Wind Power in China: Has China Greenwashed the Global Energy Sector?

Due to years of serving as the world’s manufacturing hub, and appropriately developing a global reputation of being environmentally-unfriendly, China has since sought to rejuvenate its image by becoming an international leader in the realm of wind power. However, if one were to pull back the curtain on China’s wind energy program,they would find that the Chinese Communist Party may be intentionally putting on a facade. By reporting the number of wind turbines constructed nationally, but not the number of turbines actually generating electricity, China has hoodwinked the worldwide energy sector and general public. The idle wind turbines cost China not only valuable energy, but also roughly $2 Billion annually in forgone revenue. In order to achieve wind success, China must deal first with its most significant bottleneck: an outdated and inefficient energy grid infrastructure. By choosing to build wind turbines before constructing a Smart Grid to support their energy transmission, China has shot itself in the foot environmentally, geopolitically, and economically. This thesis exposes an important defect in China’s energy system and will be of use to all with interests in business ethics, the environment, engineering, and economists alike

Recycling manure as cow bedding: potential benefits and risks for UK dairy farms

Material obtained from physical separation of slurry (recycled manure solids; RMS) has been used as bedding for dairy cows in dry climates in the US since the 1970s. Relatively recently, the technical ability to produce drier material has led to adoption of the practice in Europe under different climatic conditions. This review collates the evidence available on benefits and risks of using RMS bedding on dairy farms, with a European context in mind. There was less evidence than expected for anecdotal claims of improved cow comfort. Among animal health risks, only udder health has received appreciable attention. There are some circumstantial reports of difficulties of maintaining udder health on RMS, but no large scale or long term studies of effects on clinical and subclinical mastitis have been published. Existing reports do not give consistent evidence of inevitable problems, nor is there any information on clinical implications for other diseases. The scientific basis for guidelines on management of RMS bedding is limited. Decisions on optimum treatment and management may present conflicts between control of different groups of organisms. There is no information on the influence that such 'recycling' of manure may have on pathogen virulence. The possibility of influence on genetic material conveying antimicrobial resistance is a concern, but little understood. Should UK or other non-US farmers adopt RMS, they are advised to do so with caution, apply the required strategies for risk mitigation, maintain strict hygiene of bed management and milking practices and closely monitor the effects on herd health

Anthoceros genomes illuminate the origin of land plants and the unique biology of hornworts

Hornworts comprise a bryophyte lineage that diverged from other extant land plants >400 million years ago and bears unique biological features, including a distinct sporophyte architecture, cyanobacterial symbiosis and a pyrenoid-based carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM). Here, we provide three high-quality genomes of Anthoceros hornworts. Phylogenomic analyses place hornworts as a sister clade to liverworts plus mosses with high support. The Anthoceros genomes lack repeat-dense centromeres as well as whole-genome duplication, and contain a limited transcription factor repertoire. Several genes involved in angiosperm meristem and stomatal function are conserved in Anthoceros and upregulated during sporophyte development, suggesting possible homologies at the genetic level. We identified candidate genes involved in cyanobacterial symbiosis and found that LCIB, a Chlamydomonas CCM gene, is present in hornworts but absent in other plant lineages, implying a possible conserved role in CCM function. We anticipate that these hornwort genomes will serve as essential references for future hornwort research and comparative studies across land plants.</p

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Uniform or Sex-Specific Cardiac Troponin Thresholds to Rule-out Myocardial Infarction at Presentation

Background: Myocardial infarction can be ruled out in patients with a single cardiac troponin measurement. Whether use of a uniform rule-out threshold has resulted in sex-differences in care remains unclear.Objectives: To evaluate implementation of a uniform rule-out threshold in females and males with possible myocardial infarction, and to derive and validate sex-specific thresholds. Methods: The implementation of a uniform rule-out threshold (&lt;5 ng/L) with a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I assay was evaluated in consecutive patients presenting with possible myocardial infarction. The proportion of low-risk patients discharged from Emergency Department (ED) and incidence of myocardial infarction or cardiac death at 30 days were determined. Sex-specific thresholds were derived and validated, and proportion of female and male patients stratified as low-risk compared with uniform threshold.Results: In 16,792 patients (58±17 years, 46% female) care was guided using a uniform threshold. This identified more female than male patients as low-risk (73% versus 62%), but a similar proportion of low-risk patients were discharged from ED (81% for both) with fewer than 5 (&lt;0.1%) patients having a subsequent myocardial infarction or cardiac death at 30 days. Compared to uniform threshold of &lt;5 ng/L, use of sex-specific thresholds would increase the proportion of female (61.8% versus 65.9%) and reduce the proportion of male (54.8% versus 47.8%) patients identified as low-risk.Conclusions: Implementation of a uniform rule-out threshold for myocardial infarction was safe and effective in both sexes. Sex-specific rule-out thresholds should be considered, but their impact on effectiveness and safety may be limited.Keywords: Cardiac troponin, sex, myocardial infarction<br/