•A division of labor between the informal sector and the formal recycling plants in e-waste recycling in China was described.•An entropy maximization model of spatial interaction was built to depict ...the interprovincial flows of e-waste.•The optimization of the recycling system was proposed.
China has built a territory-based formal e-waste recycling system as a response to the global e-waste challenge. This system created a division of labor between the informal sector and formal recycling plants by providing a subsidy to the latter to buy waste products collected by the former. Using provincial data of formal e-waste recycling plants in China in 2014, this paper quantifies the contribution of the informal sector to e-waste transportation at the national level. Despite the intention to plan a regional self-sufficient system for e-waste recycling at the provincial level, we find that significant interprovincial flows exist due to the complex market transactions within the informal collection network, which reveals the deep conflicts between market mechanism and public intervention in the evolvement of e-waste governance structure. We built a spatial interaction model to depict the interregional flows of e-waste that can quantitatively illustrate the change of spatial pattern of this network due to the introduction of the formal WEEE regulation in China. In conclusion, we discuss the policy implications for optimizing regional allocation of the e-waste recycling capacity as well as for improving the transparency of the reverse logistic system to include the informal sector in the future.
•GHG emissions related to economy is estimated in Russia from 1998 to 2013.•The energy consumption constituted the largest proportion, followed by fugitive emissions.•A Environmental Kuznets Curve ...was validated under a business-as-usual scenario.•Proper scope of GHG emissions needs to be considered in EKC studies.
Russia is typical of the extensive economic development pattern. Its economic growth greatly relies on natural resources, especially fossil fuels, which can lead to large quantities of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, which is based on the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, we systematically estimated the economy-related GHG emissions in Russia over the period of 1998–2013 in terms of energy consumption emissions, industrial process emissions, animal husbandry emissions, and fugitive emissions. The proportion and variations in the different emission categories were analyzed in the Russian context. The inverted U-shaped relationship between the GDP per capita and economy-related GHG emissions per capita was tested, and the results supported the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis under a business-as-usual scenario. Our estimation indicated that Russia will reach its turning point in 10years if its economic growth rate remains stable. Since optimizing the energy structure and improving the energy efficiency and changing industrial structure will have a positive effect on GHG emission reduction in Russia, the Russian government needs to guide its economic development to reach its EKC turning point through the implementation of effective policies, instead of waiting for the turning point. This study analyzed the impact of the economic development on GHG emissions in Russia and will serve as a reference for countries and regions that are at this stage of the economic transformation process.
Household consumption carbon footprint and inequality reductions are vital for a sustainable society, especially for rural areas. This study, focusing on rural China, one of the fastest growing ...economies with a massive population, explored the carbon footprint and inequality of household consumption using the latest micro household survey data of 2018 linked to environmental extended input–-output analysis. The results show that in 2018 in rural China, the average household carbon footprint is 2.46 tons CO2-eq per capita, which is around one-third of China’s average footprint, indicating the large potential for further growth. Housing (45.32%), transportation (20.45%), and food (19.62%) are the dominant contributors to the carbon footprint. Meanwhile, great inequality, with a Gini coefficient of 0.488, among rural households is observed, which is largely due to differences in type of house built or purchased (explaining 24.44% of the variation), heating (18.10%), car purchase (12.44%), and petrol consumption (12.44%). Provinces, average education, and nonfarm income are among the important factors influencing the inequality. In the process of urbanization and rural revitalization, there is a high possibility that the household carbon footprint continues to increase, maintaining high levels of inequality. The current energy transition toward less carbon-intensive fuels in rural China is likely to dampen the growth rates of carbon footprints and potentially decrease inequality. Carbon intensity decrease could significantly reduce carbon footprints, but increase inequality. More comprehensive measures to reduce carbon footprint and inequality are needed, including transitioning to clean energy, poverty alleviation, reduction of income inequality, and better health care coverage.
► Mechanisms for role of P in Cd accumulation in Brassica parachinensis were investigated. ► Supply of P enhances the insolubility and immobility of Cd in vivo. ► Mechanisms for difference in Cd ...accumulation between cultivars were investigated. ► Low-Cd cultivar is associated with low in vivo mobility of Cd.
Differences in the subcellular distribution and chemical speciation of Cd between two Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica parachinensis L.) cultivars, Lubao70 (LB70, low-Cd cultivar) and ChixinNO.4 (CX4, high-Cd cultivar) were investigated under various soil Cd and P treatments. Subcellular fractionation of Cd-containing tissues showed that a higher proportion of Cd was bound to the cell wall fraction of LB70 than that of CX4, indicating that Cd compartment functioned better in LB70. Compared to CX4, LB70 had lower proportions of Cd in inorganic form and water-soluble form, but higher proportions of Cd in proteins/pectates integrated form, implying that the low Cd accumulation in LB70 is associated with the low in vivo mobility of Cd. In both cultivars, shoot and root Cd concentration and translocation of Cd from the roots to the shoots obviously decreased with increasing soil P level. It was found that phosphorus (P) played important roles in Cd uptake and translocation via the processes involved in bonding Cd to the cell wall fraction and forming Cd-phosphate complexes. It is suggested that use of low-Cd cultivars in conjunction with P supply is a much useful way to reduce the pollution risk of Cd in the food chain.
•Farrerol attenuated Aβ-induced viability inhibition in BV-2 cells.•Farrerol inhibited Aβ-induced oxidative stress.•Farrerol inhibited Aβ-induced inflammation.•Farrerol regulated the Nrf2/Keap1 ...pathway in activated BV-2 cells.
Farrerol, an important bioactive constituent of rhododendron, exhibits broad activities such as anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies showed that farrerol possesses neuroprotective activity, however, the mechanism has not been reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of farrerol on β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced mouse microglial BV-2 cells and the underlying mechanism. BV-2 cells were pretreated with farrerol for 1 h and then subjected to Aβ. MTT assay was performed to measure the mitochondrial metabolic activity in BV-2 cells. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were detected to reflect oxidative stress status. The secretion and mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-1β (IL-1β), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA and qRT-PCR. The expressions of NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NAD (P) H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), and Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) were measured by western blot. Our results showed that farrerol improved mitochondrial metabolic activity in Aβ-induced BV-2 cells. Aβ induced the production of ROS and MDA, and inhibited the SOD activity and the expression of SOD1 and SOD2 mRNA, while the effects were attenuated by farrerol. Farrerol also inhibited the induction effect of Aβ on IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. In addition, farrerol enhanced the activation of Nrf2/Keap1 pathway in Aβ-induced BV-2 cells. Knockdown of Nrf2 by small interfere RNA (siRNA) targeting Nrf2 (si-Nrf2) abolished the protective effect of farrerol on Aβ-induced BV-2 cells. In conclusion, farrerol attenuated Aβ-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in BV-2 cells through enhancing the activation of Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. The findings indicated that farrerol could be considered as a therapeutic approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Background There is evidence that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is related to genetic stability. However, the complex biological functions of these lncRNAs are unclear. Method TCGA - KIRC lncRNAs ...expression matrix and somatic mutation information data were obtained from TCGA database. "GSVA" package was applied to evaluate the genomic related pathway in each samples. GO and KEGG analysis were performed to show the biological function of lncRNAs-mRNAs. "Survival" package was applied to determine the prognostic significance of lncRNAs. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was applied to conduct lncRNA prognosis model. Results In the present study, we applied computational biology to identify genome-related long noncoding RNA and identified 26 novel genomic instability-associated lncRNAs in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. We identified a genome instability-derived six lncRNA-based gene signature that significantly divided clear renal cell samples into high- and low-risk groups. We validated it in test cohorts. To further elucidate the role of the six lncRNAs in the model's genome stability, we performed a gene set variation analysis (GSVA) on the matrix. We performed Pearson correlation analysis between the GSVA scores of genomic stability-related pathways and lncRNA. It was determined that LINC00460 and LINC01234 could be used as critical factors in this study. They may influence the genome stability of clear cell carcinoma by participating in mediating critical targets in the base excision repair pathway, the DNA replication pathway, homologous recombination, mismatch repair pathway, and the P53 signaling pathway. Conclusion subsections These data suggest that LINC00460 and LINC01234 are crucial for the stability of the clear cell renal cell carcinoma genome. Keywords: Genome instability, Long non-coding RNA, Computational biology, Gene set variation analysis, Risk signature
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
As a main destination for recycling, reuse and disposal of solid waste in the global circular economy, China has recently issued a new regulation on its imports, banning 24 types of solid waste in 4 ...categories, including waste plastics, unsorted scrap papers, discarded textile materials, and vanadium slags. Bans on additional types of solid waste will take effect soon. Here we discuss the possible profound effects of such policy changes on the global circular economy of solid waste. Recycling industries in developed countries will face challenges in the short run, due to their limited capacity and past reliance on exporting, but also opportunities in the long run. Furthermore, developing countries currently without stringent environmental regulations will likely become the new “pollution haven” of solid waste from developed countries and even emerging economies such as China itself. To truly reap the benefits from China's new policies which are originally designed for environmental sustainability and social justice, the global community needs to develop appropriate policy framework to prevent the unintended consequences.
Viral infection triggers host defenses through pattern-recognition receptor-mediated cytokine production, inflammasome activation, and apoptosis of the infected cells. Inflammasome-activated caspases ...are known to cleave cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS). Here, we found that apoptotic caspases are critically involved in regulating both DNA and RNA virus-triggered host defenses, in which activated caspase-3 cleaved cGAS, MAVS, and IRF3 to prevent cytokine overproduction. Caspase-3 was exclusively required in human cells, whereas caspase-7 was involved only in murine cells to inactivate cGAS, reflecting distinct regulatory mechanisms in different species. Caspase-mediated cGAS cleavage was enhanced in the presence of dsDNA. Alternative MAVS cleavage sites were used to ensure the inactivation of this critical protein. Elevated type I IFNs were detected in caspase-3-deficient cells without any infection. Casp3−/− mice consistently showed increased resistance to viral infection and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Our results demonstrate that apoptotic caspases control innate immunity and maintain immune homeostasis against viral infection.
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•Deficiency in apoptotic caspases leads to elevated IFN production by virus infection•Caspase-3 cleaves cGAS, MAVS, and IRF3 to keep apoptosis immunologically silent•Caspase-7 is differently involved in mouse and human cells to cleave cGAS and MAVS•MAVS is cleaved at alternative sites to ensure caspase-mediated negative regulation
Ning et al. find that caspase-3 cleaves and inactivates cGAS, MAVS, and IRF3 to suppress cytokine and type I IFN production. Their findings reveal a role for apoptotic caspases in controlling antiviral innate immunity and keeping apoptosis immunologically silent.
The Chinese economy has been recovering slowly from the global financial crisis, but it cannot achieve the same rapid development of the pre-recession period. Instead, the country has entered a new ...phase of economic development-a 'new normal'. We use a structural decomposition analysis and environmental input-output analysis to estimate the determinants of China's carbon emission changes during 2005-2012. China's imports are linked to a global multi-regional input-output model based on the Global Trade and Analysis Project database to calculate the embodied CO2 emissions in imports. We find that the global financial crisis has affected the drivers of China's carbon emission growth. From 2007 to 2010, the CO2 emissions induced by China's exports dropped, whereas emissions induced by capital formation grew rapidly. In the 'new normal', the strongest factors that offset CO2 emissions have shifted from efficiency gains to structural upgrading. Efficiency was the strongest factor offsetting China's CO2 emissions before 2010 but drove a 1.4% increase in emissions in the period 2010-2012. By contrast, production structure and consumption patterns caused a 2.6% and 1.3% decrease, respectively, in China's carbon emissions from 2010 to 2012. In addition, China tends to shift gradually from an investment to a consumption-driven economy. The proportion of CO2 emissions induced by consumption had a declining trend before 2010 but grew from 28.6%-29.1% during 2010-2012.
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