Imprisonment: A Major Gateway to Homelessness

This paper presents and discusses the results of a survey of inmates in a representative sample of prisons in Norway. The main conclusion of the study is that imprisonment creates homelessness. While this study and those of others find that approximately one-third of inmates are homeless or live in a precarious housing situation prior to imprisonment, the survey also found that two-thirds were homeless on release. Although the literature on and studies of homelessness and imprisonment are sparse, studies from other countries support this close link between imprisonment and homelessness. There are several reasons why imprisonment should be one of the primary routes into homelessness and the cause of people remaining in precarious housing. The paper also discusses connections between imprisonment, homelessness and social exclusion.     

A Nature‐Inspired,Flexible Substrate Strategy for Future Wearable Electronics

Flexibility plays a vital role in wearable electronics. Repeated bending often leads to the dramatic decrease of conductivity because of the numerous microcracks formed in the metal coating layer, which is undesirable for flexible conductors. Herein, conductive textile‐based tactile sensors and metal‐coated polyurethane sponge‐based bending sensors with superior flexibility for monitoring human touch and arm motions are proposed, respectively. Tannic acid, a traditional mordant, is introduced to attach to various flexible substrates, providing a perfect platform for catalyst absorbing and subsequent electroless deposition (ELD). By understanding the nucleation, growth, and structure of electroless metal deposits, the surface morphology of metal nanoparticles can be controlled in nanoscale with simple variation of the plating time. When the electroless plating time is 20 min, the normalized resistance (R/R₀) of as‐made conductive fibers is only 1.6, which is much lower than a 60 min ELD sample at the same conditions (R/R₀ ≈ 5). This is because a large number of unfilled gaps between nanoparticles prevent metal films from cracking under bending. Importantly, the Kelvin problem is relevant to deposited conductive coatings because metallic cells have a honeycomb‐like structure, which is a rationale to explain the relationships of conductivity and flexibility.     

Metal–Organic Framework Nanoparticles Induce Pyroptosis in Cells Controlled by the Extracellular pH

Ion homeostasis is essential for cellular survival, and elevated concentrations of specific ions are used to start distinct forms of programmed cell death. However, investigating the influence of certain ions on cells in a controlled way has been hampered due to the tight regulation of ion import by cells. Here, it is shown that lipid-coated iron-based metal–organic framework nanoparticles are able to deliver and release high amounts of iron ions into cells. While high concentrations of iron often trigger ferroptosis, here, the released iron induces pyroptosis, a form of cell death involving the immune system. The iron release occurs only in slightly acidic extracellular environments restricting cell death to cells in acidic microenvironments and allowing for external control. The release mechanism is based on endocytosis facilitated by the lipid-coating followed by degradation of the nanoparticle in the lysosome via cysteine-mediated reduction, which is enhanced in slightly acidic extracellular environment. Thus, a new functionality of hybrid nanoparticles is demonstrated, which uses their nanoarchitecture to facilitate controlled ion delivery into cells. Based on the selectivity for acidic microenvironments, the described nanoparticles may also be used for immunotherapy: the nanoparticles may directly affect the primary tumor and the induced pyroptosis activates the immune system.     

Modular Assembly of Red Blood Cell Superstructures from Metal–Organic Framework Nanoparticle-Based Building Blocks

Bio/artificial hybrid nanosystems based on biological matter and synthetic nanoparticles (NPs) remain a holy grail of materials science. Herein, inspired by the well-defined metal–organic framework (MOF) with diverse chemical diversities, the concept of “armored red blood cells” (armored RBCs) is introduced, which are native RBCs assembled within and protected by a functional exoskeleton of interlinked MOF NPs. Exoskeletons are generated within seconds through MOF NP interlocking based on metal-phenolic coordination and RBC membrane/NP complexation via hydrogen-bonding interactions at the cellular interface. Armored RBC formation is shown to be generalizable to many classes of MOF NPs or any NPs that can be coated by MOF. Moreover, it is found that armored RBCs preserve the original properties of RBCs (such as oxygen carrier capability and good ex ovo/in vivo circulation property) and show enhanced resistance against external stressors (like osmotic pressure, detergent, toxic NPs, and freezing conditions). By modifying the physicochemical properties of MOF NPs, armored RBCs provide the capability for blood nitric oxide sensing or multimodal imaging. The synthesis of armored RBCs is straightforward, reliable, and reversible and hence, represent a new class of hybrid biomaterials with a broad range of functionalities.     

Jamming Skins that Control System Rigidity from the Surface

Numerous animals adapt their stiffness during natural motions to increase efficiency or environmental adaptability. For example, octopuses stiffen their tentacles to increase efficiency during reaching, and several species adjust their leg stiffness to maintain stability when running across varied terrain. Inspired by nature, variable-stiffness machines can switch between rigid and soft states. However, existing variable-stiffness systems are usually purpose-built for a particular application and lack universal adaptability. Here, reconfigurable stiffness-changing skins that can stretch and fold to create 3D structures or attach to the surface of objects to influence their rigidity are presented. These “jamming skins” employ vacuum-powered jamming of interleaved, discrete planar elements, enabling 2D stretchability of the skin in its soft state. Stretching allows jamming skins to be reversibly shaped into load-bearing, functional tools on-demand. Additionally, they can be attached to host structures with complex curvatures, such as robot arms and portions of the human body, to provide support or create a mold. We also show how multiple skins can work together to modify the workspace of a continuum robot by creating instantaneous joints. Jamming skins thus serve as a reconfigurable approach to creating tools and adapting structural rigidity on-demand.     

The selective utilization of diglyceride species into maize triglycerides

The maize triglycerides were resolved into species by silver nitrate thin layer chromatography. The distribution of the fatty acids among the 1, 2 and 3 positions of each triglyceride species was determined by stereospecific analysis. From these data the relative amounts of each positional isomer were calculated. The results indicate that esterification of the fatty acids at each position proceeds with a specificity that is correlated with the composition of the other positions of the triglyceride.     

Dietary evaluation of pregnant adolescents during first, second and third trimester

In order to identify risk of inadequate intake of calories and nutrients during pregnancy, 75 pregnant adolescents (14 to 18 years old) apparently healthy, from low socioeconomic level, in their first prenatal control (12 weeks) were studied by two 24 hour recalls and a food frequency questionnaire at each trimester. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (pregestation weight/height) and classified according to American Medicine Institute reference. Paired t-test, frequency distribution and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. Low weight was found in 34.6% of adolescent at the first visit and 5.3% were overweight. Even though, caloric intake was below recommendation, significant increases were observed between first and second trimester for energy, carbohydrates, niacin and zinc (p < 0.001) and for fat, proteins, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin C, calcium and iron (p < 0.05). From second to third trimester, differences (p < 0.05) were significant only for vitamin A. Between first and third trimester, differences were significant (p < 0.05) for energy, proteins, carbohydrates, niacin, riboflavin, zinc and for thiamin, vitamin A and calcium (p < 0.05). A high proportion of pregnant adolescent did not reach recommendations for energy, folate, calcium and zinc. Food intake pattern did not change significantly among trimesters. Mean total weight gain was 9.2 kg and 0.412 +/- 0.4 g/week. Newborn's mean weight was 3.221 +/- 418 grams. It is concluded that adolescents are at high nutritional risk and deficiency of dietary intake should be followed. Attention should be addressed from the preconceptional period to postpartum in order to improve maternal and fetal conditions.     

Improving solar ultraviolet irradiance measurements by applying a temperature correction method for Teflon diffusers

To establish trends in surface ultraviolet radiation levels, accurate and stable long-term measurements are required. The accuracy level of today's measurements has become high enough to notice even smaller effects that influence instrument sensitivity. Laboratory measurements of the sensitivity of the entrance optics have shown a decrease of as much as 0.07-0.1%/deg temperature increase. Since the entrance optics can heat to greater than 45 degrees C in Dutch summers, corrections are necessary. A method is developed to estimate the entrance optics temperatures from pyranometer measurements and meteorological data. The method enables us to correct historic data records for which temperature information is not available. The temperature retrieval method has an uncertainty of less than 2.5 degrees C, resulting in a 0.3% uncertainty in the correction to be performed. The temperature correction improves the agreement between modeled and measured doses and instrument intercomparison as performed within the Quality Assurance of Spectral Ultraviolet Measurements in Europe project. The retrieval method is easily transferable to other instruments.     

Concern about weight gain associated with quitting smoking: Prevalence and association with outcome in a sample of young female smokers.

This study investigated the relationship between weight gain concern and outcomes of a large-scale smoking cessation study among 506 young female smokers attending Planned Parenthood clinics. Results of this prospective study did not support the clinical importance of weight gain concerns. Using an index of weight concern that was predictive in previous research, baseline weight concern was unrelated to smoking cessation efforts, whether participants made a quit attempt, reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked, or reported a change in self-efficacy for stopping smoking. Both the overall level of concern expressed in this sample of predominantly White young women and the lack of relationship between weight gain concern and smoking cessation outcomes suggest that weight gain concern may not be a critical factor for cessation programs targeting similar female smokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

皮肤美白剂的比较(英)

近年来很多国家都对皮肤美白产品感兴趣。比较了４ 种皮肤美白剂的作用机理; 配方的难易及稳定性; 安全性及有效性; 功能性及适应性, 得出结果以曲酸二棕榈酸酯效果最佳。