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1,400 | Hybrid photovoltaic and wind mini-grids in Kenya: Techno-economic assessment and barriers to diffusion | Mini-grids have been widely developed for rural electrification purposes in Kenya, predominantly as systems combining photovoltaic modules (PV), a diesel generator, and battery capacity. (Small) wind turbines have been largely neglected in such setups and are basically non-existent in Kenyan mini-grids despite potential complementarity with PV due to different temporal production profiles of PV and wind power. This study investigates why small wind turbines have largely been omitted from Kenyan mini-grids from both a techno-economic and diffusion theoretical perspective. A techno-economic model is used for backtesting the feasibility of a hybrid PV/wind system, and building upon theories of innovation and diffusion of technology a conceptual framework is developed and applied for assessing the state of the Kenyan mini-grid sector and categorizing identified barriers accordingly. The article thus suggest an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the potential role of small wind power in energy systems transitioning towards renewables. The techno-economic modelling shows that PV/wind hybrids have both technical and economic potential at average wind speeds above 4.5 m/s but little relevance below. Comprehensive barriers within the technical, economic and systemic spheres are encountered by established stakeholders of the Kenyan mini-grid sector, severely hindering diffusion of hybrid PV/wind solutions. (C) 2019 International Energy Initiative. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
1,401 | Multicriteria analysis of seawater electrolysis technologies for green hydrogen production at sea | The production of green hydrogen through the electrolysis of seawater using marine renewable energies offer numerous advantages. Nonetheless, the combination of marine renewables and electrolysis technologies has not reached commercial status yet. This study aims to see which electrolysis technology presents the best prospects of applicability in the short term by conducting a multicriteria comparison, where economic, environmental and social factors have been selected. Due to the different nature of the involved factors, the analysis is inherently complex. For its simplification, multicriteria decision-making methods are used. However, such methods could lead to various types of inconsistencies, and in order to avoid them, five distinct multicriteria decision-making methods have been employed. This combination enables checking the ranking consistency and its robustness, conferring the results a higher reliability. The results of the study reveal that Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis at sea presents the best prospects of applicability in the short term. |
1,402 | Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Adult Crohn's Disease: an Overview of Clinical Practice and Perceived Barriers | Recently, the role of nutrition in the management of Crohn's disease (CD) is of increasing interest and the exploration of novel nutritional interventions to improve long-term management of the disease is challenging. So far, the majority of the studies on the role of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) in CD are conducted in the pediatric population and have highlighted the efficacy of EEN for achieving mucosal healing. This implicates that a similar approach would be beneficial in adult patients. However, the evidence for EEN in adults is heterogeneous, with meta-analyses reporting it as inferior to steroids while growing data demonstrate improvement in complicated CD. Currently, EEN is less used in adult patients with IBD. Indeed, the lack of palatability of enteral formula leads to difficulties in acceptance and compliance. The search for more tolerable and still effective diets has become an intense area of research aiming to explore the potential role of diet to control inflammation in patients with CD. Thus, this narrative review provides the state-of-the-art on the use of EEN treatment in CD and highlights the perceived barriers to its implementation in adult CD patients. |
1,403 | Investigating the barriers to building information modeling (BIM) implementation within the Nigerian construction industry | Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the perceptions of constructional professionals on barriers to implementation of building information modeling (BIM) within the Nigerian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A scoping literature review was conducted to identify the fourteen barriers to implementation of BIM, which were employed to design a questionnaire survey. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean score, Kruskal-Wallis test, analysis of variance and multivariate techniques such as factor analysis. Findings The descriptive and empirical analysis demonstrated a disparity of ranking of the 14 barriers factors among the groups; however no statistically significant differences among the 14 barriers to BIM. Based on the mean score ranking results, only three (out of 14) barriers are identified as critical (mean score greater than 3.5): few studies available on BIM and lack of knowledge, inexistence or inadequate government policies, and high cost of implementation. The results of the one-sample t-tests show that they were statistically significant differences in 10 out of 14 barriers as follows: few studies available on BIM and lack of knowledge, lack of demand for use and acceptance of BIM, inadequate contractual coordination, lack of specified standards, cost of data and information sharing, technological availability issues, reluctance of other stakeholders, business and cultural changes, data and intellectual property issues, and interoperability issues. The study, through factor analysis, categorized the fourteen barriers to BIM implementation into four principal factors. The factors are: technology and business-related barriers; training and people-related barriers; cost and standards-related barriers; and process and economic-related barriers. Practical implications The identification and assessment of the key barriers to BIM implementation would be useful for the construction professionals and other stakeholder of the construction industry with the view to advance BIM adoption in Nigeria. This could also be extended to other developing countries through considerations of the local economic conditions, given the status of BIM as being in the germinating stage of development in Africa. Originality/value The study provides insights on the barriers to BIM implementation across the Nigerian construction sector environments. The innovative aspect of the study is the identification of the ordered and grouped (composite) set of barriers to BIM which could be used to developing appropriate mitigating solutions. |
1,404 | A survey on providing customer and public administration based services using AI: chatbot | A chatbot is emerged as an effective tool to address the user queries in automated, most appropriate and accurate way. Depending upon the complexity of the subject domain, researchers are employing variety of soft-computing techniques to make the chatbot user-friendly. It is observed that chatbots have flooded the globe with wide range of services including ordering foods, suggesting products, advising for insurance policies, providing customer support, giving financial assistance, schedule meetings etc. However, public administration based services wherein chatbot intervention influence the most, is not explored yet. This paper discuses about artificial intelligence based chatbots including their applications, challenges, architecture and models. It also talks about evolution of chatbots starting from Turing Test and Rule-based chatbots to advanced Artificial Intelligence based Chatbots (AI-Chatbots). AI-Chatbots are providing much kind of services, which this paper outlines into two main aspects including customer based services and public administration based services. The purpose of this survey is to understand and explore the possibility of customer & public administration services based chatbot. The survey demonstrates that there exist an immense potential in the AI assisted chatbot system for providing customer services and providing better governance in public administration services. |
1,405 | Effective municipal solid waste management capability under uncertainty in Vietnam: Utilizing economic efficiency and technology to foster social mobilization and environmental integrity | Resources and expertise for controlling processes are inadequate due to municipal solid waste management (MSWM) capability limitations in Vietnam. The resource-based view (RBV) needs to be considered in the assessment of municipal solid waste management. Nevertheless, in practice, various attributes of municipal solid waste management are not considered in the sustainable performance of cities. Hence, this study applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to confirm the validity and reliability of these attributes and construct a hierarchical structure. Fuzzy set theory was used to convert the linguistic preferences into crisp values and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to assess the causal interrelationships among the attributes. The analytic network process (ANP) was adopted to construct the hierarchical framework, and fuzzy importance - performance analysis (IPA) was used to enhance our understanding of the gap between importance and performance. The results show that the efficiency and effectiveness of cities' waste management systems depend on the capability based on utilizing economic efficiency and technology advantages to foster social mobilization and environmental integrity. Practitioners should consider new data acquisition and communication technologies, the circular economy, technical capabilities, and organizational/leadership capabilities in their decision making to promote sustainable performance. To develop sustainable MSWM, suitable strategic solutions based on the resources and strengths of each city should be developed that consider formal, informal and small-scale sectors. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,406 | How does green credit policy affect total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China? The mediating role of debt financing and the moderating role of environmental regulation | Treating the green credit policy issued in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment, this study has investigated the impact of green credit policy on total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China by using the panel data of the A-share firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges during 2008 and 2020, with the consideration of the mediating role of debt financing and the moderating role of environmental regulation simultaneously. The results show that green credit policy has a negative effect on total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China. Empirical evidence also shows that debt financing could oppositely mediate the nexus between green credit policy and total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China by both inhibiting long-term loans and promoting short-term loans. In addition, the moderating role of environmental regulation is partially and conditionally established. Furthermore, the regional heterogeneity and the property rights heterogeneity are proved. Finally, conclusions and policy implications are provided to improve the quality of green credit policy in the future. |
1,407 | Modeling mortality rates and environmental degradation in Asia and the Pacific: does income group matter? | This two-dimensional study makes significant incursions into the health-environment literature by interrogating whether non-renewable energy moderates the impact of environmental degradation on mortality rates. It further aligns with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and 11, which aim to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. It contributes to the health-environment literature by investigating the intrinsic relationships among mortality rates, carbon emissions (environmental degradation), and non-renewable energy consumption. The study uses an unbalanced sample of 42 Asia and Pacific countries to determine (1) whether carbon emissions exaggerate the incidence of mortality rates and (2) if the interaction of non-renewable energy with carbon emissions enhances or alters the impact of carbon emissions on mortality rates. Consistent findings from the panel spatial correlation consistent least-squares dummy variables (PSCC-LSDV) and two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) techniques reveal that (i) carbon emissions exacerbate mortality rates; (ii) non-renewable energy consumption exhibit mortality-reducing properties; (iii) non-renewable energy attenuates the impact of carbon emissions on mortality rates, (iv) persistency in mortalities occurs; and (v) the health-environment-energy dynamics differ across income groups. The paper's conjecture is expected to channel a new line of discourse on how non-renewable energy influences the environment and health outcomes. |
1,408 | Upstream Activation Sequence Can Function as an Insulator for Chromosomal Regulation of Heterologous Pathways Against Position Effects in Saccharomyces cerevisiae | Metabolic engineering of microbial cell factories through integrating the heterologous synthetic pathway into the chromosome is most commonly used for industrial applications. However, the position of the foreign gene in the chromosome can affect its transcriptional level. As a microorganism that is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) and commonly applied in industrial manufacture with large-scale operations, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is also confronted with this position effect. In this study, we characterized 12 different chromosome sites by inserting the lycopene biosynthetic pathway as a reporter cassette. Due to the different integration loci, the gene transcription and lycopene yield exhibited more than 58-fold and 3.8-fold differences, respectively. Furthermore, changing the gene order also revealed a remarkable influence (30-fold and 14-fold) on gene transcription and lycopene yield. Besides, the upstream activation sequence of a strong promoter (defined as an insulator) in S. cerevisiae could reduce the impact by gene order, and increased the gene transcription (tenfold) and lycopene yield (sevenfold). Taken together, our results demonstrated that gene order and insulator affected gene transcription and heterogeneous biosynthesis, opening the opportunity to regulate gene transcription by insulator against position effect in S. cerevisiae. |
1,409 | Biosynthetic process and strain improvement approaches for industrial penicillin production | Penicillins and cephalosporins are the most important class of beta (β) lactam antibiotics, accounting for 65% total antibiotic market. Penicillins are produced by Penicillium rubens (popularly known as P. chrysogenum) were used to synthesize the active pharmaceutical intermediate (API), 6-aminopenicillinic acid (6-APA) employed in semisynthetic antibiotic production. The wild strains produce a negligible amount of penicillin (Pen). High antibiotic titre-producing P. chrysogenum strains are necessitating for industrial Pen production to meet global demand at lower prices. Classical strain improvement (CSI) approaches such as random mutagenesis, medium engineering, and fermentation are the cornerstones for high-titer Pen production. Since, Sir Alexander Fleming Discovery of Pen, great efforts are expanded to develop at a commercial scale antibiotics producing strains. Breakthroughs in genetic engineering, heterologous expression and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tools opened a new window for Pen production at a commercial scale to assure health crisis. The current state of knowledge, limitations of CSI and genetic engineering approaches to Pen production are discussed in this review. |
1,410 | An Infant with Blended Phenotype of Zellweger Spectrum Disorder and Congenital Muscular Dystrophy | We report a newborn born to a consanguineous couple with antenatally detected dilatation of third ventricle, unilateral talipes, and intra uterine growth retardation. On examination, there was facial dysmorphism, hypotonia, encephalopathy, joint laxity and muscle hypertrophy in addition to left foot talipes. On evaluation, there were renal cortical cysts, rhizomelia, chondrodysplasia punctata and elevated muscle enzymes, along with a dilated third ventricle. As the phenotype was not consistent with any of the muscular dystrophies or the peroxisomal disorders, an exome sequencing was requested. It revealed a combination of Zellweger syndrome and Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy type 1. |
1,411 | Microplastics in the abyss: a first investigation into sediments at 2443-m depth (Toulon, France) | Plastic and microplastic pollutions are known to be widespread across the planet in all types of environments. However, relatively little about microplastic quantities in the deeper areas of the oceans is known, due to the difficulty to reach these environments. In this work, we present an investigation of microplastic (<5 mm) distribution performed in the bottom sediments of the abyssal plain off the coast and the canyon of Toulon (France). Four samples of deep-sea sediment were collected at the depth of 2443 m during the sea operations carried out by the French oceanographic cruises for the KM3NeT project. The chemical and physical characterisation of the sediment was carried out, and items were extracted from sediments by density separation and analysed by optical microscope and µRaman spectroscopy. Results show microplastics in the deep-sea sediments with a concentration of about 80 particles L-1, confirming the hypothesis of microplastics spread to abyssal sediments in the Mediterranean Sea. |
1,412 | Food waste management during the COVID-19 outbreak: a holistic climate, economic and nutritional approach | Improving the food supply chain efficiency has been identified as an essential means to enhance food security, while reducing pressure on natural resources. Adequate food loss and waste (FLW) management has been proposed as an approach to meet these objectives. The main hypothesis of this study is to consider that the "strong fluctuations and short-term changes" on eating habits may have major consequences on potential FLW generation and management, as well as on GHG emissions, all taking into account the nutritional and the economic cost. Due to the exceptional lockdown measures imposed by the Spanish government, as a consequence of the emerging coronavirus disease, COVID-19, food production and consumption systems have undergone significant changes, which must be properly studied in order to propose strategies from the lessons learned. Taking Spain as a case study, the methodological approach included a deep analysis of the inputs and outputs of the Spanish food basket, the supply chain by means of a Material Flow Analysis, as well as an economic and comprehensive nutritional assessment, all under a life cycle thinking approach. The results reveal that during the first weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, there was no significant adjustment in overall FLW generation, but a partial reallocation from extra-domestic consumption to households occurred (12% increase in household FLW). Moreover, the economic impact (+11%), GHG emissions (+10%), and the nutritional content (-8%) complete the multivariable impact profile that the COVID-19 outbreak had on FLW generation and management. Accordingly, this study once again highlights that measures aimed at reducing FLW, particularly in the household sector, are critical to make better use of food surpluses and FLW prevention and control, allowing us to confront future unforeseen scenarios. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
1,413 | 3-hydroxy butyrate dehydrogenase 2 deficiency aggravates systemic lupus erythematosus progression in a mouse model by promoting CD40 ligand demethylation | The implications of the CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) signaling pathway in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were well documented, due to its important role among immune cells. Previous research found that 3-hydroxy butyrate dehydrogenase 2 (BDH2), a modulator of intracellular iron homeostasis and iron transportation promoted the pathogenic process of SLE by regulating the demethylation of cd70, cd11a, and cd40l genes among CD4 + T cells. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of BDH2 in oxidative damage-induced SLE. First, CD4 + T cells treated with H2O2 were injected into the tail vein of mice to establish a lupus model. CD40L knockdown significantly decreased CD40L expression on CD4 + T cells in the spleen of SLE mice. Compared with SLE model mice, the levels of serum anti-dsDNA antibody and urinary protein in the CD40L interference group were significantly decreased. CD40L knockdown alleviated the immune complex glomerulonephritis in syngeneic SLE mice. Moreover, the levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 were decreased. However, IL-4 and IL-10 levels were significantly upregulated in the serum of CD40L knockdown SLE mice, compared with SLE model mice. Accordingly, CD40L knockdown reduced Th1/Th2 percentage in SLE mice. Inhibiting the expression of BDH2 of CD4 + T cells promoted the demethylation of CD40L, while it inhibited cell proliferation, elevated oxidative stress through increased expression of CD40L, and thus, promoted the progress of SLE. Our results demonstrate that BDH2 aggravates the pathologic progression of SLE in mice, by increasing the demethylation level of CD40L among CD4 + T cells. |
1,414 | The relationship between health expenditure, CO2 emissions, and economic growth in the BRICS countries-based on the Fourier ARDL model | In this paper, we use (Yilanci et al. 2020) Fourier autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to study the correlation between health expenditures, CO2 emissions, and GDP fluctuations in BRICS countries from 2000 to 2019. The Fourier ARDL model has the function of bootstrap repeated simulation calculations, so that small samples can also achieve the advantages of finer inspection results. In this paper, we find that in the long term, Brazil and China are countries that both have cointegration relationships in health expenditure, CO2 emissions, and economic growth. With CO2 emissions as the dependent variable and health expenditure and economic growth as independent variables, in the short term, there is a negative causal relationship between India's CO2 emissions and health expenditure; other countries only show the relationship between CO2 emissions, health expenditure, or economic growth one-way relationship. This paper also has some policy suggestions on health expenditures and CO2 emissions in the BRICS countries at the end. |
1,415 | Automatic detection of building typology using deep learning methods on street level images | An exposure model is a key component for assessing potential human and economic losses from natural disasters. An exposure model consists of a spatially disaggregated description of the infrastructure and population of a region under study. Depending on the size of the settlement area, developing such models can be a costly and time-consuming task. In this paper we use a manually annotated dataset consisting of approximately 10,000 photos acquired at street level in the urban area of Medellin to explore the potential for using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to automatically detect building materials and types of lateral-load resisting systems, which are attributes that define a building's structural typology (which is a key issue in exposure models for seismic risk assessment). The results of the developed model achieved a precision of 93% and a recall of 95% when identifying nonductile buildings, which are the buildings most likely to be damaged in an earthquake. Identifying fine-grained material typology is more difficult, because many visual clues are physically hidden, but our model matches expert level performances, achieving a recall of 85% and accuracy scores ranging from 60% to 82% on the three most common building typologies, which account for 91% of the total building population in Medellin. Overall, this study shows that a CNN can make a substantial contribution to developing cost-effective exposure models. |
1,416 | Color-Switchable Subwavelength Organic Light-Emitting Antennas | Future photonic devices require efficient, multifunctional, electrically driven light sources with directional emission properties and subwavelength dimensions. Electrically driven plasmonic nanoantennas have been demonstrated as enabling technology. Here, we present the concept of a nanoscale organic light-emitting antenna (OLEA) as a color- and directionality-switchable point source. The device consists of laterally arranged electrically contacted gold nanoantennas with their gap filled by the organic semiconductor zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc). Since ZnPc shows preferred hole conduction in combination with gold, the recombination zone relocates depending on the polarity of the applied voltage and couples selectively to either of the two antennas. Thereby, the emission characteristics of the device also depend on polarity. Contrary to large-area OLEDs where recombination at metal contacts significantly contributes to losses, our ultracompact OLEA structures facilitate efficient radiation into the far-field rendering transparent electrodes obsolete. We envision OLEA structures to serve as wavelength-scale pixels with tunable color and directionality for advanced display applications. |
1,417 | PCA-DEA-tobit regression assessment with carbon emission constraints of China's logistics industry | China's logistics industry has developed rapidly recently, but it also faces problems such as high costs, low efficiency and excessive carbon emissions, which has caused a heavy burden on the environment. However, there are few studies on the consideration of carbon emission factors in logistics performance evaluation. To this end, this study developed a comprehensive evaluation index system to assess the performance of China's logistics. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce the indicator dimensions and then a Slacks-Based Measure-Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) was employed to measure and evaluate the logistics performance with and without carbon emissions constraints of 30 provinces/municipalities in China and analyze the overall level and spatial characteristics of China's logistics industry efficiency. Regression analyses using the Tobit model were then conducted to identify the driving factors. The results show that: (1) There are large regional differences in China's logistics efficiency, showing a gradual decline from east to west regions; (2) Low scale efficiency is an important factor restricting the logistics development; (3) In terms of influencing factors, regional economic and logistics development are positively related to the logistics efficiency, and energy structure and government influence are negatively related to the logistics efficiency. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,418 | The dynamic association between healthcare spending, CO2 emissions, and human development index in OECD countries: evidence from panel VAR model | The present research aims to inspect the bidirectional association among healthcare expenditures, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and human development index (HDI). For this purpose, we employ a balanced panel data set of 33 OECD countries for the period 2006-2016. A newly developed econometric approach known as panel vector autoregression based on the generalized method of moments estimations is employed to test this relationship. The key empirical findings reveal that (1) all of the three main variables namely healthcare expenditures, CO2 emissions, and HDI exhibit a causal relationship, (2) there exists bidirectional causality between healthcare expenditures and CO2 emissions which suggests that CO2 emissions significantly escalate the healthcare expenditures in OECD countries. Likewise, healthcare investments also increase emissions due to higher use of energy, (3) positive bidirectional causation between healthcare expenditures and HDI entails that investments in health infrastructure lead to improvement in the overall quality of living in these countries. Moreover, a higher HDI reinforces the governments to increase their healthcare spending, and (4) there is a unidirectional negative causality between CO2 emissions and HDI which implies that carbon emissions significantly deteriorate human health and wellness in these countries. Based on these empirical outcomes, the policy prescriptions are discussed for the relevant authorities to curtail emission and enhance the quality of living of the masses. |
1,419 | The impact of population urbanization lag on eco-efficiency: A panel quantile approach | China's urban built-up areas have developed fast, along with land urbanization growing rapidly. However, the population of urban agglomeration has not increased simultaneously, and urbanization speed of population is much smaller compared to land expansion. This study exploits super slack-based measure to evaluate eco-efficiency for 47 cities in the Bohai Rim from year 2005-2015. A population urbanization lag index is synthesized and the ordinary least squares and generalized methods of moments estimation approaches are adopted to explore the relationship between eco-efficiency and urbanization with special concentration on the population urbanization lag. Furthermore, a panel quantile approach is conducted to interpret the impact of urbanization and population urbanization lag on eco-efficiency in different quantiles. This study shows that per capita GDP and foreign direct investment have positive effects on eco-efficiency while industry structure, urbanization, and population urbanization lag have negative influences on eco-efficiency. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,420 | China's policies of building green retrofit: A state-of-the-art overview | Green retrofit in existing buildings is of great significance in achieving a sustainable environment. Various policies have been introduced around the world to promote building green retrofit, whereas the uptake is rare for policy ineffectiveness. To improve policy effectiveness, it has been emphasized that a systematic review of existing retrofit policies has a key priority. In this study, a comprehensive review on retrofit policies in China was conducted because there are great application potential for green retrofit in China's existing buildings. This study examined the state-of-the-art development of retrofit policies during 1996-2019 and explored policy characteristics based on content analysis. The ambitious retrofit objectives and multiple retrofit instruments were identified. The relevant policy instruments can be grouped into six categories, including command and control, economic incentives, technology, information, certification, organization & professional. The most cited policy was the command and control instrument, followed by the certification-based instrument. Moreover, policy instruments related to economic incentives, technology and information were also valued by the China government, while the government attempted to reduce the adoption of economic incentives and technology measures since 2010. In addition, organization & professional instruments are largely ignored in China. In the light of these findings, a roadmap was proposed to enhance the effectiveness of building retrofit policies. This study sheds lights on the effectiveness of China's building policies to accelerate the popularity of green retrofit, and provides valuable references for other countries and regions to shape their own policy pathways towards the large-scale promotion of building green retrofit. |
1,421 | Optimal design and techno-economic analysis of a solar-wind-biomass off-grid hybrid power system for remote rural electrification: A case study of west China | Demand for electricity is a key bottleneck for the development of remote areas. Grid extension to remote areas has previously been constrained due to difficult terrain for construction and vast investment. Fast development of decentralized renewable energy production technologies provides opportunity for tackling the challenges. The study aims to demonstrate the techno-economic feasibility of off-grid hybrid renewable energy system for remote rural electrification, via a case study of a village in West China by performing simulation, optimization and sensitivity analysis. Daily and seasonal characteristics of energy supply as well as demand sizes and patterns of remote rural areas are considered. Different combinations of PV panels, wind turbine and biogas generator are modeled and optimized in Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER). The most cost competitive configuration is determined whilst ensuring a reliable power supply featuring residential, community, commercial and agricultural demand of the village. Comparison of the off-grid hybrid power system and grid extension has been carried out. Results show that a hybrid power system comprising solar, wind and biomass is a reliable and cost-effective option for sustainable remote rural electrification whilst achieving environmental benefits. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,422 | Biomass energy production and its impacts on the ecological footprint: An investigation of the G7 countries | In recent years, the impacts of biomass energy consumption on the environment have attracted the attention of policymakers and scholars. Although empirical studies have been conducted on this topic, the relationship between biomass energy production and the ecological footprint has been overlooked in the literature. This study seeks to fill this gap by investigating the effects of biomass energy production on the ecological footprint of the G7 countries for the period 1980-2016. For this purpose, we use a set of methods, that help overcome the problem of cross-sectional dependence in panel data analysis. The findings from dynamic seemingly unrelated regression (DSUR) estimation show that biomass energy production increases the ecological footprint of the G7 countries. Meanwhile, a Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test provides evidence that unidirectional causality runs from biomass energy production to the ecological footprint. Based on these empirical results, several policy recommendations are proposed for the G7 countries. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
1,423 | Kinetics of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides during hemodialysis are regulated in association with different cardiac functional changes | The blood levels of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) are both increased markedly in hemodialysis patients, but the kinetics of the two are not always parallel. The present study investigated the association of changes in ANP and BNP levels before and after dialysis with changes in cardiac function in hemodialysis patients. A total of 57 patients (mean age 64 years, 47 males and 10 females) on maintenance hemodialysis with sinus rhythm were enrolled. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of dialysis, and plasma levels of ANP and BNP were measured. Changes in cardiac function during dialysis were examined by echocardiography performed just before and after dialysis. Both plasma ANP and BNP concentrations decreased significantly after hemodialysis, but the rate of decrease in BNP [mean ± SD, 555 ± 503 to 519 ± 477 pg/mL (- 6.4%), P = 0.011] was much smaller than that in ANP [233 ± 123 to 132 ± 83 pg/mL (- 43.4%), P < 0.001]. As for the relation to the changes in echocardiographic parameters before and after dialysis, the decrease in inferior vena cava diameter had a close correlation with the decrease in ANP (r = 0.528, P < 0.001), but not BNP. In contrast, the decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic volume index was correlated only with the decrease in BNP (r = 0.297, P = 0.035). The peak velocity ratio of early diastolic to atrial filling decreased with preload reduction by dialysis, and its decrease was more strongly correlated with the decrease in BNP (r = 0.407, P = 0.002) than that in ANP (r = 0.273, P = 0.040). These results demonstrated that in hemodialysis patients, the decrease in plasma ANP by a single dialysis was essentially caused by blood volume reduction, while BNP decrease was mainly induced by the reduction of left ventricular overload. Our findings indicate that the kinetics of both peptides during dialysis are regulated by different cardiac and hemodynamic factors. |
1,424 | Progress of the applications of bio-oil | Bio-oil is considered a renewable feedstock for the production of energy, fuels, chemicals and carbon materials. These specifically include the direct combustion of bio-oil as a boiler fuel, the production of biofuel from bio-oil via hydrotreatment, or the production of value-added chemicals via separation and acid-catalysis/hydrogenation or the conversion of bio-oil to carbon materials via polymerisation/cracking. So far, considerable efforts have been made to develop feasible method for utilizing bio-oil. However, it remains a challenge to find a suitable outlet for the commercial application of bio-oil. The conversion of bio-oil into the useful products has been the focus of numerous studies. Therefore, the review of the progress of this area is of importance for providing the necessary information for assessing the feasibility of the varied process for the application of bio-oil in a comparative manner. This work reviewed the progress of bio-oil as the feedstock for the use as boiler, heavy-duty engine fuel, or the use as the feedstock for the production biofuel, hydrogen, chemicals, carbonaceous materials, binder for electrode and asphalt, pesticide and fertilizer, polyurethane foam and plastics. In addition, the major issues associated with the application of bio-oil as well as the techno-economic aspects of each application were analysed as well. Suggestions were given for the future developments in each application. The analysis indicated that majority of these technologies are mainly in the initial stages of developments. Either cost or the technical issues are the major barrier for the commercial application of bio-oil in large scale. |
1,425 | Social ascent changes cognition, behaviour and physiology in a highly social cichlid fish | When an individual ascends in dominance status within their social community, they often undergo a suite of behavioural, physiological and neuromolecular changes. While these changes have been extensively characterized across a number of species, we know much less about the degree to which these changes in turn influence cognitive processes like associative learning, memory and spatial navigation. Here, we assessed male Astatotilapia burtoni, an African cichlid fish known for its dynamic social dominance hierarchies, in a set of cognitive tasks both before and after a community perturbation in which some individuals ascended in dominance status. We assayed steroid hormone (cortisol, testosterone) levels before and after the community experienced a social perturbation. We found that ascending males changed their physiology and novel object recognition preference during the perturbation, and they subsequently differed in social competence from non-ascenders. Additionally, using a principal component analysis we were able to identify specific cognitive and physiological attributes that appear to predispose certain individuals to ascend in social status once a perturbation occurs. These previously undiscovered relationships between social ascent and cognition further emphasize the broad influence of social dominance on animal decision-making. 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'. |
1,426 | Vegetable wastes as a bio-additive for low-salt preservation of raw goat skin: An attempt to reduce salinity in leather manufacture | Preservation or curing of hides/skins is performed as the primary step of leather processing to conserve them from putrefaction. Normally preservation is carried out using common salt (NaCl), which is discharged in the soak liquor contributing to ~ 70%, of total dissolved solids (TDS) load of entire leather manufacturing. In an attempt to reduce the TDS and chlorides, phyto-based preservation using garlic peel (Allium sativum) and white onion peel (Allium cepa) was carried out. Different concentrations of salt in combination with garlic peel and white onion peel were applied on freshly flayed goat skins based on its green weight and compared to control (40% salt). Sensory evaluation of the preserved skin was done by assessing different parameters like hair slip, putrefaction and odour. Estimation of hydroxyproline (HP) release, moisture content and microbial load were carried out at regular intervals. Skins that remained in good condition for 14 days were further processed into leather and properties were examined which were found comparable to the conventionally cured skins. Hence, this cleaner curing technique helps in reducing the TDS and chlorides in the effluent, thus controlling the pollution caused by tanneries through sustainable leather processing. |
1,427 | A rare case of superior vena cava syndrome in a patient on VV-ECMO | Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is caused by either extrinsic compression of SVC or intrinsic lesions within SVC leading to obstruction of SVC and consequently swelling of the face, neck, and upper extremeities. Iatrogenic incidence is on the rise due to the use of long-term indwelling catheters. SVC syndrome in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been defined in neonatal and paediatric ECMO cases. Only one case of SVC syndrome in adult has been defined while using a double-lumen ECMO cannula. Our case describes a case of SVC syndrome in a case on veno-venous ECMO (VV-ECMO) with an internal jugular vein (IJV) return cannula which is unheard of. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose SVC syndrome. |
1,428 | Neighborhoods, Schools, and Adolescent Violence: Ecological Relative Deprivation, Disadvantage Saturation, or Cumulative Disadvantage? | Neighborhood and school socioeconomic "disadvantage" are consequential for youth violence perpetration. This study considers alternative ecological cumulative disadvantage, disadvantage saturation, and relative deprivation hypotheses regarding how the association between neighborhood disadvantage and violence varies by levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in schools. These hypotheses are tested with data from Wave I of Add Health (n = 15,581; 51% Female; Age mean = 15.67, SD = 1.74). Cross-classified multilevel Rasch models are used to estimate the interaction between neighborhood and school disadvantage in predicting adolescent violence. Consistent with the ecological relative deprivation hypothesis, results indicate that the association between neighborhood disadvantage and violence is most pronounced among youth attending low-disadvantage schools. Further, youth exposed to high-disadvantage neighborhoods and low-disadvantage schools tend to be at the greatest risk of perpetrating violence. These patterns are evident among both males and females, and particularly among older youth and those from low-parent education families. This study motivates future investigations considering how adolescents' experiences beyond the neighborhood shape how they engage with and experience the effects of their neighborhoods. |
1,429 | Techno-economic comparison of green ammonia production processes | To reduce the fossil-fuel consumption and the impacts of conventional ammonia production on climate change, green ammonia production processes using green hydrogen need to be investigated. For commercial production scale, potential alternatives can be based on biomass gasification and water electrolysis via renewable energy, namely biomass- and power-to-ammonia. The former generally uses entrained flow gasifier due to low CO2 and almost no tar, and air separation units are shared by the gasifier and ammonia synthesis. The latter may use solid-oxide electrolyzer due to high electrical efficiency and the possibility of heat integration with the ammonia synthesis process. In this paper, techno-economic feasibility of these two green ammonia production processes are investigated and compared with the state-of-the-art methane-to-ammonia process, considering system-level heat integration and optimal placement of steam cycles for heat recovery. With a reference ammonia production of 50 kton/year, the results show that there are trade-offs between the overall energy efficiency (LHV) and ammonia production cost for all three cases. The biomass-to-ammonia is the most exothermic but is largely limited by the large heat requirement of acid gas removal. The steam cycles with three pressure levels are able to maximize the heat utilization at the system level. The power-to-ammonia achieves the highest system efficiency of over 74%, much higher than that of biomass-to-ammonia (44%) and methane-to-ammonia (61%). The biomass-to-ammonia reaches above 450 $/ton ammonia production cost with a payback time of over 6 years, higher than those of methane-to-ammonia (400 $/ton, 5 years). The power-to-ammonia is currently not economically feasible due to high stack costs and electricity prices; however, it can be competitive with a payback time of below 5 years with mass production of solid-oxide industry and increased renewable power penetration. |
1,430 | Development level and the impact of technological factor on renewable energy production | This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the drivers of renewable energy production by employing variables of technological factors, economic factors, and environmental factors for two panels of developed and developing countries. Using GLS (Generalized Least Square) panel data estimation method, this paper finds that the determinants towards renewable sources vary in accordance with the level of income. The results reveal that renewable energy production is significantly determined by high technology export in developed countries, while high technology export is not statistically significant in explaining the use of RE sources in developing countries. Oil price has the smallest impact on renewable energy production in both groups. Although GDP per capita yields a positive impact on renewable energy production per capita in both groups, per capita CO2 emission shows considerably different impacts in developed and developing countries. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,431 | Effects of plate contouring quality on the biomechanical performance of high tibial osteotomy fixation: A parametric finite element study | Locking plates have threaded holes, in which threaded-head screws are affixed. Hence, they do not need to be in intimate contact with underlying bone to provide fixation. There are, however, reports that a large distance between the plate and the bone might cause clinical complications such as delayed union or nonunion, screw pull out, and screw and plate breakage. Considering the diversity in the capabilities and costs of different plate customization techniques, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the plate contouring quality on the biomechanical performance of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) fixation. A finite element model of proximal tibia was developed in Abaqus, using the QCT data of a cadaver. The model was then subjected to open-wedge HTO (correction angle 12°) with TomoFix plate fixation. The sagittal curvature of the plate was changed parametrically to provide certain levels of geometrical fit, and the biomechanical performance parameters of fixation were assessed. Results indicated 5%, 9% and 38% increase in the stiffness of the construct, and the von Mises stress in the plate and locking screw just above the osteotomy site, respectively, when the level of fit of plate changed from 0% (initial non-contoured initial shape) to 100% (fully adapted shape). The same change decreased the pressure at the lateral hinge of the osteotomy by 61%, and the mean of the tensile stress on the screw shaft by 12%. It was concluded that the level of fit has conflicting effects on the biomechanical parameters of the HTO fixation system, that is, the structural stiffness, the pressure at the lateral hinge, the stresses in the plate and screws, and the pull out resistance of the screws. In particular, for HTO patients with high quality bone, the optimal level of fit should provide a tradeoff between these parameters. |
1,432 | Vascular Contributions to Brain Health: Cross-Cutting Themes | As life expectancy grows, brain health is increasingly seen as central to what we mean by successful aging-and vascular brain health as central to overall brain health. Cerebrovascular pathologies are highly prevalent independent contributors to age-related cognitive impairment and at least partly modifiable with available treatments. The current Focused Update addresses vascular brain health from multiple angles, ranging from pathophysiologic mechanisms and neuroimaging features to epidemiologic risk factors, social determinants, and candidate treatments. Here we highlight some of the shared themes that cut across these distinct perspectives: (1) the lifetime course of vascular brain injury pathogenesis and progression; (2) the scientific and ethical imperative to extend vascular brain health research in non-White and non-affluent populations; (3) the need for improved tools to study the cerebral small vessels themselves; (4) the potential role for brain recovery mechanisms in determining vascular brain health and resilience; and (5) the cross-pathway mechanisms by which vascular and neurodegenerative processes may interact. The diverse perspectives featured in this Focused Update offer a sense of the multidisciplinary approaches and collaborations that will be required to launch our populations towards improved brain health and successful aging. |
1,433 | The effect of urban air pollutants in Germany: eco-efficiency analysis through fractional regression models applied after DEA and SFA efficiency predictions | Cities and living standards contribute intensively to air pollution, an environmental risk factor which causes diseases. Recently, in developed countries, the majority of cities has grown rapidly and has experienced increasing environmental problems. In this article we analyze the effect of urban air pollution considering the available data for the years 2007, 2010 and 2013 in 24 German cities. Proposing a new model, we start the analysis using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to predict eco-efficiency scores for the 24 German cities. Afterwards, it is applied fractional regression to infer about the influencing factors of the eco-efficiency scores, at the city level. Results suggest a significant impact over eco-efficiency due to the excess of PM10, the average temperature, the average of NO2 concentration and rainfall. The findings in this study hold important implications for policymakers and urban planners in Germany, especially those that coordinate environmental protection and economic development in cities. Therefore, interventions to reduce urban air pollution can be accomplished on different regulatory levels, leading to synergistic effects as the decrease of climate change effects and noise. |
1,434 | Testing efficacy of the nicotine protection of the substantia nigra pars compacta in a rat Parkinson disease model. Ultrastructure study | Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) with subsequent motor manifestations. This study aimed to assess the ameliorative effects of nicotine, in rotenone-induced PD rat model. Thirty adult male Albino Wistar rats were divided into three equal groups. Group I received an injection of normal saline. Group II received subcutaneous injection of rotenone at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg every other day. Group III received rotenone in the same previous dose and nicotine at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg daily. After 11 days of treatment, body weight (BW) and rat motor behavior were estimated. Specimens from the midbrain were processed for light and electron microscopy. The expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), α-synuclein, and GFAP was examined. Serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and striatal levels of dopamine (DA) were analyzed. Group III revealed a significant improvement in BW and motor activity. Nicotine upregulated the expression of TH, downregulated the expression of α-synuclein and GFAP. The levels of MDA and TAC were improved but were still far from those of the control. Striatal DA levels increased. Nicotine activated the neurons and glial cells. The vascular endothelium, however, did not elicit improvement. Although nicotine ameliorated the loss of the dopaminergic neurons and motor deficit, it did not show improvement of vascular endothelium. It is still necessary to examine nicotin's ability to maintain the dopaminergic neurons in a good functioning state. |
1,435 | Anti-Allergic Properties of Humic Acids Isolated from Pine-Sphagnum-Cotton Sedge Peat | The course administration of humic acids isolated by the sodium pyrophosphate method from pine-sphagnum-cotton sedge peat reduced the general anaphylaxis reaction in mice and guinea pigs immunized with ovalbumin and decreased serum content of IgG1 and IgE in mice. The serum from mice treated with humic acids and sensitized with ovalbumin did not increase the rate of degranulation of mast cells isolated from intact Wistar rats in the presence of ovalbumin in comparison with the serum of control animals. |
1,436 | Hypothesis Testing for Network Data with Power Enhancement | Comparing two population means of network data is of paramount importance in a wide range of scientific applications. Numerous existing network inference solutions focus on global testing of entire networks, without comparing individual network links. The observed data often take the form of vectors or matrices, and the problem is formulated as comparing two covariance or precision matrices under a normal or matrix normal distribution. Moreover, many tests suffer from a limited power under a small sample size. In this article, we tackle the problem of network comparison, both global and simultaneous inferences, when the data come in a different format, i.e., in the form of a collection of symmetric matrices, each of which encodes the network structure of an individual subject. Such data format commonly arises in applications such as brain connectivity analysis and clinical genomics. We no longer require the underlying data to follow a normal distribution, but instead impose some moment conditions that are easily satisfied for numerous types of network data. Furthermore, we propose a power enhancement procedure, and show that it can control the false discovery, while it has the potential to substantially enhance the power of the test. We investigate the efficacy of our testing procedure through both an asymptotic analysis and a simulation study under a finite sample size. We further illustrate our method with examples of brain connectivity analysis. |
1,437 | The impact of renewable energy consumption on income inequality: Evidence from developed countries | Despite of the great number of studies on the impact that income gap has on the environment, we still do not know much about whether renewable energy could be a factor affecting income inequality. The goal of this study is therefore to investigate the impact of renewable energy consumption on income inequality in a panel group of developed economies over the period 1990-2014. To this end, the study employs two dynamic panel data estimation techniques: (i) panel generalized method of moments in which slope coefficients are not allowed to vary, and (ii) the dynamic common correlated effects estimator in which heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence is taken into consideration. The results obtained from the both estimators indicate that an increase in renewable energy consumption leads to a decrease in income inequality. Beyond the environmental concerns, this result confirms that adoption of renewable energy sources will also play a crucial role in reducing income inequality. In addition, it is also proved that the role of renewable energy consumption on income inequality is robust to estimation technique. Policy implications of these results are also discussed. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,438 | The influence of carbon tax on the ecological efficiency of China's energy intensive industries-A inter-fuel and inter-factor substitution perspective | China's energy intensive industries have posed great challenges in achieving carbon emissions reduction goals. We calculate the influence of carbon tax levying on the CO2 emissions as well as ecological efficiency of China's energy intensive industries utilizing inter-fuel and inter-factor substitution channel. To allow for the slow adjustment process of the enterprises of different fuels and factors inputs, a dynamic model and three-stage estimation procedure are used. Based on the substitution among fuels and factors, the results indicate that carbon tax levying will make the enterprises transform from consuming coal (with a higher carbon efficient) to lower oil/gas and electricity, and from inputting energy to inputting more labor and capital. Therefore, carbon tax is conductive for the CO2 reduction in China's energy intensive industries. With regard to the two kinds of ecological efficiency, carbon tax plays a negative role in improving them. Thus, carbon tax levy is suggested to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions in China's energy intensive industries. The future assessment tasks should include the ecological efficiency in to make the assessment more reasonable. |
1,439 | Evaluating the potential health and economic effects of nitrogen fertilizer application in grain production systems of China | In past decades, large amounts of N fertilizers have been applied in agricultural production of China. N fertilizer has not only underpinned food production but also led to great concerns about negative environmental impacts. We used a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to assess nitrogen fertilizer induced potential human health risk (HHR) and human capital loss (HCL) of rice, wheat and maize production systems. We found that the HHR of rice, wheat and maize was 633004, 264105 and 418644 DALY/yr, respectively. The rice production system caused the highest potential risk while the wheat production system the lowest. Fine particulate matter formation (FPMF) was the most serious health risk index, and accounted for nearly 87% of HHR. Sown area and crop type both play an important role in HHR. The potential loss of human capital caused by rice, wheat and maize production are 37.5, 15.6 and 24.8 billion RMB/yr, respectively. The total HCL accounted for about 5.9% of the Chinese grain yield value in 2017. We constructed 3 scenarios to evaluate the potential for reduction of human health risk. In scenario A, reducing N fertilizer rates to an appropriate level, the HHR decreased by about 23%, while in scenario B, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and production technology, decreased HHR by about 22%. Furthermore, when we combined both scenario A and B, the HHR was reduced by as much as 37%. Improving fertilizer management practices in grain production in China has a great potential to reduce adverse impacts on human health, and more attention should also be paid to the impacts of air pollutant emissions from agricultural production on human health. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,440 | Enhanced curcumin loaded nanocellulose: a possible inhalable nanotherapeutic to treat COVID-19 | Nanocellulose/polyvinyl alcohol/curcumin (CNC/PVA/curcumin) nanoparticles with enhanced drug loading properties were developed by the dispersion of nanocellulose in curcumin/polyvinyl alcohol aqueous medium. Due to the physical and chemical nature of sulphuric acid hydrolyzed nanocellulose and the antiviral properties of curcumin, the possibility of using these nanoparticles as an inhalable nanotherapeutic for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is discussed. The adsorption of curcumin and PVA into nanocellulose, and the presence of anionic sulphate groups, which is important for the interaction with viral glycoproteins were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FESEM images showed that the diameter of nanocellulose ranged from 50 to 100 nm, which is closer to the diameter (60-140 nm) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The solubility of poorly water-soluble curcumin was increased from 40.58 ± 1.42 to 313.61 ± 1.05 mg/L with increasing the PVA concentration from 0.05 to 0.8% (w/v) in aqueous medium. This is a significant increase in the solubility compared to curcumin's solubility in carboxymethyl cellulose medium in our previous study. The drug loading capacity increased by 22-fold with the addition of 0.8% PVA to the nanocellulose dispersed curcumin solution. The highest drug release increased from 1.25 ± 0.15 mg/L to 17.11 ± 0.22 mg/L with increasing the PVA concentration from 0 to 0.8% in the drug-loaded medium. Future studies of this material will be based on the antiviral efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and cell cytotoxicity studies. Due to the particulate nature, morphology and size of SARS-CoV-2, nanoparticle-based strategies offer a strong approach to tackling this virus. Hence, we believe that the enhanced loading of curcumin in nanocellulose will provide a promising nano-based solution for the treatment of COVID-19. |
1,441 | Environmental feasibility of secondary use of electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries in communication base stations | Repurposing spent batteries in communication base stations (CBSs) is a promising option to dispose massive spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) from electric vehicles (EVs), yet the environmental feasibility of this practice remains unknown. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used in this study to compare the environmental impacts of repurposed EV LIBs and lead-acid batteries (LABs) used in conventional energy storage systems (ESSs) of CBSs. The economic-based allocation method is used in the multi-functional system. The LCA results suggest that the manufacturing and reusing stages are the dominant contributors to the environmental impacts of repurposed LIBs, whereas battery recycling can reduce environmental impacts. In addition, the secondary use of EV LIBs results in less environmental impact than the use of LABs in all selected categories, except for metal depletion, which is attributed to the large lead consumption and low energy density of LABs. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to measure the influences of two alternative allocation methods (i.e., cut-off allocation and 50/50 allocation), the cycle life, and the electricity sources on the results. It is found that repurposing spent LIBs with 50/50 allocation method has the poorest environmental performance and is not sufficiently advantageous over using LABs. Moreover, extending the cycle life of repurposed LIBs and using a cleaner energy mix significantly reduce environmental impacts. This study offers implications to mitigate the end-of-life management problem of EV LIBs, including a life cycle management platform, an effective integration of the supply chain, and references for the ongoing "green" transition of the communication industry. |
1,442 | Teaching Metaphorical Generation via Tact and Match-to-Sample Instructions: A Brief Report | The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of an instructional sequence involving simple tact, category tact, and match-to-sample instructions on the emergence of metaphorical extensions about emotions for children with autism spectrum disorder. Three Chinese children (1 girl, 2 boys, 7-8 years old) with autism spectrum disorder participated. Results indicate that the participants' intraverbal responses for metaphorical extensions about emotions emerged or increased without direct training after completion of the instructional sequence to which verbal instruction had been added. All three children maintained the metaphorical extensions about emotions for 4 weeks. |
1,443 | Optimal sizing and power schedule in PV household-prosumers for improving PV self-consumption and providing frequency containment reserve | This paper presents a methodology for jointly optimizing the sizing and power management of PV household-prosumers, namely, photovoltaic (PV) power, electric vehicle charging load (EVCL), household consumption load (HCL), battery bank (BB), and power converters. The optimization includes PV self-consumption enhancement and frequency containment reserve (FCR). This innovative model uses an annual techno-economic assessment to calculate the total costs and revenue by means of the teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm. The assessment of BB aging takes into account the charge/discharge power as well as the depth of discharge (DOD). This methodology is applied to Spanish PV household-prosumers. Results are obtained for scenarios involving PV, EV, and BB. Moreover, the PV household-prosumer approximated the smart user concept by providing FCR service. The scenarios envisaged examined potential revenues based on markets (day-ahead and FCR market) and their influence on profitability. The results of this study confirmed that BB is a cost-effective way of enhancing PV self-consumption by decreasing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). In fact, when FCR provision was added, there was a significant increase in the total revenue with a relatively low impact on BB aging. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,444 | Consumer's food waste in different restaurants configuration: A comparison between different levels of incentive and interaction | Reducing food waste is necessary for achieving healthy diets and sustainable food systems due to its negative impacts on resource conservation, food security, and environmental, social and economic costs. This paper aim is to quantify the amount and types of food that is wasted by the consumers in different restaurant configurations. The second aim is to understand the reasons which lead them to waste food and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the waste. To fulfil the aims, a mixed methodology was used, including primary data collection in restaurants for the quantification of food waste, interviewing consumers and staff, along with calculating the environmental impact from the waste using life cycle assessment. The results show that different incentives and levels of interaction in consumer's choice of food types exert influence on plate food waste. When incentive and interaction are low, the amount of food waste is larger. It is the case of a la carte restaurants. The best performance in the restaurant categories was when both incentive and level of interaction were higher. Buffet where the consumers pay by weight, therefore, is the configuration that generates less food waste on the consumer's plate. The main wasted products are rice and beans, followed by beef, and then other carbohydrates. The life cycle assessment indicated a carbon footprint varying from 128 to 324 g CO2 eq./plate from the wasted food. The result of the interviews showed that the food waste on the plate is not visible to consumers, since in the majority of cases, they believe that their food waste on the plate in the day of the observation was an exception. There is a large potential to reduce food waste by giving consumers the possibility to influence the serving to get the right portion size. Also, to further emphasize this behaviour by creating incentives for consumers only to serve as much food as they actually eat. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
1,445 | Health risk assessment by toxic metals in little egrets ( Egretta garzetta) and food chain contaminations | This study analysed heavy metals from little egret (Egretta garzetta). Egret's Eggs, egg shells, food (fish and insects), blood, meat samples (thigh, liver, and chest), water, soil and sediments samples were collected from the two selected sites of the study area. Samples were analysed on flame atomic absorption spectrometer after acid digestion. Detected metals were found almost inline of concentrations when compared with the both sites. Among detected metals Mn was found higher in concentration (µg/g) i.e. 18.509 followed by Zn i.e. 9.383, Ni, Cu, Pb and Cd. Sediment exhibited higher levels (µg/g) of metals (25.061) followed by the meat (19.044) egrets food (18.825), excreta (16.26), blood serums (4.577), eggs (3.626) and water samples (2.432).The level of metals in sediments of the study are showed environmental concerns. Health risks were also investigated that were compared to guidelines of WHO and FAO threshold limits. It was found a marginal health risk to life through detected metals. This study revealed that little egret are good bio-indicator for the screening and investigation of contaminates presence in the environment. |
1,446 | LCA analysis of food waste co-digestion | The i-REXFO LIFE project designs an innovative business model with the objective of reducing significantly the amount of landfilled food waste. Given the availability of supermarket food waste in the Umbria region (Italy), the logistics is optimized using a Vehicle Routing Problem Solver, mass and energy balances of the biogas plant are partly calculated and partly measured from a real biogas plant. The data obtained from food waste transport and anaerobic co-digestion process are used as input for LCA analysis. The aimof themethodology is to assess the environmental and economic benefit of the substitution of energy crops (like corn silage) with food waste in anaerobic digestion. Two approaches are adopted: consequential LCA and attributional LCA. Only one impact category is taken into account: climate change. This decision has been taken to focus on two decision making criteria (economic feasibility and GHG emissions reduction). The results show that a reduction of 42% in the carbon foot-print of the electricity produced fromthe biogas plant can be obtained by substituting about 9900 t of corn silage with 6600 t of food waste. Through the combined use of economic analysis and consequential LCA it has been possible to identify an optimized scenario in which: food waste produced from food industries is collected and used to produce energy in Expired Food Energy chains (EFE), while the food obtained from supermarkets is used to promote charity initiatives in actions aiming at the Reduction of Expired Food waste (REF). (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
1,447 | The effect of emission trading policy on carbon emission reduction: Evidence from an integrated study of pilot regions in China | Carbon trading systems are increasingly used by many countries nowadays to reduce carbon emission and improve the quality of environment. To evaluate the effect of emission trading system on carbon emission reduction, this study applies a robust econometric method difference-in-difference estimation on city-level panel data in China from 2004 to 2015. The findings of this study indicate that the emission trading policy adopted in pilot regions has reduced carbon emission by approximately 16.2% and such effect is particularly prominent in eastern areas of China where the economy is more developed. Moreover, other factors such as the development of the second industry and foreign direct investment are also found to affect carbon emission. The results of this study provide evidence for the success of the emission trading system in reducing carbon emission across pilot cities and suggest that an expanded scope of carbon trading mechanism adopted in China would further control the carbon emission. Meanwhile, a multi-level emission trading system from central to local government needs to be built using a variety of market-based instruments to promote the equal development of carbon trading market in various regions with different economic development levels. |
1,448 | Neural-network-based optimization for economic dispatch of combined heat and power systems | One of the major research areas in combined heat and power (CHP) systems is optimal dispatch, which involves the minimization of the operating cost. In economic dispatch, it is important to use a model that accurately simulates the performance of the power and heat generation equipment. However, physics-based characteristic models require considerable time for the analysis, so it is hard to apply them to the optimization of dispatch schedules. This study introduced a neural network model, which was built based upon the simulation results of a physics-based model, to optimize a CHP system. The novel method was used to optimize the operation schedule of a system consisting of a gas turbine, steam turbine bottoming cycle, compressed air energy storage, and a boiler. The schedule was optimized to minimize the operation cost per day and according to the power and heating demand of users. The results showed that the introduction of the neural network reduced the time required for the system analysis by more than 7000 times. Furthermore, the optimization results confirmed the importance of accurately predicting the performance of each device using the physics-based model. This study contributes to the reduction in computation time and improvement of optimization accuracy. |
1,449 | Sleep and circadian rhythms in Parkinson's disease and preclinical models | The use of animals as models of human physiology is, and has been for many years, an indispensable tool for understanding the mechanisms of human disease. In Parkinson's disease, various mouse models form the cornerstone of these investigations. Early models were developed to reflect the traditional histological features and motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. However, it is important that models accurately encompass important facets of the disease to allow for comprehensive mechanistic understanding and translational significance. Circadian rhythm and sleep issues are tightly correlated to Parkinson's disease, and often arise prior to the presentation of typical motor deficits. It is essential that models used to understand Parkinson's disease reflect these dysfunctions in circadian rhythms and sleep, both to facilitate investigations into mechanistic interplay between sleep and disease, and to assist in the development of circadian rhythm-facing therapeutic treatments. This review describes the extent to which various genetically- and neurotoxically-induced murine models of Parkinson's reflect the sleep and circadian abnormalities of Parkinson's disease observed in the clinic. |
1,450 | Comparison of safety outcomes between bi-coronal and direct approaches for device removal in patients treated with distraction osteogenesis for craniosynostosis | The study aimed at comparing the safety outcomes between conventional bicoronal and direct method in device removal after cranial distraction in the treatment of craniosynostosis. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients treated with distraction osteogenesis to expand intracranial volume in the anteroposterior direction. Preoperative patient demographics, distraction protocols, and perioperative outcomes (operative time, estimated blood loss, intraoperative fluid volume, lowest hematocrit during surgery, transfusion, hospital stay, drain, postoperative complication) were collected and analyzed with the independent samples t-test. Twenty-four patients were included in the study (15 in the conventional and 9 in the direct approach group). The mean duration of surgery and intraoperative fluid volume were significantly shorter (114.56 ± 36.91 min vs. 177.20 ± 47.00 min, p = 0.003) and less (241.88 ± 194.07 ml vs. 624.00 ± 524.92 ml, p = 0.026), respectively in the direct group than in the conventional. No patients were transfused intraoperatively and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) postoperatively in the direct group. The mean intraoperative and total transfusion volumes were significantly greater in the conventional group (p = 0.004, 0.045, respectively). There were no significant differences in other safety outcomes. No postoperative wound complications were reported. The findings of this study indicated that the direct approach for distraction device removal in children with craniosynostosis appears to be safer than the conventional approach owing to the reduced operation time, intraoperative transfusion requirements, and ICU stay. |
1,451 | Trophoblast emboli in the lung of a snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus) | Spontaneous migration of placental trophoblasts into maternal blood vessels and embolization to other organs (ie, lung, adrenal gland, spleen, and liver) occurs in women and certain animals with hemochorial placentation. Although considered incidental in most species, increased incidence and numbers of trophoblast emboli are reported in women with gestational diseases with arterial hypertension (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia). To the best of our knowledge, trophoblast emboli have not been reported in lagomorphs. This case report describes the identification of trophoblast emboli in the lung of a wild snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). Death of this hare was attributed to pulmonary hemorrhages and hemothorax, but a definitive cause for the hemorrhages was not determined. It is unclear whether trophoblast embolism normally occurs in this species and represents an incidental finding, or whether it possibly contributed to rupture of pulmonary or thoracic blood vessels leading to hemorrhage. |
1,452 | High-resolution ultrasound in the diagnosis of failed carpal tunnel decompression: a study of 35 cases | We used high-resolution ultrasound to examine 35 median nerves (35 patients) with failed carpal tunnel decompression to identify the cause of failure. The carpal tunnel was examined before revision surgery, and the results were correlated with surgical findings. The cross-sectional area was measured, and nerve morphology was analysed at the sites of compression. We found persistent median nerve compression in 30 out of 35 patients. In 20 patients, the compression was caused by a residual transverse carpal ligament, in four by perineural fibrosis, in five by both of these causes and in one by tenosynovitis. In four patients, evidence of median nerve injury with an epineural/fascicular lesion was detected; and in one, no abnormalities were found. Surgical findings were consistent with the ultrasound findings except in one patient where tenosynovitis was associated with a giant cell tumour, which was missed by ultrasound. High-resolution ultrasound can provide helpful information in preoperative diagnosis of failed carpal tunnel decompression with good correlation between the ultrasound and surgical findings.Level of evidence: IV. |
1,453 | Preschool-children's height, trend, and causes: Japanese national surveys 1990-2010 | We observed trends in the height of children aged 3 to 6 in Japan using data from the National Growth Survey on Preschool Children in the years 1990, 2000, and 2010. Average standard deviation (SD) scores of height decreased from 0.39 (SD 1.02) in 1990 (n = 3,684) to 0.37 (SD 1.05) in 2000 (n = 2,981) and 0.33 (SD 1.07) in 2010 (n = 2,027). Mothers of children in later waves were taller, older, and more likely to be primiparous; children in later waves had shorter gestational age, lower birth weight, and were less likely to have been fed less with formula or solid foods before 6 mo. The only factor that consistently contributed to a reduction in children's height for both 1990-2000 and 2000-2010 was a reduction in birthweight SD score (indirect effect on height -1.5 [95% CI: -1.9, -1.1] mm for 1990-2000 and -1.2 [95% CI: -1.8, -0.8] mm for 2000-2010). Factors that contributed, although not significantly or consistently between the two periods, were changes in pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking during pregnancy, multiple pregnancies, gestational age, BMI at birth, and use of formula and solid foods before 6 mo. Secular increases in maternal age, height, and primiparity contributed to increasing children's height. |
1,454 | Flavoring and extending the shelf life of cucumber juice with aroma compounds-rich herbal extracts at 4 °C through controlling chemical and microbial fluctuations | This work aims to enhance the flavor of functional cucumber juice using herbal extracts of peppermint, basil, lavender, and lemongrass ethanolic extracts and extend its lifetime by controlling the chemical and microbial fluctuations. Cucumber juices were processed as; non-supplemented (J-Con), J-PME, J-BE, J-LE, and J-LEE supplemented with peppermint, basil, lavender, and lemongrass ethanolic extracts, respectively. Peppermint extract was significantly scavenged 88% of DPPH radicals and inhibited the growth of tested gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria and fungi followed by the lemongrass extract. The antioxidant activity of cucumber juices increased due to polyphenols and aroma compounds in the added extracts. However, the antioxidant content was decreased after two months of storage at 4 °C, due to the decrease in polyphenols. The flavor compounds were determined using GC mass, wherein hydrocarbons, acids, alcohols, and carbonyl compounds were the main aroma contents in cucumber juices, and their contents decreased with storage time. Peppermint and lemongrass extracts were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the whiteness of J-PME, and J-LEE, respectively. The highest score of flavor and taste was observed in J-PME that scored 8.3 based on panelists' reports followed by J-LEE. The PME was significantly maintained 91% of the odor and color of J-PME as compared to other juices. |
1,455 | Are animates special? Exploring the effects of selective attention and animacy on visual statistical learning | Our visual system is built to extract regularities in how objects in our visual environment appear in relation to each other across time and space ("visual statistical learning"). Existing research indicates that visual statistical learning is modulated by selective attention. Our attentional system prioritises information that enables adaptive behaviour; for example, animates are prioritised over inanimates (the "animacy advantage"). The present study examined the effects of selective attention and animacy on visual statistical learning in young adults (N = 284). We tested visual statistical learning of attended and unattended information across four animacy conditions: (1) living things that can self-initiate movement (animals); (2) living things that cannot self-initiate movement (fruits and vegetables); (3) non-living things that can generate movement (vehicles); and (4) non-living things that cannot generate movement (tools and kitchen utensils). We implemented a 4-point confidence rating scale as an assessment of participants' awareness of the regularities in the visual statistical learning task. There were four key findings. First, selective attention plays a critical role by modulating visual statistical learning. Second, animacy does not play a special role in visual statistical learning. Third, visual statistical learning of attended information cannot be exclusively accounted for by unconscious knowledge. Fourth, performance on the visual statistical learning task is associated with the proportion of stimuli that were named or labelled. Our findings support the notion that visual statistical learning is a powerful mechanism by which our visual system resolves an abundance of sensory input over time. |
1,456 | The impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of care by Australian primary health care nurses | This qualitative study describes the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of care by Australian primary health care (PHC) nurses. Participants were purposefully recruited following completion of a national survey about PHC nurses' experiences during the pandemic. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted by two experienced researchers and professionally transcribed. The mean duration of interviews was 38.5 min. Thematic analysis revealed three themes about the impact of COVID-19 on PHC nurses' provision of care. These were: workplace adjustments, changes in healthcare delivery and concerns about long-term health impacts of COVID-19. The sudden disruption and de-stabilisation of care delivery was reported as significantly impacting on initial service provision, although participants reported adapting quickly and finding new ways to deliver care. The impact of the pandemic on high risk communities and mental health support needs of clients created additional challenges, although some participants reported positive outcomes such as increased confidence of some clients to provide self-care. There were concerns about the potential long-term health impact on communities due to reduced levels of cancer screening, disrupted management of chronic conditions and reduced opportunistic health assessments. Findings from this study demonstrated how PHC nurses played an important role in the continued provision of PHC by adapting quickly to changed circumstances, adjusting and modifying clinical activities, and by monitoring for future potential negative outcomes from the pandemic. These findings are important for the future management of pandemics and inform the long-term planning of PHC services. |
1,457 | Techno Economic Analysis of Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Integration as Distributed Energy Resources in Indonesia Power System | High penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) leads to high stress on a power grid, especially when the supply cannot cover and actively respond to the unpredictable demand caused by charging EVs. In the Java-Madura-Bali (JAMALI) area, Indonesia, the capability of the grid to balance its supply and demand is very limited, and massive EV charging additionally worsens the condition because of unbalanced load profiles. Ancillary services of EVs have led to the idea of utilizing EV batteries for grid support, owing to their high-speed response to the fluctuating power system. In this study, a techno-economic analysis of the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) system in the JAMALI grid is conducted in terms of the changes in the feed-in tariff schemes, including regular, natural, and demand response tariffs. The results show that by utilizing EVs, the supply during peak hours can be reduced by up to 2.8% (for coal) and 8.8% (for gas). EVs owned by business entities as operating vehicles with a natural tariff show the highest feasibility for ancillary services, and can potentially reduce the cost of charging by up to 60.15%. From a power company perspective, V2G also potentially improves annual revenue by approximately 3.65%, owing to the replacement of the fuel. |
1,458 | Toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles to the marine microalga Chaetoceros muelleri Lemmermann, 1898 under long-term exposure | Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) have been extensively used in industry, raising many concerns about their release into the aquatic environments. In marine ecosystems, microalgae are major primary producers; among them, Chaetoceros muelleri is an important microalga in the aquaculture industry as live feed. The impacts of TiO2NPs on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, protein and lipid contents, and the interaction of TiO2NPs with the cell wall of C. muelleri were investigated in the present study. Algal cells were exposed to concentrations of 5, 10, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/L TiO2NPs for 10 days. There was a significant difference in the growth between the control and TiO2NPs treatments on each day. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of TiO2NPs on algal cells was found to be 10.08 and 5.01 mg/L on the 3rd and 10th days, respectively. The contents of chlorophyll a and c reduced significantly in the TiO2NPs-treated microalgae. TiO2NPs also reduced the protein and lipid contents in the treated microalgae, up to 13.02% and 47.6% respectively, at the highest concentration. The interaction of TiO2NPs with the C. muelleri cells was obvious based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, microscopic images, EDS, and Mapping analyses. Toxic effects of the released TiO2NPs can damage the stocks of C. muelleri as an important live feed in mariculture. |
1,459 | Peer and Parental Sources of Influence Regarding Interracial and Same-Race Peer Encounters | This study investigated the socializing influence of peers and parents in interracial encounters by disentangling how children and adolescents consider peer and parent messages when predicting interracial and same-race inclusion. Black and White children (9-14 years old, N = 246) predicted the likelihood of interracial and same-race peer inclusion and provided justifications for their expectations when peer and parent sources of influence were present. Results revealed that, while participants predicted that inclusion would be less likely when parent sources of influence were present than when peer sources of influence were present, the racial composition of the encounter and the race of the participant mattered only in contexts with peer sources of influence. Participants' reasoning about the benefits of inclusion and social pressure also differed when parent or peer sources were present. This study informs future research and efforts designed to improve the quality of interracial peer interactions, and for programs designed to promote positive intergroup peer relationships. |
1,460 | The potential for energy saving and carbon emission reduction in China's regional industrial sectors | Rapid economic growth of China's industry has brought many problems. Among them, the problems of energy shortage and environmental pollution have become increasingly serious. The quick development of the big data has brought new challenges and opportunities for environmental management. In this paper, we propose a new data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to analyze the energy and environmental efficiency of industrial sectors from China's 30 provincial-level regions in order to determine the potential and route for energy saving (ES) and carbon emission reduction (CER). The new DEA model not only considers the dynamic data, but also involves the technology heterogeneity and closest targets, which could achieve the potential or provide the route for ES and CER step by step with least effort. The new approach is illustrated by using the regional industrial dataset of China and some implications for ES and CER are proposed. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
1,461 | The optimal design and operation strategy of renewable energy-CCHP coupled system applied in five building objects | Combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) is an economic and eco-friendly technology to mitigate energy issues with remarkable energy efficiency improvement. This study formulates a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model for a combined CCHP system coupled with renewable energy, i.e. RCCHP system, which is applied in five different buildings to evaluate the economic and environmental performance under two optimization modes. Net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and dynamic payback period (DPP) are introduced as economic indexes, while CO2 emission reduction rate (CER) is considered as the environmental indicator to determine the optimal combination, capacity, and operation strategies for energy technologies. Results indicate that a combination of electricity purchased at valley period during night with power generated by the combined heating and power (CHP) unit coupled with wind turbine in peak period during daytime is cost-optimal which also enables higher energy efficiency. Meanwhile, the feed-in tariff as well as the uncoordinated electrical and thermal loads both show a significant impact on real-time operation strategies. Compared with the reference separate production (SP) system, the combined system shows better performance when applied to shopping mall under both optimization modes, e.g., with NPV up to 67.65 and 46.61 million RMB, IRR up to 20.70% and 25.10%, and the minimum DPP is 5.49 and 4.82 years under NPV and IRR maximization, respectively. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,462 | Stress Dissipation Encoded Silk Fibroin Electrode for the Athlete-Beneficial Silk Bioelectronics | The kinetic body motions have guided the core-shell fabrics of wearable bioelectronics to be elastoplastic. However, the polymeric electrodes follow the trade-off relationship between toughness and stretchability. To this end, the stress dissipation encoded silk fibroin electrode is proposed as the core electrode of wearable bioelectronics. Significantly, the high degree of intrinsic stress dissipation is realized via an amino acid crosslink. The canonical phenolic amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of silk fibroin is engineered to bridge the secondary structures. A sufficient crosslink network is constructed when tyrosine is exposed near the amorphous strand. The stress dissipative tyrosine crosslink affords 12.5-fold increments of toughness (4.72 to 58.9 MJ m-3 ) and implements the elastoplastic silk fibroin. The harmony of elastoplastic core electrodes with shell fabrics enables the wearable bioelectronics to employ mechanical performance (elastoplasticity of 750 MJ m-3 ) and stable electrical response. The proposed wearable is capable of assisting the effective workouts via triboelectricity. In principle, active mobility with suggested wearables potentially relieves muscular fatigues and severe injuries during daily fitness. |
1,463 | An empirical investigation between CO2 emission, energy consumption, trade liberalization and economic growth: A case of Kuwait | The purpose of the present study is to investigate the link among CO2 emissions, energy consumption, gross domestic product, and trade liberalization as related to Kuwait. The study used annual data, starting from 1971 to 2017, which was obtained from a world development indicator of the World Bank. For the empirical analysis, the study adopted Augmented Dicky Fuller and Phillips-Perron methods to review stationarity among the data sets. Their results explained a mixed trend, some variables followed the I (1) process, and few are I (0). Based on the findings, a well-defined Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model was applied to the data sets and the outcome was in support of the long and short-run relationship between variables. Carbon dioxide and energy consumption accelerate economic growth; an increase in CO2 emission also plays a significant role in increasing energy consumption. Furthermore, the Granger Causality test shows evidence of bi-directional causality existing between CO2 emissions and energy consumption. A unidirectional causality is running from the gross domestic product to CO2 emissions and energy consumption to trade liberalization. |
1,464 | Transcriptome profiling of morphogenetic differences between contour and flight feathers in duck | 1. This study examined the transcriptomic profiles of contour and flight feather follicles from two duck breeds to determine the molecular network and the candidate genes associated with contour and flight feather morphogenesis.2. High-throughput RNA sequencing was performed to compare differences in feather follicles between contour and flight feathers in two duck breeds (Heiwu and Nonghua duck).3. Comparing the contour feather follicles with flight feather follicles, 4,757 and 4,820 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in Heiwu and Nonghua duck respectively. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to construct a gene co-expression network of all DEGs and identify the key modules and hub genes associated with feather morphogenesis.4. Two key modules were enriched in many pathways involved in feather morphogenesis, such as the Wnt signalling pathway, anatomical structure morphogenesis, and focal adhesion. The CCNA2, TTK, NUF2, ECT2 and INCENP (in one module), and PRSS23, LAMC1, IGFBP3, SHISA5, and APLP2 (in another module) may be essential candidate genes for influencing feather morphology. Moreover, seven transcription factors (TFs) (UBP1, MBD2, ZNF512B, SMAD1, CAPN15, JDP2, KLF10, and MEF2A) were predicted to regulate the essential genes that contribute to feather morphogenesis.5. This work demonstrated gene expression changes of contour and flight feather follicles and is beneficial for further understanding of the complex structure of feathers. |
1,465 | Investigating the nexus between hydroelectricity energy, renewable energy, nonrenewable energy consumption on output: evidence from E7 countries | The transition of most economies especially heavily industrialized nations like China, Turkey, Russia, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico fondly known as E7 are fast emerging economies with its impact on economic growth and ecosystem. On the above highlight, the present study explores the dynamic interaction between hydroelectricity energy, renewable energy consumption, nonrenewable energy consumption on economic growth over annual time frequency data from 1990 to 2018. To this end, Kao co-integration technique is adopted in conjunction with panel ordinary least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares, and fully modified ordinary least square estimators over the identified blocs while the heterogeneous causality test of Dumitrescu and Hurlin is employed to detect the direction of causality among the variables. Empirical result shows long-run analysis reveals long-run equilibrium relationship between the examined variables. Furthermore, a one-way causality relationship is observed between economic growth and nonrenewable energy, economic growth and renewable energy, and economic growth and pollutant emission. The present study identifies a U-shaped pattern among nonrenewable energy consumption and economic growth in the long-run. These findings suggest that as economic growth increases, there is less strengthening of energy from the nonrenewable energy consumption hence, portentous deterioration in nonrenewable usage while authenticating the proficiency of nonrenewable energy consumption in the E7 countries. Further policy prescriptions are rendered in the concluding section. |
1,466 | Prehospital Drug Assisted Airway Management: An NAEMSP Position Statement and Resource Document | Airway management is a critical intervention for patients with airway compromise, respiratory failure, and cardiac arrest. Many EMS agencies use drug-assisted airway management (DAAM) - the administration of sedatives alone or in combination with neuromuscular blockers - to facilitate advanced airway placement in patients with airway compromise or impending respiratory failure who also have altered mental status, agitation, or intact protective airway reflexes. While DAAM provides several benefits including improving laryngoscopy and making insertion of endotracheal tubes and supraglottic airways easier, DAAM also carries important risks. NAEMSP recommends:DAAM is an appropriate tool for EMS clinicians in systems with clear guidelines, sufficient training, and close EMS physician oversight. DAAM should not be used in settings without adequate resources.EMS physicians should develop clinical guidelines informed by evidence and oversee the training and credentialing for safe and effective DAAM.DAAM programs should include best practices of airway management including patient selection, assessmenct and positioning, preoxygenation strategies including apneic oxygenation, monitoring and management of physiologic abnormalities, selection of medications, post-intubation analgesia and sedation, equipment selection, airway confirmation and monitoring, and rescue airway techniques.Post-DAAM airway placement must be confirmed and continually monitored with waveform capnography.EMS clinicians must have the necessary equipment and training to manage patients with failed DAAM, including bag mask ventilation, supraglottic airway devices and surgical airway approaches.Continuous quality improvement for DAAM must include assessment of individual and aggregate performance metrics. Where available for review, continuous physiologic recordings (vital signs, pulse oximetry, and capnography), audio and video recordings, and assessment of patient outcomes should be part of DAAM continuous quality improvement. |
1,467 | Probabilistic seismic fragility and loss analysis of concrete bridge piers with superelastic shape memory alloy-steel coupled reinforcing bars | Concrete bridge piers with conventional steel reinforcing bars are vulnerable to strong earthquakes by inducing significant residual deformations, which substantially weakens the seismic resilience of bridges. Superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bars showing superior self-centering capacities are desirable substitutes to steel reinforcements to minimize the seismically-induced residual deformations of piers. Nevertheless, high cost, difficult machining, and lack of sufficient energy dissipation are the primary restraining factors to a wide implementation of SMA reinforcements. This study proposes a novel SMA-steel coupled reinforcement for concrete bridge piers, which is intended to achieve the balance between self-centering and energy dissipation capacities. Probabilistic seismic fragility analyses are conducted on the prototype bridge with either pure steel, SMA-steel coupled, or pure SMA reinforcements to evaluate their probability of damage at different limit states. Seismic loss analyses are further performed to compare the relative cost-effectiveness of different patterns of reinforcements. The results indicate that an optimal amount ratio between SMA and steel bars can be found for the coupled reinforcements, which shows lower vulnerabilities and higher resilience under earthquakes than the other reinforcement patterns. The direct repair loss and the indirect downtime loss after earthquakes are considerably reduced when the SMA reinforcing bars are introduced. The coupled reinforcement with the optimal SMA-steel amount ratio shows the most effectiveness in mitigating the long-term economic impacts induced by seismic hazards within the lifetime of the bridge. |
1,468 | An Evaluation Model of Quantitative and Qualitative Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Hydroelectric Plant Location Selection | Over the past few decades, Vietnam has been one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, experiencing a GDP growth rate of more than 6% per year. The energy industry plays an important role in Vietnam's continuous development, so access to reliable and low-cost energy sources will be an important factor for sustainable economic growth. Achieving the goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, as set out in the Paris agreement on climate change, will depend heavily on the development roadmap of emerging economies, such as Vietnam. Currently, developing hydroelectric plants is Vietnam's optimal choice in order to meet its target of renewable energy development. Hydroelectricity in Vietnam is favorable thanks to the high average annual rainfall, about 1800-2000 mm, and the dense river system, with more than 3450 systems. In addition to providing electricity, hydropower plants are also responsible for cutting and fighting floods for downstream areas in the rainy season, at the same time providing water for production and people's daily needs in the dry season. This work proposes the application of a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) model to select the best option for the installation of river hydroelectric plants in Vietnam. The use of MCDM techniques in environmental decision-making, including selecting between various alternatives, is important when this involves complex decisions in several disciplinary fields. The most widely used of these techniques are the fuzzy analytical network process (FANP) and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). As a result, Nghe An (LOC05) is found to be the optimal solution for selecting river portions where hydroelectric plants are viable in Vietnam. |
1,469 | Economic analysis of microalgae biodiesel production in a small-scale facility | Industrial production and commercialization of biodiesel from microalgae have become a good alternative to conventional feedstock. Microalgae show high growth rate and carbon sequestration and can be easily cultivate in fresh and/or marine water, using non-arable soil. This study aims to analyze the technical and economic feasibility of biodiesel production from Phaeodactylum tricornutum, using an algae biomass production scaled-up scenario, considering local reality prices and available technologies. The model assumes 80,000 m(3) of microalgae cultivation, in a set of bubble column photobioreactors installed on 15.247 ha of land, reaching a total of 1,811 tons of microalgae biomass and 171,705 L of biodiesel per year. The production cost estimated for microalgae biomass is 2.01 (sic) kg(-1) and for biodiesel is 0.33 (sic) L-1. The ROI calculated for the project is 10% with a 10 years' payback time and an EBITDA of 588,139 (sic) year(-1). Despite the project's viability in the medium term, the cost of producing microalgae biodiesel remains high when compared to fossil fuels. Thus, unless greater technological maturity is achieved to make the process more economical, it will not be viable in the short term. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
1,470 | Assessment of wind energy potential in the southeastern province of Iran | In recent years, electricity generation by employing wind turbines has been increased significantly due to technology advancement and environmental concern. In the present study, meteorological data have been employed to compute the Weibull distribution function as well as wind power and energy density. The wind data measured at 10-min intervals at three heights of 10, 30, and 40 m above the ground. Monthly, seasonal, and annual wind speed variations are analyzed, and the performance of the selected wind turbines is evaluated. The results show that the highest wind power potential occurs in July at Lotak and in August at Shandol. The estimated annual power and energy densities demonstrated that both investigated sites are suitable for large-scale power generation. Finally, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is employed to evaluate the economic feasibility of electricity generation from wind power energy. It was demonstrated that the minimum cost of energy achieved by Dongfang DF100-2500 model with LCOE of 0.0830 and 0.0786 USD/kWh in Lotak and Shandol, respectively. |
1,471 | Mechanisms of the Effects of Short-Term Inhalations of Xe and O2 Gas Mixture in the Rehabilitation of Post-COVID Ventilation Failure | The article presents a theoretical rationale and a clinical case of relief of post-COVID ventilation failure by inhalation of Xe and O2 gas mixture. Pneumonitis of coronavirus etiology transforms saturated phospholipids of surfactant into a solid-ordered phase, which disrupts surface tension, alveolar pneumatization, and alveolar-capillary gas exchange. Using molecular modeling (B3LYP/lanl2dz; GAUSSIAN09), we demonstrated that Xe atom due to the van der Waals dispersion interaction increases the distance between the phospholipid acyl chains providing a phase transition from the solid-ordered to liquid phase and restored the surface-active monolayer surfactant film. A clinical case confirmed that short-term inhalations of the Xe and O2 gas mixture relieved manifestations of ventilation insufficiency and increased SpO2 and pneumatization of the terminal parts of the lungs. |
1,472 | The connection between urbanization and carbon emissions: a panel evidence from West Africa | This study examined the nexus between urbanization and carbon emissions in West Africa. Second-generation econometric techniques that are robust to cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity were used for the study. From the Pesaran-Yamagata homogeneity test, the slope coefficients were heterogeneous in nature. Also, the Breusch-Pagan LM test, the Pesaran scaled LM test, bias-corrected LM test, Pesaran CD test and the Friedman's test confirmed the studied panels to be cross-sectionally dependent. Further, the CADF and the CIPS unit root tests established the variables to be first-differenced stationary. Additionally, the Westerlund and Edgerton bootstrap cointegration test and the Pedroni residual cointegration test affirmed the series to be cointegrated in the long run. The Driscoll-Kraay standard errors regression estimator was employed to examine the long-run equilibrium relationship amid the series, and from the results, urbanization had a significantly positive influence on CO2 emissions in all the three panels. Also, economic growth had a materially positive effect on CO2 emissions, while renewable energy consumption had a substantially negative impact on CO2 emissions in all the panels. The causal connections amid the series were finally explored through the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality test, and the discoveries were a bit varied across the various panels. Policy recommendations are further discussed. |
1,473 | Economic and efficient multi-objective operation optimization of integrated energy system considering electro-thermal demand response | Multi energy demand response is an important measure to achieve the economic and efficient operation of the integrated energy system (IES), which is of great significance to promote the sustainable development of the IES. The concept of demand response (DR) is extended to IES, and a double objective operation optimization model of IES considering integrated demand response (IDR) mechanism is proposed. Firstly, based on the electro-thermal IES, this paper proposes a demand response mechanism considering electric load and thermal load. According to the load composition (transferable load, reducible load, adjustable thermal load), the load management strategy is established. Then, based on the DR mechanism of electro-thermal IES, a multi-objective operation optimization model is established for the first time, which takes the economic benefits and comprehensive energy efficiency as the objective function. The model involves the equipment constraint in the process of energy production and energy transmission. The relationship between total operation cost and comprehensive energy efficiency of electro-thermal IES is analyzed in the part of Data, Simulation Results and Analysis. Finally, the results show that the model effectively improves the economic benefits and comprehensive energy efficiency of IES, and reduces the pollutants emissions to a certain extent. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,474 | The exploitation of host autophagy and ubiquitin machinery by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in shaping immune responses and host defense during infection | Intracellular pathogens have evolved various efficient molecular armaments to subvert innate defenses. Cellular ubiquitination, a normal physiological process to maintain homeostasis, is emerging one such exploited mechanism. Ubiquitin (Ub), a small protein modifier, is conjugated to diverse protein substrates to regulate many functions. Structurally diverse linkages of poly-Ub to target proteins allow enormous functional diversity with specificity being governed by evolutionarily conserved enzymes (E3-Ub ligases). The Ub-binding domain (UBD) and LC3-interacting region (LIR) are critical features of macroautophagy/autophagy receptors that recognize Ub-conjugated on protein substrates. Emerging evidence suggests that E3-Ub ligases unexpectedly protect against intracellular pathogens by tagging poly-Ub on their surfaces and targeting them to phagophores. Two E3-Ub ligases, PRKN and SMURF1, provide immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb). Both enzymes conjugate K63 and K48-linked poly-Ub to M. tb for successful delivery to phagophores. Intriguingly, M. tb exploits virulence factors to effectively dampen host-directed autophagy utilizing diverse mechanisms. Autophagy receptors contain LIR-motifs that interact with conserved Atg8-family proteins to modulate phagophore biogenesis and fusion to the lysosome. Intracellular pathogens have evolved a vast repertoire of virulence effectors to subdue host-immunity via hijacking the host ubiquitination process. This review highlights the xenophagy-mediated clearance of M. tb involving host E3-Ub ligases and counter-strategy of autophagy inhibition by M. tb using virulence factors. The role of Ub-binding receptors and their mode of autophagy regulation is also explained. We also discuss the co-opting and utilization of the host Ub system by M. tb for its survival and virulence.Abbreviations: APC: anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome; ATG5: autophagy related 5; BCG: bacille Calmette-Guerin; C2: Ca2+-binding motif; CALCOCO2: calcium binding and coiled-coil domain 2; CUE: coupling of ubiquitin conjugation to ER degradation domains; DUB: deubiquitinating enzyme; GABARAP: GABA type A receptor-associated protein; HECT: homologous to the E6-AP carboxyl terminus; IBR: in-between-ring fingers; IFN: interferon; IL1B: interleukin 1 beta; KEAP1: kelch like ECH associated protein 1; LAMP1: lysosomal associated membrane protein 1; LGALS: galectin; LIR: LC3-interacting region; MAPK11/p38: mitogen-activated protein kinase 11; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MAP3K7/TAK1: mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 7; MAPK8/JNK: mitogen-activated protein kinase 8; MHC-II: major histocompatibility complex-II; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; NBR1: NBR1 autophagy cargo receptor; NFKB1/p50: nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1; OPTN: optineurin; PB1: phox and bem 1; PE/PPE: proline-glutamic acid/proline-proline-glutamic acid; PknG: serine/threonine-protein kinase PknG; PRKN: parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase; RBR: RING-in between RING; RING: really interesting new gene; RNF166: RING finger protein 166; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SMURF1: SMAD specific E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1; SQSTM1: sequestosome 1; STING1: stimulator of interferon response cGAMP interactor 1; TAX1BP1: Tax1 binding protein 1; TBK1: TANK binding kinase 1; TNF: tumor necrosis factor; TRAF6: TNF receptor associated factor 6; Ub: ubiquitin; UBA: ubiquitin-associated; UBAN: ubiquitin-binding domain in ABIN proteins and NEMO; UBD: ubiquitin-binding domain; UBL: ubiquitin-like; ULK1: unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1. |
1,475 | Mangrove Rehabilitation and Restoration as Experimental Adaptive Management | Rehabilitated and restored mangrove ecosystems have important ecological, economic, and social values for coastal communities. Although a sine qua non of successful mangrove rehabilitation or restoration projects is accurate attention to local hydrology and basic biology of mangrove trees and their associated fauna, their long-term success depends on far more axes, each with their own challenges. Rehabilitation projects: are planned, designed, executed, and managed by people with diverse backgrounds and different scientific and socio-political agendas; need to be responsive to these multiple stakeholders and agents who hold different values; are often influenced by laws and treaties spanning local to international scales; and must be able to adapt and evolve both geomorphologically and socioeconomically over decades-to-centuries in the context of a rapidly changing climate. We view these challenges as opportunities for innovative approaches to rehabilitation and restoration that engage new and larger constituencies. Restored mangrove ecosystems can be deliberately designed and engineered to provide valuable ecosystem services, be adaptable to climatic changes, and to develop platforms for educating nonspecialists about both the successes and failures of restored mangrove ecosystems. When mangrove rehabilitation or restoration projects are developed as experiments, they can be used as case-studies and more general models to inform policy- and decision-makers and guide future restoration efforts. Achieving this vision will require new investment and dedication to research and adaptive management practices. These ideas are illustrated with examples from mangrove restoration and rehabilitation projects in the Indo-West Pacific and Caribbean regions, the two hotspots of mangrove biodiversity and its ongoing loss and degradation. |
1,476 | Life cycle energy, emissions and cost evaluation of CO2 air source heat pump system to replace traditional heating methods for residential heating in China: System configurations | Heat pump is an efficient method to substitute traditional boilers for cleaner space heating. A new configuration of CO2 heat pump system integrated with vapor injection and dedicated mechanical subcooling (VIDMS) is proposed, and compared with five configurations of CO2 heat pump system and three traditional heating methods. The life cycle model of energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and economic performance is developed. Assessment is conducted by taking seven typical cities located in different climate regions of China as scenarios. Coefficient of performance (COP) of VIDMS system is superior to other transcritical CO2 systems, and the COP is enhanced more notably in the case of severe cold or cold regions. The COP reaches up to 2.13 at the low ambient temperature of - 20 degrees C, 36.51% higher than the baseline (BASE) CO2 system. The primary energy consumption (PEC) of the other five CO2 systems and coal-fired boiler (CFB) can decrease by 4.15-18.26% and 19.27%, respectively, when VIDMS is adopted. Moreover, the PEC reduction is more prominent when used in severe cold region. Life cycle climate performance (LCCP) decreases significantly by employing VIDMS compared with other transcritical CO2 systems and traditional heating methods. CO2 emissions can be reduced by 13.81-23.20% and 16.56-34.31% in contrast to BASE and CFB, respectively. Furthermore, the gaseous (NOx and SO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) emissions also decrease. Life cycle cost (LCC) by using VIDMS is much lower than the other transcritical CO2 systems. The payback period is reduced from 5.58 to 3.55 years if the price of electricity and CO2 compressor are both reduced by 20%. The new proposed VIDMS is a more promising CO2 heat pump solution to replace traditional heating methods. |
1,477 | Post-pandemic citizenship: The next phase of global citizenship education | As globalization has grown, the concept of "global citizenship" has also evolved. The drive to expand citizenship beyond national borders spurred a nascent discipline known as global citizenship education (GCE). This article examines the continuum from globalization, to global citizenship, to a global pandemic (Covid-19)-and how the lessons from this growing age of globalism can serve as a blueprint for a new form of global citizenship following the pandemic, defined as "post-pandemic citizenship". The first part chronicles the drive toward globalization since the second half of the 20th century. The second part details the defining traits of global citizenship. The third part calls for a new form of global citizenship that should become part of GCE and be included in global-studies-related secondary-school courses and curricula in the wake of Covid-19-a so-called post-pandemic citizenship education (PPCE)-that emphasizes public health, empathy and compassion, self-sacrifice, and cooperative spirit. |
1,478 | The future(s) of digital agriculture and sustainable food systems: An analysis of high-level policy documents | Ecosystem services delivery is influenced by food systems and vice versa. As the application of digital technologies in agriculture continues to expand, digital technologies might affect the delivery of ecosystem services in view of the sorts of food systems in which they are embedded. The direction food systems develop towards the future, and the role digital technologies play in this development, is influenced by imaginings, hopes and visions about what these technologies mean for future food systems. In this article, we investigate what roles are being imagined for these technologies by international actors with the ability to influence the future of food systems. We analyze outward-facing policy documents as well as conference proceedings on digital agriculture produced by the World Bank, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Using qualitative textual analysis, we show that these organisations envision future food systems that prioritize maximizing food output through technology. We illustrate how this vision reflects a long-standing narrative about the role of technology in food systems innovation, which makes the controversial assumption that increases in food production lead to improvements in food security. Based on this finding, we suggest that evaluations of how digital agricultural technologies might affect the delivery of ecosystem services must begin by considering what visions of future food systems are take into account in science, technology development and policy making. Supporting similar research on high-level narratives surrounding agroecology and climate smart agriculture, we find that the dominant narrative in our dataset supports the status quo global, industrial agriculture and food system. This system continues to be criticized by many scholars for its environmental impacts. Based on our findings, we suggest that ecosystems service researchers could contribute substantially to the evaluation of environmental impacts of digital agriculture by analyzing the impact digital agriculture may have on the trade-offs between provisioning, regulatory, and cultural ecosystem services for several different food system futures. Such analyses can feed into processes of responsible innovation. |
1,479 | Does pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration increase residents' health expenditure? | Pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration has become a trend of industrial distribution in China. Does pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration significantly increase residents' health expenditure? By clarifying the environmental effect, economic effect and public service effect of pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration on residents' health expenditure, this paper combined with provincial data to prove the environmental effect, economic effect and public service effect. The results show that: (1) Every 1 % increase in pollution-intensive industries will reduce rural residents' health expenditure by 1.1844 % and increase the health expenditure of urban residents by 1.206 %. (2) The pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration increases the health expenditure by expanding the scale of pollution, reduces the health expenditure by promoting the technological innovation. (3) Pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration increases the health expenditure by enhancing residents' income and reduces the health expenditure by enhancing employment rate. (4) Pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration increases the health expenditure by improving medical services and reduces the residents' health expenditure by promoting the construction of environmental infrastructure. (5) There are a single threshold and a double threshold effects of pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration on health expenditure of rural residents and urban residents, respectively. When the location entropy is higher than 0.4669, the pollutionintensive industrial agglomeration can reduce residents' health expenditure. When the location entropy is less than 0.9861 or greater than 1.027, the pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration increases urban residents' health expenditure. The conclusion of this paper is of great significance in adjusting the distribution of pollution-intensive industries and increasing the health expenditure of residents. |
1,480 | Forecasting the non-renewable energy consumption by an adjacent accumulation grey model | This paper proposes an adjacent accumulation discrete grey model to enhance the prediction accuracy of grey model and improve the utilization of new data. The stability of the proposed model is proved and the new model can obtain higher prediction accuracy through three cases. And it was applied to the prediction of the non-renewable energy consumption in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. It proves that discrete grey model with adjacent accumulation is effective. According to the forecasting results, the oil consumptions in 15 countries have an increasing trend. The coal consumptions of five countries (South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines) show a clear growth trend and The United States, Canada and Australia all show a downward trend. The consumptions of natural gas in the United States, Mexico, Singapore, China, Vietnam and Peru will all increase. For nuclear energy, China's consumption will increase and South Korea's consumption will decrease. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,481 | Integrated analysis of energy-economic development-environmental sustainability nexus: Case study of MENA countries | The new industrialization necessitates the integration of energy efficiency, economic development, and environmental sustainability. However, quantifying the efficiency of renewable energy towards economic development is an ongoing debate. On this basis, this study presents a multi net-put efficiency and conventional efficiency approach to analyze non-renewable energy and renewable energy efficiency towards economic development and environmental sustainability nexus. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is utilized to estimate multi net-put conventional and renewable energy efficiency. Likewise, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Pooled Mean Group (PMG) approach is applied to examine the impact of non-renewable efficiency on economic growth, total natural resource rent and environmental quality. Results show that the efficiency nexus of conventional energy is significant and higher (98%) than renewable energy (69.5%) for the evaluated period (2006-2016). None-theless, conventional energy efficiency of the panel of MENA countries worsen the environmental quality, thus does not enhance environmental sustainability especially in the long-run. The results also posit that economic growth in the panel of MENA countries is detrimental to the region's environmental sustainability. Further analysis indicates that the inefficiency of renewable energy nexus has more to do with scale size inadequacy rather than operational deficiency. Therefore, resources and policies must be targeted towards up scaling renewable energy capacity accompanied with cautious and target oriented strategy. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
1,482 | Effects of heterogeneous technological progress on haze pollution: Evidence from China | Technological progress plays an important role in combating haze pollution in the long run. However, existing studies often ignore the inconsistent effects on the reduction of haze brought by different types of technological progress. Considering the potential heterogeneity among technological progress, this paper constructs a theoretical framework to analyse the impact of heterogeneous technological progress on haze pollution, using annual data from 30 provinces and cities in China for the period of 2003 to 2016. A systematic GMM method is applied to empirically test the effects of neutral technological progress and biased technological progress on haze pollution. The results show that first, due to cost-reduction effect and income effect, neutral technological progress and labour-saving technological progress are conducive to haze reduction; while the impact of capital-saving technological progress on haze pollution is insignificant. Second, because of the energy rebound effect, energy-saving technological progress cannot effectively reduce haze pollution. Third, the haze-reduction effects of different types of technological progress show significant regional heterogeneity in China. Last, in terms of the control variables, strengthening environmental regulation is the only factor that can be helpful in haze reduction, others intensify haze pollution. |
1,483 | Thermodynamics analysis of a novel steam/air biomass gasification combined cooling, heating and power system with solar energy | In order to mitigate inherent intermittency of solar energy and satisfy the energy demands, a novel steam/air biomass gasification combined cooling, heating and power system with solar energy is proposed in this work. In the system concentrated solar energy collected with dish optical configuration is used to generate high temperature steam, which acts as a gasification agent to drive the biomass gasification. When solar radiation intensity is lower than the design point (the maximum in whole year), the hybrid steam/air biomass gasification model is conducted for continuous syngas production. Syngas based chemical energy is released for trigeneration in a distributed system. The reaction kinetics models of steam-biomass gasification using solar energy are developed and the thermodynamics performances of the system are numerical investigated. Under the designate conditions, the primary energy efficiency reaches 51.34%. Based on the local weather data, the off-design performances of the system and the annual energy-saving potential are evaluated. Compared with the reference system that combines a conventional air biomass gasification trigeneration system and a solar dish/Stirling engine system, the new system has remarkable advantage in thermal performances. An economic analysis is conducted to evaluate the technical feasibility of the proposed system. This, research provides a promising method for the efficient utilization of biomass and solar energy. |
1,484 | Differential Expression of Long Non-Coding RNAs and Their Role in Rodent Neuropathic Pain Models | Neuropathic pain, which is accompanied by an unpleasant sensation, affects the patient's quality of life severely. Considering the complexity of the neuropathic pain, there are huge unmet medical needs for it while current effective therapeutics remain far from satisfactory. Accordingly, exploration of mechanisms of neuropathic pain could provide new therapeutic insights. While numerous researches have pointed out the contribution of sensory neuron-immune cell interactions, other mechanisms of action, such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), also could contribute to the neuropathic pain observed in vivo. LncRNAs have more than 200 nucleotides and were originally considered as transcriptional byproducts. However, recent studies have suggested that lncRNAs played a significant role in gene regulation and disease pathogenesis. A substantial number of long non-coding RNAs were expressed differentially in neuropathic pain models. Besides, therapies targeting specific lncRNAs can significantly ameliorate the development of neuropathic pain, which reveals the contribution of lncRNAs in the generation and maintenance of neuropathic pain and provides a new therapeutic strategy. The primary purpose of this review is to introduce recent studies of lncRNAs on different neuropathic pain models. |
1,485 | Hot-headed peckers: thermographic changes during aggression among juvenile pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus) | In group-living vertebrates, dominance status often covaries with physiological measurements (e.g. glucocorticoid levels), but it is unclear how dominance is linked to dynamic changes in physiological state over a shorter, behavioural timescale. In this observational study, we recorded spontaneous aggression among captive juvenile pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) alongside infrared thermographic measurements of their external temperature, a non-invasive technique previously used to examine stress responses in non-social contexts, where peripheral blood is redirected towards the body core. We found low but highly significant repeatability in maximum head temperature, suggesting individually consistent thermal profiles, and some indication of lower head temperatures in more active behavioural states (e.g. walking compared to resting). These individual differences were partly associated with sex, females being cooler on average than males, but unrelated to body size. During pairwise aggressive encounters, we observed a non-monotonic temperature change, with head temperature dropping rapidly immediately prior to an attack and increasing rapidly afterwards, before returning to baseline levels. This nonlinear pattern was similar for birds in aggressor and recipient roles, but aggressors were slightly hotter on average. Our findings show that aggressive interactions induce rapid temperature changes in dominants and subordinates alike, and highlight infrared thermography as a promising tool for investigating the physiological basis of pecking orders in galliforms. 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'. |
1,486 | Impacts of COVID-19 on Trade and Economic Aspects of Food Security: Evidence from 45 Developing Countries | The stability of food supply chains is crucial to the food security of people around the world. Since the beginning of 2020, this stability has been undergoing one of the most vigorous pressure tests ever due to the COVID-19 outbreak. From a mere health issue, the pandemic has turned into an economic threat to food security globally in the forms of lockdowns, economic decline, food trade restrictions, and rising food inflation. It is safe to assume that the novel health crisis has badly struck the least developed and developing economies, where people are particularly vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition. However, due to the recency of the COVID-19 problem, the impacts of macroeconomic fluctuations on food insecurity have remained scantily explored. In this study, the authors attempted to bridge this gap by revealing interactions between the food security status of people and the dynamics of COVID-19 cases, food trade, food inflation, and currency volatilities. The study was performed in the cases of 45 developing economies distributed to three groups by the level of income. The consecutive application of the autoregressive distributed lag method, Yamamoto's causality test, and variance decomposition analysis allowed the authors to find the food insecurity effects of COVID-19 to be more perceptible in upper-middle-income economies than in the least developed countries. In the latter, food security risks attributed to the emergence of the health crisis were mainly related to economic access to adequate food supply (food inflation), whereas in higher-income developing economies, availability-sided food security risks (food trade restrictions and currency depreciation) were more prevalent. The approach presented in this paper contributes to the establishment of a methodology framework that may equip decision-makers with up-to-date estimations of health crisis effects on economic parameters of food availability and access to staples in food-insecure communities. |
1,487 | Households' Willingness to Accept Improved Ecosystem Services and Influencing Factors: Application of Contingent Valuation Method in Bashang Plateau, Hebei Province, China | The Bashang Plateau, which is an ecologically fragile agro-pastoral zone in Hebei Province in China, plays an important role in protecting the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from wind and sand erosion. Over the last four decades, it has been the target of extensive afforestation campaigns to promote improved ecosystem services. Though the benefits and costs of afforestation and its effectiveness within forestry have been widely investigated, few studies have focused on local households' willingness to accept (WTA) compensation relating to afforestation policies. Moreover, despite their importance in ensuring effective afforestation policies, the factors influencing WTA values have seldom been examined. We administered a direct questionnaire survey of households on the Bashang Plateau and applied a contingent valuation analysis to estimate their WTA values for compensation associated with ecological protection policies. We obtained 249 valid questionnaires, evidencing a high response rate (92.22%). New indicators of factors influencing respondents' WTA has been conducted including social, economic and ecological aspects, especially the improvement of ecological factors which consists of respondents' perceptions regarding the importance of ES and their satisfaction levels, and other environmental awareness factors. Additionally, in the case where many studies performed only one single regression analysis, this study performed a two-stage regression analysis and compared the results with those obtained using the Tobit model. A reasonable compensation standard facilitates a positive relationship between economic development and protection of natural environments. The findings showed that a certain amount of compensation (approximately 477.91 CNY/mu/year) was likely to prompt households' participation in afforestation projects. Compared with compensation standards for other ecological projects, the reported standard for afforestation projects on the Bashang Plateau is low, indicating that there is room for improvement. High annual household incomes are a key factor influencing households' WTA regarding their participation in afforestation activities. The results also revealed households' environmental awareness. Among respondents who participated in afforestation, those who valued forests for protecting environments and improving ecosystem services opted for lower compensation amounts. Our findings contribute valuable inputs for formulating ecological compensation standards and can serve as a reference for analyses of WTA and factors that drive it in other similar economically backward and ecologically fragile regions. |
1,488 | Different eccentric-based power training volumes improve glycemic, lipidemic profile and body composition of females in a dose-dependent manner: Associations with muscle fibres composition adaptations | The present study aimed to investigate the effect of different volumes of fast eccentric-based training on body composition and lipidemic-glycemic profiles in females, as well as to explore the relationship between the change in glycemic-lipidemic profiles and the change in muscle fibre composition. Twenty-nine young females were assigned into three groups and performed 10 weeks (2 training sessions per week) of either 3 (LV), 6 (MV) or 9 (HV) sets/session of four fast velocity eccentric-only half-squats against 70% of concentric 1RM, followed by 3 maximum countermovement jumps (CMJ) after each set. Body composition, vastus lateralis fibre-type composition, and resting blood lipidemic and glycemic indices were evaluated 1 week before and after the training intervention. Significant changes in body composition, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR and blood lipids were found after training with MV and HV (p < 0.05; η2: 0.135-0.390). Significant correlations were found between muscle fibres' percentage cross-sectional areas (%CSA) and resting glycemic-lipid values (r:-0.543to 0.730, p < 0.05). Training-induced changes of glycemic-lipid profiles were highly correlated to those of type IIa and IIx %CSAs (r: -0.895 to 0.898, p < 0.05). Partial Correlations revealed a significant impact of the imposed training volumes on these correlations. These results suggest that six but mostly nine sets per training session of the imposed training stimuli are needed for beneficial changes in resting glycemic-lipidemic profiles, changes which are related to the training-induced changes in muscle fibre composition. However, these relationships are dictated by the imposed training volumes.Highlights Power training induces beneficial changes in body composition, glycemic and lipidemic profiles.Greater training volumes are needed for the healthier changes in glycemic-lipidemic profiles.Higher Type I, IIA and lower IIX percentage cross-sectional areas are linked with healthier body composition and glycemic-lipidemic profiles.Individuals experiencing the greatest increase in Type IIa and decrease in Type IIX muscle fibres cross-sectional areas after power training are those with the greatest beneficial changes in body composition, glycemic and lipidemic profiles. |
1,489 | Optimal sizing and techno-economic analysis of grid-connected nanogrid for tropical climates of the Savannah | Reliability and costs are mainly considered in performance analysis of renewable energy-based distributed grids. Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Renewables was used in techno-economic analysis of renewable energy systems involving photovoltaics, wind, diesel and storage in tropical regions of Amazon, Central Asia and Mediterranean. In a study for a Guinea Savannah region, 70% of renewable energy fraction was achieved. However, levelized cost of energy of 0.689 $/kWh was higher than tariff rate of 0.6 $/kWh. This paper considers Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Renewables to achieve lower levelized cost of energy and net present costs of a nanogrid for increased reliability and low per capita energy consumption of 150 kWh in a Sudan Savannah region of Nigeria. The proposed grid connected nanogrid aims to serve daily residential demand of 355 kWh. A range of 0.0110 $/kWh to 0.0095 $/kWh and $366,210 to $288,680 as negative values of levelized cost of energy and net present cost respectively were realized, implying potentials for a large grid export. The renewable energy fraction of up to 98% was also achieved in addition to low greenhouse gas emission of 2,328 tons/year. The results may further be consolidated with strategies for power dispatch and load scheduling. |
1,490 | Green synthesis of Silver nanoparticles using Streptomyces hirsutus strain SNPGA-8 and their characterization, antimicrobial activity, and anticancer activity against human lung carcinoma cell line A549 | The current study described the systematic and detailed extracellular synthesis method of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Streptomyces hirsutus strain SNPGA-8 by green synthesis method. The AgNPs were subjected for characterizations using UV-Vis, FTIR, TGA, TEM, EDX, XRD, and zeta-potential analyses. The antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Alternaria alternata, Candida glabrata and Fusarium oxysporum was determined by the agar well diffusion technique. The cytotoxicity of AgNPs against human lung cancer (A549) was studied by MTT and ROS assays and capping of proteins of AgNPs from SDS-PAGE. In the UV-Vis., absorption peak was found at 418 nm, FTIR analysis revealed the infrared bands of specific functional groups from 3273 cm-1 to 428 cm-1; TEM data confirmed the spherical shape, smallest size of particle as 18.99 nm, while EDX analysis confirmed the elemental composition of AgNPs with 22.24% Ag. The XRD pattern confirmed the nature of AgNPs as crystalline, and zeta potential peak was found at -24.6 mV indicating the higher stability. The AgNPs exhibited increased antimicrobial activity with increase in dosage volume and considerable MIC and MBC values against microbial pathogens. In the MTT cytotoxicity assay, the IC50 value of 31.41 μg/mL is obtained against A549 cell line, suggesting the potential of AgNPs to inhibit the tumour cells; and ROS assay displayed increased ROS production with increase in treatment time. Based on the results, it is evident that Streptomyces hirsutus strain SNPGA-8 AgNPs are potentially promising to be applied for biomedical uses. |
1,491 | Immobilized polymeric sulfonated ionic liquid on core-shell structured Fe3O4/SiO2 composites: A magnetically recyclable catalyst for simultaneous transesterification and esterifications of low-cost oils to biodiesel | In accordance with the need of green and sustainable development, a magnetically recyclable solid catalyst was developed for the transformation of low-cost oils to biodiesel via simultaneous transesterification and esterifications in an efficient and environmentally benign manner. For this aim, the magnetic Fe3O4/SiO2 composites composed of iron oxides as the core and silica as the shell, were prepared, and then polymeric acidic ionic liquid (IL) was immobilized on the magnetic support through radical grafting copolymerization of Bronsted acidic IL, 1-vinyl-3-(3-sulfopropyl)imidazolium hydrogen sulfate, onto the magnetic support. The characterization results showed that the perfect core-shell structured Fe3O4/SiO2 support with good magnetic responsiveness was formed, and the polymeric acidic IL was tethered on the magnetic support. The combination of polymeric acidic IL with magnetic porous nanoparticles could enhance the catalytic activity and favored the separation performance of the catalyst. The solid catalyst exhibited high activities for both transesterification of soybean oil and esterification of free fatty acids generally presented in low-cost oils. Moreover, the catalyst could be simply recovered magnetically and efficiently reutilized for several times without significant loss in its activity, thus allowing its being potentially applicable for green and economic production of biodiesel especially from the low-cost oil feedstocks. (c) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
1,492 | Effective removal of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug from wastewater by adsorption process using acid-treated Fagopyrum esculentum husk | In this work, buckwheat husks (Fagopyrum esculentum) were modified by acid treatment and posteriorly employed to remove the ketoprofen in batch adsorption. The characterization results indicated that a more irregular surface with new empty spaces was generated after acid treatment. The adsorptive process was favored at acidic pH = 3. The dosage of 0.85 g L-1 was fixed for the kinetic and isothermal tests, obtaining good removal and capacity indications. The kinetic studies were better represented by pseudo-second-order, obtaining an experimental capacity of 74.3 mg g-1 for 200 mg L-1 of ketoprofen. An increase in temperature negatively affected the adsorption isotherm curves, resulting in a maximum capacity of 194.1 mg g-1. Thermodynamic results confirmed the exothermic nature of the process with physical forces acting. The adsorbent presented high efficiency in treating a synthetic effluent containing different drugs and salts, 71.2%. Therefore, adsorbent development from buckwheat husks treated with a strong acid is an excellent alternative, given the good removal results and the low cost for its preparation. |
1,493 | Industrial structure, urban governance and haze pollution: Spatiotemporal evidence from China | As a negative external product of China's rapid development, haze pollution has seriously affected the quality of economic development and people's quality of life. This paper firstly explores the important reasons for the uncoordinated industrial structure caused by haze pollution, and puts forward the purpose of promoting the adjustment of industrial structure through urban governance in order to tackle with the urgent problem of haze pollution. Using panel data from 287 cities in China, this paper analyzes the relationship among industrial structure, urban governance and haze pollution using the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model. The innovations are: (1) this paper focuses on the topic of industrial structure, urban governance and haze pollution simultaneously. (2) this paper uses the method of GTWR to comprehensively consider the spatial and temporal tendency at the same time. (3) Conclusions are helpful to provide targeted policy recommendations. And the results show that: (1) the spatial clustering characteristics of haze pollution are very prominent, and have been suppressed to a certain extent under the measures of urban governance; (2) the spatial and temporal differences of industrial structure on haze pollution are large; (3) corporate governance plays an important role in slowing down haze pollution; (4) in public governance, the green coverage rate of built-up areas, the innocuous disposal rate of domestic garbage and the increase of public transport will have a negative impact on haze pollution, while highly concentrated urban population, high level of economic development, large number of industrial enterprises above designated size, and increased thermal power generation capacity will increase the degree of haze pollution; (5) cities with steadily decreasing of the proportion of the secondary industry, the proportion of the tertiary industry, the comprehensive treatment rate of industrial solid materials, the green coverage rate of the built-up area and the industrial enterprises above designated size are mainly lie in southeastern China, respectively: and cities with decline in innocuous disposal rate of domestic garbage are concentrated in the western region, while cities with significant changes of the number of buses per unit are mainly distributed in the northeastern region, the other variables are not obvious. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. |
1,494 | Stochastic reliability-based risk evaluation and mapping for watershed systems and sustainability (STREAMS) | Mitigating water contamination, improving water security, and increasing sustainability involve environmental awareness and conscientious decision-making by denizens and stakeholders. Achieving such awareness requires visually compelling geospatial decision-making tools that take into account the probabilistic and spatially distributed nature of water contamination. Inspired by the success of weather maps, this paper presents a novel STochastic Reliability-based Risk Evaluation And Mapping for watershed Systems and Sustainability (STREAMS) tool that produces and effectively communicates the risk of water contamination as maps. STREAMS is integrated with ArcGIS geoprocessing tools and uses physics-based reliability theory to compute the spatial distribution of risk, which is defined as the probability of exceeding a safety threshold of water contamination within a watershed. A quantitative analysis of the efficacy of mitigation strategies is conducted by estimating risk reduction from best management practices throughout the entire watershed. Two case studies at different spatial scales are presented, demonstrating STREAMS application to watersheds with varied properties. |
1,495 | Sustainable and Smart Manufacturing: An Integrated Approach | The necessity for decreasing the negative impact of the manufacturing industry has recently increased. This is getting recognized as a global challenge due to the rapid increase in life quality standards, demand, and the decrease in available resources. Thus, manufacturing, as a core of the product provision system and a fundamental pillar of civilized existence, is significantly influenced by sustainability issues. Furthermore, current manufacturing modeling and assessment criteria require intensive revisions and upgrades to keep up with these new challenges. Nearly all current manufacturing models are based on the old paradigm, which was proven to be inadequate. Therefore, manufacturing technology, along with culture and economy, are held responsible for providing new tools and opportunities for building novel resolutions towards a sustainable manufacturing concept. One of such tools is sustainability assessment measures. Revising and updating such tools is a core responsibility of the manufacturing sector to efficiently evaluate and enhance sustainable manufacturing performance. These measures should be adequate to respond to the growing sustainability concerns in pursuit of an integrated sustainability concept. The triple bottom line (TBL) that includes environment, economic, and social dimensions has usually been used to evaluate sustainability. However, there is a lack of standard sets of sustainable manufacturing performance measures. In addition to the sustainability concept, a new concept of smart manufacturing is emerging. The smart manufacturing concept takes advantage of the recent technological leap in Artificial Intelligent (AI), Cloud Computing (CC), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Although this concept offers an important step to boost the current production capabilities to meet the growing need, it is still not clear whether the two concepts of smart manufacturing and sustainability will constructively or destructively interact. Therefore, the current study aims to integrate the sustainable smart manufacturing performance by incorporating sustainable manufacturing measures and discussing current and future challenges that are faced by the manufacturing sector. In addition, the opportunities for future research incorporating sustainable smart manufacturing are also presented. |
1,496 | Towards progressive regulatory approaches for agricultural applications of animal biotechnology | Traditional breeding techniques, applied incrementally over thousands of years, have yielded huge benefits in the characteristics of agricultural animals. This is a result of significant, measurable changes to the genomes of those animal species and breeds. Genome editing techniques may now be applied to achieve targeted DNA sequence alterations, with the potential to affect traits of interest to production of agricultural animals in just one generation. New opportunities arise to improve characteristics difficult to achieve or not amenable to traditional breeding, including disease resistance, and traits that can improve animal welfare, reduce environmental impact, or mitigate impacts of climate change. Countries and supranational institutions are in the process of defining regulatory approaches for genome edited animals and can benefit from sharing approaches and experiences to institute progressive policies in which regulatory oversight is scaled to the particular level of risk involved. To facilitate information sharing and discussion on animal biotechnology, an international community of researchers, developers, breeders, regulators, and communicators recently held a series of seven virtual workshop sessions on applications of biotechnology for animal agriculture, food and environmental safety assessment, regulatory approaches, and market and consumer acceptance. In this report, we summarize the topics presented in the workshop sessions, as well as discussions coming out of the breakout sessions. This is framed within the context of past and recent scientific and regulatory developments. This is a pivotal moment for determination of regulatory approaches and establishment of trust across the innovation through-chain, from researchers, developers, regulators, breeders, farmers through to consumers. |
1,497 | Management of status epilepticus: a narrative review | Status epilepticus causes prolonged or repetitive seizures that, if left untreated, can lead to neuronal injury, severe disability, coma and death in paediatric and adult populations. While convulsive status epilepticus can be diagnosed using clinical features alone, non-convulsive status epilepticus requires confirmation by electroencephalogram. Early seizure control remains key in preventing the complications of status epilepticus. This is especially true for convulsive status epilepticus, which has stronger evidence supporting the benefit of treatment on outcomes. When status epilepticus becomes refractory, often due to gamma-aminobutyric acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor modulation, anaesthetic drugs are needed to suppress seizure activity, of which there is limited evidence regarding the selection, dose or duration of their use. Seizure monitoring with electroencephalogram is often needed when patients do not return to baseline or during anaesthetic wean; however, it is resource-intensive, costly, only available in highly specialised centres and has not been shown to improve functional outcomes. Thus, the treatment goals and aggressiveness of therapy remain under debate, especially for non-convulsive status epilepticus, where prolonged therapeutic coma can lead to severe complications. This review presents an evidence-based, clinically-oriented and comprehensive review of status epilepticus and its definitions, aetiologies, treatments, outcomes and prognosis at different stages of the patient's journey. |
1,498 | Strategic renewable energy resources selection for Pakistan: Based on SWOT-Fuzzy AHP approach | Pakistan is facing a severe energy crisis since the last two decades, and yet the government has not been able to overcome this problem. Therefore, the various renewable energy resources of Sindh and Baluchistan province has been assessed to diversify the electricity generation from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In the study, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis has been employed to assess the internal and external factors which affect the renewable energy technologies in Sindh and Baluchistan province. Then, the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) method is used from the multi-perspective approach (i.e., economic, environmental, technical, and socio-political criteria). Therefore in the study, four criteria, seventeen sub-criteria and three renewable energy resources (i.e., solar, wind, and biomass) have been assessed as alternatives in the decision model. It is identified that economic and socio-political are the two most important criteria. Further results reveal that wind has ample potential to generate electricity in both (Sindh and Baluchistan) provinces, whereas solar and biomass energy ranked second and third, respectively. It is, therefore, suggested that the government should exploit renewable resources to mitigate the current energy crisis and increase energy security for sustainable development of the country. |
1,499 | Designing an intelligent tutoring system for computer programing in the Pacific | Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) are educational systems that reflect knowledge using artificial intelligence implements. In this paper, we give an outline of the Programming-Tutor architectural design with the core implements on user interaction. This pilot proposal is for designing a model domain of a subset in the computer programming language. The completed project would be adequate to show the idea of a completely developed computing Intelligent Tutoring System in online programming courses to offer benefits to students in the Pacific. This proposed concept would also provide students with an immersive learning experience in an online course to assist in a formative assessment to enhance student learning. A smart tutoring system can provide prompt input of high quality which not only conveys to students about the consistency of the solution but also provides them with information on the precision of the key concerning their existing solutions expertise. This Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) is proposed to be designed using intelligent algorithms such as optimized ant colony to be able to support the online tutoring system that can initiate the complex learning principles in computing science courses. It is also hypothesized that, based on the performance of other Intelligent Tutoring Systems, students would be able to learn to program more easily in regional campuses and acquire experiences more rapidly and efficiently than students who are taught using conventional methods in an online mode. |
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