•The extended theory of planned behavior model has been used in this study.•The extended TPB model has better explanatory power than the original TPB model.•Subjective norm doesn’t have any ...significant effect on energy saving intention.•Descriptive norm is the most powerful predictor of energy saving intention.•This study enriches research on individual’s energy saving behavior in workplaces.
Individual’s energy saving behavior in workplaces is crucial to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The main idea of this research is to explore the determinants of individual’s energy saving behavior in workplaces. An extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) has been used as the theoretical research framework. The extension was implemented by adding two new variables: descriptive norm and personal moral norm. Data were collected using questionnaire survey method and analyzed with the help of structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that individual’s attitude towards energy saving, perceived behavior control, descriptive norm and personal moral norm positively affect individual’s energy saving intention in workplaces, while the effect of subjective norm is insignificant. Descriptive norm is the most powerful variable to predict individual’s energy saving intention. Moreover, the results also verify the usefulness of the extended TPB model, as it has increased the explanatory power of the original TPB model (from 22.6% to 34.9%). Based on the results, implications for improving individual’s energy saving intention in workplaces and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Many-body systems with chiral fermions exhibit anomalous transport phenomena originated from quantum anomalies. Based on quantum field theory, we derive the kinetic theory for chiral fermions ...interacting with an external electromagnetic field in a background curved geometry. The resultant framework is U(1) gauge invariant and local Lorentz and diffeomorphism covariant. It is particularly useful to study the gravitational or noninertial effects for chiral fermions. As the first application, we study the chiral dynamics in a rotating coordinate and clarify the roles of the Coriolis force and spin-vorticity coupling in generating the chiral vortical effect. We also show that the chiral vortical effect is an intrinsic phenomenon of a rotating chiral fluid, and thus independent of the observer's frame.
Chiral anomaly and the novel quantum phenomena it induces have been widely studied for Dirac and Weyl fermions. In most typical cases, the Lorentz covariance is assumed and thus the linear dispersion ...relations are maintained. However, in realistic materials, such as Dirac and Weyl semimetals, the nonlinear dispersion relations appear naturally. We develop a kinetic framework to study the chiral anomaly for Weyl fermions with nonlinear dispersions using the methods of Wigner function and semi-classical equations of motion. In this framework, the chiral anomaly is sourced by Berry monopoles in momentum space and could be enhanced or suppressed due to the windings around the Berry monopoles. Our results can help understand the chiral anomaly-induced transport phenomena in non-relativistic systems.
A large quantity of polysaccharide‐derived conjugate vaccines have been developed to combat various pathogenic infections. Another prominent polysaccharide, heparin, is listed as an essential drug by ...the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat thrombus. One of their common problems is that they all derive from natural polysaccharides. Specifically, capsular polysaccharides are mainly obtained from bacterial fermentation and unfractionated heparin is extracted from animal tissues such as porcine mucosa. The quality of natural polysaccharides is inconsistent and traces of contamination would cause a disaster. By contrast, the use of chemical or chemoenzymatic methods could provide structurally homogeneous and quality‐controlled glycans. To date, large numbers of polysaccharide fragments and their analogues have been synthesized and evaluated. Some of them even showed comparable activities to their corresponding natural polysaccharides. Here, the latest advances in these synthetic glycan analogues ranging from carbohydrate‐based vaccines, heparin‐related therapeutics and glycomimetics of polysaccharides are summarized.
One common problem of polysaccharide conjugate vaccines and heparin is that natural polysaccharides are structurally heterogeneous and not quality controlled. As an alternative, synthetic glycan conjugates and heparin‐related anticoagulants could provide structurally defined and quality‐consistent molecules. In the future, it may be possible to use synthetic glycans and glycomimetics to replace natural polysaccharides.
Structural color based textiles have attracted significant attention owing to their potential in facilitating environmentally-friendly and durable coloration processes. However, the improvement of ...color saturation in textiles based on structural color is still under continuous investigation. Additionally, there is a rising demand for textiles featuring specialized functionalities such as anti-bacteria and anti-ultraviolet properties in daily life. In this study, a “three-in-one” amorphous photonic structure (APS) and multi-functional textile design is performed to achieve high structural color saturation, UV protection, and anti-bacteria properties. In this system, poly(styrene-butyl acrylate-methacrylate) (P(St-BA-MAA)) colloidal particles are used as building blocks, black titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used as black dopant, and water-soluble polyurethane (WPU) is used as the binder. The WPU demonstrates a significant capability to enhance the color fastness of APS/TiO2 textiles. The strong absorption of incoherent scattered light by black TiO2 in the visible range plays a crucial role in achieving a highly saturated APS-based textile. In addition, the doped black TiO2 possesses strong UV–visible light absorption and anti-bacterial capabilities, thereby supporting the development of textiles functionalized with UV protection and anti-bacteria. Our proposed simplified approach to fabricating high color saturation and functionalized APS/TiO2 textiles demonstrates significant potential for eco-textile coloring in line with market demands.
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•Black TiO2 with light-absorbing property in UV-Vis range was prepared.•APS/TiO2 textiles with improved structural color saturation were successful obtained.•The APS/TiO2 textiles exhibit excellent UV-protective and anti-bacterial abilities.
Cobalt oxide (Co
3O
4) nanotubes have been successfully synthesized by chemically depositing cobalt hydroxide in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates and thermally annealing at 500
°C. The ...synthesized nanotubes have been characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical capacitance behavior of the Co
3O
4 nanotubes electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge studies and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 6
mol
L
−1 KOH solution. The electrochemical data demonstrate that the Co
3O
4 nanotubes display good capacitive behavior with a specific capacitance of 574
F
g
−1 at a current density of 0.1
A
g
−1 and a good specific capacitance retention of ca. 95% after 1000 continuous charge–discharge cycles, indicating that the Co
3O
4 nanotubes can be promising electroactive materials for supercapacitor.
There is limited evidence of cost-effective primary prevention interventions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in young women. This study aimed to assess the value for money of primary prevention of ...CVD in this population.
A Markov microsimulation model consisting of both first-ever and recurrent CVD events was developed to simulate the lifetime intervention impact on cost and health outcomes in women of premenopausal age (30 to 54 years) from the Australian healthcare system perspective. The latest wave of the Australian National Health Survey defined the modelled population's characteristics. The intervention effectiveness of a lifestyle modification program involving changes in diet and physical activity demonstrated to be effective in this population was sourced from a systematic review and meta-analysis. The first-ever and recurrent CVD probabilities were derived from the CVD risk calculators accounting for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Costs and utility weights associated with CVD events and long-term management post-CVD were informed by national statistics/published literature. Sensitivity analyses were undertaken to examine the robustness of base case results.
The lifestyle modification program was associated with both higher costs and benefits (in terms of quality-adjusted life years, QALYs) as a primary prevention measure of CVD in premenopausal women, with an ICER of $96,377/QALY or $130,469/LY. The intervention led to fewer first-ever (N = -19) and recurrent CVD events (N = -23) per 10,000 women over the modelled life horizon. The avoided cost due to reduced hospitalisations (-$24) and management (-$164) of CVD could partially offset the cost associated with the intervention ($1560). Sensitivity analysis indicated that time horizon, starting age of the intervention, discount rate, and intervention effectiveness were the key drivers of the results. If the intervention was scaled up to the national level (N = 502,095 at-risk premenopausal women), the total intervention cost would be $794 million with $95 million in healthcare cost-savings.
Offering a lifestyle modification program to premenopausal women in Australia as primary prevention of CVD is not cost-effective from a healthcare system perspective. We should continue to search for new or adapt/optimise existing effective and cost-effective primary prevention measures of CVD for women.
•A new and robust numerical method based on use of isoparametric elements is proposed for solving general thermal and mechanical problems.•Only one element is used for each collocation node and the ...element can be freely formed by itself and surround nodes.•The bandwidth of the formed final system coefficient matrix is extremely narrow.•A new 21-node quadratic element for 3D problems is constructed in this paper for the first time.
In this paper, a new numerical method, named as the Free Element Collocation Method (FECM), is proposed for solving general engineering problems governed by the second order partial differential equations (PDEs). The method belongs to the group of the collocation method, but the spatial partial derivatives of physical quantities are computed based on the isoparametric elements as used in FEM. The key point of the method is that the isoparametric elements used can be freely formed by the nodes around the collocation node. To achieve a narrow bandwidth of the final system of equations, elements with a central node are recommended. For this purpose, a new 21-node quadratic element for 3D problems is constructed for the first time. Attributed to the use of isoparametric elements, FECM can result in more stable results than the traditional collocation method. In addition, the elements can be freely formed by local nodes, FECM has the advantage of mesh-free methods to fit complicated geometries of engineering problems. A number of numerical examples of 2D and 3D thermal and mechanical problems are given to demonstrate the correctness and efficiency of the proposed method.
The role of circ_0089153 in breast cancer (BCa) malignancy development was explored. circ_0089153 expression in BCa was analyzed by Gene Expression Omnibus database. Clinical tissues were obtained ...from 90 BCa patients. Cell counting kit‐8 assay, 5‐ethnyl‐2 deoxyuridine assay and colony formation experiment were applied for proliferation detection. Wound healing assay and Transwell experiment were used for migration and invasion detection. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA immunoprecipitation assay and RNA pull‐down assay were conducted. In vivo growth and metastasis of BCa cells were performed. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunohistochemistry were applied for RNAs and proteins expression. The up‐modulated circ_0089153 indicated an unfavorable survival of BCa patients. circ_0089153 knockdown attenuated BCa cells proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) (P < .01). circ_0089153 was miR‐2467‐3p sponge. Low miR‐2467‐3p expression indicated a worse survival of BCa patients. miR‐2467‐3p overexpression reduced BCa cells proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT (P < .05). circ_0089153 enhanced BCa cells proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT by sponging miR‐2467‐3p (P < .05). E2F6 was directly suppressed by miR‐2467‐3p. E2F6 high expression in BCa patients associated with worse survival. circ_0089153 knockdown suppressed in vivo BCa cells growth and lung metastasis (P < .01). circ_0089153 was an oncogene in breast cancer, which enhanced proliferation and metastasis through sponging miR‐2467‐3p/E2F6. circ_0089153 was suggested to be a potential target for BCa target treatment.
A simple and practical method for the synthesis of 2-aminobenzothiazoles through visible-light-initiated malic acid-promoted cascade coupling/cyclization of aromatic amines and KSCN with ambient air ...as an oxidant in eco-friendly bis(methoxypropy) ether at ambient temperature was developed.
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By using ambient air as the oxidant and malic acid as the promoter, a practical method for the preparation of 2-aminobenzothiazoles through visible-light-initiated cascade reaction of aromatic amines and KSCN in eco-friendly bis(methoxypropy)ether under metal-, hazardous additive-, photocatalyst-free conditions was established.
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