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The staggered work hours (SWH) policy is a practical strategy for managing travel demand, aiming to spread out the temporal distribution of travel volume by adjusting the schedules of travelers' activities. The influence of the SWH policy on the commuting patterns of passengers using bus transit is not yet clear. We addressed this issue in a many-to-one bus line, treating commuters as Q-learning agents learning to minimize regrets by selecting appropriate bus runs. The learning outcomes reveal a SWH-induced equilibrium, where commuters departing from the same station with the same work start time experience identical minimal commuting costs, regardless of the chosen bus. Subsequently, we investigate the effectiveness of SWH policy by manipulating two key control variables: the division of travel demand between two categories of travelers and the staggered time interval. The results confirm that congestion during peak hours can potentially be mitigated by carefully selecting the above two key parameters. Correspondingly, we provide optimal control boundaries for these two parameters to design an effective SWH policy. Furthermore, we explore the combined impact of physical distancing and SWH policy on traffic flow patterns during an epidemic outbreak. Concurrently, we assess the infection risk through a surrogate index, revealing that the SWH policy has a positive effect in mitigating the risk of contact exposure., Author(s): Shengjie Qiang (corresponding author) [1]; Qingxia Huang [2] 1. Introduction One feasible solution to alleviate urban congestion is the implementation of travel demand management measures. These measures aim to [...]

Objective·Previous studies showed that hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection caused outstanding changes in host lipoproteins. However, there are no reports on such component changes of lipoprotein subfractions. This study aimed to quantify the HBV-caused changes in the serum lipoprotein subfractions and their components.Methods·Hepatitis B surface antigen-positive [HBsAg (+)] patients at Division of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from March to June 2017 were included (n=40), and 40 HBsAg-negative [HBsAg (-)] population were matched as controls. Serum lipoprotein subfractions and their components were quantified by using 1H-NMR. Orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), variance analysis between the two groups, logistic regression analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were conducted to reveal the lipoprotein changes in chronic HBV patients against controls.Results·HBsAg (+) population had significantly lower levels in most lipoprotein subfractions than HBsAg (-) population. After adjustments for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease, the levels of total VLDL, VLDL1-VLDL3, IDL, HDL4, non-HDL and their components were protective factors for HBV infection (OR < 1, P < 0.01). In contrast, VLDL5-(TAG/LP) was a risk factor for HBV infection (OR > 1, P < 0.01). In addition, the severity of inflammation in the HBsAg (+) population was negatively correlated with the levels of lipids in HDL4 with correlation coefficient ranging from -0.71 to -0.51 (P≤ 0.002). Six lipoprotein subfractions were obtained through feature screening, and the AUC of HBV infection diagnosis model was 0.861.Conclusion·HBV infection causes significant changes in liver-excretion of lipoproteins and their circulation metabolism; the lipoprotein phenotypes can differentiate HBV-infected patients from controls.

For rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs), MnO2 is a desirable cathode material because of its structural diversity and high theoretical capacity of ~308 mA h g−1. MnO2 materials' poor cycle life and inferior conductivity, however, continue to be key obstacles to their application in ZIBs. These problems are anticipated to be resolved by developing a nanocomposite system consisting of MnO2 and a carbon-based matrix. Herein, a series of graphite carbon-coated δ-MnO2 nanoparticles (denoted as GC-δ-MnO2-X; X = 1, 2, and 3) for ZIB cathode materials is prepared via a feasible redox route and varying the amount of KMnO4 (7, 8, and 9 mmol). Benefiting from the abundant active sites and boosted Zn2+ ion diffusion rate, the GC-δ-MnO2-2 nanoparticles (8 mmol KMnO4) display excellent capacity of 299.6 mA h g−1 at 0.3 A g−1 with good cycle stability (62% capacity retention after 1500 cycles at 2 A g−1), surpassing that of the GC-δ-MnO2-1 (7 mmol KMnO4) and GC-δ-MnO2-3 (9 mmol KMnO4) samples. Moreover, the constructed quasi-solid-state ZIBs based on the GC-δ-MnO2-2 cathode show respectable capacity of 194.3 mA h g−1 at 0.3 A g−1, as well as outstanding safe properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) metabolism is involved in the entire physiopathological process and is critical to human health. Long-term imbalance in NAD + homeostasis is associated with various diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, aging, and cancer, making it a potential target for effective therapeutic strategies. Currently, several natural products that target NAD + metabolism have been widely reported to have significant therapeutic effects, but systematic summaries are lacking., Purpose: To summarize the latest findings on the prevention and treatment of various diseases through the regulation of NAD + metabolism by various natural products in vivo and in vitro models, and evaluate the toxicities of the natural products., Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were searched using the keywords "natural products sources," "toxicology," "NAD + clinical trials," and "NAD + ," and/or paired with "natural products" and "diseases" for studies published within the last decade until January 2023., Results: We found that the natural products mainly include phenols (curcumin, cyclocurcumin, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, salvianolic acid B, pterostilbene, EGCG), flavonoids (pinostrobin, apigenin, acacetin, tilianin, kaempferol, quercetin, isoliquiritigenin, luteolin, silybin, hydroxysafflor yellow A, scutellarin), glycosides (salidroside), quinones (emodin, embelin, β-LAPachone, shikonin), terpenoids (notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside F2, ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rg3, thymoquinone, genipin), pyrazines (tetramethylpyrazine), alkaloids (evodiamine, berberine), and phenylpropanoids (ferulic acid). These natural products have antioxidant, energy-producing, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-aging effects, which mainly influence the NAMPT/NAD + /SIRT, AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α, Nrf2/HO-1, PKCs/PARPs/NF-κB, and AMPK/Nrf2/mTOR signaling pathways, thereby regulating NAD + metabolism to prevent and treat various diseases. These natural products have been shown to be safe, tolerable and have fewer adverse effects in various in vivo and in vitro studies and clinical trials., Conclusion: We evaluated the toxic effects of natural products and summarized the available clinical trials on NAD + metabolism, as well as the recent advances in the therapeutic application of natural products targeting NAD + metabolism, with the aim to provide new insights into the treatment of multiple disorders., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)