Search

As the second largest carbon emitter in China, iron and steel enterprises have great potential for carbon emission reduction.In order to facilitate the supervision and control of carbon emissions by relevant departments, carbon emission prediction research is carried out.Taking a steelmaking plant as the research object, firstly, the carbon dioxide emissions in the steelmaking process were analyzed, and 10 energy substances that caused carbon emissions were determined.The basic energy data of the steelmaking plant from 2001 to 2023 were collected, and the carbon emissions were calculated from the basic energy data according to the carbon emission accounting method.Secondly, based on the long short-term memory network to predict the carbon emissions in the next 7 years, the training error and test error were close to 0.01, and the actual error was 1 323 307.46 tons of carbon dioxide.Then, the Mann-Kendall trend test was used to evaluate the overall carbon emission trend of the steelmaking plant.Finally, some reasonable suggestions were put forward for steelmaking plants in order to actively respond to the goal of low-carbon environmental protection.

Abstract Background The efficacy and safety of low-pressure balloon pre-dilatation before intracoronary pro-urokinase (pro-UK) in preventing no-reflow during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of intracoronary pro-UK combined with low-pressure balloon pre-dilatation in patients with anterior ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods This was a randomized, single-blind, investigator-initiated trial that included 179 patients diagnosed with acute anterior STEMI. All patients were eligible for PCI and were randomized into two groups: intracoronary pro-UK combined with (ICPpD group, n = 90) or without (ICP group, n = 89) low-pressure balloon pre-dilatation. The main efficacy endpoint was complete epicardial and myocardial reperfusion. The safety endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), which were analyzed at 12 months follow-up. Results Patients in the ICPpD group presented significantly higher TIMI myocardial perfusion grade 3 (TMPG3) compared to those in the ICP group (77.78% versus 68.54%, P = 0.013), and STR ≥ 70% after PCI 30 min (34.44% versus 26.97%, P = 0.047) or after PCI 90 min (40.0% versus 31.46%, P = 0.044). MACEs occurred in 23 patients (25.56%) in the ICPpD group and in 32 patients (35.96%) in the ICP group. There was no difference in hemorrhagic complications during hospitalization between the groups. Conclusion Patients with acute anterior STEMI presented more complete epicardial and myocardial reperfusion with adjunctive low-pressure balloon pre-dilatation before intracoronary pro-UK during PCI. Trial registration 2019xkj213.

Browning is a common problem that occurs during potato processing; it is typically resolved by adding chemicals during the production process. However, there is a need to develop potato varieties that are resistant to browning due to a growing consumer interest in healthier diets. This study initially identified 275 potato varieties that are resistant to browning; these were narrowed down to eight varieties, with four of them being highly resistant. A hybrid population was developed by crossing the highly resistant CIP395109.29 with the easily browned Kexin 23. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) was conducted, which identified 21 potato genes associated with anti-browning properties through sequencing data analysis and organization. The findings of this study lay a solid groundwork for future research on breeding potatoes with anti-browning traits, offer molecular markers for identifying anti-browning varieties, and serve as a valuable reference for further investigations into potato browning mechanisms.

Background: Neutrophils play important roles in atherosclerosis and atherothrombosis. Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is mainly expressed in the granules of human neutrophils in response to inflammatory stress. This observational, cross-sectional study investigated the plasma level of BPI in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and its correlation with blood neutrophil counts and circulating inflammatory biomarkers. Methods: A total of 367 patients who had acute chest pain and who were admitted to our hospital for coronary angiography (CAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from May 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020 were recruited. Among them, 256 had a cardiac troponin value above the 99th percentile upper reference limit and were diagnosed with ACS. The remaining patients (n = 111) were classified as non-ACS. The TIMI and GRACE scores were calculated at admission. The Gensini score based on CAG was used to determine atherosclerotic burden. Plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, myeloperoxidase-DNA (MPO-DNA), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), S100A8/A9, and BPI were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Correlations of plasma BPI levels with examination scores and levels of circulating inflammatory biomarkers were explored. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the diagnostic efficacy of BPI for ACS and myocardial infarction. Results: Patients in the ACS group showed significantly higher plasma BPI levels compared to the non-ACS group (46.42 ± 16.61 vs. 16.23 ± 6.19 ng/mL, p

This study presents a novel obstacle evasion method for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) clusters in the presence of static and dynamic obstacles. First, a discrete three-dimensional model of the UAV is provided. Second, the proposed improved artificial potential field (APF) is illustrated. In designing the improved scheme, a pseudo-exponential function is fused into the potential field, thus avoiding local extreme points. Frictional resistance is introduced to optimize vibration and maintain stability after reaching the desired endpoints. Meanwhile, the relevant parameters are optimized, and appropriate state limits are defined, thus enhancing the control stability. Third, Lyapunov stability analysis proves that all signals in the closed-loop cluster system are ultimately bounded. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate that the UAV cluster can efficiently reconstruct, form, and maintain formations while avoiding static and dynamical obstacles along with maintaining a safe distance, solving the problem of the local extreme of traditional artificial potential field methods. The proposed scheme is also tested under large-scale multi-UAV scenarios. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights for engineers working with UAV clusters navigating through formations.

The importance of architecture design keeps increasing as the complexity of systems and system-of-systems (SoSs) continues rising. While the architecture frameworks such as the Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) are commonly used to guide architecture design, many perspectives are still hindering their effective use. Instead of generating a set of architecture description models probably only for satisfying the milestone review, the architecture frameworks should be used to organize the vague or incomplete information, identify and formulate the decision-making problem, and guide the architecture decision-making. Unfortunately, the decision points are hidden in the architecture models and the ambiguity often leads to a confusion of whether the architecture models are built incorrectly due to the lack of modeling experience or the lack of adequate decision analysis. Therefore, this paper identifies the key decision points and decision types during the architecture model development based on the DoDAF. Plus, this paper proposes a set of decision patterns and a guide to their use to provide qualitative decision analysis for developing architecture models and generating alternatives. An illustrative example to anti-submarine SoSs demonstrates the process of applying the decision patterns to the DoDAF model’s development and the generated architecture alternatives.

ObjectiveIntermittent energy restriction (IER) is an effective weight loss strategy. However, little is known about the dynamic effects of IER on the brain-gut-microbiome axis.MethodsIn this study, a total of 25 obese individuals successfully lost weight after a 2-month IER intervention. FMRI was used to determine the activity of brain regions. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to identify differentially abundant gut microbes and pathways in from fecal samples.ResultsOur results showed that IER longitudinally reduced the activity of obese-related brain regions at different timepoints, including the inferior frontal orbital gyrus in the cognitive control circuit, the putamen in the emotion and learning circuit, and the anterior cingulate cortex in the sensory circuit. IER longitudinally reduced E. coli abundance across multiple timepoints while elevating the abundance of obesity-related Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Bacterokles uniformis. Correlation analysis revealed longitudinally correlations between gut bacteria abundance alterations and brain activity changes.ConclusionsThere was dynamical alteration of BGM axis (the communication of E. coli with specific brain regions) during the weight loss under the IER.

BackgroundIntermittent energy restriction (IER) is an effective weight loss strategy. However, the accompanying changes in spontaneous neural activity are unclear, and the relationship among anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokines remains ambiguous.MethodsThirty-five obese adults were recruited and received a 2-month IER intervention. Data were collected from anthropometric measurements, blood samples, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at four time points. The regional homogeneity (ReHo) method was used to explore the effects of the IER intervention. The relationships between the ReHo values of altered brain regions and changes in anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokines (leptin and adiponectin) were analyzed.ResultsResults showed that IER significantly improved anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokine levels in the successful weight loss group. The IER intervention for weight loss was associated with a significant increase in ReHo in the bilateral lingual gyrus, left calcarine, and left postcentral gyrus and a significant decrease in the right middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum (VIII). Follow-up analyses showed that the increase in ReHo values in the right LG had a significant positive correlation with a reduction in Three-factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ)-disinhibition and a significant negative correlation with an increase in TFEQ-cognitive control. Furthermore, the increase in ReHo values in the left calcarine had a significant positive correlation with the reduction in TFEQ-disinhibition. However, no significant difference in ReHo was observed in the failed weight loss group.ConclusionOur study provides objective evidence that the IER intervention reshaped the ReHo of some brain regions in obese individuals, accompanied with improved anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokines. These results illustrated that the IER intervention for weight loss may act by decreasing the motivational drive to eat, reducing reward responses to food cues, and repairing damaged food-related self-control processes. These findings enhance our understanding of the neurobiological basis of IER for weight loss in obesity.

In this work, an all-fiberized polarization-maintained (PM) fiber laser has been demonstrated with a near-top-hat-shaped spectrum. By optimizing the modulation signal to generate near-top-hat-shaped spectrums, a 3-kW PM fiber laser has been achieved at

BackgroundSentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard treatment for breast cancer patients with clinically negative axilla. However, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is still the standard care for sentinel lymph node (SLN) positive patients. Clinical data reveals about 40-75% of patients without non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis after ALND. Unnecessary ALND increases the risk of complications and detracts from quality of life. In this study, we expect to develop a nomogram based on genotypic and clinicopathologic factors to predict the risk of NSLN metastasis in SLN-positive Chinese women breast cancer patients.MethodsThis retrospective study collected data from 1,879 women breast cancer patients enrolled from multiple centers. Genotypic features contain 96 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with breast cancer susceptibility, therapy and prognosis. SNP genotyping was identified by the quantitative PCR detection platform. The genetic features were divided into two clusters by the mutational stability. The normalized polygenic risk score (PRS) was used to evaluate the combined effect of each SNP cluster. Recursive feature elimination (RFE) based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was adopted to select the most useful predictive features, and RFE based on support vector machine (SVM) was used to reduce the number of SNPs. Multivariable logistic regression models (i.e., nomogram) were built for predicting NSLN metastasis. The predictive abilities of three types of model (based on only clinicopathologic information, the integrated clinicopathologic and all SNPs information, and integrated clinicopathologic and significant SNPs information) were compared. Internal and external validations were performed and the area under ROC curves (AUCs) as well as a series of evaluation indicators were assessed.Results229 patients underwent SLNB followed by ALND and without any neo-adjuvant therapy, 79 among them (34%) had a positive axillary NSLN metastasis. The LDA-RFE identified the characteristics including lymphovascular invasion, number of positive SLNs, number of negative SLNs and two SNP clusters as significant predictors of NSLN metastasis. Furthermore, the SVM-RFE selected 29 significant SNPs in the prediction of NSLN metastasis. In internal validation, the median AUCs of the clinical and all SNPs combining model, the clinical and 29 significant SNPs combining model, and the clinical model were 0.837, 0.795 and 0.708 respectively. Meanwhile, in external validation, the AUCs of the three models were 0.817, 0.815 and 0.745 respectively.ConclusionWe present a new nomogram by combining genotypic and clinicopathologic factors to achieve higher sensitivity and specificity comparing with traditional clinicopathologic factors to predict NSLN metastasis in Chinese women breast cancer. It is recommended that more validations are required in prospective studies among different patient populations.

As a therapeutic tool inherited for thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exhibits superiority in tumor therapy. The antitumor active components of TCM not only have multi-target treatment modes but can also synergistically interfere with tumor growth compared to traditional chemotherapeutics. However, most antitumor active components of TCM have the characteristics of poor solubility, high toxicity, and side effects, which are often limited in clinical application. In recent years, delivering the antitumor active components of TCM by nanosystems has been a promising field. The advantages of nano-delivery systems include improved water solubility, targeting efficiency, enhanced stability in vivo, and controlled release drugs, which can achieve higher drug-delivery efficiency and bioavailability. According to the method of drug loading on nanocarriers, nano-delivery systems can be categorized into two types, including physically encapsulated nanoplatforms and chemically coupled drug-delivery platforms. In this review, two nano-delivery approaches are considered, namely physical encapsulation and chemical coupling, both commonly used to deliver antitumor active components of TCM, and we summarized the advantages and limitations of different types of nano-delivery systems. Meanwhile, the clinical applications and potential toxicity of nano-delivery systems and the future development and challenges of these nano-delivery systems are also discussed, aiming to lay the foundation for the development and practical application of nano-delivery systems of TCM in clinical settings.

Adding plant fibers such as rice husks or sisals to the mortar is one of the main methods to reuse the agricultural wastes and reduce the energy consumption of building industry. However, recent research showed some limitation of the mortar mixed with plant fibers. In this paper, sisal fibers and rice husks were added together into cement mortar to investigate its mechanical properties and the optimum mixture ratio of sisal fiber and rice husk by mix ratio test and orthogonal test. The microstructure of the sisal fiber was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand how the properties of the mortar were affected. Results showed that adding sisal fiber and rice husk into cement mortar significantly improved the mechanic property, anticrack performance, and impermeability of the mortar. The highest compressive strength and flexural strength can reach 17.1 MPa and 3.3 MPa. The area of early cracks was reduced by 100%, and the maximum seepage pressure was 0.36 MPa. The microstructure analysis also indicated that adding rice husk and sisal fiber have a positive effect on the mortar. These results support that adding 0.1% volume admixture of 16 mm length sisal fiber with 35% rice husk into mortar is helpful for engineering application.

The worldwide pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its emergence of variants needs rapid and point-of-care testing methods for a broad diagnosis. The regular RT-qPCR is time-consuming and limited in central laboratories, so a broad and large-scale screening requirement calls for rapid and in situ methods. In this regard, a reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) is proposed here for the rapid and point-of-care detection of SARS-CoV-2. A set of highly conserved primers and probes targeting more than 98% of SARS-CoV-2 strains, including currently circulating variants (four variants of concerns (VOCs) and three variants of interest (VOIs)), was used in this study. With the preferred primers, the RT-RAA assay showed a 100% specificity to SARS-CoV-2 from eight other respiratory RNA viruses. Moreover, the assay here is of a high sensitivity and 0.48 copies/μL can be detected within 25 min at a constant temperature (42 °C), which can be realized on portable equipment. Furthermore, the RT-RAA assay demonstrated its high agreement for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical specimens compared with RT-qPCR. The rapid, simple and point-of-care RT-RAA method is expected to be an appealing detection tool to detect SARS-CoV-2, including variants, in clinical diagnostic applications.

Mobile social network（MSN）extend social network in the cyberspace into the real world.It allows mobile users to discover and interact with a stranger in their physical vicinity.Proximity computing means that two users can compare their personal profiles in MSN application.It is,however,possible disclosing user's privacy information.To address this concerns,two novel proximity computing protocols were designed.The protocols enable two users to perform proximity computing without disclosing any information about their profiles.

As a clean and efficient energy, natural gas is the main driving force for China’s energy transformation and the realization of green energy development. Distributed natural gas combined cooling, heating and power (DNG-CCHP) is the main utilization method of distributed natural gas with many advantages. However, the economics of China’s DNG-CCHP system are poor, hindering the healthy and sustainable development of the system in China. Thus, this paper systematically analyzes the factors affecting the economics of DNG-CCHP system in China. Firstly, through the analysis of the development status and obstacles of China’s DNG-CCHP system, the economic impact factor set of DNG-CCHP systems involving 34 factors is constructed. Then, the integrated DEMTTEL-ISM method is used to construct the multi-level hierarchical structure of influencing factors, the influence mechanism of the factors on the economics of DNG-CCHP system is systematically and comprehensively analyzed, and the path of improving system economics is proposed accordingly. Finally, based on the research findings and the development of China’s DNG-CCHP, the coordinated development of DNG-CCHP and distributed renewable energy was discussed, and several policy suggestions are put forward to contribute to the integration of distributed natural gas and distributed renewable energy.

With the development and grid-connection of renewable energy sources such as wind power, there are more and more uncertainties in power systems, and large-scale wind power has brought many challenges to the security and stability the systems. These uncertainties have to be eliminated by means of upward or downward regulations of conventional generators and charging/discharging services of energy storage devices. Based on the analysis of the influence of wind power uncertainties on the day-ahead electricity market, this article proposes a robust clearing model for the day-ahead electricity market considering the wind power penetration, which can help to complete the dispatch of power system. Compared with the traditional models, the proposed model is a multi-objective model, which considers both the lowest operating cost and the least wind power curtailment of power system. Moreover, the obtained dual multipliers λ corresponding to the power balance constraints reflect the marginal cost of the power production in a certain period, that is, the locational marginal price (LMP), which can be used as the clearing prices. This robust market clearing model takes into consideration the economic and reliability of the system operation and accommodates as much renewable energy as possible. The simulation of three wind power producers was implemented on the IEEE 30-bus test system, which verified the rationality of the proposed approaches.

This paper aims to explore China’s contributions to global green energy and low-carbon (GELC) development based on the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative. Basic situations of B&R countries reveal an urgent requirement for developing green energy. Carbon intensity is an efficient indicator reflecting the degree of GELC development, which is affected by many factors. By analyzing the spatial distribution of carbon intensities in 29 B&R countries excluding China, the spatial agglomeration and positive radiation effects are discovered, while the negative radiation effects are disappearing, indicating that the studied B&R countries lack an effective driving mechanism to promote GELC development. Besides, the spatial convergence results support significant absolute and conditional convergences in the 29 B&R countries, and a faster convergence speed when considering control variables. Therefore, B&R countries trend to converge to a steady stable carbon intensity to achieve the GELC development. Furthermore, the investment rate and openness play a driving role in pushing the decrease of carbon intensity growth rate, revealing that the B&R Initiative can promote reducing the global carbon emissions and developing global green energy. Moreover, the carbon intensity of the country will be positively affected by those of the surrounding areas, indicating that reducing carbon emission is a global governance issue requiring the participation of all countries. Finally, several policy suggestions are proposed to promote the global GELC development under B&R framework, according to the empirical findings.

In this article, we examine the risk--return relation under the impact of investors' price reference points in international markets. We calculate capital gain overhang (CGO) to measure the psychological evaluation of past returns. Using a double-sorting methodology, we find that a negative risk--return trade-off generally exists in international markets when CGO is low; results using the Fama--MacBeth procedure confirm our findings. The CGO effect is more prominent in less developed, less transparent, and less legally protected markets. It is stronger in markets with collectivistic, higher power-distanced, and feminine cultures. The evidence also indicates that the price reference effect is more pronounced when the market is in crisis. Finally, the CGO effect on the risk--return relation reverses as the holding period becomes longer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Intermittent energy restriction (IER) is an effective weight loss strategy. However, little is known about the dynamic effects of IER on the brain-gut-microbiome axis. Methods: In this study, a total of 25 obese individuals successfully lost weight after a 2-month IER intervention. FMRI was used to determine the activity of brain regions. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to identify differentially abundant gut microbes and pathways in from fecal samples. Results: Our results showed that IER longitudinally reduced the activity of obeserelated brain regions at different timepoints, including the inferior frontal orbital gyrus in the cognitive control circuit, the putamen in the emotion and learning circuit, and the anterior cingulate cortex in the sensory circuit. IER longitudinally reduced E. coli abundance across multiple timepoints while elevating the abundance of obesity-related Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Bacterokles uniformis. Correlation analysis revealed longitudinally correlations between gut bacteria abundance alterations and brain activity changes. Conclusions: There was dynamical alteration of BGM axis (the communication of E. coli with specific brain regions) during the weight loss under the IER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]