The Effectiveness of Green Tea or Green Tea Extract on Insulin Resistance and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:A Meta-Analysis

Green tea or green tea extract (GT/GTE) has been demonstrated to reduce insulin resistance and improve glycemic control. However, evidence for this health beneficial effect is inconsistent. This systematic review evaluated the effect of GT/GTE on insulin resistance and glycemic control in people with pre-diabetes/type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to April 2017 for randomised controlled trials of participants with pre-diabetes or T2DM, where the intervention was GT/GTE. Meta-analysis was performed to assess the standardised mean difference (SMD) in biomarkers of insulin resistance and glycemic control between GT/GTE and placebo groups. Six studies (n=382) were pooled into random-effects meta-analysis. Overall, no differences were found between GT/GTE and the placebo for glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c: SMD, −0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.86 to 0.23), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR: SMD, 0.10; 95% CI, −0.17 to 0.38), fasting insulin (SMD, −0.25; 95% CI, −0.64 to 0.15), and fasting glucose (SMD, −0.10; 95% CI, −0.50 to 0.30). No evidence support the consumption of GT/GTE could reduce the levels of HbA1c, HOMA-IR, fasting insulin, or fasting glucose in people with pre-diabetes/T2DM. However, the studies included were small and of varying quality

China's coal-fired power plants impose pressure on water resources

Coal is the dominant fuel for electricity generation around the world. This type of electricity generation uses large amounts of water, increasing pressure on water resources. This calls for an in-depth investigation in the water-energy nexus of coal-fired electricity generation. In China, coal-fired power plants play an important role in the energy supply. Here we assessed water consumption of coal-fired power plants (CPPs) in China using four cooling technologies: closed-cycle cooling, once-through cooling, air cooling, and seawater cooling. The results show that water consumption of CPPs was 3.5 km3, accounting for 11% of total industrial water consumption in China. Eighty-four percent of this water consumption was from plants with closed-cycle cooling. China's average water intensity of CPPs was 1.15 l/kWh, while the intensity for closed-cycle cooling was 3-10 times higher than that for other cooling technologies. About 75% of water consumption of CPPs was from regions with absolute or chronic water scarcity. The results imply that the development of CPPs needs to explicitly consider their impacts on regional water resources

Quantized event-driven simulation for integrated energy systems with hybrid continuous-discrete dynamics

Effective simulation methods are becoming critically essential for the analysis of integrated energy systems (IESs) to reveal the interactions of multiple energy carriers. The incorporation of various energy technologies and numerous controllers make the IES a heterogeneous system, which poses new challenges to simulation methods. This paper focuses on the simulation of an IES with hybrid continuous-discrete properties and heterogeneous characteristics. First, a modified third-order quantized state system (MQSS3) method is proposed for the simulation of district heating systems (DHSs), in which quantized state system (QSS) and time-discretized integration are integrated to efficiently manage numerous discrete control actions. Second, an event-driven framework is established to integrate MQSS3 into the simulation of the electricity-heat integrated energy system (EH-IES). This framework enables the adoption of the most suitable models and algorithms for different systems to accommodate the heterogeneous properties of an IES. Case studies of an EH-IES with maximum 80% PV penetration and 210 buildings demonstrate that the dynamic interactions between the DHS and the power distribution network are accurately illustrated by the proposed simulation methods, in which MQSS3 indicates the highest simulation efficiency. It is also demonstrated in the simulation results that the flexibility from DHS can be utilized as demand-side resource to support the operation of power distribution network in aspects such as consuming the surplus PV generations

Data-driven coordinated voltage control method of distribution networks with high DG penetration

The highly penetrated distributed generators (DGs) aggravate the voltage violations in active distribution networks (ADNs). The coordination of various regulation devices such as on-load tap changers (OLTCs) and DG inverters can effectively address the voltage issues. Considering the problems of inaccurate network parameters and rapid DG fluctuation in practical operation, multi-source data can be utilized to establish the data-driven control model. In this paper, a data-driven coordinated voltage control method with the coordination of OLTC and DG inverters on multiple time-scales is proposed without relying on the accurate physical model. First, based on the multi-source data, a data-driven voltage control model is established. Multiple regulation devices such as OLTC and DG are coordinated on multiple time-scales to maintain voltages within the desired range. Then, a critical measurement selection method is proposed to guarantee the voltage control performance under the partial measurements in practical ADNs. Finally, the proposed method is validated on the modified IEEE 33-node and IEEE 123-node test cases. Case studies illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, as well as the adaptability to DG uncertainties

PGAweb: A Web Server for Bacterial Pan-Genome Analysis

An astronomical increase in microbial genome data in recent years has led to strong demand for bioinformatic tools for pan-genome analysis within and across species. Here, we present PGAweb, a user-friendly, web-based tool for bacterial pan-genome analysis, which is composed of two main pan-genome analysis modules, PGAP and PGAP-X. PGAweb provides key interactive and customizable functions that include orthologous clustering, pan-genome profiling, sequence variation and evolution analysis, and functional classification. PGAweb presents features of genomic structural dynamics and sequence diversity with different visualization methods that are helpful for intuitively understanding the dynamics and evolution of bacterial genomes. PGAweb has an intuitive interface with one-click setting of parameters and is freely available at http://PGAweb.vlcc.cn/

Multi-stage supply restoration of active distribution networks with SOP integration

Supply restoration from outages is essential for improving the reliability of active distribution networks (ADNs) after fault isolation. Soft open point (SOP) can adjust the power flow among feeders and provide voltage support for power outage areas. Considering the sequential coordination of switching operation and SOP control mode selection, a multi-stage supply restoration method with SOPs is proposed for ADNs. First, the sequential energization is formulated, in which the impact of SOP control mode on restoration sequence is analyzed. By providing voltage support, the coordination of SOPs will rapidly energize the outage area and improve the voltage profile. Then, a multi-stage restoration model with SOPs is proposed, in which reconfiguration of switches and control mode selection of SOPs are coordinated in sequence to maximize the load recovery level of ADNs. Through the switching action-time mapping, secure operation is ensured during the entire supply restoration process. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated on a modified IEEE 33-node distribution system and practical distribution networks with four-terminal SOP. Results show that the proposed method can fully exploit the potential benefits of SOPs and effectively enhance the load recovery level of ADNs

Understanding the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and the implication for achieving climate change mitigation targets

[No abstract

Mother-infant signalling during lactation following late preterm and early term delivery: An investigation of infant feeding from physiological, psychological, anthropological and microbiological perspectives

Breastfeeding is a dynamic process involving signalling between mother and offspring through biological (breast milk) and non-biological (behavioural) pathways. Maternal stress is one modifiable variable that could influence signalling and negatively affect breastfeeding and infant growth. Understanding this dynamic process may facilitate targeted interventions that promote breastfeeding and improve infant and maternal outcomes. My research investigated mother-infant signalling following late preterm (LP) and early term (ET) delivery – a situation associated with higher maternal stress and greater breastfeeding difficulty than full-term delivery - with interpretation from physiological, psychological, and anthropological perspectives. The acute effects of five relaxation techniques on physical and perceived relaxation among 20 Chinese primiparous breastfeeding mothers were compared in a pilot study. A relaxation meditation recording was the most effective intervention, and was subsequently tested (versus no intervention) in a randomised controlled trial in 96 healthy primiparous mother-infant pairs following LP or ET delivery. Relaxation therapy significantly reduced maternal stress and increased infant weight gain from 1-8 weeks. There was a significant interaction with greater intervention effects on weight gain in girls. Mothers of girls used the intervention more frequently with a trend for higher milk fat and energy at 8-weeks. Infant length gain and milk energy and fat at 8-weeks were also non-significantly higher in the intervention group. Additionally, my research innovatively explored the role of the microbiome in mother-infant signalling. The relaxation intervention led to reduced maternal gut and breast milk microbiome diversity whilst increasing infant gut microbiome diversity; it also influenced the change in microbiome from 1-8 weeks. The study findings have practical implications for supporting breastfeeding mothers following LP and ET delivery. The relaxation meditation tape is a simple, practical tool that could easily be used in clinical settings. The research findings also contribute to understanding the mechanisms of mother-infant signalling during early lif

Evaluation of Behavior and Affective State of Different-Parity Sows with Strong/Weak Pupil Light Reflex

The stall-housing system is commonly used in the modern swine industry in many countries; however, long-term space restrictions can cause affective and physiological abnormalities in sows. The pupil light reflex (PLR) can reflect the psychological and neurological changes in animals, and confined sows show higher pupillary rigidity. However, the PLR differs between same-parity sows, suggesting differences in behaviors and affective states between parity groups. We subjected confined Yorkshire × Landrace sows of parity 0, 2, and 5 to a PLR test and accordingly assigned them to the weak PLR (WR) group (n = 20) or the strong PLR (SR) group (n = 22). We then observed the sows’ behaviors and performed a sucrose/quinine response test and novel object test (NOT) to assess the differences in their affective states. The standing and lateral lying behaviors of the sows were less frequent in WR than in SR (p < 0.05), whereas ventral lying and sitting behaviors was more frequent in WR than in SR (p < 0.05). No changes in chewing behaviors and sucrose/quinine responses were observed (p > 0.05); however, the numbers and duration of novel object contact were lower and the novel object response latency time was longer in WR than in SR (p < 0.05). Regarding parity, standing and lateral lying behaviors were less frequent and ventral lying and sitting behaviors were more frequent at parity 5 than at parity 0 (p < 0.05). Bar-biting, rooting, trough-biting, and sucrose response score were lower at parity 5 than at parity 0 (p < 0.05), and vacuum chewing behavior and quinine response score were higher in sows of parity 5 than in those of parity 0 (p < 0.05). NOT showed that the number of contacts and contact duration in sows decreased with increasing parity (p < 0.05), and the response latency time was longer in sows of parity 5 than in those of lower parity (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the behavioral expression and responses of confined sows to novel objects differed between PLRs. The evaluation of the affective state of sows also revealed marked differences with increasing parity. Thus, confined sows with WR and high parity apparently suffer from more severe psychological problems, and PLR may be a potent indicator for evaluating the affective state of confined sows