Body mass index and employment status: A new look

Earlier literature has usually modelled the impact of obesity on employment status as a binary choice (employed, yes/no). I provide new evidence on the impact of obesity on employment status by treating the dependent variable as a as a multinomial choice variable. Using data from a representative English survey, with measured height and weight on parents and children, I define employment status as one of four: working; looking for paid work; permanently not working due to disability; and, looking after home or family. I use a multinomial logit model controlling for a set of covariates. I also run instrumental variable models, instrumenting for Body Mass Index (BMI) based on genetic variation in weight. I find that BMI and obesity significantly increase the probability of “not working due to disability”. The results for the other employment outcomes are less clear. My findings also indicate that BMI affects employment through its effect on health. Factors other than health may be less important in explaining the impact of BMI/obesity on employment.     

不同地位克氏原螯虾胜利者-失败者效应的稳定性

为探究不同地位的克氏原螯虾(Procambarus clakii)胜利者-失败者效应的稳定性。通过视频拍摄优势者和从属者在新的领域中各自与等重量级雄性螯虾连续遭遇战,统计胜负场数、格斗次数、时间、优势指数等多个参数。在与陌生对手的首次交战中,40个优势者中有23只螯虾取得了胜利,17只失败,胜负比例之间差异不显著;而从属者中获胜比例为18/40,与失败者的比例之间也没有差异,说明优势者和从属者之间原有的等级地位并不被陌生对手识别。在与陌生对手的第二次交战中,获胜的优势者中18/23的螯虾再次胜利,极显著高于失败的螯虾比例;获胜的从属者中,仅11/18的螯虾再次胜利,与失败者的比例之间不显著;而失败的优势者中,13/17的螯虾持续失败,失败的从属者中,17/22的螯虾持续失败,均显著高于获胜的比例,说明不同地位的螯虾胜利者-失败者效应稳定性不同,优势者的胜利者-失败者效应均比较稳定,而从属者的失败者效应稳定,胜利者效应并不稳定,一胜之后不能获得稳定、完全的二胜。对格斗次数、时间、优势指数等参数统计分析发现,胜利或失败的优势者以及从属者在格斗策略上有较大的差异。     

New trophic indicators and target values for an ecosystem-based management of fisheries

In the present study, we tested five trophic indicators and we demonstrated their usefulness to assess the environmental status of marine ecosystems and to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). The tested indicators include the slope of the biomass spectrum, the mean trophic level (MTL), the marine trophic index (MTI) and two newly developed indicators, the high trophic level indicator (HTI) and the apex predator indicator (API). Indicators are compared between current state and potential reference situations, using as case studies: the Celtic Sea/Bay of Biscay, North Sea and English Channel ecosystems. Trophic spectra are obtained from Ecopath models while reference situations are estimated, simulating with EcoTroph and Ecosim different fishing pressures including three candidate scenarios for an EAFM. Inter-ecosystems assessments are done using Ecopath models, simulations outputs and scientific surveys data to assess the current states of the studied ecosystems, contrast the reference situations and analyze the responses of all indicators. Sensitivity analyses are also conducted on the main simulation parameters to test the robustness of the chosen indicators. Ecosystems specific targets for EAFM are proposed for the five trophic indicators estimated from whole-ecosystem models, while in the Celtic Sea/Bay of Biscay ecosystem targets are proposed for the MTL (=3.85) and HTI (48%) estimated from standard bottom-trawl surveys. The HTI is proposed to be relevant for survey data and the API is recommended using whole-ecosystem models. We conclude that HTI and API show trends in ecosystems health better than MTI.     

Pollution characteristics of mercury (Hg) in surface sediments of major basins,China

To investigate the pollution status and potential pollution risk of mercury (Hg) in China, surface sediment samples were collected from eight hundred and eighty-one sites, including ten major basins (Songhua River Basin (SRB), Liao River Basin (LRB), Hai River Basin (HRB), Yellow River Basin (YRB), Huai River Basin (HuRB), Yangtze River Basin (YtRB), Pearl River Basin (PRB), Southeastern River Basin (SeRB), Southwestern River Basin (SwRB) and Northwestern River Basin (NwRB)). Results showed that Hg concentrations in sediments of ten basins in China ranged from 0.001 to 8.800 mg/kg, with average ± S.D. value of 0.274 ± 0.675 mg/kg, which was obviously higher than Chinese soil background value (0.038 mg/kg) and Chinese sediment background value (0.040 mg/kg). The mean Hg concentration of ten basins decreased in the order of HRB > YtRB > SRB > PRB > HuRB > SwRB > YRB > SeRB > LRB > NwRB. Moreover, it was found that the Hg concentrations in the sediments of LRB, YtRB, PRB, SeRB and SwRB were partly driven by their total organic carbon (TOC) contents, while the effect of pH on the distribution of Hg was not obvious. The Hg concentration data were also compared with those got in other periods (1994–2015) to obtain the general variation tendency of Hg level. It was recorded that Hg concentrations in HRB have remained on high levels for a long history, while Hg contamination situation in YRB after 2004 has potentially turned to be better. The results of pollution assessment by sediment quality assessment guidelines (SQGs), contamination factor (CF), geoaccumulation index (I_geo) and potential ecological risk (E_i) suggested that YRB and HRB were the most seriously polluted river basins among the ten basins. It is urgent of constructing SQGs in China to scientifically evaluate the Hg pollution in the future.     

Anticonvulsant Activity of Enantiomeric N‐trans‐Cinnamoyl Derivatives of 2‐Aminopropan‐1‐ols and 2‐Aminobutan‐1‐ols

Epilepsy, one of the most frequent neurological disorders, is still insufficiently treated in about 30% of patients. As a consequence, identification of novel anticonvulsant agents is an important issue in medicinal chemistry. In the present article we report synthesis, physicochemical, and pharmacological evaluation of N‐trans‐cinnamoyl derivatives of R and S‐2‐aminopropan‐1‐ol, as well as R and S‐2‐aminobutan‐1‐ol. The structures were confirmed by spectroscopy and for derivatives of 2‐aminopropan‐1‐ols the configuration was evaluated by means of crystallography. The investigated compounds were tested in rodent models of seizures: maximal electroshock (MES) and subcutaneous pentetrazol test (scPTZ), and also in a rodent model of epileptogenesis: pilocarpine‐induced status prevention. Additionally, derivatives of 2‐aminopropan‐1‐ols were tested in benzodiazepine‐resistant electrographic status epilepticus rat model as well as in vitro for inhibition of isoenzymes of cytochrome P450. All of the tested compounds showed promising anticonvulsant activity in MES. For R(–)‐(2E)‐N‐(1‐hydroxypropan‐2‐yl)‐3‐phenylprop‐2‐enamide pharmacological parameters were found as follows: ED₅₀ = 76.7 (68.2–81.3) mg/kg (MES, mice i.p., time = 0.5 h), ED₅₀ = 127.2 (102.1–157.9) mg/kg (scPTZ, mice i.p., time = 0.25 h), TD₅₀ = 208.3 (151.4–230.6) mg/kg (rotarod, mice i.p., time = 0.25 h). Evaluation in pilocarpine status prevention proved that all of the reported compounds reduced spontaneous seizure activity and act as antiepileptogenic agents. Both enantiomers of 2‐aminopropan‐1‐ols did not influence cytochrome P450 isoenzymes activity in vitro and are likely not to interact with CYP substrates in vivo. Chirality 28:482–488, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

基于专利信息分析的中国3D生物打印技术发展与产业化研究*

目的:基于专利信息对我国3D生物打印技术的发展态势进行分析。方法:本文基于incopat和TDA两大专利分析平台对中国3D生物打印的专利发展态势从专利统计分析与专利计量分析两个维度进行了跨库组合分析,总结了我国3D生物打印技术的专利前沿动态特征。结果:研究发现,中国3D生物打印技术从2013年起进入专利激增态势,中国作为潜在技术市场的国际竞争日趋激烈,本文还从专利申请人、技术领域分布、专利文本关键词聚类、专利价值、专利合作等方面进行了深度挖掘分析。结论:最后,结合对中国3D生物打印专利申请人的专利产业化案例深度分析与专利特征总结,为中国3D生物打印技术发展与产业化提供参考建议。