The effect on income of providing near vision correction to workers in Bangladesh: The THRIVE (Tradespeople and Hand-workers Rural Initiative for a Vision-enhanced Economy) randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Presbyopia, the leading cause of vision impairment globally, is common during working years. However, no trials have assessed presbyopia's impact on income. METHODS: In April 2017, we conducted a census among 59 Bangladesh villages to identify persons aged 35 to 65 years with presbyopia (presenting distance vision > = 6/12 bilaterally and correctable inability to see 6/13 at 40 cm with both eyes), who never had owned glasses. Participants were randomized (1:1) to receive immediate free reading glasses (intervention) or glasses delivered 8 months later (control). Visual demand of different jobs was stratified into three levels. Outcomes were between-group differences in the 8 month change in: self-reported monthly income (primary) and Near Vision Related Quality of Life (NVRQOL, secondary). RESULTS: Among 10,884 census participants, 3,655 (33.6%) met vision criteria and 863 (23.6%) comprised a sample enriched for near vision-intensive jobs, but 39 (4.52%) could not be reached. All participants allocated to intervention (n = 423, 51.3%) and control (n = 401, 48.7%) received the appropriate intervention, and follow-up was available for 93.4% and 96.8% respectively. Groups were similar at baseline in all characteristics: mean age was 47 years, 50% were male, 35% literate, and about half engaged in "most near vision-intensive" occupations. Glasses wear at 8-month follow-up was 88.3% and 7.81% in intervention and control respectively. At baseline, both the intervention and control groups had a self-reported median monthly income of US$35.3. At endline, the median income for the intervention group was US$47.1 compared with US$35.3 for control, a difference of 33.4%. Predictors of greater income increase in multivariate models included intervention group allocation (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.12, 1.88, P = 0.005), male sex (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.84, 3.16, P <0.001), and not engaging in income-producing work at baseline (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.69, 3.26, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Provision of reading glasses increases income in near vision-intensive occupations, and may facilitate return to work for those currently unemployed.

Artificial intelligence-assisted system for the assessment of Forrest classification of peptic ulcer bleeding: a multicenter diagnostic study.

BACKGROUND: Inaccurate Forrest classification may significantly affect clinical outcomes, especially in high risk patients. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a real-time deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) system to assess the Forrest classification of peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB). METHODS: A training dataset (3868 endoscopic images) and an internal validation dataset (834 images) were retrospectively collected from the 900th Hospital, Fuzhou, China. In addition, 521 images collected from four other hospitals were used for external validation. Finally, 46 endoscopic videos were prospectively collected to assess the real-time diagnostic performance of the DCNN system, whose diagnostic performance was also prospectively compared with that of three senior and three junior endoscopists. RESULTS: The DCNN system had a satisfactory diagnostic performance in the assessment of Forrest classification, with an accuracy of 91.2% (95%CI 89.5%-92.6%) and a macro-average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.80 in the validation dataset. Moreover, the DCNN system could judge suspicious regions automatically using Forrest classification in real-time videos, with an accuracy of 92.0% (95%CI 80.8%-97.8%). The DCNN system showed more accurate and stable diagnostic performance than endoscopists in the prospective clinical comparison test. This system helped to slightly improve the diagnostic performance of senior endoscopists and considerably enhance that of junior endoscopists. CONCLUSION: The DCNN system for the assessment of the Forrest classification of PUB showed satisfactory diagnostic performance, which was slightly superior to that of senior endoscopists. It could therefore effectively assist junior endoscopists in making such diagnoses during gastroscopy.

The role of socioeconomic status and oxidative balance score in erectile dysfunction: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a complex disorder of biopsychosocial etiology. Approximately 3%-77 % of adult men worldwide are more or less affected by ED. Objective: This cross-sectional study investigated the association between ED and socioeconomic status (SES) based on a nationally representative adult male population. Methods: The poverty income ratio (PIR), which refers to household income ratio to the established poverty line, was used to assess SES. Oxidative stress related to diet and lifestyle was reflected by oxidative balance score (OBS). Erectile function was evaluated using a questionnaire. Based on the results of the questionnaire, participants were divided into two groups of those without ED (always or almost always be able to erect and keep erection, usually be able to erect and keep erection) and with ED (sometimes be able to erect and keep erection, never be able to erect and keep erection). Multivariate logistic regression, multiple models, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to analyze and describe the interaction between ED, OBS, and SES. Results: Compared with men without ED, those with ED were more likely to be older in age (43.98 vs 37.74, P＜0.0001), and less educated (P < 0.001), and with a ratio of family income to poverty less than 3.5 (P = 0.02), higher BMI (30.11 vs 27.84, P＜0.0001), lower OBS (21.71 vs 23.17, P = 0.04), having habit of smoking (P = 0.04), with diabetes (P＜0.0001), and with hypertension (P = 0.003). Participants with higher PIR were more likely to report good erectile function than those with lower PIR through multivariate analysis (OR = 0.49, 95 % CI = 0.31-0.78, P = 0.005). The RCS model revealed a negative non-linear correlation of PIR with ED when PIR ≤3.89. It is interesting to note that PIR was＞3.89 showed a positive non-linear relationship with ED. Conclusion: The social determinants of health and intake of oxidants and antioxidants were considered as risk factors for ED and could be studied as a research focus in the future.

Silver-Catalyzed Cascade Radical Bicyclization Reaction: An Atom- and Step-Economical Strategy Accessing γ-Lactam Containing Isoquinolinediones.

An efficient and convenient method for the cascade radical bicyclization of N-phenyl-4-pentenamides with N-methyl-N-methacryloylbenzamides under silver-catalyzed conditions is described. Based on this newly developed strategy, a variety of valuable γ-lactam containing isoquinolinediones can be effectively synthesized in one step within 0.5 h, during which two C-C bonds, one C-N bond, and two new N-heterocycles were formed concurrently. With N-aryl allyl carbamates, similar 2-oxazolidinone substituted isoquinolinedione compounds can likewise be produced. The approach demonstrates wide functional group compatibility, high step- and atom-economy, and the ability to be scaled up to gram quantities in a satisfactory yield. It marks the first instance of introducing γ-lactams into isoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-diones to construct linked hybrid drug-like molecules, thereby making this strategy highly attractive to drug discovery.

Radiation-Hardened and Flexible Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 Piezoelectric Sensor for Structural Health Monitoring.

Piezoelectric sensors are excellent damage detectors that can be applied to structural health monitoring (SHM). SHM for complex structures of aerospace vehicles working in harsh conditions is frequently required, posing challenging requirements for a sensor's flexibility, radiation hardness, and high-temperature tolerance. Here, we fabricate a flexible and lightweight Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 piezoelectric film on flexible KMg3(AlSi3O10)F2 substrate via van der Waals (vdW) heteroepitaxy, endowing it with robust ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties under low energy-high flux protons (LE-HFPs) radiation (1015 p/cm2). More importantly, the Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 film sensor maintains highly stable damage monitoring sensitivity on an aluminum plate under harsh conditions of LE-HFPs radiation (1015 p/cm2, flat structure), high temperature (175 °C, flat structure), and mechanical fatigue (bending 105 cycles under a radius of 5 mm, curved structure). All these superior qualities are suggested to result from the outstanding film crystal quality due to vdW epitaxy. The flexible and lightweight Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 film sensor demonstrated in this work provides an ideal candidate for real-time SHM of aerospace vehicles with flat and complex curve-like structures working in harsh aerospace environments.

Construction of Low-Cost Z-Scheme Heterojunction Cu2O/PCN-250 Photocatalysts Simultaneously for the Enhanced Photoreduction of CO2 to Alcohols and Photooxidation of Water.

Solar-driven high-efficiency conversion of CO2 with water vapor into high-value-added alcohols is a promising approach for reducing CO2 emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. However, the rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers and low CO2 adsorption capacity of photocatalysts are usually the factors that limit their applicability. Herein, a series of low-cost Z-scheme heterostructures Cu2O/PCN-250-x are constructed by in situ growth of ultrasmall Cu2O nanoparticles on PCN-250. A systematic investigation revealed that there is a strong interaction between Cu2O nanoparticles and PCN-250. The resulting Cu2O/PCN-250-2 exhibits excellent photogenerated carrier separation efficiency and CO2 adsorption capacity, which dramatically promote the conversion of CO2 into alcohols. Notably, the total yield of 268 µmol gcat-1 for the production of CH3OH and CH3H2OH is superior to that of isolated PCN-250 and Cu2O. This study provides a new perspective for the design of a Cu2O nanoparticle/metal-organic framework Z-scheme heterojunction for the reduction of CO2 to alcohols with water vapor.

Impact of Two-Way FDI on China's Environmental Quality: The Perspective of Environmentally Cleaner Production and End Treatment.

While the rapid development of two-way foreign direct investment (FDI) has boosted China's economic growth, its impact on environmental quality is uncertain. Based on provincial panel data from China covering the period from 2002 to 2020, this paper proposes an environmental quality assessment index system for China from two aspects: environmentally cleaner production and environmental end treatment. The comprehensive environmental quality index (EQI), environmentally cleaner production index (EPI), and environmental end treatment index (ETI) were all measured, with the geographic information system tool and Dagum Gini coefficient used to analyse the indicators' differences using a system-generalised method-of-moments (SYS-GMM) estimation to study the impact of two-way FDI on environmental quality in various regions across China. The results demonstrate that during the sample period, inward FDI positively impacted environmental quality and cleaner production but had a negative impact on environmental end treatment. Outward FDI significantly promoted EQI, EPI, and ETI, and the interaction between inward FDI and outward FDI positively impacted environmental quality and environmentally cleaner production, while it negatively impacted environmental end treatment. This indicates that under two-way FDI, China's relationship with environmental quality has gradually evolved from 'pollution first and then treatment' to 'green development of cleaner production'.

The ASCENT Intervention to Improve Access and Reduce Racial Inequalities in Kidney Waitlisting: A Randomized, Effectiveness-Implementation Trial.

BACKGROUND: The US kidney allocation system (KAS) changed in 2014, but dialysis facility staff (including nephrologists, social workers, nurse managers, and facility administrators) had low awareness of how this policy change could affect their patients' access to transplant. We assessed the effectiveness of a multicomponent and multilevel educational and outreach intervention targeting US dialysis facilities with low waitlisting, with a goal of increasing waitlisting and reducing Black versus White racial disparities in waitlisting. METHODS: The Allocation System Changes for Equity in Kidney Transplantation (ASCENT) study was a cluster-randomized, pragmatic, multilevel, effectiveness-implementation trial including 655 US dialysis facilities with low waitlisting, randomized to receive either the ASCENT intervention (a performance feedback report, a webinar, and staff and patient educational videos) or an educational brochure. Absolute and relative differences in coprimary outcomes (1-year waitlisting and racial differences in waitlisting) were reported among incident and prevalent patients. RESULTS: Among 56,332 prevalent patients, 1-year waitlisting decreased for patients in control facilities (2.72%-2.56%) and remained the same for patients in intervention facilities (2.68%-2.75%). However, the proportion of prevalent Black patients waitlisted in the ASCENT interventions increased from baseline to 1 year (2.52%-2.78%), whereas it remained the same for White patients in the ASCENT intervention facilities (2.66%-2.69%). Among incident patients in ASCENT facilities, 1-year waitlisting increased among Black patients (from 0.87% to 1.07%) but declined among White patients (from 1.54% to 1.27%). Significant racial disparities in waitlisting were observed at baseline, with incident Black patients in ASCENT facilities less likely to waitlist compared with White patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35 to 0.92), but 1 year after the intervention, this racial disparity was attenuated (aOR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.42). CONCLUSIONS: The ASCENT intervention may have a small effect on extending the reach of the new KAS policy by attenuating racial disparities in waitlisting among a population of US dialysis facilities with low waitlisting. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NAME AND REGISTRATION NUMBER: National Institutes of Health ( NCT02879812 ). PODCAST: This article contains a podcast at https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2023_03_08_CJN09760822.mp3.

The regional difference, dynamic evolution, and multidimensional inequality of China's ecological environment quality from the concept of ecological resilience.

Based on the concept of ecological resilience, this paper systematically constructs an evaluation system of ecological environment quality and dynamically measures the ecological environment quality (EQI) and its dimensional oriented indices: environmental pollution production (PPI), environmental pollution management (PMI), and ecological environment restoration (ERI). Then, the dynamic evolution of EQI, PPI, PMI, and ERI could be analyzed by the kernel density estimation and Markov chain, and the multidimensional inequality and its sources of ecological environment quality are studied by Maasoumi index. The main conclusions are as follows: China's EQI shows a tendency of slow growth despite swings. In terms of dimensional-oriented indices, PPI exhibits a slow decreasing trend, and PMI and ERI exhibit an ongoing upward trend. There are showing signs of sustained improvement of EQI across regions, especially in the southwest and northwest. Meanwhile, EQI has the evolutionary characteristics of increasing internal regional synergy and inter-regional differentiation effects. The multidimensional inequality of EQI shows a downward trend first and then an upward trend, and its contribution decreases in turn with "PPI-ERI-PMI." There are obvious differences in the multidimensional inequality of EQI across regions. The intra-regional inequality is absolutely dominant. The marginal contribution of this paper is to construct an evaluation framework of ecological environment quality based on the concept of ecological resilience and to conduct empirical research on China's ecological environment quality, so as to further explain the spatial distribution, evolutionary path, and formation mechanism of China's ecological environment quality.

In vitro toxicity assessment of haloacetamides via a toxicogenomics assay.

It is important to study the stress effects and mechanisms of haloacetamide (HAcAm) disinfection byproducts to reveal their health hazards. In this context, toxicological g was applied to evaluate the effects of four HAcAms, revealing the status of gene expression on Escherichia coli in different stress response types (oxidative, protein, membrane, general, DNA). This study revealed that the main toxic action modes of these HAcAms were general and membrane stresses by high-resolution, real-time gene expression profiling combined with clustering analysis. The results of time-gene evaluation showed that the presence of chloroacetamide (CAcAm) and bromoacetamide (BAcAm) generated more reactive oxygen species, thus activating oxidative stress. Trichloroacetamide (tCAcAm) induced altered expression of glutathione marker genes and membrane stress-related genes, and iodoacetamide (IAcAm) caused severe DNA damage by damaging DNA strands and individual nucleotides mainly through damage to nucleic acids and bases. Furthermore, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modelling results indicated that the biological activities of HAcAms were related to their quantum chemical and topological properties.

Application of Multi-Dimensional Intelligent Visual Quantitative Assessment System to Evaluate Hand Function Rehabilitation in Stroke Patients.

Background: Hand dysfunction is one of the main symptoms of stroke patients, but there is still a lack of accurate hand function assessment systems. This study focused on the application of the multi-dimensional intelligent visual quantitative assessment system (MDIVQAS) in the rehabilitation assessment of hand function in stroke patients and evaluate hand function rehabilitation in stroke patients. Methods: Eighty-two patients with stroke and unilateral hand dysfunction were evaluated by MDIVQAS. Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was used to assess the internal consistency of MDIVQAS; the F-test is used to assess the differences in MDIVQAS for multiple repeated measures. Spearman's analysis was used to identify correlations of MDIVQAS with other assessment systems. t-tests were used to identify differences in outcomes assessed with MDIVQAS in patients before and after treatment. p < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: (1) Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of MDIVQAS in evaluating hand's function > 0.9. (2) There was no significant difference between the other repeated measurements, except for thumb rotation in MDIVQAS. (3) MDIVQAS had a significant correlation with other assessment systems (r > 0.5, p < 0.01). (4) There were significant differences in the evaluation of hand function in patients before and after treatment using MDIVQAS. Conclusion: The MDIVQAS system has good reliability and validity in the evaluation of stroke hand function, and it can also better evaluate the treatment effect.

Metabolomic Analysis on the Mechanism of Nanoselenium Biofortification Improving the Siraitia grosvenorii Nutritional and Health Value.

Nanoselenium (nano-Se) foliar application is crucial for enhancing plant health. However, the mechanism by which nano-Se biofortification promotes the nutritional components of Siraitia grosvenorii remains unclear. In this study, nano-Se foliar application increased the carbohydrate and amino acid contents, including glucose (23.6%), fructose (39.7%), sucrose (60.6%), tryptophan (104.5%), glycine (85.9%), tyrosine (78.4%), phenylalanine (60.1%), glutamic acid (63.4%), and proline (52.5%). Nano-Se application enhanced apigenin (3.8 times), syringic acid (0.7 times), and 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxycinnamic acid (1.4 times) of the phenylpropane biosynthesis pathways. Importantly, the SgCDS (31.1%), CYP-P450 (39.1%), and UGT (24.6%) were induced by nano-Se, which enhanced the mogroside V content (16.2%). Compared to the control, nano-Se treatment dramatically enhanced aromatic substances, including 2-butanone (51.9%), methylpropanal (146.3%), n-nonanal dimer (141.7%), pentanal (52.5%), and 2-pentanone (46.0%). In summary, nano-Se improves S. grosvenorii quality by increasing nutrients and volatile organic compounds and adjusting the phenylpropane pathway.

A preliminary study on the feasibility of industrialization for n-caproic acid recovery from food wastewater: From lab to pilot.

Food wastewater is associated with greenhouse gas emission and has a significant water footprint. Here, the platform chemical n-caproate was recovered from liquor brewing wastewater at maximum and mean concentrations of 26.4 g/L and 17.0 ± 4.3 g/L, respectively, after 377 d operation. Laboratory-scale lactate-driven chain elongation (CE) process was implemented first. Taxonomic composition and metagenomic data analyses revealed that Caproiciproducens (e.g., Ruminococcaceae bacterium CPB6) and bacteria affiliated with Lachnospiraceae transformed lactate to n-caproate by reverse ß-oxidation and/or fatty acid biosynthesis. The lactate-driven CE process was then scaled up from 2.5 L to 500 L and achieved a n-caproate production of 14.5 ± 0.6 g/L within 96 h. n-Caproic acid was extracted at a concentration and purity of 815.9 ± 8.3 g/L and 88.6 ± 8.9 %, respectively. The present study demonstrated a commercially viable strategy for resource recovery and carbon fixation from food waste streams.

Clinical assessment and molecular mechanism of the upregulation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases remain ranked first worldwide. Myocardial infarction (MI) is the central cause of death from cardiovascular diseases, seriously endangering human health. The clinical implication of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) remains contradictory, and its mechanism is still unknown. Hence, the objective of this study was to elucidate the clinical value and molecular mechanism of TLR2 in MI. METHODS: All high-throughput datasets and eligible literature were screened, and the expression levels of TLR2 were collected from the MI. The integrated expression level of TLR2 was displayed by calculating the standardized mean difference (SMD) and the area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC). The related TLR2 genes were sent for pathway analyses by gene ontology (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genome (KEGG), and disease ontology (DO). Single-cell RNA-seq was applied to ascertain the molecular mechanism of TLR2 in MI. RESULTS: Nine microarrays and four reported data were available to calculate the comprehensive expression level of TLR2 in MI, including 325 cases of MI and 306 cases of controls. The SMD was 2.55 (95% CI = 1.35-3.75), and the AUC was 0.76 (95% CI = 0.72-0.79), indicating the upregulation of TLR2 in MI. The related TLR2 genes were primarily enriched in the pathways of atherosclerosis, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and arteriosclerosis, suggesting the clinical role of TLR2 in the progression of MI. Afterward, TLR2 was upregulated in myeloid cells in MI. CONCLUSIONS: TLR2 may have a crucial role in progressing from coronary atherosclerosis to MI. The upregulation of TLR2 may have a favorable screening value for MI.

Clinical characteristics and social determinants of health associated with 30-day hospital readmissions of patients with COVID-19.

COVID-19 readmissions are associated with increased patient mortality and healthcare system strain. This retrospective cohort study of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 positive adults (>18 years) hospitalized and readmitted within 30 days of discharge from index admission was performed at eight Atlanta hospitals from March to December 2020. The objective was to describe COVID-19 patient-level demographics and clinical characteristics, and community-level social determinants of health (SDoH) that contribute to 30-day readmissions. Demographics, comorbidities, COVID-19 treatment, and discharge disposition data were extracted from the index admission. ZIP codes were linked to a demographic/lifestyle database interpolating to community-level SDoH. Of 7155 patients with COVID-19, 463 (6.5%) had 30-day, unplanned, all-cause hospital readmissions. Statistically significant differences were not found in readmissions stratified by age, sex, race, or ethnicity. Patients with a high-risk Charlson Comorbidity Index had higher odds of readmission (OR 4.8 (95% CI: 2.1 to 11.0)). Remdesivir treatment and intensive care unit (ICU) care were associated with lower odds of readmission (OR 0.5 (95% CI: 0.4 to 0.8) and OR 0.5 (95% CI: 0.4 to 0.7), respectively). Patients residing in communities with larger average household size were less likely to be readmitted (OR 0.7 (95% CI: 0.5 to 0.9). In this cohort, patients who received remdesivir, were cared for in an ICU, and resided in ZIP codes with higher proportions of residents with increased social support had lower odds of readmission. These patient-level factors and community-level SDoH may be used to identify patients with COVID-19 who are at increased risk of readmission.

Reliability and Validity of the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Scale in Evaluation of Vascular Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Han Population.

Introduction: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and Alzheimer's disease are the most common cognitive impairment diseases in the elderly. This study aimed to apply the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) scale to evaluate VCI in elderly patients and analyze its reliability and validity. Methods: We enrolled 278 VCI patients admitted to our hospital, from June 2017 to June 2018. The basic clinical information of each patient was documented, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the RBANS scales were suggested to complete. Results: We found significant correlations between the RBANS total score and age, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and years of education. The internal consistency of the RBANS scale Cronbach αsuggested a good agreement with the total score and the single score at two time points. Moreover, the RBANS total score and the score of each dimension in the RBANS scale were positively correlated with the MMSE immediate memory, calculation ability, delayed memory, commanding ability, reading comprehension ability, command execution, sentence making, and pattern duplicating ability. Conclusion: In conclusion, the RBANS has good reliability and validity for the assessment of cognitive dysfunction in elderly VCI patients. It can be used as a routine clinical and research tool, for the simplicity in operation and superior acceptance.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Diabetic Retinopathy in an Urban Population in Northeast China.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of diabetic subjects with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and those without DR (NDR) in an urban community in Northeast China, as well as their risk factors in subjects with DR and NDR. Methods: A community-based survey involving 1,662 subjects was conducted in Fushun, China, between July 2012 and May 2013. The subjects included diabetics with DR (n = 783) and those NDR (n = 879), and questionnaires were completed to collect information about their sociodemographic and healthcare characteristics. A Chi-square test and multiple logistic analyses were performed to analyze the data. Results: Among the DR group, 21.88% had a good knowledge of DR, 94.15% had a positive attitude, and 68.07% followed good practice, whereas 20.98% of the NDR group had a good knowledge of DR, 94.18% had a positive attitude, and 66.92% followed good practice. There was no significant difference in the KAP of the two groups of subjects. In the NDR group, a good level of knowledge was associated with a high-level of education (OR = 0.1, 0.2; p < 0.05), a good attitude was associated with retirement (OR = 0.2; p < 0.05), and good practice was associated with being female, having a high-level of education, and the type of treatment (OR = 0.5, 0.4, 2.3, 3.1; p < 0.05). In the DR group, good practice was associated with older age and retirement (OR = 0.6, 0.4; p < 0.05). Conclusions: There was no significant difference between the DR and NDR subjects in the overall levels of KAP, but both groups showed a poor level of knowledge. Age, gender, education, occupation, and type of treatment were the main factors associated with the KAP scores, more risk factors in the NDR group than in the DR group. There is an urgent need for coordinated educational campaigns with a prioritized focus on the northeast region of China, especially NDR group.

Dissipative behavior, residual pattern, and risk assessment of four pesticides and their metabolites during tea cultivation, processing and infusion.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, metabolic products of pesticides have gained much attention due to their substantial characteristics as organic pollutants. So far, the behavior and metabolite levels of pesticide metabolites in crops have not been characterized well. In the present study, four registered pesticides (imidacloprid, diafenthiuron, malathion and chlorothalonil) were applied on tea plants in Fujian and Sichuan to characterize their metabolites residue pattern and dietary risk. RESULTS: Four pesticides dissipated first-order kinetics in the fresh tea leaves with the half-lives of 1.4-3.8 days. Nine metabolites were detected in the fresh tea leaves and green tea after processing. The metabolites residues showed an increasing trend first and then declined after treatment, and reached the maximum near the half-lives of pesticide. Compared with the parent pesticide, the total residue and acute risk (included the metabolites) increased by 1.7-105.2 times. Some metabolites, especially those whose parent pesticides have high water solubility and low Log Kow, will be more easily transferred to tea infusion. CONCLUSION: Pesticides were metabolized rapidly on tea plants after application, but the production of metabolites increased the health risk of tea consumption. These results could provide insights to use the pesticides in tea gardens and risk monitoring after application. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Mechanistic insights into H2 evolution via water splitting at the expense of B2(OH)4: a theoretical study.

H2 has been comprehensively deemed a promising potential candidate to replace traditional fossil fuel-based energy. Typically, the hydrolysis of most hydrogen-rich boron hydrides (e.g. NaBH4, NH3BH3 and Me2NHBH3) catalyzed by nanomaterials generates H2 with only one H atom supplied by water and the other one by a hydrogen-rich boron hydride. Interestingly, both H atoms of produced H2 are provided by water upon hydrolysis of B2(OH)4. Herein, the catalytic mechanisms of H2 evolution upon water splitting at the expense of B2(OH)4 in its hydrolysis reactions catalyzed by acid, base or metal nanoparticles have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. By computational studies, the mechanisms of catalysis by base and metal nanoparticles are basically the same as those speculated from our previous experiments. The previously proposed acid catalytic mechanism has been overturned, however. This study not only provides important insights into the catalytic mechanism for water splitting at the expense of B2(OH)4, but also opens up an exciting opportunity to use water to store H2.