Patients who had any of the following features at the time of, or after, admission were classified as severe cases: (1) respiratory distress (≥30 breaths per min); (2) oxygen saturation at rest ≤93%; ...(3) ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fractional concentration of oxygen inspired air ≤300 mm Hg; or (4) severe disease complications (eg, respiratory failure, requirement of mechanical ventilation, septic shock, or non-respiratory organ failure). Parameters did not differ significantly between the groups, except that patients in the severe group were significantly older than those in the mild group, as expected.4 No patient died from the infection. 23 (77%) of 30 severe cases received intensive care unit (ICU) treatment, whereas none of the mild cases required ICU treatment. All samples were collected according to WHO guidelines.5 The mean viral load of severe cases was around 60 times higher than that of mild cases, suggesting that higher viral loads might be associated with severe clinical outcomes.
Testicular dysfunction (TDF) is characterized by testosterone deficiency and is caused by oxidative stress injury in Leydig cells. A natural fatty amide named N-benzylhexadecanamide (NBH), derived ...from cruciferous maca, has been shown to promote testosterone production. Our study aims to reveal the anti-TDF effect of NBH and explore its potential mechanism in vitro. This study examined the effects of H
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on cell viability and testosterone levels in mouse Leydig cells (TM3) under oxidative stress. In addition, cell metabolomics analysis based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS showed that NBH was mainly involved in arginine biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, the TCA cycle and other metabolic pathways by affecting 23 differential metabolites, including arginine and phenylalanine. Furthermore, we also performed network pharmacological analysis to observe the key protein targets in NBH treatment. The results showed that its role was to up-regulate ALOX5, down-regulate CYP1A2, and play a role in promoting testicular activity by participating in the steroid hormone biosynthesis pathway. In summary, our study not only provides new insights into the biochemical mechanisms of natural compounds in the treatment of TDF, but also provides a research strategy that integrates cell metabolomics and network pharmacology in order to promote the screening of new drugs for the treatment of TDF.
•The classification of the industrial energy efficiency index has been summarized.•The factors of energy efficiency and their implement in industries are discussed.•Four main evaluation methodologies ...of energy efficiency in industries are concluded.•Utilization of the methodologies in energy efficiency evaluations are illustrated.•Related polices and suggestions based on energy efficiency evaluations are provided.
Energy efficiency of high energy-consuming industries plays a significant role in social sustainability, economic performance and environmental protection of any nation. In order to evaluate the energy efficiency and guide the sustainability development, various methodologies have been proposed for energy demand management and to measure the energy efficiency performance accurately in the past decades. A systematical review of these methodologies are conducted in the present paper. First, the classification of the industrial energy efficiency index has been summarized to track the previous application studies. The single measurement indicator and the composite index benchmarking are highly recognized as the modeling tools for power industries and policy-making in worldwide countries. They are the pivotal figures to convey the fundamental information in energy systems for improving the performance in fields such as economy, environment and technology. Second, the six factors that influence the energy efficiency in industry are discussed. Third, four major evaluation methodologies of energy efficiency are explained in detail, including stochastic frontier analysis, data envelopment analysis, exergy analysis and benchmarking comparison. The basic models and the developments of these methodologies are introduced. The recent utilization of these methodologies in the energy efficiency evaluations are illustrated. Some drawbacks of these methodologies are also discussed. Other related methods or influential indicators for measuring energy efficiency performance have also been presented. Finally, the related polices and suggestions based on the energy efficiency evaluations are provided.
•The advantages and classifications of S-CO2 cycles are presented.•Applications of cycles especially in nuclear and solar industries are summarized.•The theoretical and experimental analysis of ...system and component are investigated.•The comparison of working fluids and component designs are analyzed.•The challenges to improve the efficiency of S-CO2 cycle applications are concluded.
The development technology and applications of supercritical CO2 power cycle have recently been gaining a lot of attention for applications to different energy industries. The advantage of the S-CO2cycle is high-efficiency within an economic and convenient structure. The stable chemical properties make it be proper to a range of metal material applications. This study provides a detailed comprehensive study of the recent development trends of the S-CO2 power cycle and the different applications of S-CO2 power cycle in various energy industries, especially nuclear energy and solar energy. The theoretical analysis, experimental analysis and the classification of different approaches are summarized for energy sources. The comparison of working fluids, component designs are presented in the article as well. The challenges for improving the efficiency of S-CO2 power cycle applications are analyzed. The study will be a beneficial complement to understanding the recent progress.
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes have been recognized as new candidate agents for treating critical-sized bone defects; they promote angiogenesis and may be an alternative to cell ...therapy. In this study, we evaluated whether exosomes derived from bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) preconditioned with a low dose of dimethyloxaloylglycine (DMOG), DMOG-MSC-Exos, exert superior proangiogenic activity in bone regeneration and the underlying mechanisms involved.
To investigate the effects of these exosomes, scratch wound healing, cell proliferation, and tube formation assays were performed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). To test the effects in vivo, a critical-sized calvarial defect rat model was established. Eight weeks after the procedure, histological/histomorphometrical analysis was performed to measure bone regeneration, and micro-computerized tomography was used to measure bone regeneration and neovascularization.
DMOG-MSC-Exos activated the AKT/mTOR pathway to stimulate angiogenesis in HUVECs. This contributed to bone regeneration and angiogenesis in the critical-sized calvarial defect rat model in vivo.
Low doses of DMOG trigger exosomes to exert enhanced proangiogenic activity in cell-free therapeutic applications.
Emerging evidence has validated the vital role of long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) in the chemoresistance of cancer treatment. In the present study, we investigate the function of lncRNA NR2F1‐AS1 on ...oxaliplatin (OXA) resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and discover the underlying molecular mechanism. Results revealed that lncRNA NR2F1‐AS1 was up‐regulated in oxaliplatin‐resistant HCC tissue and cells using microarray analysis and RT‐PCR. Meanwhile, ABCC1 protein was overexpressed in OXA‐resistant HCC cells (Huh7/OXA and HepG2/OXA). In vitro, NR2F1‐AS1 knockdown reduced the invasion, migration, drug‐resistant gene (MDR1, MRP5, LRP1) and IC50 value in Huh7/OXA and HepG2/OXA cells. In vivo, NR2F1‐AS1 knockdown decreased the tumour weight of HCC cells. Bioinformatics tools and luciferase reporter assay confirmed miR‐363 targeted the 3′‐UTR of NR2F1‐AS1 and ABCC1 mRNA, presenting that NR2F1‐AS1 promoted ABCC1 expression through endogenous sponging miR‐363. In summary, results conclude that NR2F1‐AS1 regulates HCC OXA resistance through targeting miR‐363‐ABCC1 pathway, providing a vital theoretic mechanism and therapeutic target for HCC chemoresistance.
The neuroprotective properties of ginsenosides have been found to reverse the neurological damage caused by oxidation in many neurodegenerative diseases. However, the distribution of ginsenosides in ...different tissues of the main root, which was regarded as the primary medicinal portion in clinical practice was different, the specific parts and specific components against neural oxidative damage were not clear. The present study aims to screen and determine the potential compounds in different parts of the main root in ginseng. Comparison of the protective effects in the main root, phloem and xylem of ginseng on hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death of SH-SY5Y neurons was investigated. UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS was used to quickly and comprehensively characterize the chemical compositions of the active parts. Network pharmacology combined with a molecular docking approach was employed to virtually screen for disease-related targets and potential active compounds. By comparing the changes before and after Content-Effect weighting, the compounds with stronger anti-nerve oxidative damage activity were screened out more accurately. Finally, the activity of the selected monomer components was verified. The results suggested that the phloem of ginseng was the most effective part. There were 19 effective compounds and 14 core targets, and enriched signaling pathway and biological functions were predicted. After Content-Effect weighting, compounds Ginsenosides F1, Ginsenosides Rf, Ginsenosides Rg
and Ginsenosides Rd were screened out as potential active compounds against neural oxidative damage. The activity verification study indicated that all four predicted ginsenosides were effective in protecting SH-SY5Y cells from oxidative injury. The four compounds can be further investigated as potential lead compounds for neurodegenerative diseases. This also provides a combined virtual and practical method for the simple and rapid screening of active ingredients in natural products.
Although green mergers and acquisitions (M&A) emerged recently as corporate green management actions, whether they can prompt corporations to achieve green transformation is unclear, as little is ...known about how green M&A affects strategic decisions on corporate environmental behavior. Based on legitimacy theory, we analyze Chinese heavy-polluting firms listed in the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2009 to 2017 to explore the impact of green M&A on corporate environmental governance. Results show that green M&A has a positive impact on corporate environmental management. Specifically, we find that the positive relationship between green M&A and corporate environmental governance is strong in firms in localities under considerable media scrutiny, as such firms face increased legitimacy benefits and illegitimacy penalties. Conversely, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) weaken this relationship, as such enterprises have natural political connections to undermine legitimacy benefits and avoid illegitimacy penalties. Thus, we argue that media scrutiny and SOEs influence the likelihood of an organization to implement green M&A as a sincere substantive strategic action. Finally, we summarize the green M&A implementation of an organization in environmental governance as a sincere green action rather than hypocritical greenwashing. Furthermore, we make contributions to legitimacy theory and the corporate environmental governance literature.
Renewable energy is an advisable choice to reduce fuel consumption and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\rm CO_{2} </tex-math></inline-formula> emission. Therein, wind energy and solar ...energy are the most promising contributors to reach this goal. Although the hybrid wind/solar system has been widely studied, the real-time current sharing based on their maximum capacities is rarely achieved in terms of seconds. Based on this, this paper proposes an accurate current sharing and voltage regulation approach in hybrid wind/solar systems, which is based on distributed adaptive dynamic programming approach. Firstly, the equivalent wind/solar model is built, which is an indispensable preprocessing to achieve the complementary between wind energy and solar energy. Therein, the wind energy and solar energy can output relative current according to their respective capacity ratio, which ensure the maximum utilization ratio of renewable energy source. Furthermore, current sharing and voltage regulation problem is switched into optimal control problem. Under this effect, each source agent aims to obtain the optimal control variable and achieve accurate current sharing/voltage regulation. Moreover, an adaptive dynamic programming approach based on Bellman principle is proposed. It can achieve accurate current sharing and voltage regulation. Finally, the simulation results are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed adaptive dynamic programming approach.
•A new type of PCM capsule with molten salt as phase change material is encapsulated.•A new high temperature packed bed thermal energy storage system is constructed.•Experimental study on the ...temperature evolution of PCM capsule and HTF are carried out.•Influences of different mass flow rates and inlet temperature on charging and discharging process are analyzed.•A numerical modeling of PBTES to elucidate its performance is presented.
In this paper, a new high-temperature packed-bed thermal energy storage system (PBTES) with macro-encapsulation of molten salt phase change material has been established. A new phase change material (PCM) capsule is designed and constructed with the macro-encapsulated molten salt as its PCM. The ternary carbonate Li2CO3-K2CO3-Na2CO3 (32–35–33 wt%) has been selected as the optimal option of PCMs. The melting point is 395.1 °C and the energy storage density is 174.7 kJ·kg−1. Moreover, the thermal performances such as the temperature evolution of heat transfer fluid and that of PCM capsule, average charging/discharging rate and overall heat storage efficiency are investigated in detail. Finally, a mathematical model is presented complementarily to simulate the thermal performance of PBTES. The results are concluded as follows. (1) The temperature variation of the heat transfer fluid and that of the capsule in the PBTES are obtained. There is a certain temperature difference between the capsule and the heat transfer fluid. Moreover, the convection heat transfer resistances of the capsule and the heat transfer fluid are the main influential factors in the heat exchange process. It can be improved by the inlet temperature and mass flow rate of the fluid. (2) The improvement of inlet temperature and mass flow rate in PBTES can increase its charging and discharging efficiencies. The overall efficiency of the system can be increased to 86.1% from 77.4% through increasing inlet temperature from 425 °C to 465 °C. The efficiency will up to 83.6% from the level of 80.6% by the rise of mass flow rate. (3) To compare the shell and tube thermal storage system, the charging and discharging rates of PBTES are 1.8–3.2 times that of the former one. The overall efficiency of PBTES is 1.9–2.4 times that of shell and tube thermal storage system. (4) According to the numerical simulation results, the good agreements of temperature evolution are achieved between the numerical results and experimental data, and the shorter diameter is optimal to the PBTES because a larger diameter will increase the charging time. In summary, the PBTES is an efficient method of heat storage. The study proposes a design of such the PBTES for a first step implementation of the technology and the improvement of thermal performance optimization.
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