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1,100 | State-of-health estimation of lithium-ion batteries based on semi-supervised transfer component analysis | Accurate state-of-health estimation can ensure the safe and reliable operation of Lithium-ion batteries in any given application. Nevertheless, most of the state-of-health estimation methods require a large amount of laboratory aging data to offer precise results. As obtaining battery aging data under laboratory conditions requires a considerable amount of time and incurs high economic costs, in this paper, a method based on transfer learning is proposed to monitor state-of-health of batteries. A novel data processing method based on maximum mean discrepancy is considered to eliminate redundant information and minimize the difference between different data distributions. Then, mutual information is used to prove that the correlation between processed data is not decreased. To validate the developed transfer learning method, the data sets of four batteries in different working conditions are considered. Different error-detection methods, maximum average error, mean squared error and root mean squared error, which are utilized to evaluate the proposed model. The state of health is estimated effectively with less than 2.5% error considering the aforementioned errors after processed by using semi-supervised transfer component analysis algorithm, although the training set only accounts for about 35% of the entire set. The results indicate that transfer learning plays an important role in improving the estimation accuracy of a battery state-of-health. |
1,101 | Spatial Statistics and Influencing Factors of the COVID-19 Epidemic at Both Prefecture and County Levels in Hubei Province, China | The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has had a crucial influence on people's lives and socio-economic development. An understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns and influencing factors of the COVID-19 epidemic on multiple scales could benefit the control of the outbreak. Therefore, we used spatial autocorrelation and Spearman's rank correlation methods to investigate these two topics, respectively. The COVID-19 epidemic data reported publicly and relevant open data in Hubei province were analyzed. The results showed that (1) at both prefecture and county levels, the global spatial autocorrelation was extremely significant for the cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases (CCC) in Hubei province from 30 January to 18 February 2020. Further, (2) at both levels, the significant hotspots and cluster/outlier areas were observed solely in Wuhan city and most of its districts/sub-cities from 30 January to 18 February 2020. (3) At the prefecture level in Hubei province, the number of CCC had a positive and extremely significant correlation (p < 0.01) with the registered population (RGP), resident population (RSP), Baidu migration index (BMI), regional gross domestic production (GDP), and total retail sales of consumer goods (TRS), respectively, from 29 January to 18 February 2020 and had a negative and significant correlation (p < 0.05) with minimum elevation (MINE) from 2 February to 18 February 2020, but no association with the land area (LA), population density (PD), maximum elevation (MAXE), mean elevation (MNE), and range of elevation (RAE) from 23 January to 18 February 2020. (4) At the county level, the number of CCC in Hubei province had a positive and extremely significant correlation (p < 0.01) with PD, RGP, RSP, GDP, and TRS, respectively, from 27 January to 18 February 2020, and was negatively associated with MINE, MAXE, MNE, and RAE, respectively, from 26 January to 18 February 2020, and negatively associated with LA from 30 January to 18 February 2020. It suggested that (1) the COVID-19 epidemics at both levels in Hubei province had evident characteristics of significant global spatial autocorrelations and significant centralized high-risk outbreaks. (2) The COVID-19 epidemics were significantly associated with the natural factors, such as LA, MAXE, MNE, and RAE, -only at the county level, not at the prefecture level, from 2 February to 18 February 2020. (3) The COVID-19 epidemics were significantly related to the socioeconomic factors, such as RGP, RSP, TRS, and GDP, at both levels from 26 January to 18 February 2020. It is desired that this study enrich our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns and influencing factors of the COVID-19 epidemic and benefit classified prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic for policymakers. |
1,102 | A novel multi-objective spiral optimization algorithm for an innovative solar/biomass-based multi-generation energy system: 3E analyses, and optimization algorithms comparison | A novel multi-generation energy system is proposed consisting of a solar gas turbine system, multi-effect seawater desalination, LNG cold energy recovery unit, and a double effect absorption chiller. In addition, different working fluids of the ORC system are examined to select the suitable working fluid in terms of global warming potential and exergy efficiency of the system. Subsequently, energy, exergy, and economic (3E) analyses are performed to comprehensively evaluate the energy system. Besides, a parametric study is conducted to assess the effect of the most influential decision variables on the proposed system. Afterward, the novel multi-objective spiral optimization (MOSPO) algorithm is introduced to minimize total cost rate of the system while maximizing the exergy efficiency as the conflicting objective functions. The proposed algorithm is developed to optimize the decision variables effectively. To ascertain the final optimum solution point, three conventional methods i.e. TOPSIS, LINMAP and Shannon's entropy are implemented. The results revealed that exergy efficiency and total cost rate of the system at the baseline are 60.05%, and 36.75 $/h, respectively. Furthermore, the net power output of the system would be 106.5 kW in addition to 0.7703 kW heating load, 56.01 kW cooling capacity, and 35.74 kg/h fresh water production capacity. The eco-environmental assessment revealed the fact that the proposed renewable-based energy system is capable of avoiding 485 tons CO2 emissions annually, and product cost rate reduction up to 6 $/hr in comparison to coal and natural gas-based energy systems. Besides, the proposed MOSPO algorithm is compared with common optimization methods; accordingly, the conventional algorithms are selected for the comparison including non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II), the multiple objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm, the Pareto envelope-based selection algorithm II (PESA-II), and the strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm II (SPEA-II). The comparison results show that the proposed MOSPO algorithm is preferable according to the Taylor Diagrams showing the performance of the algorithms. |
1,103 | Analysis of the influence of groundwater on land subsidence in Beijing based on the geographical weighted regression (GWR) model | A global geological phenomenon caused by natural or human activities is described as land subsidence. Groundwater extraction plays a significant part in causing land subsidence. Due to economic development, urban expansion, and rapid population expansion, the unscientific exploitation of groundwater in Beijing has been accelerated, whichmakes it the regionwith the fastest land subsidence rate in China. To study the spatial heterogeneity of land subsidence caused by groundwater aquifers level changes, the monitoring results of land subsidence in 2003-2010 yearswere analyzed by using PS-InSAR, based on ENVISAT ASAR in Beijing plain area. Themaximum value of accumulated land subsidence in the study area is 707mm, and in this study areamultiple subsidence center areas have been formed. AGWRmodel based on a regular grid has been established by exploring the effects of unconfined aquifer (UA), first confined aquifer (FCA), second confined aquifer (SCA), third confined aquifer (TCA) on land subsidence and their spatial non-stationarity. The change of subsidence in all subsidence areas is positively related to the change of SCA water level. Except the fact that the main control factors of Liyuan and Songzhuang are the change of UA layer, the change of SCA is the main control factor of land subsidence in most subsidence areas. Though the contribution rate of SCA to land subsidence is the highest, the contribution rate of TCA has been increasing. It is predicted that the impact on land subsidence will increase year by year. The results of thiswill not only help to understand the spatial impact patterns of aquifers on land subsidence zones, but also to formulate optimal groundwater regulation and recharge policies. There is a scarcity of the consideration of the compressible layer in the study and it will become more comprehensive if further datasets are obtained. (c) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. |
1,104 | Therapy Delayed is Therapy Denied: A Case Report of Melanoma Misdiagnosed as Diabetic Foot Ulcer | Malignant melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer, and prompt diagnosis is a key factor in providing adequate, life-saving therapy. A 75-year-old man, with long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus, presented with a 2- to 3-year history of right heel ulcer. He had received various therapies for a diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcer, to no avail. Physical examination showed a black, fungating ulcerated lesion on his right heel, with minimal bleeding. No inguinal lymphadenopathy was palpated. A biopsy was done, which revealed BRAF-negative malignant melanoma, with a vertical growth phase, Breslow 3.1 mm, ulceration, 11 mitoses/mm2, Clark level IV, no lymphatic or vascular invasion observed. Right inguinal lymph node sampling suggested no involvement, but PET-CT suggested pulmonary, right inguinal lymph node and bone involvement. The patient was referred to the oncologists. Written informed consent for publication was given by the patient. Diabetic foot ulcers are a frequently encountered, but serious complication of diabetes mellitus. Delayed healing is often seen, despite adequate therapy. The differential diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcers is vast and includes neoplasia. When a foot ulcer fails to heal, other differential diagnoses must be considered, in order for the patient to receive adequate therapy. Here specialist consultations, including dermatology consultations, could improve chances of delivering the right therapy promptly. This is a factor underlying the emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach to foot ulcer therapy. Our presentation - reported according to the CARE guidelines - also illustrates the fact that failure to reach a timely diagnosis may deny the patient the opportunity to receive adequate treatment. In such cases, "delayed therapy becomes denied (or failed) therapy", paraphrasing the old adage "Justice delayed is justice denied". |
1,105 | How does energy poverty affect economic development? A panel data analysis of South Asian countries | This study examines the interaction between energy poverty, employment, education, per capita income, inflation, and economic development using panel data for seven South Asian countries. The present study uses panel data spanning the period from 1995 to 2017, panel cointegration, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), and penalized quantile regression (PQR) estimators to test for cointegration in the long-run. The estimated results reveal that both panel cointegration approaches (Pedroni and Johansen-Fisher) demonstrate the existence of the long-term relationship between energy poverty, employment, education, per capita income, inflation, and economic development. The ARDL estimates show that energy poverty has a negative influence on economic development in both the long-run and the short-run. The results provide support for economic, social, and environmental policymakers in their decision-making. This study suggests that, in relation to financing the green and low-carbon economy concept, both the public sector and private industries need to make further efforts to use modern, energy-efficient, and green technologies, which are beneficial both for economic progress as well as managing the ecological degradation process. |
1,106 | Foreign direct investment and education as determinants of environmental quality: The importance of post Paris Agreement (COP21) | This study investigates the effect of foreign direct investment and education on environmental quality for Asian countries by controlling income, energy consumption, and urbanization for the period of 1990-2018. We have applied panel cointegration techniques to probe for long-run associations among the variables. The empirical results indicate the existence of cointegration between the variables. Dynamic ordinary least square and fully modified least square methods are applied to estimate long-run elasticities. The empirical results confirm that environmental quality is sensitive to foreign direct investment, education, and urbanization. Income and energy consumption deteriorate environmental quality by increasing CO2 emissions. In the long-run, bidirectional causal associations are found for emissions-foreign direct investment, emissions-energy use, income-emissions, foreign direct investment-income, and energy-income nexus. Furthermore, there is a unidirectional causality running from education and urbanization to emissions, foreign direct investment, income, and energy use. Policymakers in Asian economies are encouraged to establish policies that increase the education budget, promote the use of green energy, attract foreign direct investment with green technology, and expand cities to limit the urbanization effects on environmental quality. |
1,107 | Effect of COVID-19 virus on reducing GHG emission and increasing energy generated by renewable energy sources: A brief study in Malaysian context | Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has globally affected the human mortality rate and economic history of the modern world. According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has caused a severe threat to the health of the vulnerable groups, notably the elderly. There is still some disagreements regarding the source of the virus and its intermediate host. However, the spread of this disease has caused most countries to enforce strict curfew laws and close most industrial and recreational centres. This study aims to show the potential positive effects of COVID-19 on the environment and the increase of renewable energy generation in Malaysia. To prevent the spread of this disease, Malaysia enacted the Movement Control Order (MCO) law in March 2020. Implementation of this law led to a reduction in environmental pollution, especially air pollution, in this country. The greenhouse gases (GHG) emission , which was 8 Mt CO2 eq. from January 2020 to March 2020, reduced to <1 Mt CO2 eq. for April and May. The reduction of GHG emission and pollutant gases allowed more sunlight to reach photovoltaic panels, hence increasing the renewable energy generation. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
1,108 | Novel insights on premature progesterone elevation: a mini-review | In vitro fertilization (IVF) success involves ovarian stimulation with conventional or mild stimulation protocols aimed to yield an adequate number of mature oocytes. These oocytes can be further fertilized and generate good quality embryos to be transferred, ideally in the same cycle. Since 2013, following the results of a meta-analysis including more than 60,000 IVF cycles, the negative effects of premature progesterone elevation on reproductive outcomes have been demonstrated. Nowadays, evidence is emerging on the limited regulation on serum progesterone values, demonstrating significantly lower live birth rates in patients with either low (<0.5ng/ml) late follicular phase progesterone or higher levels decreasing sharply. This review discusses and summarizes the different mechanisms of progesterone elevation and its impact on IVF treatments. Different approaches to diminish the impact of progesterone on fertility outcomes are also addressed. |
1,109 | Perspectives of online anatomy teachers: A neglected study population struggles with the invisible student | Online teachers are an under-researched population, but their perspectives are crucial to the successful implementation of online education. A fully online section of an established face-to-face (F2F) two-semester undergraduate anatomy course with a prosection laboratory commenced in 2012 at The University of Western Ontario, Canada. Professors' lectures for F2F students were broadcast in live and archived format to online students using Blackboard Collaborate (BBC) video conferencing software. Teaching assistants (TAs) delivered online laboratories using BBC and three-dimensional (3D) anatomical computer models. This study explored the common experiences and issues faced by the course teachers from 2012 to 2014. Transcripts from open-ended, individual interviews with professors (n = 4) and TAs (n = 5) were coded and analyzed thematically. The teachers' concern for their inability to see the students during sessions to assess class engagement and their teaching effectiveness, and to develop social relationships, was the main finding. However, video conferencing software and email were sufficient communication methods for the students' questions and the teachers' answers. The TAs noted usability challenges and anatomical inaccuracies in the 3D models compared to cadavers. Due to limitations of BBC's screen sharing function, live manipulation for the 3D computer models was not possible; however, the TAs found pedagogical value in using screen captures of the models for drawing activities with the students. Overall, preparation time for teaching online was longer than for F2F. The study's findings provide science educators with issues to consider when preparing for online teaching and recommendations to optimize the teaching experience. |
1,110 | A moderated -mediation analysis of psychological empowerment: Sustainable leadership and sustainable performance | Business cannot escape the impact of climate change that is deteriorating day by day. Many organizations are becoming motivated more than ever to introduce new business models, modern technologies, and supportive policies with an effort to cope with critical issues connected to climate change. The present study has investigated the mediating effect of psychological safety on the relationship between sustainable leadership and sustainable performance as well as evaluating the moderation impact of psychological empowerment on that relationship. To date, the present research is the first attempt wherein the incorporation of psychological empowerment and psychological safety has redefined the association between sustainable leadership and sustainable performance. Using cluster sampling approach, the data for this research was collected from 405 SMEs from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Jakarta (Indonesia), and Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei Darussalam). Using structural equation modelling (variance-based), this study has analyzed proposed hypothesis. Hierarchical regression analysis (PROCESS Macro) in SPSS was employed to analyze the moderated-mediation impact of psychological empowerment. The empirical results confirm that sustainable leadership has a substantial impact on psychological safety. This study confirms that sustainable leadership has positive indirect effect on sustainable performance through psychological safety which amplifies in the presence of psychological empowerment. Establishment of a psychologically safe environment that encourages knowledge sharing and openness to speaking will improve sustainable performance in the presence of sustainable leadership. Therefore, the development of practices that promote psychological empowerment among employees is essential. This study broadens our understanding of sustainable performance toward sustainable leaders, its underlying mechanism and conditional effect, making contribution to the psychology of honeybee leadership. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,111 | Potential disruptive effects of copper-based antifouling paints on the biodiversity of coastal macrofouling communities | The expanded use of copper(I)-based antifouling paints (AF) has increased copper leaching into coastal environments, requiring attention and legislative restrictions for potential long-term effects on benthic populations. The ecological succession of macrofouling communities was analysed on wooden and stainless steel panels coated with four copper(I)-based AF (Paints A-D) immersed for 10 months in the Lagoon of Venice. With the exception of Paint B, which contained only copper(I) compounds and was based on hard-matrix technology, the other paints were based on self-polishing matrices and various booster biocides. The booster content was a mix of TBT compounds for Paint A, dichlofluanid for Paint C, Irgarol 1051, and chlorothalonil for Paint D. The macrofouling communities appeared dissimilar to those on the reference uncoated panels as regard the species richness, the coverage areas, and the biocoenosis structure. Generally, green algae, bryozoans, and barnacles were the most tolerant taxa and a negative species selection occurred for sponges, serpulids, and ascidians. Paints A and D showed the highest performance, and Paint D also prevented molluscs on wood panels. Paints B and C rapidly decreased their efficiency, the first probably due to the insoluble matrix with the highest biocidal leaching rate, and the second due to the presence of a booster with low toxicity. Paint B also inhibited red algae and molluscs, but Paint C did not reveal significant differences in types of species settlements with reference panels. |
1,112 | Biochar enhanced thermophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste: Focusing on biochar particle size, microbial community analysis and pilot-scale application | Effectiveness of biochar addition to enhance thermophilic semi-continuous anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste for methane production was investigated with a focus on dosage and particle size of biochar, pilot-scale application and elucidation of methanogenic pathways. Optimal dosage range of biochar was determined as 7.5 to 15 g per L working volume based on lab-scale batch AD. Effects of biochar with different particle sizes at a model dosage of 15 g/L were evaluated in a semi-continuous AD experiment, results of which showed that all the examined biochars with different particle sizes (< 50 mu m to 3 cm) substantially enhanced the average methane yields (0.465-0.543 L/gVS) compared to control digesters which failed due to overloading (>= 3.04 gVS/L/d). No significant difference in methane yields, however, was observed among digesters with different particle sizes of biochars, except for 1-3 cm. The core reason for this phenomenon was that the biochars with different particle sizes had similar properties (e.g. density, surface area and pore size) and that the floating of large particle size (1-3 cm) of biochar with a density of 847 kg/m(3) was not conducive to microbial growth. Metagenomic analysis was performed to determine the predominant microbial species and to explain the main methanogenic pathways in biochar-amended digesters using 16S rRNA sequencing. In the biochar-amended digester, bacterial phylum Thermotogae containing a major genus of Defluviitoga was selectively enriched with gradual increase of organic loadings, while simultaneously enriched methanogen genera Methanothermobacter and Methanosarcina, which showed a synergy of hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methanogenic pathways, jointly enhanced the methane productivity. Both technical feasibility and economic feasibility of adding biochar with simple pretreatment (e.g. smash) were validated in the pilot-scale thermophilic semi-continuous AD operations. |
1,113 | Exploring US Shifts in Anti-Asian Sentiment with the Emergence of COVID-19 | Background: Anecdotal reports suggest a rise in anti-Asian racial attitudes and discrimination in response to COVID-19. Racism can have significant social, economic, and health impacts, but there has been little systematic investigation of increases in anti-Asian prejudice. Methods: We utilized Twitter's Streaming Application Programming Interface (API) to collect 3,377,295 U.S. race-related tweets from November 2019-June 2020. Sentiment analysis was performed using support vector machine (SVM), a supervised machine learning model. Accuracy for identifying negative sentiments, comparing the machine learning model to manually labeled tweets was 91%. We investigated changes in racial sentiment before and following the emergence of COVID-19. Results: The proportion of negative tweets referencing Asians increased by 68.4% (from 9.79% in November to 16.49% in March). In contrast, the proportion of negative tweets referencing other racial/ethnic minorities (Blacks and Latinx) remained relatively stable during this time period, declining less than 1% for tweets referencing Blacks and increasing by 2% for tweets referencing Latinx. Common themes that emerged during the content analysis of a random subsample of 3300 tweets included: racism and blame (20%), anti-racism (20%), and daily life impact (27%). Conclusion: Social media data can be used to provide timely information to investigate shifts in area-level racial sentiment. |
1,114 | Industrialization, urbanization and CO2 emissions in Saudi Arabia: Asymmetry analysis | Keeping a sustainable environment is always a massive challenge for oil-exporting countries, and in that situation, industrialization and rapid growth of urbanization can add fuel to the fire. We investigate the effects of industrialization and urbanization on the CO2 emissions per capita in Saudi Arabia, utilizing an annual period 1968-2014. The results show that both industrialization and urbanization impede the environment with the inelastic effect of industrialization and elastic effect of urbanization on the emissions. An asymmetry in the relationship of industrialization and emissions is also found. The increasing industrialization has larger environmental effect than decreasing industrialization. We recommend the Saudi government to design tighter urban and industrial-environmental policies to put a halt on increasing CO2 emissions. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
1,115 | Reparative and Immunomodulatory Potential of Low-Molecular-Weight Fractions of Secondary Metabolites of Bacillus sp | The experiment was performed on male BALB/c mice with modeled skin wound. Two chromatographic fractions of secondary metabolites of permafrost bacteria Bacillus sp., that represent a mixture of polyethylene-polypropylene glycols oligomers with a molecular weight from 900 to 1350 Da were used as therapeutic agents. Application of the test substances on the wound surface and their parenteral administration significantly accelerated wound epithelialization in comparison with untreated control, activated metabolic processes, and improved humoral immunity. In in vitro experiments, the fractions activated the synthesis of IFNγ and IL-4 by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We conclude that polyethylene-polypropylene glycol oligomers can be a part of effector molecules that determine the repair and immunomodulatory potential of secondary metabolites of permafrost microorganisms Bacillus sp. |
1,116 | Die Zukunft braucht Pflege — die Pflege braucht Zukunft | The need for nursing care will continue to rise, as will the need for qualified nursing staff. At the same time, more and more people are leaving the nursing profession. According to a recent representative online survey, 45 percent of Austrian nursing professionals in the acute care sector regularly consider leaving the profession. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) even warns of a worldwide "mass exodus" from nursing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Markus Golla from IMC FH Krems pleads for a complete re-examination of nursing profession and of the perspective on aging in general. Two geriatric nurses give an insight into their everyday working lives and how they feel about working in this profession today. The problems of nursing have been known for years. Politicians are urgently called upon to set the course for a good future for nursing care in Austria. |
1,117 | Closed loop supply chain network for local and distributed plastic recycling for 3D printing: a MILP-based optimization approach | Recent research and initiatives increasingly propose a new approach, based on distributed plastic recycling for open-source (OS) 3D printing technologies, as a way to deal with the issue of plastic waste and to support the development of the circular economy (CE). Distributed recycling can be thought of as a sort of "smart grid", composed of small and coordinated recycling units. However, the operational complexity of this distributed approach limits its application. Furthermore, the environmental and economic advantages have yet to be demonstrated. This article therefore explores the economic and environmental feasibility of this distributed plastic recycling approach from a logistics perspective, as a step towards its validation. To achieve this, an optimization mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model was used as an evaluation tool, representing a local closed loop supply chain (CLSC) network. The proposed model is illustrated using a case study of a university seeking to implement a distributed recycling demonstrator in order to recover 3D printing wastes from secondary schools in the northeast of France. Following this step, a sensitivity analysis was carried out considering the market variations (price of virgin plastic filament) and the amount of available plastic waste derived from the schools. The results obtained show positive economic and environmental benefits of carrying out this new method of plastic recycling. This work serves as a basis for continuing to explore the feasibility and replication of the distributed plastic recycling network in other contexts. |
1,118 | Advancement in valorization technologies to improve utilization of bio-based waste in bioeconomy context | The world today is not only facing the problem of depleting energy sources but also generation of waste from anthropogenic activities. While waste is a risk, it is also an opportunity to solve this dual problem through utilization of waste as a potential source of energy and products. In order to reconcile the management of waste to the scale of its production, several researches are being pursued. Establishment of bioeconomy is a great way to achieve this goal. But inherent challenges associated with biowaste include manageability of by-products and sludge, wide variety in waste composition, efficiency of the process and economic viability of treatment technologies to scale-up and industrialize beyond laboratory setup. Recent advancements have been made in this regard with the use of new techniques, synergistic catalysts, combination of technologies and novel treatment materials to remediate the challenges and maximize the value of waste by utilizing it as a feedstock to produce industrial chemicals, fuels and materials. This review provides an insight into these developments, along with the critical discussion, limitations and economic feasibility of waste valorization technologies to provide new understanding for the advancement of bioeconomy. |
1,119 | Knockdown of zinc finger protein 267 suppresses diffuse large B-cell lymphoma progression, metastasis, and cancer stem cell properties | Zinc finger protein 267 (ZNF267) is a member of the Kruppel-like transcription factor family, which regulates various biological processes such as cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the biological significance of ZNF267 and its potential role in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remain to be documented. Experiments were herein conducted to study the role of ZNF267 in DLBCL. real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blotting assays were conducted to detect the expression of ZNF267 in tissues and cells. Tissue microarray and bioinformatics analyses of public data were also done to detect the expression status and clinical significance of ZNF267. Functional cell experiments including CCK8 assay, colony formation assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EDU) assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, transwell assay, and wound healing assay were conducted to study the effects of ZNF267 knockdown and overexpression on cell proliferation and mobility. Xenograft assay was also conducted to confirm the effects of ZNF267 knockdown in vivo. In the present study, we found ZNF267 was significantly upregulated in DLBCL and predicted a poor survival outcome based on the bioinformatics analysis. Functionally, the knockdown of ZNF267 resulted in less cell proliferation and mobility, whereas the overexpression led to enhanced cell proliferation and mobility. Animal experiments also confirmed that ZNF267 silence contributed to less tumor growth and less lung metastasis. Further analysis showed that ZFN267 knockdown resulted in decreased epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties. Our results suggest that ZNF267 is an oncogene in DLBCL and its silence could compromise the aggression of DLBCL, which makes ZNF267 a promising therapeutic target. |
1,120 | Influencing Factors of Chinese Consumers' Purchase Intention to Sustainable Apparel Products: Exploring Consumer "Attitude-Behavioral Intention" Gap | As the rapid economic growth and over-consumption within the largest population worldwide has resulted in harmful environment deterioration, a shift to more sustainable consumption behaviors is required in China. Although public interests in sustainability have increased and consumers' attitudes are positive, their behavioral intentions are not consistent with attitudes. This study aims to uncover psychological drivers and barriers (consumption values, social norms, and attitudes to sustainable apparel products) of Chinese consumers' behavioral intentions toward sustainable apparel products (SAP) by exploring the attitude-behavioral intention gap. Online survey data were used to examine the moderating impacts of consumption values and social norms on relationship between Chinese consumers' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward SAP. Results from moderating regression analysis suggest that (1) Chinese consumers' SAP attitudes had a strong positive effect on the purchase intention toward SAP, (2) aesthetic values positively moderated the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention, whereas conspicuous values negatively moderated the relationship, and (3) utility values and social norms did not show any significant moderating influences on the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention. Our study validates the attitude-behavior gap model in sustainable consumer behavior and discusses how the current findings can assist researchers and practitioners in the Clothing and Textiles field alike to fine-tune sustainable programs and marketing strategies in China. |
1,121 | Cardiovascular manifestations of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders | Introduction: Mitral valve prolapse and aortic root dilatation are reported in association with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), but the full phenotypic spectrum of cardiovascular complications in this condition has not been studied in the aftermath of updated nosology and diagnostic criteria. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 258 patients (> 94% adults) referred to a multidisciplinary clinic for evaluation of joint hypermobility between January 2017 and December 2020 and diagnosed with hEDS or a hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) to determine the incidence and spectrum of cardiovascular involvement. Results: Mitral valve prolapse was present in 7.5% and thoracic aortic dilatation in 15.2%. Aortic dilatation was more frequent in individuals with hEDS (20.7%) than with HSD (7.7%) and similarly prevalent between males and females, although was mild in > 90% of females and moderate-to-severe in 50% of males. Five individuals (1.9%) with hEDS/HSD had extra-aortic arterial involvement, including cervical artery dissection (CeAD, n = 2), spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD, n = 2), and SCAD plus celiac artery pseudoaneurysm (n = 1). This is the first series to report the prevalence of CeAD and SCAD in hEDS/HSD. Conclusions: Cardiovascular manifestations in adults with hEDS/HSD, especially females, are typically mild and readily assessed by echocardiography. Since the risk of progression has not yet been defined, adults with hEDS/HSD who are found to have aortic dilatation at baseline should continue ongoing surveillance to monitor for progressive dilatation. Cardiovascular medicine specialists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons should consider hEDS/HSD on the differential for patients with CeAD or SCAD who also have joint hypermobility. |
1,122 | The potential of straw mulch as a nature-based solution for soil erosion in olive plantation treated with glyphosate: A biophysical and socioeconomic assessment | Fifty paired plots under simulated rainfall showed that the use of a cover of straw mulch of 50% (1 mg ha(-1)) in olive orchards results in a reduction of soil erosion. An economic survey based on interviews shows that the use of straw mulch in olive plantation would cost euro174.7 ha(-1), from which euro54.7 ha(-1)is needed for the application work, euro52.3 ha(-1)for the purchase cost, and euro67.7 ha(-1)for the transport of 20-kg bales. The cost of the straw is 22.5% of the total income of the farmers. We found that their perception was negative about the use of straw mulch, as the tradition is to keep the soil clean from any weed or cover, except the crop. However, farmers would use it if they would be subsidized with a minimum of euro267 ha(-1), which is euro92 ha(-1)more than the costs estimated on the basis of the surveys. We conclude that soil erosion can be controlled with the use of straw mulch but that to convince farmers to adopt this management strategy, it needs to be subsidized. |
1,123 | In vivo evaluation of the toxic activity and genotoxicity of the Hymenaea courbaril L.'s resin in Drosophila melanogaster | Due to the negative consequences carried by the usage of synthetic insecticides, a global interest into finding substitutes for these chemical compounds through natural products has arisen. When yielded to external attacks, plants generally produce metabolites to defend themselves. The physicochemical characteristics of this kind of compounds have allowed their usage as potential bioinsecticides. The Hymenaea courbaril L. (algarrobo) has proven to be a plant rich in metabolites with outstanding biological activity, in such a way that some of its extracts have been tested as insecticides. The goal of this study was to know the phytochemical composition of Hymenaea courbaril L.'s resin and perform evaluations in vivo of its toxic and genotoxic effects in the biological model Drosophila melanogaster. For this, two resin extracts were prepared and both a phytochemical analysis were carried out on them, having found in the ethanolic total extract the presence of terpenes, flavonoids and coumarins, while in the partial ethanolic extract only presence of terpenes and flavonoids was found. Drosophila larvae were submitted to different concentrations of the extracts and both the survival and the sexual ratio were evaluated, finding that larvae are more sensitive to the partial ethanolic extract. Subsequently, the induction of somatic mutation and mitotic recombination (SMART) was evaluated in the flies' eyes. The most significant affectations at a genotoxic level were found when larvae were tested with the partial extract, indicating that possibly the coumarins absence makes this insect more susceptible to damages at a genetic material level. |
1,124 | Comparing coal phase-out pathways: The United Kingdom's and Germany's diverging transitions | Political decisions and trends regarding coal use for electricity generation developed differently in the UK and Germany, despite being subject to relatively similar climate protection targets and general political and economic conditions. The UK agreed on a coal phase-out by 2024. In Germany, a law schedules a coal phase-out by 2038 at the latest. This paper investigates reasons for the different developments and aims to identify main hurdles and drivers of coal phase-outs by using the Triple Embeddedness Framework. The comparative case study approach reveals that policy outcomes regarding coal consumption are deeply influenced by several actor groups, namely, coal companies, unions, environmental NGOs, and the government. The most discussed aspects of a coal phase-out in both countries are energy security concerns, whether coal is mined domestically, (regional) economic dependence, as well as the relative power of actors with vested interests in coal consumption. |
1,125 | Fine particulate matter pollution characteristics and source apportionment of Changchun atmosphere | In order to study the pollution characteristics and main sources of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere of the city of Changchun, PM2.5 samples were collected during the four seasons in 2014, and representative months for each season are January, April, July, and October. Sample collection was carried out on 10 auto-monitoring stations in Changchun, and PM2.5 mass concentration and its chemical components (including inorganic elements, organic carbon, elemental carbon, and water-soluble ions) were measured. The results show that the annual average mass concentration of PM2.5 in Changchun in 2014 was about 66.77 μg/m3. Organic matter was the highest component in PM2.5, followed by secondary inorganic ions (SNA), mineral dust (MIN), elemental carbon (EC), and trace elements (TE). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) results gave seven factors, namely, industrial, biomass and coal burning, industrial and soil dust, motor vehicle, soil and secondary ion, light industrial, and hybrid automotive and industrial sources in PM2.5, with contributing values of 18.9%, 24.2%, 5.7%, 23.0%, 11.5%, 13.0%, and 3.6%, respectively. |
1,126 | Life Cycle Analysis in the Framework of Agricultural Strategic Development Planning in the Balkan Region | Agricultural sector should be considered, as one of the main economic development sectors in the entire world, while at the same time is responsible for important pollution. The life cycle assessment (LCA) procedure was involved in the agricultural strategic development planning for Balkan region, as a useful tool to identify and quantify potential environmental impacts from the production of apple juice, wine and pepper pesto in three selected sites in Greece, North Macedonia and Bulgaria. These three products were chosen, as are considered as the main economic activities at the areas. The LCA approach covered the entire production line of each product. Based on the LCA results, which comprise the size of six impact categories characterization factors, suggestions were made in order to minimize the footprint of the apples orchard, vineyard and pepper cultivation plots as well as of the production processes of apple juice, wine and pepper pesto as final distribution products. The results indicate that changes in the cultivation and the production must be considered in order to optimize the environmental footprint. Moreover, the whole approach could be useful for agricultural stakeholders, policy makers and producers, in order to improve their products ecological performance, reduce food loss and food waste and increase the productivity of the agricultural sector, while at the same time can improve the three pillars of sustainability through strategy development. |
1,127 | The asymmetric effects of fiscal and monetary policy instruments on Pakistan's environmental pollution | Maintaining a balance between environmental quality and economic growth is now one of the common goals of fiscal and monetary policies in developed and developing economies. This study examines the asymmetric impacts of fiscal and monetary policy instruments on environmental pollution in Pakistan over the period 1985-2019 by employing the asymmetric or nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) framework. The outcomes indicate that in Pakistan, a positive and negative shock in fiscal policy instruments has a significant increasing influence on carbon emissions in the short run, while a positive and negative shock in fiscal policy instruments has a significant decreasing impact on environmental pollution in long run. However, negative and positive shock in monetary policy instruments enhances carbon emissions in short-run, whereas positive shock in monetary policy instruments decreases carbon emissions in the long run. Therefore, the policymakers may consider the usage of fiscal and monetary policy instruments to maintain economic growth along with lowering the environmental pollution. |
1,128 | Statistical evaluation of using the new generation of wind turbines in South Africa | In the view of the latest status and the potential of developing wind energy in South Africa, the present study aims to perform technical-economic-environmental analysis on a wind turbine system with HOMER software using the 20-years average data of the wind speed obtained from NASA's database, for providing the electricity to residential buildings. The results showed that the Port Elizabeth station, had the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) with the value of -0.363 $/kWh when using the EOLO wind turbine, and the Bloemfontein station had the highest LCOE with the value of 1.601 $/kWh when using the Turby wind turbine. The results from the step-wise assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) weighting method demonstrated the wind penetration, total production, and capital cost as the most important sub-indices with the weights of 0.106, 0.095, and 0.091, respectively. Using the additive ratio assessment (ARAS), weighted sum method (WSM), and weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) techniques, the cities under study were ranked, and the cities of East London and Bloemfontein were identified as the most suitable and the most unsuitable stations for the use of household-scale wind turbines, respectively. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
1,129 | The Andes through time: evolution and distribution of Andean floras | The Andes are the world's most biodiverse mountain chain, encompassing a complex array of ecosystems from tropical rainforests to alpine habitats. We provide a synthesis of Andean vascular plant diversity by estimating a list of all species with publicly available records, which we integrate with a phylogenetic dataset of 14 501 Neotropical plant species in 194 clades. We find that (i) the Andean flora comprises at least 28 691 georeferenced species documented to date, (ii) Northern Andean mid-elevation cloud forests are the most species-rich Andean ecosystems, (iii) the Andes are a key source and sink of Neotropical plant diversity, and (iv) the Andes, Amazonia, and other Neotropical biomes have had a considerable amount of biotic interchange through time. |
1,130 | Traffic Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Statewide Analysis of Social Separation and Activity Restriction | The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant social and economic impacts throughout the world. In addition to the health consequences, the impacts on travel behavior have also been sudden and wide ranging. This study describes the drastic changes in human behavior using the analysis of highway volume data as a representation of personal activity and interaction. Same-day traffic volumes for 2019 and 2020 across Florida were analyzed to identify spatial and temporal changes in behavior resulting from the disease or fear of it and statewide directives to limit person-to-person interaction. Compared to similar days in 2019, overall statewide traffic volume dropped by 47.5%. Although decreases were evident across the state, there were also differences between rural and urban areas and between highways and arterials both in terms of the timing and extent. The data and analyses help to demonstrate the early impacts of the pandemic and may be useful for operational and strategic planning of recovery efforts and for dealing with future pandemics. |
1,131 | New results on precautionary saving and nonlinear risks | We study precautionary saving in a two-period model that allows for nonlinear risks and nonseparable preferences. Permitting nonlinear risk effects is important because they are common in the developing world or when worldwide shocks hit economies, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Allowing nonseparable preferences is also important because they admit the incorporation of intergenerational transfer, habit persistence and other specific features of intertemporal decision making. We decompose the risk shock using Davis's (Int Econ Rev 30(1):131-136, 1989) compensation method and analyze the income and substitution effect of an increase in risk. We prove that the substitution effect is always negative and, therefore, the income effect must be positive and larger in size to have a precautionary net effect. We then apply the method to various sources of risk, such as income, interest rate and wealth risk. We analyze the magnitude of each effect and find the conditions required to guarantee precautionary saving in each case. Our results are presented as signs of covariances, which provides a new perspective on precautionary saving. |
1,132 | Pyrolysis of municipal sewage sludge for bioenergy production: Thermo-kinetic studies, evolved gas analysis, and techno-socio-economic assessment | In this study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted to use municipal sewage sludge (MSS) as a promising feedstock for bioenergy production via pyrolysis process. Using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), MSS was subjected to thermal decomposition experiments at four different heating rates of 5, 10, 30 and 50 degrees C/min. TGA curves were divided into three distinctive stages, namely drying zone (T ( )<= 200 degrees C), active pyrolysis zone (200 < T < 600 degrees C), and char decomposition zone (T >= 600 degrees C). Moreover, the data were used to analyze thermokinetic parameters through Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissenger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), and Starink methods, where the average values of E-a (126.62-136.92 kJ/mol), Gibbs free energy (159.19-159.61 kJ/mol), and calculated high heating value (HHV, 16.47 +/- 0.03 MJ/kg) showed the considerable bioenergy potential of the low-cost biomass. The low difference between E-a and Delta H (similar to 5 kJ/mol) showed that product formation was favorable during pyrolysis. In addition, for the first time, the comparative study of the results predicted from support vector regression (SVR) model and the experimental data, showed a satisfactory agreement (R-2 > 0.9999) and accurate results regarding different train-test data categories. Further employed was Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (Py-GC/MS) at 700 degrees C to characterize the potential chemical products, which indicated the presence of a range of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen-containing compounds, alcohol, furans and sulfur compounds. Finally, three alternative scenarios associated with the planned project were presented and techno-socio-economic assessment (TSEA) of the alternative scenarios were evaluated, for the first time, by means of economic indexes and considering social aspects. Net present value (NPV) of all alternative scenarios of the pyrolysis plant over the 20-year plant lifetime was positive compared to the base case, indicating that the project was feasible. Sensitivity analysis of the optimistic scenario showed that the profitability of pyrolysis plant was highly dependent on bio-oil selling price and total production cost. |
1,133 | The Influence of Gender Equality on Volunteering Among European Senior Citizens | This research analyzes how gender equality influences the participation of European senior citizens in a range of volunteering activities (Social Awareness, Professional and Political, Education, and Religion). The main contribution is the simultaneous consideration of different levels of data aggregation: individual, national and welfare system. This allows conclusions to be drawn on the effects of variables linked to sociodemographic characteristics, gender equality and welfare systems. The empirical estimation utilised microdata from the World Values Survey (2005/09 and 2010/14) and the United Nations Development Programme. Results suggest that the European senior citizens appear to believe that they are more equal than the official statistics of their countries indicate. Men are more likely to participate in professional and education activities; women are more likely to be involved in religious organisations. Welfare systems influence volunteering behaviours. The promotion of macro-policies for gender equality could be important for increasing participation in non-profit organisations. |
1,134 | Study on chemical composition and physical properties of the Hamri ( Barbus luteus) and Balaout ( Chondrostoma regium) fish meat, oil and impact of its oils on cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and blood sugar of laboratory rats | The study aimed at investigating the meat chemical composition and physical properties of oil of the Hamri (Barbus luteus) and Balaout (Chondrostoma regium) fish and its oil content or fatty acids, and also to know the impact of its oils on the level of cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and blood sugar levels of laboratory rats. The study area extended from the province of Shirqat and Balad district to the province of Salah al-Din. The approximate percentages of meat from Hamri were 72.13, 19.74, 5.07 and 1.60 % for the moisture, protein, fat and ash respectively, and 71.63, 19.98, 4.96 and 2.04% respectively from Balaout. The extract oil from 2 types of fish differed significantly in Iodine value, Peroxide value, and Acid value and in saponification number. The fatty acids profiles results showed that oils from Hamri and Balaout fish meat consisted of 44.31 and 55.76% of Saturated fatty acid, 36.10 and 25.41% of poly unsaturated fatty acid, and 18.17 and 25.41% poly unsaturated fatty acids respectively. The experiment laboratory rats showed decreases in cholesterol, triglyceride and blood sugar level, and increases in high density lipoprotein (HDL). In conclusion, it is recommended that this oil can be used in human diet for health benefits. |
1,135 | Assessment of artemisinin and antioxidant activities of three wild Artemisia species of Algeria | Artemisinin, a natural product, has received considerable attention in the last few years as a potent antimalarial drug.This study reports the presence of Artemisinin in three Algerian wild Artemisia species assessed by HPLC method: A. herba-alba (AH), A. campestris subsp. glutinosa (AC), and A. judaica subsp sahariensis (AJ).The HPLC analysis of the hexane extracts, showed a difference in artemisinin content in studied species with a yield of 0.64%, 0.34% and 0.04% for AC, AH and AJ, respectively. Moreover, the level of artemisinin obtained in A. campestris was better than those found in A. sieberi and A. annua. This rate has been reported for the first time.Furthermore, the antiradical activities of methanolic extracts of plants were also tested. There was a remarkable antioxidant capacity found in all Artemisia methanolic extracts analysed. |
1,136 | Assessment of Quality of Life Among Health Professionals During COVID-19: Review | In 2019, coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) influences the quality of life of health personnel who are on the front lines in dealing with COVID-19 patients. The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of life of health professionals during the COVID-19 epidemic. The novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has spread across the globe with the direct causal viral agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and infected many people. All health professionals (HPs) such as physicians, nurses, and other allied health staff members are primary caregivers in hospitals and other health care settings, specifically under pandemic situations such as COVID-19. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused numerous diversions in the preservation of the quality of life (QoL) of health professionals by deviations from normal physical, mental, and social wellbeing aspects. HPs are the most vulnerable population to COVID-19 viral transmission while delivering emergency medical services to persons infected with the virus in various health care sectors, such as direct engagement in lifesaving management. In this perspective, some recent literature on QoL of health professionals was examined, uncovering that they frequently experience fear and anxiety due to viral transmissions in the place of work and probable cross-contamination among family members, tend to experience insomnia caused by sudden increased work pressure, struggle to balance professional and personal life, suffering from mental health disturbances such as depressive episodes, mood disturbances, and suicidal tendencies due to the unpredictability of the disease outbreak. The current review is looking to determine and address the degree of QoL maintained by specific types of health professionals during critical moments of COVID-19 pandemics. This study may assist health organization stakeholders in enhancing QoL among health professionals by introducing required provisions, measures, or initiatives for the welfare of health professionals, notably in resolving pandemic demands in all health organizations. |
1,137 | Recent Advances in the Clinical Value and Potential of Dexmedetomidine | Dexmedetomidine, a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist, has sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic, sympatholytic, and opioid-sparing properties and induces a unique sedative response which shows an easy transition from sleep to wakefulness, thus allowing a patient to be cooperative and communicative when stimulated. Recent studies indicate several emerging clinical applications via different routes. We review recent data on dexmedetomidine studies, particularly exploring the varying routes of administration, experimental implications, clinical effects, and comparative advantages over other drugs. A search was conducted on the PubMed and Web of Science libraries for recent studies using different combinations of the words "dexmedetomidine", "route of administration", and pharmacological effect. The current routes, pharmacological effects, and application categories of dexmedetomidine are presented. It functions by stimulating pre- and post-synaptic α2-adrenoreceptors within the central nervous system, leading to hyperpolarization of noradrenergic neurons, induction of an inhibitory feedback loop, and reduction of norepinephrine secretion, causing a sympatholytic effect, in addition to its anti-inflammation, sleep induction, bowel recovery, and sore throat reduction effects. Compared with similar α2-adrenoceptor agonists, dexmedetomidine has both pharmacodynamics advantage of a significantly greater α2:α1-adrenoceptor affinity ratio and a pharmacokinetic advantage of having a significantly shorter elimination half-life. In its clinical application, dexmedetomidine has been reported to present a significant number of benefits including safe sedation for various surgical interventions, improvement of intraoperative and postoperative analgesia, sedation for compromised airways without respiratory depression, nephroprotection and stability of hypotensive hemodynamics, reduction of postoperative nausea and vomiting and postoperative shivering incidence, and decrease of intraoperative blood loss. Although the clinical application of dexmedetomidine is promising, it is still limited and further research is required to enhance understanding of its pharmacological properties, patient selection, dosage, and adverse effects. |
1,138 | Protease-Activated Receptors - Key Regulators of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Progression | The pathogenesis and course of inflammatory bowel diseases are related to both immune system disorders and dysfunction of colon permeability. Moreover, co-existing diseases in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are identified. Currently, there are some therapeutic strategies that affect the function of cytokine/s causing inflammation in the intestinal wall. However, additional approaches which target other components of inflammatory bowel diseases pathogenesis are still needed. Accumulating evidence suggests that proteases and protease-activated receptors seem to be responsible for colitis progression. Experimental and observational studies showed alteration of protease-activated receptors expression in the colon of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, it was suggested that the expression of protease-activated receptors correlated with inflammatory bowel diseases activity. Moreover, regulation of protease-activated receptors seems to be responsible for the modulation of colitis and clinical manifestation of inflammatory bowel diseases. In this review, we present the current state of knowledge about the contribution of protease-activated receptors to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and its implications for diagnosis and treatment. |
1,139 | Impact of average temperature, energy demand, sectoral value added, and population growth on water resource quality and mortality rate: it is time to stop waiting around | It is an overwhelming concern that increases in global average temperature lead to serious consequences on the natural environment in the form of deteriorating water resource quality and damaging healthcare sustainability agenda. The sustainable innovation forum (COP21) shows a high concern on climate changes and suggested to reduce global average temperature less than 2 degrees C. The study brings an idea from the stated theme and analyzed the relationship between climate change and water resource quality in order to redesign economic and environmental policies to improve water quality and healthcare sustainability in the context of Pakistan. The country has serious issues regarding the provision of safe drinking water, improved water resource quality, and healthcare sustainability, which can be achieved by sustainable policies to handle the extreme temperature in Pakistan. The study employed simultaneous generalized method of moments (GMM) technique in order to estimate parameters of the study during the period of 1980-2016. The results show that energy demand and industry value added substantially decrease water resource quality (WRQ), while agriculture value added and per capita income significantly increase WRQ in a country. The other regression apparatus, where health expenditures serve as the response variable, shows that average temperature, industry value added, population growth, and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows significantly increase healthcare expenditures while WRQ has a negative impact on healthcare expenditures in a country. The final regression model shows that average temperature and per capita income decrease, while WRQ and industrial value added increase mortality rate in a country. The overall results confirm that WRQ affected by climate change, energy demand, and population growth that need sustainable water resource policies in order to achieve long-term sustained growth. The climate actions required more policy instruments to combat environmental challenges that should support healthcare sustainability agenda across the globe. |
1,140 | Sustainable valorization of paper mill sludge into cellulose nanofibrils and cellulose nanopaper | As a kind of agro-industrial wastes, paper mill sludge (PMS) has posed serious environmental and economic challenges for disposal due to the more stringent regulations and diminishing land availability in recent years. The present study is aimed at providing a sustainable approach to efficiently convert PMS to cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and cellulose nanopaper (CNP) by formic acid (FA) hydrolysis pretreatment and the followed micro fluidization. It is found that FA hydrolysis (4-6 h) could swell and shorten PMS fibers, and only two-pass microfluidization is sufficient to get uniform CNFs from the collected cellulose residual. Results indicate that the obtained CNFs show high thermal stability and crystallinity index, surface functionality (ester groups), as well as a high yield of over 75 wt.%. Notably, more than 90 % FA can be recovered and the hydrolyzed sugars could be potentially used to produce platform chemicals (e.g. lactic acid, furfural). Finally, transparent CNP is prepared from the CNFs suspension via a simple vacuum filtration technique. The resultant CNP shows good mechanical properties with the maximum tensile strength and toughness of 106.4 MPa and 6.62 MJ/m(3), respectively. Therefore, the current work provides a green and sustainable method to valorize PMS for the production of valuable CNFs and CNP. |
1,141 | Levelized cost of solar photovoltaics and wind supported by storage technologies to supply firm electricity | Energy storage technologies can assist intermittent solar and wind power to supply firm electricity by forming flexible hybrid systems. However, evaluating these hybrid systems has proved to be a major challenge, since their techno-economic performance depends on a large number of parameters, including the renewable energy generation profile, operational parameters of storage technologies and their associated costs. In this study, we develop a method to simulate the performance and determine the levelized cost of hybrid systems to provide firm electricity supply under various supply strategies such as peak demand and baseload at three different scales (representative sizes). The methodology is implemented for Switzerland, however, it can also be replicated for other geographies. Our results show that the optimal choice for a hybrid system depends on the scale rather than the supply mode strategy. We find that solar photovoltaics in combination with lithium-ion battery at the residential (0.39 to 0.77 EUR/kWh) and utility scale (0.17 to 0.36 EUR/kWh) as well as with pumped hydro storage at the bulk scale (0.13 to 0.18 EUR/kWh) offer the lowest levelized costs. Reducing the cost of both renewable and storage technologies as well as the storage size by allowing some level of curtailment or distortion in the firm supply profile improves the cost-competitiveness of hybrid systems. |
1,142 | Daily consumption of wild olive (acebuche) oil reduces blood pressure and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodelling in rats with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-induced hypertension | Despite numerous reports on the beneficial effects of olive oil in the cardiovascular context, very little is known about the olive tree's wild counterpart (Olea europaea, L. var. sylvestris), commonly known as acebuche (ACE) in Spain. The aim of this study was to analyse the possible beneficial effects of an extra virgin ACE oil on vascular function in a rodent model of arterial hypertension (AH) induced by NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Four experimental groups of male Wistar rats were studied: (1) normotensive rats (Control group); (2) normotensive rats fed a commercial diet supplemented with 15 % (w/w) ACE oil (Acebuche group); (3) rats made hypertensive following administration of L-NAME (L-NAME group); and (4) rats treated with L-NAME and simultaneously supplemented with 15 % ACE oil (LN + ACE group). All treatments were maintained for 12 weeks. Besides a significant blood pressure (BP)-lowering effect, the ACE oil-enriched diet counteracted the alterations found in aortas from hypertensive rats in terms of morphology and responsiveness to vasoactive mediators. In addition, a decrease in hypertension-related fibrotic and oxidative stress processes was observed in L-NAME-treated rats subjected to ACE oil supplement. Therefore, using a model of AH via nitric oxide depletion, here we demonstrate the beneficial effects of a wild olive oil based upon its vasodilator, antihypertensive, antioxidant, antihypertrophic and antifibrotic properties. We postulate that regular inclusion of ACE oil in the diet can alleviate the vascular remodelling and endothelial dysfunction processes typically found in AH, thus resulting in a significant reduction of BP. |
1,143 | Use of a purified reconstituted bilayer matrix in the management of chronic diabetic foot ulcers improves patient outcomes vs standard of care: Results of a prospective randomised controlled multi-centre clinical trial | Diabetic foot infections continue to be a major challenge for health care delivery systems. Following encouraging results from a pilot study using a novel purified reconstituted bilayer matrix (PRBM) to treat chronic diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), we designed a prospective, multi-centre randomised trial comparing outcomes of PRBM at 12 weeks compared with a standard of care (SOC) using a collagen alginate dressing. The primary endpoint was percentage of wounds closed after 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included assessments of complications, healing time, quality of life, and cost to closure. Forty patients were included in an intent-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analysis, with 39 completing the study protocol (n = 19 PRBM, n = 20 SOC). Wounds treated with PRBM were significantly more likely to close than wounds treated with SOC (ITT: 85% vs 30%, P = .0004, PP: 94% vs 30% P = .00008), healed significantly faster (mean 37 days vs 67 days for SOC, P = .002), and achieved a mean wound area reduction within 12 weeks of 96% vs 8.9% for SOC. No adverse events (AEs) directly related to PRBM treatment were reported. Mean PRBM cost of healing was $1731. Use of PRBM was safe and effective for treatment of chronic DFUs. |
1,144 | Random forest regression evaluation model of regional flood disaster resilience based on the whale optimization algorithm | This study proposes a flood disaster resilience evaluation model based on an improved random forest model, which is used to solve the fuzziness problem in resilience evaluations. The model uses the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) to determine the key parameters in the traditional random forest regression (RFR) model and combines the evaluation index set constructed by the Driving forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model to output the resilience index of the study area. This approach has certain advantages in solving the spatiotemporal distribution problem of disaster resilience and can analyze the temporal and spatial variability of the research area and the key driving factors. Taking the Jiansanjiang Administration of Heilongjiang Province of China as an example, the model was used to analyze the resilience of flood disasters in 15 farms under the jurisdiction of the region from 2002 to 2016. The results showed that the level of resilience to flood disasters in the Jiansanjiang Administration was generally increasing at a growth rate of 4.175/10a. In addition, the level of flood resilience was spatially different as shown by the high level of resilience in the southwest and low level in the northeast. The degree of differentiation between farms increased between 2006 and 2011 and decreased between 2012 and 2016. The study also found that economic indicators and population indicators have a greater impact on the assessment results. Compared with the stochastic forest regression model optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO-RFR) and the RFR model, the WOA-RFR model has outstanding advantages in fitting accuracy, generalization performance. The rationality coefficient and stability coefficient of the WOA-RFR are 0.964 and 0.976, respectively, which have reached a high level. The proposed WOA-RFR model can be used to perform regional disaster resilience evaluation, provide stable technical support and establish a scientific basis for regional disaster prevention and mitigation to ensure regional production safety and sustainable development. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,145 | Do foreign direct investments influence environmental degradation? Evidence from a panel autoregressive distributed lag model approach to low-, lower-middle-, upper-middle-, and high-income countries | The main aim of the present study is to examine the possible nonlinear relations between foreign direct investments and environmental deterioration for subpanels separated according to the income levels of countries by using the classification made by the World Bank. Total energy consumption, economic growth, and renewable energy share are also considered as determinants of environmental deterioration in the model. Cross-sectional dependence is observed; hence, appropriate panel data unit root and cointegration tests are utilized for which results pointed out mixed integration order. Pooled mean group (PMG) estimator panel auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL, hereafter) approach is adapted to observe short- and long-run relationships between the variables. Long-run results supported the pollution haven hypothesis as foreign direct investments caused an increase in ecological footprint. Findings are sensitive to different income levels of the subpanels of countries. This empirical study suggests tailored policymaking for every income level subpanel to ensure sustainable development. |
1,146 | Research on the performance of radiative cooling and solar heating coupling module to direct control indoor temperature | The energy crisis and environmental pollution pose great challenges to human development. Traditional vapor-compression cooling consumes abundant energy and leads to a series of environmental problems. Radiative cooling without energy consumption and environmental pollution holds great promise as the next generation cooling technology, applied in buildings mostly in indirect way. In this work, a temperature-regulating module was introduced for direct summer cooling and winter heating. Firstly, the summer experiments were conduct to investigate the radiative cooling performance of the module. And the results indicated that the maximum indoor temperature reached only 27.5 degrees C with the ambient temperature of 34 degrees C in low latitude areas and the air conditioning system was on for only about a quarter of the day. Subsequently, the winter experiments were performed to explore the performance of the module in cooling and heating modes. The results indicated that indoor temperature can reach 25 degrees C in the daytime without additional heat supply and about a quarter of the day didn't require heating in winter. Additionally, the transient model of the module and the building revealed that the electricity saving of 42.4% (963.5 kWh) can be achieved in cooling season with the module, and that was 63.7% (1449.1 kWh) when coupling with energy storage system. Lastly, further discussion about the challenges and feasible solutions for radiative cooling to directly combine with the buildings were provided to advance the application of radiative cooling. Furthermore, with an acceptable payback period of 8 years, the maximum acceptable incremental cost reached 26.2 $/m(2). The work opens up a new avenue for the application mode of the daytime radiative cooling technology. |
1,147 | COVID-19 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Threat to Solidarity or an Opportunity? | COVID-19, as a pandemic, is impacting institutions around the world. Its scope and economic dimensions also mean that it poses a major threat towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article discusses how the coronavirus pandemic may influence the SDGs and could affect their implementation. The methods used entail an analysis of the literature, observations and an assessment of current world trends. The results obtained point out that, while COVID-19 has become a priority to many health systems in developing nations, they still need to attend to many other existing diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and others. Further, the study shows that strong concerns in dealing with COVID-19 are disrupting other disease prevention programs. As a result, problems such as mental health are also likely to be overlooked, since the isolation of social distancing may mask or lead to an increase in the percentage of suffers. The paper suggests that, due to its wide scope and areas of influence, COVID-19 may also jeopardize the process of the implementation of the SDGs. It sends a cautious warning about the need to continue to put an emphasis on the implementation of the SDGs, so that the progress achieved to date is not endangered. |
1,148 | Phylogeography of a canopy-forming kelp, Eisenia bicyclis (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae), based on a genome-wide sequencing analysis | Analyses of phylogeographic patterns and genetic diversity provide fundamental information for the management and conservation of species. However, little is published about these patterns in Japanese kelp species. In this study, we conducted phylogeographic analyses of a canopy-forming kelp, Eisenia bicyclis, based on genome-wide SNPs identified by ddRAD-seq. We obtained 1,299 SNPs for 76 samples from nine localities across the distribution. STRUCTURE, NeighborNet, and discriminant analysis of principal components consistently showed high genetic differentiation among the Eastern Pacific, Central Pacific, and Sea of Japan coastal regions. Relatively strong gene flow was detected only within populations in the Eastern Pacific and in the Sea of Japan. Genetic diversity and genetic uniqueness were high in the Central Pacific and low in the Sea of Japan. These results suggest that there were at least three independent refugia corresponding to the three regions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Furthermore, relatively larger populations in the Central Pacific and smaller populations in the Sea of Japan have been maintained in the demographic history from before the LGM to the present. These phylogeographic histories were supported by an Approximate Bayesian Computation analysis. From a conservation genetics perspective, the loss of southern populations in the Central Pacific would greatly reduce the total genetic diversity of the species. Southern populations in the Sea of Japan, which have relatively low genetic diversity, may be highly vulnerable to environmental change, such as heat waves and increased feeding. Therefore, careful monitoring and conservation are needed in the two regions. |
1,149 | Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Household Food Waste Behavior in Japan | The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic had various influences on people's ordinary lives, including their thoughts and behaviors related to food consumption. Food waste has been cited as a serious issue with environmental, social, and economic consequences. In this study, we investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic altered the social consciousness and behavior related to food waste in Japan. We conducted a nationwide online-based survey and collected a cross-sectional dataset from 1959 adult respondents. The results showed that people in regions highly impacted by the pandemic reported a clearer understanding of the situation of their household food waste, more careful food preparation and purchasing, and were more strongly influenced to change their behaviors due to COVID-19. Further analyses revealed that thoughts and behaviors related to food waste significantly differed by sociodemographic characteristics, such as gender, household size, and employment status. This study also implied that the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged some improvements in peoples' behaviors and thoughts with regard to food, such as paying attention to food waste, making efforts to reduce food waste, and attempting cooking by themselves at home. |
1,150 | Survey of mange mite infesting sheep in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia | The study was performed to survey the Sarcoptic mange in sheep and the effect of infection on the local strains during a specific period in different regions of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 1745 sheep were examined clinically and were selected from the suspected cases for laboratory investigation of skin scrapings for disease diagnosis. The examined animals included (509) Naimi, (396) Najdi, (518) Hurri, and (322) Rufidi native sheep. The results showed that the infestation rate was (12.77%) in all sheep. The highest strain was recorded (17.2%, 14.3%, 9.6%, and 8.6%), respectively. The infestation was highest in sheep over two years of age (15.2%) while it was lowest in sheep under two years of age (11.2 %). In addition, the infection rate in females was higher than in males. The prevalence of mange mites in females was (14%) compared to (11.2%) in males. The highest percentage of infestation was recorded in the head region at 67.2%, followed by that in the neck (4.4%), back (16.5%), tail (11.6%), and legs (0%). The presence of mange mites was discovered by microscopic examination of deep skin scrapings of infected animals that were identified morphologically. The infection was assured by histological investigations. This study revealed that mange mite is one of the most significant sheep health constraints in Riyadh. Therefore, proper prevention measures must be implemented to take into consideration other non-host-related risk factors. |
1,151 | p-d Orbital Hybridization Induced by a Monodispersed Ga Site on a Pt3 Mn Nanocatalyst Boosts Ethanol Electrooxidation | Constructing monodispersed metal sites in heterocatalysis is an efficient strategy to boost their catalytic performance. Herein, a new strategy using monodispersed metal sites to tailor Pt-based nanocatalysts is addressed by engineering unconventional p-d orbital hybridization. Thus, monodispersed Ga on Pt3 Mn nanocrystals (Ga-O-Pt3 Mn) with high-indexed facets was constructed for the first time to drive ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR). Strikingly, the Ga-O-Pt3 Mn nanocatalyst shows an enhanced EOR performance with achieving 8.41 times of specific activity than that of Pt/C. The electrochemical in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results and theoretical calculations disclose that the Ga-O-Pt3 Mn nanocatalyst featuring an unconventional p-d orbital hybridization not only promote the C-C bond-breaking and rapid oxidation of -OH of ethanol, but also inhibit the generation of poisonous CO intermediate species. This work discloses a promising strategy to construct a novel nanocatalysts tailored by monodispersed metal site as efficient fuel cell catalysts. |
1,152 | Performance enhancement of stepped double slope solar still by using nanoparticles and linen wicks: Energy, exergy and economic analysis | This work aims to improve the thermal and economic analysis of stepped double slope solar still (SDSSS) that integrated with linen wicks (LWs) and carbon black nanoparticles (CBNs). The LWs and CBNs were used to increase the evaporation surface area and enhance heat transfer of basin saline water. The SDSSS with LWs and LWs with CBNs were evaluated, and compared with traditional solar still (TSS). The energy and exergy for convection and evaporation and exergy efficiency for different modifications were analyzed, and its costs were discussed. Results indicated that adding LWs and CBNs to SDSSS increased the freshwater productivity and energy efficiency by 80.57 and 110.5%, respectively, compared to TSS. The SDSSS fractional exergy of evaporation was the highest in the case of integrating LWs and CBNs with the solar still due to the high basin water temperature. This modification caused the highest exergy efficiency for SDSSS because of enhanced photothermal properties of CBNs, and heat storage characteristic of LWs. Economic analysis indicated that the total costs per liter of produced freshwater for SDSSS without any modifications, SDSSS with LWs, SDSSS with CBNs, and SDSSS with LWs and CBNs were lower than TSS by 13.73, 19.91, 23.83, and 47.22%, respectively. |
1,153 | Primary and secondary cardiac tumors: clinical presentation, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and results | Cardiac tumours are some of the rarest primary tumours, while cardiac metastasis are more common yet still relatively rare. Seventy five percent of primary cardiac tumours are benign tumours. Cardiac tumours present with a range of obstructive, embolic, arrhythmic or systemic symptoms, and in many cases may present asymptomatically. The clinical presentation depends largely on the size and location of the mass. With advances in cardiac imagining and the introduction of cardiopulmonary bypass, the diagnosis and surgical treatment of these rare tumours has improved the prognosis and outlook for benign and malignant tumours. Management depends on tumour histology, size and location as well as the clinical presentation. Conservative management is reserved for small, benign tumours that can undergo regular echocardiographic follow-up. Symptomatic benign tumours are treated with surgical resection and the results are excellent. Malignant primary cardiac tumours have a poor prognosis with high rates of relapse and a median survival of 10-24 months. |
1,154 | Chemical Ecology and Olfaction in Short-Horned Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) | Chemoreception plays a crucial role in the reproduction and survival of insects, which often rely on their sense of smell and taste to find partners, suitable habitats, and food sources, and to avoid predators and noxious substances. There is a substantial body of work investigating the chemoreception and chemical ecology of Diptera (flies) and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies); but less is known about the Orthoptera (grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and wēta). Within the Orthoptera, the family Acrididae contains about 6700 species of short-horned grasshoppers. Grasshoppers are fascinating organisms to study due to their significant taxonomic and ecological divergence, however, most chemoreception and chemical ecology studies have focused on locusts because they are agricultural pests (e.g., Schistocerca gregaria and Locusta migratoria). Here we review studies of chemosensory systems and chemical ecology of all short-horned grasshoppers. Applications of genome editing tools and entomopathogenic microorganism to control locusts in association with their chemical ecology are also discussed. Finally, we identify gaps in the current knowledge and suggest topics of interest for future studies. |
1,155 | A ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe for signal amplification monitoring of intracellular telomerase activity | Telomerase is considered a valuable diagnostic and prognostic cancer biomarker. Accurate and reliable detection of telomerase activity is of great value in clinical diagnosis, screening of inhibitors, and therapeutics. Here, we developed a novel amplified fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) nanoprobe for highly sensitive and reliable monitoring of intracellular telomerase activity. The nanoprobe (QDSA@DNA) was composed of a streptavidin-modified quantum dot (QDSA) which was functionalized with a telomerase primer sequence (TP) and Cy5-tagged signal switching sequence (SS) through biotin-streptavidin interaction. When the nanoprobe was assembled, the Cy5 was in close proximity to the QDSA, resulting in high FRET efficiency from the QDSA to Cy5. In the presence of telomerase, the TP could be extended to produce telomeric repeat units, which was complementary to the loop of SS. Thus, the SS could hybridize with elongated sequences to form a rigid double-stranded structure, which forced the Cy5 away from the surface of the QDSA, causing low FRET efficiency. Furthermore, due to the production of multiple repeat units by telomerase, multiple hairpin structures could be opened, yielding significant fluorescence ratio (FQDsa/FCy5) enhancement for sensing of telomerase activity. In this way, the combination of a FRET and target-assisted strategy in a nanoprobe improved the detection accuracy and amplified the detection signal, respectively. The QDSA@DNA nanoprobe also showed high selectivity, excellent nuclease stability, and good biocompatibility. More importantly, this nanoprobe was found to be an excellent platform for efficient monitoring of intracellular telomerase activity, providing a potential platform in tumor diagnosis and screening of telomerase-related inhibitors. |
1,156 | Sizing renewable energy systems with energy storage systems in microgrids for maximum cost-efficient utilization of renewable energy resources | The hybridization of renewable energy systems (RES) and further integrating them with Energy Storage Systems (ESS) can help improve the RESs' reliability and reduce the mismatch between energy consumption and generation profiles. The main aim of this study is to suggest a sizing methodology for the RES components with various ESS scenarios in a microgrid through techno-economic feasibility analysis. Although the suggested methodology is flexible to include several RESs and ESSs, the methodology is demonstrated to compare the techno-economic performance of Wind and Photovoltaic (PV) energy systems under four different ESS scenarios; (i) no ESS, (ii) Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS), (iii) Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC), and (iv) hybrid ESS (PHS/HFC). The optimal RES configuration is determined by maximizing the RES fraction while equating the Cost of Electricity (COE) to the national utility tariff. However, in the event that there is no feasible system configuration that satisfies the mentioned criteria, the main objective becomes maximizing the RES fraction at the lowest attainable COE. This study outlines that the incorporation of PHS and HFC with the PV/Wind hybrid system increased the demand-supply fraction from 46.5%-89.4% and the RES fraction from 62.6%-91.8% with COE equals to 0.175 USD/kWh. |
1,157 | The role of ICT in energy consumption and environment: an empirical investigation of Asian economies with cluster analysis | The development of societies has led information and communication technology (ICT) to play a gradually important role in people's lives, transforming the way societies and economies function. ICTs are often associated with the path to reducing CO(2)emissions; however, do they lead to that path? Or are they themselves a growing source of energy consumption and emissions? The current study estimates the effect of ICT, trade, economic growth, financial development, and energy consumption on carbon emissions in South and Southeast Asian (SSEA) region for the period of 1990-2014. Moreover, the study also tried to validate the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis between GDP per capita and CO(2)emissions. Cluster analysis was used to identify two groups (potential and advanced countries) based on their social development score. The long-run connection between the variables was examined and the long-run elasticities of ICT, financial development, energy consumption, trade, and economic growth with respect to CO(2)emissions were estimated. Besides, individual country-wise long-run coefficients were found. Results show that financial development and ICT deteriorated the environment quality in the SSEA region, suggesting ICT goods and services are not energy-efficient in both potential and advanced countries and that most of the financial investment was made in non-friendly environmental projects, in potential countries. On the contrary, in advanced countries, financial development mitigates CO(2)emissions. In addition, results also confirmed an inverted U-shaped relationship for all the considered three panels such as potential, advance, and full-countries panels, confirming EKC. Causality findings showed a bidirectional causality between CO(2)emissions and energy consumption as well as unidirectional causality from trade, economic growth, financial development, and ICT to CO(2)emissions. Policymakers should be aware of the ICT impact on energy consumption and strengthen the regulation of their manufacture to facilitate the integration of energy efficiency into user routines. Due to the increasing use of standby mode and Wi-Fi assistive devices, the rapid implementation of legislation regulating these technologies to make them more efficient is recommended. |
1,158 | Peri-operative management of patients with Parkinson's disease | Patients with Parkinson's disease are at higher risk of peri-operative medical and surgical complications. Multidisciplinary management, early recognition of potential complications, specialised care of medications and intra-operative protection of the vulnerable brain are all important aspects of the peri-operative management of patients with Parkinson's disease. Advances in continuous dopaminergic treatment, development of a peri-operative Parkinson's disease pathway and application of telemedicine are starting to play a role in improving peri-operative care. Management of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease is also evolving, with potential for incorporation of integrated care and changes in the anaesthetic management for deep brain stimulation surgery. There are new methods for localisation of target nuclei and increasing insight on the effects of anaesthetic drugs on microelectrode recordings and clinical outcomes. Parkinson's disease is a progressive disease, but management is improving with better peri-operative care for patients. |
1,159 | PFOB sonosensitive microdroplets: determining their interaction radii with focused ultrasound using MR thermometry and a Gaussian convolution kernel computation | Purpose: Micron-sized perfluorocarbon droplet adjuvants to focused ultrasound therapies allow lower applied power, circumvent unwanted prefocal heating, and enhance thermal dose in highly perfused tissues. The heat enhancement has been shown to saturate at increasing concentrations. Experiments were performed to empirically model the saturating heating effects during focused ultrasound.Materials and methods: The measurements were made at varying concentrations using magnetic resonance thermometry and focused ultrasound by circulating droplets of mean diameter 1.9 to 2.3 µm through a perfused phantom. A simulation was performed to estimate the interaction radius size, empirically.Results: The interaction radius, representing the radius of a sphere encompassing 90% of the probability for the transformation of acoustic energy into heat deposition around a single droplet, was determined experimentally from ultrasonic absorption coefficient measurements The simulations suggest the interaction radius was approximately 12.5-fold larger than the geometrical radius of droplets, corresponding to an interaction volume on the order of 2000 larger than the geometrical volume.Conclusions: The results provide information regarding the dose-response relationship from the droplets, a measure with 15% precision of their interaction radii with focused ultrasound, and subsequent insights into the underlying physical heating mechanism. |
1,160 | IonicRF™: a novel step in technology for radiofrequency ablation treatments | Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been utilized since the 1970s to treat various painful conditions. The technology has evolved from its initial use to treat lumbar facet mediated pain with monopolar lesioning to now treat a plethora of chronic pain conditions. This article reviews Abbott Corporation's (IL, USA) IonicRF™ generator. The IonicRF generator utilizes an intelligent power algorithm that improves efficiency and reduces procedure time. The generator also carries a wide range of RFA therapies such as monopolar, bipolar, pulsed or pulsed dose radiofrequency. Additionally, the IonicRF RFA generator is compatible with the Simplicity™ RF probe (Abbott) which allows for efficient and effective denervation of the sacroiliac joint. |
1,161 | Effects of the socio-economic influencing factors on SO2 pollution in Chinese cities: A spatial econometric analysis based on satellite observed data | The research on SO2 pollution in China has been hotly debated over the past decades. Different from the existing studies, this work employs satellite observed SO2 columns from 2005 to 2016 and applies a spatial econometric approach to investigate the socio-economic influencing factors of SO2 pollution of 270 prefecture-level cities in China. The findings are as follows. (1) SO2 pollution over China exhibits a significant and positive spatial autocorrelation. (2) The most polluted area is concentrated on the North China Plain. However, SO2 pollution over China has been reduced gradually during the sample period, implying that overall environmental quality in China has been substantially improved. (3) Besides, the results of spatial econometric models are not in support of "pollution haven hypothesis". On the contrary, the pollution halo effect of foreign direct investment works well and contributes to reducing SO2 pollution in China. Moreover, we find that urban economic levels and innovative capability are negatively correlated with SO2 pollution, indicating that economic growth and an increase in innovation can help improve environmental quality. On contrast, the share of the secondary industry, urbanization and transportation are found to have positive impacts, indicating that they are three main contributors to SO2 pollution in China. |
1,162 | Optimal sizing of wind/ concentrated solar plant/ electric heater hybrid renewable energy system based on two-stage stochastic programming | Component capacity and energy management strategy are two key issues for the optimal sizing of a hybrid renewable energy system. In this study, a two-stage stochastic programming problem is proposed for the optimal sizing of a hybrid renewable energy system consisted of wind turbine, concentrated solar plant, and electric heater. In the problem, component capacity optimization is the first-stage problem to minimize the levelized cost of energy while satisfying the reliability constraint, and energy management strategy optimization is the second-stage problem to minimize the loss of power supply probability while satisfying the operation constraints. The problem is solved by combining of an improved differential evolution algorithm, namely JADE, and Cplex, and the superiority of JADE is validated by algorithm comparisons with several popular intelligent optimization algorithms. Furthermore, economic benefits of the electric heater in the hybrid system are investigated by techno-economic comparisons with a reference wind turbine/concentrated solar plant hybrid energy system without electric heater under their optimal capacity. The results show the electric heater is beneficial for a lower levelized cost of energy, reducing by 0.004 ($/kWh) and 0.009 ($/kWh) respectively when the loss of power supply probability is 2% and 5%. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,163 | Curcumin delivery by modified biosourced carbon-based nanoparticles | Aim: To prepare a novel hybrid system for the controlled release and delivery of curcumin (CUR). Methods: A method for the ultrasound-assisted fabrication of protein-modified nanosized graphene oxide-like carbon-based nanoparticles (CBNPs) was developed. After being modified with bovine serum albumin (BSA), CUR was loaded onto the synthesized hybrid (labeled CBNPs@BSA-CUR). The structure and properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were elucidated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods. Results: CBNPs@BSA-CUR showed pH sensitivity and were calculated as controlled CUR release behavior. The drug-free system exhibited good biocompatibility and was nontoxic. However, CBNPs@BSA-CUR showed acceptable antiproliferative ability against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Conclusion: CBNPs@BSA-CUR could be considered a highly promising nontoxic nanocarrier for the delivery of CUR with good biosafety. |
1,164 | A deep learning-based forecasting model for renewable energy scenarios to guide sustainable energy policy: A case study of Korea | Renewable and sustainable energy systems and policies have globally been promoted to transition from fossil fuel sources to environmentally friendly renewable energy sources such as wind power, photovoltaic energy, and fuel cells. Wind and solar energy sources are erratic and difficult to implement in renewable energy systems, therefore, circumspection is needed to implement such renewable energy systems and policies. Accordingly, this study develops an energy forecasting model with renewable energy technologies on which policy can be based, using the Korean energy policy as a case study. Deep learning-based models forecast fluctuating variation in electricity demand and generation, which are necessary in renewable energy system but not possible with conventional models. The gated recurrent unit shows the best prediction performance among the forecasting models evaluated, and is therefore selected as the base model to evaluate four different renewable energy scenarios. The scenarios are evaluated according to economic-environmental cost assessment. The optimal scenario uses an integrated gasification combined cycle, onshore and offshore wind farms, photovoltaic power stations, and fuel cell plants; in particular, this scenario shows the lowest economic-environmental costs, generates stable electricity for demand, and achieves a policy with 100% renewable energy. The optimal scenario is assessed by considering its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis while also considering technoeconomic-environmental domestic and global energy circumstances. |
1,165 | Bioremediation potential of hydrocarbon degrading bacteria: isolation, characterization, and assessment | Oil contamination is a worldwide concern now. However, oil contaminated environment is enriched with microorganisms that can utilize petroleum oil and use hydrocarbon for their growth, nutrition and metabolic activities. In the present study, bacteria present in the oil contaminated soil were isolated by enrichment culture technique using Minimal Salt (MS) media supplemented with diesel oil and burned engine oil as a sole carbon source. The isolated bacteria were characterized by morphological and biochemical tests and identified by molecular tool through cycle sequencing method. Three isolates were morphologically characterized as gram-negative, cocci shaped and 16S rRNA sequence analysis revealed that the isolates are closely related to Pseudomonas sp., Acinetobacter sp., and Enterobacter sp. respectively. Growth condition was optimized at pH 7.0 and temperature 37 °C. All the isolates were susceptible to several antibiotics and they have no antagonistic effect with soil beneficial bacteria. Three isolates were grown in two different concentrations of diesel oil and burned engine oil (4% v/v and 8%, v/v) respectively. Study revealed that with increasing the concentration of diesel oil in the media the growth rate of all the isolates were decreased. In contrast, the growth rates of all the three isolates were increased, with increasing concentration of burned engine oil. In our study, all the isolates showed their degradation efficacy in 4% v/v diesel oil and in 8% v/v burned engine oil. So, our research clearly shows that the isolates could be potentially used for bioremediation purposes for cleaning up petroleum polluted area. |
1,166 | The Relationship between Economic Growth and Air Pollution-A Regional Comparison between China and South Korea | This paper analyzes the interaction between regional economic growth and air pollution in China and Korea. The relationship between gross regional product per capita and industrial emission of sulfur dioxide emission is examined at the regional level using simultaneous equation models covering 286 cities in China and 228 cities and counties in South Korea of the period 2006-2016. The results find that regional differences existed in the relationship between air pollution and economic growth in two countries. In both countries, an inverted U-shaped pattern was found in metropolitan areas while a U-shaped pattern of non-metropolitan areas. Although the emissions of pollutants in metropolitan areas of both countries have shown a downward trend in recent years, there is still a large gap between the overall emission levels of China and South Korea. Moreover, the level of pollutant emissions of China's metropolitan areas is much higher than in non-metropolitan areas, while the opposite result has occurred in Korea. In China, there was an inverted U-shaped relationship of the eastern and northwest region, while U-shaped relationships existed in the southwest, central and northeast regions. |
1,167 | Globalization-driven CO2 emissions in Singapore: an application of ARDL approach | This study explores the linkage between globalization and CO2 emissions in Singapore by using long-term data obtained during 1970-2014. The Zivot-Andrew unit root test corroborates that gross domestic production, economic globalization, political globalization, social globalization, square of economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions have a unit root at I(0) and stationary at I(1). In this study, the application of auto-regressive distributed lag model finds a significant linkage between the estimated variables. Short- and long-run coefficients confirm that social globalization and economic globalization will be responsible for reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the future for Singapore. Moreover, this research confirms the presence of environmental Kuznets curve in Singapore. It is proved that a 1% increase in political globalization will increase 2.06% emissions in the long term. The stability of the model is confirmed by diagnostic tests. In addition, policy implications to reduce air pollution are presented in this study. |
1,168 | The distribution, characteristics and ecological risks of microplastics in the mangroves of Southern China | During the production, use and disposal of plastic products, microplastics (MPs) are dispersed into the surrounding environment and have inevitable impacts on mangrove ecosystems in estuaries and offshore areas. In the mangroves of Southern China, the systematic evaluation of the distribution, characteristics and ecological risks of MPs is lacking. In this study, surface sediments (0-5 cm depth) were collected from six representative mangroves in China to explore MP contamination and its associated ecological risk. Based on the results, MP concentrations of MPs in mangrove sediments were as follows: FT (2249 +/- 747 items/kg), ZJ (736 +/- 269 items/kg), DF (649 +/- 443 items/kg), DZG (431 +/- 170 items/kg), YX (424 +/- 127 items/kg), and FCG (227 +/- 173 items/kg). The higher MP concentration in the Futian mangrove was mainly related to inputs from the Pearl River, the third largest river in China. The predominant shape, colour, and size of MPs were fibrous, white-transparent, and 500-5000 mu m, respectively. The main MP polymer types were polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene. Degradation artefacts were present on surface of MPs as well as metallic and non-metallic elements. MPs concentration in mangrove sediments increased with increasing social-economic development of surrounding districts, which indicated the clear influence of anthropogenic activity on MP pollution in these mangroves. Furthermore, total organic carbon (TOC) and silt content were positively associated with MPs (P < 0.01), indicating a facilitatory role in deposition of MPs in mangroves. Based on a comprehensive evaluation using the potential ecological risk factor (E-i), potential ecological risk (RI), polymer risk index (H) and pollution load index (PLI), MPs were found to present ecological risks in these mangroves, with the highest risk occurring in the Futian mangrove. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
1,169 | Case report: A novel application of the MicroVascular Plug (MVP) in treating distal coronary perforation | Coronary artery perforation during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a rare but severe complication which has been associated with a high rate of major adverse outcomes and is potentially fatal. We report a case of a 70-year-old male who presented with an anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Coronary angiogram revealed a proximal left anterior descending (LAD) artery occlusion. Successful PCI was performed with stenting of the LAD. However, subsequent attempts to retrieve a jailed diagonal branch inadvertently led to distal coronary perforation of the LAD. After failed attempts to tamponade the perforation with prolonged balloon inflation, this was successfully sealed with the MicroVascular Plug (Medtronic) system. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of such an application in the coronary system. This may prove to be a viable alternative in closure of distal coronary perforations. |
1,170 | Mental Health and Work Attitudes among People Resuming Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in China | The unprecedented outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused an economic downturn and increased the unemployment rate in China. In this context, employees face health and social economic stressors. To assess their mental health (i.e., anxiety, depression, insomnia and somatization) and work attitudes (i.e., work engagement, job satisfaction and turnover intention) as well as the associated factors, we conducted a cross-sectional study among people who resumed work after the Spring Festival holiday during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, insomnia and somatization among these people was 12.7%, 13.5%, 20.7% and 6.6%, respectively. The major risk factor for mental health was worrying about unemployment, and the main protective factors were psychological strengths (i.e., resilience and optimism). Regarding work attitudes, the percentage of people who felt more satisfied with their job (43.8%) was larger than that of those who felt less satisfied (26.9%), while the percentage of people who thought about quitting their job more frequently (15.7%) was smaller than that of those who considered it less frequently (63.2%). However, work engagement was lower than usual. Similar to the factors associated with mental health, the major risk factor for work attitudes was also worrying about unemployment, and the main protective factors were resilience and optimism. In addition, the nature of the organization, job status, age, position and income changes were also related to these work attitudes. Our findings shed light on the need for organization administrators to be aware of the status of and factors associated with employees' mental health and work attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policies or interventions could be developed based on our findings. |
1,171 | Geopolymer concrete with metakaolin for sustainability: a comprehensive review on raw material's properties, synthesis, performance, and potential application | In the last three decades, the gigantic demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly concrete with reduced environmental footprints has resulted in the development of low carbon concretes such as geopolymer concrete. Metakaolin which is commonly used as an admixture or partial replacement of cement owing to its most effective pozzolanic properties, which improve the microstructure and strengthen the mechanical and durability properties of cement concrete, has been investigated as a precursor in geopolymer concrete. Several studies have been conducted to comprehend the effect of metakaolin as an additive in geopolymer mortar and concrete prepared with various aluminosilicate sources as precursors such as fly ash and rice husk ash to enhance geopolymerization, densify microstructure, and elevate durability. The present paper recapitulates these investigations primarily concentrating on the various properties of metakaolin-based concrete. The effect of various factors such as alkali content, solids/liquids ratio, alkali reactant ratio, molar ratio, water content, and curing regime has been compiled. Most of them revealed that metakaolin is used as a precursor and yields better geopolymer products. XRD studies reported the peaks demonstrating the development of enhancement in hydration products in comparison to other precursors. Examination of SEM graphs reveals that the addition of a smaller quantity of silica-rich materials densifies the microstructure of geopolymers and produces higher mechanical strength. Durability studies reveal that metakaolin geopolymers possess better water resistance, thermal resistance, and anti-corrosion properties. The possible applications of metakaolin-based geopolymeric materials are also pointed out. The comprehensive knowledge presented here is expected to support the prospective researchers to decide their future course of the research area. Graphical abstract. |
1,172 | Performance amelioration of single basin solar still integrated with V-type concentrator: Energy, exergy, and economic analysis | Solar desalination is one of the most sustainable solutions to produce freshwater from brackish water. The present research work aims to experimentally investigate the effect of a V-shape concentrator integrated with solar still (SS). The V-shape concentrator integrated with the conventional solar still (CSS) is used to supply the saline water at elevated temperature to the basin of SS, which augments the freshwater yield compared to CSS. The experimental investigation was performed at different brackish water depths of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03 m, respectively. The SS system was evaluated based on water yield, energy, exergy, concentrator efficiency, and economic analysis. The freshwater yield of the solar still integrated with V-shape concentrator (SSVC) was found to be 5.47, 5.10, and 4.89 L/m(2).day, whereas the yield of the CSS was 3.73, 3.27, and 2.91 L/m(2).day at the water depths of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03 m, respectively. The daily energy and exergy efficiency of CSS were 38.5, 33.5, and 29.4% and 1.9, 1.5, and 0.97 % in the case of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03m water depth , respectively. However, the integration of concentrator significantly augmented the energy efficiency to 57.4, 51.7, and 44.9% and exergy efficiency to 3.8, 3.3, and 2.8% for the respective water depths . Life cycle studies demonstrated that the freshwater cost per liter for CSS and SSVC were 0.0102 $ and 0.0117 $ respectively, at a water depth of 0.01 m. It was concluded that the addition of V-shape concentrator and minimum water depth is useful to augment the energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, and yield of the SS in the very economical way. |
1,173 | A comparative techno-economic assessment of biochar production from different residue streams using conventional and microwave pyrolysis | A comparative techno-economic assessment and Monte Carlo risk analysis is performed on large scale (3 tonne/ h) biochar production plants for conventional (CPS) and microwave (MWP) pyrolysis using six different residue streams. Both plants are viable with minimum selling prices between Euro 436/tonne and Euro 863/tonne for CPS, and between Euro 564/tonne and Euro 979/tonne for MWP. The CPS is therefore more viable than MWP as it is a simpler and more established technology. However, a 20% biochar price increase due to higher biochar quality makes the MWP technology more viable. Nevertheless, the discounted payback period remains higher than this of CPS due to the increased CAPEX. Biochar price is the most important determinant of a biochar production plant's feasibility, motivating the need for economic and market research on biochar prices in function of biochar characteristics to reduce fluctuations in widely varying biochar prices. |
1,174 | Imidazole Compounds: Synthesis, Characterization and Application in Optical Analysis | Imidazole is a five-membered heterocyclic ring containing three carbon atoms, two nitrogen atoms, and two double bonds. Among two nitrogen atoms, one of which carries with a hydrogen atom is a pyrrole-type nitrogen atom, another is a pyridine type nitrogen atom. Hence, the imidazole ring belongs to the π electron-rich aromatic ring and can accept strong suction to the electronic group. Moreover, the nitrogen atom of the imidazole ring is coordinated with metal ions to form metal-organic frameworks. In recent years, because of imidazole compounds' unique optical properties, their applications have attracted more and more attention in optical analysis. Thus, this review has summarized the synthesis, characterization, and application with emphasis on the research progress of imidazole compounds in optical analysis, including fluorescence probe, colorimetric probe, electrochemiluminescence sensor, fiber optical sensor, surface plasmon resonance, etc. This paper will suggest the direction for the development of imidazole-containing sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity. |
1,175 | Relationship between greenhouse gas emission, energy consumption, and economic growth: evidence from some selected oil-producing African countries | This paper investigates the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and output growth among African OPEC countries (Libya, Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon) using the panel autoregressive distributed lag model (PARDL) estimated by means of mean group (MG) and pooled mean group (PMG) for the period 1970-2016. The paper estimated three panel models comprising the components of greenhouse gasses which includes nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane and examined their relationship with economic growth and energy consumption. The findings of the study showed evidence of a positive impact of economic growth on both CO2 and methane emissions in the long run. Its impact on nitrous oxide emissions although positive was found to be statistically insignificant. Energy consumption was also found to produce an insignificant positive impact on CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions in the long run. In the short run, economic growth exerts a significant positive effect on methane emissions; however, its effect on CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions although positive was found to be statistically insignificant. Energy consumption produces an insignificant impact on all components of greenhouse gasses in the short run. In addition, our empirical results showed the presence of a non-linear relationship between methane emissions and economic growth, confirming the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) only in the case of methane emissions model. |
1,176 | The nexus of carbon emissions, financial development, renewable energy consumption, and technological innovation: What should be the priorities in light of COP 21 Agreements? | This study analyses the dynamics of carbon emissions for N-11 countries from 1990 to 2017. We introduce some innovative factors such as financial development, human capital, renewable energy consumption, and gross domestic product as determinants of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The empirical estimations are based on Pesaran (2007) unit root test, common correlated effect mean group, and augmented mean group. The findings reveal a positive relationship between carbon emissions and financial development as well as a gross domestic product. In contrast, technological innovation and renewable energy consumption are adversely related to carbon emissions. These findings have important implications, and we recommend the promotion of technological innovation and the use of renewable energy consumption. This will help in achieving the goals set by COP21. |
1,177 | A supply curve of electricity-based hydrogen in a decarbonized European energy system in 2050 | Alongside substituting fossil fuels with renewable energies and increasing energy efficiency, the utilization of electricity-based hydrogen or its derived synthetic fuels is a potential strategy to meet ambitious European climate protection targets. As synthetic hydrocarbons have the same chemical properties as their fossil substitutes, existing infrastructures and well-established application technologies can be retained while CO2 emissions in energy conversion, transport, industry, and residential and services can be reduced. However, the conversion processes, especially the generation of hydrogen necessary for all e-fuels, are associated with energy losses and costs. To evaluate the techno-economic hydrogen production potential and the impact of its utilization on the rest of the energy system, a supply curve of electricity-based hydrogen in a greenhouse gas emission-free European energy system in 2050 was developed. It was found that hydrogen quantities of the order of magnitude envisaged in the 1.5 degrees C scenarios by the European Commission's long-term strategic vision (1536-1953 TWh(H2)) induce marginal hydrogen production costs of over 110 (sic)(2020)/MWh(H2) and electrolyzer capacities of more than 615 GW(el). Although the generation of these amounts of hydrogen using electrolysis provides some flexibility to the electricity system and can integrate small amounts of local surplus electricity, an additional 766 GWel of wind power and 865 GWel of solar power must be installed to cover the additional electricity demand for hydrogen production. It was furthermore found that the most important techno-economic properties of electrolyzers used in an energy system dominated by renewable energies are the ability to operate flexibly and the conversion efficiency of electricity into hydrogen. It is anticipated that the shown analysis is valuable for both policy-makers, who need to identify research, subsidy and infrastructure requirements for a future energy system, and corporate decision-makers, whose business models will be significantly affected by the future availability of electricity-based fuels. |
1,178 | Thermodynamic analysis and performance optimization of the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle combined with the Kalina cycle for waste heat recovery from a marine low-speed diesel engine | With the continuous rise in world oil prices and increasing environmental awareness, how to improve ship energy efficiency and reduce ship pollution emissions has become a common concern of the shipping industry. Waste heat recovery technology is an effective method to improve the fuel economy of ships and help the future ships to meet the increasingly stringent Energy Efficiency Design Index of the International Maritime Organization. Under the thermodynamic analysis results of the 8S90ME-C10.2 low-speed marine diesel engine, this paper proposed a waste heat recovery scheme that combined the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle power generation system with the Kalina cycle power generation system. According to the energy and exergy balances of the combined cycle system, a MATLAB program based on the REFPROP database was established. With the application of control variate method, the influence of the key operating parameters including the main compressor inlet temperature, the turbine inlet temperature, the main compressor outlet pressure, the expander inlet pressure, and the ammonia solution mass concentration on the system performance was thoroughly analyzed. Moreover, the multi-objective optimization matching between the diesel engine and the combined power generation system was carried out from the viewpoints of the thermodynamic performance and economic performance and the impact of the system on the fuel economy and the Energy Efficiency Design Index of the ship was calculated. The results showed that the combined power generation system was used to recycle the waste heat of diesel engine exhaust gas and bypass exhaust gas to generate electricity, which reduced the annual fuel consumption and the Energy Efficiency Design Index to 16.62% and 15.01%, respectively. Finally, this study provides a reference for researchers to study the combined use of supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle and Kalina cycle to recycle the waste heat of the marine diesel engine. |
1,179 | Role of necroptosis of alveolar macrophages in acute lung inflammation of mice exposed to titanium dioxide nanoparticles | Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are indispensable for daily life but induce acute inflammation, mainly via inhalation exposure. TiO2 nanoparticles can be phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages (AMs) in vivo and cause necroptosis of exposed cells in vitro. However, the relationship between localization of TiO2 nanoparticles in the lungs after exposure and their biological responses including cell death and inflammation remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the intra/extracellular localization of TiO2 nanoparticles in murine lungs at 24 h after intratracheal exposure to rutile TiO2 nanoparticles and subsequent local biological reactions, specifically necroptosis of AMs and lung inflammation. We found that TiO2 exposure induced leukocyte migration into the alveolar region and increased the secretion of C-C motif ligand (CCL) 3 in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. A combination of Raman spectroscopy and staining of cell and tissue samples confirmed that AMs phagocytose TiO2. AMs that phagocytosed TiO2 nanoparticles showed necroptosis, characterized by the expression of phosphorylated mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein and translocation of high mobility group box-1 from the cell nucleus to the cytoplasm. In primary cultured AMs, TiO2 also induced necroptosis and increased the secretion of CCL3. Necroptosis inhibitors suppressed the increase in CCL3 secretion in both the BAL fluid and culture supernatant of AMs and suppressed the increase in leukocytes in the BAL fluid. These data suggest that necroptosis of AMs that phagocytose TiO2 nanoparticles is involved as part of the mechanism by which TiO2 induces acute lung inflammation. |
1,180 | An insight into the pharmacological and analytical potential of Andrographolide | Andrographis paniculata is an annual medicinal herb from the family Acanthaceae. Andrographolide is generally considered an essential bioactive component of plant A. paniculata. Since ancient times, it has been widely recognized for its therapeutic qualities and has attracted the scientific and medical communities' attention. This review summarizes the molecular, clinical, and in vitro research of compound andrographolide and its mechanism of action. Andrographolide, when combined with other enhancing agents, offers a wide variety of health benefits. The therapeutic potential of andrographolide has been exemplified and exhibited by directly regulating genes and indirectly interacting with small molecules and different enzymes. This review compiles and consolidates the pharmacological action of andrographolide and its analogs and deciphers the gaps that have hindered its use in medicinal research. |
1,181 | Optimisation of a hydrogen production - storage - re-powering system participating in electricity and transportation markets. A case study for Denmark | The power capacity of renewable energy sources is constantly increasing through the installation of new units, primarily comprising the most mature technologies such as wind and solar energy converters, as well as through the implementation of innovative technologies that are currently at an infant stage of development. The aim of this study was to investigate the prospects of implementing hydrogen technologies in the electricity network as an electricity production unit or/and utilise the produced hydrogen as transportation fuel. Three main scenarios were identified to be the most appropriate for this: (1) Support of the electrical grid via a fuel cell; (2) participation of a hydrogen production and fuel cell system in the electricity and transportation markets; and (3) participation in the transportation market. The results indicated that a fuel cell generator providing ancillary services is not economically viable in the investigated case study, while implementing a hydrogen production unit with a hydrogen fuel selling price between 4 and 114 (sic)/kgH(2), depending on the electrolyser's power input, will yield positive results. For the third scenario, the hydrogen fuel price ranged between 3.6 and 15.0 (sic)/kgH(2). This research shows that hydrogen technologies can be used in the electricity and transportation markets from a technical point of view. However, from an economic point of view, a hydrogen system used only for a single application does not seem to be financially appealing. This suggests that reducing the investment cost and/or limiting operating costs is mandatory to support this type of investment. |
1,182 | Earthworms and vermicompost: an eco-friendly approach for repaying nature's debt | The steady increase in the world's population has intensified the need for crop productivity, but the majority of the agricultural practices are associated with adverse effects on the environment. Such undesired environmental outcomes may be mitigated by utilizing biological agents as part of farming practice. The present review article summarizes the analyses of the current status of global agriculture and soil scenarios; a description of the role of earthworms and their products as better biofertilizer; and suggestions for the rejuvenation of such technology despite significant lapses and gaps in research and extension programs. By maintaining a close collaboration with farmers, we have recognized a shift in their attitude and renewed optimism toward nature-based green technology. Based on these relations, it is inferred that the application of earthworm-mediated vermitechnology increases sustainable development by strengthening the underlying economic, social and ecological framework. Graphic abstract |
1,183 | History of GH treatment in Japan | In Japan, a pituitary-extracted human GH (phGH), Crescormon®, was approved for the treatment of pituitary dwarfism in 1975. The Study Group of Pituitary Dysfunction was organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) in 1973 and prepared the "Diagnostic Handbook: Pituitary Dwarfism" guidelines in 1974. Eligibility assessments for phGH treatment were conducted by the research group on pituitary dwarfism (later the Foundation for Growth Science [FGS] GH Treatment Eligibility Assessment Committee); however, there were 200-300 patients on the waiting list. GH treatment has been financially supported by the Grant-in-Aid Program for Chronic Diseases in Childhood, MHW, since 1974. In 1984, phGH was discontinued in the United States due to reports of the onset of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in patients treated with phGH. Japan approved the use of methionyl hGH in 1986 and recombinant hGH in 1988. As a result, the phGH disappeared from the market. The role of the Eligibility Assessment Committee of the FGS shifted to the provision of second opinions about diagnoses and treatment appropriateness. Since then, the indications for GH treatment of pediatric growth disorders have expanded to include other pediatric growth disorders such as Turner syndrome, achondroplasia/hypochondroplasia, etc. |
1,184 | Quantifying the dynamics of nearly 100 years of dominance hierarchy research | Dominance hierarchies have been studied for almost 100 years. The science of science approach used here provides high-level insight into how the dynamics of dominance hierarchy research have shifted over this long timescale. To summarize these patterns, I extracted publication metadata using a Google Scholar search for the phrase 'dominance hierarchy', resulting in over 26 000 publications. I used text mining approaches to assess patterns in three areas: (1) general patterns in publication frequency and rate, (2) dynamics of term usage and (3) term co-occurrence in publications across the history of the field. While the overall number of publications per decade continues to rise, the percent growth rate has fallen in recent years, demonstrating that although there is sustained interest in dominance hierarchies, the field is no longer experiencing the explosive growth it showed in earlier decades. Results from title term co-occurrence networks and community structure show that the different subfields of dominance hierarchy research were most strongly separated early in the field's history while modern research shows more evidence for cohesion and a lack of distinct term community boundaries. These methods provide a general view of the history of research on dominance hierarchies and can be applied to other fields or search terms to gain broad synthetic insight into patterns of interest, especially in fields with large bodies of literature. 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'. |
1,185 | Working from home during the corona-crisis is associated with higher subjective well-being for women with long (pre-corona) commutes | Much research has been devoted to assessing the effect of commute duration on the subjective well-being of people, but as of yet, the respective body or research has been inconclusive as to whether there is indeed a (large) negative effect or not. To control the spread of COVID-19 governments around the world have taken unprecedented measures to control the outbreak of the Corona-virus. Forcing or strongly advising people to work from home (i.e. at least those who can) is often one of these. The ensuing situation can be considered a natural experiment; the government's intervention effectively cancels people's commuting trip and can be considered completely exogenous. Should commuting time indeed have an adverse effect on well-being, it may be expected that those workers with long (pre-corona) commutes who have transitioned to working from home will experience an increase in their well-being. This idea is tested by combining several surveys -timed before and after the crisis- from the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social sciences (LISS) panel, a panel that is representative of the Dutch population. In line with expectations, the results indicate that workers with a long commuting duration who transitioned to working from home indeed increased their subjective well-being. However, this effect was found to be significant only for women and not for men. A more general finding of interest is that subjective well-being did not change much between the measurements before and during the corona-crisis. |
1,186 | Renewable integration for remote communities: Comparative allowable cost analyses for hydro, solar and wave energy | Many remote communities are reliant on diesel-fueled electricity generation. The extra-ordinary logistical and financial complications in acquiring fuel often result in energy poverty. To alleviate these realities, and simultaneously mitigate noise and emissions, communities are focused on harnessing local renewable resources to achieve aggressive decarbonization and renewable energy penetration. This study quantifies the diesel and emissions mitigation potential of micro-hydro, solar and wave energy; and defines 'allowable-cost' Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) targets. Through the application of a bottom-up, time domain energy systems model, Remote Community Optimization Model (RCOM), differing renewable options (including wave, micro-hydro and solar) are compared. The RCOM model formulates the community's energy system operation as a cost minimization optimization problem and generates an hourly dispatch strategy. Comparing hybrid renewables-based systems to the diesel only case, the maximum allowable LCOE values for each renewable energy system to provide economic benefit to the local community are quantified. Additional sensitivities to resource availability, emissions pricing and fuel costs are explored through scenario-based sensitivity analyses. Utilizing RCOM for Hot Springs Cove (remote Canadian community), the diesel system results in LCOE of $0.76/kWh. The development of a small hydro system (225 kW) reduces the community's fuel costs by similar to$5.2 M over the 30-yr. project lifetime. However, these savings are less than the upfront construction capital, and the associated LCOE increases to $1.36/kWh. Based on the novel 'allowable-cost' analysis, wave energy was found to provide economic benefit if the supplied power could be delivered for less than $0.59/kWh; with the added benefit of reducing diesel consumption by 40%, and returning $23,206/kW installed. Comparatively, integrating solar had an allowable-cost LCOE of $0.53/kWh, reduced diesel consumption by only 12%, and gave a return of $6844/kW installed. |
1,187 | Renewable energy consumption and economic growth in OECD countries: A nonlinear panel data analysis | What impact will increasing renewable energy consumption have on economic growth? What is the direction or magnitude of the impact and the determinants behind it? Existing research on the relationship between renewable energy and economic growth focuses on the linear relationship, whereas ignoring the non-linear relationship between them. In this study, the nonlinear relationship between renewable energy and economic growth in OECD countries was investigated by developing panel threshold regression models. Non-renewable energy intensity, urbanization level and per capita income are used as threshold variables to explore the internal mechanism of renewable energy for economic development. Three panel threshold models are developed based on these three threshold variables. The results show that the effect of renewable energy consumption on economic growth is positive, which indicates that increased renewable energy consumpiotn contributes to economic growth. In addition, this positive relationship changes as the threshold value changes, which means that the role of increasing renewable energy consumption to promote economic development is nonlinear. In other words, if the EU countries increase their renewable energy consumption by more than a certain amount (threshold value), the role of renewable energy consumption in promoting economic development is more significant. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,188 | Explaining the political nature of environmental impact assessment (EIA): A neo-Gramscian perspective | Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a mandatory decision-support tool in every country of the world, developed 50 years ago to ensure the consideration of the environmental consequences of development decisions prior to approval decisions being made. Specifically, the aim of developing an EIA system was to make decision-making affecting the environment more accountable, through the use of objective scientific evidence. It remains the project decision-support tool of choice despite considerable research efforts failing to provide convincing evidence that it achieves this aim. Here we explain this apparent paradox by arguing that EIA supports neoliberal agendas by facilitating economic development. We present arguments based on a neo-Gramscian perspective that explains how apparent advances in the practice of EIA are sanctioned because they actually maintain the political nature of the EIA system, which continues to undermine attempts to use evidence objectively. We use a narratives of change approach to support this perspective. We conclude that EIA can only make decision-making more accountable if strategies to depoliticise it are employed, including emphasising substantive outcomes. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,189 | Measuring environmental sustainability performance of South Asia | Sustainability and low-carbon economy strategies have been widely studied in the past; nevertheless, researchers often ignore the effects of combining energy, economic, and environmental factors when assessing sustainability performance. To fill this gap, we measure the environmental sustainability performance of South Asia using a common weight Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)-like mathematical model encompassing a comprehensive, up-to-date, and relevant set of indicators. In this paper, we present a measurement of South Asia's environmental sustainability performance for the years 2001-2015. Our results reveal that Bhutan outperforms the rest of the countries in South Asia, with an overall index score of 0.72. Nepal comes second in the region, with a stable score, followed by the Maldives. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, and their overall scores indicate strong potential sustainability performances. India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan follow this list, with poor scores, with Pakistan having the lowest scores during the study period. Based on these findings, we propose a policy to boost the cross-border renewable energy trade for long-term environmental sustainability. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,190 | Alcoholic fixation over formalin fixation: A new, safer option for morphologic and molecular analysis of tissues | Formalin is a widely used fixative but there is potential public health risks to exposure. Besides, alcoholic fixation is advantageous over formalin fixation because of faster fixation, optimal preservation and safer workplace environment. Following fixation by EMA and 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF), we analyzed the tissue morphology, antigenic stability, DNA and RNA quantity with quality (OD value). The findings of EMA fixing on both the tissue morphology and molecular characterization, were satisfactory. Specially, EMA was faster in penetration of tissues than NBF, fixed ideally as early as 8 h of fixation whereas improper fixation was evident for NBF. In Hematoxylin and Eosin (H & E) staining, better cellular details with stronger affinity for staining were observed. In immunohistochemistry, better antigenic stability was reported for EMA-fixed tissues. The nucleic acid analysis revealed that total genomic DNA and RNA yield from EMA fixed tissues were significantly higher (P < 0.05) with superior quality than NBF fixed tissues. Our results suggest that EMA could be a potential alternative to NBF for fixation and preservation of tissues. These data provide new insights into an option for a safer working environment to support study and research. |
1,191 | Histomorphological and Biochemical Analysis of Rat Model of Menopausal Skin Aging | The study examined the skin histomorphology and biochemistry in mature ovariectomized rats treated and not treated with estrogen. Biochemical parameters (superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, and hydroxyproline content) were measured in dorsal skin samples collected in 50 days after surgery. The morphology of dorsal skin was analyzed under a microscope. In ovariectomized rats, the skin levels of superoxide dismutase and hydroxyproline were significantly lower, while the superoxide dismutase content was significantly higher than in shamoperated animals (p<0.05). Estrogen therapy significantly increased the levels of superoxide dismutase and hydroxyproline and reduced superoxide dismutase level in ovariectomized rats in comparison with the corresponding parameters in untreated ovariectomized animals (p<0.05). Histomorphological analysis of the skin from non-treated ovariectomized rats revealed reduced vascularization and lower density of papillary capillaries in comparison with these parameters in sham-operated controls; estrogen treatment prevented these changes. We concluded that ovariectomized rats can be employed as a model of aging skin in menopause. |
1,192 | Significant impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air pollution in Kolkata (India) and amelioration of environmental health | The fatal novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disease smashes the normal tempo of global socio-economic and cultural livelihood. Most of the countries impose a lockdown system with social distancing measures to arrest the rapid transmission of this virus into the human body. The objective of this study is to examine the status of air quality during and pre-COVID-19 lockdown and to recommend some long-term sustainable environmental management plan. The pollution data like PM10, PM2.5, O-3, SO2, NO(2)and CO have been obtained from State Pollution Control Board under Govt. of West Bengal. Similarly, various land surface temperature (LST) maps have been prepared using LANDSAT-8 OLI and LANDSAT-7 ETM + images of USGS. The maps of NO(2)and aerosol concentration over Indian subcontinent have been taken from ESA and NASA. The digital thematic maps and diagrams have been depicted by Grapher 13 and Arc GIS 10.3 platforms. The result shows that the pollutants like CO, NO(2)and SO(2)are significantly decreased, while the average level of O(3)has been slightly increased in 2020 during the lockdown due to close-down of all industrial and transport activities. Meanwhile, around 17.5% was the mean reduction of PM(10)and PM(2.5)during lockdown compared with previous years owing to complete stop of vehicles movement, burning of biomass and dust particles from the construction works. This study recommends some air pollution-tolerant plant species (in urban vacant spaces and roof tops) for long-term cohabitation among environment, society and development. |
1,193 | Evaluation of geothermal energy extraction in Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) with multiple fracturing horizontal wells (MFHW) | The deep geothermal energy produced from Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) has a great development prospect because of enormous potential and environmental friendliness. EGS process involves a complex thermal-hydraulic process, and fractures in EGS are main channels for fluid flow and heat transfer, the understanding of which is crucial to the sustainable utilization of geothermal reservoirs. In this paper, a 3D thermal-hydraulic coupled numerical model is proposed to describe the interaction of fluid flow and heat transfer. Besides, the EGS with multiple fracturing horizontal wells (MFHW) is adopted to evaluate the effect of multiple hydraulic fractures on geothermal energy extraction performance. The MFHW with multiple stimulated fractures could increase fluid flow path and heat exchange area significantly, thereby enhance the heat recovery ability. Firstly, we analyzed the evolution of temperature and flow fields in EGS and compared the MFHW EGS with conventional vertical EGS. Secondly, the effects of fracturing parameters, including the fracture number, fracture length, and fracture conductivity, on heat extraction performance were investigated. Finally, the cost for drilling and hydraulic fracturing in MFHW EGS was calculated. The results indicate that MFHW EGS has a higher cumulative thermal production and a better heat extraction performance than that of conventional vertical EGS. For the optimization of hydraulic fracture parameters, the cumulative thermal production firstly increases and then decreases as the fracture number increases, the cumulative thermal production curve exists an inflection point of fracture number. Longer fracture length and higher fracture conductivity could enhance the cumulative thermal production, but the output growth slows down gradually. Considering economic cost, the best fracture parameters for MFHW EGS in this paper are the fracture number of 7, the fracture length of 300 m, and the fracture conductivity of 350 mu m(2).cm, respectively. The research provides a better study for multiple fracturing horizontal wells (MFHW) EGS and helps to optimize fracture parameters and geothermal reservoir management, which is conductive to improve the geothermal energy efficiency. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,194 | Disaggregated renewable energy consumption and environmental pollution nexus in G-7 countries | Although it is widely accepted that renewable energy consumption is vital for environmental sustainability, the environmental effectiveness of individual renewable energy types is often overlooked. Therefore, this paper examined the multivariate relationship between disaggregated renewable energy (hydroelectricity, wind, solar and biomass) consumption, economic growth and environmental pollution for the period from 1991 to 2014 in G-7 (The Group of Seven) countries. The study used both augmented mean group estimator and panel bootstrap causality method to consider the cross-sectional dependence and country specific heterogeneity across G-7 countries. Empirical findings indicate that increasing biomass energy consumption was efficient to reduce carbon emission in France, Germany, Japan and the United States; increasing hydroelectricity usage was efficient to reduce carbon emission in Italy and the United Kingdom; wind energy consumption reduced emission in Canada and solar energy usage was efficient on reducing emission in France and Italy for observed period. Moreover, in case of panel, it is found that increasing hydroelectricity, biomass and wind energy consumption reduced carbon emissions while the impact of solar energy consumption is statistically insignificant in G-7 countries. In addition, the hydroelectricity consumption was found the most efficient renewable energy source to reduce environmental pollution for the panel of G-7 countries. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,195 | A hybrid framework to predict ski jumping forces by combining data-driven pose estimation and model-based force calculation | The aim of this paper is to propose a hybrid framework that combines a data-driven pose estimation with model-based force calculation in order to predict the ski jumping force from a recorded motion video. A skeletal model consisting of five joints (ear, hip, knee, ankle, and toe) and four rigid segments (head/arm/trunk or HAT, thigh, shank, and foot) connecting each joint is developed. The joint forces are calculated from the dynamic equilibrium equations, which requires the time history of joint coordinates. They are estimated from a recorded motion video using a deep neural network for pose estimation trained with human motion data. Joint coordinates can be obtained by the proposed deep neural network directly from images of jumping motion without using any markers. The validity and usefulness of the proposed method are confirmed in lab experiments. Further, our method is practically applicable to the study in a real competition environment because it is not required to attach any sensor or marker to athletes.Highlights A method to predict the ski jumping force from a recorded motion video is proposed.It combines a data-driven pose estimation with a model-based force calculation.The proposed method does not require any markers and sensors to be attached to athletes.In a laboratory environment, the relative error in the maximum jumping force is less than 7%.The method can be easily applied to a field study in a real competition environment. |
1,196 | Risk-averse optimization of disaster relief facility location and vehicle routing under stochastic demand | Disasters such as fires, earthquakes, and floods cause severe casualties and enormous economic losses. One effective method to reduce these losses is to construct a disaster relief network to deliver disaster supplies as quickly as possible. This method requires solutions to the following problems. 1) Given the established distribution centers, which center(s) should be open after a disaster? 2) Given a set of vehicles, how should these vehicles be assigned to each open distribution center? 3) How can the vehicles be routed from the open distribution center(s) to demand points as efficiently as possible? 4) How many supplies can be delivered to each demand point on the condition that the relief allocation plan is made a priority before the actual demands are realized? This study proposes a model for risk-averse optimization of disaster relief facility location and vehicle routing under stochastic demand that solves the four problems simultaneously. The novel contribution of this study is its presentation of a new model that includes conditional value at risk with regret (CVaR-R)-defined as the expected regret of worst-case scenarios-as a risk measure that considers both the reliability and unreliability aspects of demand variability in the disaster relief facility location and vehicle routing problem. Two objectives are proposed: the CVaR-R of the waiting time and the CVaR-R of the system cost. Due to the nonlinear capacity constraints for vehicles and distribution centers, the proposed problem is formulated as a bi-objective mixed-integer nonlinear programming model and is solved with a hybrid genetic algorithm that integrates a genetic algorithm to determine the satisfactory solution for each demand scenario and a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) to obtain the non-dominated Pareto solution that considers all demand scenarios. Moreover, the Nash bargaining solution is introduced to capture the decision-maker's interests of the two objectives. Numerical examples demonstrate the trade-off between the waiting time and system cost and the effects of various parameters, including the confidence level and distance parameter, on the solution. It is found that the Pareto solutions are distributed unevenly on the Pareto frontier due to the difference in the number of the distribution centers opened. The Pareto frontier and Nash bargaining solution change along with the confidence level and distance parameter, respectively. |
1,197 | Renewable energy for sustainable rural development: Synergies and mismatches | Energy transition is increasingly regarded as a promising opportunity for the economic development of rural areas. This possibility is associated with the siting and (co-)ownership of decentralized (small-scale) renewable energy facilities. The underlying productive link, however, has been taken for granted, rather than conceptually and practically cultivated. Thus, while renewable energy-based rural development has been stated as a desired by-product of energy transitions, its potential has remained largely unfulfilled. This review aims to illuminate the ambiguous interplay between renewable energy and rural development in the context of the current trajectories of the energy transition. In doing so, we first examine different ways renewable energy may contribute to rural development and explore how the synergetic conflation of renewable energy and rural development has played out in Denmark and Scotland, as two countries that have forged ahead with renewable energy in rural areas. Second, we draw on the different experiences in the two countries to critically discuss policy-related mismatches that hamper a more efficient contribution of renewable energy to rural development, and sketch out some thoughts about the need to bring rural matters and rural communities into the discussion if the synergies between energy transition and rural development are to be taken seriously. |
1,198 | Revisiting the environmental Kuznets curve for city-level CO2 emissions: based on corrected NPP-VIIRS nighttime light data in China | With the increasing trend of global warming, the Chinese government faces tremendous pressure to reduce CO2 emissions. The purpose of this study is to accurately measure CO2 emissions at the city scale in China and examine the environmental Kuznets curve, thereby providing a reference for decision-making. Corrected NPP-VIIRS nighttime light data were used to accurately estimate carbon dioxide emissions at the provincial and city scales in China. Then, based on the STRIPAT model, 291 cities in China were used to verify the environmental Kuznets curve. Our results show that on the provincial scale, the R-2 between the estimated value and the statistical value of carbon dioxide reaches 0.85. Western cities in China emit more CO2, as do economically developed cities and industry- and mining-dominated cities. There are two CO2 emission hot spots in the north and one cold spot in the south. It was found that the environmental Kuznets curve on the city scale exists. This study has practical value in utilizing NPP-VIIRS data for the estimation of city CO2 emissions. The results also have academic value for determining factors that contribute to carbon dioxide emissions and can provide a reference for relevant decision makers. This study could be considered the first to simulate CO2 emissions at the provincial and city levels in China based on a NPP-VIIRS nighttime light model to explore the associated geographical distribution characteristics and potential influencing factors. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,199 | Los posibles mecanismos de pardeamiento del tejido adiposo blanco: una diana novedosa para el tratamiento de la obesidad | The increase of the obesity pandemic worldwide over the last several decades has generated a constant need for the scientific world to develop new possibilities to combat obesity. Since the discovery that brown adipose tissue (BAT) exists in adult humans, and BAT activation contributes to a negative energy balance, much more attention has been focused on the understanding of the molecular switches and their different regulatory mechanisms turning on energy expenditure. Recent insights have revealed that a range of stimuli including cold exposure, physical activity and diet, and critical transcription molecules such as PPARγ, PRDM16, PGC-1α and UCP1, aiming at the induction of BAT activation, could cause the browning of white adipose tissue, thereby dissipating energy and increasing heat production. An increasing number of studies that point to the white adipose tissue (WAT) browning strategies aiming at diet-induced and/or genetically determined obesity have been tested in mouse models as well as in human studies. The aim of this review is to summarize the transcriptional regulators as well as the various mediators that have been regarded as potential therapeutic targets in the process of WAT browning. |
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