Global climate forcing of aerosols embodied in international trade

International trade separates regions consuming goods and services from regions where goods and related aerosol pollution are produced. Yet the role of trade in aerosol climate forcing attributed to different regions has never been quantified. Here, we contrast the direct radiative forcing of aerosols related to regions’ consumption of goods and services against the forcing due to emissions produced in each region. Aerosols assessed include black carbon, primary organic aerosol, and secondary inorganic aerosols, including sulfate, nitrate and ammonium. We find that global aerosol radiative forcing due to emissions produced in East Asia is much stronger than the forcing related to goods and services ultimately consumed in that region because of its large net export of emissions-intensive goods. The opposite is true for net importers such as Western Europe and North America: global radiative forcing related to consumption is much greater than the forcing due to emissions produced in these regions. Overall, trade is associated with a shift of radiative forcing from net importing to net exporting regions. Compared to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, the short atmospheric lifetimes of aerosols cause large localized differences between consumption- and production-related radiative forcing. International efforts to reduce emissions in the exporting countries will help alleviate trade-related climate and health impacts of aerosols while lowering global emissions

Transboundary health impacts of transported global air pollution and international trade

Millions of people die every year from diseases caused by exposure to outdoor air pollution1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Some studies have estimated premature mortality related to local sources of air pollution6, 7, but local air quality can also be affected by atmospheric transport of pollution from distant sources8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. International trade is contributing to the globalization of emission and pollution as a result of the production of goods (and their associated emissions) in one region for consumption in another region14, 19, 20, 21, 22. The effects of international trade on air pollutant emissions23, air quality14 and health24 have been investigated regionally, but a combined, global assessment of the health impacts related to international trade and the transport of atmospheric air pollution is lacking. Here we combine four global models to estimate premature mortality caused by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution as a result of atmospheric transport and the production and consumption of goods and services in different world regions. We find that, of the 3.45 million premature deaths related to PM2.5 pollution in 2007 worldwide, about 12 per cent (411,100 deaths) were related to air pollutants emitted in a region of the world other than that in which the death occurred, and about 22 per cent (762,400 deaths) were associated with goods and services produced in one region for consumption in another. For example, PM2.5 pollution produced in China in 2007 is linked to more than 64,800 premature deaths in regions other than China, including more than 3,100 premature deaths in western Europe and the USA; on the other hand, consumption in western Europe and the USA is linked to more than 108,600 premature deaths in China. Our results reveal that the transboundary health impacts of PM2.5 pollution associated with international trade are greater than those associated with long-distance atmospheric pollutant transport

Modeling the service-route-based crash frequency by a spatiotemporal-random-effect zero-inflated negative binomial model: An empirical analysis for bus-involved crashes

Previous studies related to bus crash frequencies modeling are limited and the statistical models are usually developed at the road segment or zonal level. This study focuses on modeling crash frequencies specifically at the bus-service-route level, which is useful and important to policymakers and bus operation companies toward the improvement of the safety level of bus networks, especially for developing countries where buses are still a major mode of urban travels. Using the observed data adopted from one of the bus operating companies in Beijing, China, we proposed a spatiotemporal-random-effect zero-inflated negative binomial (spatiotemporal ZINB) model to investigate bus crash occurrence and identity key influential factors at the bus-service-route level. The model was motivated to accommodate the special statistical characteristics of the excessive zeros and, more importantly, the potential spatiotemporal correlations of the data. Three degenerated versions of this model were also developed for comparison purposes. Results indicate that the proposed spatiotemporal ZINB model is statistically superior to the others according to a comprehensive judgment based on the EAIC, EBIC, and RMSE criteria. The estimated coefficients reveal the impacts of related factors on the likelihood of bus-involved crashes from bus operation factors including total passengers, number of drivers, and proportion of male drivers as well as planning factors including route length and stop density. On the other hand, the standard deviations of the introduced structured and unstructured spatiotemporal random-effects are statistically significant indicating that the observations are correlated within each route, between neighbor routes and across years. Corresponding policy and practical implications are provided for bus operating companies and planning departments toward the improvement of bus safety

The General Design and Technology Innovations of CAP1400

The pressurized water reactor CAP1400 is one of the sixteen National Science and Technology Major Projects. Developed from China's nuclear R&D system and manufacturing capability, as well as AP1000 technology introduction and assimilation, CAP1400 is an advanced large passive nuclear power plant with independent intellectual property rights. By discussing the top design principle, main performance objectives, general parameters, safety design, and important improvements in safety, economy, and other advanced features, this paper reveals the technology innovation and competitiveness of CAP1400 as an internationally promising Gen-III PWR model. Moreover, the R&D of CAP1400 has greatly promoted China's domestic nuclear power industry from the Gen-II to the Gen-III level

Mixed formulation of mRNA and protein‐based COVID‐19 vaccines triggered superior neutralizing antibody responses

Abstract Integrating different types of vaccines into a singular immunization regimen is an effective and accessible approach to strengthen and broaden the immunogenicity of existing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine candidates. To optimize the immunization strategy of the novel mRNA‐based vaccine and recombinant protein subunit vaccine that attracted much attention in COVID‐19 vaccine development, we evaluated the immunogenicity of different combined regimens with the mRNA vaccine (RNA‐RBD) and protein subunit vaccine (PS‐RBD) in mice. Compared with homologous immunization of RNA‐RBD or PS‐RBD, heterologous prime‐boost strategies for mRNA and protein subunit vaccines failed to simultaneously enhance neutralizing antibody (NAb) and Th1 cellular response in this study, showing modestly higher serum neutralizing activity and antibody‐dependent cell‐mediated cytotoxicity for “PS‐RBD prime, RNA‐RBD boost” and robust Th1 type cellular response for “RNA‐RBD prime, PS‐RBD boost”. Interestingly, immunizing the mice with the mixed formulation of the two aforementioned vaccines in various proportions further significantly enhanced the NAb responses against ancestral, Delta, and Omicron strains and manifested increased Th1‐type responses, suggesting that a mixed formulation of mRNA and protein vaccines might be a more prospective vaccination strategy. This study provides basic research data on the combined vaccination strategies of mRNA and protein‐based COVID‐19 vaccines

Evaluation of the cross-neutralization activities elicited by Coxsackievirus A10 vaccine strains

Increased severity of diseases caused by Coxsackievirus A10 (CV-A10) as well as a large number of mutants and recombinants circulating in the population are a cause of concern for public health. A vaccine with broad-spectrum and homogenous protective capacity is needed to prevent outbreaks of CV-A10. Here, we evaluated cross-neutralization of prototype strain and 17 CV-A10 strains from related manufacturers in mainland China in vitro using 30 samples of plasma collected from naturally infected human adults and 18 sera samples from murine immunized with the above strains of CV-A10. Both human plasma and murine sera exhibited varying degrees of cross-neutralizing activities. Prototype A/Kowalik and sub-genotype C3/S113 were most difficult to neutralize. Among all strains tested, neutralization of S102 and S108 strains by 18 different sera was the most uniform, suggesting their suitability for detection of NtAb titers of different vaccines for avoiding biases introduced by detection strain. Furthermore, among all immune-sera, cross-neutralization of the 18 strains of CV-A10 by anti-S110 and anti-S102 was the most homogenous. Anti-S102 exhibiting higher geometric mean titer (GMT) in vitro was evaluated for its cross-protection capacity in vivo. Remarkably, administration of anti-S102 protected mice from lethal dosage of eight strains of CV-A10. These results provide a framework for formulating strategies for the R&D of vaccines targeting CV-A10 infections

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) oncolysis using coxsackievirus B5 and synergistic DNA-damage response inhibitors

Abstract With the continuous in-depth study of the interaction mechanism between viruses and hosts, the virus has become a promising tool in cancer treatment. In fact, many oncolytic viruses with selectivity and effectiveness have been used in cancer therapy. Human enterovirus is one of the most convenient sources to generate oncolytic viruses, however, the high seroprevalence of some enteroviruses limits its application which urges to exploit more oncolytic enteroviruses. In this study, coxsackievirus B5/Faulkner (CV-B5/F) was screened for its potential oncolytic effect against non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) through inducing apoptosis and autophagy. For refractory NSCLCs, DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) or ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM) inhibitors can synergize with CV-B5/F to promote refractory cell death. Here, we showed that viral infection triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related pro-apoptosis and autophagy signals, whereas repair for double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) contributed to cell survival which can be antagonized by inhibitor-induced cell death, manifesting exacerbated DSBs, apoptosis, and autophagy. Mechanistically, PERK pathway was activated by the combination of CV-B5/F and inhibitor, and the irreversible ER stress-induced exacerbated cell death. Furthermore, the degradation of activated STING by ERphagy promoted viral replication. Meanwhile, no treatment-related deaths due to CV-B5/F and/or inhibitors occurred. Conclusively, our study identifies an oncolytic CV-B5/F and the synergistic effects of inhibitors of DNA-PK or ATM, which is a potential therapy for NSCLCs