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200 | Outcome of Antibody-Mediated Fetal Heart Disease With Standardized Anti-Inflammatory Transplacental Treatment | Background Transplacental fetal treatment of immune-mediated fetal heart disease, including third-degree atrioventricular block (AVB III) and endocardial fibroelastosis, is controversial. Methods and Results To study the impact of routine transplacental fetal treatment, we reviewed 130 consecutive cases, including 108 with AVB III and 22 with other diagnoses (first-degree/second-degree atrioventricular block [n=10]; isolated endocardial fibroelastosis [n=9]; atrial bradycardia [n=3]). Dexamethasone was started at a median of 22.4 gestational weeks. Additional treatment for AVB III included the use of a β-agonist (n=47) and intravenous immune globulin (n=34). Fetal, neonatal, and 1-year survival rates with AVB III were 95%, 93%, and 89%, respectively. Variables present at diagnosis that were associated with perinatal death included an atrial rate <90 beats per minute (odds ratio [OR], 258.4; 95% CI, 11.5-5798.9; P<0.001), endocardial fibroelastosis (OR, 28.9; 95% CI, 1.6-521.7; P<0.001), fetal hydrops (OR, 25.5; 95% CI, 4.4-145.3; P<0.001), ventricular dysfunction (OR, 7.6; 95% CI, 1.5-39.4; P=0.03), and a ventricular rate <45 beats per minute (OR, 12.9; 95% CI, 1.75-95.8; P=0.034). At a median follow-up of 5.9 years, 85 of 100 neonatal survivors were paced, and 1 required a heart transplant for dilated cardiomyopathy. Cotreatment with intravenous immune globulin was used in 16 of 22 fetuses with diagnoses other than AVB III. Neonatal and 1-year survival rates of this cohort were 100% and 95%, respectively. At a median age of 3.1 years, 5 of 21 children were paced, and all had normal ventricular function. Conclusions Our findings reveal a low risk of perinatal mortality and postnatal cardiomyopathy in fetuses that received transplacental dexamethasone±other treatment from the time of a new diagnosis of immune-mediated heart disease. |
201 | Time-varying effect of oil price shocks on the stock market returns: Evidence from oil-importing and oil-exporting countries | This paper performs a two-stage methodology based on the Structural VAR and time-varying parameter regression models to examine the dynamic reaction of a set of oil-related countries' stock markets to oil price shocks. Oil prices are studied by disentangling demand and supply shocks. Based on monthly data from the 1999-2018 period, the results report evidence of a time-varying reaction of all stock market returns to different oil shocks. Moreover, the stock returns react to the demand shocks more than to the supply shocks. Besides, the effect of supply shocks on stock returns is generally limited and negative, while the aggregate demand shocks exert a positive effect on almost all stock returns. Oil-specific demand shocks have positive effects on the oil-exporting stock returns and negative effects in the case of oil-importing countries, except for the Chinese market. These findings have important policy implications for policymakers and investors. (C) 2020 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
202 | A current perspective for photocatalysis towards the hydrogen production from biomass-derived organic substances and water | Recently, an increasing interest has been devoted to produce chemical energy - hydrogen (H-2) by converting sustainable sunlight energy via water splitting and reforming of renewable biomass-derived organic substances. These photocatalytic processes are very promising, sustainable, economic, and environment-friendly. Herein, this article gives a concise overview of photocatalysis to produce H-2 as solar fuel via two approaches: water splitting and reforming of biomass-derived organic substances. For the first approach - photocatalytic water splitting, there are two reaction types have been used, including photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photochemical (PC) cell reactions. For the second approach, biomass-derived oxygenated substrates could undergo selective photocatalytic reforming under renewable solar irradiation. Significant efforts to date have been made for photocatalysts design at the molecular level that can efficiently utilize solar energy and optimize the reaction conditions, including light irradiation, type of sacrificial reagents. Critical challenges, prospects, and the requirement to give more attention to photo-catalysis for producing H-2 are also highlighted. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
203 | Singapore First Aid Guidelines 2021 | The Singapore Resuscitation and First Aid Council is updating the guidelines for first aid based on the latest evidence-based review from the International First Aid Taskforce Consensus on Science with Treatment Recommendations published in 2020. This is part of the regular updating of standards of care and training for first aid. This article presents some of the updated evidence-based approaches to first aid treatments in common emergencies such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, anaphylaxis, shock, unresponsiveness, seizure, heat disorders, ingested poisons, bleeding, head and spinal injury, bites and dental injuries. These updated treatments will be incorporated into the Standard and Child First Aid course syllabus in Singapore. |
204 | Cooperative green innovation | Cooperative green innovation is an important tool to cope with global climate change and this article highlights cooperative green innovation with game theory. Some interesting conclusions are achieved. First, emission tax stimulates the innovation for all firms. Second, free-rider phenomena appear in cooperative green innovation. When the cooperative green innovation requires big investment, firms have intention to launch free-rider. Finally, the underinvestment of cooperative green innovation exists. This article suggests to regulate innovative investment and to subsidize to improve cooperative green innovation. |
205 | A computationally efficient Bayesian seemingly unrelated regressions model for high-dimensional quantitative trait loci discovery | Our work is motivated by the search for metabolite quantitative trait loci (QTL) in a cohort of more than 5000 people. There are 158 metabolites measured by NMR spectroscopy in the 31-year follow-up of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC66). These metabolites, as with many multivariate phenotypes produced by high-throughput biomarker technology, exhibit strong correlation structures. Existing approaches for combining such data with genetic variants for multivariate QTL analysis generally ignore phenotypic correlations or make restrictive assumptions about the associations between phenotypes and genetic loci. We present a computationally efficient Bayesian seemingly unrelated regressions model for high-dimensional data, with cell-sparse variable selection and sparse graphical structure for covariance selection. Cell sparsity allows different phenotype responses to be associated with different genetic predictors and the graphical structure is used to represent the conditional dependencies between phenotype variables. To achieve feasible computation of the large model space, we exploit a factorisation of the covariance matrix. Applying the model to the NFBC66 data with 9000 directly genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms, we are able to simultaneously estimate genotype-phenotype associations and the residual dependence structure among the metabolites. The R package BayesSUR with full documentation is available at https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/BayesSUR/. |
206 | Risk assessment of corroded casing based on analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation | Casing corrosion during CO(2)injection or storage results in significant economic loss and increased production risks. Therefore, in this paper, a corroded casing risk assessment model based on analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation is established to identify potential risks in time. First, the corrosion rate and residual strength characteristics are analyzed through corrosion tests and numerical simulations, respectively, to determine the risk factors that may lead to an accident. Then, an index system for corroded casing risk evaluation is established based on six important factors: temperature, CO(2)partial pressure, flow velocity, corrosion radius, corrosion depth and wellhead pressure. Subsequently, the index weights are calculated via the analytic hierarchy process. Finally, the risk level of corroded casing is obtained via the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. The corroded casing risk assessment model has been verified by a case well, which shows that the model is valuable and feasible. It provides an effective decision-making method for the risk evaluation of corroded casing in CO(2)injection well, which is conductive to improve the wellbore operation efficiency. |
207 | The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Implications for Rural Economies | This paper presents a rapid assessment of current and likely future impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on rural economies given their socio-economic characteristics. Drawing principally on current evidence for the UK, as well as lessons from the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak and the 2007/8 financial crises, it outlines the likely key demand and supply effects, paying attention to the situation for agriculture as well as discussing the implications for rural communities. A distinction is made between the effects on businesses offering goods and services for out-of-home as opposed to in-home consumption. Gendered dimensions are also noted as likely business and household strategies for coping and adaptation. The paper concludes with a brief mapping of a research agenda for studying the longer-term effects of COVID-19 on rural economies. |
208 | CrowdMed-II: a blockchain-based framework for efficient consent management in health data sharing | The healthcare industry faces serious problems with health data. Firstly, health data is fragmented and its quality needs to be improved. Data fragmentation means that it is difficult to integrate the patient data stored by multiple health service providers. The quality of these heterogeneous data also needs to be improved for better utilization. Secondly, data sharing among patients, healthcare service providers and medical researchers is inadequate. Thirdly, while sharing health data, patients' right to privacy must be protected, and patients should have authority over who can access their data. In traditional health data sharing system, because of centralized management, data can easily be stolen, manipulated. These systems also ignore patient's authority and privacy. Researchers have proposed some blockchain-based health data sharing solutions where blockchain is used for consensus management. Blockchain enables multiple parties who do not fully trust each other to exchange their data. However, the practice of smart contracts supporting these solutions has not been studied in detail. We propose CrowdMed-II, a health data management framework based on blockchain, which could address the above-mentioned problems of health data. We study the design of major smart contracts in our framework and propose two smart contract structures. We also introduce a novel search contract for searching patients in the framework. We evaluate their efficiency based on the execution costs on Ethereum. Our design improves on those previously proposed, lowering the computational costs of the framework. This allows the framework to operate at scale and is more feasible for widespread adoption. |
209 | Design of the lentivirus-driven sustained LR12 delivery system for TREM-1 inhibition for palliating atherosclerosis | Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) has been a potential target in the management of pathophysiology and clinical sequelae of atherosclerosis. LR12 peptide effectively blocks ligand-TREM-1 interaction; however, the short half-life of LR12 is a major hurdle in its translational application in atherosclerosis management warranting new methods for sustained bioavailability in clinical applications. The present study reports a novel method of packing the coding sequence of LR12 in a lentiviral system to ensure a sustained expression and bioavailability for effective TREM-1 inhibition. Lentivirus vector systems (LV-LR12 and LV-SP) for the expression of LR12 peptide and SP (scrambled peptide) were successfully designed, constructed, and tested in vitro in smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Viral amounts obtained were 703.6 ± 145.12 and 609.3 ± 145.93 ng/ml p24 for LV-LR12 and LV-SP, respectively which correspond to ~ 107 IFU/ml for both vectors. Dot blot assay revealed significantly increased expression of LR12-FLAG and SP-FLAG in 125 μg total protein which was doubled in 250 μg protein with respect to un-transduced SMCs suggesting the sustained release of LR12/SP as confirmed by ELISA. Cellular expression of LR12-FLAG and SP-FLAG displayed 8.44-fold and 7.55-fold increase, respectively compared to the control SMCs. The findings demonstrated a promising strategy for packing the LR12 coding sequence in lentiviral vector for TREM-1 inhibition for the management of atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. |
210 | Cervical epidural hematoma with Brown-Sequard syndrome caused by an epidural injection: a case report | Epidural hematoma with Brown-Sequard syndrome caused by an epidural injection is a rarely found condition in the emergency department (ED). We report an unusual case of Brown-Sequard syndrome in a 55-year-old man who presented at the ED with right-sided weakness and contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation after a cervical epidural injection for shoulder pain. Cervicla spine magnetic resonance imaging showed an epidural hematoma from C4 to C6. After admission, his right hemiparesis and contralateral sensory loss improved within eight days, and surgical decompression was not required. Diagnosing spinal lesions in the ED is challenging, especially in patients with acute neurological signs requiring immediate evaluation for stroke. In this case, definite hemiparesis and some contralateral sensory loss were noted. Therefore, a potential spinal lesion was suspected rather than a stroke. This case emphasized the importance of conducting a focused neurological examination after history taking. |
211 | Cardiorenal Effects of Long-Term Phosphodiesterase V Inhibition in Pre-Heart Failure | Background Phosphodiesterase V (PDEV) is upregulated in heart failure, leading to increased degradation of cGMP and impaired natriuresis. PDEV inhibition improves the renal response to B-type natriuretic peptide in animal models. We tested the hypothesis that long-term PDEV inhibition would improve renal function and cardiorenal response after short-term volume load in subjects with pre-heart failure. Methods and Results A total of 20 subjects with pre-heart failure (defined as an ejection fraction ≤45% without previous diagnosis of heart failure) and renal impairment were randomized in a 2:1 manner to tadalafil or placebo. Baseline echocardiography and renal clearance study were performed, followed by a short-term saline load and repeated echocardiography and renal clearance study. Subjects then received either tadalafil at a goal dose of 20 mg daily or placebo, and the study day was repeated after 12 weeks. Long-term tadalafil did not improve glomerular filtration rate (median increase of 2.0 mL/min in the tadalafil group versus 13.5 mL/min in the placebo group; P=0.54). There was no difference in urinary sodium or cGMP excretion with PDEV inhibition following short-term saline loading. Conclusions Glomerular filtration rate and urinary sodium/cGMP excretion were not significantly different after 12 weeks of tadalafil compared with placebo. These results do not support the use of PDEV inhibition to improve renal response in patients with pre-heart failure. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01970176. |
212 | Does the d2 Test of Attention only assess sustained attention? Evidence of working memory processes involved | The d2 Test of Attention (d2) is widely used for assessing sustained attention and we aimed at verifying whether working memory may be a secondary construct measured by d2. 70 university students were assessed using d2 conventional paper-and-pencil and computational version. The experimental group and control group performed the task with or without target key, respectively. Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and N-back (1 and 2-back) tasks were used to measure sustained attention and working memory, respectively. Computational d2 performance was predicted by CPT (p < .05; R2 = .15) in the experimental group, and it was predicted by 2-back (p < .05; R2 = .28) in the control group. Conventional d2 performance was predicted by 2-back for both control group (p = .01; R2 = .20) and experimental group (p = .02, R2 = .17). Results suggest the involvement of working memory in d2, possibly a secondary construct assessed by this instrument. |
213 | Hidden toxins: bathtubs as a potential source of lead exposure in children | Exposure to lead (Pb) remains a serious health concern for children in the United States, particularly those residing in deteriorating housing. While some sources of Pb such as deteriorating paint and lead waterworks are relatively well understood and widely known, other sources remain hidden. One potential hidden source is bathtubs. In this experiment, water resting in a leaded bathtub was tested over a course of 60 min to determine the extent of metal leaching from the tub to the water. Lead levels in the water increased from 6.8 μg/L at baseline to 13 μg/L after resting in the tub for 60 min. Further research is needed to understand if this is typical, the contributing factors, and clinical significance of this finding. |
214 | Role of the nurse in supporting patients to self-manage their medicines effectively | Medicines are an integral element of the effective management of many clinical conditions. As people live longer, many of them will experience multiple long-term conditions, and will frequently require various prescribed medicines. Patients, their family members and/or carers will often have to manage their medicines at home without the assistance of nurses or other healthcare professionals. In addition, many patients do not adhere to their medicine regimens, either unintentionally due to issues such as memory loss, or intentionally because of fears about side effects, for example. This article explains how nurses practising in hospital, community and primary care settings can support patients to self-manage their medicines effectively, in accordance with the principles of shared decision-making and person-centred care. |
215 | Bi-Level Programming for Optimal Operation of an Active Distribution Network With Multiple Virtual Power Plants | Virtual power plants (VPPs) have become an effective technique to manage a growing number of flexible resources, which have posed great technical challenges to distribution system operators (DSOs). This article proposes a bi-level programming approach for the collaborative management of an active distribution network (ADN) with multiple VPPs by designing comprehensive prices for active and reactive power. The upper layer aims to minimize the overall operation cost of the ADN considering the system security and economic operation and the interactions among the power market, ADN and VPPs. The lower layer aims to maximize the benefits of each VPP agent considering various flexible resources. Then, the bi-level model is transformed into a tractable single-level problem by using a linearization method, the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions, the Fortuny-Amat transformation and the strong duality theorem. Case analyses indicate that the proposed strategy can effectively enhance the system security and improve the system economic performance by introducing reactive power pricing. The implementation effect and superiority of the proposed strategy are profoundly analyzed under different scenarios and conditions, which indicates its promising application value in the industrial field. |
216 | Targeted Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Clinical Utility of Acalabrutinib | In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a deeper understanding of the disease biology led over the last decade to the development and clinical use of different targeted drugs, including Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. The first BTK inhibitor approved for clinical use is ibrutinib, which showed excellent efficacy and good tolerability. More recently, the interest is growing for novel more selective BTK inhibitors that may reduce the off-target effects of the drug, thus minimizing side effects and subsequent treatment interruptions or discontinuations. Acalabrutinib is an orally administered irreversible BTK inhibitor, characterized by the lack of inhibition towards other kinases. In this review, we present the most recent data from clinical trials on the clinical efficacy of acalabrutinib and acalabrutinib-based combinations for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory and treatment-naïve CLL. We delineate the safety profile of the drug, describe side effects of interest and discuss the clinical management of patients receiving acalabrutinib. Due to its efficacy and the favorable safety profile, acalabrutinib has emerged as a viable therapy option in the current landscape of multiple approved treatments for CLL. |
217 | Modelling and optimisation of a hybrid PV-wind turbine-pumped hydro storage energy system for mini-grid application in coastline communities | This study proposes a clean, reliable and affordable hybrid energy conversion technology that is based on sunlight and wind, with a hydro based energy storage system. The proposed system comprises Photovoltaic arrays, wind turbine (WT) and Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES). The study was focused on satisfying energy demand of a typical coastline community, Patani (Lat. 5.23 degrees N and Long. 6.17 degrees E) - a Local Government Area (LGA). Genetic algorithm was adopted to optimise the PHES of the proposed hybrid plant to minimise the difference between energy demand and energy generated. Economic models were developed to ascertain the economic feasibility of the hybrid plant. High fidelity software (HOMER (R), MATLAB (R) and MS Excel (R) spreadsheet) were utilised for the analysis and optimisation. The peak rated power of PV and WT required to satisfy the energy demand of the LGA are 217 kW(p) and 226050 kW, respectively. The minimum storage capacity of the PHES was estimated at about 3,930,615 kWh, with the upper reservoir volume of 43170.06 m(3). The value of 0.27 $/kWh was obtained for the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE); while the loss of load probability of the proposed energy system was estimated at 0.1086. The proposed energy system supports the Sustainable Development Goal 7 - affordable and clean energy, with climate change mitigation potential. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
218 | Spatiotemporal regularity and spillover effects of carbon emission intensity in China's Bohai Economic Rim | The Bohai Economic Rim (BER) is a momentous economic growth district with rapid development in northern China, but the environmental problems there have also become prominent. In 2017 the BER's carbon emission intensity outclassed the national average, the emission reduction situation was also grim. For clarifying the influence mechanism of the economy on carbon emission intensity, this paper explores the spatiotemporal regularity, the spatial correlation, and the spillover effect in carbon emission intensity employing the Moran index and the spatial Durbin model. The results indicate that the carbon emission intensity in the BER decreased year-by-year from 2006 to 2017. Shanxi and Inner Mongolia were emission hot spots, whereas Beijing and Tianjin were emission cold spots. And the Moran's I values all passed the significance test, which verified the spatial correlation of the carbon emission intensity in the BER is significant. Urbanization, energy intensity, population density, and industry structure have a biggish impact on such spatial distribution of the carbon emission intensity. The direct effect coefficient of the energy intensity is the highest, and the spillover effect of the industry structure is the most significant Finally, this paper puts forward suggestions on the formulation of regional coordinated carbon reduction programs in the BER. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. |
219 | Passerini-Smiles Reaction of α-Ketophosphonates: Platform for Phospha-Brook/Smiles Embedded Cascades | The Passerini-Smiles reactions of α-ketophosphonates with nitrophenols has been used as a platform to observe complex cascades involving multiple Smiles transfers coupled with phospha-Brook rearrangement. When using 4-nitrophenols a rare 1,3-Truce-Smiles rearrangement is observed leading to diarylacetamide derivatives. 2-Nitro-derivatives lead to a completely different reactivity pattern that may be explained by a nitro to nitroso conversion followed by a σ-π metathesis. All mechanistic assumptions are confirmed by DFT calculations performed on both families of adducts. The potential of this work has been further demonstrated by the use of N-aryl α-ketoamides as alternative starting materials for these cascades as well as the disclosure of new aza-Nazarov access to hydroxy-indolones. |
220 | Chiral Hybrid Copper(I) Halides for High Efficiency Second Harmonic Generation with a Broadband Transparency Window | Chiral hybrid organic-inorganic metal halides (HOMHs) with intrinsic noncentrosymmetry have shown great promise for applications in second-order nonlinear optics (NLO). However, established chiral HOMHs often suffer from their relatively small band gaps, which lead to negative impacts on transparent window and laser-induced damage thresholds (LDT). Here, we have synthesized two chiral HOMHs based on CuI halides, namely (R-/S-MBA)CuBr2 , which feature well-balanced NLO performances with a highly efficient SHG response, outstanding optical transparency, and high LDT. The effective second-order NLO coefficient of (R-MBA)CuBr2 has been determined to be ≈24.7 pm V-1 , which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of their CuII counterparts. This work shows the promising potential of CuI -based chiral HOMHs for nonlinear photonic applications in wide wavelength regions. |
221 | Prediction intervals of the COVID-19 cases by HAR models with growth rates and vaccination rates in top eight affected countries: Bootstrap improvement | This paper is devoted to modeling and predicting COVID-19 confirmed cases through a multiple linear regression. Especially, prediction intervals of the COVID-19 cases are extensively studied. Due to long-memory feature of the COVID-19 data, a heterogeneous autoregression (HAR) is adopted with Growth rates and Vaccination rates; it is called HAR-G-V model. Top eight affected countries are taken with their daily confirmed cases and vaccination rates. Model criteria results such as root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), R 2 , AIC and BIC are reported in the HAR models with/without the two rates. The HAR-G-V model performs better than other HAR models. Out-of-sample forecasting by the HAR-G-V model is conducted. Forecast accuracy measures such as RMSE, MAE, mean absolute percentage error and root relative square error are computed. Furthermore, three types of prediction intervals are constructed by approximating residuals to normal and Laplace distributions, as well as by employing bootstrap procedure. Empirical coverage probability, average length and mean interval score are evaluated for the three prediction intervals. This work contributes three folds: a novel trial to combine both growth rates and vaccination rates in modeling COVID-19; construction and comparison of three types of prediction intervals; and an attempt to improve coverage probability and mean interval score of prediction intervals via bootstrap technique. |
222 | Allocating planetary boundaries to large economies: Distributional consequences of alternative perspectives on distributive fairness | The planetary boundaries (PBs) framework proposes global quantitative precautionary limits for human perturbation of nine critical Earth system processes. Together they define a global safe operating space for human development. Translating the global limits to the national level increases their policy relevance. Such translation essentially divides up the global safe operating space. What is considered fair distribution is a political decision and there is no globally agreed principle that can be applied. Here, we analyse the distributional consequences of alternative perspectives on distributive fairness. We scale the global limits of selected PBs to resource budgets for the EU, US, China and India, using three allocation approaches from the climate change literature. Furthermore, we compare the allocated budgets to 2010 environmental footprints of the four economies, to assess their performance with respect to the selected PBs. The allocation approaches are based on (1) current shares of global environmental pressure ('grandfathering'); (2) 'equal per capita' shares, and (3) 'ability to pay' to reduce environmental pressure. The results show that the four economies are not living within the global safe operating space. Their 2010 environmental footprints are larger than the allocated budgets for all approaches and parameterisations analysed for the PBs for climate change and biogeochemical flows, and, except for India, also for the PB for biosphere integrity. Grandfathering was found to be most favourable for the EU and US for all PBs, and ability to pay as least favourable. For climate change and biogeochemical flows, ability to pay even resulted in negative resource budgets for the two economies. In contrast, for China and India, equal per capita allocation and ability to pay were most favourable. Results were sensitive to the parameterisation. Accounting for future population growth in the equal per capita approach benefits India, with lower budgets for the EU, US and China, while accounting for future economic growth in ability to pay benefits the EU and US, with lower budgets for China and India. Our results underline the need for all four economies to act, while hinting at diverging preferences for specific allocation approaches. The methodology and results may help countries to define policy targets in line with global ambitions, such as those defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), accounting for differences in countries' circumstances and capacities. Further attention is required for PB-specific allocation approaches and integration of biophysical and socioeconomic considerations in the allocation. |
223 | Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Driving Forces of Urban Land-Use Expansion: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China | It is important to analyze the expansion of an urban area and the factors that drive its expansion. Therefore, this study is based on Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) night lighting data, using the landscape index, spatial expansion strength index, compactness index, urban land fractal index, elasticity coefficient, the standard deviation ellipse, spatial correlation analysis, and partial least squares regression to analyze the spatial and temporal evolution of urban land expansion and its driving factors in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) over a long period of time. The results show the following: Through the calculation of the eight landscape pattern indicators, we found that during the study period, the number of cities and towns and the area of urban built-up areas in the YREB are generally increasing. Furthermore, the variations in these landscape pattern indicators not only show more frequent exchanges and interactions between the cities and towns of the YREB, but also reflect significant instability and irregularity of the urbanization development in the YREB. The spatial expansion intensity indices of 1992-1999, 1999-2006, and 2006-2013 were 0.03, 0.16, and 0.34, respectively. On the whole, the urban compactness of the YREB decreased with time, and the fractal dimension increased slowly with time. Moreover, the long axis and the short axis of the standard deviation ellipse of the YREB underwent a small change during the inspection period. The spatial distribution generally showed the pattern of "southwest-north". In terms of gravity shift, during the study period, the center of gravity moved from northeast to southwest. In addition, the Moran's I values for the four years of 1992, 1999, 2006, and 2013 were 0.451, 0.495, 0.506, and 0.424, respectively. Furthermore, by using correlation analysis, we find that the correlation coefficients between these four driving indicators and the urban expansion of the YREB were: 0.963, 0.998, 0.990 and 0.994, respectively. Through the use of partial least squares regression, we found that in 1992-2013, the four drivers of urban land expansion in the YREB were ranked as follows: gross domestic product (GDP), total fixed asset investment, urban population, total retail sales of consumer goods. |
224 | A step to clean energy - Sustainability in energy system management in an emerging economy context | Due to high consumption of energy, its associated concerns such as energy security and demand, wastage of resources, and material-energy recovery are leading to the importance of sustainable energy system development. This is a high time to assess the sustainability in energy systems for meeting the requirements of energy with an enhanced economic, ecological, and social performance from a nation context. The energy system plays a significant role in deciding the economic progress of emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil, and Africa. In this paper, an original attempt has been made to list and evaluate important indicators for sustainability assessment of energy systems development and management in an emerging economy especially India. Firstly, based on the analysis of the extant literature and then followed by expert opinion, potential key sustainability assessment indicators for energy systems development and management were identified. Further, grey based Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory technique to understand the causal interactions amongst indicators and segregate them into cause and effect groups, is used. This work can provide useful aids to decision making bodies, sustainability practitioners and business organisations in selective implementation, monitoring and control of sustainable strategies in energy systems development and management and meeting sustainable development goals of clean energy in a nation context. (c) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
225 | Engineering of a protein probe with multiple inputs and multiple outputs for evaluation of alpha synuclein aggregation states | The aggregation of α-synuclein (αS) into oligomers and fibrils is implicated in the pathology of Parkinson's Disease (PD). While a molecular probe for rapid and comprehensive evaluation of αS aggregation states is critical for a better understanding of PD pathology, identification of therapeutic candidates, and the development of early diagnostic strategies, no such probe has yet to be developed. A structurally flexible αS variant, PG65, was previously developed as a target binding-driven, conformation-switching molecular probe for rapid αS oligomer detection. Though informative, detection using PG65 provides no comprehensive assessment of the αS aggregation states. In the present study, we report engineering of a molecular probe, PG65-MIMO (a PG65 variant with Multiple-Inputs and Multiple-Outputs), that rapidly (within 2 hr) produces comprehensive information on αS aggregation states. PG65-MIMO generates distinct fluorescence responses to the three major αS conformers (monomers, oligomers, and fibrils). PG65-MIMO also displays unique fluorescent signals for αS oligomers, depending on the tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) concentration. Our results suggest that the TCEP dependent signaling of PG65-MIMO may be associated with its conformational states. Overall, our study illustrates engineering of an αS variant to create a molecular probe for handling multiple inputs and multiple outputs, addressing the technological gap in αS detection. |
226 | Consumption-based carbon emissions and International trade in G7 countries: The role of Environmental innovation and Renewable energy | The role of a reliable carbon emissions measurement is important for devising a relevant climate policy to deals with environmental problems. Based on trade adjusted statistics of carbon emissions, a relevant climate policy response can be provided, especially following the conference of Paris (COP, 21). To explore the unidentified determinants of CO2 emissions in G7 countries from 1990 to 2017, this study uses second-generation panel co-integration methodologies. Results of P&Y's slope heterogeneity test and Pesaran's CD test confirm the existence of correlation among cross-sectional units and slope heterogeneity across countries. The results confirm a stable long-run relationship among CO2 emissions, trade, income, environmental innovation and renewable energy consumption. In the long run, imports and income enhance consumption-based carbon emissions, while exports, environmental innovation and renewable energy consumption are helpful in abating consumption-based CO2 emissions. The results are also reconfirmed by Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effect Mean Group (CCEMG) methods. Based on the results of the Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) Granger causality test, it is argued that any policy to target exports, imports, income and environmental innovation significantly changes CO2 emissions. On the contrary, any policy to support environmental degradation does not affect these variables. Moreover, any policy to target renewable energy sources significantly affects consumption-based CO2 emissions and vice versa. This might lead the policymakers to adopt strategies that are eco-friendly such as the deployment of renewable energy and environmental innovation to attain sustainable environment. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
227 | The asymmetric effect of tourism, financial development, and globalization on ecological footprint in Turkey | With the growing interest among researchers in analyzing the ecological footprint of any country, this study focuses on new dimensions to analyze the long-run and short-run asymmetric impact of tourism, financial development, and globalization on ecological footprint in Turkey by using Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag model for the period from 1986 to 2018. Further, the EKC hypothesis was also tested. The results show that tourism, globalization, and financial development are positively and significantly associated with the EFP. This means that the increase in these variables will further increase the ecological footprint in Turkey. The U-shaped EKC curve was found to be valid in Turkey. The results also depict nonlinear and asymmetric association among most of the variables. Hence, based on the results, further research directions and practical implications can be suggested. |
228 | Biodiversity at disequilibrium: updating conservation strategies in cities | Greenspaces represent an ark for urban biodiversity, but understanding their carrying capacity to sustain species remains challenging. Old greenspaces that were fragmented from natural habitats are now overcrowded, while revegetated new greenspaces remain vacant. This is because they have different processes leading towards biodiversity equilibrium, and conservation management needs to differentiate between fragmented and revegetated greenspaces. |
229 | Comparison of PsbQ and Psb27 in photosystem II provides insight into their roles | Photosystem II (PSII) catalyzes the oxidation of water at its active site that harbors a high-valent inorganic Mn4CaOx cluster called the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC). Extrinsic subunits generally serve to protect the OEC from reductants and stabilize the structure, but diversity in the extrinsic subunits exists between phototrophs. Recent cryo-electron microscopy experiments have provided new molecular structures of PSII with varied extrinsic subunits. We focus on the extrinsic subunit PsbQ, that binds to the mature PSII complex, and on Psb27, an extrinsic subunit involved in PSII biogenesis. PsbQ and Psb27 share a similar binding site and have a four-helix bundle tertiary structure, suggesting they are related. Here, we use sequence alignments, structural analyses, and binding simulations to compare PsbQ and Psb27 from different organisms. We find no evidence that PsbQ and Psb27 are related despite their similar structures and binding sites. Evolutionary divergence within PsbQ homologs from different lineages is high, probably due to their interactions with other extrinsic subunits that themselves exhibit vast diversity between lineages. This may result in functional variation as exemplified by large differences in their calculated binding energies. Psb27 homologs generally exhibit less divergence, which may be due to stronger evolutionary selection for certain residues that maintain its function during PSII biogenesis and this is consistent with their more similar calculated binding energies between organisms. Previous experimental inconsistencies, low confidence binding simulations, and recent structural data suggest that Psb27 is likely to exhibit flexibility that may be an important characteristic of its activity. The analysis provides insight into the functions and evolution of PsbQ and Psb27, and an unusual example of proteins with similar tertiary structures and binding sites that probably serve different roles. |
230 | Advances in nutrient management make it possible to accelerate biogas production and thus improve the economy of food waste processing | Foodwaste (hereinafter, FW) is the most voluminous solid waste and its amount is growing rapidly all over the world. The turning of FW into biogas via anaerobic fermentation is widely recognized as an environmentally responsible and economically reasonable option. Based on the knowledge obtained from agricultural biogas stations, the current methods of FW fermentation management are based on balancing the ratio of total carbon and nitrogen. However, it was repeatedly and independently reported that the stability of this process is low, resulting in many concessions in terms of prolonged hydraulic retention time or reduced biogas yield. Hence, biochemical as well as economic performance of the process is balanced by mixing of FW with agricultural residues. FW samples of various origin were collected and biochemically analyzed. The data indicate that FW originating from homes and luxury restaurants tends to be lignocellulose-based, whereas the levels of crude fiber (25% up to 27%) are higher than those from agricultural feedstock (18%). In contrast, FW from school canteens and inexpensive restaurants tends to be starch-based with high levels of amyloids (21% up to 23%) and fat (5% up to 7%). A novel method better reflecting the bioavailability of carbon and nitrogen to anaerobic consortia is proposed. It is demonstrated that the previous optimization methods could somehow reflect the availability of nutrients in agricultural feedstock, as carbonaceous and nitrogen sources are relatively equally biodegradable. Nevertheless, the biodegradability of FW is considerably different, which is why higher amounts of proteins and lipids lead to increased levels of ammonia and sulfide, resulting in an inhibitory effect on the metabolism of anaerobic consortia. Optimizing the anaerobic fermentation of FW by the new method outperforms the previous technique and makes it possible to process FW more intensively, or, more precisely, with higher profitability and lower proportion of ballast agricultural feedstock. |
231 | Shape-stable thermo-responsive nano Fe3O4/fatty acids/PET composite phase-change material for thermal energy management and saving applications | Organic phase change materials are sensitive to temperature calling thermo-responsive materials having ability of thermal energy storage/release in a warm/cold medium through latent heat, indicating proper potential for better thermal energy management. Nonetheless, leakage during melting and undesirable thermal conductivity are considered as two major disadvantages. Herein, for the first time, a simple one-step route is suggested for preparing novel shape-stable nano Fe3O4/fatty acids/PET composite can be utilized in thermal energy saving and management applications. This is based on simultaneous embedment of fatty acids as phase change materials into polyester (PET) fibers as supporting material and formation of iron oxide nanoparticles. The present approach not only obviates two stated drawbacks but also it is free from separately forming or providing nanoparticles and utilizing micro/nano encapsulation or electrospinning which may contain toxic chemicals. It is further conducted in one-single step preferring in the view of both economic and environmental aspects. The composites indicated promising phase temperature intervals of 36.3-54.1 and 26.9-35.5 degrees C for melting and freezing with latent heats of 40.3-59.7 and 40.1-58.2 J/g, respectively. The embedment of iron oxide nanoparticles resulted in thermal conductivity elevation around 44.5-85.8%. The prepared samples displayed good thermal endurance and reliability after 100 thermal treatments. They also had no leakage even after 120 min at 75 degrees C revealed their appropriate leakage-proof property in real usages. Overall, the paper introduces an affordable one-step mode for fabricating shape-stable nano-enhanced composite with proper thermal features for practical thermal energy management and saving applications. |
232 | Chromodomain Helicase DNA Binding Protein 1-like, a negative regulator of Forkhead box O3a, promotes the proliferation and migration of Angiotensin II-induced vascular smooth muscle cells | Essential hypertension (EH) represents a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Dysregulated proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play an important role in pathogenesis of EH. This study aims to investigate the effect of Chromodomain Helicase DNA Binding Protein 1-Like (CHD1L) on Angiotensin II (AngII)-induced VSMCs injury and reveal the underlying mechanism. The expression of CHD1L in EH patients was determined by bioinformatics analysis, and then it was silenced in AngII-induced VSMCs to detect the changes in cellular functions including proliferation, migration, invasion and phenotypic switching via CCK-8, EDU staining, wound healing, transwell and Western blot assays, respectively. Inflammation and oxidative stress were also measured by detecting related markers via commercial kits. After confirming the binding sites between forkhead box O3A (FOXO3a) and CHD1L and their negative association by bioinformatics analysis, FOXO3a was further silenced, and the cellular functions were assessed again to reveal the underlying mechanism. Results showed that CHD1L was highly expressed in EH, and interference of CHD1L suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and phenotypic switching in VSMCs. Inflammation and oxidative stress were also restrained by CHD1L knockdown. After validating the negative role of FOXO3a in regulating CHD1L, it was found that FOXO3a abrogated the effect of CHD1L knockdown on the cellular functions of AngII-induced VSMCs. In conclusion, FOXO3a suppresses the proliferation and migration of AngII-induced VSMCs by down-regulating CHD1L. |
233 | Does physical weight alter the mental representation of the body? Evidence from motor imagery in obesity | Obesity is a clinical condition that impacts severely the physical body. However, evidence related to the mental representation of the body in action is scarce. The few available studies only focus on avoiding obstacles, rather than participants imagining their own body. To advance knowledge in this field, we assessed the performance of 22 individuals with obesity compared with 30 individuals with a healthy weight in two tasks that implied different motor (more implicit vs. more explicit) imagery strategies. Two tasks were also administered to control for visual imagery skills, to rule out confounding factors. Moreover, we measured body uneasiness, through a standard questionnaire, as body image negativity could impact on other body representation components. Our findings do not show differences in the motor imagery tasks between individuals with obesity and individuals with healthy weight. On the other hand, some differences emerge in visual imagery skills. Crucially, individuals with obesity did report a higher level of body uneasiness. Despite a negative body image and visual imagery differences, obesity per se does not impact on the representation of the body in action. Importantly, this result is independent from the level of awareness required to access the mental representation of the body. |
234 | The environmental sustainability effects of income, labour force, and tourism development in OECD countries | The impacts of the increasing human activities mostly through socio-economic and environment interactions have continued to generate more scientific studies and contemporary discussion on issues ranging from the climate change to income and gender gap. Accordingly, the current study employed the cointegration and a two-step (system) SYS-Generalized Method of Moments to examine the environmental sustainability effects of income, international tourism arrivals, and labour force vis-a-vis gender unemployment in the panel of (32) Organization for Economic Development and Corporation (OECD) for the period 1995-2016. The study revealed that income growth in the OECD countries and increase in the inflow of international tourists into the OECD member countries are significant endangering factors for the bloc's environmental sustainability. More striking is the environmental impact of labour force in the panel countries. Intuitively, a positive labour force-environmental degradation nexus is expected; the negatively desirable labour force-environmental degradation nexus in the current study is a justification of (1) the prevailing gender employment/unemployment classifications in the OECD member countries, and (2) the increasing adoption of more environmental friendlier working conditions or operation among the member countries. Moreover, the current study strongly posits a significant policy framework for the governments and stakeholders of the OECD member countries. |
235 | Techno-economic analysis of a grid-connected PV/battery system using the teaching-learning-based optimization algorithm | In this paper, a novel framework for optimal sizing of a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV)/battery system is presented to minimize the total net present cost using a novel optimization algorithm based on the teaching and learning process, namely Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO). The TLBO algorithm is an efficient optimization method based on the teacher's influence on the learners' output in a class. This article shows how backup PV/battery systems can reduce electricity bills, even in countries where their electricity is cheap and subsidized. In comparison to the non-renewable case, the net present cost (NPC) and the cost of energy (COE) of the on-grid PV/battery system are 15.6% and 16.8% more efficient, respectively. The NPC and COE factors were calculated and compared with two other popular optimization algorithms, particle swarm optimization, and genetic algorithm to validate the proposed approach and to ascertain the strength and accuracy of the TLBO algorithm. To compare the results, different cities were examined and the similarity of the results showed that the system is efficient regardless of the surrounding climate. Also, sensitivity analyses on different cities' climatic data, different load demands and PV prices outlined the economic optimal size of the system. |
236 | Interplay between technological innovation and environmental quality: Formulating the SDG policies for next 11 economies | Since the inception of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Next 11 (N11) countries are facing difficulties in attaining the SDG objectives, as maintaining the environmental quality has been a challenge for them. In this study, we have revisited the technology policies of these countries, and in doing so, we have tried to address the problem of environmental degradation, while addressing the issues of sustained economic growth, clean and affordable energy, and quality education. In this pursuit, we have designed two indices for environmental degradation and technological advancement, and then analyzed the association between them following the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The empirical analysis has been done by IPAT framework, and by using bootstrapped quantile regression and rolling window heterogeneous panel casualty tests, over a period of 1990-2017. Following the results obtained from the analysis, we have tried to address the objectives of SDG 13, SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 7, and SDG 10. (c) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
237 | Treatment technologies for bakers' yeast production wastewater | Researchers in recent years have utilized a broad spectrum of treatment technologies in treating bakers' yeast production wastewater. This paper aims to review the treatment technologies for the wastewater, compare the process technologies, discuss recent innovations, and propose future perspectives in the research area. The review observed that nanofiltration was the most effective membrane process for the treatment of the effluent (at >95% pollutant rejection). Other separation processes like adsorption and distillation had technical challenges of desorption, a poor fit for high pollutant load and cost limitations. Chemical treatment processes have varying levels of success but they are expensive and produce toxic sludge. Sludge production would be a hurdle when product recovery and reuse are targeted. It is difficult to make an outright choice of the best process for treating the effluent because each has its merits and demerits and an appropriate choice can be made when all factors are duly considered. The process intensification of the industrial-scale production of the bakers' yeast process will be a very direct approach, where the process optimisation, zero effluent discharge, and enhanced recovery of value-added product from the waste streams are important approaches that need to be taken into account. |
238 | Frequency of Thrombotic Risk Factors in Patients with Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Case-Control Study | Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a serious complication of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) which remains underdiagnosed. A better understanding of risk factors for CTEPH would improve our ability to predict which PE survivors are at risk. Several medical conditions-including malignancy, splenectomy, thyroid hormone supplementation, the presence of an intravascular device, inflammatory bowel disease, osteomyelitis, and non-O blood group-have been associated with increased risk of CTEPH, primarily in studies comparing patients with CTEPH to individuals with non-thrombotic conditions. Because many of these conditions increase thrombosis risk, it remains unclear whether their association with CTEPH reflects a general effect on thrombosis risk, or a specific effect on the risk of developing CTEPH as an outcome of thrombosis. We performed a case-control study comparing the frequencies of these conditions in patients with CTEPH versus patients with acute PE who did not develop CTEPH. The conditions studied were equally frequent in the CTEPH and PE cohorts, although there was a trend towards an increased frequency of splenectomy and non-O blood group among the CTEPH cohort. Thus, other than the possible exceptions of splenectomy and non-O blood group, the investigated medical conditions do not appear likely to increase the risk of CTEPH as an outcome of acute PE, and thus are unlikely to be useful in predicting CTEPH risk among PE survivors. |
239 | Pruritus as a Presenting Symptom of FIP1L1-PDGFRA-Positive Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia | Eosinophilia can be found in a variety of benign and malignant conditions, and a persistent eosinophilic count of more than 1500/mm3 necessitates additional investigation. Patients with FIP1L1-PDGFRA-positive chronic eosinophilic leukemia might present as asymptomatic or in a catastrophic state with multi-organ involvement. We present the case of a young male patient who was diagnosed with FIP1L1-PDGFRA chronic eosinophilic leukemia after a long history of recurrent cutaneous symptoms with no systemic signs. |
240 | Coordination of dual-function acquisition price and corporate social responsibility in a sustainable closed-loop supply chain | In reverse supply chains, acquisition price strategy provided by manufacturers plays an essential role in collecting used products. On the other hand, owing to the fact that the acquisition price contributes to the improvement of the environmental sustainability, it can influence the purchasing behaviors of eco-friendly customers. Thus, acquisition price strategy not only can positively affect the amount of returned products but also can positively affect the market demand. This study integrates bilateral effects of the acquisition price to analyze the performance of a sustainable closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) by introducing a dual-function acquisition price. This paper also contributes to the sustainable CLSC literature by proposing an analytical coordination mechanism to coordinate the dual-function acquisition price as an environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a social sustainability. Motivated by a real case of dairy industry, the bilateral effects of the acquisition price on both reverse and forward channels are considered through its dual functionality. In the sustainable CLSC consisting of two competitive manufacturers and one retailer, the manufacturers compete with each other on the dual-function acquisition price offered to the customers. Moreover, to facilitate the collection process, the manufacturers encourage the retailer to do the collection process by offering him a credit time scheme. Besides the collection process, the retailer invests in the CSR as social sustainability to boost the market share. At first, we use a manufacturer-Stackelberg game to model the problem under decentralized structure where each member individually optimizes its own profitability. Afterward, the problem is formulated under centralized structure where the decision variables are determined from CLSC viewpoint. Then, a compensation-based wholesale price contract is developed to coordinate the competitive CLSC under coordinated model. Using the data of the case study, the results demonstrate that the proposed contract enhances the whole CLSC and all members' profitability, the manufacturers' dual-function acquisition price, and the retailer's CSR investment. Therefore, the developed contract can improve the performance of the competitive CLSC from environmental, social, and economic viewpoints. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
241 | Evaluation of shape factor impact on discharge coefficient of side orifices using boost simulation model with extreme learning machine data-driven | In this paper, for the first time, the impact of the shape factor on the discharge coefficient of side orifices is evaluated using the novel Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) model. In addition, the Monte Carlo simulations (MCs) are applied to assess the accuracy of the modelling. Furthermore, the validation is conducted by means of the k-fold cross-validation approach (with k = 5). In other words, the most optimized number of hidden neurons is chosen to be equal to 30 and the results of all activation functions of the extreme learning machine are examined and the sigmoid activation function is selected for simulating the discharge coefficient. Subsequently, two modelling combinati0ons are introduced using the input parameters and five different extreme learning machine models are also developed. The analysis of the modelling results exhibits that the model with the shape factor is more accurate. The superior model is a function of all input parameters reasonably estimating the discharge coefficient. For example, the values of R and MAPE for this model are estimated to be 0.990 and 0.223, respectively. The results of the superior model are also compared with the empirical equations and it was shown that this model has higher accuracy. |
242 | Label-free identification of human glioma xenograft of mouse brain with quantitative ultraviolet photoacoustic histology imaging | The ability to unveil molecular specificities of endogenous nonfluorescent chromophores of ultraviolet photoacoustic imaging technology enables label-free histology imaging of tissue specimens. In this work, we exploit ultraviolet photoacoustic microscopy for identifying human glioma xenograft of mouse brain ex vivo. Intrinsically excellent imaging contrast of cell nucleus at ultraviolet photoacoustic illumination along with good spatial resolution allows for discerning the brain glioma of freshly-harvested thick brain slices, which circumvents laborious time-consuming preparations of the tissue specimens including micrometer-thick slicing and H&E staining that are prerequisites in standard histology analysis. The identification of tumor margins and quantitative analysis of tumor areas is implemented, representing good agreement with the standard H&E-stained observations. Quantitative ultraviolet photoacoustic microscopy can access fast pathological assessment to the brain tissues, and thus potentially facilitates intraoperative brain tumor resection to precisely remove all cancerous cells and preserve healthy tissue for maintaining its essential function. |
243 | Outstanding Multi-Photon Absorption at π-Delocalizable Metallodendrimers | Multi-photon absorption (MPA) has attracted interest for applications exploiting the tight spatial control of interaction volume and long wavelength excitation. However, a deficiency of molecules exhibiting higher-order nPA (n-photon absorption, n>2) and a lack of structure-property studies to define the key structural characteristics needed to optimize higher-order MPA performance have hindered practical development. We herein report the syntheses of second- and third-generation metallodendrimers and assessment of their nonlinear absorption, together with those of zero- and first-generation analogues. We report the first 5PA and 6PA data for an organometallic. The largest dendrimer exhibits exceptional three-, four-, five- and six-photon absorption to femtosecond-pulsed light. The systematically varied compounds highlight the crucial role of metal-to-oligo(phenyleneethynylene) charge transfer in promoting outstanding MPA activity. |
244 | Respondents' Involvement in Tourist Activities at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic | The article is aimed at presenting the survey respondents' involvement in tourist activities, taking into account certain factors at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective may be divided into three direct aims, each of which consists of the determination of the factors that can influence the choice of tourist journeys: (1) organizational factors, (2) social-economic ones, and (3) sustainable development. The authors' own research findings are used to verify the objective. The research was conducted in April and May 2020 with the use of a diagnostic survey method and a questionnaire. Five-hundred sixty-four respondents from Poland (Podlaskie, Masovian, and Lesser Poland Voivodeships) and 133 respondents from the US (New York State, New Jersey, and Illinois) took part in the research. It was divided into organizational, social-economic, and sustainable development related factors. The research confirmed, inter alia, a great impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organization of tourist travels by the respondents in 2020. The issue presented in the article is a new one; it has not yet been a subject matter of research. That is the major reason the authors aimed to conduct it. What is a new methodological element in the article is the organization of some concepts concerning tourism and a presentation of the influence of COVID-19 on tourism. In the authors' opinion, the issues presented are new and have a considerable impact on new trends in the development of tourism at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue discussed is very broad, and the article does not exhaust it. The research findings are compared to the research findings reported by other authors, and standard deviations are calculated. |
245 | Antibacterial, anti-biofilm, and anti-virulence potential of tea tree oil against leaf blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae instigates disease suppression | Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) disease, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), causes major annual economic losses around the world. Inorganic copper compounds and antibiotics are conventionally used to control BLB disease. They often cause environmental pollution, contributing to adverse effects on human health. Therefore, research is now leading to the search for alternative control methods. Tea tree oil (TTO) is obtained from a traditional medicinal plant, Melaleuca alternifolia, with antibacterial properties. In this study, we found that TTO showed antibacterial activity against Xoo with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 18 mg/ml. These antagonistic activities were not limited only to planktonic cells, as further studies have shown that TTO effectively eradicated sessile cells of Xoo in both initial and mature biofilms. Furthermore, it was also observed that TTO reduced various key virulence properties of Xoo, such as swimming, swarming motility, and the production of extracellular polymeric substances, xanthomonadin, and exoenzymes. TTO triggered ROS generation with cell membrane damage as an antibacterial mode of action against Xoo. The in silico study revealed that 1,8-cineole of TTO was effectively bound to two essential proteins, phosphoglucomutase and peptide deformylase, responsible for the synthesis of EPS and bacterial survival, respectively. These antibacterial and anti-virulence activities of TTO against Xoo were further confirmed by an ex vivo virulence assay where TTO significantly reduced the lesion length caused by Xoo on rice leaves. All these data concluded that TTO could be a safe, environment-friendly alternative approach for the comprehensive management of BLB disease. |
246 | Quantifying expansion and removal of Spartina alterniflora on Chongming island, China, using time series Landsat images during 1995-2018 | The rampant encroachment of Spartina alterniflora into coastal wetlands of China over the past decades has adversely affected both coastal ecosystems and socio-economic systems. However, there are no annual or multi-year epoch maps of Spartina saltmarsh in China, which hinders our understanding and management of Spartina invasion. In this study, we selected Chongming island, China, where Spartina saltmarsh had expanded rapidly since its introduction in the 1990s. We investigated phenology of Spartina, Phragmites and Scirpus saltmarshes, and the time series vegetation indices derived from Landsat images showed that Spartina saltmarsh did not green-up in April-May and stayed green in December-January, which differed from the phenology of Phragmites and Scirpus saltmarshes. We developed a pixel- and phenology-based algorithm that used time series Landsat data to identify and map Spartina saltmarsh, and we applied it to quantify the temporal dynamics (expansion and removal) of Spartina saltmarsh on Chongming island during 1995-2018. The resultant maps showed that Spartina saltmarsh area on Chongming island increased from similar to 4 ha in 1995 to similar to 2067 ha in 2012 but dropped substantially to similar to 729 ha in 2016 after a large-scale ecological engineering project (US$ 186 million) was started to remove Spartina during 2013-2016. Chongming island still had similar to 1315 ha Spartina saltmarsh in 2018, and majority of it was distributed outside the Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve, which could serve as the sources for reinvasion in the near future. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using time series Landsat images, pixel- and phenology-based algorithm, and GEE platform to identify and map Spartina saltmarsh over years in the region, which is useful to the management of invasive plants in coastal wetlands. |
247 | Particulate matter-bound organic compounds: levels, mutagenicity, and health risks | Increased industrialization and consumption of fossil fuels in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP), Brazil, have caused a growth of the particulate matter emissions to the atmosphere and an increase in population health problems. Particulate and gaseous phase samples were collected in different short campaigns (2015, 2016, and 2017) near an urban-industrial area. Organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and its derivatives (nitro and oxy-PAH), n-alkanes, hopanes, and pesticides were determined. The Salmonella/microsome test confirmed the mutagenic activity of these samples. Among PAH, benzo(a)pyrene was detected as one of the most abundant compounds. Benzo(a)pyrene equivalent concentrations for PAH and nitro-PAH, and the associated risk of lung cancer, showed values above those recommended in the literature. The profile of n-alkanes confirmed the predominance of anthropogenic sources. Pesticide concentrations and estimated risks, such as the daily inhalation exposure and hazard quotient, suggest that exposure to these compounds in this area may be dangerous to human health. |
248 | Life cycle assessment of a small-scale methanol production system: A Power-to-Fuel strategy for biogas plants | Power-to-Fuel (PtF) systems use carbon dioxide and hydrogen as feedstock together for renewable fuel production and can hence contribute to climate change mitigation. This study assesses the environmental performance, from cradle to gate, of an innovative PtF system for synthetic methanol production, which integrates a biogas plant based on manure and straw residues as well as a combined heat and power unit. Under this concept, the residual carbon dioxide from biogas production is used for the synthesis of methanol, whereas hydrogen is obtained via wind-based electrolysis. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is carried out here for 1 kg of methanol produced with the integrated system proposed, operated on a small scale. In view of the multi-functionality of the process, the uncertainty in LCA outcomes is assessed by considering different assumptions on co-product credits for both the electricity from cogeneration and the digestate from the anaerobic digestion of organic raw materials. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to examine the influence of variability in life cycle inventory data on the results. All the analysed scenarios show significant improvements compared with conventional methanol production from fossil resources (with only a few exceptions for acidification and eutrophication). The sensitivity analysis shows that parameters determining the overall energy requirements as well as methane losses from anaerobic digestion in the PtF system greatly influence its environmental performance, and should be carefully considered in process design and upscaling. In spite of the uncertainty inherent in LCA, the system is presented as an interesting option to produce renewable methanol while contributing towards a circular economy, provided that the economic performance is also beneficial relative to the fossil alternative. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
249 | Change in cotton plant quality in response to application of anaerobically digested sewage sludge | Treated municipal sewage sludge (TSS) was applied to the cotton plant at rates of 10, 20 and 30 t/ha per year. Seed cotton yield (71.4%), lint yield (67.7%) and cottonseed yield (74.1%) were increased significantly when sludge was applied at a rate of 30 t/ha (TSS3). The effects of TSS applications on seed yield, lint yield and cottonseed yield were listed as TSS3 > TSS2 > CF > TSS1 > C according to the applications. The increasing TSS levels had a positive effect and increased the total N concentration compared to the control. The highest N value was observed in TSS3 plots, while the lowest value was recorded in control (C) plots. The highest P value was found in control (C) at 0.80% and in 10 t/ha (TSS1) at 0.80%, while the lowest value was found in the TSS2 application (0.70%). The K concentration of cottonseed increased with the increasing TSS rates, from 1.56% in control plots to 2.20% in 20 t/ha application (TSS2). Corresponding to the TSS levels, the calcium of plant tissues was determined by a range of 0.12-0.13%. The treatments of TSS and mineral fertilizer had similar effects on the Mg content of cottonseed, which was in the range of 0.38-0.43%. Na content in plant tissue increased with increasing dose of sludge application compared to control soils. Increasing doses of TSS had no significant effect on the concentrations of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and boron (B) in cottonseed. The order of the elements with respect to their amounts in cottonseed was as follows: Fe > Zn > Na > B > Mn > Cu. The concentrations of non-essential elements (Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg and As) in cottonseed were below the permissible limits. |
250 | Provincial perspective analysis on the coordination between urbanization growth and resource environment carrying capacity (RECC) in China | China has been implementing huge scale of urbanization in the past several decades and this will continue in the coming future years. Whilst the urbanization growth has presented good benefits to social and economic development in China, it has also brought severe challenges to the resource environment carrying capacity, such as air pollution, overloaded land resources. These challenges present differently in different provinces, which leads to the disparity in development between provinces. There has been growing concern whether the urbanization growth in different provinces is coordinated with resource environment carrying capacity (RECC), but this question has not been addressed in previous studies. This paper presents a critical analysis on the coordination between urbanization growth and resources environment carrying capacity (RECC) from provincial perspective in the context of China. A measurement of coordination degree (CD) is used to measure whether and to what extent that urbanization growth and RECC are coordinated by applying coupling coordination degree model (CCDM). The research data are collected from 30 provinces in China. The results suggest that the average coordination performance among the provinces experienced a steady growth during the period of 2005-2016, but there still exists big room for improvement towards well balanced coordination performance. From provincial perspective, the good performers are mainly economically developed provinces. The findings provide valuable references for the governments at both central and local level to adopt proper policy measures where necessary to improvement the coordination performance between urbanization and RECC. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
251 | BODIPY based Metal-Organic Macrocycles and Frameworks: Recent Therapeutic Developments | Boron dipyrromethene, commonly known as BODIPY, based metal-organic macrocycles (MOCs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent an interesting part of materials due to their versatile tunability of structure and functionality as well as significant physicochemical properties, thus broadening their applications in various scientific domains, especially in biomedical sciences. With increasing concern over the efficacy of cancer drugs versus quality of patient's life dilemma, scientists have been trying to fabricate novel comprehensive therapeutic strategies along with the discovery of novel safer drugs where research with BODIPY metal complexes has shown vital advancements. In this review, we have exclusively examined the articles involving studies related to light harvesting and photophysical properties of BODIPY based MOCs and MOFs, synthesized through self-assembly process, with a special focus on biomolecular interaction and its importance in anti-cancer drug research. In the end, we also emphasized the possible practical challenges involved during the synthetic process, based on our experience on dealing with BODIPY molecules and steps to overcome them along with their future potentials. This review will significantly help our fellow research groups, especially the budding researchers, to quickly and comprehensively get the near to wholesome picture of BODIPY based MOCs and MOFs and their present status in anti-cancer drug discovery. |
252 | Sinonasal Hamartomas: From Nasal Chondromesenchymal Hamartoma to Respiratory Epithelial Adenomatoid Hamartoma. Report of six Cases and Review of the Literature | Sinonasal hamartomas are uncommon lesions of nasal and sinus cavities. Based on indigenous cellular components and characteristic histologic features, they are further classified into four entities: respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamartoma (REAH), seromucinous hamartoma (SH), chondro-osseous and respiratory epithelial hamartoma (CORE), and nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma (NCH). REAH, SH, and CORE are seen in adult patients, while NCH predominantly occurs in newborns and infants. Morphologically REAH and SH are composed of respiratory epithelium and seromucinous glands, CORE is related to REAH but with additional feature of chondroid and/or osseous tissue, and NCH is composed of chondroid and stromal elements but devoid of epithelial component. All four lesions can present as sinonasal mass lesions and with associated obstructive symptoms. Given the rarity of these lesions, diagnosis can be challenging, especially in unusual clinical scenario. In this study, we report six cases of sinonasal hamartoma, including one case of NCH, one case of CORE, two cases of SH, and two cases of REAH. All cases were from adult patients including four men and two women. We also review the literature of the clinical and pathologic features of these rare lesions. |
253 | Operation of conventional and unconventional energy sources to drive a reverse osmosis desalination plant in Sinai Peninsula, Egypt | Desalination process is an essential demand to overcome the lack of drinking water in remote areas in Egypt. Hybrid energy system drives desalination techniques to provide potable water for islands and coastal zones where there is no electrical grid. This paper analyzes the technical configuration, sizing and economic optimization of off-grid hybrid energy system powered reverse osmosis plant. The hybrid system consists of wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, converters, storage batteries, and a diesel generator. The objective of this study is to satisfy the electrical energy demand of the reverse osmosis (RO) plant with a freshwater capacity of 100 m(3)/day for use at Nakhl, North Sinai, Egypt. This simulation studied eleven different configurations of energy sources to select the optimal case at the proposed location. Homer package is used to select the cost-effective, sustainable and socially accepted system. The simulation is based on calculating the net present cost (NPC), excess system electricity, cost of energy (COE) and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2). Through the study, the optimal configuration consists of 160 kW photo-voltaic (PV) panels, 19 strings of lead-acid batteries and a 50 kW diesel generator system. The optimal case achieves the lowest cost of energy ($0.107/kWh) and net present cost ($502,662). (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
254 | Investigating thyroid nodules | Thyroid nodules are common clinically and even more common as an incidental finding during ultrasonography. Routine screening of thyroid nodules in patients with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism without risk factors for thyroid cancer is not recommended. Most thyroid nodules are benign. Sonographic risk-stratification systems should be used to estimate the risk of malignancy and the need for fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Malignant thyroid nodules require surgical management. Most thyroid cancers are well-differentiated papillary or follicular thyroid neoplasms, which have an excellent prognosis with a low mortality rate. |
255 | Spatially resolved transcriptomics in immersive environments | Spatially resolved transcriptomics is an emerging class of high-throughput technologies that enable biologists to systematically investigate the expression of genes along with spatial information. Upon data acquisition, one major hurdle is the subsequent interpretation and visualization of the datasets acquired. To address this challenge, VR-Cardiomics is presented, which is a novel data visualization system with interactive functionalities designed to help biologists interpret spatially resolved transcriptomic datasets. By implementing the system in two separate immersive environments, fish tank virtual reality (FTVR) and head-mounted display virtual reality (HMD-VR), biologists can interact with the data in novel ways not previously possible, such as visually exploring the gene expression patterns of an organ, and comparing genes based on their 3D expression profiles. Further, a biologist-driven use-case is presented, in which immersive environments facilitate biologists to explore and compare the heart expression profiles of different genes. |
256 | Wind energy utilization for hydrogen production in an underdeveloped country: An economic investigation | Since economic viability is among the main criteria for deciding whether to launch a project, therefore the aim of this study is to scrutinize economic aspects of harnessing wind energy in Afghanistan for producing hydrogen. In this regard, levelized cost of wind-generated electricity was first projected for all 34 capital cities. Then, energy efficiency of the hydrogen production system, Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) and payback period of establishing wind farm were investigated for the city with the least Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). As some unpredictable conditions may occur during lifetime of a wind power plant, causing decline in output energy of the turbines, thus 5 degradation rates were deemed to compute LCOE, LCOH, energy efficiency and payback period under 3 scenarios, which leaded to 15 different cases. The results showed that utilizing one set of "WES 100 GENERAL" wind turbine with rated power of 100 kW in Fayzabad could produce 260,610 kWh/yr of electricity when degradation rate constituted zero. Moreover, Fayzabad had LCOE of 0.063, 0.068 and 0.079 $/kWh and LCOH of 2.118, 2.158 and 2.261 $/kg for the scenarios 1, 2 and 3, respectively, when degradation rate was zero. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
257 | Making the circular economy work for human development | This paper aims to re-conceptualise and advance the existing frameworks and practical applications of the circular economy (CE) towards a broader approach to development in general and, more particularly, to combine it with the approach for Human Development (HD). The CE is an alternative to the current "take, make, waste" extractive industrial model and offers a practical solution to address global and local environmental challenges, such as resource depletion, marine plastic pollution, and for staying within planetary system boundaries. Although the CE and related concepts such as cradle to cradle provide a most promising alternative to the traditional linear economy model and its impacts on the planets eco-systems, some of the CE key elements have raised debate both in the academic community and among policy makers. One of the debates concerns the missing social or human dimensions of the CE. Likewise, the HD approach lacks considerations of environmental sustainability. Drawing on both academic and grey literature and the authorso research observations and professional experiences in the fields of promoting the CE and international development cooperation for HD, we attempt to develop an integrative conceptual framework of the CE and HD. This framework includes social-economic elements of the transformation from linear to circular economic models, combined with HD from the social sciences and development studies. We thereby complement the technological-material focused CE model that is primarily based on principles of industrial ecology and engineering. We utilize the existing 'circular humansphereo concept to articulate the incorporation of HD into the discussion of CE. By bringing in explicit links with HD, we pursue a double aim: First, to raise awareness and understanding among the CE research community of the missing human dimension in current CE discourse, and second, to familiarise the international development community with the approaches of CE. This will advance the options for adopting CE practices in international development programmes and for the process of implementing the social SDGs concerning HD such as SDG 1, 3, 4, 5, and 10. Finally, we hope that this CE and HD framework can contribute to the resolution of environmental and developmental issues. |
258 | Strategic interaction of environmental regulation and green productivity growth in China: Green innovation or pollution refuge? | The strategic interaction of inter-regional environmental regulation is a typical feature of local government behavior in China, which can affect the green productivity growth in the local region through the Porter effect and the pollution refuge effect. Based on the panel data of 274 prefecture-level cities from 2005 to 2015 in China, this thesis constructs a comprehensive indicator of environmental regulation, accurately identifies the mode of China's inter-regional strategic interaction of environmental regulation and calculates the green total factor productivity, green technology efficiency and green technology progress in 274 cities. In addition, this thesis also conducts an empirical analysis on the effect of the strategic interaction of environmental regulation on the green productivity in China. The author of this thesis finds that: (1) the mode of strategic interaction of environmental regulation in China is complementary race to the top, that is, the local region will strengthen its environmental regulation, if the environmental regulations in its adjacent regions are strengthened; (2) the environmental regulation in the local region promotes the green productivity in China, while the weighted environmental regulation in the adjacent regions inhibits the green productivity. What's more, environmental regulations in economic-proximity regions have greater negative spatial spillover effects on green productivity in the local region, compared with those in geographic-proximity regions; (3) environmental regulation in the local region and its adjacent regions can affect the green productivity growth in China through the channels of green innovation and pollution transfer, that is, the Porter effect and pollution refuge effect coexist in China. They mean that in the process of China's regional environmental governance, it is necessary to reduce pollution transfer, and promote green innovation so as to achieve sustainable and high-quality economic development. |
259 | Dynamic simulation and techno-economic analysis of a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant hybridized with both thermal energy storage and natural gas | The addition of thermal energy storage and natural gas as a complementary energy source improves the flexibility, reliability, and value of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Nevertheless, due to the transient nature of solar energy, transitions from solar-only mode and natural-gas mode to hybrid solar-natural gas mode is quite challenging, especially when the plant is equipped with thermal storage. Thus, it is important to develop proper dynamic modeling and control schemes to accurately simulate such transitions. The objective of this study is to address this subject by demonstrating a dynamic model with reliable control schemes for a highly integrated hybrid parabolic trough-natural gas plant equipped with thermal energy storage. The specific goal is to study the dynamics of adding thermal storage to the hybrid plant. It is found that the developed control schemes assist smooth transitions between different operational modes and effective utilization of thermal storage and natural gas to maintain steady power production and steam mass flow rates under different solar conditions. The results demonstrate that the integration of storage regulates power production by solar energy and natural gas during the day time. It also enables an increase in the solar fraction of the hybrid plant while it causes a small decrease in thermodynamic efficiency. The analysis shows that the hybrid plant with the storage has a substantially lower specific CO2 emission (0.320 tonne/MWh) than single natural gas plant (0.413 tonne/MWh) although it has a higher levelized cost of electricity ($86.32/MWh against $74.92/MWh). The hybrid plant with storage demonstrates a promising potential for reliable and clean production of electricity, although research and development should be conducted to lower its cost. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
260 | Health care expenditure and environmental pollution: a cross-country comparison across different income groups | This paper investigates the long-run dynamics between health care expenditure and environmental pollution across four global income groups. The analysis uses data from 178 countries, spanning the period 1995-2017. Panel estimations are employed with unobserved heterogeneity, temporal persistence, and cross-sectional dependence using a model with common correlated effects. The findings document that the health care expenditure is a necessity for all sub-groups. We established that a 1% increase in national income increased health expenditure by 7.2% in the full sample, and 9.3%, 8.6%, 6.8% and 2.9% for low, low-middle, upper-middle and high-income groups, respectively, while a 1% increase in CO2 emissions increased health expenditure by 2.5% in the full sample, and 2.9%, 1.2%, 2.3% and 2.6% across these four income groups. We recommend that coordinated approach is needed in setting policy goals both in energy and health sectors in mitigating the negative effects of pollution. Our findings indicate that low-carbon emissions and energy efficient health care services will significantly reduce future health care expenses. |
261 | The asymmetric relationship between financial development, trade openness, foreign capital flows, and renewable energy consumption: Fresh evidence from panel NARDL investigation | No substantial evidence available in existing literature regarding the pattern of financial development, trade openness and foreign capital effect on renewable energy consumption. With this study, we tried to fill the gap by figuring out the answer to the question of whether the relationships between financial development, trade openness, capital flows and the renewable energy consumption is symmetric or asymmetric by applying Panel Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lagged from 1990 to 2017. Non-linear estimation confirms the long-run asymmetric relationships between financial development, trade openness, capital flows, and renewable energy consumption in the case of all three subsamples namely, low-income countries, middle-income countries, and upper-middle-income panel. Furthermore, in the short-run, the asymmetric relationship also confirms except in Lower-income countries. We, furthermore, investigate the directional causality with System-GMM specification under the error correction model. Findings unveiled the long-run causality in particular when renewable energy consumption treated as a dependent variable in the equation. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
262 | MicroRNAs in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease: an overview | Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a progressive loss of neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) and serve as a major cause of morbidity, mortality and functional dependence especially among the elderly. Despite extensive research and development efforts, the success rate of clinical pipelines has been very limited. However, microRNAs (miRs) have been proved to be of crucial importance in regulating intracellular pathways for various pathologic conditions including those of a neurodegenerative nature. There is ample evidence of altered levels of various miRs in clinical samples of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease patients with potentially major clinical implications. In the current review, we aim to summarize the relevant literature on the role of miRs in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) as the two globally predominant neurodegenerative conditions. |
263 | Water-Energy-Carbon Emissions nexus analysis of China: An environmental input-output model-based approach | China has one of the fastest-growing economies worldwide, consuming large amounts of resources but also experiencing significant environmental issues. Water, energy, and carbon play significant roles in regional sustainable development. It is critical to understand the Water-Energy-Carbon Emissions nexus, and this study explores the nexus using the Environmental Input-Output model. The embodied water and energy consumption and embodied carbon emissions are assessed. The water and energy consumption coefficients and CO2 emission coefficients are analysed. The main results are: (1) The Water-Energy-Carbon Emissions nexus characteristics of light industry, heavy industry, and service industry were similar: water-intensive, energy-intensive, and carbon-emission-intensive; (2) Agriculture consumed 64.38% of the national water supply; however, the water utilisation efficiency was only 32%; (3) Agriculture had much higher water consumption and direct water consumption coefficients. Light industry, service industry, and heavy industry were the top three sectors in terms of indirect water consumption coefficients; (4) Heavy industry, light industry, and service industry were the top three sectors with the highest indirect energy consumption coefficients and carbon emission coefficients. The consumption (water and energy) and CO2 emission coefficients can provide significant support for sustainable development strategies. This study provides a better understanding of the Water-Energy-Carbon Emissions nexus in China. |
264 | Risk of tendon failure with repeated passage of Kirschner wires or hypodermic needles: an experimental study | During hand surgery, tendons may be at risk of damage. This biomechanical study aims to assess the risk of tendon rupture due to passage of Kirschner wires or hypodermic needles. Porcine extensor tendons were divided into four groups. Group 1: a control group was tested to ensure that repeated stress alone did not cause failure. Group 2a: 1.1-mm Kirschner wires were hand pushed through tendons 50 times and then stressed to 40 N, repeated until tendon failure. In Group 2b, K-wires were passed while rotating using a drill. Group 3: the experiment was repeated using a 20 G hypodermic needle. Group 2a tendons required a median of 2450 passes (1150-3500) to propagate failure, Group 2b a median of 2250 (1200-3850) and Group 3a median of 200 passes (150-450). The risk of tendon rupture from wires or hypodermic needles in procedures appears very low. |
265 | Arthroscopic transosseous foveal footprint repair of the triangular fibrocartilage complex | Foveal disruption of the triangular fibrocartilage complex contributes to the instability of distal radioulnar joint. We have developed an arthroscopic transosseous foveal footprint repair technique, which maximizes the contact between the disrupted triangular fibrocartilage complex and its foveal footprint for better healing by using four sutures in a divergent configuration through a 1.6-mm bone tunnel. Twelve patients with triangular fibrocartilage complex foveal injuries who had undergone this repair technique were reviewed with a mean follow-up of 53 months. All patients achieved significant improvement in the modified Mayo wrist score and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score. All patients had stable distal radioulnar joints with comparable ranges of motion and grip strengths between the operated and contralateral wrists. There was no significant difference in functional score in those who were treated more than 6 months after injury.Level of evidence: IV. |
266 | Multiscale modeling of tumor response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor | Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been known as a key mediator of angiogenesis in cancer. Bevacizumab is anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody that has been approved by the FDA as a first-line treatment in many types of cancer. In this paper, we extend a previously validated multiscale tumor model to comprehensively include the multiple roles of VEGF during the course of angiogenesis and its binding mechanism with bevacizumab. We use the model to simulate tumor system response under various bevacizumab concentrations, both in stand-alone treatment and in combination with chemotherapy. Our simulation indicates that periodic administration of bevacizumab with lower concentration can achieve greater efficacy than a single treatment with higher concentration. The simulation of the combined therapy also shows that the continuous administration of bevacizumab during the maintenance phase can lead to antitumor activity which further suppresses its growth. Agreement with experimental results indicates the potential of the model in predicting the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapies and could therefore contribute to developing prospective clinical trials. |
267 | A load-carrier perspective examination on the change of ecological environment carrying capacity during urbanization process in China | Urbanization has prompted a dramatic social and economic development during the past decades in China. As a long-term national strategy, urbanization can only be implemented effectively with sufficient and sustainable ecological environment resources. By appreciating that the ecological environment carrying capacity (EECC) is a yardstick for guiding the practice of sustainable urban development, it is therefore pressing to examine the change of EECC adequately, so that the sustainable urbanization can be addressed appropriately. This paper develops a new method from load-carrier perspective to explore the change of EECC performance in the rapid urbanizing China. The EECC performance on water, land, atmosphere and overall perspectives were measured for 30 provinces in China based on the established method. The results show that most provinces in China are experiencing an improving EECC performance during the urbanization process, particularly with an obvious progress in land dimension. In referring to the spatial difference of overall EECC performance, the gap between 30 provinces has been narrowing during surveyed years. However, few provinces including Chongqing, Shandong and Jiangxi have undergone a degradation in overall EECC performance. The EECC performance in atmosphere dimension is still considered as a challenge faced by most provinces, evidenced by high level of PM2.5 concentration. These research findings provide valuable references not only for Chinese governments to formulate effective policy instruments and strategy measures for improving ecological environmental carrying status, but also for researchers to further study in the ecological environment carrying capacity in the context of other countries. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
268 | Performance assessment of a biomass-fuelled distributed hybrid energy system integrating molten carbonate fuel cell, externally fired gas turbine and supercritical carbon dioxide cycle | This article proposes an innovative distributed hybrid power system where the biomass gasification technology is integrated with the molten carbonate fuel cell, an externally fired gas turbine, and a supercritical carbon dioxide cycle. The thermodynamic, economic and environmental performances of the proposed system are extensively studied to show the impact of the main operational and design parameters. The proposed small capacity hybrid power system yields the highest energy efficiency of 40.88%, which is close to the efficiency level of the large-scale biomass gasification based combined cycle system. The maximum exergetic efficiency of the proposed power system is estimated to be around 34.07%. The biomass gasifier (31.79%) contributes the highest amount of exergy destruction, followed by the primary heat exchanger (15.97%), combustion chamber (14.01%) and the molten carbonate fuel cell (12.53%) unit. The sensitivity analysis reveals that the cost of electricity can reach up to 0.1057 $/kWh. A comparative performance analysis, among other biomass-fueled power generation systems suggests that the developed power system yields better techno-economic performance than the other previously proposed system configurations. The environmental analysis reveals that the proposed plant can reduce maximum up to 1510 ton of CO2/year, which yields an environmental benefit of 21,901 $/year, in comparison to a fossil fuel-based plant of similar capacity. |
269 | Intra-abdominal adipose depot variation in adipogenesis, lipogenesis, angiogenesis, and fibrosis gene expression and relationships with insulin resistance and inflammation in premenopausal women with severe obesity | Although severe obesity is associated with insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation, secretory function of intra-abdominal adipose tissues and their relationships with IR and inflammation markers remain poorly understood. Aims were to measure gene expression of adipogenic (C/EBPα/β, PPARγ-1/2, SREBP-1c, LXRα), lipogenic (SCD1, DGAT-1/2), angiogenic (VEGFα, leptin), and fibrotic (LOX, COL6A3) factors in the round ligament (RL), omental (OM), and mesenteric (ME) fat depots and to evaluate their relationships with IR and inflammation markers in 48 women with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery. Gene expression was assessed by RT-qPCR, and plasma glucose and insulin (HOMA-IR calculated), PAI-1, IL-6, TNFα, adiponectin, and leptin levels were determined. C/EBPβ and PPARγ-1/2 mRNA levels were more expressed in the OM (0.001<p<0.05). ME showed the highest expression of C/EBPα, SREBP-1c, DGAT-2, and leptin and the lowest of SCD1, LXRα, VEGFα, and LOX (0.001<p<0.05). COL6A3 expression was higher in the ME and RL (p<0.001). COL6A3 expression was negatively associated with IR indices in the RL (0.01<p<0.05) and with fasting glycemia and HOMA-IR in the OM (0.001<p<0.05). VEGFα expression was positively related to TNFα and PAI-1 in the RL (0.001<p<0.05) and to PAI-1 in the OM (p<0.05) and negatively to PAI-1 in the ME (p<0.001). Fibrosis gene expression correlated negatively with inflammation in RL and OM (0.001<p<0.05) and positively with PAI-1 in the ME (0.001<p<0.05). The varying relationships of gene expression profiles with selected IR indices and inflammation biomarkers further suggest these fat depots have distinct contributions to overall health in premenopausal women with severe obesity. |
270 | Purpose Trajectories During Middle Adolescence: The Roles of Family, Teacher, and Peer Support | While studies on youth's purpose have flourished in the last two decades, the work was mostly cross-sectional and derived from Western settings. This research examined the developmental trajectories of purpose exploration and commitment of Taiwanese youth during middle adolescence, with a focus on how they associate with youth's psychological functioning in terms of life satisfaction and depressive symptoms and whether social support moderates such development. A total of 369 vocational high school students in Taiwan (45% females; Mage = 15.82 years) participated in a four-wave study spanning two years with a one-semester interval. The results of piecewise growth curve modeling in the context of structural equation modeling suggested that purpose commitment increased over 10th grade, decreased initially in 11th grade, and then continued to increase. Purpose exploration similarly increased over 10th grade, but after the initial 11th grade dip remained stable. In addition to the higher initial levels, the steeper the rate of purpose exploration and commitment ascent and the slighter the rate of reduction predicted enhanced youth life satisfaction. The trajectory of purpose commitment also predicted reduced depressive symptoms, but such effects did not occur for purpose exploration. Moreover, multi-group analyses revealed that the more family, teacher, and peer support youth perceived, the more likely youth explored and committed to purpose over time. |
271 | Mapping Annual Land Disturbance and Reclamation in a Surface Coal Mining Region Using Google Earth Engine and the LandTrendr Algorithm: A Case Study of the Shengli Coalfield in Inner Mongolia, China | The development and utilization of mining resources are basic requirements for social and economic development. Both open-pit mining and underground mining have impacts on land, ecology, and the environment. Of these, open-pit mining is considered to have the greatest impact due to the drastic changes wrought on the original landform and the disturbance to vegetation. As awareness of environmental protection has grown, land reclamation has been included in the mining process. In this study, we used the Shengli Coalfield in the eastern steppe region of Inner Mongolia to demonstrate a mining and reclamation monitoring process. We combined the Google Earth Engine platform with time series Landsat images and the LandTrendr algorithm to identify and monitor mining disturbances to grassland and land reclamation in open-pit mining areas of the coalfield between 2003 and 2019. Pixel-based trajectories were used to reconstruct the temporal evolution of vegetation, and sequential Landsat archive data were used to achieve accurate measures of disturbances to vegetation. The results show that: (1) the proposed method can be used to determine the years in which vegetation disturbance and recovery occurred with accuracies of 86.53% and 78.57%, respectively; (2) mining in the Shengli mining area resulted in the conversion of 89.98 km(2) of land from grassland, water, etc., to barren earth, and only 23.54 km(2) was reclaimed, for a reclamation rate of 26.16%; and (3) the method proposed in this paper can achieve fast, efficient identification of surface mining land disturbances and reclamation, and has the potential to be applied to other similar areas. |
272 | Assessing and predicting changes in ecosystem service values based on land use/cover change in the Bohai Rim coastal zone | Land use/cover change (LUCC) in the Bohai Rim coastal zone has accelerated as a result of rampant economic development, which has directly caused many negative effects on ecosystem functions and services. Based on multi-temporal land use data (2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015), the benefit transfer method was used to assess the ecosystem service value (ESV) of the Bohai Rim coastal zone, and the impact of LUCC on ecosystem services was studied. Multi-scenario simulations for 2025 were conducted using the future land use simulation model. The result of the analysis showed that during the period from 2000 to 2015, the total ESV lost was 22.09 billion yuan, representing a decrease of 3.80%. The spatial distribution of the ESV showed a certain regularity, with obvious characteristics of a land-sea gradient change. As the distance from the coastline increased, the ESV per unit area gradually declined. Compared with those in 2015, the total ESVs of the socio-economic development scenario and the business-as-usual scenario in 2025 showed a declining trend, while they increased under the ecological protection priority scenario. Under the ecological protection priority scenario, regulating services and support services increased significantly, but those declined dramatically under the socio-economic development scenario. The patterns of LUCC are the main reasons for the decrease in ESV. This research provides a theoretical basis and support for the development and utilization of coastal space and the improvement of "ecologicaleconomic-social" benefits; additionally, the results provide support for scientific decision-making services for the sustainable use of resources in the coastal zone and for the sustainable management of ecosystems. |
273 | Correlative all-optical quantification of mass density and mechanics of subcellular compartments with fluorescence specificity | Quantitative measurements of physical parameters become increasingly important for understanding biological processes. Brillouin microscopy (BM) has recently emerged as one technique providing the 3D distribution of viscoelastic properties inside biological samples - so far relying on the implicit assumption that refractive index (RI) and density can be neglected. Here, we present a novel method (FOB microscopy) combining BM with optical diffraction tomography and epifluorescence imaging for explicitly measuring the Brillouin shift, RI, and absolute density with specificity to fluorescently labeled structures. We show that neglecting the RI and density might lead to erroneous conclusions. Investigating the nucleoplasm of wild-type HeLa cells, we find that it has lower density but higher longitudinal modulus than the cytoplasm. Thus, the longitudinal modulus is not merely sensitive to the water content of the sample - a postulate vividly discussed in the field. We demonstrate the further utility of FOB on various biological systems including adipocytes and intracellular membraneless compartments. FOB microscopy can provide unexpected scientific discoveries and shed quantitative light on processes such as phase separation and transition inside living cells. |
274 | The adoption of self-driving delivery robots in last mile logistics | Covid-19, the global pandemic, has taught us the importance of contactless delivery service and robotic automation. Using self-driving delivery robots can provide flexibility for on-time deliveries and help better protect both driver and customers by minimizing contact. To this end, this paper introduces a new vehicle routing problem with time windows and delivery robots (VRPTWDR). With the help of delivery robots, considerable operational time savings can be achieved by dispatching robots to serve nearby customers while a driver is also serving a customer. We provide a mathematical model for the VRPTWDR and investigate the challenges and benefits of using delivery robots as assistants for city logistics. A two-stage matheurisitic algorithm is developed to solve medium scale VRPTWDR instances. Finally, results of computational experiments demonstrate the value of self-driving delivery robots in urban areas by highlighting operational limitations on route planning. |
275 | A Review of Further Directions for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning in Smart Logistics | Industry 4.0 concepts and technologies ensure the ongoing development of micro- and macro-economic entities by focusing on the principles of interconnectivity, digitalization, and automation. In this context, artificial intelligence is seen as one of the major enablers for Smart Logistics and Smart Production initiatives. This paper systematically analyzes the scientific literature on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning in the context of Smart Logistics management in industrial enterprises. Furthermore, based on the results of the systematic literature review, the authors present a conceptual framework, which provides fruitful implications based on recent research findings and insights to be used for directing and starting future research initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) in Smart Logistics. |
276 | Fiber connectivity density mapping in end-stage renal disease patients: a preliminary study | Abnormal brain structural connectivity of end-stage renal disease(ESRD) is associated with cognitive impairment. However, the characteristics of cortical structural connectivity have not been investigated in ESRD patients. Here, we study structural connectivity of the entire cerebral cortex using a fiber connectivity density(FiCD) mapping method derived from diffusion tensor imaging(DTI) data of 25 ESRD patients and 20 healthy controls, and between-group differences were compared in a vertexwise manner. We also investigated the associations between these abnormal cortical connectivities and the clinical variables using Pearson correlation analysis and multifactor linear regression analysis. Our results demonstrated that the mean global FiCD value was significantly decreased in ESRD patients. Notably, FiCD values were significantly changed(decreased or increased) in certain cortical regions, which mainly involved the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC), inferior parietal cortex, lateral temporal cortex and middle occipital cortex. In ESRD patients, we found a trend of negative correlation between the increased FiCD values of bilateral middle frontal gyrus and serum creatinine, urea, parathyroid hormone(PTH) levels and dialysis duration. Only the white matter hyperintensity(WMH) scores were significantly negatively correlated with the global FiCD value in multifactor regression analysis. Our results suggested that ESRD patients exhibited extensive impaired cortical structural connectivity, which was related to the severity of WMHs. A compensation mechanism of cortical structural recombination may play a role in how the brain adapts to maintain optimal network function. Additionally, the serum creatinine, urea and PTH levels may be risk factors for brain structural network decompensation in ESRD patients. |
277 | A new framework of industrialized construction in China: Towards on-site industrialization | Many countries and regions consider industrialized construction to be a cleaner production method that facilitates sustainability in the construction industry. In China, proponents of industrialized construction have paid more attention to environmental and social sustainability, but the obstacles to economic sustainability have not been well solved. This study proposes a new industrialized construction method, OSI (On-site Industrialization). OSI combines the advantages of prefabrication and cast-in-situ. To develop and validate the OSI framework, this study conducts a two-phase action research. Based on the holistic overview of industrialized construction, the OSI framework was developed in action research phase 1. This framework includes five basic industrialized principles-standardization, prefabrication, modularization, lean, and sustainability. A multiple-case study was conducted in action research phase 2 to evaluate the sustainability performance of OSI from the perspective of triple-bottom-line (TBL), and the conventional precast concrete construction was used for benchmarking to validate the OSI framework. The findings indicate that OSI is a feasible industrialized construction method to balance the three dimensions of TBL in the Chinese construction industry. This research extends the theoretical knowledge body of industrialized construction while solving some practical problems in the construction industry. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
278 | Cocaine trafficking from non-traditional ports: examining the cases of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay | This article presents the results of an exploratory study aimed to analyze the contexts in which the use of Non-Traditional ports of cocaine departure and counter-intuitive routes is prioritized, based on the experience of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Moreover, we show that criminal organizations prioritize the Ports of Buenos Aires, San Antonio and Montevideo, and the counter-intuitive routes that lead to them, because they are spaces that generate incentives linked to the porosity of borders, the lack of control at the ports, and the possibility of exploiting the country's lack of reputation for drug exportation to re-export cocaine undetected. This study constitutes a precedent for future research on the role of South American Southern Cone ports in cocaine trafficking. We can identify at least four emerging lines of research: 1. Cocaine trafficking from landlocked countries; 2. The role of the waterway Paraná-Paraguay; 3. The link between Non-Traditional ports of cocaine departure and new markets; and 4. Other Non-Traditional Ports of cocaine departure, which are not containerized. |
279 | A Global Review of Causes of Morbidity and Mortality in Free-Living Vultures | Vulture species worldwide play a key role in ecosystems as obligate scavengers, and several populations have had precipitous declines. Research on vulture health is critical to conservation efforts including free-living vultures and captive breeding programs, but is limited to date. In this systematic review, we determined the reported causes of free-living vulture species morbidity and mortality worldwide. The most commonly reported cause of mortality was from toxins (60%), especially lead and pesticides, followed by traumatic injury (49%), including collisions with urban infrastructure and gunshot. Neglected areas of research in free-living vulture health include infectious diseases (16%), endocrine and nutritional disorders (6%), and neoplasia (< 1%). Almost half of the studies included in the review were conducted in either Spain or the USA, with a paucity of studies conducted in South America and sub-Saharan Africa. The highest number of studies was on Griffon (Gyps fulvus) (24%) and Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) (19%), while half of all vulture species had five or fewer studies. Future investigations on free-living vulture health should focus on neglected areas of research, such as infectious diseases, and areas with gaps in the current literature, such as South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and under-studied vulture species. |
280 | Vertical integration in the Australian community care setting: Can it work? A theoretical review of current literature | Vertical integration (VI) is considered a strategic management plan whereby an organisation has ownership of its supply chain. It is utilised as a method for managing the economic needs and approaches of an organisation and ensuring that a product is readily available for use. From a healthcare perspective, this pertains to the coordination of services or levels of care and allows for adaptation to changing circumstances. This study reviews existing literature on VI in a healthcare setting to assess feasibility and effectiveness of this proposed solution. A theoretical literature review was performed utilising conceptual categorisation to understand how VI may benefit community care organisations, using the needs of a local organisation as an example. Seventeen articles were included from a range of databases and grey literature with findings categorised according to two research questions. The findings suggest that for VI to be effective and efficient it is important to consider the following themes: market failure, barriers to entry, productive capabilities and specific healthcare issues. In conclusion, from a management and economic perspective, when markets are not functioning efficiently and are in disequilibrium, VI may provide an appropriate avenue to address these problems, in particular for community care organisations. |
281 | The role of tourism development on CO2 emission reduction in an extended version of the environmental Kuznets curve: evidence from top 50 tourist destination countries | This study empirically investigates the role of tourism development in an extended version of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) for the top 50 tourist destination countries. Panel data on annual basis that range from 1996 to 2016 have been used by employing CADF, CIPS and PANKPSS unit root tests, DSUR cointegrating test as well as DH panel dynamic causality test. The results explain that tourism development exerts significant long-term effects on the extended version of EKC, whereas carbon emission levels significantly move over years through tourism development. Our findings also indicate that tourism development has positive effects on the level of CO2 emissions in the case of Turkey, Thailand, Russia, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Macao, Indonesia, Brazil, Dominica, Philippines, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Georgia, Hong Kong, India and Malaysia. This result suggests that these countries should not use traditional fuel oil consumption methods, and such methods need to be abandoned for reduction in carbon dioxide in terms of environmental quality and sustainability. |
282 | Singapore Neonatal Resuscitation Guidelines 2021 | Neonatal resuscitation is a coordinated, team-based series of timed sequential steps that focuses on a transitional physiology to improve perinatal and neonatal outcomes. The practice of neonatal resuscitation has evolved over time and continues to be shaped by emerging evidence as well as key opinions. We present the revised Neonatal Resuscitation Guidelines for Singapore 2021. The recommendations from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Neonatal Task Force Consensus on Science and Treatment Recommendations (2020) and guidelines from the American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council were compared with existing guidelines. The recommendations of the Neonatal Subgroup of the Singapore Resuscitation and First Aid Council were derived after the work group discussed and appraised the current available evidence and their applicability to local clinical practice. |
283 | Estimating individual mtDNA haplotypes in mixed DNA samples by combining MinION and MiSeq | We tried to estimate individual mtDNA haplotypes in mixed DNA samples by combining MinION and MiSeq. The BAM files produced by MiSeq were viewed using Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV) to verify mixed bases. By sorting the reads according to base type for each mixed base, partial haplotypes were determined. Then, the BAM files produced by MinKNOW were viewed using IGV. To determine haplotypes with IGV, only mixed bases determined by MiSeq were used as target bases. By sorting the reads according to base type for each target base, each contributor's haplotype was estimated. In mixed samples from two contributors, even a haplotype with a minor contribution of 5% could be distinguished from the haplotype of the major contributor. In mixed samples of three contributors (mixture ratios of 1:1:1 and 4:2:1), each haplotype could also be distinguished. Sequences of C-stretches were determined very inaccurately in the MinION analysis. Although the analysis method was simple, each haplotype was correctly detected in all mixed samples with two or three contributors in various mixture ratios by combining MinION and MiSeq. This should be useful for identifying contributors to mixed samples. |
284 | Day-ahead stochastic scheduling of integrated multi-energy system for flexibility synergy and uncertainty balancing | Secure operation of the power system is challenged by the high level of uncertainty and fluctuation introduced by renewable energy sources. More flexibility is needed to cope with the uncertainty and improve the utilization of renewable energy. A prominent solution to provide flexibility, and simultaneously increase the efficiency of the system, is the integration of different energy sectors. This paper proposes a two-stage stochastic scheduling scheme of an integrated multi-energy system, which considers the wind power uncertainty and the synergy of different energy sectors to achieve the optimal economic operation of the whole system with minimum curtailment of wind power. In the first stage, energy and reserve scheduling of generating units is performed, while accommodation of wind power production is realized through reserves in the second stage. In the proposed scheme, the electric power system, natural gas system, and district heating system are coordinated to achieve more flexibility, both in the day-ahead and real-time stage. The stochasticity of the wind power uncertainty is represented by realistic scenarios with corresponding probabilities, which are obtained from a scenario generation algorithm based on historical observations taking into account the temporal correlation of wind power. The simulation results on a small-scale test system show that both, the economic efficiency and wind power utilization, have been improved with more flexibility and more reliable scenario set. It is shown, that the total system cost is reduced and reserves are optimized. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
285 | The role of plants in the formation of species-specific features in grass flies (Diptera, Chloropidae, Meromyza) | In the current manuscript, we present the results of comparative analysis of seven species of Meromyza flies in the "variegata" cluster and of the evolutionary close species M.inornata, based the following criteria: 1) 14 external key features; 2) shape and area of the anterior processes of postgonites; 3) mtDNA CO1 region and 4) host plant diversity data. We could demonstrate the primary role of host plants in species formation inside genus Meromyza and calculated the timing of the divergence of M.inornata and the species of "variegata" cluster. Based on our estimates of evolution rate for mtDNA CO1 gene, we could conclude that that divergence of herbs happened before the speciation of grass flies Meromyza. Meromyza species, close to the ancestral species of the cluster, are adapted to the wide range of host plants. We revealed the most informative variables h1, S and Plant analysing data with the following statistical methods: linear discriminant analysis - LDA, regularised discriminant analysis - RDA, flexible discriminant analysis - FDA and probabilistic neural network - PNN. The highest classification accuracy was achieved using PNN (99%) and the lowest when using LDA (95.8%). When the Plant trait was excluded, the classification accuracy decreased by 14%. We revealed the significant trends in size change of the anterior process of the postgonite amongst studies species. This morphological structure is an element of male reproductive apparatus critical for the restriction of interspecies mating. We determined three branches of speciation in the "variegata" cluster and five trends in the evolution of this cluster, based on the external morphological features. We showed that M.variegata and especially M.mosquensis, the species closest to the ancestral haplotype, have the largest number of features typical of those of M.inornata. Based on the external features and the area of the anterior process of the postgonite, we reconstructed the phylogenetic position of M.elbergi in the cluster. In accordance with the obtained outcomes, we could conclude that the distribution, species diversity and the adaptation of the grass flies to narrow oligophagy were directly connected to host plant diversity. The adaptation to different host plants could be the main factor in divergence of grass flies and their evolution started later than the diversification in the Pooideae subfamily of grasses. |
286 | Comparing the temporal dynamics and efficacy of task-relevant and task-irrelevant memory-driven attention | People's attention is well attracted to a stimulus matching their memory. For example, when people are required to remember the color of a visual object, stimuli matching the memory color powerfully capture attention. Remarkably, stimuli with the shape of the memory object, that is, irrelevant-matching stimuli were also found to capture attention. Here, we examined how task relevance affects the temporal dynamics and the strength of memory-driven attention. In the experiment, participants performed a visual search task while maintaining the color or shape of a colored shape. When participants were required to memorize the color of the memory sample, the shape of the sample stimulus is task-irrelevant feature and vice versa. Importantly, while a search item matching working memory in the task-relevant dimension was presented for one group of participants, an irrelevant-matching search item appeared for the other group of participants. Further, we varied stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between the memory sample and search items. We found that relevant-matching stimuli captured attention regardless of whether the SOA was short or long. However, attentional capture by irrelevant-matching stimuli depended on the SOA; no memory-driven capture was observed at the shortest SOA, but significant capture was found at longer SOAs. Further, the capture effects by relevant-matching stimuli were greater than that of irrelevant-matching stimuli. These findings suggest both task-relevant and -irrelevant features in working memory affect the attentional selection in visual search task, but its temporal dynamics and strength are modulated by the task-relevance. |
287 | Techno-Economic Assessment Guidelines for CO2 Utilization | Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) is an emerging technology field that can replace fossil carbon value chains, and that has a significant potential to achieve emissions mitigation or even "negative emissions"-however in many cases with challenging technology feasibility and economic viability. Further challenges arise in the decision making for CCU technology research, development, and deployment, in particular when allocating funding or time resources. No generally accepted techno-economic assessment (TEA) standard has evolved, and assessment studies often result in "apples vs. oranges" comparisons, a lack of transparency and a lack of comparability to other studies. A detailed guideline for systematic techno-economic (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) for CCU technologies was developed; this paper shows a summarized version of the TEA guideline, which includes distinct and prioritized (shall and should) rules and which allows conducting TEA in parallel to LCA. The TEA guideline was developed in a co-operative and creative approach with roughly 50 international experts and is based on a systematic literature review as well as on existing best practices from TEA and LCA from the areas of industry, academia, and policy. To the best of our knowledge, this guideline is the first TEA framework with a focus on CCU technologies and the first that is designed to be conducted in parallel to LCA due to aligned vocabulary and assessment steps, systematically including technology maturity. Therefore, this work extends current literature, improving the design, implementation, and reporting approaches of TEA studies for CCU technologies. Overall, the application of this TEA guideline aims at improved comparability of TEA studies, leading to improved decision making and more efficient allocation of funds and time resources for the research, development, and deployment of CCU technologies. |
288 | Berberine regulates mesangial cell proliferation and cell cycle to attenuate diabetic nephropathy through the PI3K/Akt/AS160/GLUT1 signalling pathway | High glucose (HG) is one of the basic factors of diabetic nephropathy (DN), which leads to high morbidity and disability. During DN, the expression of glomerular glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) increases, but the relationship between HG and GLUT1 is unclear. Glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) have multiple roles in HG-induced DN. Here, we report prominent glomerular dysfunction, especially GMC abnormalities, in DN mice, which is closely related to GLUT1 alteration. In vivo studies have shown that BBR can alleviate pathological changes and abnormal renal function indicators of DN mice. In vitro, BBR (30, 60 and 90 μmol/L) not only increased the proportion of G1 phase cells but also reduced the proportion of S phase cells under HG conditions at different times. BBR (60 μmol/L) significantly reduced the expression of PI3K-p85, p-Akt, p-AS160, membrane-bound GLUT1 and cyclin D1, but had almost no effect on total protein. Furthermore, BBR significantly declined the glucose uptake and retarded cyclin D1-mediated GMC cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase. This study demonstrated that BBR can inhibit the development of DN, which may be due to BBR inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/AS160/GLUT1 signalling pathway to regulate HG-induced abnormal GMC proliferation and the cell cycle, supporting BBR as a potential therapeutic drug for DN. |
289 | Carbon ion radiotherapy with complete tumor regression for primary malignant melanoma of female urethra orifice: a case report | Primary malignant melanoma of the female urethra (PMMFU) is extremely rare, accounting for 0.2% of all melanomas, and fewer than 200 cases have been reported worldwide. Because of the small number of clinical cases and unclear biological characteristics, there is no uniform and standard treatment protocol. We herein describe the treatment of PMMFU using carbon ion radiotherapy. The radiotherapy was delivered at 60.8 Gy (RBE) in 16 fractions, once daily, five times per week. The patient achieved complete tumor disappearance within 1 year after carbon ion radiotherapy and remained disease-free thereafter. She developed acute grade 1 radiation dermatitis and urethritis, which resolved quickly; no other toxic effects were observed. At the time of this writing, her survival duration was 33 months. This case demonstrates that carbon ion radiotherapy may be a good option for primary genitourinary mucosal malignancies. |
290 | Primulinascutellifolia, a new species of Gesneriaceae from southern Vietnam | Primulinascutellifolia is described as a new species from Khanh Hoa Province, southern Central Vietnam. It is distinct in the genus in having scutellate leaves that make it a highly potential ornamental plant. The new species looks like P.annamensis in general shapes, sizes and colours of habit, inflorescence, flower, and leaf but is distinguishable by adaxially glabrous and abaxially strigose leaves with serrate margins, scutellate leaf blade and appressed downwards tomentose petiole, sparsely glandular hairs on apical 1/2 of the gynoecium and trapeziform one-lipped stigma with slightly emarginated apex. |
291 | A lightweight automatic sleep staging method for children using single-channel EEG based on edge artificial intelligence | With the development of telemedicine and edge computing, edge artificial intelligence (AI) will become a new development trend for smart medicine. On the other hand, nearly one-third of children suffer from sleep disorders. However, all existing sleep staging methods are for adults. Therefore, we adapted edge AI to develop a lightweight automatic sleep staging method for children using single-channel EEG. The trained sleep staging model will be deployed to edge smart devices so that the sleep staging can be implemented on edge devices which will greatly save network resources and improving the performance and privacy of sleep staging application. Then the results and hypnogram will be uploaded to the cloud server for further analysis by the physicians to get sleep disease diagnosis reports and treatment opinions. We utilized 1D convolutional neural networks (1D-CNN) and long short term memory (LSTM) to build our sleep staging model, named CSleepNet. We tested the model on our childrens sleep (CS) dataset and sleep-EDFX dataset. For the CS dataset, we experimented with F4-M1 channel EEG using four different loss functions, and the logcosh performed best with overall accuracy of 83.06% and F1-score of 76.50%. We used Fpz-Cz and Pz-Oz channel EEG to train our model in Sleep-EDFX dataset, and achieved an accuracy of 86.41% without manual feature extraction. The experimental results show that our method has great potential. It not only plays an important role in sleep-related research, but also can be widely used in the classification of other time sequences physiological signals. |
292 | Ulnar variance in distal radial fractures: assessment and interpretation | We explored patterns of shortening of the distal radius and investigated the effect of displacement on 'ulnar variance' in 250 patients with distal radial fractures. A small number of patients (5%) had a fracture that resulted in true shortening. Thirty-two per cent had fractures that appeared short, but lateral radiographs revealed that the articular surface was tilted, with either the anterior or dorsal rim of the articular surface being proximal to the distal ulna but the other rim was distal to it. We recommend initial assessment of variance on lateral radiographs. If the anterior and dorsal rims of the distal radial articular surface are proximal to the distal ulna, then true shortening is present and lengthening and stabilization, to hold the radius distracted, should be considered. If only one rim is proximal to the distal ulna, then correction of the tilt will lessen the apparent positive variance.Level of evidence: IV. |
293 | Performance analysis of typical linear augmented observers for a class of MIMO systems with nonlinear uncertainty | To estimate the states and the uncertainties for multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) systems is significant in control engineering. The paper investigates the estimating performance of a widely-used linear augmented observer (LAO) by quantitatively analyzing the biased term of estimation error, which generalizes the previous studies. Then the necessary and sufficient condition for unbiased estimation of LAO is thoroughly discussed. More importantly, by investigating the observability of MIMO uncertain systems, the paper proves that the estimation of LAO is unbiased if and only if the states and the uncertainties of MIMO uncertain systems are observable. The presented theoretical analysis can help practitioners evaluate the feasibility of estimating the specific uncertainties via LAO in practical systems. Finally, even if the estimation of LAO is biased, the design procedure of extended state observer is presented, which offers the unbiased estimation of total disturbance and the derivatives of output. |
294 | 1000 h Operational Lifetime Perovskite Solar Cells by Ambient Melting Encapsulation | Improving device lifetime is one of the critical challenges for the practical use of metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs), wherein a reliable encapsulation is indispensable. Herein, based on an in-depth understanding of the degradation mechanism for the PSCs, a solvent-free and low-temperature melting encapsulation technique, by employing low-cost paraffin as the encapsulant that is compatible with perovskite absorbers, is demonstrated. The encapsulation strategy enables the full encapsulating operations to be undertaken under an ambient environment. It is found that the strategy not only removes residual oxygen and moisture to prevent the perovskite from phase segregation, but also suppresses the species volatilization to impede absorber decomposition, enabling a PSC devices with good thermal and moisture stability. As a result, the as-encapsulated PSCs achieve a 1000 h operational lifetime for the encapsulated device at continuous maximum power point output under an ambient environment. This work paves the way for scalable and robust encapsulation strategy feasible to hybrid perovskite optoelectronics in an economic manner. |
295 | Incidence and Epidemiology of Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations | This review aims to search the epidemiology and incidence rates of thoracolumbar spine fractures. A systematic review of the literature of the last 10 years gave 586 results with "incidence," and 387 results with "epidemiology," of which 39 papers were analyzed. The review results were discussed and voted in 2 consensus meetings of the WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee. Out of 39 studies, 15 studies have focused on thoracolumbar trauma, remaining 24 studies have looked at all spine trauma. Most were retrospective in nature; few were prospective and multicenter. Some studies have focused on specific injuries. The annual incidence of TL fractures is about 30/100,000 inhabitants including osteoporotic fractures. There is a trend to increase the fractures in elderly population especially in developed countries, while an increase of motor vehicle accidents in developing countries. The mortality rate among male elderly patients is relatively high. The incidence of thoracolumbar spine fractures is increasing because of low-velocity falls in the elderly population. The main reasons are falls and traffic accidents. Learning the regional differences and some special forms of trauma such as extreme sports, war, and gunshot injuries will help the prevention of the thoracolumbar spine fractures. |
296 | Feasibility study of on/off grid large-scale PV/WT/WEC hybrid energy system in coastal cities: A case-based research | In this study, according to the potential of available renewable resources in coastal areas, a hybrid system is proposed. The generalizability of the results of this study to other areas with different economic conditions and potential of energy resources is estimated through sensitivity analysis. Besides, the effect of the wave energy converter on the hybrid system is evaluated as a novel approach in sustainable power generation. Furthermore, it is attempted to measure the optimal distance from the power grid for economic development of stand-alone systems. The results demonstrate that the grid-connected system with 0.093-0.139 $/kWh cost of energy is more cost-effective compared to off-grid system with 0.136-0.182 $/kWh for large-scale demand. Employing wave energy converter not only leads to a more uniform power generation profile, but also reduces the need for batteries in hybrid energy system. However, using this device in areas with lower wave potential can significantly increase the expenses. Also the results reveal that the breakeven distance is reduced from about 300 km to less than 40 km by decreasing the demand from 20 MW to 1 MW. Moreover, it is concluded that rising the grid tariffs can be an effective policy to improve the renewables economic efficiency. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
297 | Exploring carbon emissions and international inequality in a globalized world: A multiregional-multisectoral perspective | The phenomenon of economic convergence has been investigated from different perspectives, aiming to analyze whether economies move towards a common growth path or tend to diverge over time, and the consequences of this for economic cohesion. However, these consequences for the evolution of CO2 emissions in the study of global convergence of CO2 emissions, and the implications in terms of pollution, inequality, and income-dependence have received less attention in the literature of convergence. The increasing globalization of economies and the rising fragmentation of supply chains imply many countries involved in the production chains and, in consequence, a vision is needed of worldwide emissions associated with these processes. In this paper, we use the multisectoral and multiregional perspective provided by a multiregional input-output model (MRIO), and the associated databases, to analyze the evolution of inequality in CO2 emissions, paying attention to the roles played by regional specificities and/or productive structures. MRIO models and indicators presented, provide the basis to assess to what extent countries and/or sectors are walking towards a common path or, on the contrary, tend to be more unequal over time. Given the role that structure, final demands and international trade play in these models, we can offer a novel structural view of the convergence issue. Moreover, MRIO models also allow analyzing this question combining the perspectives of production and consumption, and their relationship through international trade. Moreover, our paper attempts to shed light on the discussion about the global and regional process of generation of emissions, paying special attention to cluster analysis and to the existence of common trends by groups of countries. Empirically, the information provided by the most recent edition of the World Input-Output Database (WIOD) and environmental accounts compatible with this database, is used. In our view, the results contribute new dimensions and insights to the issue of international inequality in terms of environmental pressures and opens new debates on the relocation of environmental damage, comparative advantage, and the environmental footprint. |
298 | [The wave train of COVID-19 infections] | The present work studies the epidemic curve of COVID-19 in Italy between September 2020 and mid-June 2021 in terms of poussées, that is successive waves. There is obviously only one pandemic, although the virus has spread in the form of several variants, but the daily incidence trend can also be read in terms of overlapping of events that are different from each other or, in any case, induced by various phenomena. It can be hypothesized that in this way a succession of various waves was generated, which are modelled here using appropriate adaptation curves used in the study of epidemic data. Each curve corresponds approximately to the situation that would have occurred if no element had intervened to prevent the decrease of infections after the relative peak, while their overlap is considered to describe the subsequent increases. This interpolation has no predictive purpose, being purely descriptive over the time window under consideration. The discrepancies between the superposition of the modelling curves and the real epidemic curve are therefore also highlighted, especially in the transition periods between the various poussées. Finally, the analysis carried out allows to match the trend of the epidemic in the period considered with, on one hand, the series of events and, on the other, with the containment measures adopted which may have determined the succession of increases and decreases in the incidence of infections. |
299 | Lithium-ion battery 2nd life used as a stationary energy storage system: Ageing and economic analysis in two real cases | Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered a viable alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and as a result of recent advances in battery technologies, sales are increasing year by year. However, recycling these batteries at the end of their useful life in the car can be a problem because they contain materials that can harm human health and the environment. Thus, car manufacturers consider that when those batteries have finished their first life in an EV, they still contain enough energy and capacity to be used in a stationary energy storage systems (SESSs), significantly contributing towards an increased sustainable transport sector in the future. This study focuses the analysis on the viability of a SESS installation, considering battery ageing from an economic perspective in two different real scenarios in Spain. This study simulates the electricity bill cost with and without SESS and calculates the annual savings accordingly. Following, the return on investment (ROI) of installing a SESS is calculated. Afterwards the lifetime of the batteries is calculated in order to compare it with the ROI and to decide if the installation of a SESS is advisable from an economic point of view. Major results indicate that any feasibility study of installing a SESS must be studied from an economic and battery ageing point of view. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
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