A review of physical supply and EROI of fossil fuels in China

This paper reviews China’s future fossil fuel supply from the perspectives of physical output and net energy output. Comprehensive analyses of physical output of fossil fuels suggest that China’s total oil production will likely reach its peak, at about 230 Mt/year (or 9.6 EJ/year), in 2018; its total gas production will peak at around 350 Bcm/year (or 13.6 EJ/year) in 2040, while coal production will peak at about 4400 Mt/year (or 91.9 EJ/year) around 2020 or so. In terms of the forecast production of these fuels, there are significant differences among current studies. These differences can be mainly explained by different ultimately recoverable resources assumptions, the nature of the models used, and differences in the historical production data. Due to the future constraints on fossil fuels production, a large gap is projected to grow between domestic supply and demand, which will need to be met by increasing imports. Net energy analyses show that both coal and oil and gas production show a steady declining trend of EROI (energy return on investment) due to the depletion of shallow-buried coal resources and conventional oil and gas resources, which is generally consistent with the approaching peaks of physical production of fossil fuels. The peaks of fossil fuels production, coupled with the decline in EROI ratios, are likely to challenge the sustainable development of Chinese society unless new abundant energy resources with high EROI values can be found

Novel Cβ–Cγ Bond Cleavages of Tryptophan-Containing Peptide Radical Cations

In this study, we observed unprecedented cleavages of the Cβ–Cγ bonds of tryptophan residue side chains in a series of hydrogen-deficient tryptophan-containing peptide radical cations (M•+) during low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID). We used CID experiments and theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the mechanism of this bond cleavage, which forms [M – 116]+ ions. The formation of an α-carbon radical intermediate at the tryptophan residue for the subsequent Cβ–Cγ bond cleavage is analogous to that occurring at leucine residues, producing the same product ions; this hypothesis was supported by the identical product ion spectra of [LGGGH – 43]+ and [WGGGH – 116]+, obtained from the CID of [LGGGH]•+ and [WGGGH]•+, respectively. Elimination of the neutral 116-Da radical requires inevitable dehydrogenation of the indole nitrogen atom, leaving the radical centered formally on the indole nitrogen atom ([Ind]•-2), in agreement with the CID data for [WGGGH]•+ and [W1-CH3GGGH]•+; replacing the tryptophan residue with a 1-methyltryptophan residue results in a change of the base peak from that arising from a neutral radical loss (116 Da) to that arising from a molecule loss (131 Da), both originating from Cβ–Cγ bond cleavage. Hydrogen atom transfer or proton transfer to the γ-carbon atom of the tryptophan residue weakens the Cβ–Cγ bond and, therefore, decreases the dissociation energy barrier dramatically

Prognostic factors in solitary plasmacytoma of the bone: a multicenter Rare Cancer Network study

BACKGROUND: Solitary plasmacytoma (SP) of the bone is a rare plasma-cell neoplasm. There are no conclusive data in the literature on the optimal radiation therapy (RT) dose in SP. Therefore, in this large retrospective study, we wanted to assess the outcome, prognostic factors, and the optimal RT dose in patients with SP. METHODS: Data from 206 patients with bone SP without evidence of multiple myeloma (MM) were collected. Histopathological diagnosis was obtained for all patients. The majority (n = 169) of the patients received RT alone; 32 chemotherapy and RT, and 5 surgery. Median follow-up was 54 months (7–245). RESULTS: Five-year overall survival, disease-free survival (DFS), and local control was 70%, 46%, and 88%; respectively. Median time to MM development was 21 months (2–135) with a 5-year probability of 51%. In multivariate analyses, favorable factors were younger age and tumor size < 5 cm for survival; younger age for DFS; anatomic localization (vertebra vs. other) for local control. Older age was the only predictor for MM. There was no dose-response relationship for doses 30 Gy or higher, even for larger tumors. CONCLUSION: Younger patients, especially those with vertebral localization have the best outcome when treated with moderate-dose RT. Progression to MM remains the main problem. Further investigation should focus on adjuvant chemotherapy and/or novel therapeutic agents

Infection of Cultured Human Endothelial Cells by Legionella pneumophila

Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative pathogen that causes a severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that L. pneumophila infects and grows within cultured human endothelial cells. Endothelial infection may contribute to lung damage observed during Legionnaires' disease and to systemic spread of this organism

The Axonal Guidance Receptor Neogenin Promotes Acute Inflammation

Neuronal guidance proteins (NGP) were originally described in the context of axonal growth and migration. Yet recent work has demonstrated that NGPs also serve as guidance cues for immune competent cells. A crucial target receptor for NGPs during embryonic development is the neogenin receptor, however its role during acute inflammation is unknown. We report here that neogenin is abundantly expressed outside the nervous system and that animals with endogenous repression of neogenin (Neo1−/−) demonstrate attenuated changes of acute inflammation. Studies using functional inhibition of neogenin resulted in a significant attenuation of inflammatory peritonitis. In studies employing bone marrow chimeric animals we found the hematopoietic presence of Neo1−/− to be responsible for the attenuated inflammatory response. Taken together our studies suggest that the guidance receptor neogenin holds crucial importance for the propagation of an acute inflammatory response and further define mechanisms shared between the nervous and the immune system

A Cohort Study of Serum Bilirubin Levels and Incident Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Middle Aged Korean Workers

BACKGROUND: Serum bilirubin may have potent antioxidant and cytoprotective effects. Serum bilirubin levels are inversely associated with several cardiovascular and metabolic endpoints, but their association with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not been investigated except for a single cross-sectional study in a pediatric population. We assessed the prospective association between serum bilirubin concentrations (total, direct, and indirect) and the risk for NAFLD. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We performed a cohort study in 5,900 Korean men, 30 to 59 years of age, with no evidence of liver disease and no major risk factors for liver disease at baseline. Study participants were followed in annual or biennial health examinations between 2002 and 2009. The presence of fatty liver was determined at each visit by ultrasonography. We observed 1,938 incident cases of NAFLD during 28,101.8 person-years of follow-up. Increasing levels of serum direct bilirubin were progressively associated with a decreasing incidence of NAFLD. In age-adjusted models, the hazard ratio for NAFLD comparing the highest to the lowest quartile of serum direct bilirubin levels was 0.61 (95% CI 0.54-0.68). The association persisted after adjusting for multiple metabolic parameters (hazard ratio comparing the highest to the lowest quartile 0.86, 95% CI 0.76-0.98; P trend = 0.039). Neither serum total nor indirect bilirubin levels were significantly associated with the incidence of NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective study, higher serum direct bilirubin levels were significantly associated with a lower risk of developing NAFLD, even adjusting for a variety of metabolic parameters. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this association and to establish the role of serum direct bilirubin as a marker for NAFLD risk