Protocol to study the photosynthetic response of maize to the CO2-temperature coupling effect at ear stage using a specialized designed gradient.

Global warming will change the photosynthesis and transpiration of plants greatly and ultimately affect water use efficiency (WUE). Here, we present a protocol to investigate the response of maize WUE to the coupling effect of CO2 and temperature at ear stage using a specialized designed gradient. We describe steps for plant culture, parameter measurements, model fitting, and statistical analysis. This protocol holds potential for studying the response of WUE and CO2 adaptation across various plant species. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sun et al.1.

Response of WUE of maize at ear stage to the coupling effect of CO2 and temperature.

In the face of global warming, the photosynthesis and transpiration of plants will change greatly, which will ultimately affect the water use efficiency (WUE) of plants. In order to study the coupling effects of CO2 and temperature on WUE of maize at ear stage, 'Zhengdan 958' was taken as the research object, and 5 temperatures (20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C and 40 °C) and 11 CO2 concentration (400, 300, 200, 150, 100, 50, 400, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 µmol mol-1) were set to measure the parameters such as net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) of single leaves. The response of WUE (Pn/Tr) to CO2 and temperature was evaluated by a CO2 response model. The results show that at the same temperature, Pn and WUE increased with CO2 level, while Tr decreased as CO2 level increases; at the same CO2 concentration, Pn and Tr were both positively correlated with temperature, while WUE decreased with the increase of temperature. The maximum value of WUE was obtained when the CO2 concentration was 1000 µmol mol-1 and the temperature was 20.0 °C. The results suggest that global warming will not improve WUE of maize, which will bring more severe challenges to water-saving agriculture and food security.

Racial/Ethnic Heterogeneity in Parental Wealth and Substance Use from Adolescence to Young Adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Substance use has a negative impact on health outcomes, at the individual and population levels. Little consensus exists regarding the relationship between socioeconomic position and substance use across race/ethnicity. This study examines how race/ethnicity and socioeconomic factors, especially parental wealth, are associated with substance use across an 18-year span from adolescence to young adulthood. METHOD: Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. Substance use behaviors were measured by self-reported heavy episodic drinking, daily cigarette smoking, and use of cannabis. Parental wealth and parental education were measured at baseline. Other socioeconomic factors included education, employment status, and household income. Two-level logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: White respondents were more likely to drink, smoke cigarettes, and use cannabis compared to other racial/ethnic groups. More parental wealth was associated with greater odds of heavy episodic drinking, but lower odds of cigarette and cannabis usage. Race/ethnicity modifies the relationships between parental wealth and substance use. Whereas Black respondents from wealthier families had lower odds of heavy episodic drinking, the direction was opposite among white respondents. Wealth functioned as a protective factor against smoking for all groups, although to a lesser extent among respondents of color than for white respondents. Finally, wealthier Hispanics were more likely to smoke daily and use cannabis compared to other racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight a nuanced patterning of racial/ethnic heterogeneity in the relationship between parental wealth and substance use behaviors. Implications for policy and programming are discussed.

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Financial Capability and Health in Later Life: Evidence From Hong Kong.

Background and Objectives: Financial capability, comprising financial literacy, access, and behavior, can influence an individual's ability to effectively use financial resources, thus affecting their health and well-being. However, studies have predominantly focused on financial literacy and overlooked a more comprehensive measure of financial capability and its health impacts. Furthermore, although financial capability is shaped profoundly by gender, there is limited knowledge of the role of gender in these associations. Research Design and Methods: This study investigated how gender may moderate the links between financial capability and health. The study recruited 1,109 community-dwelling adults (aged 45+) in Hong Kong to take part in an online survey employing multivariate linear and logistic regression to examine the gender differences in the associations between financial capability and physical (perceived health and mobility limitations), mental (life satisfaction and depression), and financial (retirement worry and financial satisfaction) health. Results: The results showed that financial access and behavior had a more significant influence on health outcomes than financial literacy. Gender differences in financial capability were identified through simple slope analyses. Financial literacy was more important for men's self-rated health and life satisfaction, whereas financial behavior was more critical for women. Additionally, although financial access was not related to retirement worry among men, it was significantly associated with lower retirement worry among women. Discussion and Implications: The findings suggest that gender-specific pathways to financial capability may lead to health disparities. Policies and programs to improve population health and well-being, particularly for women, should target financial literacy, strengthen financial inclusion, and encourage responsible financial behavior.

Building Financial Capability and Assets to Reduce Poverty and Health Disparities: Race/Ethnicity Matters.

BACKGROUND: Evidence has documented racial wealth inequity as one of the key pathways linking structural racism and racial health inequity. Most prior studies on the wealth-health relationship use net worth as the measure of wealth. This approach provides little evidence on the most effective interventions as various types of assets and debt affect health differently. This paper examines how U.S. young adults' wealth components (e.g., financial assets, nonfinancial assets, secured debt, and unsecured debt) are associated with physical and mental health, and if the associations differ by race/ethnicity. METHODS: Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. Health outcomes were measured by mental health inventory and self-rated health. Logistic regressions and ordinary least square regressions were used to assess the association between wealth components and physical and mental health. RESULTS: I found that financial assets and secured debt were positively associated with self-rated health and mental health. Unsecured debt was negatively associated with mental health only. The positive associations between financial assets and health outcomes were significantly weaker for non-Hispanic Black respondents. Unsecured debt was protective of self-rated health for non-Hispanic Whites only. For Black young adults, unsecured debt had more severe negative health consequences compared to other racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSION: This study provides a nuanced understanding of the complex relationship among race/ethnicity, wealth components, and health. Findings could inform asset building and financial capability policies and programs to effectively reduce racialized poverty and health disparities.

Study on Intelligent Classification of Aging Heat-Resistant Materials.

High chromium martensitic heat-resistant steel is considered as a candidate material for pressure components of the next generation of incinerators of the subcritical level or above in China due to its excellent high-temperature and corrosion resistance, but in the long-term service, aging will significantly affect the service safety of materials. So, accurate identification of its aging state is important to enhance the safety of a power plant. In this paper, an automatic aging grading model of high chromium martensite heat-resistant steel based on the depth residual network is proposed according to different scales of metallographic data. A multiscale data set is constructed by image reduction to verify the accuracy of the model in identifying microstructure images of high chromium martensitic heat-resistant steel with different scales. The experimental results show that the model using multiscale data sets performs well, and then, through feature pyramid network model training, the accuracy rate is further improved, and a relatively good prediction accuracy model is obtained. The validity of the deep learning method for the classification of damage and aging of P91 steel with different scales is verified.

Racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between wealth and health across young adulthood.

•Wealth attenuated racial differences in self-rated health during young adulthood.•Wealth had consistent incremental effect on health among White & Hispanic Americans.•For Black Americans, wealth was protective of health in the highest wealth quartile.•Individual wealth, not parental wealth was associated with health among Hispanics.

Is Financial Capability a Determinant of Health? Theory and Evidence.

Financial capability, the combination of financial literacy (ability to act) and financial access (opportunity to act), improves people's access to resources, and thus has the potential to improve health and well-being. This paper positions financial capability under the framework of social determinants of health and discusses theory and presents empirical evidence on the link between financial capability and health. Using data from the RAND American Life Panel and the structural equation modeling approach, we distinguish financial capability from the common socioeconomic position indicators such as income and education. We find that financial capability has a positive and longitudinal effect on health, independent of race/ethnicity, gender, income, education, and employment. This study demonstrates that financial capability is an independent social determinant of health. It can be theoretically and conceptually defined, empirically measured, and can inform clinical interventions that may improve population health and well-being. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Household Financial Capability and Economic Hardship: An Empirical Examination of the Financial Capability Framework.

This study investigates the components and mechanisms of the financial capability framework using national representative data from the 2015 National Financial Capability Study with the structural equation modeling approach. We find financial socialization and financial education are significantly associated with both financial access and financial literacy, which are associated with positive financial behavior and negatively associated with economic hardship. We further find that financial access plays a more pronounced role in the mediation effects decomposition compared to financial literacy. Our findings demonstrate that financial capability lies in both the opportunity to act and the ability to act-with opportunity relatively more important than ability-and that financial capability is strongly associated with household experiences of economic hardship. Policies and programs should provide accessible and affordable financial products as well as enhance effective financial education and guidance to promote financial inclusion. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10834-022-09816-5.

The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a family-based economic empowerment intervention (Suubi + Adherence) on suppression of HIV viral loads among adolescents living with HIV: results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in southern Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence from low-resource settings indicates that economic insecurity is a major barrier to HIV treatment adherence. Economic empowerment (EE) interventions have the potential to improve adherence outcomes among adolescents living with HIV (ALWHIV) by mitigating the effects of poverty. This study aims to assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a savings-led family-based EE intervention, Suubi + Adherence, aimed at improving antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence outcomes ALWHIV in Uganda. METHODS: Adolescents (mean age 12 years at enrolment; 56% female) receiving ART for HIV at 39 health centres were randomized to Suubi + Adherence intervention (n = 358) or bolstered standard of care (BSOC; n = 344). A difference-in-differences analysis was employed to assess the change in the proportion of virally suppressed adolescents (HIV RNA viral load <40 copies/mL) over 24 months. The cost-effectiveness analysis examined how much the intervention cost to virally suppress one additional adolescent relative to BSOC from the healthcare provider perspective. RESULTS: At 24 months, the intervention was associated with an 8.85-percentage point [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80 to 16.90 percentage points] increase in the proportion of virally suppressed adolescents between the study arms (p = 0.032). Per-participant costs were US$177 and US$263 for the BSOC and intervention groups respectively. The incremental cost of virally suppressing one additional adolescent was estimated at US$970 [95% CI, US$508 to 10,725] over two years. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the integration of family-based EE interventions into adherence-support strategies as part of routine HIV care in low-resource settings to address the underlying economic drivers of poor ART adherence among ALWHIV. Moreover, per-participant costs to achieve viral suppression do not seem prohibitive compared to other community-based adherence interventions targeted at ALWHIV in low-resource settings. Further research on combination interventions at the nexus of economic security and HIV treatment and care is needed to inform the development of feasible and scalable HIV policies and programmes.

Impact of a Family Economic Intervention (Bridges) on Health Functioning of Adolescents Orphaned by HIV/AIDS: A 5-Year (2012-2017) Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Uganda.

Objectives. To investigate the long-term impacts of a family economic intervention on physical, mental, and sexual health of adolescents orphaned by AIDS in Uganda.Methods. Students in grades 5 and 6 from 48 primary schools in Uganda were randomly assigned at the school level (cluster randomization) to 1 of 3 conditions: (1) control (n = 487; 16 schools), (2) Bridges (1:1 savings match rate; n = 396; 16 schools), or (3) Bridges PLUS (2:1 savings match rate; n = 500; 16 schools).Results. At 24 months, compared with participants in the control condition, Bridges and Bridges PLUS participants reported higher physical health scores, lower depressive symptoms, and higher self-concept and self-efficacy. During the same period, Bridges participants reported lower sexual risk-taking intentions compared with the other 2 study conditions. At 48 months, Bridges and Bridges PLUS participants reported better self-rated health, higher savings, and lower food insecurity. During the same period, Bridges PLUS participants reported reduced hopelessness, and greater self-concept and self-efficacy. At 24 and 48 months, Bridges PLUS participants reported higher savings than Bridges participants.Conclusions. Economic interventions targeting families raising adolescents orphaned by AIDS can contribute to long-term positive health and overall well-being of these families.Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.gov registration no. NCT01447615.

Cash Transfers and Health.

Financial resources are known to affect health outcomes. Many types of social policies and programs, including social assistance and social insurance, have been implemented around the world to increase financial resources. We refer to these as cash transfers. In this article, we discuss theory and evidence on whether, how, for whom, and to what extent purposeful cash transfers improve health. Evidence suggests that cash transfers produce positive health effects, but there are many complexities and variations in the outcomes. Continuing research and policy innovation-for example, universal basic income and universal Child Development Accounts-are likely to be productive.

Access and utilization of financial services among poor HIV-impacted children and families in Uganda.

With high prevalence of both poverty and HIV, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has one of the highest numbers of unbanked individuals and families. Although the use of savings products to promote financial inclusion among poor individuals and families has increasingly become more important to policy makers in SSA, limited research exists about the mechanisms and relative importance of institutional and individual-level factors associated with access and utilization of financial services. Using survey data and administrative bank records from a randomized controlled trial in southwestern Uganda, we find that given an opportunity, poor HIV-impacted families and individuals can engage with financial institutions and accumulate savings. Additionally, individual-level factors (e.g., household wealth, child poverty, child work, and attitudes towards savings) were significantly associated with three of the eight outcomes (i.e. saved any money, average monthly total savings, and total number of deposits). Furthermore, institutional-level factors (e.g., access and proximity to the bank, matching incentive rate, and financial education) were associated with all the eight outcomes included in the analysis. Our findings indicate that poor HIV-impacted families can engage with financial institutions and save for their children, if opportunities and institutional arrangements are in place. Findings have implications for financial inclusion policy and programming that target vulnerable youth and families to engage with financial institutions and accumulate savings.

Directly Linking Low-Angle Grain Boundary Misorientation to Device Functionality for GaAs Grown on Flexible Metal Substrates.

A new growth method to make highly oriented GaAs thin films on flexible metal substrates has been developed, enabling roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible semiconductor devices. The grains are oriented in the <001> direction with <1° misorientations between them, and they have a comparable mobility to single-crystalline GaAs at high doping concentrations. At the moment, the role of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) on device performance is unknown. A series of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and cathodoluminesence (CL) studies reveal that increased doping concentrations decrease the grain size and increase the LAGB misorientation. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) reveals the complex dislocation structures within LAGBs. Most importantly, a correlative EBSD/electron beam-induced current (EBIC) experiment reveals that LAGBs are carrier recombination centers and that the magnitude of recombination is dependent on the degree of misorientation. The presented results directly link increased LAGB misorientation to degraded device performance, and therefore, strategies to reduce LAGB misorientations and densities would improve highly oriented semiconductor devices.

Evaluation of a savings-led family-based economic empowerment intervention for AIDS-affected adolescents in Uganda: A four-year follow-up on efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: Children who have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS, known as AIDS orphans, face multiple stressors affecting their health and development. Family economic empowerment (FEE) interventions have the potential to improve these outcomes and mitigate the risks they face. We present efficacy and cost-effectiveness analyses of the Bridges study, a savings-led FEE intervention among AIDS-orphaned adolescents in Uganda at four-year follow-up. METHODS: Intent-to-treat analyses using multilevel models compared the effects of two savings-led treatment arms: Bridges (1:1 matched incentive) and BridgesPLUS (2:1 matched incentive) to a usual care control group on the following outcomes: self-rated health, sexual health, and mental health functioning. Total per-participant costs for each arm were calculated using the treatment-on-the-treated sample. Intervention effects and per-participant costs were used to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). FINDINGS: Among 1,383 participants, 55% were female, 20% were double orphans. Mean age was 12 years at baseline. At 48-months, BridgesPLUS significantly improved self-rated health, (0.25, 95% CI 0.06, 0.43), HIV knowledge (0.21, 95% CI 0.01, 0.41), self-concept (0.26, 95% CI 0.09, 0.44), and self-efficacy (0.26, 95% CI 0.09, 0.43) and lowered hopelessness (-0.28, 95% CI -0.43, -0.12); whereas Bridges improved self-rated health (0.26, 95% CI 0.08, 0.43) and HIV knowledge (0.22, 95% CI 0.05, 0.39). ICERs ranged from $224 for hopelessness to $298 for HIV knowledge per 0.2 standard deviation change. CONCLUSIONS: Most intervention effects were sustained in both treatment arms at two years post-intervention. Higher matching incentives yielded a significant and lasting effect on a greater number of outcomes among adolescents compared to lower matching incentives at a similar incremental cost per unit effect. These findings contribute to the evidence supporting the incorporation of FEE interventions within national social protection frameworks.

High-Performance Flexible Thin-Film Transistors Based on Single-Crystal-like Silicon Epitaxially Grown on Metal Tape by Roll-to-Roll Continuous Deposition Process.

Single-crystal-like silicon (Si) thin films on bendable and scalable substrates via direct deposition are a promising material platform for high-performance and cost-effective devices of flexible electronics. However, due to the thick and unintentionally highly doped semiconductor layer, the operation of transistors has been hampered. We report the first demonstration of high-performance flexible thin-film transistors (TFTs) using single-crystal-like Si thin films with a field-effect mobility of ∼200 cm2/V·s and saturation current, I/lW > 50 µA/µm, which are orders-of-magnitude higher than the device characteristics of conventional flexible TFTs. The Si thin films with a (001) plane grown on a metal tape by a "seed and epitaxy" technique show nearly single-crystalline properties characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The realization of flexible and high-performance Si TFTs can establish a new pathway for extended applications of flexible electronics such as amplification and digital circuits, more than currently dominant display switches.