Energy Consumption and Quality of Life: Energy Efficiency Index

AbstractThis paper shows a micro-economic based quantitative analysis scheme to evaluate the energy efficiency of cities based on quality of life and energy consumption. By representing the quality of life by utility, this study developed a CES-based model to estimate the individual demand of non-mobility goods, car trips, and public transport trips at the maximum utility level. Energy consumption is estimated by the demand of goods. An energy efficiency index is developed to show the relative energy consumption on the certain quality of life. We applied this model to Nagasaki region. Higher energy efficiency zones were found in city center and along the mass transit lines. Such findings suggest that a compact urban structure and higher public transport accessibility could increase energy efficiency

Public Bus Transport Reform and Service Contract in Arao

AbstractConfronting with declined passengers and increased subsidy, Arao city government has taken a plan for reforming public bus transport since 2005. The monopoly operating right of public bus transport service was transferred to one private company. This paper summarizes the valuable experience of public transport reforms by analyzing the subsidy and efficiency before and after the reform in Arao. The reform has proven be influential on reducing subsidy. However, it is hard to balance the service level and cost thus subsidy. By summarizing the characteristic of the reform, results show that introduction of competitive tendering is necessary in a long time in the reform afterward. Moreover, an appropriate contract and regulatory rules that contract parties both operator and authority in the provision of the services are important as well

GT2006-90596 VIBRATION REDUCTION INVESTIGATION OF A SQUEEZE FILM DAMPER WITH VALVULAR METAL RUBBER

ABSTRACT A new-style squeeze film damper with valvular metal rubber squeeze film ring (SFD/VMR) was designed to improve characteristics of the squeeze film force of the SFD. The immobile squeeze film ring of the SFD was replaced by the elastic squeeze film ring with the valvular metal rubber subassembly (VMR). When the unbalance force was smaller, the displacement of the journal changed little, and then the squeeze film force was smaller too, so as to the squeeze film ring of the SFD/VMR was nearly immobile. The working condition was similar with the SFD. When the unbalance force was larger, the displacement of the journal changed bigger, and then the squeeze film force rapidly increased, so as to the VMR deformed, which made the film thickness changed correspondingly, until it reached a balanceable state of the squeeze film force and elastic force of the VMR. Theoretical and experimental investigations showed that the SFD/VMR had optimal effect on reducing vibration, comparing with the SFD, because it could passively adjust the squeeze film clearance by taking advantage of the elastic deformation of the VMR. The SFD/VMR could control the squeeze film clearance in a suitable range, which made the characteristics of the squeeze film force of the SFD/VMR better than the SFD. The SFD/VMR could suppress the occurrence of the nonlinear vibration phenomenon markedly, such as bistable jump up

Graphene-modified nickel foam electrode for cathodic degradation of nitrofuranzone: Kinetics, transformation products and toxicity

Simple, efficient, and durable electrodes are highly demanded for practical electrochemical process. In this study, a reduced graphene oxide modified nickel foam electrode (GR-Ni foam) was facilely prepared via one-step cyclic voltammetry electrodeposition of graphene oxide suspension onto the Ni foam. The electrochemical degradation of nitrofuranzone (NFZ, a kind of typical antibiotics) was studied on the GR-Ni foam cathode. The cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectra analysis confirmed that presence of GR loading accelerated the electron transfer from the cathode surface to NFZ. With the applied cathode potential of −1.25 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), the removal efficiency of NFZ (C0 = 20 mg L−1) at the GR-Ni foam electrode reached up to 99 % within 30 min, showing a higher reaction rate constant (0.1297 min−1) than 0.0870 min−1 at the Pd-Ni foam and 0.0186 min−1 at the Ni foam electrode. It was also found that the pH, dissolved oxygen and NFZ initial concentration have slight effect on NFZ degradation at the GR-Ni foam electrode. The reactions first occurred at nitro groups (-NO2), unsaturated C=N bonds and N-N bonds to generate furan ring-containing products, and then these products were transformed into linear diamine products. The direct reduction by electrons was mainly responsible for NFZ reduction at the GR-Ni foam electrode. Even after 18 cycles, the removal efficiency of NFZ still reached up to 98 % within 1 h. In addition, the cathodic degradation process could eliminate the antibacterial activity of NFZ. The GR-Ni foam electrode would have a great potential in electrochemical process for treating wastewater containing furan antibiotics

Graphene-modified nickel foam electrode for cathodic degradation of nitrofuranzone: Kinetics, transformation products and toxicity

Simple, efficient, and durable electrodes are highly demanded for practical electro­chemical process. In this study, a reduced graphene oxide modified nickel foam electrode (GR‑Ni foam) was facilely prepared via one-step cyclic voltammetry electrodeposition of gra­phene oxide suspension onto the Ni foam. The electrochemical degradation of nitrofuran­zone (NFZ, a kind of typical antibiotics) was studied on the GR-Ni foam cathode. The cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectra analysis confirmed that presence of GR loading accelerated the electron transfer from the cathode surface to NFZ. With the applied cathode potential of −1.25 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), the removal efficiency of NFZ (C0 = 20 mg L−1) at the GR-Ni foam electrode reached up to 99 % within 30 min, showing a higher reaction rate constant (0.1297 min−1) than 0.0870 min−1 at the Pd-Ni foam and 0.0186 min−1 at the Ni foam electrode. It was also found that the pH, dissolved oxygen and NFZ initial concentration have slight effect on NFZ degradation at the GR-Ni foam electrode. The reactions first occurred at nitro groups (-NO2), unsaturated C=N bonds and N-N bonds to generate furan ring-containing products, and then these products were transformed into linear diamine products. The direct reduction by electrons was mainly responsible for NFZ reduction at the GR-Ni foam electrode. Even after 18 cycles, the removal efficiency of NFZ still reached up to 98 % within 1 h. In addition, the cathodic degradation process could eliminate the antibacterial activity of NFZ. The GR-Ni foam electrode would have a great potential in electrochemical process for treating wastewater containing furan antibiotics

The Mediating Effects of Stigma on Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Tuberculosis: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Objectives: To date, the complex interrelationships between family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about tuberculosis (TB), stigma, and depressive symptoms among patients with TB are insufficiently understood. We explored the interrelationships between family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about TB, TB-related stigma, and depressive symptoms and examined whether TB-related stigma played a mediating role.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014 in Hubei province, central China. Data were collected from 1,309 patients with TB using a structured questionnaire that measured family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about TB, stigma, and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the interrelationships among the study variables based on the hypothesized model.Results: The proposed model provided a good fit to the obtained data. There were indirect effects between family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about TB, and depressive symptoms through stigma (β = −0.048, P = 0.002; β = −0.028, P = 0.001; β = −0.021, P = 0.009, respectively). Stigma partially mediated the effect of family function and knowledge about TB on depressive symptoms and fully mediated the effect of doctor-patient communication on depressive symptoms.Conclusions: This study elucidated the pathways linking family function, doctor-patient communication, and knowledge about TB to depressive symptoms and confirmed that the effect of those variables on depressive symptoms can be mediated by stigma. Those findings provide direction and information for depression interventions among patients with TB

Job satisfaction and its related factors among emergency department physicians in China

BackgroundJob satisfaction is recognized as an important factor affecting the performance and quality of medical services of emergency department physicians. However, little is known about the status of job satisfaction among emergency department physicians in China. This study aimed to explore the current level of job satisfaction and its associated factors among emergency department physicians in China.MethodsA nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted in China from July to August 2018. A total of 10,457 emergency department physicians completed the questionnaire. The structured online questionnaire collected information on socio-demographic characteristics, work-related factors, work-family conflict, and job satisfaction. Student's t-test or ANOVA were used to compare the job satisfaction scores in different characters. The generalized linear model was used to investigate the related factors of job satisfaction among emergency department physicians.ResultsThe respondents' job satisfaction average score was 12.2 ± 3.6, of which 42.01% were satisfied of which the job. The results showed that emergency department physicians over 41 years old, with a higher income and working in central and western regions were positively associated with job satisfaction. In contrast, bachelor degree and above, fixed posts, long years of service, a high frequency of night shift, perceived shortage of physicians, perceived medical errors, and higher work-family conflict scores were negatively correlated with job satisfaction among emergency department physicians.ConclusionJob satisfaction of emergency department physicians in China is low. It is suggested that hospital administrators could improve the job satisfaction of emergency department physicians by establishing an acceptable shift system, ensuring adequate emergency department staffing, increasing their income appropriately and alleviating work-family conflict

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among middle-aged and elderly adults in China: current status and temporal trends

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to estimate prevalence and distribution of MetS among middle-aged and elderly adults in China. Methods: The present analysis used data from a national study in 2014–2015. We defined MetS by different definitions, and compared results of the present study and previous nationally representative studies to illustrate possible temporal changes in MetS prevalence. Results: The estimated prevalence of MetS was 18.4% by the ATP III criteria, 34.0% by the revised ATP III criteria, and 26.9% by IDF criteria. The prevalence was higher in women, older adults, those with lower education level, and in economically developed regions. Contrasting with previous national studies, adults in urban areas had a lower rate of MetS than those in rural areas (odds ratio 0.94; 95% CI 0.92−0.97). Rural adults had worse deterioration or less improvement in abdominal obesity, overweight, hypertension, and high fasting plasma glucose, than urban adults, which was particularly striking for women. Conclusion: While measures to prevent and control cardiovascular diseases need to be strengthened in China, rapid increasing risk factors among rural residents and women should be prioritized in making public health policy decisions

Nutritional Intervention for the Intestinal Development and Health of Weaned Pigs

Weaning imposes simultaneous stress, resulting in reduced feed intake, and growth rate, and increased morbidity and mortality of weaned pigs. Weaning impairs the intestinal integrity, disturbs digestive and absorptive capacity, and increases the intestinal oxidative stress, and susceptibility of diseases in piglets. The improvement of intestinal development and health is critically important for enhancing nutrient digestibility capacity and disease resistance of weaned pigs, therefore, increasing their survival rate at this most vulnerable stage, and overall productive performance during later stages. A healthy gut may include but not limited several important features: a healthy proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells, an integrated gut barrier function, a preferable or balanced gut microbiota, and a well-developed intestinal mucosa immunity. Burgeoning evidence suggested nutritional intervention are one of promising measures to enhance intestinal health of weaned pigs, although the exact protective mechanisms may vary and are still not completely understood. Previous research indicated that functional amino acids, such as arginine, cysteine, glutamine, or glutamate, may enhance intestinal mucosa immunity (i.e., increased sIgA secretion), reduce oxidative damage, stimulate proliferation of enterocytes, and enhance gut barrier function (i.e., enhanced expression of tight junction protein) of weaned pigs. A number of feed additives are marketed to assist in boosting intestinal immunity and regulating gut microbiota, therefore, reducing the negative impacts of weaning, and other environmental challenges on piglets. The promising results have been demonstrated in antimicrobial peptides, clays, direct-fed microbials, micro-minerals, milk components, oligosaccharides, organic acids, phytochemicals, and many other feed additives. This review summarizes our current understanding of nutritional intervention on intestinal health and development of weaned pigs and the importance of mechanistic studies focusing on this research area