Support Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Population Council’s Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center hosted a virtual webinar in October 2021, bringing together evidence from two country-level studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent lives in Kenya and Mexico. This document provides a recap of the webinar, in which government partners reflected on the government-research partnership behind these efforts and shared their perspectives on lessons learned and the future of evidence-based policy action to support adolescents

Caffeine Intake, Coffee Consumption, and Risk of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma

BACKGROUND: Caffeine has been shown to prevent ultraviolet radiation-induced carcinogenesis and to inhibit growth of melanoma cells in experimental studies. We evaluated the association among caffeine intake, coffee consumption, and melanoma risk among three large cohort studies. METHODS: The analysis used data from 89,220 women in the Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2009), 74,666 women in the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2008), and 39,424 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2008). We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of melanoma associated with dietary intakes. RESULTS: We documented 2,254 melanoma cases over 4 million person-years of follow-up. After adjustment for other risk factors, higher total caffeine intake was associated with a lower risk of melanoma (≥393 mg/day vs. <60 mg/day: HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.64, 0.96; Ptrend = 0.048). The association was more apparent in women (≥393 mg/day vs. <60 mg/day: HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.58, 0.85; Ptrend = 0.001) than in men (HR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.75, 1.2; Ptrend = 0.81), and more apparent for melanomas occurring on body sites with higher continuous sun exposure (head, neck, and extremities; ≥393 mg/day vs. <60 mg/day: HR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.59, 0.86; Ptrend = 0.001) than for melanomas occurring on body sites with lower continuous sun exposure (trunk including shoulder, back, hip, abdomen, and chest; HR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.70, 1.2; Ptrend = 0.60). This pattern of association was similar to that for caffeinated coffee consumption, whereas no association was found for decaffeinated coffee consumption and melanoma risk. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing caffeine intake and caffeinated coffee consumption is associated with decreased risk of cutaneous malignant melanomas

Citrus Consumption and Risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin

Animal experiments have demonstrated the photocarcinogenic properties of furocoumarins, a group of naturally occurring chemicals that are rich in citrus products. We conducted a prospective study for citrus consumption and risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin based on data from 41530 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986–2010) and 63759 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (1984–2010) who were free of cancers at baseline. Over 24–26 years of follow-up, we documented 20840 incident BCCs and 3544 incident SCCs. Compared to those who consumed citrus products less than twice per week, the pooled multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios were 1.03 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.99–1.08] for BCC and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.00–1.30) for SCC for those who consumed two to four times per week, 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01–1.11) for BCC and 1.15 (95% CI: 1.02–1.28) for SCC for five to six times per week, 1.11 (95% CI: 1.06–1.16) for BCC and 1.22 (95% CI: 1.08–1.37) for SCC for once to 1.4 times per day and 1.16 (95% CI: 1.09–1.23) for BCC and 1.21 (95% Cl: 1.06–1.38) for SCC for 1.5 times per day or more (P trend = 0.001 for BCC and 0.04 for SCC). In contrast, consumption of non-citrus fruit and juice appeared to be inversely associated with risk of BCC and SCC. Our findings support positive associations between citrus consumption and risk of cutaneous BCC and SCC in two cohorts of men and women, and call for further investigations to better understand the potential photocarcinogenesis associated with dietary intakes