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CONSTANS-LIKE (COL) genes are a key signalling molecule that regulates plant growth and development during the photoperiod. Our preliminary experiments showed that the photoperiod greatly influence the formation of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum root tubers. In this study, we examined the oscillation patterns and expression characteristics of COL genes in leaves of T. hemsleyanum under different photoperiod conditions. Six genes were selected as candidate reference genes for further analyses: (1) 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA); (2) α-tubulin (TUBA); (3) 30S ribosomal RNA (30S rRNA); (4) TATA binding protein (TBP); (5) elongation factor 1α (EF-1α); and (6) RNA polymerase II (RPII). The geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper software programs were used to evaluate expression stability. Two ThCOL genes were screened in the T. hemsleyanum transcriptome library, and their expression patterns under different photoperiod conditions were analysed using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The genes EF-1α , TUBA , and 18S rRNA were used to analyse the expression profiles of CONSTANS genes (ThCOL4 and ThCOL5) under different photoperiods. The expression peaks of ThCOL4 and ThCOL5 appeared at different times, demonstrating that their oscillation patterns were influenced by the photoperiod. We speculate that these two ThCOL genes may be involved in different biological processes. The CONSTANS-LIKE (COL) gene is key to plant photoperiod signalling. Tetrastigma hemsleyanum is a medicinal plant that grows only in China. Its root tuber extracts have good effect on the clinical treatment of tumours. The formation and development of its tuberous roots are related to photoperiod. In this study, the expression profiles of COL genes in T. hemsleyanum leaf under different photoperiod conditions was analysed and used to analyse whether COL genes have a role in T. hemsleyanum perception of photoperiod signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Conducted a systematic analysis on residents' self-defence in three dimensions. • Identified four typical self-defence patterns based on behaviour and cost. • Determined the driving factors using economic and social psychology frameworks. • Self-defence is not necessarily driven by pollution levels; perception plays a crucial role. • Misalignment in risk, income, and defence awareness/capability exacerbates inequality. Humanity faces a variety of risks from pollution and environmental degradation. Societal advancement has equipped the public with numerous self-protection measures to mitigate these threats. However, the ways in which individuals deploy and balance self-defence mechanisms within this complex risk landscape and the resulting consequences remain largely unexplored. Drawing on a detailed survey of households' self-defence practices, this study rigorously analyses the heterogeneity and driving factors behind household-level self-defence strategies. Through exploratory latent class modelling, we identified four distinct defence patterns: inaction, water-sensitive, air-sensitive, and multifaceted. These patterns reveal varied defence capabilities among the population. By integrating frameworks from economics and social psychology, significant disparities were found in the driving factors behind these patterns. Practices aimed at combating air pollution are primarily driven by the actual severity of pollution and perceived coping capabilities, whereas measures to enhance water quality are influenced more by perceived threats. This disparity arises from variations in information availability and health awareness. The study also highlights a misalignment between the distribution of defence capabilities and the levels of pollution. Given that income restricts self-defence options, this mismatch indicates that economically disadvantaged groups are disproportionately affected by severe health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diel et Gilg is a perennial herbaceous plant native to subtropical China with multiple medicinal applications. Supplementing with low-density blue light (BL) for 45 days (3 h/day) can not only significantly increase the yields of root tubers but also significantly increase the flavonoid content and its antioxidant activity. The chlorophyll content in the leaves of T. hemsleyanum significantly decreased, but the photosynthetic efficiency significantly increased after reaching the light saturation point. The production rate of superoxide anion radical in the leaves reached the highest peak after 1.5 h in BL and decreased at 3 h. The H 2 O 2 content in the leaves decreased significantly, while the H 2 O 2 content in the root tubers increased significantly at 3 h in BL. The objective of this research was to determine how the scavenging system, including antioxidant enzymes, antioxidants, and flavonoids respond to the oxidative stress induced by BL in root tubers. After exposure to BL, significant differences in the activity of APX and SOD were observed in the leaves and tubers within 3 h. By analyzing the upregulated flavonoids metabolites and key genes in metabolic pathways through the combined analysis of the flavonoid metabolic group and transcriptome in the root tubers, the upregulated accumulation of flavanols was found to be the main reason for the improvement in the antioxidant properties of flavonoids. • The research object of this study is to understand the antioxidant mechanism of the underground storage organs in plants. • Leaves and root tubers may have different antioxidant mechanisms to maintain oxidative homeostasis in the organ. • We conclude that regulating the composition and content of flavonoids may be the main strategy for maintaining the oxidative homeostasis induced by BL in root tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir facies modeling is an important way to express the sedimentary characteristics of the target area. Conventional deterministic modeling, target-based stochastic simulation, and two-point geostatistical stochastic modeling methods are difficult to characterize the complex sedimentary microfacies structure. Multi-point geostatistics (MPG) method can learn a priori geological model and can realize multi-point correlation simulation in space, while deep neural network can express nonlinear relationship well. This article comprehensively utilizes the advantages of the two to try to optimize the multi-point geostatistical reservoir facies modeling algorithm based on the Deep Forward Neural Network (DFNN). Through the optimization design of the multi-grid training data organization form and repeated simulation of grid nodes, the simulation results of diverse modeling algorithm parameters, data conditions and deposition types of sedimentary microfacies models were compared. The results show that by optimizing the organization of multi-grid training data and repeated simulation of nodes, it is easier to obtain a random simulation close to the real target, and the simulation of sedimentary microfacies of different scales and different sedimentary types can be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Air pollution and its effects on public health have received considerable attention in China. This paper extends discussion of the relationship between pollution and health by focusing on the effects of certain socioeconomic factors from an equality perspective. Hierarchical linear regression models are used to analyze the effects of environmental pollution on the health of residents and explore the inherent mechanisms through which environmental and economic factors contribute to increases in health inequality. The main results indicate that pollution poses significant risks to health. Individual income and life satisfaction are found to be significantly positively related to health and this relationship is intensified by the effects of environmental pollution. The results show that health inequality is prevalent throughout China and is more severe in rural areas. The damage to health caused by pollution further increases the levels of health inequality to varying degrees in groups with different income levels. Pollution also increases the impact of income inequality on health inequality. Overall, the results to some extent validate the concept of an "environment-health-poverty trap." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When looking at emission reduction at the consumption side, the differentiation of energy consumers should be taken into account, since ignoring individual difference would easily result in social inequality and decrease of social welfare. Based on the framework of social practice model, this article estimated the quantitative distribution characteristics of urban household carbon emissions from different cities, and analyzed the influencing factors of household daily energy consumption and carbon emissions. The main results indicate that urban household carbon emission is close to 60/40 or 70/40 distribution, the economic features of different regions may contribute to such unequal distribution to a large extent. Space heating (in the north area) was found to be the largest CO 2 emission source among various daily energy use practices in the Northern cities. In general, it was found that household carbon emissions tend to increase with rising levels of income and ownerships of assets like car or house in particular; besides, individual cognition and household lifestyle would partly affect their energy selection and daily consumption behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, promoting an energy-saving lifestyle among residents has become an urgent environmental and social need. Studying factors that influence household daily energy-saving behaviors may help the government draft policies for reducing the energy consumption and promoting the sustainable development of the human economic society. In this study, we investigate the features of energy-related situational factors, individual/household energy consumption behavioral norms, and energy-saving behavioral intentions by performing a questionnaire survey in Beijing. We examine the relationships among the mentioned aspects by applying factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results show that among the three aspects assessed, situational factors most significantly and effectively influence the residents to assume energy-saving behaviors. Energy-saving behavioral norms partly mediate the relationship between situational factors and behavioral intention. We propose practice policy implications on the basis of the results. In particular, the positive influences of situational factors should be strengthened, and relevant policy measures should be emphasized to establish a situational background beneficial for accelerating the formation or transformation of energy-saving behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innovation effect is an important component when measuring the performance of environmental policy instruments. Based on a questionnaire survey, this research has examined corporate energy conservation and emission reduction efforts in energy intensive industries in China under the pressure of different climate policies, and in particular looked into their adoption of those technological innovation and diffusion activities. The results show a large variety of corporate adoption of energy-saving practical activities. In general, climate policies have played a greater role in promoting the adoption of managerial energy-saving activities in respondent companies, while comparatively their influences on the adoption of technology upgrading activities are relatively weak. Regulatory measures have exerted greater pressure and influence on corporate short-term behavioural change, as stated by the respondent companies. However, market based instruments show greater incentive effect in promoting adoption of energy conservation and emission reduction activities that refer to corporate long-term oriented strategic planning or adjustment. For instance they exert a significant incentive effect on increasing long-term research and development investment for technological innovation, and also play an important role in optimising corporate organisational structure. The econometric analysis further proves the influences of market-based instruments in promoting corporate adoption of technological innovation and diffusion activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various theories and approaches have been introduced in the debate on how to address sustainable consumption. In this study, we first discuss different theoretical perspectives on sustainable consumption, particularly developed in the fields of economics, social psychology and environmental sociology. We argue that neither an ‘individualist’ nor a system- or structural perspective alone is sufficient for understanding and analysing the transition towards sustainable consumption. Therefore, we propose to apply the Social Practices Approach (SPA) that combines both human agency and social structures to understand sustainable consumption issues. Following the SPA framework, we review and summarize research on sustainable consumption in China in particular on three consumption fields: food, housing energy and mobility. It is found that introducing more efficient production technology is commonly taken as the focal point in these sectors when sustainable consumption was introduced to China. Despite a rising interest in consumers' perceptions of products' sustainability in recent years, research has rarely paid any attention to consumers' behavioural change or to the transition dynamics towards sustainable consumption. In general, ‘individualist’ perspectives have largely dominated Chinese sustainable consumption research. This paper proposes to move attention to a better understanding of Chinese consumption issues by emphasizing the link between the provision of sustainable products and the diverse sustainable consumption practices. Also, images of food, energy, mobility and other consumption products that are undergoing transitions need to be considered in future research as these have consequences for socio-technical changes, material infrastructures and for ‘lifestyle’ innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Genetic testing, a gold standard for long QT syndrome (LQTS) diagnosis, is time-consuming and costly when all the 15 candidate genes are screened. Since genotype-specific ECG patterns are present in most LQT1-3 mutation carriers, we tested the utility of ECG-guided genotyping in a large cohort of Chinese LQTS patients. Methods and Results: We enrolled 230 patients (26 ± 17 years, 66% female) with a clinical diagnosis of LQTS. Genotypes were predicted as LQT1-3 based on the presence of ECG patterns typical for each genotype in 200 patients (85 LQT1, 110 LQT2 and 5 LQT3). Family-based genotype prediction was also conducted if gene-specific ECG patterns were found in other affected family members. Mutational screening identified 104 mutations (44% novel), i.e. 46 KCNQ1, 54 KCNH2 and 4 SCN5A mutations. The overall predictive accuracy of ECG-guided genotyping was 79% (157/200) and 79% (67/85), 78% (86/110) and 80% (4/5) for LQT1, LQT2 and LQT3, respectively. The predictive accuracy was 98% (42/43) when family-based ECG assessment was performed. Conclusions: From this large-scale genotyping study, we found that LQT2 is the most common genotype among the Chinese. Family-based ECG-guided genotyping is highly accurate. ECG-guided genotyping is time- and cost-effective. We therefore recommend it as an optimal approach for the genetic diagnosis of LQTS. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of creative self-efficacy (CSE) in the relationship between active procrastination and creative ideation. Participants were 853 undergraduate students (37% male; aged 18–27 years, M = 20.30 years, SD = 1.28 years) from eight universities in China. Data were collected using the New Active Procrastination Scale, the Short Scale of Creative Self, and the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale. Correlation results indicated that active procrastination, CSE, and creative ideation were positively associated with each other. Multiple mediation analysis indicated that CSE mediated the relationship between active procrastination and creative ideation. These findings suggest that CSE could underlie the effect of active procrastination on individuals' creative ideation. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrofitting existing residential buildings has been claimed as one crucial way to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions within the Chinese residential sector. In China’s government-dominated retrofitting projects, the participation of residents is often neglected. The objective of this paper is to assess the influence level of public participation (before, during and after retrofit) on energy saving by comparing three Beijing neighborhoods with different retrofitting models: a central government-led model, a local government-led model, and an old neighborhood retrofit model. In the three cases data were collected through interviews with neighborhood workers and residents. The results show that residents’ involvement in pre-retrofit activities, in technology selection and in the use of technology differs greatly among the three cases. This study concludes that in order to improve the effectiveness of energy saving interventions, the motives, intentions and living habits of residents need to be given more consideration when designing and implementing retrofitting. By highlighting the importance of public participation this paper contributes to energy saving policy development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve air quality in northern China, especially in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, the Chinese government has issued a series of coal replacement policies for clean heating in households in the region. However, little research evaluates the overall costs and benefits and the health co-benefits of the implementation of such policies. Analysis of the results of top-down policies rarely focuses on actual changes in the behavior of subjects at the micro level, leading to a divergence between policy design and evaluation. To quantify the actual implementation effects of China's coal replacement policies in the BTH region, this paper explores the cost-effectiveness of these policies. To this end, we combine the results of a micro survey on household energy use behavior with a policy scenario analysis, take household size into account, and evaluate the environmental cost-benefits and the health co-benefits of clean heating. The results show the implementation of coal replacement policies can significantly reduce CO 2 , SO 2 and NO x emissions. And the cost-benefit analysis demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of China's coal replacement policies. Specifically, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016–2020), by improving air quality in the BTH region, these clean heating policies brought cumulative health benefits of 36.73 billion yuan. Therefore, we conclude that China's clean heating policies can effectively reduce pollutant emissions and have health co-benefits. As we analyze the contribution of different alternative technologies to clean heating and take household size into account, our results can help policymakers formulate technology selection and subsidy policies. [Display omitted] • The cost-effectiveness of China's coal replacement policies has been demonstrated. • Clean heating policies can significantly reduce CO 2 , SO 2 and NO x emissions. • Clean heating brought cumulative health benefits of 36.7 billion yuan in BTH region. • Emission reduction per unit of coal substitution varies by household size. • There are differences in the choice of alternative technologies in the BTH region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: China has set ambitious goals to increase the use of renewable energy. Developing renewables in rural areas is also one of the most important energy strategies. This paper examines rural social acceptance of renewable energy deployment taking Shandong as a case study via a field questionnaire survey. Theory of planned behavior is adopted to establish an analytical framework, and a logit model is used to examine possible determinants of local social acceptance. The results show that rural residents are generally supportive renewable energy development given its positive impacts on environment. A stated willingness to pay more for renewable electricity is taken as a variable representing an individual’s behavioral intention. The probability of occurrence of positive intention is found to increase with household income, individual knowledge level and belief about costs of renewable energy use but decrease with individual age. Residents with higher level of income are more likely to be willing to pay more for green electricity, so are the younger people. Enhancive knowledge and understanding about renewable energy (for instance, the cost) would be conducive to win public acceptance of renewable energy deployment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aims: The aim of study is to investigate the effect of nifedipine on viral myocarditis in an animal model. Main methods: Four-week-old male DBA/2 mice were inoculated with 2 pfu of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) and randomized to nifedipine (n =10) or control (n =10) group. The control group was fed by regular chow and the nifedipine group contained 0.01% of nifedipine. Mast cell density was counted, and expressions of messenger RNAs of stem cell factor (SCF), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), pro-collagen I, mast cell proteases, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated by RT-PCR. Key findings: The area of myocardial necrosis was smaller in the nifedipine vs the control group (mean±SD, 1.2±1.3% vs 3.8±1.8%, respectively, P <0.005). The mast cell density (count/mm2) was lower in the nifedipine vs the control group (mean±SD, 0.23±0.16 vs 1.08±0.45, respectively, P <0.0005). The expressions of MMPs, mast cell proteases, TNF-α, IL-6, SCF and pro-collagen I were lower in the nifedipine group than in the control group (P <0.05). Significance: Nifedipine inhibited the activation of various participants in inflammatory and immune reactions in EMCV myocarditis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is an inherited heart muscle disease associated with increased risks of sudden death, particularly in young, otherwise healthy, patients. The pathologic features are progressive myocardial atrophy and fibrofatty replacement. Plakophilin-2 (PKP2) is reported as the most common ARVD/C-causing gene in Western countries. In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of PKP2 mutations in Chinese patients with ARVD/C and their phenotype characteristics. Genotype and phenotype were investigated in a cohort of 18 unrelated Chinese patients with a clinical diagnosis of ARVD/C. Direct sequencing of PKP2 led to the identification of 5 novel heterozygous mutations (R158K, Q211X, L419S, A793D, and N852fsX930) in 39% of patients (7 of 18) with ARVD/C. Among them, N852fsX930 was found in 3 unrelated young patients who presented with symptomatic ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Nevertheless, no significant difference could be detected between patients with ARVD/C with (n = 7) and without (n = 11) PKP2 mutations with regard to the phenotype characteristics and clinical outcomes. Decreased penetrance was prominent in family members. In conclusion, 5 novel PKP2 mutations were identified in a cohort of symptomatic Chinese patients with ARVD/C. N852fsX930 appeared to be a hot-spot mutation in which patients presented with a severe ARVD/C phenotype, and 2/3 had early onset of arrhythmic events. No significant difference was found in phenotype characteristics between patients with ARVD/C with and without PKP2 mutations. The decreased penetrance indicated that an ARVD/C diagnosis cannot solely rely on genotyping results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As the reservoir and its attribute distribution are obviously controlled by sedimentary facies, the facies modeling is one of the important bases for delineating the area of high-quality reservoir and characterizing the attribute parameter distribution. There are a large number of continental sedimentary reservoirs with strong heterogeneity in China, the geometry and distribution of various sedimentary microfacies are relatively complex. The traditional geostatistics methods which have shortage in characterization of the complex and non-stationary geological patterns, have limitation in facies modeling of continental sedimentary reservoirs. The generative adversarial network (GANs) is a recent state-of-the-art deep learning method, which has capabilities of pattern learning and generation, and is widely used in the domain of image generation. Because of the similarity in content and structure between facies models and specific images (such as fluvial facies and the images of modern rivers), and the various images generated by GANs are often more complex than reservoir facies models, GANs has potential to be used in reservoir facies modeling. Therefore, this paper proposes a reservoir facies modeling method based on GANs: (1) for unconditional modeling, select training images (TIs) based on priori geological knowledge, and use GANs to learn priori geological patterns in TIs, then generate the reservoir facies model by GANs; (2) for conditional modeling, a training method of "unconditional-conditional simulation cooperation" (UCSC) is used to realize the constraint of hard data while learning the priori geological patterns. Testing the method using both synthetic data and actual data from oil field, the results meet perfectly the priori geological patterns and honor the well point hard data, and show that this method can overcome the limitation that traditional geostatistics are difficult to deal with the complex non-stationary patterns and improve the conditional constraint effect of GANs based methods. Given its good performance in facies modeling, the method has a good prospect in practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic values of T2 mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for active sacroiliitis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to evaluate the correlations of T2 and ADC values with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) scores.Methods: A total of 77 AS patients with sacroiliitis and 45 healthy controls were enrolled. All patients were scanned by standard magnetic resonance imaging longitudinal relaxation time (T1)-weighted imaging (T1WI), fat-saturated T2-weighted imaging (FS-T2WI)] and DWI, and T2 mapping of the sacroiliac joints. According to whether subchondral bone marrow edema was present in the FS-T2WI sequence, the 77 patients were divided into an active group (41 cases) and an inactive group (36 cases). The T2 and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the subchondral bone marrow were measured in the active group, the inactive group, and the healthy control group. The average T2 and ADC values were compared among the three groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of T2 and ADC values for sacroiliitis. The correlations of T2 and ADC values with the BASDAI score and the SPARCC score were analyzed.Results: The T2 and ADC values in the active group were higher than those in the inactive group, while that in the inactive group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (p < 0.0001). The T2 and ADC values of the AS patients were positively correlated with BASDAI scores, and the correlation coefficients (r) were 0.786 (p < 0.0001) and 0.842 (p < 0.0001), respectively. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of T2 and ADC values between the active and inactive groups, the active group and the healthy control group, and the inactive group and the healthy control group were 0.889 (95% CI, 0.80-0.95) and 0.917 (95% CI, 0.83-0.97), 0.982 (95% CI, 0.93-1.00) and 0.984 (95% CI, 0.93-1.00), and 0.628 (95% CI, 0.51-0.73) and 0.871 (95% CI, 0.78-0.94), respectively. The T2 and ADC values of the AS patients in the active group were positively correlated with SPARCC scores, and the correlation coefficients (r) were 0.757 (p < 0.0001) and 0.764 (p < 0.0001), respectively.Conclusion: T2 and ADC values can be used to quantitatively assess the activity of AS, and the efficacy of the ADC value in the diagnosis of AS was higher than that of the T2 value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study focuses on the carbon emission and mitigation potential in the domain of daily travel in Beijing. Using a sample with the focus on working class, the average individual carbon emissions from daily travel are computed as 1.46 kg/day•person and 2.40 kg/day•person for weekday and weekend. Except for residents who need to conduct more long-distance trips, the main contributor to the emissions of the rest high emitters are not the need of longer daily travel distances or the need to conduct more long distance trips, but the need to use cars more intensively for trips with similar distances compared with low emitters. High emitters are associated with the characteristics of being male, having higher income, owning cars, and being in the age between 30s and 40s. On the other hand, living within fifth ring and having good accessibility to public transport are associated with lower emissions. We innovatively use trip-based information to obtain a more relevant and realistic assessment of mitigation potential through mode shift under the current transport system. The mitigation percentage can be as high as 20%–25% if only travel time is considered, but will be substantially constrained by practical barriers. Therefore mitigation policy for daily transport should not only focus on improving travel time of low emission modes to comparable levels with cars but also tackle practical barriers for car drivers to use low emission modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding corporate preferences for domestic policy instruments is crucial to designing and planning the sectoral market mechanism in China. Based on a detailed overview of nine domestic policy instruments under the sectoral market mechanism, this paper evaluates corporate preferences and identifies their relationship with potential determinants through an ordinal logistics model. The data was collected from 113 respondents in all 11 prefecture-level cities of Shanxi province, China. The results show that providing economic incentives is the most preferable policy for companies. The policy instrument in which installations with voluntary targets receive tradable units is not recommended unless the inequity in the distribution of responsibility could be reduced or alleviated effectively. If the government applies a mandatory policy, it is more effective to give companies mandatory targets and to allocate tradable units to them in order to offer more flexibility. This paper discusses policy implications in designing domestic policy instruments based on the determinants that impact corporate preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterogeneity in energy consumption between households has long been neglected, leading to the low effectiveness of one-size-fits-all demand-side policies. Here, we investigate energy consumption patterns and home appliance purchasing preferences of different urban households. In this study, 1921 urban households in China were empirically classified into four groups based on their socio-demographic characteristics. It is found that low- and middle-income small-size households have a latecomer energy consumption pattern and a rational home appliance purchasing preference, low-income large-size households correspond to an old-fashion pattern and an economic preference, middle- and high-income large-size households show a moderate pattern and a neutral preference, and high-income small-size households perform a modern pattern and a pro-environmental preference. The inter-group comparison indicates that income increase will promote energy consumption patterns to be more low-carbon and modern. Meanwhile, the demographic transition to small-size family may lead to a carbon-intensive energy lifestyle for middle-income households, while high-income households can have a more saving and green energy consumption pattern. In addition, the scenario analysis indicates that one-size-fits-all policies failed to account for everyone. The findings presented here can inform authorities of the necessity and directions of designing common but differentiated household energy-saving policies. • 1921 urban households are empirically classified into four household groups. • Four energy consumption patterns are identified corresponding to groups 1–4. • There are differences in home appliance purchasing preferences among groups 1–4. • Different households show different levels of response to the same policies. • Common but differentiated household mitigation policies should be designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudogenes share sequence similarities with functional genes, but in general they have lost their protein-coding ability. The identification of pseudogenes is a very important step in genome annotation. Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a marine diatom that is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The genome of P. tricornutum has been completely sequenced. To identify pseudogenes in P. tricornutum, we developed a pipeline to discover and characterize pseudogenes. We identified a total of 1654 'true' processed pseudogenes, 714 duplicated pseudogenes and 4729 pseudogene fragments. The results of the bioinformatics analysis indicated that the genome sequence of P. tricornutum contained many pseudogenes and pseudogene fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Inflammation contributes to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. The aim of this study was to investigate whether eplerenone, a selective aldosterone receptor antagonist, has anti-inflammatory effects on viral myocarditis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The compilation of technology lists of addressing climate change has guiding effect on promoting technological research and development, demonstration and popularization. It is also crucial for China to strengthen ecological civilization construction, achieve the carbon emission peak and carbon neutral target, and enhance global climate governance capabilities. This study first proposes the existing classification outline of the technology promotion lists, technology demand lists and future technology lists. Then, different methodologies are integrated on the basis of the existing outline of four technology lists: China's existing technological promotion list for addressing climate change, China's demand list for climate change mitigation technology, China's key technology list for addressing climate change, and China's future technology list for addressing climate change. What's more, core technologies are analyzed in the aspects of technology maturity, carbon reduction cost, carbon reduction potential, economic benefits, social influence, uncertainty, etc. The results show that: key industries and sectors in China already have relatively mature mitigation/adaptation technologies to support the achievement of climate change targets. The multi-sectoral system of promoting climate-friendly technologies has been established, which has played an active role in tackling climate change. Currently, climate technology needs are concentrated in the traditional technology and equipment upgrading, renewable energy technology and management decision-making support technology. The key technologies are concentrated in 3 major areas and 12 technological directions that urgently need a breakthrough. For carbon emmission peak and carbon nentrality, carbon depth reduction/zero carbon emissions and geoengineering technology ( CDR and SRM) have played an important role in forming the structure of global emissions and achieving carbon neutrality in the future. Thus, the uncertainty assessment for the comprehensive technology cost-effectiveness, technology integration direction, technical maturity, ethics and ecological impacts is supportive to the national technology strategy. Finally, the presented study proposes several policy suggestions for medium-and long-term technology deployment, improving technology conversion rate, promoting the research and development of key core technologies, and forming a technology list collaborative update and release mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) reservoir geological modeling is an advanced reservoir characterization method, which runs through the exploration and the development process of oil and gas fields. Reservoir geological modeling is playing an increasingly significant role in determining the distribution, internal configuration, and quality of a reservoir as well. Conventional variogram-based methods such as statistical interpolation and reservoir geological modeling have difficulty characterizing complex reservoir geometries and heterogeneous reservoir properties. Taking advantage of deep feedforward neural networks (DFNNs) in nonlinear fitting, this paper compares the reservoir geological modeling results of different methods on the basis of an existing lithofacies model and seismic data from the X area of Karamay, Xinjiang, China. Adopted reservoir geological modeling methods include conventional sequential Gaussian simulation and DFNN-based reservoir geological modeling method. The constrained data in the experiment mainly include logging data, seismic attribute data, and lithofacies model. Then, based on the facies-controlled well-seismic combined reservoir geological modeling method, this paper explores the application of multioutput DFNN and transfer learning in reservoir geological modeling. The results show that the DFNN-based reservoir geological modeling results are closer to the actual model. In DFNN-based reservoir geological modeling, the facies control effect is obvious, and the simulation results have a higher coincidence rate in a test well experiment. The feasibility of applying multioutput DFNN and transfer learning in reservoir geological modeling provides solutions for further optimization methods, such as solving small-sample problems and improving the modeling efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic hypoxia (CH) is characterized by long-term hypoxia that is associated with microvessel proliferation and basal membrane (BM) degradation in tissues. The IL-6/JAK2/STAT3/MMP-9 pathway has been described in a variety of human cancers and plays an essential role in microvessel proliferation and BM degradation. Therefore, this study investigated the role of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3/MMP-9 pathway in hypoxia-mediated microvessel proliferation and BM degradation in the rat bone marrow. Eighty pathogen-free Sprague Dawley male rats were randomly divided into four groups (20 per group)—control group, CH group (exposed to hypoxia in a hypobaric chamber at a simulated altitude of 5000 m for 28 d), CH + STAT3 inhibitor group (7.5 mg/kg/d), and CH + DMSO group. Microvessel density (MVD) and BM degradation in the bone marrow were determined by immunofluorescence staining and transmission electron microscopy. Serum IL-6 levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the levels of P-JAK2, P-STAT3, and MMP-9 were assessed by western blot analysis and real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). Hypoxia increased serum IL-6 levels, which in turn increased JAK2 and STAT3 phosphorylation, which subsequently upregulated MMP-9. Overexpression of MMP-9 significantly promoted the elevation of MVD and BM degradation. Inhibition of STAT3 using an inhibitor, SH-4-54, significantly downregulated MMP-9 expression and decreased MVD and BM degradation. Surprisingly, STAT3 inhibition also decreased serum IL-6 levels and JAK2 phosphorylation. Our results suggest that the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3/MMP-9 pathway might be related to CH-induced microvessel proliferation and BM degradation in the bone marrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geofluid discrimination plays an important role in reservoir characterization and prospect identification. Compared with other fluid indicators, the effective pore-fluid bulk modulus is more sensitive to the property of fluid contained in reservoirs. We combine the empirical relations with deterministic models to form a new kind of linearized relationship between the mixed fluid/rock term and the fluid modulus. On the one hand, the linearized relationship can decouple the fluid bulk modulus from the mixed fluid/rock term; on the other hand, the decoupled terms are more stable especially in low-porosity situations compared with previous approaches. In terms of the new linearized equation of the fluid modulus, we derive a novel linearized amplitude variation with offset (AVO) approximation to avoid the complicated nonlinear relationship between the fluid modulus and the reflectivity series. Convoluting this linearized AVO approximation with seismic wavelets, the forward modeling is constructed to combine the prestack seismic records with the fluid modulus. Meanwhile, we introduce the Bayesian inference with multivariable Cauchy prior to the fluid modulus inversion for a stable and high-resolution solution. Model examples demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed linearized AVO approximation compared with the exact Zoeppritz equation and Aki-Richards approximate equation. The synthetic and field data tests illustrate the accuracy and feasibility of the proposed fluid modulus inversion approach for geofluid discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the possibility of using amide proton transfer-weighted imaging (APTWI) for the identification and diagnosis of cervical squamous carcinoma (CSC), cervical adenocarcinoma (CA) and different levels of CSC. Seventy-six patients with newly diagnosed uterine cervical cancer (UCC) were studied prior to treatment, including 20 with poorly differentiated (Grade 3) CSC, 23 with moderately differentiated (Grade 2) CSC, 17 with well-differentiated (Grade 1) CSC, and 16 with CA (13 with poorly differentiated (Grade 3) CA and 3 with moderately differentiated (Grade 2) CA). Differences in the magnetization transfer ratio at 3.5 ppm (MTRasym (3.5 ppm)) were identified between CSC and CA and between high-level (Grade 3) CSC and low-level (Grade 2 and Grade 1) CSC, as well as among all three grades of CSC differentiation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic thresholds and performance of the parameters. Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between the MTRasym (3.5 ppm) and histological grade. The MTRasym (3.5 ppm) in CA was higher than that in CSC (P = 0.001). The MTRasym (3.5 ppm) in high-level CSC was higher than that in low-level CSC (P = 0.001). The MTRasym (3.5 ppm) was positively correlated with the grade of CSC differentiation (r = 0.498, P = 0.001). The MTRasym (3.5 ppm) in Grade 3 CSC was higher than that in Grade 2 and Grade 1 CSC (P = 0.02/0.01). No significant difference in the MTRasym (3.5 ppm) was found between Grade 2 CSC and Grade 1 CSC (P = 0.173). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the MTRasym (3.5 ppm) in distinguishing CSC and CA was 0.779, with a cut-off, sensitivity, and specificity of 2.97%, 60.0% and 82.5%, respectively. The AUC for distinguishing high-/low-level CSC was 0.756, with a cut-off, sensitivity, and specificity of 3.29%, 68.8% and 83.3%, respectively. APTWI may be a useful technique for the identification and diagnosis of CSC, CA and different levels of CSC, which may have an important impact on clinical strategies for treating patients with UCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptotanshinone inhibits the proliferative and colony formation abilities of human non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLCs). The present study reported that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 is not the only target of cryptotanshinone during the inhibition of human NSCLCs. It was identified that cryptotanshinone upregulates the expression levels of microRNA (miR)-30d-5p, miR-126-3p, miR-133a, miR-338-3p and miR-451a, and downregulates miR-21-5p, miR-96-5p, miR-182-5p and miR-205-5p. Among these, miR-133a was the most significantly upregulated. miR-133a targets and downregulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)14; however, MMP15, MMP16 and MMP24 were determined to be unaffected. This process was identified to be independent of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2. Cryptotanshinone also suppresses the invasion of human NSCLCs, which may be due to the inhibited expression of MMP14. In conclusion, cryptotanshinone may serve as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematologic carcinoma that has seen a considerable improvement in patient prognosis because of genetic diagnostics and molecularly-targeted therapies. Nevertheless, recurrence and drug resistance remain significant obstacles to leukemia treatment. It is critical to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms and find solutions. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and pseudogenes, have been found to be crucial components in driving cancer. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism has expanded the complexity of miRNA-mediated gene regulation. A great deal of literature has shown that ncRNAs are essential to the biological functions of the ceRNA network (ceRNET). NcRNAs can compete for the same miRNA response elements to influence miRNA-target RNA interactions. Recent evidence suggests that ceRNA might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic strategy. So far, however, there have been no comprehensive studies on ceRNET about AML. What is not yet clear is the clinical application of ceRNA in AML. This study attempts to summarize the development of research on the related ceRNAs in AML and the roles of ncRNAs in ceRNET. We also briefly describe the mechanisms of ceRNA and ceRNET. What's more significant is that we explore the clinical value of ceRNAs to provide accurate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets. Finally, limitations and prospects are considered. [Display omitted] • NcRNA influences gene expression by acting as a ceRNA. • CeRNET involves plentiful RNAs and is more complex than the miRNA network. • We comprehensively summarized the reported ceRNA networks in AML. • We focus on characteristic ceRNETs to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pd nanoparticles (NP) immobilized on nitrogen (N)-doped boehmite@C composites (CCB) with enhanced catalytic performance for 2-ethyl-9,10 anthraquinone hydrogenation were successfully prepared by a mild vapor-phase hydrothermal method. The characterization results showed that the phase structures, morphologies and texture properties of CCB are analogous to the corresponding boehmite. The dosages of sucrose and urea determined the contents of C and N in CCB, which controlled the loading capacities of 0.64–1.50%, particle sizes of 3.75–5.48 nm and dispersity of 18.6–33.8% of the Pd NP. The C, N atoms and -OH groups on the surface of CCB are beneficial to anchor and stabilize Pd NP in situ reduction. Compared with the hydrogenation efficiency of Pd/boehmite (8.68 g/L), the corresponding value of Pd/CCB (11.18 g/L) increased by 28.8%. Furthermore, compared with the traditional preparation methods of catalyst in the field of anthraquinone hydrogenation, this effective and mild vapor-phase hydrothermal method does not use any excess reductant and capping reagent, and thus provides an alternative approach for preparing high-performance catalyst. Pd nanoparticles (NP) with controlled sizes of 3.75–5.48 nm and dispersity of 18.6–33.8% were successfully immobilized on nitrogen (N)-doped boehmite@C composites (CCB) prepared by a mild vapor-phase hydrothermal method; the C, N atoms played the anchored and stable role in Pd NP, respectively. The hydrogenation efficiency of Pd/0.1–0.2CCB for 2-ethyl-9,10-anthraquinone increased 28.8% than that of Pd/boehmite from 8.68 g/L to 11.18 g/L. Compared with the catalysts prepared from traditional methods, no excess reductant and capping reagents were used, suggesting that our work provided an effectively and mild method for preparing high-performance catalyst in the field of anthraquinone hydrogenation. [Display omitted] • Mild and simple vapor-phase hydrothermal synthesis of N-doped boehmite@C (CCB). • Immobilization of Pd nanoparticles on CCB for anthraquinone hydrogenation. • Realization of effective control on the content and sizes of the Pd nanoparticles. • C, N atoms acting anchored and stable role for the Pd nanoparticles, respectively. • Significantly enhanced catalytic performance of Pd/CCB compared with Pd/boehmite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental ecology methods and chlorophyll fluorescence technology were used to study the effects of different concentrations of manganese (10- 10 mol L) on the growth, photosystem II and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of Amphidinium sp. MACC/D31. The results showed that manganese had a significant effect on the growth rate, fluorescence parameters (maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII ( F /F), photochemical quenching (qP) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ)) in the exponential stage (days 1-3) and SOD activity of Amphidinium sp. ( P < 0.05). F/ F in the exponential stage in 10 mol L manganese concentration was significantly lower whilst qP and NPQ significantly higher than those in the other concentrations. F /F (days 6-9) in 10 mol L manganese was significantly higher than those in the other concentrations. F /F (days 3-6) increased with increased concentration of manganese from 10 to 10 mol L. The values of qP and NPQ decreased with decreased concentrations of manganese, except for those in days 4-6. F /F under each concentration increased earlier and decreased later with culture stage whilst NPQ decreased earlier and increased later. The SOD activity increased with increased concentration of manganese from 10 to 10 mol L. The SOD activity in 10 mol L manganese was significantly higher than those in the other concentrations and in 10 mol L manganese, it was significantly lower than those in the other concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the short-term effects of surgical left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) on the QT interval and heart rate in patients with congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS). Left cardiac sympathetic denervation was performed in five LQTS patients who had a history of syncope. The patients’ 12-lead and 24-h Holter monitoring ECG was recorded 24 h before and 24 h after LCSD. Treadmill exercise tests were also performed before and 6 days after surgery to assess changes in heart rate and the QT interval after surgery. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation was successful in all patients. The mean value of the corrected QT interval (QTc) in the five patients decreased from 0.59 ± 0.05 to 0.48 ± 0.04 s ( P = 0.006) immediately after the procedure and remained short (0.47 ± 0.04, P < 0.05) after a 21-month follow-up. The mean value of QTc on the 24-h Holter monitoring ECG also decreased in all patients (0.67 ± 0.07 vs 0.60 ± 0.05 s, P < 0.01). The mean, maximum, and minimum heart rate on the 24-h ECG remained unchanged ( P > 0.05). The maximum heart rate during the exercise tests decreased from 162 ± 4 beats/min before surgery to 129 ± 10 beats/min ( P < 0.01). The exercise-induced increase in QTc remained unchanged after the surgery ( P > 0.05). Although four of the five patients were syncope-free until 21 months postoperatively, the remaining patient had a recurrence of syncope, requiring an increased dose of β blocker. These findings indicate that LCSD shortens QTc and diminishes the exercise-induced increase in heart rate whereas the resting heart rate and exercise-induced increase in QTc remain unchanged. These results may have implications for the effectiveness and limitations of LCSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hu, S.; Wang, J.; Zhao, Y.; Qin, Y.; Chen L.; Liu W., and Liu, Y., 2020. An unconventional method for well-seismic integrated cycle correlation and sedimentary evolution of fluvial reservoir. In: Wan, Z. (ed.), Coordinated Sustainable Development in Coastal Areas: Environment and Economy. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 109, pp. 85–92. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Focusing on the difficulties of fluvial sedimentary stratigraphic correlation and sedimentary evolution study in a complex fault-block area, taking the meandering sedimentation of Neogene Ming2 (Nm2) oil group of block 1 of Gangxi oilfield as an anatomical object, by applying well-seismic integration based on the comprehensive analysis of geological, coring, well-logging and seismic data in the oilfield development area, this paper establishes the correlation profiles and accurate stratigraphic frameworks of cyclic stratigraphic division in the study area, and divides Nm2 oil group into 3 mid-term base level cycles (MSC1, MSC2 and MSC3) and 22 short-term base level cycles (corresponding to 22 subzone). The plane sedimentary microfacies distribution of every single layer is characterized based on the study of single-well sedimentary microfacies; meanwhile, the vertical evolutionary patterns of meandering channel sandbody in the study area is established, that is, along with the rise and fall of the base level cycle, it is the increase and decrease in A/S cyclic change that controls the lateral distribution characteristics and vertical overlap pattern of channel sands. Acuurate cycle stratigraphic analysis and sedimentary microfacies study provide the geological basis for oilfield management in the middle and late stage of oilfield development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]