Business Process Analysis and Implementation Strategies of Greening Logistics in Appliances Retail Industry

The whole world ecological environment worsens, and low-carbon economical and sustainable development becomes the general trend. The retail trade as the middle link of the whole economic cycle plays an important role on the relations of each essential factor in the entire economic environment. The concepts of low-carbon economy, and green logistics, and electrical appliances retail trade are discussed and the problems existing in the green logistics of the electrical appliances retail trade are explored. Based on the analysis of the business process and functions of green logistics in the electrical appliances retail trade, the system architecture of green logistics in the electrical appliances retail trade is established. Finally, the strategies and measures of greening logistics in the electrical appliances retail industry are proposed

Pro-angiogenic photo-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel: a potential candidate for repairing alveolar bone defects

Objective: This study aimed to develop a pro-angiogenic hydrogel with in situ gelation ability for alveolar bone defects repair. Methodology: Silk fibroin was chemically modified by Glycidyl Methacrylate (GMA), which was evaluated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). Then, the photo-crosslinking ability of the modified silk fibroin was assessed. Scratch and transwell-based migration assays were conducted to investigate the effect of the photo-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel on the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vitro angiogenesis was conducted to examine whether the photo-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel would affect the tube formation ability of HUVECs. Finally, subcutaneous implantation experiments were conducted to further examine the pro-angiogenic ability of the photo-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel, in which the CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were stained to assess neovascularization. The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were also stained to evaluate inflammatory responses after implantation. Results: GMA successfully modified the silk fibroin, which we verified by our 1H-NMR and in vitro photo-crosslinking experiment. Scratch and transwell-based migration assays proved that the photo-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel promoted HUVEC migration. The hydrogel also enhanced the tube formation of HUVECs in similar rates to Matrigel®. After subcutaneous implantation in rats for one week, the hydrogel enhanced neovascularization without triggering inflammatory responses. Conclusion: This study found that photo-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel showed pro-angiogenic and inflammation inhibitory abilities. Its photo-crosslinking ability makes it suitable for matching irregular alveolar bone defects. Thus, the photo-crosslinkable silk fibroin-derived hydrogel is a potential candidate for constructing scaffolds for alveolar bone regeneration

Spin dynamics of electrons in the first excited subband of a high-mobility low-density 2D electron system

We report on time-resolved Kerr rotation measurements of spin coherence of electrons in the first excited subband of a high-mobility low-density two-dimensional electron system in a GaAs/Al0.35Ga0.65As heterostructure. While the transverse spin lifetime (T2*) of electrons decreases monotonically with increasing magnetic field, it has a non-monotonic dependence on the temperature, with a peak value of 596 ps at 36 K, indicating the effect of inter-subband electron-electron scattering on the electron spin relaxation. The spin lifetime may be long enough for potential device application with electrons in excited subbands

The Expression Levels of XLF and Mutant P53 Are Inversely Correlated in Head and Neck Cancer Cells.

XRCC4-like factor (XLF), also known as Cernunnos, is a protein encoded by the human NHEJ1 gene and an important repair factor for DNA double-strand breaks. In this study, we have found that XLF is over-expressed in HPV(+) versus HPV(-) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and significantly down-regulated in the HNSCC cell lines expressing high level of mutant p53 protein versus those cell lines harboring wild-type TP53 gene with low p53 protein expression. We have also demonstrated that Werner syndrome protein (WRN), a member of the NHEJ repair pathway, binds to both mutant p53 protein and NHEJ1 gene promoter, and siRNA knockdown of WRN leads to the inhibition of XLF expression in the HNSCC cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that WRN and p53 are involved in the regulation of XLF expression and the activity of WRN might be affected by mutant p53 protein in the HNSCC cells with aberrant TP53 gene mutations, due to the interaction of mutant p53 with WRN. As a result, the expression of XLF in these cancer cells is significantly suppressed. Our study also suggests that XLF is over-expressed in HPV(+) HNSCC with low expression of wild type p53, and might serve as a potential biomarker for HPV(+) HNSCC. Further studies are warranted to investigate the mechanisms underlying the interactive role of WRN and XLF in NHEJ repair pathway

Membranes for CO2 capture - report on pilot plant tests

Although the main part of the world has now accepted the fact that the global climate change is due to human activities, we will not be able to switch gear and only go for “green energy” without fossil fuels for still many decades. One way of contributing to combat the climate change is hence to capture the CO2 from fossil fuel flue gases, and either find ways to utilize the CO2 or sequestrate it in aquifers or depleted oil fields, while we slowly develop a “green way of living”. Membranes will for sure represent one of the emerging technologies to be used for CO2 capture. Today there are a few pilot installations around the world using different types of membranes, to demonstrate and learn the best way of optimize such a capture plant – in Norway there are two of such kind; one at a cement factory in Brevik in South Norway and one at a test center at Tiller in Trondheim. At the cement plant the CO2 concentration in the flue gas can be close to 20 vol%, while at the Tiller plant there is a possibility to vary the CO2 concentration over a range of 8 – 12vol%. At the cement plant the flue gas contains quite a few unwanted components, while at Tiller the flue gas is relatively “clean”. The type of membrane installed at these two sites is hollow fiber modules where the support fiber is polysulfone (PSf) and the coated mebrane is a polyvinylamine (PVAm). The technique for applying the coating is not straight forward, and an efficient flue gas separation depends strongly on a successful coating procedure. Going from lab tests using a few cm2 up to several m2 of a commercial scale module is extremely challenging. The tests are being performed with 2 or 3 modules in parallel or series, but not yet as a complete two-stage process. Based on obtained results, a full scale process will be simulated. Preliminary results using only one stage at Tiller are already documenting an encouraging 58% CO2 in permeate from 7% CO2 in feed line. The PVAm membrane is based on facilitated transport of the CO2 through the membrane, which means that water needs to be handled in the separation process – this has again a large influence on the engineering design of the process and process operation parameters. The presentation will highlight and report some results and challenges from these two tests sites. Acknowledgement The GASSNOVA projects 229949 and 249036 are highly recognized for contributions from the CLIMIT-Demo program in the Norwegian Research Council, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (USA), Air Products AS (Norway), Alberta Funders (Canada), Statoil ASA, NORCEM (Heidelberg Cement), SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, DNV GL (The Netherlands)