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The building sector, including building operations and materials, was responsible for the emission of ∼11.9 gigatons of global energy-related CO

Background The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the disease COVID-19, has caused a pandemic that has rapidly affected the whole world and caused a significant threat to public health. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the social and occupational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in three different countries: China, Spain, and Cuba. Methods A cross-sectional survey was designed to assess the social and occupational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in MS patients in these three countries, using a 25-item anonymous online questionnaire, structured into three sections. Quantitative data are expressed as mean (standard deviation), and quantitative data as absolute frequency and percentage. Results A total of 361 participants responded to the questionnaire: 194 from China, 104 from Spain, and 63 from Cuba. We found no cases of COVID-19 among Chinese patients with MS, and few cases in Spain and Cuba. Respondents reported different levels of impact on relationships with friends, family, and colleagues, and patients in all three countries described increased use of digital or social media platforms. Spanish patients reported a significantly less negative impact than those in Cuba and China. Mental and cognitive effects were similar in all three countries, although China seemed to have a better situation. We also found that the time spent exercising decreased at specific points during the pandemic, but with few changes in dietary habits. Patients reported little or no change in their means of transport in all three countries. Most patients in all three countries reported little or no physical deterioration, especially in Chinese patients (82.47%), compared to the Spanish (70.20%) and Cuban respondents (73.02%). In general, patients from all three countries demonstrated confidence in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, although to a lesser extent among Spanish respondents. Conclusions During the pandemic, family support was more effective in China than in Cuba and Spain. Neither COVID-19 infections nor the number of MS relapses increased significantly during lockdown in any of the three countries. Regarding their economic situation, Spanish MS patients reported a significantly less severe negative impact than those in Cuba and China. Patients from all three countries used digital or social media platforms more frequently, probably to maintain personal relationships. Chinese and Cuban respondents were more confident of the control of the pandemic than the Spanish, who were more pessimistic.

Onsite utilization of wind energy in the urban environment is an effective solution to environmental protection and energy security. The typically micro wind turbines, including Savonius vertical axis wind turbine, H-type vertical axis wind turbine and micro horizontal axis wind turbine are more suitable for distributed generation, relative to centralized generation of large scale wind turbines. However, the wind in the urban environment characterized by low wind speed, high levels of turbulence and strongly unsteady direction and speed, directly affecting the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine. In the present work, wind tunnel tests have been conducted to investigate the low Reynolds number effect on aerodynamic characteristics for these three typical micro wind turbines, and the aerodynamic differences among them have been compared qualitatively and quantitatively. The experimental results show that micro horizontal axis wind turbine and H-type vertical axis wind turbine, belonging to lift-type wind turbine, have relatively higher startup wind speed and lower power coefficient due to deteriorative aerodynamic performance of airfoil at low wind speed. However, Savonius vertical axis wind turbine, as a drag-type wind turbine, exhibits excellent aerodynamic performance at low Reynolds number. The Savonius wind turbine has apparent output power at 5m/s, and the peak power coefficient exceeding 0.2 at 9m/s being superior to that of two other lift-type wind turbines at the same wind speed. In addition, in consideration of natural advantage of vertical axis wind turbine, Savonius wind turbine is the best option for applying at low Reynolds number urban environment.

Sanguinarine (SAG) is an alkaloid derived from the root of Sanguinaria canadensis with demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. SAG is routinely used in animal feed as an alternative to antibiotics. However, its effect on intestinal microbiota in fish has not been clarified. Herein, we evaluated the effect of SAG on immune response, digestive enzyme activity, intestinal histology, and microbiota in Koi carp to gain a better understanding of the intestinal microbes. Three hundred fish were randomly assigned to four treatment groups consisting of basal diet alone or basal diet supplemented with three doses of SAG (50, 150, or 450 mg/kg). Blood was collected at the end of the feeding periods from 36 fish (n = 9 per treatment) and analyzed for serum parameters. Intestinal samples were collected to evaluate digestive enzyme activity, intestinal histology, mRNA expression of cytokines and bacterial community. Then remaining fish (n = 66 per treatment) were then challenged with exposure to Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila) to assess cumulative survival. The results indicated that dietary SAG decreased serum interleukin (IL)-1β in SAG-50 mg/kg (P = .0045), and IL-6 in SAG-50 mg/kg and SAG-150 mg/kg (P = .0021). The level of lysozyme (P

To explore the threshold effect of body mass index (BMI) on bone mineral density (BMD) in Chinese women living in the fluorosis area, we conducted a cross-sectional study and recruited 722 women in rural areas in Henan Province, China. After detection and analyses, we found that compared with the normal BMI group, the risk of osteoporosis in the overweight and obese groups were reduced by 32% and 69%, respectively. Threshold effect analysis showed that BMD was positively correlated with BMI when BMI was 16.8-31.2 kg/m采用整群抽样的方法对豫东饮水型氟病区722名女性开展一项横断面调查，以探讨氟病区女性体重指数（BMI）与骨密度的关系及阈值效应。结果显示，与BMI正常组相比，超重组和肥胖组研究对象患骨质疏松的风险分别降低了32%和69%；氟病区女性骨密度与BMI之间存在阈值效应关系，BMI为（18.0~31.2）kg/m

Activated carbon (AC) with a very high surface area of over 2000 m2/g was produced from low sulfur acid hydrotropic lignin (AHL) from poplar wood using H3PO4 at a moderate temperature of 450 °C (AHL-AC6). ACs with similar surface areas were also obtained under the same activation condition from commercial hardwood alkali lignin and lignosulfonate. Initial evaluation of AC performance was carried out using nitrogen adsorption-desorption and dye adsorption. AHL-AC6 exhibited the best specific surface area and dye adsorption performance. Furthermore, the adsorption results of congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) showed AHL-AC6 had greater adsorption capacity than those reported in literature. The dye adsorption data fit to the Langmuir model well. The fitting parameter suggests the adsorption is nearly strong and near irreversible, especially for MB. The present study for the first time provided a procedure for producing AC from lignin with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area >2000 m2/g using low cost and low environmental impact H3PO4 at moderate temperatures.

SummaryAims The study aims to examine real-world weight change and the role of medication adherence among patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated one of three drug classes: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4) and sulfonylureas (SUs). Materials and methods A cohort of patients initiating one of the three drug classes was selected from a large US database of integrated electronic medical record and administrative claims. Adherence was defined as per cent of days covered ≥80% during the year following drug initiation. Weight change was calculated from drug initiation (−180, +30 d) to 1 year (±90 d) later. Multivariate regression controlled for baseline differences between adherent and poorly adherent patients and the addition of another drug class during follow-up. Results The study included 833 GLP-1RA, 2,272 DPP4 and 2,713 SU patients who contributed 2,279, 6,602 and 7,429 observations respectively. Patients initiating a GLP-1RA achieved the largest weight change (−2.46 kg of GLP-1RA, −1.26 kg of DPP4 and 0.18 kg of SU, P

Flexible porous membranes have attracted increasing scientific interest due to their wide applications in flexible electronics, energy storage devices, sensors, and bioscaffolds. Here, inspired by nature, we develop a facile and scalable top-down approach for fabricating a superflexible, biocompatible, biodegradable three-dimensional (3D) porous membrane directly from natural wood (coded as flexible wood membrane) via a one-step chemical treatment. The superflexibility is attributed to both physical and chemical changes of the natural wood, particularly formation of the wavy structure formed by simple delignification induced by partial removal of lignin/hemicellulose. The flexible wood membrane, which inherits its unique 3D porous structure with aligned cellulose nanofibers, biodegradability, and biocompatibility from natural wood, combined with the superflexibility imparted by a simple chemical treatment, holds great potential for a range of applications. As an example, we demonstrate the application of the flexible, breathable wood membrane as a 3D bioscaffold for cell growth.

慢性胃炎根据其内镜下表现及病理检查，分为萎缩性胃炎及非萎缩性胃炎，前者作为一种癌前疾病，在预防及筛查早期胃癌中都具有警示意义，应引起消化科医师的重视。笔者从诱因、诊断、高风险人群识别及随访等方面对萎缩性胃炎有关内容进行了简述。.

This paper studies the lift and drag experienced by a body in a two-dimensional, viscous, compressible and steady flow. By a rigorous linear far-field theory and the Helmholtz decomposition of the velocity field, we prove that the classic lift formula $L=-{\it\rho}_{0}U{\it\Gamma}_{{\it\phi}}$, originally derived by Joukowski in 1906 for inviscid potential flow, and the drag formula $D={\it\rho}_{0}UQ_{{\it\psi}}$, derived for incompressible viscous flow by Filon in 1926, are universally true for the whole field of viscous compressible flow in a wide range of Mach number, from subsonic to supersonic flows. Here, ${\it\Gamma}_{{\it\phi}}$ and $Q_{{\it\psi}}$ denote the circulation of the longitudinal velocity component and the inflow of the transverse velocity component, respectively. We call this result the Joukowski–Filon theorem (J–F theorem for short). Thus, the steady lift and drag are always exactly determined by the values of ${\it\Gamma}_{{\it\phi}}$ and $Q_{{\it\psi}}$, no matter how complicated the near-field viscous flow surrounding the body might be. However, velocity potentials are not directly observable either experimentally or computationally, and hence neither are the J–F formulae. Thus, a testable version of the J–F formulae is also derived, which holds only in the linear far field. Due to their linear dependence on the vorticity, these formulae are also valid for statistically stationary flow, including time-averaged turbulent flow. Thus, a careful RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes) simulation is performed to examine the testable version of the J–F formulae for a typical airfoil flow with Reynolds number $Re=6.5\times 10^{6}$ and free Mach number $M\in [0.1,2.0]$. The results strongly support and enrich the J–F theorem. The computed Mach-number dependence of $L$ and $D$ and its underlying physics, as well as the physical implications of the theorem, are also addressed.

Preventing and reducing allograft rejection play a far more important role in limb allotransplantation. We previously found L6H21 could inhibit LPS-induced (lipopolysaccharide LPS) overexpression inflammatory factors in macrophages and specifically targets to MD-2 (myeloid differential protein-2 MD-2) required for TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4 TLR4) activation and represented an important therapeutic target in inflammatory disorders. Therefore, we evaluated the effect and explored the mechanism of L6H21 in rats' limb allograft model.The efficacy of L6H21 was evaluated in limb allograft rats and cyclosporine (CY-A) was used as a positive control agent. T-Lymphocyte in blood was analyzed and dendritic cells (DCs) separated from spleens using flow cytometry. ELISA was used to measure serum cytokine levels. Analysis of protein expressions was performed using Western blotting.L6H21 reduced the risk of acute rejection and prolonged survival of limb allograft rats. At 3 d and 5 d post-transplant, the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ was decreased in L6H21 group. L6H21 suppressed the content of IL-1α at 7d, IL-5 and IL-10 at both 3 d and 7 d after transplantation. L6H21 decreased the protein expressions of IRF3, p-IRF3, P38, p-P38 and p-IκBα while increased IκBα expression and decreased the ratio of p-IRF3/ IRF3, p-P38/ P38, p-IκBα/IκBα correspondingly.L6H21 could reduce the risk of acute rejection and prolong the survival of limb allograft rats through inhibiting the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ in blood and serum cytokine levels and suppressing protein expressions of IRF3, p-IRF3, P38, p-P38 and p-IκBα in DCs. So, it may serve as a potential candidate for the treatment of allograft rejection.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still one of common malignant cancers worldwide, with increasing incidence and mortality rates. Early diagnosis and effective treatment for HCC remain to be explored. This article introduces the research advances in the early specific diagnosis and effective therapies for HCC in 2016, such as molecular markers in the specific diagnosis and targeted therapy for HCC, main therapeutic regimens, robot-assisted liver resection, and no-touch radiofrequency ablation.肝细胞癌(HCC）仍是全球常见的恶性肿瘤之一，其发病率及病死率持续增长。其早期诊断及有效治疗仍是医学难题。HCC的早期特异诊断与有效治疗技术研发仍是重点。现介绍肝癌特异诊断和靶向治疗分子标志物、主要治疗方案及新兴的机器人辅助肝脏切除术、No-touch射频消融术在HCC治疗中的应用等2016年的新进展。.

We report our systematic development of a general and exact theory for diagnosis of total force and moment exerted on a generic body moving and deforming in a calorically perfect gas. The total force and moment consist of a longitudinal part (L-force) due to compressibility and irreversible thermodynamics, and a transverse part (T-force) due to shearing. The latter exists in incompressible flow but is now modulated by the former. The theory represents a full extension of a unified incompressible diagnosis theory of the same type developed by J. Z. Wu and coworkers to compressible flow, with Mach number ranging from low-subsonic to moderate-supersonic flows. Combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, the theory permits quantitative identification of various complex flow structures and processes responsible for the forces, and thereby enables rational optimal configuration design and flow control. The theory is confirmed by a numerical simulation of circular-cylinder flow in the range of free-stream Mach number $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}M_{\infty }$ between 0.2 and 2.0. The L-drag and T-drag of the cylinder vary with $M_{\infty }$ in different ways, the underlying physical mechanisms of which are analysed. Moreover, each L-force and T-force integrand contains a universal factor of local Mach number $M$. Our preliminary tests suggest that the possibility of finding new similarity rules for each force constituent could be quite promising.

This study describes how three-dimensional (3D) human skin tissue is reconstructed, and provides digital anatomical data for the physiological structure of human skin tissue based on large-scale thin serial sections. Human skin samples embedded in paraffin were cut serially into thin sections and then stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Images of serial sections obtained from lighting microscopy were scanned and aligned by the scale-invariant feature transform algorithm. 3D reconstruction of the skin tissue was generated using Mimics software. Fibre content, porosity, average pore diameter and specific surface area of dermis were analysed using the ImageJ analysis system. The root mean square error and mutual information based on the scale-invariant feature transform algorithm registration were significantly greater than those based on the manual registration. Fibre distribution gradually decreased from top to bottom; while porosity showed an opposite trend with irregular average pore diameter distribution. A specific surface area of the dermis showed a 'V' shape trend. Our data suggested that 3D reconstruction of human skin tissue based on large-scale serial sections could be a valuable tool for providing a highly accurate histological structure for analysis of skin tissue. Moreover, this technology could be utilized to produce tissue-engineered skin via a 3D bioprinter in the future.

Prostate cancer (Pca) is one of the most common types of cancer for elder men. Aberrant expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and EGFR downstream signaling have been known to contribute to disease progression in prostate cancer. EGF-stimulated EGFR is internalized and the process of endocytic degradation of EGFR mediates its signaling which is frequently dysregulated in many kinds of cancer. In the present study, we demonstrated that endophilin B1 expression was inhibited and EGFR expression was significantly increased in prostate cancer cell lines. We demonstrated that suppression of endophilin B1 increased EGFR levels via delaying EGFR internalization triggered by EGF and its intracellular degradation. Endophilin B1 decreased also sustained EGFR downstream signaling such as Erk1/2 phosphorylation in response to EGF stimulation and promoted prostate cancer cell proliferation which is EGF independent. Our data indicated that endophilin B1 mediated the biological function of EGFR in cancer cell proliferation through regulating the EGFR endocytic trafficking and downstream signaling.

The effect of unsupported sleepers on the dynamic behaviour of a railway track is studied based on vehicle-track dynamic interaction theory, using a model of the track as a Timoshenko beam supported on a periodic elastic foundation. Considering the vehicle's running speed and the number of unsupported sleepers, the track dynamic characteristics are investigated and verified in the time and frequency domains by experiments on a 1:5 scale model wheel-rail test rig. The results show that when hanging sleepers are present, leading to a discontinuous and irregular track support, additional wheel-rail interaction forces are generated. These forces increase as further sleepers become unsupported and as the vehicle's running speed increases. The adjacent supports experience increased dynamic forces which will lead to further deterioration of track quality and the formation of long wavelength track irregularities, which worsen the vehicles' running stability and riding comfort. Stationary transfer functions measurements of the dynamic behaviour of the track are also presented to support the findings.

This study demonstrates sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocellulose (SPORL) for robust bioconversion of corn stalks. With only about 3% sodium bisulfite charge on corn stalks and 30 min pretreatment at temperature 180°C, SPORL can achieve near complete cellulose conversion to glucose in 48h enzymatic hydrolysis. Sulfuric acid charge has great effect on SPORL pretreatment. Enzymatic cellulose conversion of substrate increased with the increase in acid charge under the studied conditions. Bisulfite with different counter-ions can be used in the SPORL. Magnesium as counter ion was found to be more effective on enzymatic hydrolysis of substrate than sodium or ammonium.

The potentials of deteriorated mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)-killed lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) trees for cellulosic ethanol production were evaluated using the sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocellulose (SPORL) process. The trees were harvested from two sites in the United States Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado. The infestation age of the trees varied from zero to about 8 years. Mild (170 °C) and harsh (180 °C) SPORL pretreatments were conducted. The chemical charges were sulfuric acid of 2.21% and sodium bisulfite of 8% on oven dry wood for the harsh and half of those for the mild pretreatment. The results suggest that beetle-caused mortality enriched glucan content by as much as 3 percentage points (or 7.5%) in wood. The glucan enrichment seems to increase with infestation age. The enriched glucan can be captured after SPORL pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. The killed trees are more susceptible to SPORL pretreatment, which enhanced substrate enzymatic digestibility (SED). Enzymatic hydrolysis glucose yields (EHGY) from killed trees were about 5-20% higher than those from their corresponding live trees. Total fermentable sugar productions from dead trees (including a tree laying on the ground) were 4-14% higher than corresponding production from live trees, depending on pretreatment conditions and infestation age. An ethanol yield of 267 L/metric ton of wood or 69% theoretical value was achieved from a tree infested 4 years, 7% higher than the 250 L/metric ton of wood from the corresponding live tree. The results also demonstrated the robustness of SPORL pretreatment for lodgepole pine.

Transition-metal-(Cr, Mn, and Ni)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) with the concentration of 2.5% and pure ZnO nanocrystalline (nc) films have been fabricated on quartz substrates by the sol−gel method. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the films are polycrystalline with the wurtzite phase. The E2high phonon mode shifts about 7 cm−1 with different transition metals, and the A1(LO) phonon mode redshifts 4 cm−1 with the ionic radius of doping elements. From the transmittance spectra, all films are highly transparent in the visible region and exhibit Urbach tail states in the ultraviolet range because of the crystalline defects and grain boundaries. The optical band gap of the films decreases with increasing the orbital occupation numbers of 3d electrons due to the orbital splitting of magnetic ions. It was found that a distinct and strong excitonic transition appears beyond the fundamental absorption region at room temperature. Ultraviolet and near-infrared electronic transitions can be observed and show the ...

Drugs with tumor selectivity may have an important benefit in chemotherapies. We have previously shown that Rocaglamide(s), derived from the medicinal plant Aglaia, kills various leukemic cells through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway with only minor toxicities to normal lymphocytes. Here, we show further that Rocaglamide preferentially promotes activation-induced cell death in malignant T cells by differential regulation of c-FLIP and CD95L expression. Rocaglamide enhances and also prolongs activation-induced JNK activation in malignant T cells leading to downregulation of c-FLIP but upregulation of CD95L expression. We also show that malignant T cells express a significantly higher amount of Bid - the molecular linker that bridges the receptor-mediated to the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway. Conversely, a substantially lower amount of c-FLIP in response to T-cell stimulation compared to normal T cells is observed. This difference may provide a therapeutic window for cancer treatment. The effect of Rocaglamide on sensitization of activation-induced cell death in malignant T cells was further demonstrated in vivo in a mouse model. Our study demonstrates that Rocaglamide may be a potential anticancer drug that simultaneously targets both c-FLIP and CD95L expressions in tumor cells. This study may also provide a new clue to design a more efficient chemotherapy by using a combination of stimuli that engage the receptor-mediated and the mitochondria-mediated death pathway.