Association Between Baseline Buccal Telomere Length and Progression of Kidney Function: The Health and Retirement Study

We aimed to evaluate associations of baseline telomere length with overall and annual change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and trajectory of kidney function during an 8-year follow-up. A total of 3,964 participants of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were included. We identified three trajectory groups of kidney function: consistently normal (n=1,163 or 29.3%), normal to impaired (n=2,306 or 58.2%), and consistently impaired groups (n=495 or 12.5%). After controlling for age, sex, race, education, smoking, drinking, diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c, participants with longer telomere length were 20% less likely (odds ratio [OR]=0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69-0.93, P=0.003) to have a normal to impaired kidney function trajectory than a consistently normal function trajectory. Telomere length was not associated with changing rate of eGFR over 8 years (P=0.45). Participants with longer telomere length were more likely to have consistently normal kidney function.

Annual change in the extracellular fluid/intracellular fluid ratio and mortality in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

We aimed to investigate whether annual change in the extracellular fluid to intracellular fluid (ΔECF/ICF) ratio can accurately predict mortality in hemodialysis patients. Totally, 247 hemodialysis patients were divided into two groups according to the median baseline ECF/ICF ratio of 0.563 and ΔECF/ICF ≥ 0% or < 0% during the first year, respectively. Thereafter, they were divided into four groups according to each cutoff point and were followed up for mortality assessment. The ECF/ICF ratio increased from 0.566 ± 0.177 to 0.595 ± 0.202 in the first year (P = 0.0016). During the 3.4-year median follow-up, 93 patients died (42 cardiovascular-specific causes). The baseline ECF/ICF ≥ 0.563 and ΔECF/ICF ≥ 0% were independently associated with all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 4.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.60–7.98 and aHR 8.11, 95% CI 3.47–18.96, respectively). The aHR for ECF/ICF ≥ 0.563 and ΔECF/ICF ≥ 0% vs. ECF/ICF < 0.563 and ΔECF/ICF < 0% was 73.49 (95% CI 9.45–571.69). For model discrimination, adding the ΔECF/ICF (0.859) alone and both the baseline ECF/ICF and ΔECF/ICF (0.903) to the established risk model (0.746) significantly improved the C-index. Similar results were obtained for cardiovascular mortality. In conclusion, the ΔECF/ICF ratio could not only predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortality but also improve predictability of mortality in hemodialysis patients.

The Analysis on the Annual Change of Digital Aerial Camera's IMUs Boresight Misalignment

The system calibration determines the position and orientation between the sensor and the navigation systems, such as boresight misalignment. Although there is much research about boresight calibration, there are not sufficient studies on the frequency of the calibration performance. The short-term stability of boresight misalignment was investigated in previous studies, but long-term stability research could not be done. It is important to emphasize that long-term stability is still open to questions. In this study, an Ultracam Eagle digital aerial camera's data from 2012 to 2016 were analyzed and the question of how often calibration should be performed was investigated. Boresight misalignment does not remain constant on a yearly basis and should be calibrated every year before the flight season. It was observed that the boresight misalignment changed dramatically when the inertial measurement unit or camera was removed from the aircraft and sent to the manufacturer for factory calibration.

Eco-Efficiency for the G18: Trends and Future Outlook

Eco-efficiency is an important ecological indicator for tracking the progress of how countries’ environmental-adjusted economic activity changes over time. The objective of this research is to calculate country-level eco-efficiency for a group of 18 major countries (G18) that are part of the G20. First, the data envelope analysis (DEA) method is used to calculate eco-efficiency scores. Second, the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) is used to examine how eco-efficiency changes over time. Eco-efficiency is forecast to the year 2040 using automated forecasting methods under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. Over the period 1997 to 2040, eco-efficiency varies widely between these countries with some countries reporting positive growth in eco-efficiency and other countries reporting negative growth. Eco-efficiency leaders over the period 1997 to 2019 and 2019 to 2040 include Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States. Laggards include Canada, China, India, and Indonesia. These laggard countries recorded negative growth rates in eco-efficiency over the period 1997 to 2019 and 2019 to 2040. Negative eco-efficiency growth points to a worsening of environmental sustainability. Large variations in eco-efficiency between countries make it more difficult to negotiate international agreements on energy efficiency and climate change. For the G18 countries, the average annual change in MPI over the period 1997 to 2019 was 0.5%, while the forecasted average annual change over the period 2019 to 2040 was a 0.1% decrease. For the G18 countries, there has been little change in eco-efficiency. The G18 are an important group of developed and developing countries that need to show leadership when it comes to increasing eco-efficiency.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Occupational Groups—Trends over 20 Years and Future Forecasts

Background: Reports have indicated a negative trend in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in the general population. However, trends in relation to different occupational groups are missing. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine the trends in CRF during the last 20 years, and to provide a prognosis of future trends in CRF, in different occupational groups of Swedish workers. Methods: Data from 516,122 health profile assessments performed between 2001 to 2020 were included. CRF was assessed as maximal oxygen consumption and was estimated from a submaximal cycling test. Analyses include CRF as a weighted average, standardized proportions with low CRF (<32 mL/min/kg), adjusted annual change in CRF, and forecasting of future trends in CRF. Results: There was a decrease in CRF over the study period, with the largest decrease in both absolute and relative CRF seen for individuals working in administrative and customer service (−10.1% and −9.4%) and mechanical manufacturing (−6.5% and −7.8%) occupations. The greatest annual decrease was seen in transport occupations (−1.62 mL/min/kg, 95% CI −0.190 to −0.134). Men and younger individuals had in generally a more pronounced decrease in CRF. The proportion with a low CRF increased, with the greatest increase noted for blue-collar and low-skilled occupations (range: +16% to +21% relative change). The forecast analyses predicted a continuing downward trend of CRF. Conclusion: CRF has declined in most occupational groups in Sweden over the last two decades, with a more pronounced decline in blue-collar and low-skilled occupational groups.

Optimizing nutrient use efficiency, productivity, energetics, and economics of red cabbage following mineral fertilization and biopriming with compatible rhizosphere microbes

Conventional agricultural practices and rising energy crisis create a question about the sustainability of the present-day food production system. Nutrient exhaustive crops can have a severe impact on native soil fertility by causing nutrient mining. In this backdrop, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of bio-priming intervention in red cabbage production considering nutrient uptake, the annual change in soil fertility, nutrient use efficiency, energy budgeting, and economic benefits for its sustainable intensification, among resource-poor farmers of Middle Gangetic Plains. The compatible microbial agents used in the study include Trichoderma harzianum, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Bacillus subtilis. Field assays (2016–2017 and 2017–2018) of the present study revealed supplementing 75% of recommended NPK fertilizer with dual inoculation of T. harzianum and P. fluorescens increased macronutrient uptake (N, P, and K), root length, heading percentage, head diameter, head weight, and the total weight of red cabbage along with a positive annual change in soil organic carbon. Maximum positive annual change in available N and available P was recorded under 75% RDF + P. fluorescens + B. subtilis and 75% RDF + T. harzianum + B. subtilis, respectively. Bio-primed plants were also higher in terms of growth and nutrient use efficiency (agronomic efficiency, physiological efficiency, apparent recovery efficiency, partial factor productivity). Energy output (26,370 and 26,630 MJ ha−1), energy balance (13,643 and 13,903 MJ ha−1), maximum gross return (US $ 16,030 and 13,877 ha−1), and net return (US $ 15,966 and 13,813 ha−1) were considerably higher in T. harzianum, and P. fluorescens treated plants. The results suggest the significance of the bio-priming approach under existing integrated nutrient management strategies and the role of dual inoculations in producing synergistic effects on plant growth and maintaining the soil, food, and energy nexus.