169 research outputs found
Urban energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Beijing: current and future
This paper calculates the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of Beijing over 2005–2011 in light of the Beijing’s energy balance table and the carbon emission coefficients of IPCC. Furthermore, based on a series of energy conservation planning program issued in Beijing, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP)-BJ model is developed to study the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of Beijing’s six end-use sectors and the energy conversion sector over 2012–2030 under the BAU scenario and POL scenario. Some results are found in this research: (1) During 2005–2011, the energy consumption kept increasing, while the total CO2 emissions fluctuated obviously in 2008 and 2011. The energy structure and the industrial structure have been optimized to a certain extent. (2) If the policies are completely implemented, the POL scenario is projected to save 21.36 and 35.37 % of the total energy consumption and CO2 emissions than the BAU scenario during 2012 and 2030. (3) The POL scenario presents a more optimized energy structure compared with the BAU scenario, with the decrease of coal consumption and the increase of natural gas consumption. (4) The commerce and service sector and the energy conversion sector will become the largest contributor to energy consumption and CO2 emissions, respectively. The transport sector and the industrial sector are the two most potential sectors in energy savings and carbon reduction. In terms of subscenarios, the energy conservation in transport (TEC) is the most effective one. (5) The macroparameters, such as the GDP growth rate and the industrial structure, have great influence on the urban energy consumption and carbon emissions
Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Wolbachia in the Asiatic Rice Leafroller, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, in Chinese Populations
Wolbachia are a group of intracellular inherited endosymbiontic bacteria infecting a wide range of insects. In this study the infection status of Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) was measured in the Asiatic rice leafroller, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), from twenty locations in China by sequencing wsp, ftsZ and 16S rDNA genes. The results showed high infection rates of Wolbachia in C. medinalis populations. Wolbachia was detected in all geographically separate populations; the average infection rate was ∼ 62.5%, and the highest rates were 90% in Wenzhou and Yangzhou populations. The Wolbachia detected in different C. medinalis populations were 100% identical to each other when wsp, ftsZ, and 16S rDNA sequences were compared, with all sequences belonging to the Wolbachia B supergroup. Based on wsp, ftsZ and 16S rDNA sequences of Wolbachia, three phylogenetic trees of similar pattern emerged. This analysis indicated the possibility of inter-species and intra-species horizontal transmission of Wolbachia in different arthropods in related geographical regions. The migration route of C. medinalis in mainland China was also discussed since large differentiation had been found between the wsp sequences of Chinese and Thai populations
Superconductivity at the Border of Electron Localization and Itinerancy
The superconducting state of iron pnictides and chalcogenides exists at the
border of antiferromagnetic order. Consequently, these materials could provide
clues about the relationship between magnetism and unconventional
superconductivity. One explanation, motivated by the so-called bad-metal
behaviour of these materials, proposes that magnetism and superconductivity
develop out of quasi-localized magnetic moments which are generated by strong
electron-electron correlations. Another suggests that these phenomena are the
result of weakly interacting electron states that lie on nested Fermi surfaces.
Here we address the issue by comparing the newly discovered alkaline iron
selenide superconductors, which exhibit no Fermi-surface nesting, to their iron
pnictide counterparts. We show that the strong-coupling approach leads to
similar pairing amplitudes in these materials, despite their different Fermi
surfaces. We also find that the pairing amplitudes are largest at the boundary
between electronic localization and itinerancy, suggesting that new
superconductors might be found in materials with similar characteristics.Comment: Version of the published manuscript prior to final journal-editting.
Main text (23 pages, 4 figures) + Supplementary Information (14 pages, 7
figures, 3 tables). Calculation on the single-layer FeSe is added.
Enhancement of the pairing amplitude in the vicinity of the Mott transition
is highlighted. Published version is at
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/131115/ncomms3783/full/ncomms3783.htm
Application of Graphene within Optoelectronic Devices and Transistors
Scientists are always yearning for new and exciting ways to unlock graphene's
true potential. However, recent reports suggest this two-dimensional material
may harbor some unique properties, making it a viable candidate for use in
optoelectronic and semiconducting devices. Whereas on one hand, graphene is
highly transparent due to its atomic thickness, the material does exhibit a
strong interaction with photons. This has clear advantages over existing
materials used in photonic devices such as Indium-based compounds. Moreover,
the material can be used to 'trap' light and alter the incident wavelength,
forming the basis of the plasmonic devices. We also highlight upon graphene's
nonlinear optical response to an applied electric field, and the phenomenon of
saturable absorption. Within the context of logical devices, graphene has no
discernible band-gap. Therefore, generating one will be of utmost importance.
Amongst many others, some existing methods to open this band-gap include
chemical doping, deformation of the honeycomb structure, or the use of carbon
nanotubes (CNTs). We shall also discuss various designs of transistors,
including those which incorporate CNTs, and others which exploit the idea of
quantum tunneling. A key advantage of the CNT transistor is that ballistic
transport occurs throughout the CNT channel, with short channel effects being
minimized. We shall also discuss recent developments of the graphene tunneling
transistor, with emphasis being placed upon its operational mechanism. Finally,
we provide perspective for incorporating graphene within high frequency
devices, which do not require a pre-defined band-gap.Comment: Due to be published in "Current Topics in Applied Spectroscopy and
the Science of Nanomaterials" - Springer (Fall 2014). (17 pages, 19 figures
Superconductivity at 44 K in K intercalated FeSe system with excess Fe
We report here that a new superconducting phase with much higher Tc has been
found in K intercalated FeSe compound with excess Fe. We successfully grew
crystals by precisely controlling the starting amount of Fe. Besides the
superconducting (SC) transition at ~30 K, we observed a sharp drop in
resistivity and a kink in susceptibility at 44 K. By combining thermodynamic
measurements with electron spin resonance (ESR), we demonstrate that this is a
new SC transition. Structural analysis unambiguously reveals two phases
coexisting in the crystals, which are responsible respectively for the SC
transitions at 30 and 44 K. The structural experiments and first-principles
calculations consistently indicate that the 44 K SC phase is close to a 122
structure, but with an unexpectedly large c-axis of 18.10 {\AA}. We further
find a novel monotonic dependence of the maximum Tc on the separation of
neighbouring FeSe layers.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Methods to study splicing from high-throughput RNA Sequencing data
The development of novel high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods for RNA
(RNA-Seq) has provided a very powerful mean to study splicing under multiple
conditions at unprecedented depth. However, the complexity of the information
to be analyzed has turned this into a challenging task. In the last few years,
a plethora of tools have been developed, allowing researchers to process
RNA-Seq data to study the expression of isoforms and splicing events, and their
relative changes under different conditions. We provide an overview of the
methods available to study splicing from short RNA-Seq data. We group the
methods according to the different questions they address: 1) Assignment of the
sequencing reads to their likely gene of origin. This is addressed by methods
that map reads to the genome and/or to the available gene annotations. 2)
Recovering the sequence of splicing events and isoforms. This is addressed by
transcript reconstruction and de novo assembly methods. 3) Quantification of
events and isoforms. Either after reconstructing transcripts or using an
annotation, many methods estimate the expression level or the relative usage of
isoforms and/or events. 4) Providing an isoform or event view of differential
splicing or expression. These include methods that compare relative
event/isoform abundance or isoform expression across two or more conditions. 5)
Visualizing splicing regulation. Various tools facilitate the visualization of
the RNA-Seq data in the context of alternative splicing. In this review, we do
not describe the specific mathematical models behind each method. Our aim is
rather to provide an overview that could serve as an entry point for users who
need to decide on a suitable tool for a specific analysis. We also attempt to
propose a classification of the tools according to the operations they do, to
facilitate the comparison and choice of methods.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figure, 9 tables. Small corrections adde
Different Effects of Farrerol on an OVA-Induced Allergic Asthma and LPS-induced Acute Lung Injury
BACKGROUND: Farrerol, isolated from rhododendron, has been shown to have the anti-bacterial activity, but no details on the anti-inflammatory activity. We further evaluated the effects of this compound in two experimental models of lung diseases. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: For the asthma model, female BALB/c mice were challenged with ovalbumin (OVA), and then treated daily with farrerol (20 and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) as a therapeutic treatment from day 22 to day 26 post immunization. To induce acute lung injury, female BALB/c mice were injected intranasally with LPS and treated with farrerol (20 and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) 1 h prior to LPS stimulation. Inflammation in the two different models was determined using ELISA, histology, real-time PCR and western blot. Farrerol significantly regulated the phenotype challenged by OVA, like cell number, Th1 and Th2 cytokines levels in the BALF, the OVA-specific IgE level in the serum, goblet cell hyperplasia in the airway, airway hyperresponsiveness to inhaled methacholine and mRNA expression of chemokines and their receptors. Furthermore, farrerol markedly attenuated the activation of phosphorylation of Akt and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) subunit p65 both in vivo and in vitro. However, farrerol has no effect on the acute lung injury model. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our finding demonstrates that the distinct anti-inflammatory effect of farrerol in the treatment of asthma acts by inhibiting the PI3K and NF-κB pathway
Factors associated with job satisfaction among Chinese community health workers: a cross-sectional study
MAPK-Activated Protein Kinase 2 Is Required for Mouse Meiotic Spindle Assembly and Kinetochore-Microtubule Attachment
MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2), a direct substrate of p38 MAPK, plays key roles in multiple physiological functions in mitosis. Here, we show for the first time the unique distribution pattern of MK2 in meiosis. Phospho-MK2 was localized on bipolar spindle minus ends and along the interstitial axes of homologous chromosomes extending over centromere regions and arm regions at metaphase of first meiosis (MI stage) in mouse oocytes. At metaphase of second meiosis (MII stage), p-MK2 was localized on the bipolar spindle minus ends and at the inner centromere region of sister chromatids as dots. Knockdown or inhibition of MK2 resulted in spindle defects. Spindles were surrounded by irregular nondisjunction chromosomes, which were arranged in an amphitelic or syntelic/monotelic manner, or chromosomes detached from the spindles. Kinetochore–microtubule attachments were impaired in MK2-deficient oocytes because spindle microtubules became unstable in response to cold treatment. In addition, homologous chromosome segregation and meiosis progression were inhibited in these oocytes. Our data suggest that MK2 may be essential for functional meiotic bipolar spindle formation, chromosome segregation and proper kinetochore–microtubule attachments
Effects of Tillage and Nitrogen Fertilizers on CH4 and CO2 Emissions and Soil Organic Carbon in Paddy Fields of Central China
Quantifying carbon (C) sequestration in paddy soils is necessary to help better understand the effect of agricultural practices on the C cycle. The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of tillage practices [conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT)] and the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer (0 and 210 kg N ha−1) on fluxes of CH4 and CO2, and soil organic C (SOC) sequestration during the 2009 and 2010 rice growing seasons in central China. Application of N fertilizer significantly increased CH4 emissions by 13%–66% and SOC by 21%–94% irrespective of soil sampling depths, but had no effect on CO2 emissions in either year. Tillage significantly affected CH4 and CO2 emissions, where NT significantly decreased CH4 emissions by 10%–36% but increased CO2 emissions by 22%–40% in both years. The effects of tillage on the SOC varied with the depth of soil sampling. NT significantly increased the SOC by 7%–48% in the 0–5 cm layer compared with CT. However, there was no significant difference in the SOC between NT and CT across the entire 0–20 cm layer. Hence, our results suggest that the potential of SOC sequestration in NT paddy fields may be overestimated in central China if only surface soil samples are considered
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