Search

Accurate evaluation of emission governance efficiency can build fundament to develop haze control strategy towards sustainable development. By features of the haze, we view the haze formation stage as the first sub-process and the haze control stage as the second sub-process. This paper proposes an additive aggregation network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model with undesirable intermediate measures and undesirable outputs, which have not been thoroughly studied in previous literature. We found the newly developed network DEA model was nonlinear and cannot be converted into a linear program, and then developed an improved second-order cone programming approach to solve this problem. After analyzing the data of haze control in China, we drew the following conclusions: Firstly, different weights of preference for two sub-process can lead to the variation in the overall efficiency. Under different weights of preference, although the efficiency of the haze formation has a very small change in some provinces, the efficiency of the haze control has a large change. Secondly, decision makers can achieve the adjust goal of reducing haze by adjusting their preferences on the information of the haze formation and haze control stages, which are helpful for policy making in haze control strategy and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TBM cutters temperature monitoring system was applied to a real in-site. • The effect of installation radius and penetration on cutter temperature was studied. • Sludge fluidity was presented by PTR (ratio of penetration to screw conveyor speed). • PTR is proposed and used to analyze the trend of relative temperature change. Excessive cutter temperature during TBM tunnelling may cause severe cutter wear, mud cake formation, or even blockage of the cutterhead. It will increase construction costs and safety risks. Therefore, in this study, based on the PT100 temperature sensor and wireless transmission technology, a set of cutter temperature online monitoring system has been developed and applied to an TBM construction in-site. Statistical analysis of the in-site temperature data shows that: (1) During excavation, the cutter temperature range was about 13–25 ℃. (2) When penetration is less than 32.4 mm/r, the relative temperature change (ΔT) will increase as the installation radius increases. On the contrary, as the installation radius increases, the ΔT decreases first, then increases. (3) The ΔT is affected by the flow velocity of sludge (PTR). When PTR decreases, if the heat lost by the sludge is higher than the heat generated by the penetration, the ΔT will decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate dynein, axonemal, heavy chain 1 (DNAH1) gene mutations that may be associated with dysplasia of the sperm fibrous sheath (DFS) and infertility in the Han Chinese population.Design: Dysfunction of DNAH1 is known to cause multiple morphologic abnormalities of the flagella (MMAF), DFS, and infertility. Whole-exome sequencing was performed in DFS subjects and the healthy control subjects.Setting: Not applicable.Patient(s): Twenty-one patients of Han ethnicity with primary infertility and diagnosed with asthenozoospermia and MMAF, but without primary ciliary dyskinesia. Fifty healthy men with normal fertility served as control subjects.Main Outcome Measure(s): Whole-exome sequencing, polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, pedigree analysis, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assay.Interventions(s): None.Result(s): A total of 17 mutations in the DNAH1 gene were identified in 12 of the 21 patients. These included one homozygous mutation at the splice site and 16 complex heterozygous mutations at the splice sites and exons. These mutations may cause deletion, replacement of amino acids in the peptide, or introduction of a stop codon in the coding sequence according to bioinformatic prediction. Of note, 52430998CCT>C deletion at exon 73, which may result in c.11726_11727del:p.P3909fs, was found in six patients, which suggests that this mutation may be an etiologic factor for MMAF. Although these DNAH1 gene mutations were found in Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) databases, none were found in the Han healthy control subjects. The expression of DNAH1 protein in the sperm of patient P10, with 52409336C>T in exon 45 and 52430998CCT>C in exon 73 mutations, and patient P12, with 52402755A>G in exon 37 and 52428484G>T in exon 67 mutations, was missing or very weak compared with the sperm of healthy control subjects. The peptide phenotypes of 52409336C>T, 52402755A>G, and 52428484G>T were R2356W, nonsense, and E3544X, respectively. The sperm tails were short or coiled in P10 and P12 compared with healthy control subjects. Pedigree analysis supported the notion that the combination of DNAH1 gene mutations 52430998CCT>C and 52409336C>T and 52428484G>T alone were associated with MMAF.Conclusion(s): These DNAH1 gene mutations may be associated with DFS and infertility in the Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is one of the most severe type in male infertility, and the genetic causes of NOA with meiotic arrest remain elusive., Methods: Four Chinese families with NOA participated in the study. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) for the four NOA-affected patients in four pedigrees. The candidate causative gene was further verified by Sanger sequencing. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were carried out to evaluate the stage of spermatogenesis arrested in the patients with NOA., Results: We identified two novel homozygous frameshift mutations of MSH4 and two novel compound heterozygous variants in MSH4 in four pedigrees with NOA. Homozygous loss of function (LoF) variants in MSH4 was identified in the NOA-affected patient (P9359) in a consanguineous Chinese family (NM_002440.4: c.805_812del: p.V269Qfs*15) and one patient with NOA (P21504) in another Chinese family (NM_002440.4: c.2220_2223del:p.K741Rfs*2). Also, compound heterozygous variants in MSH4 were identified in two NOA-affected siblings (P9517 and P9517B) (NM_002440.4: c.G1950A: p.W650X and c.2179delG: p.D727Mfs*11), and the patient with NOA (P9540) (NM_002440.4: c.G244A: p.G82S and c.670delT: p.L224Cfs*3). Histological analysis demonstrated lack of spermatozoa in seminiferous tubules of all patients and IHC showed the spermatogenesis arrested at the meiotic prophase I stage. Consistent with the autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, all of these mutations were inherited from heterozygous parental carriers., Conclusions: We identified that six novel mutations in MSH4 responsible for meiotic arrest and NOA. And these results provide researchers with a new insight to understand the genetic etiology of NOA and to identify new loci for genetic counselling of NOA., (© 2022. The Author(s).)