The link between gut microbes and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been already observed in some studies, but some bacterial families/species were found to be inconsistently up or down regulated. ...This issue has been rarely explored in the Chinese population. In this study, we assessed whether or not gut microbiota dysbiosis was associated with children with ASD in China. We enrolled 45 children with ASD (6-9 years of age; 39 boys and 6 girls) and 45 sex- and age-matched neurotypical children. Dietary and other socio-demographic information was obtained via questionnaires. We characterized the composition of the fecal microbiota using bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequencing. The ASD group showed less diversity and richness of gut microbiota than the neurotypical group, as estimated by the abundance-based coverage estimator index and the phylogenetic diversity index. The analysis of beta diversity showed an altered microbial community structure in the ASD group. After adjustment for confounders and multiple testing corrections, no significant group difference was found in the relative abundance of microbiota on the level of the phylum. At the family level, children with ASD had a lower relative abundance of
than the healthy controls. Moreover, a decrease in the relative abundance of genera
, and
was observed in ASD group. This study provides further evidence of intestinal microbial dysbiosis in ASD and sheds light on the characteristics of the gut microbiome of autistic children in China.
The relationship between sleep duration and food intake is unclear. This study aims to examine the relationship among children aged 6-17 years in China.
The sample consisted of 70,519 children aged ...6-17 years, which were randomly selected from 7 representative areas from China, from September to November, 2013. In the structured questionnaire, children reported daily sleep hours (less than 7 h, 7-9 h and more than 9 h), weekly food intake amount (including vegetables, fruit, sugar beverages and meat), physical activity and sedentary time. The relationship of sleep duration with vegetable, sugar beverage, fruit and meat intake was evaluated by multi-nominal logistic regression and multi-variable adjusted.
A total of 62,517 children (51.6% boys) completed the study. Short sleep duration (SSD, < 7 h) was independently associated with increased sugar beverage intake (SBI, Odd Ratio, OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.19-1.40) but decreased vegetable (VI, OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.98) & fruit intake (FI, OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99). Stratified by age and gender, SSD increased SBI for boys of both young (6-12 years) & older (13-17 years) groups and older girls (ORs: 1.25, 1.25, 1.49, 95% CI: 1.08-1.44, 1.04-1.50, 1.22-1.81, respectively), but decreased VI and FI for older girls (ORs: 0.84& 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74-0.96& 0.68-0.96, respectively).
Among school-aged children in China, short sleep duration was associated with increased risks of more sugar beverage intake among those younger and boys but less vegetable & fruit intake among those older and girls. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify the causation in between.
Background:
Early comprehensive treatment models (CTMs) have been developed as effective treatments for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Numerous studies have suggested that CTMs can ...improve short-term outcomes, but little is known about precise outcome information in childhood. The current meta-analysis reviewed studies reporting broader outcomes in children with ASD who had ever participated in a CTM and examined the predictors of developmental gains.
Methods:
We searched eight databases up to June 13, 2019, for relevant trials and natural experiments. Longitudinal studies were selected if they investigated the outcomes of CTMs. Two meta-analyses were undertaken to provide a summary estimate of change in treatment outcomes and to evaluate the effect of CTMs; one used the standardized mean change between the pretest and posttest, and the other was a classical meta-analysis. Stratified and random-effects meta-regression analyses were performed to search for outcome differences among studies.
Results:
Eighteen intervention studies (involving 495 children with ASD) met all the inclusion criteria: 12 used early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI), and two used the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). Outcomes were categorized into three parts: cognitive, language and behavioral (e.g., adaptive functioning and symptomatology). Overall, most children with ASD who had ever participated in an early CTM made gains in many areas of functioning, especially in terms of symptom- and language-related outcomes. Stratified analyses indicated that the ESDM displayed the largest effect on IQ improvement (ES = 1.37, 95% CI: 0.95 to 1.80), while EIBI was more effective for symptom reduction (ES = −1.27, 95% CI: −1.96 to −0.58). Further, meta-regression suggested that interventions with parent involvement, higher intensity, and longer treatment hours yielded greater improvements in IQ and social adaptive functioning, respectively.
Conclusion:
The results demonstrate a positive association between CTMs and better prognosis in childhood, especially regarding symptoms, and language. However, most extant research involves small, non-randomized studies, preventing definitive conclusions from being drawn. Clearly, the outcomes of children with ASD are still far from normal, especially with respect to adaptive functioning, and the four mediating variables pertaining to treatment elements can affect their gains, including approach, implementer, intensity, and total treatment hours.
Systematic Review Registration:
www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO
, identifier CRD42019146859.
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between outdoor activity (OA) and insufficient sleep duration (ISD) among Chinese children and to assess the potential age- and ...gender-specific effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS A national sample of 62 517 children aged 6-17 years were recruited from 7 provinces of China in the autumn of 2013. Children and their caregivers reported daily sleep duration (<7 h, 7-9 h and ≥9 h), daily OA time (<1 h, 1-2 h, and ≥2 h), and other behavior and demographic information by standardized questionnaire. ISD was defined as <9 h/day. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between ISD and OA. RESULTS In total, 46 639 children (50.9% boys) completed this survey. The prevalence of ISD was 74.9% (73.7% in boys and 76.1% in girls). Stratified by age, compared with <1 h OA, the odds ratios for ISD were 0.67 (95% confidence interval: 0.62-0.72, aged 6-13 years) and 0.69 (0.49-0.98, 14-17 years) in the ≥2 h OA group; 0.91 (0.85-0.97, 6-13 years) and 0.73 (0.54-0.97, 14-17 years) in the 1-2 h OA group. Further stratified by gender, we found similar trends for both boys and girls in each age group, although some results became non-significant. CONCLUSIONS Adequate OA time per day is associated with decreased risks for ISD among children aged 6-17 years, but age and gender can modify the association.
The need for a reliable, unbiased, and objective assessment of hotel location has always been important. This study presents a new approach to evaluate potential sites for proposed hotel properties ...by designing an automated web GIS application: Hotel Location Selection and Analyzing Toolset (HoLSAT). The application uses a set of machine learning algorithms to predict various business success indicators associated with location sites. Using an example of hotel location assessment in Beijing, HoLSAT calculates and visualizes various desirable sites contingent on the specified characteristics of the proposed hotel. The approach shows considerable potential usefulness in the field of hotel location evaluation.
Key message
A total of 204,439 SSR markers were developed in diploid genomes, and 25 QTLs for shelling percentage were identified in a RIL population across 4 years including five consistent QTLs.
...Cultivated peanut (
Arachis hypogaea
L.) is an important grain legume providing edible oil and protein for human nutrition. Genome sequences of its diploid ancestors,
Arachis duranensis
and
A. ipaensis
, were reported, but their SSRs have not been well exploited and utilized hitherto. Shelling percentage is an important economic trait and its improvement has been one of the major objectives in peanut breeding programs. In this study, the genome sequences of
A. duranensis
and
A. ipaensis
were used to develop SSR markers, and a mapping population (Yuanza 9102 × Xuzhou 68-4) with 195 recombinant inbred lines was used to map QTLs controlling shelling percentage. The numbers of newly developed SSR markers were 84,383 and 120,056 in the
A. duranensis
and
A. ipaensis
genomes, respectively. Genotyping of the mapping population was conducted with both newly developed and previously reported markers. QTL analysis using the phenotyping data generated in Wuhan across four consecutive years and genotyping data of 830 mapped loci identified 25 QTLs with 4.46–17.01% of phenotypic variance explained in the four environments. Meta-analysis revealed five consistent QTLs that could be detected in at least two environments. Notably, the consistent QTL
cqSPA09
was detected in all four environments and explained 10.47–17.01% of the phenotypic variance. The segregation in the progeny of a residual heterozygous line confirmed that the
cpSPA09
locus had additive effect in increasing shelling percentage. These consistent and major QTL regions provide opportunity not only for further gene discovery, but also for the development of functional markers for breeding.
Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have long been expected to be promising high-energy-density secondary batteries because of their high theoretical specific capacity and element abundances. Yet, their ...poor cyclability and low rate-capacity strongly limited their practical application. Herein, a nitrogen and sulfur dual doped hollow TiO2 sphere is designed and synthesized for the sulfur host. The dual doped hollow TiO2 can enhance the adsorption ability of soluble lithium polysulfides, which effectively promote the conversion reaction of lithium polysulfides from high-order to low-order in Li–S batteries. What is more, the hollow spherical TiO2 host provides a deposition space for lithium polysulfides and blocks polysulfide migration from the cathode to the electrolyte. Both theoretical calculations and experimental studies confirmed that the electrochemical properties of the sulfur electrode are significantly improved by the dual doped hollow TiO2 sphere. The typical as-prepared dual doped hollow TiO2 cathode coated sulfur has a capacity of 1258 mA h g−1 for the first discharge and a capacity decay as low as 0.0648% per cycle during 500 cycles with a sulfur loading of 3.8 mg cm−2.
Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have long been expected to be promising high-energy-density secondary batteries because of their high theoretical specific capacity and element abundances. Yet, their ...poor cyclability and low rate-capacity strongly limited their practical application. Herein, a nitrogen and sulfur dual doped hollow TiO 2 sphere is designed and synthesized for the sulfur host. The dual doped hollow TiO 2 can enhance the adsorption ability of soluble lithium polysulfides, which effectively promote the conversion reaction of lithium polysulfides from high-order to low-order in Li–S batteries. What is more, the hollow spherical TiO 2 host provides a deposition space for lithium polysulfides and blocks polysulfide migration from the cathode to the electrolyte. Both theoretical calculations and experimental studies confirmed that the electrochemical properties of the sulfur electrode are significantly improved by the dual doped hollow TiO 2 sphere. The typical as-prepared dual doped hollow TiO 2 cathode coated sulfur has a capacity of 1258 mA h g −1 for the first discharge and a capacity decay as low as 0.0648% per cycle during 500 cycles with a sulfur loading of 3.8 mg cm −2 .
Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have long been expected to be promising high-energy-density secondary batteries because of their high theoretical specific capacity and element abundances. Yet, their ...poor cyclability and low rate-capacity strongly limited their practical application. Herein, a nitrogen and sulfur dual doped hollow TiO
2
sphere is designed and synthesized for the sulfur host. The dual doped hollow TiO
2
can enhance the adsorption ability of soluble lithium polysulfides, which effectively promote the conversion reaction of lithium polysulfides from high-order to low-order in Li-S batteries. What is more, the hollow spherical TiO
2
host provides a deposition space for lithium polysulfides and blocks polysulfide migration from the cathode to the electrolyte. Both theoretical calculations and experimental studies confirmed that the electrochemical properties of the sulfur electrode are significantly improved by the dual doped hollow TiO
2
sphere. The typical as-prepared dual doped hollow TiO
2
cathode coated sulfur has a capacity of 1258 mA h g
−1
for the first discharge and a capacity decay as low as 0.0648% per cycle during 500 cycles with a sulfur loading of 3.8 mg cm
−2
.
The co-dope hollow TiO
2
sphere is achieved
via
sacrificial template and thermal treatment methods, which remarkably enhances performances of Li-S battery due to the chemical absorption and physical containment to soluble lithium polysulfides.
The utilization of hydrous zirconium oxide (HZO) to sequester phosphate with good affinity and selectivity poses a significant challenge due to agglomeration and difficult separation. We envision ...that the simultaneous formation of HZO and host framework is an emerging strategy to improve the accessibility of HZO for phosphate capture. In this study, we reported a facile protocol for the synthesis of HZO encapsulated in crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel beads (HZO-PVA) based on the simultaneous generation of HZO and cross-linking of PVA chains as a host. The resultant HZO-PVA can be further functionalized with triethylenetetramine (TETA@HZO-PVA) for effective and selective sequestration of phosphate. Specifically, batch experiments showed that TETA@HZO-PVA had better sequestration capacity towards phosphate than HZO-PVA, which was intimately related to the functionality of TETA that created a high density of surface binding sites. Additionally, TETA@HZO-PVA exhibited a great selectivity for phosphate even in the presence of competing anions and dissolved organic matter. Moreover, regeneration tests showed that TETA@HZO-PVA exhibited high reusability during five cycles of adsorption-desorption processes. Combined with characterization techniques and experiments, we identified that electrostatic attraction, ligand exchange, and Lewis acid-base interactions are the dominant mechanisms responsible for phosphate sequestration. Further, fixed-bed column experiments showed excellent phosphorus sequestration performance in real wastewater, making TETA@HZO-PVA a promising material for phosphorus sequestration in practical application.
Surface functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol)-hydrous zirconium oxide composite beads can efficient and selective sequestration of phosphate from real-wastewater, expanding the application scope of zirconium-based materials for phosphate sequestration.
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