Comparisons between simulated and in-situ measured speech intelligibility based on (binaural) room impulse responses

This study systematically compares acoustic simulation and in-situ measurement in terms of speech transmission index (STI), speech intelligibility scores and relationship curves when considering (binaural) room impulse response and four general room conditions, namely, an office, a laboratory, a multimedia lecture hall and a semi-anechoic chamber. The results reveal that STI can be predicted accurately by acoustic simulation (using room acoustics software ODEON) when there is a good agreement between the virtual models and the real rooms and that different reverberation time (RT) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) may exert less significant influence on the simulated STI. However, subjective intelligibility may be overestimated when using acoustic simulation due to the head-related transfer function (HRTF) filter used, and the score bias may be minimal and difficult to detect in everyday situations. There is no obvious score tendency caused by different RT, though with the decrease in the SNR, score bias may increase. Overall, considering that the accurate acoustic modelling of rooms is often problematic, it is difficult to obtain accurate speech intelligibility prediction results using a simulation technique, especially when the room has not yet been built

Estimating household air pollution exposures and health impacts from space heating in rural China

Exposure to and the related burden of diseases caused by pollution from solid fuel cooking, known as household air pollution (HAP), has been incorporated in the assessment of the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) project. In contrast, HAP from space heating using solid fuels, prevalent in countries at middle or high altitudes, is less studied and missing from the GBD assessment. China is an ideal example to estimate the bias of exposure and burden of diseases assessment when space heating is neglected, considering its remarkably changing demands for heating from the north to the south and a large solid-fuel-dependent rural population. In this study, based on a meta-analysis of 27 field measurement studies in rural China, we derive the indoor PM2.5 (fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 μm) concentration for both the heating and non-heating seasons. Combining this dataset with time-activity patterns and percentage of households using solid fuels, we assess the population-weighted annual mean exposure to PM2.5 (PWE) and the health impacts associated with HAP in mainland rural China by county for the year 2010. We find that ignoring heating impacts leads to an underestimation in PWE estimates by 38 μg/m3 for the nationwide rural population (16 to 40 as interquartile range) with substantial negative bias in northern provinces. Correspondingly, premature deaths and disability-adjusted life years will be underestimated by approximately 30 × 103 and 60 × 104 in 2010, respectively. Our study poses the need for incorporating heating effects into HAP risk assessments in China as well as globally

Identification of key genes and pathways in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) by co-expression analysis

Human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common solid lesion within kidney, and its prognostic is influenced by the progression covering a complex network of gene interactions. In our study, we screened differential expressed genes, and constructed protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and a weighted gene co-expression network to identify key genes and pathways associated with the progression of ccRCC (n = 56). Functional and pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in response to wounding, positive regulation of immune system process, leukocyte activation, immune response and cell activation. Downregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in oxidation reduction, monovalent inorganic cation transport, ion transport, excretion and anion transport. In the PPI network, top 10 hub genes were identified (TOP2A, MYC, ALB, CDK1, VEGFA, MMP9, PTPRC, CASR, EGFR and PTGS2). In co-expression network, 6 ccRCC-related modules were identified. They were associated with immune response, metabolic process, cell cycle regulation, angiogenesis and ion transport. In conclusion, our study illustrated the hub genes and pathways involved in the progress of ccRCC, and further molecular biological experiments are needed to confirm the function of the candidate biomarkers in human ccRCC

Distinguishing Emission-Associated Ambient Air PM2.5 Concentrations and Meteorological Factor-Induced Fluctuations

Although PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 μm) in the air originates from emissions, its concentrations are often affected by confounding meteorological effects. Therefore, direct comparisons of PM2.5 concentrations made across two periods, which are commonly used by environmental protection administrations to measure the effectiveness of mitigation efforts, can be misleading. Here, we developed a two-step method to distinguish the significance of emissions and meteorological factors and assess the effectiveness of emission mitigation efforts. We modeled ambient PM2.5 concentrations from 1980 to 2014 based on three conditional scenarios: realistic conditions, fixed emissions, and fixed meteorology. The differences found between the model outputs were analyzed to quantify the relative contributions of emissions and meteorological factors. Emission-related gridded PM2.5 concentrations excluding the meteorological effects were predicted using multivariate regression models, whereas meteorological confounding effects on PM2.5 fluctuations were characterized by probabilistic functions. When the regression models and probabilistic functions were combined, fluctuations in the PM2.5 concentrations induced by emissions and meteorological factors were quantified for all model grid cells and regions. The method was then applied to assess the historical and future trends of PM2.5 concentrations and potential fluctuations on global, national, and city scales. The proposed method may thus be used to assess the effectiveness of mitigation actions

Substantial transition to clean household energy mix in rural China

The household energy mix has significant impacts on human health and climate, as it contributes greatly to many health- and climate-relevant air pollutants. Compared to the well-established urban energy statistical system, the rural household energy statistical system is incomplete and is often associated with high biases. Via a nationwide investigation, this study revealed high contributions to energy supply from coal and biomass fuels in the rural household energy sector, while electricity comprised ∼20%. Stacking (the use of multiple sources of energy) is significant, and the average number of energy types was 2.8 per household. Compared to 2012, the consumption of biomass and coals in 2017 decreased by 45% and 12%, respectively, while the gas consumption amount increased by 204%. Increased gas and decreased coal consumptions were mainly in cooking, while decreased biomass was in both cooking (41%) and heating (59%). The time-sharing fraction of electricity and gases (E&G) for daily cooking grew, reaching 69% in 2017, but for space heating, traditional solid fuels were still dominant, with the national average shared fraction of E&G being only 20%. The non-uniform spatial distribution and the non-linear increase in the fraction of E&G indicated challenges to achieving universal access to modern cooking energy by 2030, particularly in less-developed rural and mountainous areas. In some non-typical heating zones, the increased share of E&G for heating was significant and largely driven by income growth, but in typical heating zones, the time-sharing fraction was <5% and was not significantly increased, except in areas with policy intervention. The intervention policy not only led to dramatic increases in the clean energy fraction for heating but also accelerated the clean cooking transition. Higher income, higher education, younger age, less energy/stove stacking and smaller family size positively impacted the clean energy transition

Atomically dispersed single iron sites for promoting Pt and Pt3Co fuel cell catalysts: performance and durability improvements

Significantly reducing platinum group metal (PGM) loading while improving catalytic performance and durability is critical to accelerating proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) for transportation. Here we report an effective strategy to boost PGM catalysts through integrating PGM-free atomically-dispersed single metal active sites in the carbon support toward the cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). We achieved uniform and fine Pt nanoparticle (NP) (∼2 nm) dispersion on an already highly ORR-active FeN4 site-rich carbon (FeN4–C). Furthermore, we developed an effective approach to preparing a well-dispersed and highly ordered L12 Pt3Co intermetallic nanoparticle catalyst on the FeN4–C support. DFT calculations predicted a synergistic interaction between Pt clusters and surrounding FeN4 sites through weakening O2 adsorption by 0.15 eV on Pt sites and reducing activation energy to break O–O bonds, thereby enhancing the intrinsic activity of Pt. Experimentally, we verified the synergistic effect between Pt or Pt3Co NPs and FeN4 sites, leading to significantly enhanced ORR activity and stability. Especially in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with a low cathode Pt loading (0.1 mgPt cm−2), the Pt/FeN4–C catalyst achieved a mass activity of 0.451 A mgPt−1 and retained 80% of the initial values after 30 000 voltage cycles (0.60 to 0.95 V), exceeding DOE 2020 targets. Furthermore, the Pt3Co/FeN4 catalyst achieved significantly enhanced performance and durability concerning initial mass activity (0.72 A mgPt−1), power density (824 mW cm−2 at 0.67 V), and stability (23 mV loss at 1.0 A cm−2). The approach to exploring the synergy between PGM and PGM-free Fe–N–C catalysts provides a new direction to design advanced catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells and various electrocatalysis processes

Atomic Structure Evolution of Pt–Co Binary Catalysts: Single Metal Sites versus Intermetallic Nanocrystals

Due to their exceptional catalytic properties for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and other crucial electrochemical reactions, PtCo intermetallic nanoparticle (NP) and single atomic (SA) Pt metal site catalysts have received considerable attention. However, their formation mechanisms at the atomic level during high-temperature annealing processes remain elusive. Here, the thermally driven structure evolution of Pt–Co binary catalyst systems is investigated using advanced in situ electron microscopy, including PtCo intermetallic alloys and single Pt/Co metal sites. The pre-doping of CoN4 sites in carbon supports and the initial Pt NP sizes play essential roles in forming either Pt3Co intermetallics or single Pt/Co metal sites. Importantly, the initial Pt NP loadings against the carbon support are critical to whether alloying to L12-ordered Pt3Co NPs or atomizing to SA Pt sites at high temperatures. High Pt NP loadings (e.g., 20%) tend to lead to the formation of highly ordered Pt3Co intermetallic NPs with excellent activity and enhanced stability toward the ORR. In contrast, at a relatively low Pt loading (<6 wt%), the formation of single Pt sites in the form of PtC3N is thermodynamically favorable, in which a synergy between the PtC3N and the CoN4 sites could enhance the catalytic activity for the ORR, but showing insufficient stability

Effect of live poultry market interventions on influenza A(H7N9) virus, Guangdong, China

Since March 2013, three waves of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus have been detected in China. To investigate virus transmission within and across epidemic waves, we used surveillance data and whole-genome analysis of viruses sampled in Guangdong during 2013–2015. We observed a geographic shift of human A(H7N9) infections from the second to the third waves. Live poultry market interventions were undertaken in epicenter cities; however, spatial phylogenetic analysis indicated that the third-wave outbreaks in central Guangdong most likely resulted from local virus persistence rather than introduction from elsewhere. Although the number of clinical cases in humans declined by 35% from the second to the third waves, the genetic diversity of third-wave viruses in Guangdong increased. Our results highlight the epidemic risk to a region reporting comparatively few A(H7N9) cases. Moreover, our results suggest that live-poultry market interventions cannot completely halt A(H7N9) virus persistence and dissemination

RNAi for Treating Hepatitis B Viral Infection

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Current treatment strategies of HBV infection including the use of interferon (IFN)-α and nucleotide analogues such as lamivudine and adefovir have met with only partial success. Therefore, it is necessary to develop more effective antiviral therapies that can clear HBV infection with fewer side effects. RNA interference (RNAi), by which a small interfering RNA (siRNA) induces the gene silence at a post-transcriptional level, has the potential of treating HBV infection. The successful use of chemically synthesized siRNA, endogenous expression of small hairpin RNA (shRNA) or microRNA (miRNA) to silence the target gene make this technology towards a potentially rational therapeutics for HBV infection. However, several challenges including poor siRNA stability, inefficient cellular uptake, widespread biodistribution and non-specific effects need to be overcome. In this review, we discuss several strategies for improving the anti-HBV therapeutic efficacy of siRNAs, while avoiding their off-target effects and immunostimulation. There is an in-depth discussion on the (1) mechanisms of RNAi, (2) methods for siRNA/shRNA production, (3) barriers to RNAi-based therapies, and (4) delivery strategies of siRNA for treating HBV infection