Sex-specific differences in the association between triglyceride glucose index and carotid plaque in a cardiovascular high-risk population: a cross-sectional study based on a Chinese community-dwelling population

BackgroundTo date, numerous studies have investigated the relationship between the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and carotid plaques, but the impact of gender on this relationship has not been explored. Therefore, this study aims to investigate gender-specific differences in the relationship between the TyG index and carotid plaques in a high cardiovascular risk population in China.MethodsThis cross-sectional study's data were derived from a longitudinal pilot study involving 1,085 high-risk cardiovascular subjects. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between the TyG index and carotid plaques. A generalized additive model combined with a stratified regression model was employed to assess the nonlinear relationship between the TyG index and carotid plaques across different genders. In the nonlinear relation, the inflection point was calculated by a two-piecewise linear regression model.ResultsAfter adjusting for confounders such as age, sex, BMI, SBP, DBP, AST/ALT, TC, LDL-c, HDL-c, creatinine, smoking, and antilipemic medication, the generalized additive model results revealed a nonlinear relationship between the TyG index and carotid plaque formation, with significant differences across genders. In males, the relationship between the TyG index and carotid plaques was S-shaped. The two-piecewise linear regression model identified two inflection points: TyG = 8.39 (P = 0.017) and TyG = 10.2 (P = 0.009).ConclusionThe relationship between the TyG index and the formation of carotid plaques is nonlinear, and there are significant differences in the correlation between males and females

Surface charging and dose monitor on geosynchronous orbit satellite

Based on the typical dielectric materials and devices of satellite, a surface charging and dose monitor (SCAD) was developed to measure the surface charging voltage, current, and dose under different shielding depths. The SCAD has been successfully launched into orbit on June 23, 2020. The measurement results on orbit show that the SCAD works normally, and the data of SCAD are reasonable. The results show that the radiation dose rate on geosynchronous orbit is about 0.4 mrad(Si)/s, and the maximum charging voltage is about −800 V during the initial measuring period. The charging voltage is consistent with the trends of geomagnetic disturbance Kp index. The on-orbit data provide basic data on surface charging and discharging effect and total dose effect, supporting the safe and reliable operation of the satellite

Effect of aerobic exercise intervention on DDT degradation and oxidative stress in rats

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) reportedly causes extensively acute or chronic effects to human health. Exercise can generate positive stress. We evaluated the effect of aerobic exercise on DDT degradation and oxidative stress. Main methods: Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into control (C), DDT without exercise training (D), and DDT plus exercise training (DE) groups. The rats were treated as follows: DDT exposure to D and DE groups at the first 2 weeks; aerobic exercise treatment only to the DE group from the 1st day until the rats are killed. DDT levels in excrements, muscle, liver, serum, and hearts were analyzed. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined. Aerobic exercise accelerated the degradation of DDT primarily to DDE due to better oxygen availability and aerobic condition and promoted the degradation of DDT. Cumulative oxidative damage of DDT and exercise led to significant decrease of SOD level. Exercise resulted in consistent increase in SOD activity. Aerobic exercise enhanced activities of CAT and GSH-Px and promoted MDA scavenging. Results suggested that exercise can accelerate adaptive responses to oxidative stress and activate antioxidant enzymes activities. Exercise can also facilitate the reduction of DDT-induced oxidative damage and promoted DDT degradation. This study strongly implicated the positive effect of exercise training on DDT-induced liver oxidative stress

Integrating Future Multi-Scenarios to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Ecological Restoration: A Case Study of the Yellow River Basin

Ecological restoration is an important strategy for mitigating environmental degradation, and the effectiveness evaluation of ecological restoration is of profound significance for the scientific implementation of restoration projects. This study improved the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model. It was used to simulate the land use patterns under multi-scenarios such as natural development (ND), economic priority (EP), and ecological restoration (ER) in 2030. An evaluation framework covering ecological “Restoration–Monitoring–Effectiveness” (RME) was proposed. Based on 30 m high-resolution remote-sensing data from 2000 to 2020, the land use distribution, landscape pattern changes, and ecosystem services under different scenarios were evaluated and predicted in the Yellow River Basin of Sichuan to verify the effectiveness of the evaluation framework. The results showed the following: (1) Under the ER scenario, the transfer of land use types in 2020–2030 was mainly characterized by an increase in the area of wetlands and a decrease in the area of built-up land. (2) There were obvious differences in land use and landscape patterns under different scenarios. Compared with the ND and EP scenarios, the growth of the construction rate was suppressed in the ER scenario, and the coverage of grassland and wetlands increased significantly. (3) The mean values of ecosystem services in the ER scenario were higher than those in the ND and EP scenarios. These findings clearly indicate that the RME evaluation system can accurately evaluate the ecological restoration effects under multi-scenarios in the future, providing a new perspective for ecological restoration evaluation in other regions

Carbon emission reduction analysis of CHP system driven by biogas based on emission factors

The cogeneration system of heat, power, and biogas (CHPB) driven by renewable energy provides an effective solution for carbon emission reduction in rural China. Starting from fully meeting the energy demand of 17 new rural residential households in Lanzhou, considering the annual dynamic local climate change, energy consumption characteristics, and environment parameters, a model of environmental benefit index for the CHPB system is constructed. The concept of emission factor is used to quantitatively analyze the environmental benefits of the system. The equivalent CO2 emission factor is defined to connect emissions with energy output, evaluating the environment-friendly potential of energy supply system. Compared with the conventional systems of independent power and thermal generation, the year-round characteristics of CO2 emission and emission structure chart of the proposed system are analyzed. The results show that the total CO2 emission and the average equivalent CO2 emission factors of the conventional and CHPB system are 85.45t, 1.53 kg/kWh, and 308.46t, 0.22 kg/kWh, respectively. The maximum CO2 emission reduction ratio of the CHPB system is 113.47%. Anaerobic digestion technology is employed to consume biomass feedstock, which reduced CH4 emission (equivalent to 86.36t of CO2 emission reduction). Five typical cities were selected to study the regional adaptability of the system and analyze environmental benefits. The results indicate that the CHPB system has the best environmental performance in Guangzhou, where the average CO2 emission reduction rate is 103.52%