A comprehensive study on the pyrolysis behavior of pine sawdust catalyzed by different metal ions under conventional and microwave heating conditions

The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic have made fossil energy more urgent, and the catalytic pyrolysis of biomass is conducive to energy transformation to achieve global sustainable development. In this paper, the influence mechanisms of different metal ions on biomass pyrolysis under conventional heating and microwave heating conditions were studied. Through thermogravimetric analysis, it was found that the existence of metal ions could change the pyrolysis behaviors of biomass, leading to different degrees of changes in the main pyrolysis temperature and range. Compared with conventional heating conditions, metal ion-loaded biomass samples exhibited higher heating rates under microwave heating conditions due to the possible hotspot phenomenon, resulting in increased gas yields and decreased bio-oil yields. Among them, the trivalent iron ion exhibited excellent catalytic properties for gas generation, with a high gas yield of 57.9% and a bio-oil yield of 12.1%. The components in bio-oil were greatly simplified by microwave irradiation, the number of the bio-oil compounds from the pyrolysis of Fe-loading pine sawdust was reduced to 77, and the GC-MS area of light compounds with carbon number less than 10 was increased to 84.4%. Phenol and furan in bio-oil are also catalytically converted into aromatic hydrocarbons, which are ideal chemical raw materials. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Expert consensus on diagnosing & treating pediatric surgical diseases during the epidemic period of COVID -19.

Ever since late December 2019, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID -19) has been reported in China. It presents a general trend of a global pandemic. By consulting the relevant Chinese government regulations and the latest publications of COVID -19, more than 20 pediatric surgical specialists from China formulated the Expert Consensus of COVID -19 Prevention and Control Protocol. Suitable for clinical practices, it provides recommendations for children's hospitals and pediatric surgical institutions at domestic and abroad.Copyright © 2020 by the Chinese Medical Association.

How does natural resource dependence influence carbon emissions? The role of environmental regulation

Sustainable economic development and green recovery in the post-COVID-19 era in China requires consideration of natural resource dependence (NRD) and environmental regulation (ER) of CO2 emissions. Based on panel data covering 2008 and 2018 in China, this paper explores the impacts of NRD on carbon emissions and the moderating role of ER. In addition, the heterogeneity, asymmetry, and mediating mechanism are investigated in this study. Following are the main conclusions: (1) Decreasing the dependence on natural resources and strengthening ER can effectively cut down CO2 emissions, and the enhanced ER can reduce the contribution of NRD to CO2 emissions;(2) the positive influence of NRD on carbon emissions are consistent in various regions, while the influence of ER on CO2 emissions is negative in areas with high levels of NRD;(3) the reduced natural resources dependence can accelerate the carbon emissions reduction process indirectly by causing a reduction in China's total energy demand and coal consumption and accelerating the green technological innovation. The findings present several policy recommendations for achieving carbon emissions reduction.

Towards green recovery: Platform economy and its impact on carbon emissions in China

China's economy and environment urgently require a green recovery as COVID-19's consequences expand over time, and the platform economy is a practical means of pursuing this goal. By employing the Generalized Divisia Index Method (GDIM), this paper aims to analyze the impact of platform economy on carbon emissions in China during the period 2013–2020. Overall, the platform economy has increased carbon emissions, but there was a decrease in carbon emissions in the platform economy between 2014 and 2016. The scale factors of platform economy are the primary contributors to the increase in China's overall emissions and most provincial carbon emissions, while the carbon intensity of platform economy factors contributes most to the decrease in carbon emissions. In particular, the carbon intensity of platform economy factors promoted the most cumulative carbon emissions in Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Qinghai, and Ningxia between 2013 and 2020, and the energy intensity of platform economy factors reduced most of the cumulative carbon emissions of Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Qinghai, and Xinjiang during the same period. From the perspective of the heterogeneity of platform economic development, the main contributors of carbon mitigation from high-platform economic provinces are intensity effects. However, the platform economic structure of low-platform economic provinces significantly reduces carbon emissions. In addition, we also found significant differences in the factors influencing emissions in different groups under the influence of the pandemic. Finally, we provide some valuable references for China's platform economic development to achieve "carbon neutrality” targets. © 2023 Economic Society of Australia, Queensland

A smart audio device Tochie for long-term care residents to stay connected with family during COVID lockdown

Background: The effects of isolation and loneliness have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While assistive technology offers potential benefits for long-term care residents, there is limited evidence on technology adoption in complex care environments in LTC. The voices of older persons, family members and staff perspectives are not adequately included in implementation science literature. The poster report the adoption of Tochie, a smart audio device that allows family members to remotely record and schedule messages, such as daily reminders or comforting audio recordings, to send to their loved ones in LTC care homes during the time of COVID lockdown. Method(s): We applied qualitative descriptive design with interview and focus group methods. A total of 25 people in LTC participated in the study, including residents, family members, and care staff from two long-term care homes in British Columbia, Canada. Each resident was given a device to use with their family member for a four-week intervention period. The research team checked in with family members and staff weekly via telephone and email to provide support and gather feedback. Pre- and post-intervention focus groups and interviews were held via Zoom and phone correspondence to learn about participants' experiences using Tochie. Thematic analysis was performed to identify themes. Result(s): Four common themes were identified to describe the experience of using Tochie in LTC: (a) fostering emotional connection (b) connecting in creative and personalized ways (c) considering contextual considerations in LTC (d) lessons learned for future developments. Conclusion(s): The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us an opportunity to redefine and reconstruct what it means to "keep in touch" with loved ones in care settings. In our study, residents, families and staff highlighted the ways in which Tochie has enabled and expanded possibilities for family connection. Our findings offer pragmatic insights into challenges and possibilities for future product development and implementation. Copyright © 2022 the Alzheimer's Association.

Evaluation of factors affecting visit adherence in patients receiving intravitreal injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose : The COVID-19 Pandemic has disrupted the care of patients receiving intravitreal injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). This study looks at the factors that affected visit adherence for this population of patients during the height of the first pandemic surge. Methods : In this retrospective, observational, case-control study, we included nAMD patients receiving anti-VEGF injections with an appointment scheduled during the target periods of March 11, 2020-May 26, 2020 at either an urban hospital-based or suburban eye clinic. Patients who did not present for their appointment (cases) were compared to patients who did present to their appointment (controls). Medical records were reviewed to collect age, sex, race, presence of appointment attendance, language, marital status, distance from clinic, and area of deprivation index (ADI), which is a measure of socioeconomic health. Multivariate regression models were created with Stata (College Station, Texas) to determine the differences of these factors between no-show and show groups. Results : 115 no-show patients (21% male, mean age 81 years) and 129 controls (26 % male, mean age 80.9 years) were enrolled. The odds of no-show were higher in non-White patients compared to White [(odds ratio (OR) = 2.7, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.22- 6.17, P = 0.01)], the urban site compared to suburban site (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.70-5.76, P = 0.0001) and single patients compared to married (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.09-4.89, P = 0.02) in univariate analysis. The associations remained significant in multivariate analysis for non-White patients (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.30-6.88, P = 0.01) and urban site (OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 1.78-10.3, P = 0.001) after adjusting for age, gender, language, distance from clinic and ADI. Age, distance from clinic, gender, ADI, and language were not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusions : Visit adherence was lower for non-White patients during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic underlying the disparities which can be seen during the pandemic. Patients treated at an urban hospital were less likely to present for their anti-VEGF treatments than those receiving care in a suburban clinic. Further research is needed to determine whether differences in visit adherence effected long-term vision outcomes.

The global impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of pediatric new-onset type 1 diabetes and ketoacidosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Viral infections may increase the risk of developing type 1 diabetes (T1D), and recent reports suggest that Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) might have increased the incidence of pediatric T1D and/or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to estimate the risk of global pediatric new-onset T1D, DKA, and severe DKA before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and EMBASE was conducted for articles published up to March 2022. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to compare the relative risk of T1D and DKA among pediatric patients with T1D between the COVID-19 pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. We also compared glucose and HbA1c values in children who were newly diagnosed with T1D before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The global incidence rate of T1D in the 2019 period was 19.73 per 100 000 children and 32.39 per 100 000 in the 2020 period. Compared with pre-COVID-19 pandemic, the number of worldwide pediatric new-onset T1D, DKA, and severe DKA during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic increased by 9.5%, 25%, and 19.5%, respectively. Compared with pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, the median glucose, and HbA1c values in newly diagnosed T1D children after the COVID-19 pandemic increased by 6.43% and 6.42%, respectively. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the risk of global pediatric new-onset T1D, DKA, and severe DKA. Moreover, higher glucose and HbA1c values in newly diagnosed T1D children after the COVID-19 pandemic mandates targeted measures to raise public and physician awareness.

Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with diverse health conditions: A comprehensive systematic review.

It remains unclear how effective COVID-19 vaccinations will be in patients with weakened immunity due to diseases, transplantation, and dialysis. We conducted a systematic review comparing the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with solid tumor, hematologic malignancy, autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and patients who received transplantation or dialysis. A literature search was conducted twice using the Medline/PubMed database. As a result, 21 papers were included in the review, and seropositivity rate was summarized by specific type of disease, transplantation, and dialysis. When different papers studied the same type of patient group, a study with a higher number of participants was selected. Most of the solid tumor patients showed a seropositivity rate of more than 80% after the second inoculation, but a low seropositivity was found in certain tumors such as breast cancer. Research in patients with certain types of hematological malignancy and autoimmune diseases has also reported low seropositivity, and this may have been affected by the immunosuppressive treatment these patients receive. Research in patients receiving dialysis or transplantation has reported lower seropositivity rates than the general population, while all patients with inflammatory bowel disease have converted to be seropositive. Meta-analysis validating these results will be needed, and studies will also be needed on methods to protect patients with reduced immunity from COVID-19.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of myocarditis associated with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

To analyze the clinical presentation and outcomes of myocarditis after administration of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine. Nine case series and 15 case reports (74 patients) of myocarditis after administration of the BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccine were reviewed from PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science. We analyzed clinical manifestations, diagnostic findings, and outcomes. In addition, we performed a pooled analysis and investigated risk factors leading to admission to the intensive care unit and recovery with conservative care. Most patients were male (94.6%), and the median age (range) was 17.6 (14-70) years. Patients who received the BNT162b2 (n = 58, 78.4%) vaccine presented fewer systemic symptoms and left ventricular dysfunction than mRNA-1273 recipients. Although patients under 20 years experienced more fever and myalgia, they had better ejection fraction and less prominent myocardial inflammation in magnetic resonance imaging than older patients. The clinical course of all patients was favorable without mortality, and one-third of patients resolved with conservative care alone. Risk factor analyses revealed that patients with gastrointestinal symptoms required intensive care (odds ratio: 20.3, 95% confidence interval 1.90-217, p = 0.013). The risk of fatality in myocarditis subjected to mRNA vaccination seems to be low. However, patients with gastrointestinal symptoms received more intensive care, and a significant proportion of patients recovered with conservative management.

Dynamic linkages between economic policy uncertainty and the carbon futures market: Does Covid-19 pandemic matter?

In recent years, the escalating economic policy uncertainty (EPU) spurs a growing body of research on the interactions between EPU and financial markets. However, the spillovers from EPU to the carbon market have been rarely investigated. This study aims to examine the spillover effect of EPU on the carbon futures market under different market conditions. For this purpose, the quantile Granger test method and the quantile regression method are simultaneously employed. The daily data of carbon futures price return and the EPU index covers the period of January 22, 2013 to July 2, 2021. Considering any possible structural changes caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, we further divide the entire sample period into two subperiods, period I spanning from January 22, 2013 to December 31, 2019 and period II from December 31, 2019 to July 2, 2021. In addition, based on the wavelet decomposition approach, we also examine the evolution of the spillover from EPU to carbon futures price return in different time and frequency domains. The results indicate that EPU shocks cannot predict the volatility of daily returns of carbon futures. However, in the long term, EPU has a significantly negative impact on carbon futures price return. The causality is asymmetric across the whole distribution of carbon futures price return. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic affects the spillover and connectedness between EPU and carbon futures price return by influencing their short- and medium-term performances. Finally, several policy implications are highlighted for policymakers and investors. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd