Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, and optimization of glycemic control during pregnancy can help mitigate risks associated with diabetes. However, studies seldom focus precisely on maternal blood glucose level prior to pregnancy. We aimed to evaluate the associations between preconception blood fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Methods and findings We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study among 6,447,339 women aged 20-49 years old who participated in National Free Pre-Pregnancy Checkups Project and completed pregnancy outcomes follow-up between 2010 and 2016 in China. During the preconception health examination, serum FPG concentration was measured, and selfreported history of DM was collected. Women were classified into three groups (normal FPG group: FPG < 5.6 mmol/L and no self-reported history of DM; impaired fasting glucose [IFG]: FPG 5.6-6.9 mmol/L and no self-reported history of DM; and DM: FPG � 7.0 mmol/L or self-reported history of DM). The primary outcomes were adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, preterm birth (PTB), macrosomia, small for gestational age infant (SGA), birth defect, and perinatal infant death. Logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) after adjusting for confounding

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Chemical-looping steam methane reforming (CL-SMR) is a promising method for the co-generation of pure hydrogen and syngas on the basis of redox cycles via a gas−solid reaction using an oxygen carrier. The performance and life of the oxygen carrier play pivotal roles in determining the feasibility and economy of the CL-SMR process. The present research was focused on the evolution of the structure and reducibility of a CeO 2 −Fe 2 O 3 oxygen carrier during the CL-SMR redox process to further understand the sustainability of the oxygen carrier. The investigated CeO 2 −Fe 2 O 3 complex oxide exhibited satisfactory performance in the CL-SMR process because of the chemical interaction between Ce and Fe species. A Ce−Fe−O phase equilibrium based on a stable composition of CeO 2 , Fe 3 O 4 , and CeFeO 3 formed in the recycled samples. Surface oxygen was removed, which was accompanied by an increase in the concentration of oxygen vacancies and a decrease in the surface area of the recycled samples; these effects resulted in an increase in the high-temperature reducibility and syngas selectivity of the samples. Oxygen mobility was intensified by the Ce−Fe chemical interaction via the formation of CeFeO 3 and a micromorphological transformation. These properties counteracted the sintering of the materials and guaranteed the stability of the oxygen carrier in the CL-SMR process.

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A novel series of optically active 2,6-disubstituted alkylphenols with improved anesthetic profiles compared to widely used propofol were synthesized. The incorporation of the cyclopropyl group not only increased the steric effect but also introduced stereoselective effects over their anesthetic properties. Compounds 1, 2, and 6 were selected as potential candidates for further preclinical development including studies of their water-soluble prodrugs. Clinical studies of candidate compound 6 (Haisco HSK3486) as a general anesthetic are being performed in Australia and China.

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Chemical-looping reforming (CLR) is a technology that can be used for partial oxidation and steam reforming of hydrocarbon fuels. It involves the use of a metal oxide as an oxygen carrier, which transfers oxygen from combustion air to the fuel. Composite oxygen carriers of cerium oxide added with Fe, Cu, and Mn oxides were prepared by co-precipitation and investigated in a thermogravimetric analyzer and a fixed-bed reactor using methane as fuel and air as oxidizing gas. It was revealed that the addition of transition-metal oxides into cerium oxide can improve the reactivity of the Ce-based oxygen carrier. The three kinds of mixed oxides showed high CO and H2 selectivity at above 800 °C. As for the Ce−Fe−O oxygen carrier, methane was converted to synthesis gas at a H2/CO molar ratio close to 2:1 at a temperature of 800−900 °C; however, the methane thermolysis reaction was found on Ce−Cu−O and Ce−Mn−O oxygen carriers at 850−900 °C. Among the three kinds of oxygen carriers, Ce−Fe−O presented the best performance for methane CLR. On Ce−Fe−O oxygen carriers, the CO and H2 selectivity decreased as the Fe content increased in the carrier particles. An optimal range of the Ce/Fe molar ratio is Ce/Fe > 1 for Ce−Fe−O oxygen carriers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the microstructure of the Ce−Fe−O oxides was not dramatically changed before and after 20 cyclic reactions. A small amount of Fe3C was found in the reacted Ce−Fe−O oxides by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis.