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500 | The dynamics of dominance: open questions, challenges and solutions | Although social hierarchies are recognized as dynamic systems, they are typically treated as static entities for practical reasons. Here, we ask what we can learn from a dynamical view of dominance, and provide a research agenda for the next decades. We identify five broad questions at the individual, dyadic and group levels, exploring the causes and consequences of individual changes in rank, the dynamics underlying dyadic dominance relationships, and the origins and impacts of social instability. Although challenges remain, we propose avenues for overcoming them. We suggest distinguishing between different types of social mobility to provide conceptual clarity about hierarchy dynamics at the individual level, and emphasize the need to explore how these dynamic processes produce dominance trajectories over individual lifespans and impact selection on status-seeking behaviour. At the dyadic level, there is scope for deeper exploration of decision-making processes leading to observed interactions, and how stable but malleable relationships emerge from these interactions. Across scales, model systems where rank is manipulable will be extremely useful for testing hypotheses about dominance dynamics. Long-term individual-based studies will also be critical for understanding the impact of rare events, and for interrogating dynamics that unfold over lifetimes and generations. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'. |
501 | Influence of Scion/Rootstock reciprocal effects on post-harvest and metabolomics regulation in stored peaches | Peach is an important stone fruit crop cultivated at commercial scale in Pakistan. While, appropriate selection of rootstock has significant impact on the quality of peach fruit. Therefore, in the current study the influence of three rootstocks viz. 'GF-677', 'Peshawar Local' and 'Swat Local' were evaluated on the quality of 'Flordaking' peaches following cold storage during two consecutive years. The fruit from these rootstocks were kept at 0 °C for five weeks were studied for various fruit physical (weight loss, colour, firmness) and biochemical (pH, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), SSC:TA ratio, fruit juice pH, sugars (total, reducing and non-reducing sugars), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and free radicals scavenging activities) were evaluated. During both years, fruit harvested form trees grafted on 'GF-677' exhibited reduced fruit weight loss, changes in Chroma (C*) and highest fruit firmness, Lightness (L*), ascorbic acid contents and radical scavenging activities as compared to fruit harvested from tree grafted on other rootstocks. In conclusion, the post-harvest quality of scion 'Flordaking' peach fruit was significantly influenced and best quality can be obtained when it is grafted on 'GF-677' rootstock. |
502 | Effects of urban forms on CO2 emissions in China from a multi-perspective analysis | Effectively evaluating the effects of urban forms on CO2 emissions has become a hot topic in socioeconomic sustainable development; however, few studies have been able to explore the urban form-CO2 emission relationships from a multi-perspective view. Here, we attempted to analyze the relationships between urban forms and CO2 emissions in 264 Chinese cities, with explicit consideration of the government policies, urban area size, population size, and economic structure. First, urban forms were calculated using the urban land derived from multiple-source remote sensing data. Second, we collected and processed CO2 emissions and three control variables. Finally, a correlation analysis was implemented to explore whether and to what extent the spatial patterns of urban forms were associated with CO2 emissions. The results show that urban form irregularity had a more significant impact on CO2 emissions in low-carbon pilot cities than in non-pilot cities. The impact of the complexity of urban forms on CO2 emissions was relatively significant in the small- and large-sized cities than in the medium-sized cities. Moreover, urban form complexity had a significant correlation with CO2 emissions in all of the cities, the level of which basically increased with the population size. This study provides scientific bases for use in policy-making to prepare effective policies for developing a low-carbon economy with consideration of the associations between urban forms and CO2 emissions in different scenarios. |
503 | Static and dynamic cultivated land use efficiency in China: A minimum distance to strong efficient frontier approach | Cultivated land use efficiency (CLUE) not only affects sustainable economic growth but is also closely related to the physical and mental health of citizens. In this paper, we employed the minimum distance to strong efficient frontier with undesirable outputs (MinDS-U) model and Malmquist productivity index based on the MinDS-U model (MinDS-U-M) to conduct static and dynamic multiperspective analyses of the CLUE in 30 provinces in China from 1997 to 2017 under carbon emission constraints. The study results showed that: (1) There were significant differences in the cultivated land use technical efficiency (CLUTE) between eastern, central, western, and northeastern China. Compared with central China, eastern, western, and northeastern China have higher CLUTE and are closer to the production frontier. (2) There are varying degrees of non-coordination between carbon emission reduction and economic growth during cultivated land use in eastern, central, western, and northeastern China, and the problem of non-environmentally friendly technology is particularly prominent in central China. (3) The inter-provincial cultivated land use total factor productivity (CLUTFP) growth mode was unsatisfactory, and only Shaanxi and Chongqing followed the dual-high growth model. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
504 | Analysis of mutations in leu tRNA gene in patients of heart diseases | Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death all over the world. Beside general risk factors, there are some genetic factors which lead to cardiovascular diseases. Various nuclear DNA mutation and also mitochondrial DNA mutations have been related with cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, a total of 21 samples were collected from different families residing in district Dir. DNA was extracted from buccal epithelial cells using saliva. The mitochondrial tRNA leu (MT TL1) gene was amplified by PCR and 10 samples of different families were sequenced. The sequence was aligned with revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS) accession # NC-012920.1. It is concluded that cardiovascular diseases in our subjects are not due to mutation in the mitochondrial leucine tRNA gene. However, a large population of subjects with cardiovascular diseases needs to be studied and whole mitochondrial DNA is needed to be sequenced in the subjects with CVD. This will give an idea about the probable DNA marker which can be used to prevent loses due to these diseases at a very early stages. |
505 | Carbon sequestration potential of forest vegetation in China from 2003 to 2050: Predicting forest vegetation growth based on climate and the environment | Over the past two decades, the burning of fossil fuels in China has been excessive, causing carbon emissions to increase. Surface temperatures and the occurrence of natural disasters have also increased. Considering the important role of forests in reducing emissions, China conducted a series of studies on carbon storage by forest vegetation that involved well-developed estimation methods. However, there are still uncertainties in predicting future changes in forest vegetation acting as a carbon sink. This study used data collected from 7801 national forest inventory (NFI) forest plots in 2003, 2008 and 2013 as well as related forest ecosystem biomass data. The dynamic growth, biomass and carbon storage of arbor, economic and shrubbery forests were studied. This study made a breakthrough in predicting forest biomass and carbon storage based on growth-related changes in forest vegetation in China, improved the accuracy of predicting arbor forest carbon storage and filled a gap in research on the carbon storage/sink properties of economic, shrubbery and bamboo forests. In the results of this study, from 2003 to 2050, the carbon storage, density and carbon sink of forest vegetation in China increased rapidly. Mature forests in China played a major role in the increase in carbon storage, and the quality of young, half-mature and mature forests steadily improved. China's forest carbon storage was mainly concentrated in the southwestern and northeastern regions, between which the southwestern region had the highest carbon density. In addition, carbon storage and density increased faster in the southwestern region than in the northeastern region. The carbon storage and density of forest vegetation were greater in Tibet than in other areas. The carbon storage of forest vegetation in Tibet increased faster than that in other areas, and the carbon density of forest vegetation in Xinjiang increased faster than that in other areas. In addition, the carbon storage and carbon density of forest vegetation in Ningxia increased slower than those in other areas. From 2020 to 2050, China's forest vegetation will absorb 22.14% of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion, which will play an important role in slowing increases in greenhouse gases in the next 30 years. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
506 | A novel composite silver nanoparticles loaded calcium oxide stemming from egg shell recycling: A potent photocatalytic and antibacterial activities | Industrial wastewater resulted from textile dyeing process is considered as a big environmental problem. Therefore, recycling of wastewater offers environmental and economic values specially if the materials used are resulted from recycling of other kinds of waste. From this point of view and for the first time this work deals with the study the wastewater recycling by calcium oxide resulted from eggshell recycling. Calcium oxide (CaO) nanocrystals were created by the thermal annealing of chicken egg shell at 1100 degrees C for 2 h s. Heat treatment at 200 degrees C in air for 2 h s of the resulted CaO with silver oxalate gave the novel composite, silver nanoparticles loaded calcium oxide (Ag-NPs @ CaO). By applying electronic spectra (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with the energy dispersion spectrum analysis (SEM-EDX) and transmittance electronic microscope (TEM), the materials were characterized. The energy band gap was calculated from the equation of Tauc for CaO and Ag-NPs@CaO and measured to be 2.1 and 2 eV, respectively. Indigo carmine (IC) as a model of photocatalytic decolorization was performed using both CaO and Ag@CaO nanoparticles under sunlight exposure. The impacts of various variables such as solution pH, dose quantity, temperature and irradiation time were studied. Both catalysts displayed an effective photocatalytic activity in IC decolorization but Ag@CaO composite displayed a stronger activity than CaO. The percentages of dye degradation were approximate to 99.21% and 99.45% in case of CaO and Ag@CaO, respectively. The antibacterial efficiency was measured against some Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Ag@CaO provided powerful weapons against the drug-resistant bacteria. These findings give a promising and economic strategy for all those who are interested in industries which involve dyeing process. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
507 | Connectivity-informed adaptive regularization for generalized outcomes | One of the challenging problems in neuroimaging is the principled incorporation of information from different imaging modalities. Data from each modality are frequently analyzed separately using, for instance, dimensionality reduction techniques, which result in a loss of mutual information. We propose a novel regularization method, generalized ridgified Partially Empirical Eigenvectors for Regression (griPEER), to estimate associations between the brain structure features and a scalar outcome within the generalized linear regression framework. griPEER improves the regression coefficient estimation by providing a principled approach to use external information from the structural brain connectivity. Specifically, we incorporate a penalty term, derived from the structural connectivity Laplacian matrix, in the penalized generalized linear regression. In this work, we address both theoretical and computational issues and demonstrate the robustness of our method despite incomplete information about the structural brain connectivity. In addition, we also provide a significance testing procedure for performing inference on the estimated coefficients. Finally, griPEER is evaluated both in extensive simulation studies and using clinical data to classify HIV+ and HIV- individuals. |
508 | Primary concentration - The critical step in implementing the wastewater based epidemiology for the COVID-19 pandemic: A mini-review | The recent outbreak of a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has posed a significant global public health threat and caused dramatic social and economic disruptions. A new research direction is attracting a significant amount of attention in the academic community of environmental sciences and engineering, in which rapid community-levelmonitoring could be achieved by applying the methodology of wastewater based epidemiology (WBE). Given the fact that the development of amass balance on the total number of viral RNA copies in wastewater samples and the infected stool specimens is the heart of WBE, the result of the quantitative RNA detection in wastewater has to be highly sensitive, accurate, and reliable. Thus, applying effective concentration methods before the subsequent RNA extraction and RT-qPCR detection is a must-have procedure for the WBE. This review provides new insights into the primary concentration methods that have been adopted by the eighteen recently reported COVID-19 wastewater detection studies, along with a brief discussion of the mechanisms of the most commonly used virus concentration methods, including the PEG-based separation, electrostatically charged membrane filtration, and ultrafiltration. In the end, two easy and well-proven concentration strategies are recommended as below, aiming to maximize the practical significance and operational effectiveness of the SARS-CoV-2 virus concentration from wastewater samples. Strategy1: Prefiltration-Salt addition-Electronegative membrane filtration (for initial volume = 50 mL). Strategy2: Prefiltration-PEG-based separation-Overnight standing (for initial volume from 50 to 1000 mL). (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
509 | Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Phenoconversion to Neurodegenerative Synucleinopathies in Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder | Several studies have suggested that atherosclerotic diseases and diabetes may be risk factors for α-synucleinopathies. This prospective cohort study evaluated whether cardiovascular diseases and metabolic risk factors alter the rate or type of phenoconversion from idiopathic/isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) to parkinsonism or dementia. Polysomnography-confirmed iRBD patients recruited between 2004 and 2020 were followed annually. Baseline history of cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes were compared among patients who developed outcomes versus those who remained outcome-free. No atherosclerotic risk factors were associated with development of α-synucleinopathies. Patients with hypercholesterolemia were somewhat more likely to develop dementia with Lewy bodies rather than Parkinson's disease. |
510 | Techno-economic analysis of combining forward osmosis-reverse osmosis and anaerobic membrane bioreactor technologies for municipal wastewater treatment and water production | The economic feasibility of combining forward osmosis (FO), reverse osmosis (RO) and anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) technologies for municipal wastewater treatment with energy and water production was analysed. FO was used to pre-concentrate the AnMBR influent, RO for draw solution regeneration and water production, and AnMBR for wastewater treatment and energy production. The minimum wastewater treatment cost was estimated at 0.81 (sic) m(-3), achieved when limiting the FO recovery to 50% in a closed-loop scheme. However, the cost increased to 1.01 and 1.27 (sic) m(-3) for FO recoveries of 80% and 90%, respectively. The fresh water production cost was estimated at 0.80 and 1.16 (sic) m(-3) for an open-loop scheme maximising water production and a closed-loop scheme, respectively. The low FO membrane fluxes were identified as a limiting factor and a sensitivity analysis revealed that FO membrane fluxes of 10 LMH would significantly improve the competitiveness of FO-RO + AnMBR technology. |
511 | How agriculture, manufacture, and urbanization induced carbon emission? The case of Indonesia | The agriculture and manufacturing sectors are the backbones of the Indonesian economy; for this reason, research on the effects of these sectors on carbon emissions is an important subject. This work adds urbanization to enrich research on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) in Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that the EKC hypothesis was confirmed in Indonesia with a turning point of 2057.89 USD/capita. The research results show that all variables affect the escalation of greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia. Furthermore, there is a bidirectional causality relationship between emissions with economic growth, emissions with agricultural sector, emissions with manufacturing sector, economic growth with agricultural sector, and economic growth with manufacturing. The unidirectional causality is found in emissions by urbanization and economic growth by urbanization. To reduce the impact of environmental damage caused by the activities of agriculture, manufacturing, and urbanization sectors, it is recommended that the government conduct water-efficient rice cultivation and increase the use of renewable energy. |
512 | Ecological, economical and technological perspectives based sustainability assessment in hybrid-cooling assisted machining of Ti-6Al-4 V alloy | Ti-6Al-4 V alloy is a well-acknowledged standard material for the application of modern aerospace, surgical equipment, and prosthetic body parts owing to its stable thermo-physical properties at elevated temperature. However, this structure stability imparts its low thermal conductivity that leads to buildup of heat at toolworkpiece interface during machining which subsequently has a damaging effect on the tool cutting edge. Several biodegradable cutting fluids have already been attempted controlling the heat generation, environmental footprints to improve the overall machinability. In this endeavor, the effectiveness of dry, liquid nitrogen (LN2) and hybrid cryogenic and minimum quantity lubrication (LN2 + MQL) conditions was evaluated in terms of important machinability indicators for instance surface roughness, cutting forces and temperature. The environmental parameters such as total cycle time, productivity, economic analysis, energy consumption and carbon emissions were also analyzed under these cooling conditions. Lastly, the sustainability assessment of process parameters was calculated with the help of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) coupled with the Technique for Order Preference Based on Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) techniques. Findings have exhibited superior cooling/lubrication effect under LN2 + MQL conditions lowering the machining as well as environmental indices. The improvement in cycle time and productivity of LN2 and LN2 + MQL was appeared to be 29.01% and 34.21% as compared with dry turning. The sustainability assessment results also revealed that the lower cutting parameters under LN2 + MQL produced best results to achieve the overall sustainability index. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
513 | Air Quality during COVID-19 in Four Megacities: Lessons and Challenges for Public Health | The study described in this manuscript analyzed the effects of quarantine and social distancing policies implemented due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on air pollution levels in four western megacities: Sao Paulo in Brazil; Paris in France; and Los Angeles and New York in the United States. The study investigated the levels of four air pollutants-Carbon monoxide (CO), Ozone (O-3), Fine Particulate (PM2.5) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)-during the month of March 2020, compared to 2015-2019, in the urban air of these metropolitan areas, controlling for meteorological variables. Results indicated reductions in the levels of PM2.5, CO and NO2, with reductions of the latter two showing statistical significance. In contrast, tropospheric ozone levels increased, except in Los Angeles. The beneficial health effects of cleaner air might also help prevent deaths caused by the epidemic of COVID-19 in megacities by diminishing pressure on hospitals and health equipment. Future actions for the re-starting of non-essential economic activities in these cities should take into consideration the overall importance of health for the individual, as well as for societies. |
514 | China's pilot emissions trading schemes and competitiveness: An empirical analysis of the provincial industrial sub-sectors | China's economic development has entered a "new normal" stage where economic growth has slowed down. In this context, China's local authorities and industry circles are particularly concerned about the impact of emissions trading scheme (ETS), China's first major market-based approach to control greenhouse gas emissions, on competitiveness. This paper contributes to the thin empirical studies on this issue from the perspective of China's provincial industrial sub-sectors. We divide the industry of each province into 37 sub-sectors and screen the actual industrial sub-sector coverage of China's pilot ETSs. Taking advantage of the rich information of sub-sector characteristics and the longitudinal structure of our dataset over 2005-2015, we use a combination of propensity score matching technique and difference-in-difference models to analyze the impact of China's pilot ETSs on gross industrial output value (GIOV) and employment. Empirical results indicate that China's pilot ETSs have exerted a negative impact on the GIOV, and production cut is still the major approach to achieve carbon emission reductions. We also find China's pilot ETSs have led to a significant decrease in employment of the covered industrial sub-sectors. Several robustness checks confirm our findings. Further, our discussions suggest that in the short term, China's pilot ETSs have not promoted the "decoupling" of carbon emissions and economic outputs in industrial sub-sectors. While achieving carbon emission reductions, the pilot ETSs have failed to avoid a negative impact on competitiveness. Lastly, we suggest that competent authorities should prudently tailor the quota allocation methods according to sectorial conditions and consider setting up compensation measures, and covered enterprises should incorporate low-carbon development concept and address the challenges proactively from the long run. |
515 | Effect of land-use change and optimization on the ecosystem service values of Jiangsu province, China | Rapid urbanization intensifies land-use transition by shrinking cropland and increasing the land development of land in China, which affects the ecosystem services value (ESV) and causes environmental degradation. To improve the quality of the ecological environment, China has launched a strategy for the construction of an ecological civilization and attempted to build an ecological compensation mechanism. In this study, combining linear optimization model with the conversion of land use and its effects at small regional extent (CLUE-S) model to optimize and quantitatively to simulate land-use change based on embedding to maximize the ESV for land use planning in 2025 in Jiangsu province, a Chinese province that has experienced the greatest land-use transition and ESV loss in China. The results showed that a total loss of 5.76 x 10(10) yuan.yr(-1) ESV from 2000 to 2015 was due to the conversion of a total of 17.76% of the land in Jiangsu. However, we predicted that the total area of land use will increase by 0.4% in 2025 compared to that in 2015, which will lead to an increase of the ESV by 3.79 x 10(10) yuan.yr(-1). Cropland and grassland will decrease the most, while woodland, water area and wetland will increase. Moreover, our spatial simulation showed that the regions around the Taihu Lake, the boundary between central and northern Jiangsu, and the inland region of northern Jiangsu will experience great ESV change caused by land-use transition in 2025. We also discussed land use and ecological protection policies. Our simulation results provide a potentially effective guide for implementing ecological compensation mechanisms among sub-regions in Jiangsu province. |
516 | Inflammation and the Link to Vascular Brain Health: Timing Is Brain | Inflammation and its myriad pathways are now recognized to play both causal and consequential roles in vascular brain health. From acting as a trigger for vascular brain injury, as evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, to steadily increasing the risk for chronic cerebrovascular disease, distinct inflammatory cascades play differential roles in varying states of cerebrovascular injury. New evidence is regularly emerging that characterizes the role of specific inflammatory pathways in these varying states including those at risk for stroke and chronic cerebrovascular injury as well as during the acute, subacute, and repair phases of stroke. Here, we aim to highlight recent basic science and clinical evidence for many distinct inflammatory cascades active in these varying states of cerebrovascular injury. The role of cerebrovascular infections, spotlighted by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic, and its association with increased stroke risk is also reviewed. Rather than converging on a shared mechanism, these emerging studies implicate varied and distinct inflammatory processes in vascular brain injury and repair. Recognition of the phasic nature of inflammatory cascades on varying states of cerebrovascular disease is likely essential to the development and implementation of an anti-inflammatory strategy in the prevention, treatment, and repair of vascular brain injury. Although advances in revascularization have taught us that time is brain, targeting inflammation for the treatment of cerebrovascular disease will undoubtedly show us that timing is brain. |
517 | Experimental evaluation on fiber distribution characteristics and mechanical properties of calcium carbonate whisker modified hybrid fibers reinforced cementitious composites | Calcium carbonate whisker (CW) is used to modify the steel-PVA hybrid fibers reinforced cementitious composites (SPFRCC). The addition of CW result in excellent mechanical properties and considerable economic benefit owing to its microscopic reinforcement effect and low cost. In this study, the flexural behavior, fiber distribution characteristics and compression response of CW modified steel-PVA hybrid fibers reinforced cementitious composites (CW-SPFRCC) are investigated by three-point bending test, image processing technique and uniaxial compression test, respectively. The results indicate that the addition of CW can effectively improve the flexural properties of SPFRCC because of the crack resistance and filling effect at microscale. The best fiber distribution characteristics are observed in CW10-S15P05 due to the presence of CW that modify the adhesion and flowability of cement matrix. The uniaxial compression strength, peak strain, elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of CW-SPFRCC are increased by 37.1%, 40.2%, 3.7% and 30.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the uniaxial compression constitutive model is proposed to describe the compression stress-strain relationship of CW-SPFRCC based on the experimental results. Moreover, the microstructure analysis demonstrates that the modification mechanism of CW in SPFRCC is attributed to the interface improvement, CW pull-out, CW slippage, and CW rupture. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
518 | Analytical and pharmacological consequences of the in vivo deamidation of trastuzumab and pertuzumab | A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method is presented for the quantitative determination of the in vivo deamidation of the biopharmaceutical proteins trastuzumab and pertuzumab at an asparagine in their complementarity determining regions (CDRs). For each analyte, two surrogate peptides are quantified after tryptic digestion of the entire plasma protein content: one from a stable part of the molecule, representing the total concentration, and one containing the deamidation-sensitive asparagine, corresponding to the remaining non-deamidated concentration. Using a plasma volume of 10 µL and a 2-h digestion at pH 7, concentrations between 2 and 1000 µg/mL can be determined for the various protein forms with values for bias and CV below 15% and without unacceptable in vitro deamidation taking place. A considerable difference between the total and non-deamidated concentrations, and thus a substantial degree of deamidation, was observed in plasma for both trastuzumab and pertuzumab. After a 56-day forced deamidation test 40% of trastuzumab and 68% of pertuzumab was deamidated, while trastuzumab and pertuzumab showed up to 47% and 35% of deamidation, respectively, in samples collected from breast cancer patients during treatment with a combination of both drugs. A good correlation between the non-deamidated concentration results and those of a receptor binding assay indicate a loss of receptor binding for both trastuzumab and pertuzumab along with the deamidation in their CDRs. Deamidated trastuzumab also lost its capability to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells in a cell-based viability assay, suggesting a relation between the degree of deamidation and pharmacological activity. |
519 | Effects of Eco-Innovation on Economic and Environmental Performance: Evidence from Turkey's Manufacturing Companies | The concept of eco-innovation has begun to be considered as a solution to preventing environmental damage, especially since the 1990s. Eco-innovation is expected to reduce amounts of waste, air pollution, and material resource usage. However, the effect of eco-innovation on environmental and financial performance has received limited attention. This paper seeks to fill this gap by studying the effect of eco-innovation on environmental and financial performance. In order to do so, data were obtained by collecting surveys completed by 219 manufacturing companies in Turkey. By using structural equation modeling, we found that eco-innovation has a direct effect on pollution prevention, resource saving and recycling; furthermore, it has an indirect positive effect on cost reduction and thus on economic performance. The findings suggest that decision-makers should adopt eco-innovation due to its cost advantage and pollution prevention potential. |
520 | Effect of using mineral admixtures and ceramic wastes as coarse aggregates on properties of ultrahigh-performance concrete | Recent advancements in recycling have transformed nonrenewable resources into partially renewable resources. In line with these advancements, the application of wastes, including ceramics, as substitute aggregate materials for construction has elicited considerable research interest. Ceramic waste aggregates can be used to address complex problems, such as the shortage of materials in construction sites, and reduce environmental wastes. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of replacing silica fume (SF) and metakaolin (MK) with cement to improve ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) prepared using ceramic wastes as coarse aggregates. Eleven UHPC mixes with 10%, 20% and 30% proportions of either SF or MK were designed. The fresh, physical, mechanical and microstructure properties of these mixes were evaluated, and test results showed that replacing cement with either SF or MK can improve the mechanical and physical properties of UHPC. The use of this waste as construction material will yield substantial technical, economic and environmental benefits, particularly from the perspective of sustainable development. The results showed that replacing SF or MK is effective in improving the strength of UHPC, particularly when the SiO2/CaO ratio was increased to 2.98. The 28-day compressive strength of UHPC with SF increased from 133.1 MPa to 146.6 MPa due to the improved microstructure and denser matrix. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
521 | Growth performance, haematological assessment and chemical composition of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) fed different levels of Aloe vera extract as feed additives in a closed aquaculture system | A 105-day experimental trial was conducted to assess different levels of dietary Aleo vera extract supplementation on water quality parameters, proximate composition, growth performance and haematological parameters of fry Oreochromis niloticus. Four different percentages of dietary leaf extract powder of Aleo vera (ALE) with a basal feed, designated as, i.e., T0 (Control group; without ALE), T1 (1% ALE), T2 (2% ALE), and T3 (3% ALE). Fish fry was reared in concrete tanks (7.0 m, 1.6 m, 1.0: L, W, H; water volume 11.2 m3/tank), with an average initial weight 4.04 ± 0.03 g/ fry, and each treatment was triplicated. Fry was randomly distributed at a stocking rate of 450 individuals/ tanks. The water quality parameters revealed that temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrates were found in a promising range as given by FAO/WHO limits. However, the record values obtained for Electric Conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS), and alkalinities were not found in all tanks' suitable range according to FAO/WHO limits. The results revealed a significant impact of different percentages of dietary ALE supplementation on fry's body composition and haematological parameters. Moreover, the final body weight, final body length, average daily weight gain (g), net weight gain (g) and specific growth rate (%) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in T1 and T2 compared with T0 and T3 treatments. The poorest feed conversion ratio was recorded in the T2 group compared with other treatments. Thus, the current study provides information about the nutritional quality of Nile tilapia culturing in Pakistan. |
522 | Stem cell transplantation as a progressing treatment for retinitis pigmentosa | Retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are of the major causes of vision loss in developed countries. Despite the unclear pathophysiology, treatment methods have been investigated vastly in the past decades. This review article mainly discusses the advances in application of stem cell and progenitor transplantation for retinitis pigmentosa. Stem cell sources such as mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, neural stem cells, retinal progenitor cells, and olfactory ensheathing cells are discussed separately in addition to a brief description of two approaches for treatment of early-stage RP, including gene therapy and nutritional therapy. |
523 | Evaluating the impact of multi-carrier energy storage systems in optimal operation of integrated electricity, gas and district heating networks | Various energy networks such as electricity, natural gas, and district heating can be connected by emerging technologies for efficient application of renewable energy sources. On the other hand, the pressure shortage in the natural gas network and increasing heat loss in the district heating network by growth of gas and heat load in winter might play a significant role in the participation of combined heat and power units in the energy markets and operation cost of the whole integrated energy system. Hence, this paper presents a multi-network constrained unit commitment problem in the presence of multi-carrier energy storage technologies aiming to minimize the operation cost of an integrated electricity, gas and district heating system while satisfying the constraints of all three networks. In addition, an information gap decision theory is developed for studying the uncertainty of energy sources under risk-seeker and risk-averse strategies with no need for probability distribution function. Moreover, the role of multi-carrier energy storage technologies in integrated networks is investigated, which indicates decrement of total operation cost and reduction of the effect of wind power uncertainty on total operation cost in presence of the storage technologies. |
524 | In-vivo two-photon visualization and quantitative detection of redox state of cancer | Glutathione (GSH), the most common and abundant antioxidant in the body, is particularly concentrated in cancer cells (2-10 mM). This concentration is approximately 1000 times that of normal cells, making GSH a specific tumor marker. Overexpression of GSH is critical for mapping the redox state of cancer cells. However, there are few probes and detection methods responsive to GSH that can quantitatively visualize GSH in vivo in two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) imaging mode. The experimental results show that TPEF-GSH could not only target GSH in tumors, but also establish the quantitative relationship between TPEF signal and GSH concentration. We explored the optimal two-photon excitation wavelength of TPEF-GSH, the optimal cell incubation duration with TPEF-GSH, the best imaging time point for GSH in cells, and the quantitative relationship between the TPEF signal and the changes in GSH concentrations. In zebrafish embryo and zebrafish experiments, the ratiometric value of TPEF-GSH increased with the decrease of GSH concentration. Microinjection and co-incubation were used to verify whether the ratiometric value could quantify endogenous GSH in tumor-bearing zebrafish, and the obtained GSH levels were 4.66 mM and 5.16 mM, respectively. The ratio TPEF probe could accurately visualize and quantify GSH in vivo, reflecting the redox status of the tumor. The design of the ratiometric molecular probe provides a reliable strategy for the development of TPEF nanoprobe in vivo. In this article, a new GSH sensitive molecular probe, TPEF-GSH, has been developed with good specificity and sensitivity. TPEF-GSH was successfully used to image cancer cells in vitro and tumor-bearing zebrafish in vivo, and to further detect GSH levels. |
525 | Hopf bifurcation in delayed nutrient-microorganism model with network structure | In this paper, we introduce and deal with the delayed nutrient-microorganism model with a random network structure. By employing time delay τ as the main critical value of the Hopf bifurcation, we investigate the direction of the Hopf bifurcation of such a random network nutrient-microorganism model. Noticing that the results of the direction of the Hopf bifurcation in a random network model are rare, we thus try to use the method of multiple time scales (MTS) to derive amplitude equation and determine the direction of the Hopf bifurcation. It is showed that the delayed random network nutrient-microorganism model can exhibit a supercritical or subcritical Hopf bifurcation. Numerical experiments are performed to verify the validity of the theoretical analysis. |
526 | "Let them know it's okay to get help": Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Police Officers | The following research used a paper and pencil survey to assess programming for mental health and wellness in 7742 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. A total of 465 respondents provided data to two open-ended questions to share several types of programs and services that would be beneficial for agencies to support officers who experience job challenges or stress. The qualitative data was analyzed via constant-comparison method by two independent coders who engaged in several techniques to aid in trustworthiness. The resulting themes included officer wellness initiatives, counseling, and the role of the overall agency culture in order to provide access to support and for reducing the stigma for police seeking services for mental health. Implications include the need for program and policy changes within law enforcement agencies. |
527 | Renewable energy, economic development, and ecological footprint nexus: fresh evidence of renewable energy environment Kuznets curve (RKC) from income groups | This study aims to measure the association of real economic growth per capita, renewable energy consumption, and financial development with ecological footprints (EFP) across the 155 countries of four different income groups over the period of 1990-2017. For the analysis, the unit root tests allowing cross-sectional dependency, Westerlund cointegration test, common correlated effect of mean group, augmented mean group, mean group, and Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality test are used. The results verify both the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and renewable energy environment Kuznets curve (RKC) hypotheses in the high-income group; however, other groups have not shown reliable results. Moreover, it is observed that the existence of RKC is a turning point for high-income countries, and it takes place before the turning point of the forthcoming EKC. Besides, empirical outcomes endorse the presence of long-run equilibrium and indicate that financial development has a negative and significant effect on the EFP in the case of the high-income group. In contrast, upper-middle- and lower-middle-income groups show the insignificant relationship with the dependent variable. Likewise, financial development has a positive and significant association with EFP for the low-income group. Conversely, biomass energy has a negative relationship with EFP in high- and lower-middle-income groups, while a positive association has been observed for the remaining two groups. We suppose that the study outcomes would guide the policymakers in decision-making regarding the development and usage of renewable energy to prevent environmental damages. |
528 | Stochastic optimal sizing of distributed energy resources for a cost-effective and resilient Microgrid | Recent developments and advances in distributed energy resources (DERs) make them more affordable, accessible, and prevalent in microgrids. Research on designing and operating a microgrid with various DERs has received increasing attention during the past few years. This paper proposes a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming method for jointly determining optimal sizes of various DERs, considering both economic benefits and resilience performance. The proposed method explicitly models the interaction between DER sizing at the planning stage and hourly or sub-hourly microgrid dispatch at the operating stage in both grid-connected and island modes, considering stochastic grid disturbances, load, and renewable generation. A formulation method is then proposed to convert the stochastic sizing problem to an equivalent mix-integer linear programming problem, which can be efficiently solved even with a large number of system operating conditions. Using the proposed stochastic sizing method, a resource planning analysis for a military base in the U.S. is presented. It is found that the proposed method can effectively determine the optimal DER sizes to meet a required resilience goal at the maximum net-benefit. Impacts of several key factors including tariff rates, discount rate, and survivability level on optimal DER sizes are analyzed through case studies. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
529 | Cost benefits of optimizing hydrogen storage and methanation capacities for Power-to-Gas plants in dynamic operation | Power-to-Gas technologies offer a promising approach for converting renewable electricity into a molecular form (fuel) to serve the energy demands of non-electric energy applications in all end-use sectors. The technologies have been broadly developed and are at the edge of a mass roll-out. The barriers that Power-to-Gas faces are no longer technical, but are, foremost, regulatory, and economic. This study focuses on a Power-to-Gas pathway, where electricity is first converted in a water electrolyzer into hydrogen, which is then synthetized with carbon dioxide to produce synthetic natural gas. A key aspect of this pathway is that an intermittent electricity supply could be used, which could reduce the amount of electricity curtailment from renewable energy generation. Interim storages would then be necessary to decouple the synthesized part from hydrogen production, to enable (I) longer continuous operation cycles for the methanation reactor, and (II) increased annual full-load hours, leading to an overall reduction in gas production costs. This work optimizes a Power-to-Gas plant configuration with respect to the cost benefits using a Monte Carlo-based simulation tool. The results indicate potential cost reductions of up to 17% in synthetic natural gas production by implementing well-balanced components and interim storages. This study also evaluates three different power sources which differ greatly in their optimal system configuration. Results from time-resolved simulations and sensitivity analyses for different plant designs and electricity sources are discussed with respect to technical and economic implications, so as to facilitate a plant design process for decision makers. |
530 | Modeling heterogeneous dynamic interactions among energy investment, SO2 emissions and economic performance in regional China | Massive investments in energy industry may either promote or mitigate the air pollution which is likely to influence the economic performance. In light of this, the current work is an empirical examination of heterogeneous dynamic causal interactions among energy investment, sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions and economic growth in regional China. A modified STIRPAT model is developed to introduce energy investment as a determinant of technology. Based on a modified model, a simultaneous equations system has been established to examine the three-way causal interactions among the variables of interest. As a first step, an error-correction-based second generation Westerlund (Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics 69: 0305-9049, (2007). cointegration has been employed and found the long-run relationship. The simultaneous equations have been estimated by employing second generation dynamic common correlated effects mean group estimator (DCCEMGE) for 30 Chinese provinces and cities from 2001 to 2017. The empirical analysis has revealed that the energy investment induces emissions promotion effect while economic growth introduces emissions curtailment effect. However, the emissions curtailment effect remained slightly stronger than emissions promotion effect both at country and regional levels. Further, the energy investment growth uncovered economic performance enhancement effect. Furthermore, the SO2 emissions growth induced economic performance deterioration effect. In this regard, the economic performance deterioration effect exceeded the economic performance enhancement effect. Besides, there is a bidirectional causality operative between SO2 emissions and gross regional product (GRP) growth for the country as well as regional samples. On the contrary, a positive bilateral causal relationship between energy investment and GRP growth is found for the country as well as regional samples. Similarly, it has been found that there exists a positive bilateral causal association between SO2 emissions and energy investment. |
531 | Enhancement of pyramid-shaped solar stills performance using a high thermal conductivity absorber plate and cooling the glass cover | This study aims to enhance the performance of pyramid-shaped solar stills using a high thermal conductivity absorber plate (graphite) and cooling the glass cover. To achieve this aim experimentally, the absorbent surface manufacture from a graphite material with a thickness of 25 mm. The graphite is characterized by the high thermal conductivity, as well as, the graphite represents a sensible store medium where the thermal energy is stored during the period of the high value of solar radiation and is reclaimed back into the basin water during the period of lower solar radiation intensity and after sunset. Also, the outside surface of the glass cover is cooled to increase the rate of water vapor condensation and then improve the distillate water production. A traditional pyramid-shaped still and a pyramid-shaped still using a high thermal conductivity absorber plate and cooling the glass cover (modified pyramid-shaped still) have been constructed and tested in Tanta University-Egypt, to get the effect of using graphite as an absorber surface and cooling the glass cover on the performance of pyramid-shaped still. The experimental results show that daily production of both modified pyramid-shaped still and a traditional pyramid-shaped still ranges from 9 to 9.19 and 4.37-4.43 l/m(2) day, respectively at the same ambient conditions. The improvement in the daily production of the modified pyramid-shaped still ranges between 105.9 and 107.7% as compared to a traditional pyramid-shaped still. Also, use the graphite with cooling the glass cover improves the everyday efficiency of the modified pyramid-shaped still by 97.2-98.9% as compared to a traditional pyramid-shaped still. The economic analysis presented that use the graphite and cooling the glass cover reduce the cost of distillate water produced from the pyramid-shaped solar still by 13.6%. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
532 | Drug delivery systems of CoFe2O4/chitosan and MnFe2O4/chitosan magnetic composites | The study consists of three parts. In the first part, synthesis and characterization of core-shell magnetic composite beads based on chitosan and containing two different magnetic nanoparticles were carried out. The beads were formed from CoFe2O4/chitosan and MnFe2O4/chitosan. TGA and SEM were used for the characterization of core-shell materials. In the second part, swelling experiments of magnetic beads were performed. In the third part, 5-Fluorouracil was encapsulated at different rates in two different magnetic materials, release experiments were carried out at pH 7.4, pH 6.8, and pH 1.2, and the model of drug release was determined. Korsmeyer-Peppas, Higuchi, first-order, and zero-order models were used for mathematical modeling. Both prepared systems were found to be suitable for controlled release for 5-Fluorouracil. |
533 | Measuring dominance certainty and assessing its impact on individual and societal health in a nonhuman primate model: a network approach | The notion of dominance is ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, wherein some species/groups such relationships are strictly hierarchical and others are not. Modern approaches for measuring dominance have emerged in recent years taking advantage of increased computational power. One such technique, named Percolation and Conductance (Perc), uses both direct and indirect information about the flow of dominance relationships to generate hierarchical rank order that makes no assumptions about the linearity of these relationships. It also provides a new metric, known as 'dominance certainty', which is a complimentary measure to dominance rank that assesses the degree of ambiguity of rank relationships at the individual, dyadic and group levels. In this focused review, we will (i) describe how Perc measures dominance rank while accounting for both nonlinear hierarchical structure as well as sparsity in data-here we also provide a metric of dominance certainty estimated by Perc, which can be used to compliment the information dominance rank supplies; (ii) summarize a series of studies by our research team reflecting the importance of 'dominance certainty' on individual and societal health in large captive rhesus macaque breeding groups; and (iii) provide some concluding remarks and suggestions for future directions for dominance hierarchy research. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'. |
534 | A favorable path to domain separation in the orange carotenoid protein | The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is responsible for nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) in cyanobacteria, a defense mechanism against potentially damaging effects of excess light conditions. This soluble two-domain protein undergoes profound conformational changes upon photoactivation, involving translocation of the ketocarotenoid inside the cavity followed by domain separation. Domain separation is a critical step in the photocycle of OCP because it exposes the N-terminal domain (NTD) to perform quenching of the phycobilisomes. Many details regarding the mechanism and energetics of OCP domain separation remain unknown. In this work, we apply metadynamics to elucidate the protein rearrangements that lead to the active, domain-separated, form of OCP. We find that translocation of the ketocarotenoid canthaxanthin has a profound effect on the energetic landscape and that domain separation only becomes favorable following translocation. We further explore, characterize, and validate the free energy surface (FES) using equilibrium simulations initiated from different states on the FES. Through pathway optimization methods, we characterize the most probable path to domain separation and reveal the barriers along that pathway. We find that the free energy barriers are relatively small (<5 kcal/mol), but the overall estimated kinetic rate is consistent with experimental measurements (>1 ms). Overall, our results provide detailed information on the requirement for canthaxanthin translocation to precede domain separation and an energetically feasible pathway to dissociation. |
535 | Genetic parameters estimation for some wild wheat species and their F1 hybrids grown in different regions of Saudi Arabia | Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most important crop for human nutrition that underpins the food safety of Saudi Arabia. The investigation here was to determine heterosis effects using different genetic methods: heterosis over better, mid parents, the genetic advance, and genotype, phenotypic coefficient of variation for estimation some traits among six wheat landraces and their F1 hybrids. In 2019, these landraces were sown using hand and after 100 days, the emasculation and crossing were made among these six landraces using hand emasculation of anthers. In 2020, seeds for these genotypes (six wheat landraces and their F1) were sown under normal irrigation accordingly done in 2019. The results showed that the most important parent was Mabia resulted with the highest value in number of tiller/ plant, 1,000-grain weight, and fresh shoot weight. The highest value of plant height among six parents was Naqra while highest value at the same trait among F1 hybrids was P3 XP6. The estimations of heterosis showed that out of 15 crosses, one cross (P1XP5) was significantly better yield than all crosses for these four traits. The genotype coefficient of variation (GCV) ranged from 12.5% to 8.7% while phenotypic coefficient of variation ranged from 17.7% to 11.3%. The correlation coefficients was found between fresh shoot weight and number of tiller and plant height and umber of tiller. Wild wheat still serve as a source of useful germplasm with proven adaption and productivity and thus assembles of the wild wheat assortments are the initial step of breeding program. |
536 | One-step hydrothermal synthesis of magnetic rice straw for effective lipase immobilization and its application in esterification reaction | Immobilization of industrially important enzymes on supports is important to decrease the cost of the overall enzymatic production procedure. Herein, a novel method for synthesizing a new support, magnetic rice straw (MRS) in one step is reported: rice straw (RS) was soaked with Fe2+ ions and these were further reduced to form embedded Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the RS surface, forming MRS. This material presented a magnetic saturation value of 27.32 emu g(-1). Lipase immobilization on MRS resulted in 94.3% immobilization efficiency and 91.3 mg g(-1) of enzyme loading, which are higher than immobilization on native RS. The lipase stability was increased approximately 8-fold at 70 degrees C. The lipase-MRS composite was tested in the esterification reaction of biodiesel production, where it showed prominent reusability. Therefore, this novel and rapid synthesis method can provide ecological and economic support for enzyme immobilization and industrially important product formation. |
537 | Assessment of COVID-19 Waste Flows During the Emergency State in Romania and Related Public Health and Environmental Concerns | This paper provides a rapid assessment method of potentially infectious waste flow related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Romania focusing on the emergency state (from 16 March to 14 May 2020) where a national lockdown was in force with restrictive and social distancing measures concerning population mobility and economic activities. Medical and municipal waste management systems are critical services in combating the virus spread in the community. This assessment is useful due to poor available data of medical waste flow in environmental reports and it covers COVID-19 patients, quarantined, and self-isolated persons as the main potential infectious waste sources. The proposed model estimates that COVID-19 related waste flow is 4312 t at the national level from 25 February to 15 June of which 2633 t in the emergency state period. This assessment is correlated with deficiencies of medical and municipal waste management systems in Romania before the COVID-19 pandemic as stress factors of public health and environment. This study points out the main challenges of waste operators and reveals some best practices during this pandemic crisis. Based on the results and discussion section, several recommendations are proposed to COVID-19 waste-related issues and points out the crucial role of the reliable medical and municipal waste database in managing such biologic hazards at national and EU levels. Monitoring of COVID-19 waste flow through such models are important for decision-makers, particularly in low and middle-income countries which are facing waste management deficiencies and gaps in waste statistics, to reduce other contamination risks or related environmental threats. |
538 | COVID-19 Impacts and Recovery Strategies: The Case of the Hospitality Industry in Spain | The health crisis caused by the pandemic COVID-19 has been of such magnitude that the drop-off in economic and tourist activity in most countries is generating an economic crisis with consequences that are still difficult to measure. The present work analyses the origins and evolution of the coronavirus pandemic and reviews the literature related to the impacts and recovery strategies that were implemented in previous crisis situations affecting the hotel industry. In order to focus the study on one country, Spain was selected based on tourism indicators, the importance of tourism for this country and the importance of Spain as a leader in international tourist destinations. The influence of the pandemic on the Spanish tourism sector and, more specifically, on its hospitality industry is explored in depth. In addition, the main initiatives to support the tourism and hospitality sector that have been undertaken at the global, European and national levels are highlighted and, finally, the response and recovery strategies of the five largest Spanish hotel chains to guarantee a COVID-19-free stay in their facilities and to recover the accommodation activity are discussed. |
539 | Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase-1 Expression is Changed During Bladder Cancer Cell Invasion | The severity of the bladder carcinoma (BC) is directly linked to cell invasion and metastasis. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO-1) is an INF-γ-induced immunomodulating enzyme that has been linked to the cancer cell invasiveness. Because IDO1 is variable among the tumors, we analyzed its expression in the BC invasion using BC mice models and cell culture. MB49 cells were orthotopically or ectopically inoculated in C57Bl6 mice to evaluate IDO1 by immunohistochemistry. For in vitro experiments, expression of IDO1 and INF-γ was evaluated in grade-1 (RT4) and in grade-3 (T24) BC cell lines. Invading and non-invading T24 cells were separated using the Matrigel/Transwell system, of which total RNA was extracted immediately or after 2 weeks of subculture. Finally, IDO1 was silenced in T24 cells to verify its role on cell invasiveness. In both animal models, IDO1 was differentially expressed between non-invading and invading cells. In cell culture, T24 cells expressed more IDO1 than RT4 cells, independently of the INF-γ expression. IDO1 was differentially expressed between non-invading and invading T24 cells, a difference that was lost by long-time subculture. IDO1 silencing resulted in diminished cell invasiveness. In conclusion, IDO1 expression is changed during bladder carcinoma invasion, playing an important role in this process. |
540 | Simultaneous Ammonium oxidation denitrifying (SAD) in an innovative three-stage process for energy-efficient mature landfill leachate treatment with external sludge reduction | High-loaded ammonia and low-strength organics mature landfill leachate is not effectively treated by conventional biological processes. Herein, an innovative solution was proposed using a three-stage Simultaneous Ammonium oxidation Denitrifying (SAD) process. Firstly, ammonia (1760 +/- 126 mg N/L) in wastewater was oxidized to nitrite in a partial nitrification sequencing batch reactor (PN-SBR). Next, 93% PN-SBR effluent and concentrated external waste activated sludge (WAS; MISS = 23057 +/- 6014 mg/L) were introduced to an anoxic reactor for integrated fermentation and denitrification (IFD-SBR). Finally, ammonia (101.4 +/- 13.8 mg N/L) released by fermentation in the IFD-SBR and residual 7% nitrite in the PNSBR were removed through the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process in the SAD up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (SAD-UASB). In addition, NO3--N generation during the anammox process could be reduced to nitrite by partial denitrification (PD) and reused as substrate for anammox. A satisfactory total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency (98.3%), external sludge reduction rate (2.5 kg/m(3) d) and effluent TN concentration (16.7 mg/L) were achieved after long-term operation (280 days). The IFD-SBR and SADUASB contributed to 81.9% and 123% nitrogen removal, respectively. Microbial analysis showed that anammox bacteria (1.5% Candidatus Brocadia) cooperated well with partial denitrifying bacteria (4.3% Thauera) in SAD-UASB, and average nitrogen removal contribution were 83.1% during significant stability of anammox and 9.2% during the denitrification process, respectively. The three-stage SAD process provides an environmental and economic approach for landfill leachate treatment since it has the advantage of 25.4% less oxygen, 100% organic matter savings and 47.9% less external sludge than traditional biological processes. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
541 | Current state and barriers to the circular economy in the building sector: Towards a mitigation framework | The building sector is amongst the major resource consuming and waste generating sectors of the economy. The paradigm of the circular economy has the potential to overcome the problems resulted due to adoption of the linear economic model by the building sector. The circular economy offers a new perspective for industrial ecosystems including materials and products being fed back into the supply chain as resources, thereby resulting in reduced consumption of primary resources and waste generation. The research on circular economy increased rapidly during recent years; however, a research gap exists on the assessment of current state and barriers to the circular economy in the building sector of developing countries. This study has developed and used a circular economy assessment scale for the building sector of developing countries. It is found that the current state of circular economy implementation in the building sector is unsatisfactory. Out of the seven circular economy dimensions used for analysis, the energy dimension showed the best performance and the waste dimension showed the worst performance. Serious steps are required by all the stakeholders of the building sector to improve the adoption of the circular economy. Furthermore, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and matrice d'Impacts croises-multipication applique an classment (MICMAC) techniques are used to identify and classify the key barriers to the circular economy. It is found that a lack of environmental regulations and laws is driving the rest of the barriers to the circular economy. Equally critical is the lack of public awareness and support from public institutions. Finally, a mitigation framework for the building sector of developing countries is proposed, which is an addition to the circular economy existing body of knowledge. The proposed framework could serve as a guideline for decision and policymakers. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
542 | Post-conflict development, reviewing the water sector in Somalia | Somali post-conflict development faces many challenges that affect the sustainability of the water sector. This paper reviews and analyses the post-conflict development activities in the water sector through local communications and reviewing published materials and databases from international players in Somalia, funding agencies and financial tracking service. The paper has shown that there has been great attention and support given to the country during its post-conflict development. However, most of these initiatives and projects have focused on emerging issues such as tackling food security and water, sanitation and hygiene services. The paper also shows that the continuous funding of emerging issues in Somalia has reduced its long-term sustainability of the water sector and limited its national and long-term benefits but has increased corruption due to increase the gap between actors and local people. Therefore, new transparent cooperative initiatives are needed based on transparent involvement and coordination among donors, local authorities and implementers to improve and develop the water sector and the livelihood in Somalia through a solid water governance system. |
543 | Environmental implications of increased US oil production and liberal growth agenda in post -Paris Agreement era | Contextualising on the internationally low oil prices era and historically high oil production in USA and refusal to honour the commitments under Paris Agreement (COP: 21), this study investigates the role of education, oil prices and natural resources on energy demand and CO2 emissions in the USA for the period of 1976-2016. In so doing, we employed a bounds testing approach to cointegration accounting for structural breaks in the series. Key findings suggest the presence of a long-run association between underlying variables. The abundance of natural resources and economic growth of the US economy seem to weigh on environmental quality by increasing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Oil prices show a negative association with energy consumption as well as carbon emissions suggesting that a low oil prices regime can lead to an increase in carbon emissions and energy consumption. Interestingly, education seems to play an important role by reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, resultantly improving the US environmental quality. Our findings have profound environmental implications in terms of efforts to tackle climate change and meeting the Paris agreement (COP: 21) ambitions with reality and USA policy stance. |
544 | System design and feasibility of trigeneration systems with hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collectors for zero energy office buildings in different climates | Zero or plus energy office buildings must have very high building standards and require highly efficient energy supply systems due to space limitations for renewable installations. Conventional solar cooling systems use photovoltaic electricity or thermal energy to run either a compression-cooling machine or an absorption-cooling machine in order to produce cooling energy during daytime, while they use electricity from the grid for the nightly cooling energy demand. With a hybrid photovoltaic-thermal collector, electricity as well as thermal energy can be produced at the same time. These collectors can produce also cooling energy at nighttime by long-wave radiation exchange with the night sky and convection losses to the ambient air. Such a renewable trigeneration system offers new fields of applications. However, the technical, ecological and economical aspects of such systems are still largely unexplored. In this work, the potential of a PVT system to heat and cool office buildings in three different climate zones is investigated. In the investigated system, PVT collectors act as a heat source and heat sink for a reversible heat pump. Due to the reduced electricity consumption (from the grid) for heat rejection, the overall efficiency and economics improve compared to a conventional solar cooling system using a reversible air-to-water heat pump as heat and cold source. A parametric simulation study was carried out to evaluate the system design with different PVT surface areas and storage tank volumes to optimize the system for three different climate zones and for two different building standards. It is shown such a systems are technically feasible today. With a maximum utilization of PV electricity for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and other electricity demand such as lighting and plug loads, high solar fractions and primary energy savings can be achieved. Annual costs for such a system are comparable to conventional solar thermal and solar electrical cooling systems. Nevertheless, the economic feasibility strongly depends on country specific energy prices and energy policy. However, even in countries without compensation schemes for energy produced by renewables, this system can still be economically viable today. It could be shown, that a specific system dimensioning can be found at each of the investigated locations worldwide for a valuable economic and ecological operation of an office building with PVT technologies in different system designs. |
545 | Current views in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease pathogenesis and management | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung dysfunction caused mainly by inhaling toxic particles and cigarette smoking (CS). The continuous exposure to ruinous molecules can lead to abnormal inflammatory responses, permanent damages to the respiratory system, and irreversible pathological changes. Other factors, such as genetics and aging, influence the development of COPD. In the last decade, accumulating evidence suggested that mitochondrial alteration, including mitochondrial DNA damage, increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), abnormal autophagy, and apoptosis, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of COPD. The alteration can also extend to epigenetics, namely DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA. This review will discuss the recent progressions in COPD pathology, pathophysiology, and molecular pathways. More focus will be shed on mitochondrial and epigenetic variations related to COPD development and the role of nanomedicine as a potential tool for the prevention and treatment of this disease. |
546 | Leakage detection techniques for oil and gas pipelines: State-of-the-art | The leakage of oil and gas pipelines may cause significant safety accidents and economic losses. In order to reduce the probability of pipeline failure, leak detection of pipelines is an effective measure. This paper introduces the existing detection methods that can be used in oil and gas pipelines, and analyzes their advantages, limitations, applicable occasions, and performance, so as to provide the reference for the selection of oil and gas pipeline detection technology in engineering. Moreover, this paper summarizes and classifies the existing standards for oil and gas pipeline leakage detection and analyzes the future development direction. |
547 | Understanding global PM2.5 concentrations and their drivers in recent decades (1998-2016) | The threat of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is increasing globally. Tackling this issue requires an accurate understanding of its trends and drivers. In this study, global risk regions of PM2.5 concentrations during 1998-2016 were spatiotemporally derived. Time series analysis was conducted in the spatial relationship between PM2.5 and three socio-environmental drivers: population, urban ratio, and vegetation greenness that can cause changes in the concentration of PM2.5. "High Risk" areas were widely distributed in India and China. In India and sub-Saharan Africa, the increased overall population was strongly correlated with PM2.5 concentrations. Urban ratio increased in both developed and developing countries. A "decoupling" phenomenon occurred in developed countries, where urban expansion continued while PM2.5 concentrations decreased. Vegetation greenness and PM2.5 were strongly correlated in High Risk zones. Although urban expansion and population growth generally reduce vegetation greenness, developed countries reduced PM2.5 while maintaining greenness, whereas developing countries increased PM2.5 with decreasing greenness significantly in High Risk regions. Ultimately, economic and national growth should occur without increasing PM2.5 concentrations. Recent cases from Europe and the eastern United States demonstrate that this is possible, depending on the development pathway. |
548 | Effects of two training programs on health variables in adults with chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial | Aim: To analyze the effects of two training programs on health variables in adults with low back pain (LBP). Methods: Thirty-eight adults were randomly divided into three groups: resistance training (RG); resistance training with core training (RCG) and control (CG). Results: There were reductions in body mass index (BMI) in RG and RCG, waist circumference in RG and RCG, pain in RG, RCG and CG, CK in RCG, stress in RG and RCG, functional deficiency in RG and RCG and increases in trunk flexor and extensor strength in the RG and RCG. Conclusion: Resistance training, with or without core training exercises, reduced the levels of LBP, functional disability, stress and CK, and increased the strength of trunk flexors and extensors. Trial registration: Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry: ReBEC (RBR-5khzxz). |
549 | Economic and environmental assessment of solar-wind-biomass hybrid renewable energy system supplying rural settlement load | Hybrid renewable energy systems are becoming a popular option for rural electrification due to environmental impacts caused by fossil fuels like coal and oil. Iran is a developing country with many renewable energy sources, but most Iranian power plants use non-renewable resources to generate electricity. This study aims to present a hybrid renewable energy system consisting of photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and biogas generator for rural electrification in Fars province, Iran. The utilization of this off-grid system prevents the development of fossil fuel power plants and CO2 emissions. The optimization problem is solved using the HOMER Pro software, and sensitivity analyses obtain optimal system configurations on input biomass rate, biomass price, and inflation rate parameters. The inflation rate and biomass price are directly related to the cost of electricity (COE). The results show that the COE in optimal systems ranges from 0.128 to $0.223/kW h. Increasing the biomass price from 20 to $60/ton reduces the biogas generator's power generation by at least 86%. The most optimal economic system involves a biogas generator (150 kW), photovoltaic panels (80.7 kW), batteries, and converter. The environmental assessment indicates that CO2 emissions from proposed hybrid renewable energy systems are negligible compared to a coal-based power plant and the grid. Reducing CO2 in the presented approach can save more than $8000 a year. |
550 | Isatis phytogenic relieved atrazine induced growth retardation, hepato-renal dysfunction, and oxidative stress in Nile tilapia | The influence of herbicides causes health and economic loss, which requires innovative solutions to sustain the aquaculture industry. In this regard, dietary isatis is included in Nile tilapia diets to relieve atrazine (ATZ)-induced growth retardation, hepato-renal dysfunction, and oxidative stress. The first and second groups offered the control diet (control), while the third and fourth groups offered the isatis supplemented diet (1%). Meantime, half of the water was replaced and mixed with ATZ (1.39 mg/L) in the second and fourth groups for 30 days. The group of fish delivered isatis had significantly enhanced FBW, WG, and SGR, while fish intoxicated with ATZ had meaningfully impaired growth behavior (p < 0.05). Further, the FCR was improved by isatis, and ATZ resulted in the worst FCR among the groups. Interestingly fish fed isatis and exposed with ATZ (88.89%) had a higher survival rate than fish exposed with ATZ without isatis feeding, and both are lower than the control (97.78%) (p < 0.05). The histological structure in the isatis-treated groups showed distinguished enhancement and branching of the intestinal villi. The intestine of ATZ-treated fish revealed damage and inflammatory cell infiltration in the intestinal mucosa with separation of lining epithelium. Generally, fish fed isatis and intoxicated with ATZ had lower uric acid, urea, creatinine, ALT, and AST and higher total protein, globulin, and albumin than fish exposed with ATZ without feeding with isatis (p < 0.05). Markedly, fish-fed isatis had the highest SOD, CAT, GPx, and the lowest MDA level compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, fish exposed with ATZ had the worst SOD, CAT, GPx, and the highest MDA level compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). In summary, dietary isatis relieved ATZ induced growth retardation, hepato-renal dysfunction, and oxidative stress in Nile tilapia. |
551 | Can indoor sports centers be allowed to re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic based on a certificate of equivalence? | Within a time span of only a few months, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has managed to spread across the world. This virus can spread by close contact, which includes large droplet spray and inhalation of microscopic droplets, and by indirect contact via contaminated objects. While in most countries, supermarkets have remained open, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities have ordered many other shops, restaurants, bars, music theaters and indoor sports centers to be closed. As part of COVID-19 (semi)lock-down exit strategies, many government authorities are now (May-June 2020) allowing a gradual re-opening, where sometimes indoor sport centers are last in line to be permitted to re-open. This technical note discusses the challenges in safely re-opening these facilities and the measures already suggested by others to partly tackle these challenges. It also elaborates three potential additional measures and based on these additional measures, it suggests the concept of a certificate of equivalence that could allow indoor sports centers with such a certificate to re-open safely and more rapidly. It also attempts to stimulate increased preparedness of indoor sports centers that should allow them to remain open safely during potential next waves of SARS-CoV-2 as well as future pandemics. It is concluded that fighting situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and limiting economic damage requires increased collaboration and research by virologists, epidemiologists, microbiologists, aerosol scientists, building physicists, building services engineers and sports scientists. |
552 | Role of institutions in correcting environmental pollution: An empirical investigation | A growing literature has highlighted that institutional quality is an effective tool for ensuring a country's sustainability. Institutions play a significant role in the country's development, and specifically in terms of air pollution. How institutional quality enhances or weakens air quality is not been extensively estimated in the literature. This study takes a step forward to investigate the role of institutional quality in CO2 emissions in Pakistan. An autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) is used for data spanning from 1984 to 2016 in the context of Pakistan. The result indicates cointegration among variable under consideration. Overall, empirical results infer that institutions result in increasing CO2 emissions in Pakistan. Moreover, institutions quality and CO2 emissions granger cause each other. Further, finding shows that more income reduces CO2 emissions over time, which validates the EKC existence for CO2 emissions. Our findings suggest there is a need to strengthen institutions to mitigate the environmental effect. |
553 | Global declines in human-driven mangrove loss | Global mangrove loss has been attributed primarily to human activity. Anthropogenic loss hotspots across Southeast Asia and around the world have characterized the ecosystem as highly threatened, though natural processes such as erosion can also play a significant role in forest vulnerability. However, the extent of human and natural threats has not been fully quantified at the global scale. Here, using a Random Forest-based analysis of over one million Landsat images, we present the first 30 m resolution global maps of the drivers of mangrove loss from 2000 to 2016, capturing both human-driven and natural stressors. We estimate that 62% of global losses between 2000 and 2016 resulted from land-use change, primarily through conversion to aquaculture and agriculture. Up to 80% of these human-driven losses occurred within six Southeast Asian nations, reflecting the regional emphasis on enhancing aquaculture for export to support economic development. Both anthropogenic and natural losses declined between 2000 and 2016, though slower declines in natural loss caused an increase in their relative contribution to total global loss area. We attribute the decline in anthropogenic losses to the regionally dependent combination of increased emphasis on conservation efforts and a lack of remaining mangroves viable for conversion. While efforts to restore and protect mangroves appear to be effective over decadal timescales, the emergence of natural drivers of loss presents an immediate challenge for coastal adaptation. We anticipate that our results will inform decision-making within conservation and restoration initiatives by providing a locally relevant understanding of the causes of mangrove loss. |
554 | Potassium distribution and isotope composition in the lithospheric mantle in relation to global Earth's reservoirs | Recent analytical advances have provided means to measure potassium (K) isotopes in various terrestrial materials, but little is known about K distribution and stable isotope composition in the lithospheric mantle because of: (a) common low K abundances, (b) potential contamination and alteration, (c) diversity of mantle rocks and minerals hosting K in different tectonic settings. We report K abundances and δ41K values for well-studied whole-rock (WR) mantle xenoliths (spinel and garnet peridotites and pyroxenites) from mobile belts, a craton, a subduction zone, as well as for K-rich phases (mica, amphibole, silicate glass) and xenolith-bearing volcanic materials (67 samples). The xenolith materials show extremely broad ranges of K content (7 μg/g to 6.6 wt.%) and δ41K (-2.77‰ to 0.62‰). They contrast with the narrow δ41K range for host volcanic materials (-0.53‰ to -0.27‰) and literature data on oceanic basalts (melting products of upwelling asthenosphere: -0.43 ± 0.17‰, 2sd). Amphibole-bearing subduction zone peridotites show the highest WR δ41K values (0.40 to 0.62‰) likely inherited from fluids released into the mantle wedge from subducted oceanic crust. All other WR samples yield negative δ41K: -0.06‰ to -2.77‰ for peridotites and -0.17‰ to -0.52‰ for pyroxenites. The δ41K in K-rich mantle phases range from positive values (0.16 to 0.57‰) for phlogopite in strongly metasomatized peridotites to negative values (-0.27 to -0.94‰) for phlogopite, amphibole and glass pockets from other samples, which cannot be explained by equilibrium inter-mineral fractionation inferred from ab initio calculations. We attribute the broad δ41K variations to (a) isotope fractionation during fluid-rock interaction in the mantle, and (b) distinct sources of K-bearing fluids. Kinetic isotope fractionation during fluid percolation and diffusion is inferred for composite xenoliths (phlogopite and pyroxenite veins in peridotites) that have lower δ41K in the hosts than in the veins due to slower migration of 41K than 39K from the veins (former fluid channels) to host mantle. Overall, the K isotope fractionation in the lithospheric mantle appears to be greater than for magmatic fractionation in the crust. The average δ41K of normal off-craton continental lithospheric mantle calculated from the least altered fertile and lightly metasomatized lherzolites is -0.57 ± 0.28‰ (2sd). This value is within error (though a little lower) of estimates for both continental crust and MORB and OIB mantle sources indicating that these major silicate Earth reservoirs have similar bulk δ41K values, apparently due to low or negligible K isotopic fractionation during their formation by magmatic differentiation and melting. By contrast, K isotopes in modern and fossil subduction zones are fractionated via fluid-related equilibrium and kinetic processes. |
555 | Do Real Output and Renewable Energy Consumption Affect CO2 Emissions? Evidence for Selected BRICS Countries | Climate change is one of the most important global problems faced by the international community. It is generally believed that increasing the consumption of renewable energy is an effective measure to promote CO2 emissions reduction. Therefore, renewable energy consumption has become one of the best alternative strategies for sustainable development. Based on this, this paper employs the 3SLS model to conduct an empirical study on the relations among real output, renewable energy consumption, and CO2 emissions of BRICS countries (except Russia) in 1999-2014. The empirical results support, for BRICS group, the complete tri-variate relationships (energy-output-emission nexus), and renewable energy had a significant positive impact on the real output, and vice versa. Besides, compared with other countries, Brazil also has the same tri-variate relationships as BRICS group. However, China has no relationship from real output to renewable energy consumption and from real output to CO2 emissions; India does not have the relationship from real output to renewable energy consumption and the bilateral relationship between real output and CO2 emissions; the relationship between variables in South Africa only occurs in the energy output chain. Finally, according to the estimation results of the simultaneous equation, the BRICs governments should consider the importance of human capital level and financial development when controlling the real output level and pollution. In addition, it should be noted that effective energy policies help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions without compromising real output. |
556 | Taxifolin improves inflammatory injury of human bronchial epithelial cells by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 10 via Wnt/β-catenin pathway | Taxifolin (TXL), also known as dihydroquercetin, is one of the most important flavonoids prevalent across the plant kingdom. Increasing evidence has demonstrated its critical role in respiratory diseases. The present study aims to reveal the detailed mechanism in TNF-α-stimulated BEAS-2B cells by which TXL might exert effects on the development of asthma. Cell viability detection of BEAS-2B treated with TXL before and after TNF-α induction employed MMT. The expressions of inflammatory cytokines, MUC5AC and ICAM-1 were determined by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot after TXL was exposed to an in vitro asthma model. Then, light transmittance and apoptosis were then measured employing fluorescein transmittance, TUNEL and Western blot. After overexpressing MMP10, the abovementioned assays were performed again. Finally, the association between Wnt/β-catenin pathway and MMP10 was confirmed by detecting the proteins in this pathway. TXL increases the cell viability of TNF-induced BEAS-2B cells. TXL suppressed the inflammation, mucus formation, and apoptosis in TNF-α-induced BEAS-2B cells. Furthermore, after the prediction of binding sites between TXL and MMP10, it was found that overexpression of MMP10 reversed the effects of TXL on suppressing the progression of TNF-α-induced BEAS-2B cells. Finally, TXL blocked Wnt/β-catenin pathway by inhibiting MMP10 expression.TXL can be a promising drug for the treatment of asthma due to its inhibition of MMP10 expression by blocking Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Future experimental in vivo studies of asthma on this commonly used bioactive flavonoid could open new avenues for the therapies of asthma. |
557 | Water-energy scarcity nexus risk in the national trade system based on multiregional input-output and network environ analyses | The risk of economic loss caused by water and energy scarcity can be transferred via economic trading activities. In this study, a network-based framework was proposed to assess the water/energy scarcity risk nexus in a national trade system based on the multiregional input-output analysis (MRIOA) and the information-based network environ analysis (NEA). The initial risk of water and energy scarcity for different sectors in each province was first estimated based on the regional water stress index (WSI), energy stress index (ESI), and water and energy consumption intensity. The initial risk of water-energy scarcity nexus was also accounted for by combining the intensity-based weighting schemes. Additionally, information-based NEA technique was applied to ascertain the distributed control relationships in the currency flow networks of the MRIO table. Then, the integral water scarcity risk transmission network, the integral energy scarcity risk transmission network and the integral water-energy scarcity nexus risk transmission network can be established via combining the corresponding initial risk and the control allocation matrix. Finally, a case study was conducted in China to quantify the propagation of water-energy scarcity risk among different regions and sectors, which considers both direct risk and integral risk, in the national trade system. The results showed that there are significant differences between the initial risk and integral risk of water-energy scarcity due to indirect effects and amplification effects in the network. Moreover, this study highlights that economic trade could transfer local water/energy scarcity to distant regions in the national economic system, i.e., local water/energy scarcity could not only cause economic loss locally or in adjacent regions, but also have tele-connected influences over geographically distant regions via the national supply chain. Hence, the economic incentives for local water or energy system management are increasingly inadequate compared with the needs of a resilient economy. The proposed water-energy scarcity risk nexus assessment framework can provide a network-based insight for identifying vulnerable provinces and sectors of water and energy scarcity to strengthen the resilience of the national economy and boost the synergies of water and energy management. |
558 | Biosorption performance of date palm empty fruit bunch wastes for toxic hexavalent chromium removal | Biosorption ability of date palm empty fruit bunch (DPEFB) was examined for the removal of toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) ions from synthetic wastewater. The pretreated DPEFB biosorbent was studied for its morphology and surface chemistry through Scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Effect of biosorption parameters such as pH, biosorbent dosage, contact time, temperature, initial feed concentration and agitation speed on the Cr6+ ions removal efficiency by DPEFB was critically evaluated. The isoelectric point for the DPEFB sorbent was observed at pH 2, above which it was dehydronated to capture the positively charged Cr6+ ions. Batch biosorption studies showed that an optimal chromium removal efficiency of 58.02% was recorded by the DPEFB biosorbent for pH 2, dosage 0.3 g, 100 rpm agitation speed, 120 min contact time, 50 mg/L initial feed concentration and 30 degrees C operational temperature. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the binding of Cr6+ ions on DPEFB surface was exothermic, stable and favorable at room temperature. Equilibrium behavior of chromium binding on DPEFB was more aligned to Temkin isotherm (R-2 = 0.9852) highlighting the indirect interactions between Cr(6+ )ions and the biosorbent. Kinetic modeling revealed that the biosorption of Cr6+ ions by DPEFB obeyed pseudo-second order model than the pseudo-first order and intra-particle diffusion models. Reusability studies of the DPEFB sorbent showed that NaNO3 was an effective regenerant and the biosorbent can be efficiently reused up to three successive biosorption-desorption cycles for chromium removal. In summary, the results clearly showed that the DPEFB biowaste seems to be an efficient, economic and eco-friendly biosorbent for sustainable removal of toxic hexavalent chromium ions from domestic and industrial wastewater streams. |
559 | Dominance in humans | Dominance captures behavioural patterns found in social hierarchies that arise from agonistic interactions in which some individuals coercively exploit their control over costs and benefits to extract deference from others, often through aggression, threats and/or intimidation. Accumulating evidence points to its importance in humans and its separation from prestige-an alternate avenue to high status in which status arises from information (e.g. knowledge, skill, etc.) or other non-rival goods. In this review, we provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of dominance as a concept within evolutionary biology, discuss the challenges of applying it to humans and consider alternative theoretical accounts which assert that dominance is relevant to understanding status in humans. We then review empirical evidence for its continued importance in human groups, including the effects of dominance-independently of prestige-on measurable outcomes such as social influence and reproductive fitness, evidence for specialized dominance psychology, and evidence for gender-specific effects. Finally, because human-specific factors such as norms and coalitions may place bounds on purely coercive status-attainment strategies, we end by considering key situations and contexts that increase the likelihood for dominance status to coexist alongside prestige status within the same individual, including how: (i) institutional power and authority tend to elicit dominance; (ii) dominance-enhancing traits can at times generate benefits for others (prestige); and (iii) certain dominance cues and ethology may lead to mis-attributions of prestige. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'. |
560 | How to transition to reduced-meat diets that benefit people and the planet | Overwhelming evidence shows that overconsumption of meat is bad for human and environmental health and that moving towards a more plant-based diet is more sustainable. For instance, replacing beef with beans in the US could free up 42% of US cropland and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 334 mmt, accomplishing 75% of the 2020 carbon reduction target. We summarise the evidence on how overconsumption social, environmental and economic sustainability. We highlight the social, environmental and economic effectiveness of a range of dietary interventions that have been tested to date. Because meat eating is embedded within complex cultural, economic, and political systems, dietary shifts to reduce overconsumption are unlikely to happen quickly and a suite of sustained, context-specific interventions is likely to work better than brief, one-dimensional approaches. We conclude with key actions needed by global leaders in politics, industry and the health sector that could help aide this dietary transformation to benefit people and the planet. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. |
561 | A New Direction for Closed-Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation: Combining Contemporary Therapy Paradigms with Evoked Compound Action Potential Sensing | Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) utilizes the delivery of mild electrical pulses via epidural electrodes placed on the dorsal side of the spinal cord, typically to treat chronic pain. The first clinical use of SCS involved the delivery of paresthesia inducing, low-frequency waveforms to the neural targets corresponding to the painful areas. Contemporary SCS therapies now leverage novel therapeutic pathways to limit paresthesia and deliver superior clinical outcomes. Historically, SCS has largely been delivered with fixed stimulation parameters. This approach, referred to as open-loop (OL) SCS, does not account for the fluctuations in spacing-driven by postural changes and activity-between the electrodes and the cord. These fluctuations result in variability in the delivered dose and the volume of tissue activation (VTA) that manifests with each stimulation pulse. Inconsistent dosing may lead to suboptimal therapeutic efficacy and durability. To address this clinical need, closed-loop (CL) SCS systems have been developed to automatically adjust stimulation parameters to compensate for this variability. The evoked compound action potential (ECAP), a biopotential generated by the synchronous activation of dorsal column fibers, is indicative of the VTA resulting from the stimulation pulse. The ECAP may be utilized as a control signal in CL SCS systems to adjust stimulation parameters to reduce variability in the ECAP, and in turn, variability in the VTA. While investigational CL SCS systems with ECAP sensing have so far focused solely on managing paresthesia-based SCS, such systems must also incorporate the stimulation approaches that now define the contemporary clinical practice of SCS. Accordingly, we describe here a flexible, next-generation framework for neural responsive SCS that blends science-based methodologies for pain management with real-time CL control for biophysical variation. We conclude with a clinical example of such a system and the associated performance characteristics. |
562 | EU bioenergy development to 2050 | Bioenergy is the EU's leading renewable energy source at present. Understanding bioenergy's contribution to the future EU energy mix is strategically relevant for mid to long term climate targets. This review consolidates recent projections of both supply and demand dynamics for EU bioenergy to 2050, drawing from resource-focused, demand-driven and integrated assessment approaches. Projections are synthesised to identify absolute ranges, determine cohesion with policy and draw insights on the implications for the scale of development, trade and energy security. Supply side studies have undergone methodological harmonisation efforts in recent years. Despite this, due to assumptions on key uncertainties such as feedstock yields, technical potential estimates range from 9 to 25 EJyr-1 of EU domestically available biomass for energy in 2050. Demand side projections range between 5 and 19 EJyr-1 by 2050. This range is primarily due to variations in study assumptions on key influential developments such as economic competitivity of bioenergy, EU energy efficiency gains within the power sector, flexibility for meeting mitigation targets and technological portfolios. Upper bound technical supply estimates are able meet future demand wholly from the domestic resource base, holding the potential to reduce total EU primary energy import dependency 22% points from the current EU roadmap trajectory. However, due to part of this domestic resource base being deemed economically inaccessible or of insufficient quality, interregional imports are projected to increase from current 4% to 13-76%. Emergence of non-energy applications are projected to compete for at least 10% of the biomass needed to fulfil bioenergy demand in 2050. |
563 | Distinct mutations and lineages of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent 1-year global expansion | A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has caused over 274 million cases and over 5.3 million deaths worldwide since it occurred in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Here we conceptualized the temporospatial evolutionary and expansion dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 by taking a series of the cross-sectional view of viral genomes from early outbreak in January 2020 in Wuhan to the early phase of global ignition in early April, and finally to the subsequent global expansion by late December 2020. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the early patients in Wuhan, Wuhan/WH04/2020 is supposed to be a more appropriate reference genome of SARS-CoV-2, instead of the first sequenced genome Wuhan-Hu-1. By scrutinizing the cases from the very early outbreak, we found a viral genotype from the Seafood Market in Wuhan featured with two concurrent mutations (i.e., M type) had become the overwhelmingly dominant genotype (95.3%) of the pandemic 1 year later. By analyzing 4013 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from different continents by early April, we were able to interrogate the viral genomic composition dynamics of the initial phase of global ignition over a time span of 14 weeks. Eleven major viral genotypes with unique geographic distributions were also identified. WE1 type, a descendant of M and predominantly witnessed in western Europe, consisted of half of all the cases (50.2%) at the time. The mutations of major genotypes at the same hierarchical level were mutually exclusive, which implies that various genotypes bearing the specific mutations were propagated during human-to-human transmission, not by accumulating hot-spot mutations during the replication of individual viral genomes. As the pandemic was unfolding, we also used the same approach to analyze 261 323 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from the world since the outbreak in Wuhan (i.e., including all the publicly available viral genomes) to recapitulate our findings over 1-year time span. By December 25, 2020, 95.3% of global cases were M type and 93.0% of M-type cases were WE1. In fact, at present all the five variants of concern (VOC) are the descendants of WE1 type. This study demonstrates that viral genotypes can be utilized as molecular barcodes in combination with epidemiologic data to monitor the spreading routes of the pandemic and evaluate the effectiveness of control measures. Moreover, the dynamics of viral mutational spectrum in the study may help the early identification of new strains in patients to reduce further spread of infection, guide the development of molecular diagnosis and vaccines against COVID-19, and help assess their accuracy and efficacy in real world at real time. |
564 | Prehospital Noninvasive Ventilation: An NAEMSP Position Statement and Resource Document | Noninvasive ventilation (NIV), including bilevel positive airway pressure and continuous positive airway pressure, is a safe and important therapeutic option in the management of prehospital respiratory distress. NAEMSP recommends:NIV should be used in the management of prehospital patients with respiratory failure, such as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and pulmonary edema.NIV is a safe intervention for use by Emergency Medical Technicians.Medical directors must assure adequate training in NIV, including appropriate patient selection, NIV system operation, administration of adjunctive medications, and assessment of clinical response.Medical directors must implement quality assessment and improvement programs to assure optimal application of and outcomes from NIV.Novel NIV methods such as high-flow nasal cannula and helmet ventilation may have a role in prehospital care. |
565 | Antiparasitic Derivatives of the Furoquinoline Alkaloids Kokusaginine And Flindersiamine | We report the synthesis of 16 new compounds obtained from kokusaginine and flindersiamine, the main alkaloids isolated from the bark of Balfourodendron riedelianum. The activity of the compounds against axenic cultures of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigtotes and trypomastigotes, as well as intracellular amastigotes, is described, together with their cytotoxic activity against three different human cell lines. The synthetic strategy for the preparation of the new compounds was based on the reactivity at the C4 position of the furoquinoline core towards nucleophiles. The new derivatives were synthesized by a Buchwald-Hartwig reaction, in most cases under green, solvent-free conditions. Compounds 1 c and 1 e displayed better in-vitro activity against trypomastigotes than benznidazole and nifurtimox (positive controls) with IC50 <4 μM. In addition, both compounds were not cytotoxic against the three human cell lines K562 (erytroleukimia), LM2 (breast cancer), and HaCat (keratinocyte). Interestingly, when evaluated against intracellular amastigotes, compound 1 c was able to significantly reduce the number of this parasite form, compared to the negative control. |
566 | Systems consolidation and fear memory generalisation as a potential target for trauma-related disorders | Fear memory generalisation is a central hallmark in the broad range of anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Recent findings suggest that fear generalisation is closely related to hippocampal dependency during retrieval. In this review, we describe the current understanding about memory generalisation and its potential influence in fear attenuation through pharmacological and behavioural interventions. In light of systems consolidation framework, we propose that keeping memory precision could be a key step to enhance therapeutic outcomes. |
567 | Efficiency of grey wolf optimization algorithm for damage detection of skeletal structures via expanded mode shapes | Vibration-based structural damage identification through optimization techniques has become an interesting research topic in recent years. Dynamic characteristics such as frequencies and mode shapes are used to construct the objective function. The objective functions based on only frequencies are not very sensitive to damage in large structures. However, objective functions based on both mode shapes and frequencies are very effective. In real measurement condition, the number of installed sensors is limited, and there are no economic reasons for measuring the mode shapes at all degrees of freedom. In this kind of circumstances, mode expansion methods are used to address the incompleteness of mode shapes. In this article, the system equivalent reduction and expansion process is applied to determine the unmeasured mode shapes. Two experimental examples including a cantilever beam and a truss tower are investigated to show system equivalent reduction and expansion process' efficiency in estimating unmeasured mode shapes. The results show that the technique used for expansion is influential. Damage identification is formulated as an optimization problem, and the residual force vector based on expanded mode shapes is considered as an objective function. In order to minimize the objective function, grey wolf optimization and Harris hawks optimization are used. Numerical studies on a 56-bar dome space truss and experimental validation on a steel frame are performed to demonstrate the efficiency of the developed approach. Both numerical and experimental results indicate that the combination of the grey wolf optimization and expanded mode shapes with system equivalent reduction and expansion process can provide a reliable approach for determining the severities and locations of damage of skeletal structures when it compares with those obtained by Harris hawks optimization. |
568 | The effect of China's pilot carbon emissions trading schemes on poverty alleviation: A quasi-natural experiment approach | As an important new tool for ecological poverty alleviation, carbon trading compensation is combining ecological protection with rural poverty alleviation. This paper evaluates the poverty alleviation impact of China's pilot carbon emissions trading schemes (ETS) at the provincial level before and after the program, which was implemented from 2007 to 2017. Specifically, we measure poverty alleviation in terms of rural residential income growth and rural job creation. By exploiting the quasi-experimental variation in whether provinces were affected by this pilot ETS policy, our analysis finds that the ETS policy resulted in increases in rural residential income and employment. We find the estimated effects correspond to an increase of approximately 752.6 yuan in annual rural residential income and 2.35% in the ratio of rural employed population to the total employed population, accounting for 9.5% of the rural residents' income and 7.11% of the rural employment, specifically. The results imply that the implementation of ETS is beneficial to income growth and job creation for rural areas of China, which mean the ETS policy may be conducive to poverty alleviation in affected provinces. |
569 | The Association Between Bullying Victimization and Fighting in School Among US High School Students | In-school fighting often results in severe punishment and compromised learning outcomes, without adequate consideration of contextual factors or student vulnerabilities. In this study, using a large, nationally representative data sample from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 13677), we assessed associations between a history of bullying victimization (at school and online) and past year fighting at school among U.S. high school students. Multiple regression models were used, adjusting first for demographics, and then for demographics and emotional-behavioral risks (depressive symptoms, alcohol consumption, and sexual violence victimization), for the total sample and then stratified by gender/sex. Both cyberbullying and in-school bullying were significantly associated with past year in-school fighting for the total sample, with associations retained, but marginally attenuated in fully adjusted models (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.01-1.66 and in-school bullying: AOR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.57-2.45). Gender/sex-stratified models demonstrated retained associations for males (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.93; 1.51-2.46 and in-school bullying: AOR: 2.70, 95% CI: 2.18-3.34) and females (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.89; 1.33-2.68 and in-school bullying: AOR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.19-2.33) after adjusting for demographics, but only for males after adjusting for demographics and emotional-behavior risk factors (cyberbullying: AOR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.07-1.93 and in-school bullying: AOR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.73-2.92). These results demonstrate a significant association between bullying victimization and fighting, which was amplified for male students, and partially explained by social and emotional risks. This suggests that punitive approaches to fighting in school may be resulting in compounded harms for already vulnerable adolescents and that support-oriented approaches emphasizing conflict resolution, social-emotional well-being, positive gender identity development, and bullying prevention may be more appropriate. |
570 | Linear IGA bullous dermatosis potentially triggered by vaccination | Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is a mucocutaneous autoimmune blistering disease affecting both adults and children. It is caused by IgA antibodies targeting multiple antigens along the basement membrane zone, leading to disruption of dermoepidermal junction and development of bullous lesions which often presents in characteristic arrangement. Although most LABD cases have been reported to be idiopathic, different triggers have been described, including several drugs and infection. However, the occurrence of vaccine-induced cases of LABD is not widely known and accepted due to the few reports available. We present two cases of LABD occurred following different triggers, rising the suspicion for a possible pathogenetic role of vaccines. |
571 | Impact of financial development on CO2 emissions: A comparative analysis of developing countries (D-8) and developed countries (G(8)) | Financial development is one of the key drivers of rapid economic growth as well as CO2 emission in the environment. This study aims to investigate the casual links between financial development and CO2 emission in G8 and D8 countries for the time period from 1999 to 2013. We used PCA to develop financial development index from its five sub-components. Second-generation panel unit root tests are applied to check the stationary level and to tackle the presence of cross-sectional dependence in panels. The empirical results of PMG-panel ARDL technique show that financial development has significant and positive impact on carbon emission at a 1% statistical level in both panels in the long-run. The impact of financial development and energy consumption is more evident in D-8 and G(8) countries respectively. The energy use and trade openness affect positively while GDP significantly causes to decline the carbon emissions at 1% statistical level. The results of D-H causality test show that majority of the variables have one-way causality towards CO(2)emission in both panels except the financial development and energy use having two-way causality in G8 panel only. The empirical findings of the present study suggest that through improved financial system, more funds should be invested in clean energy projects to adopt the renewable energy, strict monetary policies should be implemented to reduce the consumption of big ticket items, and adoption of measure to reduce trade embodied emission is suggested. |
572 | Sustainable energy planning for cost minimization of autonomous hybrid microgrid using combined multi-objective optimization algorithm | With the development of scattered energy resources in the rural areas of Sarawak (Malaysia), various operational problems due to the unplanned installation of autonomous microgrids become gradually remarkable. To address this concern, the paper proposes an optimal strategy to evaluate the performance of different hybrid microgrid configurations for the Long San Village in Sarawak. A mathematical model is presented for sizing the component of the system to meet the maximum load demand under changing weather conditions and at the lowest possible cost. The developed approach simulates different microgrid models using deterministic and stochastic optimization methods to find the exact dynamic energy price of the selected optimal configuration in the context of system uncertainties. Furthermore, the operational feasibility of the system in terms of reliability and voltage security is studied in addition to economic feasibility with a comparative analysis of the environmental impact. The results show that the optimal configuration with the lowest cost of energy and net present cost can be achieved if the installed solar PV is less than 61 kW with 85 kW h of energy storage and 11 kW of hydro generation, where such system has 55,725 (kg/year) Carbon Dioxide and 330 (kg/year) Nitrogen Oxides. The findings also indicate that the dynamic energy pricing increases to 0.71 $/kWh when the power generation from renewable resources drops to zero. Further, the dynamic analysis shows that in order to reduce the voltage drop during disturbances, it is crucial to carefully install the sources in the buses connected to high energy demand. |
573 | Effects of urbanization on energy efficiency in China: New evidence from short run and long run efficiency models | Energy efficiency in China has been the cause for increasing concern for national and local sustainable development due to rapid economic development and large-scale energy consumption. Using panel data of 30 provinces between 1997 and 2016 in China, the measurement of energy efficiency is disentangled, and the effects of urbanization on different types of energy efficiency are explored. First, the measurement of energy efficiency is disentangled, with long-run and short-run efficiencies derived. Results of energy efficiency scores highlight the predominant status of long-run inefficiency is low and that disparate energy efficiency is present between provinces. Second, the effects of urbanization were found to be significantly negative on short-run, long-run and overall energy efficiency. Comparatively, the effect of urbanization on long-run efficiency was shown to have recently grown, implying an urgent call for energy conservation during rapid urbanization. Finally, this study outlines broader implications and suggests policies to improve energy efficiency. Here, application of energy conservation technology, industrial structure upgrading and efficiency information disclosure to urban residents are thought to be smart ways to improve energy efficiency. |
574 | Primary cutaneous CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma of the face with intraoral involvement, resulting in facial nerve palsy after chemotherapy | The primary cutaneous (PC) CD8+ T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) comprise clinically and histopathologically heterogeneous entities including mycosis fungoides, lymphomatoid papulosis, hydroa-vacciniforme-like LPD, subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (TCL), PC acral CD8+ TCL, PC CD8+ aggressive epidermotropic cytotoxic TCL, and PC peripheral TCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). We describe a 33-year-old man who presented with progressive facial swelling and lower lip involvement 1 year ago. Microscopy revealed an atypical small to medium-sized lymphoid proliferation exhibiting perivascular accentuation, adnexotropism, and apoptotic cell debris, without surface epithelium involvement. The tumor cells were positive for CD3, CD8, granzyme B, perforin, MUM1/IRF4, and TCR-BF1. The Ki-67 labeling index was 48%. EBER1/2 was negative. Additional studies confirmed localized disease. The diagnosis favored PC-PTCL-NOS. Two months after completing chemotherapy, right-sided facial nerve palsy was diagnosed. CD8+ T-cell LPDs should be considered in the differential diagnosis when assessing facial swelling with intraoral involvement. |
575 | Earth observation-based ecosystem services indicators for national and subnational reporting of the sustainable development goals | Decision-making that impacts sustainability occurs at national and subnational levels, highlighting the need for multi-scale Earth observations (EO) and geospatial data for assessing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). EnviroAtlas, developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and partners, provides a collection of web-based, interactive maps of environmental and socio-economic data relevant to the SDGs. EnviroAtlas maps ecosystem services indicators at national, regional, and local extents that can contribute to targets set forth in numerous goals, such as SDG 6 for clean water, SDG 11 for sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 15 for life on land. Examples of EnviroAtlas indicators that provide a way to view spatial inequalities, help fill gaps in environmental indicators, and integrate socio-economic and environmental data for the SDGs are explored herein. Remotely sensed EO data are essential for producing these indicators and informing planning and decision-making for the SDGs at subnational scales. The National Land Cover Dataset is the basis for many EnviroAtlas maps at the national extent, while National Agriculture Imagery Program and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data are used to classify Meter-scale Urban Land Cover in select US metro areas. These 30 m and 1 m land cover products are combined with demographic and other geospatial data (remotely sensed and otherwise) to produce integrated indicators that can aid in target setting of the SDGs. Though EnviroAtlas was created for the conterminous US, the methods for indicator creation are transferable, and the open-source code for the EnviroAtlas resource may serve as an example for other nations. Achieving the SDGs means assessing targets and decision-making outcomes at local, regional, and national levels using consistent and accurate data. Geospatial resources like EnviroAtlas that provide open access to indicators based on EO data and allow for assessment at multiple extents and resolutions are critical to broadly addressing national to subnational SDG goals and targets. |
576 | Anaesthesia for mechanical thrombectomy: a narrative review | Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and is associated with a huge societal and economic burden. Interventions for the immediate treatment of ischaemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion are dependent on recanalisation of the occluded vessel. Trials have provided evidence supporting the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in ischaemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. This has resulted in changes in management and organisation of stroke care worldwide. Major determinants of effectiveness of thrombectomy include: time between stroke onset and reperfusion; location of occlusion and local collateral perfusion; adequacy of reperfusion; patient age; and stroke severity. The role of anaesthetic technique on outcome remains controversial with published research showing conflicting results. As a result, choice of conscious sedation or general anaesthesia for mechanical thrombectomy is often dependent on individual operator choice or institutional preference. More recent randomised controlled trials have suggested that protocol-driven general anaesthesia is no worse than conscious sedation and may even be associated with better outcomes. These and other studies have highlighted the importance of optimal blood pressure management as a major determinant of patient outcome. Anaesthetic management should be tailored to the individual patient and circumstances. Acute ischaemic stroke is a neurological emergency; clinicians should focus on minimising door-to-groin puncture time and the provision of high-quality periprocedural care with a particular emphasis on the maintenance of an adequate blood pressure. |
577 | Gems of the southern Japanese seas - four new species of Edwardsianthus (Anthozoa, Actiniaria, Edwardsiidae) with redescriptions of two species | Edwardsianthus England, 1987 is a genus of Edwardsiidae, a family of burrowing and worm-like sea anemones characterized by lacking four mesenteries in the first cycle and containing only one type of nematocysts in nemathybomes. Until now, this genus has accommodated only two species since its establishment and has been recorded only from Indo-West Pacific regions. In this study, six species are reported from Japan: two are previously known species, E.pudicus (Klunzinger, 1877) and E.gilbertensis (Carlgren, 1931); four are new species, E.carbunculus sp. nov., E.sapphirus sp. nov., E.smaragdus sp. nov., and E.amethystus sp. nov. Based on these results, the diagnostic features of the genus are revised. |
578 | Puberty enables oestradiol-induced progesterone synthesis in female mouse hypothalamic astrocytes | The development of oestrogen positive feedback is a hallmark of female puberty. Both oestrogen and progesterone signalling are required for the functioning of this neuroendocrine feedback loop but the physiological changes that underlie the emergence of positive feedback remain unknown. Only after puberty does oestradiol (E2) facilitate progesterone synthesis in the rat female hypothalamus (neuroP), an event critical for positive feedback and the LH surge. We hypothesize that prior to puberty, these astrocytes have low levels of membrane oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα), which is needed for facilitation of neuroP synthesis. Thus, we hypothesized that prepubertal astrocytes are unable to respond to E2 with increased neuroP synthesis due a lack of membrane ERα. To test this, hypothalamic tissues and enriched primary hypothalamic astrocyte cultures were acquired from prepubertal (postnatal week 3) and post-pubertal (week 8) female mice. E2-facilitated neuroP was measured in the hypothalamus pre- and post-puberty, and hypothalamic astrocyte responses were measured after treatment with E2. Prior to puberty, E2-facilitated neuroP synthesis did not occur in the hypothalamus, and mERα expression was low in hypothalamic astrocytes, but E2-facilitated neuroP synthesis in the rostral hypothalamus and mERα expression increased post-puberty. The increase in mERα expression in hypothalamic astrocytes corresponded with a post-pubertal increase in caveolin-1 protein, PKA phosphorylation, and a more rapid [Ca2+ ]i flux in response to E2. Together, results from the present study indicate that E2-facilitated neuroP synthesis occurs in the rostral hypothalamus, develops during puberty, and corresponds to a post-pubertal increase in mERα levels in hypothalamic astrocytes. |
579 | Deceased donor kidneys allocated out of sequence by organ procurement organizations | Deceased donor kidney allocation follows a ranked match-run of potential recipients. Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) are permitted to deviate from the mandated match-run in exceptional circumstances. Using match-run data for all deceased donor kidney transplants (Ktx) in the US between 2015 and 2019, we identified 1544 kidneys transplanted from 933 donors with an OPO-initiated allocation exception. Most OPOs (55/58) used this process at least once, but 3 OPOs performed 64% of the exceptions and just 2 transplant centers received 25% of allocation exception Ktx. At 2 of 3 outlier OPOs these transplants increased 136% and 141% between 2015 and 2019 compared to only a 35% increase in all Ktx. Allocation exception donors had less favorable characteristics (median KDPI 70, 41% with history of hypertension), but only 29% had KDPI ≥ 85% and the majority did not meet the traditional threshold for marginal kidneys. Allocation exception kidneys went to larger centers with higher offer acceptance ratios and to recipients with 2 fewer priority points-equivalent to 2 less years of waiting time. OPO-initiated exceptions for kidney allocation are growing increasingly frequent and more concentrated at a few outlier centers. Increasing pressure to improve organ utilization risks increasing out-of-sequence allocations, potentially exacerbating disparities in access to transplantation. |
580 | Clinical Evaluation of Ramucirumab for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): Place in Therapy | Hepatocellular carcinoma remains one of the leading causes of death from cancer worldwide as most cases are diagnosed at an advanced disease stage. Ramucirumab, a human anti-VEGFR-2 monoclonal antibody, is approved as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and α-fetoprotein levels ≥400 ng/mL previously treated with sorafenib. As most patients present with an advanced disease, patients with α-fetoprotein levels ≥400 ng/mL have an aggressive disease and a poor prognosis, making ramucirumab an important treatment option for this subgroup of patients. This article provides a comprehensive review of the clinical efficacy of ramucirumab as highlighted in the two major trials that lead to its approval. We also briefly review the agent pharmacologic properties, as well as its safety and toxicity profile, before discussing certain limitations and challenges associated with ramucirumab use. Finally, we review completed and ongoing clinical trials and focus on those involving ramucirumab-based combinations, namely with immune therapy. |
581 | The impact of low-carbon city construction on ecological efficiency: Empirical evidence from quasi-natural experiments | Building a low-carbon city is an important guarantee to optimize the ecological environment and the key to improving ecological efficiency. This study conducts a quasi-natural experiment using panel data of China's 286 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2016. It evaluates the influence of low-carbon city construction on urban ecological efficiency using the difference-in-difference (DID) method and tests the robustness of the empirical results. In addition, it explores the influence mechanism on urban ecological efficiency and further investigates the differential influence based on heterogeneous resource dependence and urban scale. The results show that: (1) China's low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy has significantly improved urban ecological efficiency, as confirmed through a series of robustness tests. (2) In terms of action mechanisms, the LCCP policy in 2012 improved urban ecological efficiency only through the technological innovation path and not through industrial structure advancement or energy utilization efficiency; there is room to expand the scope and enhance the effectiveness of the LCCP policy. (3) Regarding urban heterogeneity, resource-based cities are constrained by the dilemma of resource dependence and the construction of low-carbon cities has a weak effect on improving ecological efficiency. Similarly, the economic agglomeration effect of megacities can further strengthen the role of low-carbon city construction in improving ecological efficiency, while the effect is weak in small and medium-sized cities. This study's conclusions reliably evaluate the results of the current low-carbon city construction and suggest a feasible path for further implementation of the related policy. |
582 | Analyzing technology-emissions association in Top-10 polluted MENA countries: How to ascertain sustainable development by quantile modeling approach | This study investigates the relationship between technological progression and ambient air pollution in top-10 polluted Middle East and North African (MENA) countries by using monthly data for the period of 1990-2017. The Quantile cointegration proposed by Xiao (2009), Quantile-on-Quantile regression (QQ) proposed by Sim and Zhou (2015), and Quantile Autoregressive Granger causality developed by Troster et al. (2018) are applied. In particular, we examine to which extent, quantiles of technological progression affect the quantiles of ambient air pollution, by developing separate indicators for both the mentioned aspects using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Our empirical findings unfold mutual dependence between technological progression and ambient air pollution. Furthermore, the results of Quantile Autoregressive Granger causality test conclude a bidirectional causal relationship between technological progression and ambient air pollution. |
583 | Sustainable Business Model Based on Digital Twin Platform Network: The Inspiration from Haier's Case Study in China | Sustainability and digitalization have become the main direction of transformation of enterprises. Building a digital twin platform network can provide enterprises with a comprehensive view of products, manufacture, supply chain, customer experience, and profitability, which is conducive to the construction of a sustainable business model. The purpose of this paper is to study how enterprises use digital twin platform networks to generate economic, social and environmental benefits in various dimensions and their coupling relationships. Based on the literature review, this paper constructs a five-dimensional framework of a sustainable business model, and analyses the coupling relationship between dimensions. Using Haier as a way to verify the five-dimensional framework, it explores the dynamic mechanism of the Haier digital twin platform network, constructs an integrated framework based on coupling perspective and compares it with other two home appliance enterprises. The study shows that, through the digital twin platform network, enterprises can remove the disadvantage of focusing on a single product life cycle, and form a comprehensive network, so as to promote overall sustainable upgrades. This paper draws generic strategies and digital transformation suggestions for enterprises to innovate the sustainable business model. The conclusion enriches the research on sustainable business models both theoretically and practically and provides a feasible reference for the transformation of enterprises in digital economy environment. |
584 | Microstructure of synthetic composite interfaces and verification of mixing order in cold-recycled asphalt emulsion mixture | Cold recycling technology is getting more and more attention due to economic and environmental benefits by reduced energy consumption and resource conservation. However, its application has been limited to the base and subbase layer because of complicated components and poor crack resistance for the last decades. The design method has shortcomings especially the traditional mixing order, which may be one of the reasons for poor crack resistance. To support the viewpoint above, synthetic composite interfaces were designed to simulate the worst situation during the traditional mixing process and observed in micro scale by scanning electron microscopy. In the microstructure of the traditional mixing order, it was apparent that cement paste had a number of microdefects, a signal of lower interfacial adhesive strength. Moreover, based on the microscopic observation, the adding sequence of cement ought to be changed and two optimized mixing orders were designed of which the difference was verified by the SEM observation of synthetic composite interfaces and the mechanical experiments for different curing time. It can be summarized that mechanical performance was consistent with the microscopic observation. The traditional mixing order was the worst one both in the strength and moisture sensitivity. Finally, the optimal mixing order is put forward to decrease the possibility of the adverse interface, that is, the graded aggregates are mixed with additional water first to reach the workability, while cement, asphalt emulsion and mineral powder are mixed to form cement-asphalt emulsion mortar, finally mixing them all up. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
585 | Immigration, Criminal Involvement, and Violence in the U.S.: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III | Topics of immigration and crime often receive national attention, despite evidence of the "immigrant paradox," in which immigrants have lower than expected crime and violence given their extreme social disadvantage. Research examining the immigrant paradox using an expanded set of crime outcomes and the latest available population data is needed. Using the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave III data (2012-2013; n = 36,309), we analyzed the association between first-generation immigrant status alongside violence (i.e., other-directed, self-directed, victimization) and criminal involvement (i.e., crime, legal problems, incarceration) outcomes. Immigrants self-reported lower rates of all outcomes compared to U.S.-born adults, providing continued support for the immigrant paradox. Future research considering later generations of immigrants, as well as differential mechanisms through which immigrants and U.S.-born adults engage in violence and crime, is needed. |
586 | Research on coupling degree and coupling path between China's carbon emission efficiency and industrial structure upgrading | To coordinate economic development and carbon emission reduction targets, China needs to improve carbon emission efficiency and upgrade the industrial structure. Therefore, it is important to study the coupling degree and coupling path between these two factors in various provinces in China, and thereby promote the development of China's low-carbon economy. We first calculate carbon emission efficiency using the Super-SBM model, then analyze an extended coupling model between carbon emission efficiency and industrial structure upgrading, and finally design the coupling paths using the framework of distribution dynamics. There are three main findings. First, the coupling degree of nearly half the provinces is at the level of mild-to-moderate imbalance recession. And in terms of specific coupling characteristics, nearly half the provinces belong to the type "low-level coordination," with a low development degree and high coordination degree. Second, there is an obvious dynamic imbalance between China's carbon emission efficiency and industrial structure upgrading, and the "low-level trap" of regional carbon emission efficiency is more serious than that of regional industrial structure upgrading. Finally, if the government prioritizes provinces with low carbon emission efficiency, carbon emission efficiency and the coupling efficiency with industrial structure can be improved, which would not only improve the coupling degree within each region but also alleviate the disharmony between regions. |
587 | Structural and functional properties of a magnesium transporter of the SLC11/NRAMP family | Members of the ubiquitous SLC11/NRAMP family catalyze the uptake of divalent transition metal ions into cells. They have evolved to efficiently select these trace elements from a large pool of Ca2+ and Mg2+, which are both orders of magnitude more abundant, and to concentrate them in the cytoplasm aided by the cotransport of H+ serving as energy source. In the present study, we have characterized a member of a distant clade of the family found in prokaryotes, termed NRMTs, that were proposed to function as transporters of Mg2+. The protein transports Mg2+ and Mn2+ but not Ca2+ by a mechanism that is not coupled to H+. Structures determined by cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography revealed a generally similar protein architecture compared to classical NRAMPs, with a restructured ion binding site whose increased volume provides suitable interactions with ions that likely have retained much of their hydration shell. |
588 | Oil supply risk and affecting parameters associated with oil supplementation and disruption | The fossil fuel energy carriers significantly affect the energy security. The oil security has turned to one of the main political agenda by considering the two world's oil crises. In this study, an index of oil supply vulnerability has been developed to compare the world's top fifteen oil importing South Asian countries. The index includes comprehensive set of indicators like imported oil over GDP ratio, market liquidity, GDP per capita, geopolitical risk, diversification, the ratio of oil importation over consumption, transportation risk, oil price volatility and US $ volatility. Two popular techniques (composite indicator (CI) and the principal component analysis (PCA)) were used to combine all the aforesaid indicators. Although numerous techniques have been used to assess the oil vulnerability index, for example DEA like models and Markowitz theory of portfolio, none of them incorporated the principal component analysis and composite indicator together to develop an oil vulnerability index. Results shows that the South Asian countries have highest economic, supply and overall oil vulnerability risk whereas the second group countries Belgium, Thailand, Spain, Netherlands, Japan, Korea, India and China are in a relatively less risky as compared to South Asian countries. Contrary to this third group of countries are Canada, Singapore, UK, and France, Italy, Germany and US are considered as a least vulnerable country. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
589 | Cognitive-affective responses to online positive-psychological interventions: The effects of optimistic, grateful, and self-compassionate writing | Growing evidence suggests that online positive-psychological interventions effectively increase well-being, and a wealth of evidence describes cognitive-affective responses to such interventions. Few studies, however, have directly compared responses across popular exercises such as the best-possible-self intervention, the gratitude letter, or self-compassionate writing. In addition, current evidence is ambiguous regarding the effects of potential moderator variables such as trait gratitude and emotional self-awareness. To address these issues, we randomized 432 German adults to perform either optimism, gratitude, self-compassion, or control writing interventions in an online setting. Participants reported trait gratitude and trait emotional self-awareness before the interventions, as well as momentary optimism, gratitude, self-compassion, positive affect, and current thoughts immediately after the interventions. Results indicate higher momentary optimism after the best-possible-self intervention and higher momentary gratitude after the gratitude letter than after the control task. There were no differences when comparing the best-possible-self intervention with the gratitude letter. Both interventions increased the number of positive self-relevant thoughts. The self-compassion condition showed no effects. Moderation analysis results indicate that neither emotional self-awareness nor trait gratitude moderated the intervention effects. Future studies should compare responses across different positive-psychological interventions using more comprehensive exercises to ensure larger effects. |
590 | Viciamingyueshanensis (Fabeae, Papilionoideae, Fabaceae), a new species from western Jiangxi, China | Viciamingyueshanensis, a new species from the Mingyue Mountain Region of western Jiangxi, China, is described and illustrated. It is a perennial climbing liana that always links to riparian woods. A morphological comparison indicated that the new species is closely similar to Viciataipaica K. T. Fu and Viciadichroantha Diels; however, it differs from the other two species by several salient characters, such as plant indumentum, stipule shape, corolla colour, bractlet shape and calyx shape. Photographs, a preliminary conservation assessment, table of morphological characters and distribution map comparing this new species to two morphologically-similar species are also provided. |
591 | A possible theranostic approach of chitosan-coated iron oxide nanoparticles against human colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116) cell line | Iron oxides have become increasingly popular for their use as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in oncology. This study aimed to improve pharmacological valuable of Fe3O4, which may be use to diagnosis colorectal cancers (CRC). Here, we have developed chitosan (CS) coated Fe3O4 through a cost-effective procedure. First, we determined the characterization of OA-C-Fe3O4 by FTIR, UV-Vis spectra, and TEM. Then, we evaluated the photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) activity of OA-C-Fe3O4 in human colorectal carcinoma cell lines (HCT 116). Current results revealed that the light-induced enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity of the nanoparticles (NPs) and caused cell death via the activity of caspase 9/3. The in vitro magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) experiments in (HCT 116) and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293) illustrated that nanohybrid is an effective MRI contrasting agents for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. |
592 | A research on coordination between economy, society and environment in China: A case study of Jiangsu | Environmental stresses with remarkable economic growths in China entail a transformation of development from the traditional path to a coordinated and sustainable one. Based on the connotation of development, this paper constructs a combined model of economic-social-environmental system, coupling with the entropy weight method, to measure the coordinated development of a combined system ESE as well as the subsystems. Via the data of economic growth, social construction and environmental protection in Jiangsu from 2002 to 2017, this study analyzes the current situations and problems faced by Jiangsu, so as to achieve a comprehensive development. Main results show that all the four kinds of coordinated degrees present an upward trend, where the economic-social coordination rises fast, the volatility is insignificant and the gap between different cities is not obvious. The timevariation and space-distribution characteristics of the economy-environment, society-environment and overall development coordination are basically similar. The reason for such fluctuations is the changes in the macroeconomic environment, which have led to an unordered variation in economic development, and the level of social development is mainly affected by the availability of social public service facilities. The fluctuations in environmental systems are mainly due to changes inwater resources and sewage discharges, which are also the main factors affecting the overall development coordination level. Therefore, to further promote the sustainable development and optimize the spatial layout in Jiangsu, it is necessary to eliminate such problems as imperfect public construction and insufficient environmental protection and accelerate the economic transformation and upgrading. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
593 | The build-up of dominance hierarchies in eusocial insects | Reproductive division of labour is a hallmark of eusocial insects. However, its stability can often be hampered by the potential for reproduction by otherwise sterile nest-mates. Dominance hierarchy has a crucial role in some species in regulating which individuals reproduce. Compared with those in vertebrates, the dominance hierarchies in eusocial insects tend to involve many more individuals, and should require additional selective forces unique to them. Here, we provide an overview of a series of studies on dominance hierarchies in eusocial insects. Although reported from diverse eusocial taxa, dominance hierarchies have been extensively studied in paper wasps and ponerine ants. Starting from molecular physiological attributes of individuals, we describe how the emergence of dominance hierarchies can be understood as a kind of self-organizing process through individual memory and local behavioural interactions. The resulting global structures can be captured by using network analyses. Lastly, we argue the adaptive significance of dominance hierarchies from the standpoint of sterile subordinates. Kin selection, underpinned by relatedness between nest-mates, is key to the subordinates' acceptance of their positions in the hierarchies. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'. |
594 | Anti-salmonella properties of kefir yeast isolates : An in vitro screening for potential infection control | The rise of antibiotic resistance has increased the need for alternative ways of preventing and treating enteropathogenic bacterial infection. Various probiotic bacteria have been used in animal and human. However, Saccharomyces boulardii is the only yeast currently used in humans as probiotic. There is scarce research conducted on yeast species commonly found in kefir despite its claimed potential preventative and curative effects. This work focused on adhesion properties, and antibacterial metabolites produced by Kluyveromyces lactis and Saccharomyces unisporus isolated from traditional kefir grains compared to Saccharomyces boulardii strains. Adhesion and sedimentation assay, slide agglutination, microscopy and turbidimetry assay were used to analyze adhesion of Salmonella Arizonae and Salmonella Typhimurium onto yeast cells. Salmonella growth inhibition due to the antimicrobial metabolites produced by yeasts in killer toxin medium was analyzed by slab on the lawn, turbidimetry, tube dilution and solid agar plating assays. Alcohol and antimicrobial proteins production by yeasts in killer toxin medium were analyzed using gas chromatography and shotgun proteomics, respectively. Salmonella adhered onto viable and non-viable yeast isolates cell wall. Adhesion was visualized using scanning electron microscope. Yeasts-fermented killer toxin medium showed Salmonella growth inhibition. The highest alcohol concentration detected was 1.55%, and proteins with known antimicrobial properties including cathelicidin, xanthine dehydrogenase, mucin-1, lactadherin, lactoperoxidase, serum amyloid A protein and lactotransferrin were detected in yeasts fermented killer medium. These proteins are suggested to be responsible for the observed growth inhibition effect of yeasts-fermented killer toxin medium. Kluyveromyces lactis and Saccharomyces unisporus have anti-salmonella effect comparable to Saccharomyces boulardii strains, and therefore have potential to control Salmonella infection. |
595 | Calcium supplementation for the prevention of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: current evidence and programmatic considerations | Most low- and middle-income countries present suboptimal intakes of calcium during pregnancy and high rates of mortality due to maternal hypertensive disorders. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy is known to reduce the risk of these disorders and associated complications, including preeclampsia, maternal morbidity, and preterm birth, and is, therefore, a recommended intervention for pregnant women in populations with low dietary calcium intake (e.g., where ≥25% of individuals in the population have intakes less than 800 mg calcium/day). However, this intervention is not widely implemented in part due to cost and logistical issues related to the large dose and burdensome dosing schedule (three to four 500-mg doses/day). WHO recommends 1.5-2 g/day but limited evidence suggests that less than 1 g/day may be sufficient and ongoing trials with low-dose calcium supplementation (500 mg/day) may point a path toward simplifying supplementation regimens. Calcium carbonate is likely to be the most cost-effective choice, and it is not necessary to counsel women to take calcium supplements separately from iron-containing supplements. In populations at highest risk for preeclampsia, a combination of calcium supplementation and food-based approaches, such as food fortification with calcium, may be required to improve calcium intakes before pregnancy and in early gestation. |
596 | Enhanced lung image segmentation using deep learning | With the advances in technology, assistive medical systems are emerging with rapid growth and helping healthcare professionals. The proactive diagnosis of diseases with artificial intelligence (AI) and its aligned technologies has been an exciting research area in the last decade. Doctors usually detect tuberculosis (TB) by checking the lungs' X-rays. Classification using deep learning algorithms is successfully able to achieve accuracy almost similar to a doctor in detecting TB. It is found that the probability of detecting TB increases if classification algorithms are implemented on segmented lungs instead of the whole X-ray. The paper's novelty lies in detailed analysis and discussion of U-Net + + results and implementation of U-Net + + in lung segmentation using X-ray. A thorough comparison of U-Net + + with three other benchmark segmentation architectures and segmentation in diagnosing TB or other pulmonary lung diseases is also made in this paper. To the best of our knowledge, no prior research tried to implement U-Net + + for lung segmentation. Most of the papers did not even use segmentation before classification, which causes data leakage. Very few used segmentations before classification, but they only used U-Net, which U-Net + + can easily replace because accuracy and mean_iou of U-Net + + are greater than U-Net accuracy and mean_iou , discussed in results, which can minimize data leakage. The authors achieved more than 98% lung segmentation accuracy and mean_iou 0.95 using U-Net + + , and the efficacy of such comparative analysis is validated. |
597 | Management of Fused Anterior Teeth: Review and Clinical Report | The phenomenon of fusion is a type of tooth dysplasia, but few studies have systematically described the treatment of this kind of abnormality. This paper summarizes the treatment methods for fused teeth and classifies the management schemes according to whether the pulp is fused. Then, the treatment for a patient with bilateral anterior tooth fusion is reported. After orthodontic treatment, porcelain veneers were used to restore the normal shape and aesthetic appearance of the anterior teeth. |
598 | Evaluation of rheological behaviors and anti-aging properties of recycled asphalts using low-viscosity asphalt and polymers | Recycling technology is widely used in the asphalt road construction due to its environmental and economic effects. Many efforts have focused on the performance restoration of aged base asphalt by adding light oil, but the possibility of recycling the aged asphalt using low-viscosity asphalt and polymers has been few explored. Therefore, the objective of this research is to use polymer-modified low-viscosity asphalt as rejuvenator to recycle the aged asphalt. The conventional properties, rheological behaviors as well as anti-aging performance of polymer-modified recycled asphalts were evaluated by rotational viscosity (RV) tests, dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests and bending beam rheometer (BBR) tests. Moreover, the effects of the concentration ratio between polymer-modified low-viscosity asphalt reju-venator and aged asphalt on the high-temperature anti-rutting, low-temperature cracking resistance, fatigue and aging resistance abilities of recycled asphalt were studied. The results show that the low-viscosity asphalt can increase viscous components and restore the workability of aged asphalt. However, the addition of low-viscosity asphalt weakens the high-temperature properties, temperature sensitivity and anti-aging performance of aged asphalt. Fortunately, the high-temperature rutting resistance, temperature sensitivity, viscoelastic properties, low-temperature cracking resistance, anti-fatigue and aging resistance performance of recycled asphalt can be enhanced remarkably by adding SBS and CR. Meanwhile, SBS-modified recycled asphalt has better fatigue and low temperature cracking resistance properties, while CR-modified recycled asphalt has the advantages on the rutting resistance, anti-aging and temperature sensitivity performance. Furthermore, SBS5-5 and CR6-4 modified recycled asphalts both have better pavement performance than others, which is superior to the requirements of polymer modified asphalt. Therefore, it is meaningful and feasible to recycle the aged base asphalt to be polymer-modified asphalt. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
599 | Multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials for cancer photoimmunotherapy | Phototherapy and immunotherapy in combination is regarded as the ideal therapeutic modality to treat both primary and metastatic tumors. Immunotherapy uses different immunological approaches to stimulate the immune system to identify tumor cells for targeted elimination. Phototherapy destroys the primary tumors by light irradiation, which induces a series of immune responses through triggering immunogenic cancer cell death. Therefore, when integrating immunotherapy with phototherapy, a novel anti-cancer strategy called photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is emerging. This synergistic treatment modality can not only enhance the effectiveness of both therapies but also overcome their inherent limitations, opening a new era for the current anti-cancer therapy. Recently, the advancement of nanomaterials affords a platform for PIT. From all these nanomaterials, inorganic nanomaterials stand out as ideal mediators in PIT due to their unique physiochemical properties. Inorganic nanomaterials can not only serve as carriers to transport immunomodulatory agents in immunotherapy owing to their excellent drug-loading capacity but also function as photothermal agents or photosensitizers in phototherapy because of their great optical characteristics. In this review, the recent advances of multifunctional inorganic nanomaterial-mediated drug delivery and their contributions to cancer PIT will be highlighted. |
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