Application of double skin in the ecological architecture design of Thomas Herzog

The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of double skin in Thomas Herzog’s works. Double skin is an important method of green building design, and it is also one of the building energy-saving techniques that Thomas Herzog often uses. This paper discusses some of the common features of Herzog’s application of double skin by summarizing some of Herzog’s works and comparing them with the actual construction of Chinese ecological buildings

Preliminary Study on Influence of Outdoor Trees on Natural Ventilation of Teaching Buildings

The emphasis of this study lied in the impact of tree planting spacing around the teaching building on the indoor wind environment. CFD simulations of the indoor wind environment of teaching building affected by trees were performed utilizing the ANSYS Fluent software using the standard k-ε model with additional source terms. Deciduous broad-leaved trees and coniferous trees were selected as representative tree species for comparison. Five different tree planting spacings were arranged outside the teaching building, and the indoor airflow velocity distribution and pressure distribution were simulated. Then the effects of these different tree layout forms on the indoor ventilation efficiency of the building were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the sum of the total ventilation flow rate in the classrooms rose with the increase of the spacing between trees. However, due to the different location relationship between the tree canopy and the classrooms, the ventilation efficiency of each classroom showed differences. As for tree species, the blocking effect of tall deciduous broad-leaved trees on indoor ventilation was more obvious than that of coniferous trees. This study will have guiding significance for the layout design of vegetation around the building and creating a good indoor ventilation environment

Opportunism Motivation of Environmental Protection Activism and Corporate Governance: An Empirical Study from China

In the study of environmental protection issues for more than forty years, research on the impact of financial performance on environmental protection has been one of the important branches. In the framework of principal-agent theory, this paper explores the opportunism motives in a company’s environmental protection activism and the moderating role of corporate governance using the data of Chinese listed companies from 2005 to 2016. The study finds that: (1) the company’s environmental protection activism is driven by the opportunist motives of policymakers who want to mask their inability; and (2) environmental protection activism does not enhance the company’s future performance and value creation capability. Further studies find that corporate governance mechanisms play different moderating roles. Fund Shareholders play a positive governance role and reduce the correlation between financial performance and environmental protection activism. However, independence of the board of directors intensifies the opportunist motives. This paper provides new theoretical explanations for environmental protection decision-making, provides novel enlightenment for the protection of environmental protection policies in developing countries and regions

Discovery of Novel Quinazoline Derivatives as Potent Antitumor Agents

In this work, we designed and synthesized a novel series of quinazoline derivatives 6–19 and then evaluated their broad-spectrum antitumor activity against MGC-803, MCF-7, PC-9, A549, and H1975, respectively. Most of them demonstrated low micromolar cytotoxicity towards five tested cell lines. In particular, compound 18 exhibited nanomolar level inhibitory activity against MGC-803 cells with an IC50 value of 0.85 μM, indicating approximately a 32-fold selectivity against GES-1 (IC50 = 26.75 μM). Further preclinical evaluation showed that compound 18 remarkably inhibited the migration of MGC-803 cells, induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M, and induced MGC-803 apoptosis, resulting in decreasing the expression of both Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, and up-regulating the expression of both Bax and cleaved PARP. No death or obvious pathological damage was observed in mice by acute toxicity assay. The in vivo antitumor evaluation suggested that compound 18 significantly decreased the average tumor volume and tumor weight without any effect on body weight, which is better than 5-Fu. Therefore, compound 18 can be used as a lead compound for the further development of antitumor drugs in the future

Experimental simulation of salt transport in hierarchically nested groundwater flow systems

Groundwater age and groundwater residence time contain important information about groundwater circulation and evolutionary processes, and have been widely used in the study of groundwater circulation patterns in basins.In this paper, we simulated a three-stage flow system model through a multi-stage groundwater flow system demonstrator, and simulated the groundwater age distribution and groundwater residence time distribution based, and found that the bottom of the basin, the downstream of the regional flow, and the basin retention area responded the latest.The local flow system in the shallow part has relatively low concentration values after stabilization, the intermediate flow system is also relatively low compared to the regional flow system in the deep part, and the stagnant zone has relatively large concentration values due to salt accumulation.The groundwater age distribution curves are single-peaked, and the circulation time of the regional flow system is greater than that of the intermediate flow system than that of the local flow system.The residence time distribution monitored in the discharge zones shows that different levels of recharge will produce early, middle and late peaks, and the peaks correspond exactly to the level of the groundwater flow system.It can be judged from the peaks in the discharge zones that the groundwater is recharged from the local, intermediate or regional flow system, and thus the source of contaminants can be determined.The present research results have some significance for the evolution of groundwater circulation and the improvement of groundwater flow system theory

Solar infrared radiation towards building energy efficiency: measurement, data, and modeling

With the recent discoveries and engineering solutions emerging in nanomaterials and nanostructures, independent band modulation of solar radiation on building envelopes, including glazing systems, has become increasingly viable as a potential means of improving building energy savings and indoor visual comfort. However, when it comes to the prediction of these new materials’ potential energy performance in buildings, most studies utilize a simple solar irradiance (e.g., global horizontal solar irradiance, direct beam solar irradiance) or a rough estimation of solar infrared (e.g., 50% solar irradiance) as input, which may cause significant errors. Consequently, there is a pressing need for reliable performance estimations of the solar infrared control and response at the building’s scale. To assess this, we need a solar spectral irradiance model, or at least a wideband (visible or infrared) solar irradiance model, as input. To develop this new type of model, one needs to understand the modeling-related key elements, including available solar spectral irradiance datasets, data collection methods, and modeling techniques. As such, this paper reviews the current major measurement methods and tools used in collecting solar spectral irradiance data with a focus on the solar infrared region, identifies the available related resources and datasets that particularly encompass the solar spectral irradiance data with a sufficient wavelength range, and studies existing solar irradiation modeling techniques for building simulations. These investigations will then form the background and backbone for a study scheme of solar infrared radiation modeling and indicate future research paths and opportunities.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Online Retailer’s Contingent Free-Shipping Decisions under Large-Scale Promotions Considering Delayed Delivery

Large-scale promotions lead to a huge number of orders, and the quantity of deliveries grows sharply, which puts considerable strain on cities’ logistics and imposes high related shipping costs. To alleviate these consequences, in this paper we provide a new contingent free shipping policy with delayed delivery (DD-CFS) for an online retailer during large-scale promotions and study its CFS threshold decisions, considering consumers’ different sensitivities to delivery time delays.We start by analyzing a consumer’s purchasing decision based on consumer utility theory. Next, we establish a mathematical model to help the online retailer find the optimal CFS threshold to maximize its expected profit. Finally, we analyze the benefit of delayed delivery to the online retailer and conduct a sensitivity analysis to examine the impacts of important parameters on the online retailer’s CFS threshold decisions, profit, and the value of the delayed delivery. We find that the DD-CFS policy can lead to more profits during the large-scale promotions period compared with the traditional CFS policy. As the delayed delivery time and the consumer’s negative attitude towards delayed delivery time increase, the online retailer should reduce the low CFS threshold value. On the other hand, as the shipping fee and the consumer’s negative attitude towards the shipping fee increase, the online retailer should raise the high and low CFS threshold values

Online Retailer’s Contingent Free-Shipping Decisions under Large-Scale Promotions Considering Delayed Delivery

Large-scale promotions lead to a huge number of orders, and the quantity of deliveries grows sharply, which puts considerable strain on cities’ logistics and imposes high related shipping costs. To alleviate these consequences, in this paper we provide a new contingent free shipping policy with delayed delivery (DD-CFS) for an online retailer during large-scale promotions and study its CFS threshold decisions, considering consumers’ different sensitivities to delivery time delays.We start by analyzing a consumer’s purchasing decision based on consumer utility theory. Next, we establish a mathematical model to help the online retailer find the optimal CFS threshold to maximize its expected profit. Finally, we analyze the benefit of delayed delivery to the online retailer and conduct a sensitivity analysis to examine the impacts of important parameters on the online retailer’s CFS threshold decisions, profit, and the value of the delayed delivery. We find that the DD-CFS policy can lead to more profits during the large-scale promotions period compared with the traditional CFS policy. As the delayed delivery time and the consumer’s negative attitude towards delayed delivery time increase, the online retailer should reduce the low CFS threshold value. On the other hand, as the shipping fee and the consumer’s negative attitude towards the shipping fee increase, the online retailer should raise the high and low CFS threshold values

The pseudogene DUXAP10 contributes to gefitinib resistance in NSCLC by repressing OAS2 expression

Gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI),is the currently recommended first-line therapy for advanced EGFR-mutant lung cancer, and understanding the mechanism of resistance is the key to formulating therapeutic strategies for EGFR-TKIs. In this study, we evaluate the expression patterns and potential biological functions of the pseudogene DUXAP10 in gefitinib resistance. We find that pseudogene DUXAP10 expression is significantly upregulated in NSCLC gefitinib-resistant cells and tissues. Gain and loss of function assays reveal that knockdown of DUXAP10 by siRNA reverses gefitinib resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, DUXAP10 interacts with the histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to repress the expression of 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS2). Overall, our study highlights the pivotal role of DUXAP10 in gefitinib resistance, and the DUXAP10/EZH2/OAS2 axis might be a promising therapeutic target to overcome acquired gefitinib resistance in NSCLC