Marmots do not consistently use their left eye to respond to an approaching threat but those that did fled sooner.

In many vertebrates, the brain's right hemisphere which is connected to the left visual field specializes in the processing of information about threats while the left hemisphere which is connected to the right visual field specializes in the processing of information about conspecifics. This is referred to as hemispheric lateralization. But individuals that are too predictable in their response to predators could have reduced survival and we may expect selection for somewhat unpredictable responses. We studied hemispheric lateralization in yellow-bellied marmots Marmota flaviventer, a social rodent that falls prey to a variety of terrestrial and aerial predators. We first asked if they have lateralized responses to a predatory threat. We then asked if the eye that they used to assess risk influenced their perceptions of risk. We recorded the direction marmots were initially looking and then walked toward them until they fled. We recorded the distance that they responded to our experimental approach by looking, the eye with which they looked at us, and the distance at which they fled (i.e., flight initiation distance; FID). We found that marmots had no eye preference with which they looked at an approaching threat. Furthermore, the population was not comprised of individuals that responded in consistent ways. However, we found that marmots that looked at the approaching person with their left eye had larger FIDs suggesting that risk assessment was influenced by the eye used to monitor the threat. These findings are consistent with selection to make prey less predictable for their predators, despite underlying lateralization

Optimization of waste disposal method in urban functional zone based on multiple model evaluation: a case study of an urban sub‐domain planning

With the implements of urban and rural areas integration planning and new rural countryside construction, a new town planning is springing up in China. Planning of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal is one of the most important contents. In the new town planning, MSW is considered as one kind of energy source instead of a trash stream, so how to choose a suitable method of waste to energy (WtE) and analyze the feasibility of the method combined with urban functional zone need to be considered. In this paper, by adopting the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method which consists of life cycle analysis (LCA) model, cost benefit analysis (CBA) and questionnaire survey, the environmental benefits, economic benefits and social benefits are considered to decide the best WtE route for MSW in an urban functional zone. The functional unit is selected to be 1 ton of waste, and the system boundaries include the process of collection and transportation, disposal, and utilization of generation and treatment of residue. The alternatives include central incineration, in situ pyrolysis, central incineration of combustible MSW+ in situ anaerobic digestion of organic waste and in situ pyrolysis of combustible MSW + in situ anaerobic digestion of organic waste. The 4 alternatives are evaluated to determine the best suitable disposal method of MWS of a center business district (CBD) of a city in north China. The area of the CBD is 3150m×2100m, the generation rate of MSW is about 78t/d, of which the proportion of food waste is 50.84%. For small and moderate scale, tubular reactor can be competitive, so tubular reactor is selected in this study. The technical routes of the 4 alternatives are as followed: Collection (dry waste & wet waste) ®transportation (78t/d) ®central incineration (entire city: 836t/d) (energy generation efficiency: 25%; flue gas: purification; bottom ash: landfill; fly ash: solidification and landfill) Collection (dry waste & wet waste)®pyrolysis in transfer station (78t/d) ® pyrolysis gas into distributed energy station (pyrolysis gas: purification; residual char: landfill) Collection (dry waste)®transportation(38.3t/d)®central incineration(entire city: 836t/d) Collection(wet waste)®anaerobic digestion in transfer station(39.6t/d) ®biogas into distributed energy station (biogas: purification; digestion residue: landfill) Collection(dry waste)®pyrolysis in transfer station(38.3t/d)®pyrolysis gas into distributed energy station(pyrolysis gas: purification; residual char: landfill) Collection(wet waste)®anaerobic digestion in the transfer stations (39.6t/d) ®biogas to distributed energy station (biogas: purification; biogas residue: landfill) The evaluation result shows that the alternative 4 is the most suitable disposal method in urban functional zone

MSW derived syngas utilization in combination with distributed energy supply system: mode selection and evaluation

Syngas from MSW gasification and pyrolysis are characterized through a rotary kiln reactor followed by a gas scrubber, the components and energy & chemicals for cleaning the syngas were qualified. Then the syngas utilization modes in combination with distributed energy supply system are evaluated. For the separated MSW sample with dry-basis higher heat value (HHV) of 15.23MJ/kg, the HHV of pyrolysis syngas is higher than 15 MJ/kg. When combined with distributed energy supply system, the syngas is cleaned first to remove dust, tar and harmful components such as NH3 and H2S, then is used to supply power & heat. Based on a downtown district in a northern city in China, the syngas from pyrolysis of 43.34 ton/d separated MSW is assumed to generate power & heat through 4 routes, as shown in Fig.1: l burning in a gas engine (1); l burning in a gas turbine (2); l direct combustion in a furnace to generate steam followed by a steam turbine (3); l undergoing separation to obtain pure CH4 or H2 for industrial applications as avoidance of pure gas production or utilization in fuel cell (4). Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

A Multilevel Analysis of Job Characteristics, Emotion Regulation, and Teacher Well-Being: A Job Demands-Resources Model

This study integrated personal factors into the job demands-resources (JD-R) model to examine school- and individual-level predictors of teacher well-being. Survey data were gathered from 1,656 teachers from 54 schools. The results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that the school-level emotional job demands of teaching and suppression at the individual level were positively related to teachers' anxiety and depression whereas school-level trust in colleagues and individual-level reappraisal were positively associated with enthusiasm and contentment. Positive relationship between emotional job demands and suppression was also found. These findings support the claim that reappraisal should be considered a personal resource and suppression a personal demand

Predictors of green purchase intention toward eco-innovation and green products: Evidence from Taiwan

ABSTRACT Recently, purchasing intention towards green products has gained global attention due to their extensive use and high environmental issues. Thus, the current article investigates environmental concern, environmental knowledge, green product, and eco-innovation influence on the green purchase intention of green products in Taiwan industry. The research also examines the mediating role of consumers’ attention among environmental concerns environmental knowledge, green products eco-innovation, and green purchase intention. The article used questionnaires to collect the primary data from the sampled population. To examine the hypothesis, the PLS methodology was adopted. The results indicated that environmental concern, environmental knowledge, green product, and eco-innovation have a positive association with green purchase intention. The findings also exposed that consumer attention significantly and positively mediates environmental concern, environmental knowledge, green product, eco-innovation, and green purchase intention. The paper also proposed some guidelines to the practitioners which help them in the development of green-related policies to increase purchase intention

International Undergraduate Students in Chinese Higher Education: An Engagement Typology and Associated Factors

This research adopted a typological approach to explore international students' academic engagement in China. Using data generated by a survey study involving 801 international undergraduate students at 34 full-time Chinese universities, this research developed an international student engagement typology, and examined important individual and learning environment factors associated with the engagement types presented in the typology. The international student engagement typology helps to understand and enhance international undergraduate students' learning experiences in Chinese HEIs. Although located in China, this research holds implications for practitioners in broader contexts striving for the sustainable development of international student education

B7DC/PDL2 Promotes Tumor Immunity by a PD-1–independent Mechanism

B7H1 (PDL1) and B7DC (PDL2) are two new members of the B7 family that can interact with PD-1, a putative negative regulator for immune function. Recent studies have provided evidence for inhibitory functions of both members via PD-1. Meanwhile, compelling evidence exists for costimulatory function of both members. Here we demonstrate that expression of B7DC on the tumor cells promotes CD8 T cell–mediated rejection of tumor cells, at both the induction and effector phase of antitumor immunity. Moreover, B7DC binds to PD-1(−/−) cells and enhances T cell killing in a PD-1–independent mechanism. Our results demonstrate a novel pathway for B7DC to promote tumor immunity and may reconcile the apparently contradictory findings on the function of B7DC

Isosteviol Sensitizes sarcK ATP

KATP channel is an important mediator or factor in physiological and pathological metabolic pathway. Activation of KATP channel has been identified to be a critical step in the cardioprotective mechanism against IR injury. On the other hand, desensitization of the channel to its opener or the metabolic ligand ATP in pathological conditions, like cardiac hypertrophy, would decrease the adaption of myocardium to metabolic stress and is a disadvantage for drug therapy. Isosteviol, obtained by acid hydrolysis of stevioside, has been demonstrated to play a cardioprotective role against diseases of cardiovascular system, like anti-IR injury, antihypertension, antihyperglycemia, and so forth. The present study investigated the effect of isosteviol (STV) on sarcKATP channel current induced by pinacidil and mitochondrial flavoprotein oxidation induced by diazoxide. Our results showed that preincubating cells with STV not only increased the current amplitude and activating rate of sarcKATP channels induced by pinacidil but also potentiated diazoxide-elicited oxidation of flavoprotein in mitochondria

Nanopore-patterned CuSe drives the realization of PbSe-CuSe lateral heterostructure

Monolayer PbSe has been predicted to be a two-dimensional (2D) topological crystalline insulator (TCI) with crystalline symmetry-protected Dirac-cone-like edge states. Recently, few-layered epitaxial PbSe has been grown on the SrTiO3 substrate successfully, but the corresponding signature of the TCI was only observed for films not thinner than seven monolayers, largely due to interfacial strain. Here, we demonstrate a two-step method based on molecular beam epitaxy for the growth of the PbSe-CuSe lateral heterostructure on the Cu(111) substrate, in which we observe a nanopore patterned CuSe layer that acts as the template for lateral epitaxial growth of PbSe. This further results in a monolayer PbSe-CuSe lateral heterostructure with an atomically sharp interface. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements reveal a four-fold symmetric square lattice of such monolayer PbSe with a quasi-particle band gap of 1.8 eV, a value highly comparable with the theoretical value of freestanding PbSe. The weak monolayer-substrate interaction is further supported by both density functional theory (DFT) and projected crystal orbital Hamilton population, with the former predicting the monolayer's anti-bond state to reside below the Fermi level. Our work demonstrates a practical strategy to fabricate a high-quality in-plane heterostructure, involving a monolayer TCI, which is viable for further exploration of the topology-derived quantum physics and phenomena in the monolayer limit.Comment: 26 pagres, 6 Figure

Abnormal Degree Centrality Associated With Cognitive Dysfunctions in Early Bipolar Disorder

Delayed diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) is common. However, diagnostic validity may be enhanced using reliable neurobiological markers for BD. Degree centrality (DC) is one such potential marker that enables researchers to visualize neuronal network abnormalities in the early stages of some neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present study, we measured resting-state DC abnormalities and cognitive deficits in order to identify early neurobiological markers for BD. We recruited 23 patients with BD who had recently experienced manic episodes (duration of illness <2 years) and 46 matched healthy controls. Our findings indicated that patients with BD exhibited DC abnormalities in frontal areas, temporal areas, the right postcentral gyrus, and the posterior lobe of the cerebellum. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that psychomotor speed indicators were associated with DC in the superior temporal and inferior temporal gyri, while attention indicators were associated with DC in the inferior temporal gyrus, in patients with early BD. Our findings suggest that DC abnormalities in neural emotion regulation circuits are present in patients with early BD, and that correlations between attention/psychomotor speed deficits and temporal DC abnormalities may represent early markers of BD