Green building is one of measures been put forward to mitigate significant impacts of the building stock on the environment, society and economy. However, there is lack of a systematic review of this ...large number of studies that is critical for the future endeavor. The last decades have witnessed rapid growing number of studies on green building. This paper reports a critical review of the existing body of knowledge of researches related to green building. The common research themes and methodology were identified. These common themes are the definition and scope of green building; quantification of benefits of green buildings compared to conventional buildings; and various approaches to achieve green buildings. It is found that the existing studies played predominately focus on the environmental aspect of green building. Other dimensions of sustainability of green building, especially the social sustainability is largely overlooked. Future research opportunities were identified such as effects of climatic conditions on the effectiveness of green building assessment tools, validation of real performance of green buildings, unique demands of specific population, and future proofing.
With the rapid growing number of automobiles, new energy vehicle is becoming one of approaches to mitigate the dependence of the auto industry on petroleum so as to reduce pollutant emissions. The ...Chinese government has promulgated a number of policies from the perspectives of industrial development, development plans, demonstration projects, fiscal subsidies and tax incentives with an aim to promote the new energy vehicle industry. This paper presents a comprehensive and critical review of the policy framework for new energy vehicles. The analysis shows that electric vehicle has been assigned a top priority in the future development of the automobile industry in China. Policy guidance and planning has played a vital role to the growth of new energy vehicle industry. However, this industry faces significant challenges related to technologies, industrial chain and social factors. Some core technologies are still in its infancy. Similarly, the market share of new energy vehicles is very small in spite of the preferential policies. The construction of supporting facilities and infrastructures has to be accelerated in order to accommodate the growing demands. There is a long way to go for the industrialization and popularization of new energy vehicles in China.
Human infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and there is no cure currently. The 3CL protease (3CLpro) is a highly ...conserved protease which is indispensable for CoVs replication, and is a promising target for development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. In this study we investigated the anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential of Shuanghuanglian preparation, a Chinese traditional patent medicine with a long history for treating respiratory tract infection in China. We showed that either the oral liquid of Shuanghuanglian, the lyophilized powder of Shuanghuanglian for injection or their bioactive components dose-dependently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro as well as the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero E6 cells. Baicalin and baicalein, two ingredients of Shuanghuanglian, were characterized as the first noncovalent, nonpeptidomimetic inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and exhibited potent antiviral activities in a cell-based system. Remarkably, the binding mode of baicalein with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro determined by X-ray protein crystallography was distinctly different from those of known 3CLpro inhibitors. Baicalein was productively ensconced in the core of the substrate-binding pocket by interacting with two catalytic residues, the crucial S1/S2 subsites and the oxyanion loop, acting as a "shield" in front of the catalytic dyad to effectively prevent substrate access to the catalytic dyad within the active site. Overall, this study provides an example for exploring the in vitro potency of Chinese traditional patent medicines and effectively identifying bioactive ingredients toward a specific target, and gains evidence supporting the in vivo studies of Shuanghuanglian oral liquid as well as two natural products for COVID-19 treatment.
Regeneration of mammalian cochlear hair cells (HCs) by modulating molecular pathways or transcription factors is a promising approach to hearing restoration; however, immaturity of the regenerated ...HCs in vivo remains a major challenge. Here, we analyzed a single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset during Atoh1-induced supporting cell (SC) to hair cell (HC) conversion in adult mouse cochleae (Yamashita et al. (2018)) using multiple high-throughput sequencing analytical tools (WGCNA, SCENIC, ARACNE, and VIPER). Instead of focusing on differentially expressed genes, we established independent expression modules and confirmed the existence of multiple conversion stages. Gene regulatory network (GRN) analysis uncovered previously unidentified key regulators, including Nhlh1, Lhx3, Barhl1 and Nfia, that guide converted HC differentiation. Comparison of the late-stage converted HCs with the scRNA-seq data from neonatal mouse cochleae (Kolla et al. (2020)) revealed that they closely resemble postnatal day 1 wild-type OHCs, in contrast to other developmental stages. Using ARACNE and VIPER, we discovered multiple key regulators likely to promote conversion to a more mature OHC-like state, including Zbtb20, Nfia, Zmiz1, Gm14418, Bhlhe40, Six2, Fosb and Klf9. Our findings provide insights into the regulation of HC regeneration in adult mammalian cochleae in vivo and demonstrate an approach for analyzing GRNs in large scRNA-seq datasets.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The last decade has witnessed a growing public awareness of sustainability. The sustainability issue in higher education is no exception. This study was designed to investigate the awareness of ...students on sustainability and their perceptions on Higher Education for Sustainable Development. Particular focus was placed on university students' perceptions of factors that contribute towards the Higher Education for Sustainable Development. 1134 students from all divisions of the Shandong University were invited to participate in this study. The results showed that university students were generally aware of sustainability issues. The top priorities for Higher Education for Sustainable Development from the students' perceptions are generally environmentally oriented. However, students highlighted the importance of social aspects of sustainability by ranking security within the campus and providing access to disability people two of top 10 factors of Higher Education for Sustainable Development. Similarly, students perceived that students opportunities and conducting sustainability related researches as critical to Higher Education for Sustainable Development goal. On the contrary, sustainability curricula, the faculty and staff development, and rewards are perceived by students as less important compared to other factors. These research findings provide a useful reference to both the top management and educational authorities for their decision-making processes to further develop Higher Education for Sustainable Development.
► Questionnaire survey to investigate students' perceptions on campus sustainability. ► Analysis of factors affecting higher education for sustainable development. ► Different results from students of different divisions and educational levels. ► A reference for sustainable campus planning and development.
Energy policy plays a critical role not only in the energy development, but also in the social and environmental aspects of a nation. Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development is ...one of the most important government plans, which documents the national strategy during that period. This study presents a critical review of 12 Five-Year Plans that have been released by the Chinese central government in last 58 years. In particular, the recently released Twelfth Five-Year Plan is reviewed. The results clearly show a pattern of increasingly level of attention of Chinese government to energy efficiency improvement, air pollutant emission reduction, new and renewable energy development, carbon dioxide emission and climate change.
► Critical review of the energy related contents in the 12 Five-Year Plans. ► Energy policy of China is focusing on energy efficiency, new and renewable energy. ► China is improving the capability of dealing with CO
2 emission and climate change. ► China is on transition to low carbon energy policies for a sustainable development.
A superconducting interfaceInterfaces between materials can harbor quantum states that belong to neither of the materials. A classic example is the superconducting interface between two insulating ...oxides, LaAlO3 and SrTiO3, with a critical temperature of around 200 millikelvin. Liu et al. observed superconductivity at a different interface—formed between KTaO3 as a substrate and an overlayer of either EuO or LaAlO3—at a considerably higher temperature of about 2 kelvin. Transport measurements displayed anisotropy, which may indicate an unusual superconducting state.Science, this issue p. 716The distinctive electronic structure found at interfaces between materials can allow unconventional quantum states to emerge. Here we report on the discovery of superconductivity in electron gases formed at interfaces between (111)-oriented KTaO3 and insulating overlayers of either EuO or LaAlO3. The superconducting transition temperature, as high as 2.2 kelvin, is about one order of magnitude higher than that of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 system. Notably, similar electron gases at KTaO3 (001) interfaces remain normal down to 25 millikelvin. The critical field and current-voltage measurements indicate that the superconductivity is two-dimensional. In EuO/KTaO3 (111) samples, a spontaneous in-plane transport anisotropy is observed before the onset of superconductivity, suggesting the emergence of a distinct “stripe”-like phase, which is also revealed near the critical field.
•Electron nanodiffraction methods for determination of lattice strain are described and compared.•A weighted 2D reciprocal lattice fitting method is proposed, including error analysis.•Strain mapping ...resolution of 1 nm and precision of ∼3 × 10‒4 is demonstrated on a Si-based FinFET device.•An optimum strain mapping strategy is suggested based on experiments and simulations.
Scanning Electron NanoDiffraction (SEND) is a powerful and versatile technique for lattice strain mapping in nano-devices and nano-materials. The measurement is based on Bragg diffraction from a local crystal volume. However, the resolution and precision of SEND are fundamentally limited by the uncertainty principle and scattering that govern electron diffraction. Here, we propose to measure lattice strain using a focused probe and circular Hough transform to locate the position of non-uniform diffraction disks. Methods for fitting a 2D lattice to the detected disks for strain calculation are described, including error analysis. We demonstrate our technique on a FinFET device for strain mapping at the spatial resolution of 1 nm and strain precision of ∼3×10−4. Using this and simulations, the experimental parameters involved in data acquisition and analysis are thoroughly investigated to construct an optimum strain mapping strategy using SEND.
Dissolution due to atom-level etching is a major factor for the degradation of Pt-based electrocatalysts used in low-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Selective surface etching is ...also used to precisely control shapes of nanoparticles. Dissolution kinetics of faceted metal nanoparticles in solution however is poorly understood despite considerable progress in understanding etching of two-dimensional surfaces. We report here the application of in situ liquid transmission electron microscopy for quantitative analysis of oxidative etching of cubic and icosahedral Pt nanoparticles. The experiment was carried out using a liquid flow cell containing aqueous HAuCl4 solution. The data show that oxidative etching of these faceted nanocrystals depends on the location of atoms on the surface, which evolves with time. A quantitative kinetic model was developed to account for the mass lost in electrolyte solutions over time, showing the dissolutions followed the power law relationship for Pt nanocrystals of different shapes. Dissolution coefficients of different surface sites were obtained based on the models developed in this study.
Tinnitus, the phantom perception of noise originating from the inner ear, has been reported by 15% of the world's population, with many patients reporting major deficits to cognition and mood. ...However, both objective diagnostic tools and targeted therapeutic strategies have yet to be established. To better understand the underlying genes that may preclude tinnitus, we performed a genome-wide association study of the UK Biobank's 49,960 whole exome sequencing participants to identify any loci strongly associated with tinnitus. We identified 17 suggestive single nucleotide polymorphisms (p < 1e-5) spanning 13 genes in two sex-separated cohorts reporting chronic, bothersome tinnitus (control males n = 7,315, tinnitus males n = 226, control females n = 11,732, tinnitus females n = 300). We also found a significant missense mutation in WDPCP (p = 3.959e-10) in the female cohort, a mutation which has been previously implicated in typical neuronal functioning through axonal migration and structural reinforcement, as well as in Bardet-Biedl syndrome-15, a ciliopathy. Additionally, in situ hybridization in the embryonic and P56 mouse brain demonstrated that the majority of these genes are expressed within the dorsal cochlear nucleus, the region of the brain theorized to initially induce tinnitus. Further RT-qPCR and RNAScope data also reveals this expression pattern. The results of this study indicate that predisposition to tinnitus may span across multiple genomic loci and be established by weakened neuronal circuitry and maladaptive cytoskeletal modifications within the dorsal cochlear nucleus.
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