Call for multi-policy approach: Synergistic effects of emissions trading scheme and energy efficiency policies.

Limited research exists on the synergistic effects of carbon emissions trading and energy efficiency policies despite their significance in achieving global carbon neutrality objectives. This study examines the synergistic effects of carbon emissions trading and energy efficiency policies on aspects of the environment, energy, and economy. Results show that the synergistic effect leads to an additional reduction of 1.2% in carbon emissions, along with a decrease of 4.2% in economic losses. Despite challenges like increased energy external dependency and carbon leakage, the synergistic effect shows a positive externality between policies, reducing the carbon intensity and marginal emission mitigation costs. Furthermore, these synergistic effects yield positive consequences for social welfare, particularly benefiting rural households and fostering equitable distribution of carbon mitigation benefits across societal groups. These findings underscore the importance of considering policy synergies between carbon emissions trading and energy efficiency policies to ensure the total effect of climate change mitigation strategies.

Untargeted metabolomics elucidated biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate by mixed microbial cultures from waste activated sludge under different pH values.

Waste activated sludge has been frequently used as mixed substrate to produce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). However, insufficient research on microbial metabolism has led to difficulties in regulating PHA accumulation in mixed microbial cultures (MMCs). To explore the variation of functional genes during domestication and the effect of different pH conditions on metabolic pathways during PHA accumulation, MMCs were domesticated by adding acetate and propionate with aerobic dynamic feeding strategy for 60 days. As the domestication progressed, the microbial community diversity declined and PHA-producing bacteria, Brevundimonas, Dechloromonas and Hyphomonas, were enriched. Through bacterial function prediction by PICRUSt the gene rpoE involved in starvation resistance of bacteria was enriched after the domestication. The pH value of 8.5 was the best condition for PHA accumulation in MMCs, under which a maximum PHA content reached 23.50% and hydroxybutyric (HB)/hydroxyvaleric (HV) reached 2.22. Untargeted metabolomics analysis exhibited that pH conditions of 7 and 8.5 could promote the up-regulation of significant differential metabolites, while higher alkaline conditions caused the inhibition of metabolic activity. Functional annotation showed that pH condition of 8.5 significantly affected Pyrimidine metabolism, resulting in an increase in PHA production. Regarding the pathways of PHA biosynthesis, acetoacetate was found to be significant in the metabolism of hydroxybutyric, and the alkaline condition could restrain the conversion from hydroxybutyric (HB) to the acetoacetate to protect PHB accumulation in MMCs compared with neutral condition. Taken together, the present results can advance the fundamental understanding of metabolic function in PHA accumulation under different pH conditions.

Evaluation of the repeatability of optical coherence tomography in patients with age-related cataract associated with dry eye.

AIM: To assess the repeatability of a new optical biometer (OA-2000, Tomey, Japan) based on swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and Placido-disk topography in dry eyes with cataracts. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was performed. Two hundred sixteen eyes of 216 cataract patients were enrolled in our hospital from March 2020 to December 2020. According to the subjective symptoms and objective examination of dry eye, the patients were assigned to dry eye group and non-dry eye group. Axial length (AL), keratometry readings (K), lens thickness (LT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), central corneal thickness (CCT) and white-to-white (WTW) distance were measured by one skilled operator. The repeatability of each parameter based on within-subject standard deviation (Sw), repeatability limit of standard deviation (2.77Sw), coefficient of variation (CoV) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was evaluated. RESULT: There was no significant difference in age and gender between the two groups. NiaBUT and NifBUT in the dry eye group were significantly lower than those in the non-dry eye group (p < 0.05). The ICC mean values of AL, K1, K2, Km, ACD, LT and CCT were all greater than 0.960, except WTW. In the dry eye group, except CCT and WTW, the Sw scores for other biometric parameters were lower than 0.201, 2.77Sw scores were lower than 0.557, CoV(%) was less than 1%, and ICC mean values were greater than 0.964. Among them, the Sw scores for AL, LT and ACD were lower than 0.035, the 2.77Sw scores were lower than 0.097, and the ICC mean values are greater than 0.990. CONCLUSION: The ocular biological parameters measured by SS-OCT have good repeatability for age-related cataract patients with dry eyes, in which the AL, LT and ACD are the highest repeatable. However, more attention should be paid for WTW in clinical application since repeatability influence.

The effects and reacts of COVID-19 pandemic and international oil price on energy, economy, and environment in China.

In 2020, the world experienced several significant events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse of international crude oil prices. Both have a great impact on a sustainable economy. Taking China as an example, we use a computable general equilibrium model with multi-sectors and multi-households and consider six different scenarios to simulate and evaluate the aggregate impacts of the pandemic and crude oil prices. We divide the impact of the pandemic into the changes of factor input and the changes of consumer preference and find that the decline of factor input is the leading cause of the economic downturn. The sharp drop in crude oil prices has a significant negative impact on the low-carbon economy. Although the pandemic has led to a decline in global carbon emissions, it is only because of the economic downturn. The epidemic situation and the change of oil price have double impacts on the economy, especially the sustainable economy. Adjusting the price gap between fossil energy and renewable energy (e.g., more stringent carbon pricing) and appropriate tax cuts on residents may be effective ways to alleviate the impact, which should be one of the environmental policies in the post-COVID-19 era.

Detection of gastric inflation using transesophageal echocardiography after different level of pressure-controlled mask ventilation: a prospective randomized trial.

This study aimed to assess the technique of using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to detect gastric inflation and to determine the optimal level of inspiratory pressure during face mask ventilation (FMV). In this prospective and randomized trial, seventy-five adults scheduled for cardiac surgery were enrolled to one of the three groups (P12, P15, P20) defined by the applied inspiratory pressure during FMV. After induction, mask ventilation was performed with the corresponding level of pressure-control ventilation for 2 min in each patient. Respiratory and hemodynamic parameters were recorded every 15 s. Arterial blood gases were tested before induction and at the time of intubation. Gastric cross-section area was detected using transesophageal echocardiography after intubation. The gastric cross-section areas were 3.1 ± 0.81, 3.8 ± 1.37 and 4.8 ± 2.29 cm2 respectively. It statistically increased in group P20 compared with group P12 and P15. PaCO2 before intubation statistically increased compared with the baseline in groups P12 and P15, while decreased in group P20. The mean values of PaCO2 equaled to 44.4 mmHg (40-51.5), 42.9 mmHg (34-50.5) and 36.9 mmHg (30.9-46) respectively in three groups. Peak airway pressure of 12-20 cmH2O could provide acceptable sufficient ventilation during mask ventilation, but 20 cmH2O result in higher incidence of gastric inflation. TEE is useful to detect the gastric inflation related to the entry of air into the stomach during pressure-controlled face mask ventilation.Trial Registration Number ChiCTR-IOR-14005325.

Corneal densitometry in high myopia.

BACKGROUND: To investigate corneal densitometry values obtained using Scheimpflug tomography in normal and highly myopic (HM) eyes and to assess the differences in densitometry values between them. METHODS: Highly myopic and normal corneas were examined using the Pentacam Scheimpflug imaging system. Corneal densitometry was automatically performed over a 12-mm diameter area, which was divided on the basis of annular concentric zones (0-2 mm, 2-6 mm, 6-10 mm, 10-12 mm, total diameter) and depth (anterior layer: inner 120 µm; center layer: from 120 µm to the last 60 µm; posterior layer: last 60 µm; total corneal thickness). RESULTS: A total of 100 normal and 100 HM eyes were enrolled in this study. Upon total corneal thickness densitometry, the HM group was found to have significantly lower values compared with the normal group in 4 annuli, including the 2 mm central zone, 2-6 mm zone, 6-10 mm zone, and 0-12 mm total diameter. Upon anterior layer densitometry, the HM group demonstrated statistically lower values in the 2-6 mm and 6-10 mm zones. Upon densitometry of the central and posterior layers, the HM group was found to have lower values in all annuli. CONCLUSIONS: The densitometry map reveals that light backscatter was lower in most portions of the HM cornea than in the normal cornea.

Voltammetric determination of DNA based on regulation of DNA strand displacement using an allosteric DNA toehold.

An electrochemical biosensor for determination of DNA is described that is based on the reaction of regulated DNA (reg-DNA) first with substrated DNA (subs-DNA) to form a reaction intermediate. The intermediate binds target DNA (T) by hybridization and initiates a branch migration leading to the production of complex of substrated DNA and target DNA (TC). Once TC is produced, it reacts with assisted DNA (ass-DNA) through a toehold exchange mechanism, yielding the product complex of substrated DNA and assisted DNA (CS). The target is then released back into the solution and and catalyzes the next cycle of toehold-exchange with the reaction intermediate of substrated DNA and regulated DNA (CPR). Unlike in a conventional DNA toehold that is hardwired with the branch migration domain, the allosteric DNA toehold is designed into a reg-DNA which is independent of the branch migration domain. Under the optimal experimental conditions and at a working potential as low as 0.18 V, response to DNA is linear in the 1 fM to 1000 pM concentration range, and the detection limit is 0.83 fM. The assay is highly specific and can discriminate target DNA even from a single-base mismatch. It was applied to the analysis of DNA spiked plasma samples. Graphical abstract Schematic illustration of the electrochemical strategy for target DNA detection based on regulation of DNA strand displacement using an allosteric DNA toehold strategy. It can be used to analyze DNA-spiked plasma samples and has a low detection limit of 0.83 fM.

Anterior lens capsule and epithelium thickness measurements using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the anterior lens capsule and epithelium thickness (defined as anterior lens capsular complex: ALCC) in normal Chinese subjects using spectral-domian optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and examine the factors that may influence the ALCC, such as age, gender, pupil diameter (PD) and signal strength index (SSI). METHODS: A prospective observational case series. One-hundred-thirty-four normal subjects (134 eyes) were included. The ALCCs were determined manually via SD-OCT. Using the pupil center as a reference position, the central ALCC (CALCC), nasal 1-mm ALCC (NALCC), temporal 1-mm ALCC (TALCC) and PD were measured manually. RESULTS: The mean CALCC, NALCC and TALCC were 33 ± 6 µm, 36 ± 7 µm and 34 ± 6 µm, respectively. The NALCC was significantly thicker than the CALCC (P < .001) and TALCC (P < .001). Moreover, CALCC was significantly thinner than TALCC (P = 0.013). Age was positively correlated with the CALCC (r = 0.292, P < .001), NALCC (r = 0.400, P < .001) and TALCC (r = 0.521, P < .001). PD, gender and SSI were not significantly correlated with the three ALCC parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The SD-OCT can be used to demonstrate the ALCC thickness, and age is positively correlated with the ALCC in the central, nasal and temporal sides.

The deep origin of ground fissures in the Kenya Rift Valley.

Intense volcanic and geothermal activities characterize the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. Ground fissure disasters of the Great Rift Valley have garnered increasing attention in recent years. Through field investigations, trenching, geophysical exploration, gas sampling and analysis, we determined the distribution and origin of 22 ground fissures within the Kedong Basin of the Central Kenya Rift. These ground fissures caused varying degrees of damage to roads, culverts, railways, and communities. Trenching and geophysical exploration have shown that ground fissures in sediments are connected to rock fractures with gas escaping. The gases expelled from the rock fractures contained methane and SO2, which were absent in the normal atmosphere, and 3He/4He ratios in gases measured further indicated that the volatiles were derived from the mantle, suggesting that these rock fractures extended deep into the underlying bedrock. Spatial correlations with rock fractures demonstrate the deep origin of these ground fissures, which are associated with active rifting, plate separation, and volcanism. The ground fissures are formed due to movement on the deeper rock fractures, and then the gas escapes through the fissures. Determining the unusual origin of these ground fissures can not only guide infrastructure development and urban planning but also contribute to the safety of local communities.

Functional features in patients with idiopathic macular hole treatment via OCT angiography.

To evaluate the optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography features in patients with idiopathic macular hole (IMH) before and after vitrectomy. This prospective study included 25 patients diagnosed with IMH in Shanxi eye hospital from August 2019 to December 2021. The study was divided into 3 groups: IMH eyes, fellow eyes and normal eyes. All unilateral IMH eyes underwent vitrectomy. There were significant differences in superficial retinal blood flow density (SRBFD, P < .001) and choroidal blood flow density (CBFD) between IMH and healthy control eyes before operation (P < .05). There was significant difference in SRBFD between fellow eyes and normal eyes (P = .038). The changes of SRBFD and CBFD in IMH eyes before and after operation were statistically significant (P < .05). The CBFD at 6 months after operation is negatively correlated with LogMAR visual acuity, and the CBFD of the fellow eye is also negatively correlated with LogMAR visual acuity. The SRBFD and CBFD had no correlation with the diameter of macular hole before and after operation. SRBFD and CBFD increased after vitrectomy, indicating that the blood supply of retina and choroid were partially restored after vitrectomy. There was no correlation between SRBFD, CBFD and hole diameter, but there was correlation between choroidal blood flow and LogMAR visual acuity.

A probabilistic method for mapping earth fissure hazards.

Earth fissures caused by tectonic forces, human activities, or both seriously threaten the safety of people's lives and properties. The Taiyuan Basin, a Cenozoic downfaulted basin located in the centre of the Fen-Wei Basin tectonic belt, in northwestern China, presents the ideal study area for a hazard assessment of earth fissures. A total of 104 earth fissures have been observed in the Taiyuan Basin, with a total length of approximately 128 km. In this paper, we proposed a probabilistic method for mapping earth fissure hazards by integrating the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the area under the curve (AUC), and the certainty factor model (CFM). Geomorphic units, geologic formations, active faults and land subsidence zones of the Taiyuan Basin were mapped in detail. Correlations between these factors and earth fissures were evaluated through spatial modelling in ArcGIS. The AUC was introduced into the AHP to weight each factor and thus, to derive an earth fissure susceptibility map. Finally, the modelled earth fissure susceptibility was compared with a digital inventory of earth fissures to develop a probability function and map the spatial variability in failure probability through the CFM. The study indicates that active faults have the greatest contribution to the generation of earth fissures. Earth fissures are prone to develop in the piedmont alluvial-diluvial clinoplain and the transitional zone near the geomorphic boundary. This mapping procedure can assist in making rational decisions regarding urban planning and infrastructure development in areas susceptible to earth fissures.

Economic, energy and environmental impact of coal-to-electricity policy in China: A dynamic recursive CGE study.

In north China, many rural and urban residents still use coal for heating in winter. However, such method would result in a large amount of GHG emissions. China intends to change the heating method of its citizens from coal burning to electric heating to save energy, reduce emissions, which is called the project of Coal to Electricity (CtE). A dynamic recursive computable general equilibrium model is applied to analyze the real effect if the project is widely promoted in China. We found that CtE project is effective in reducing SO2 and NOx emission than CO2 emissions. In essence, energy substitution is not energy-saving, so the contribution to CO2 reduction of CtE project is limited. There is a certain co-benefit between CtE project and other energy saving policies (new energy generation, improving heating efficiency and building energy saving etc.). The findings indicate that single CtE policy can only bring better air quality. However, with other energy saving policies, CtE project can not only bring NOx and SO2 reduction, but also lead to less CO2 emissions and more convenient life. Multiple emission reduction measures are suggested to maximize the reduction effects of these policies.

Energy, economic and environmental impact of government fines in China's carbon trading scheme.

Carbon emissions caused by human activities have exploded in recent years. Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is a feasible way to reduce CO2. Little research concentrated on the ETS fines for excessive emission. We analyzed the different impacts of fine mechanisms in ETS by applying computable general equilibrium model and constructed seven scenarios. We found that although Gross Domestic Product (GDP) loss is not significant when applying ETS market, GDP loss would increase rapidly when ETS fine increases. The CO2 abatement effect of alterable ETS fine is a bit better than that of fixed fine. Higher fines will cause relatively lower carbon intensity compared with lower ETS fines, which is caused by different emission reduction effect in different scenarios. It seems that ETS fines cannot affect reduction costs as significantly as GDP loss rate and emission reduction. ETS fine can affect significantly ETS cost of enterprises, commodity price and output of energy-intensive industries as well as GDP loss and CO2 abatement, but can less influence carbon emission intensity and reduction cost. A proper ETS fine is very important and ETS fines in China's ETS market are 2-3 times of carbon price. We consider that the current government design is reasonable.

What are the main factors affecting carbon price in Emission Trading Scheme? A case study in China.

Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) has the potential to influence energy consumption, environmental quality and economy directly and ETS price is the key of ETS market. On December 27, 2017, China's carbon trading market was officially launched, which may be the largest platform of ETS in the world. Therefore, this paper seeks to assess the influencing factors of emission trading price (industry coverage, the annual decline factor, and free allowance rate) and analyzes the impact mechanism in detail by applying computable general equilibrium model. The results show that ETS price and emission reduction have a significant positive correlation; key factors can impact the price significantly. Fewer industries, higher annual decline factor, and higher free allowance rate will push ETS price up. The paper also found that ETS prices are unpredictable when the mechanism is not yet fully determined. It further, argues that ETS prices are unpredictable when the mechanism is not yet fully determined because of the high relationship between ETS price and the mechanism of ETS. These findings will assist policymakers to build a healthy ETS market. The important implication is that we can adjust the market price by adjusting these mechanisms.

Comparison of axial length, anterior chamber depth and intraocular lens power between IOLMaster and ultrasound in normal, long and short eyes.

PURPOSE: To compare the axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD) and intraocular lens power (IOLP) of IOLMaster and Ultrasound in normal, long and short eyes. METHODS: Seventy-four normal eyes (≥ 22 mm and ≤ 25 mm), 74 long eyes (> 25 mm) and 78 short eyes (< 22 mm) underwent AL and ACD measurements with both devices in the order of IOLMaster followed by Ultrasound. The IOLP were calculated using a free online LADAS IOL formula calculator. RESULTS: The difference in AL and IOLP between IOLMaster and Ultrasound was statistically significant when all three groups were combined. The difference in ACD between IOLMaster and Ultrasound was statistically significant in the normal group (P<0.001) and short eye group (P<0.001) but not the long eye group (P = 0.465). For the IOLP difference between IOLMaster and Ultrasound in the normal group, the percentage of IOLP differences <|0.5|D, ≥|0.5|D<|0.75|D, ≥|0.75|D<|1.0|D, and ≥|1.0|D were 90.5%, 8.1%, 1.4% and 0%, respectively. For the long eye group, they were 90.5%, 5.4%, 4.1% and 0%, respectively. For the short eye group, they were 61.5%, 23.1%, 10.3%, and 5.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IOLMaster and Ultrasound have statistically significant differences in AL measurements and IOLP (using LADAS formula) for normal, long eye and short eye. The two instruments agree regarding ACD measurements for the long eye group, but differ for the normal and short eye groups. Moreover, the high percentage of IOLP differences greater than |0.5|D in the short eye group is noteworthy.

Comparison of Anterior Segment Biometric Measurements between Pentacam HR and IOLMaster in Normal and High Myopic Eyes.

PURPOSE: To compare the anterior chamber depth (ACD), keratometry (K) and astigmatism measurements taken by IOLMaster and Pentacam HR in normal and high myopic (HM) eyes. DESIGN: A prospective observational case series. METHODS: Sixty-six normal eyes and 59 HM eyes underwent ACD, keratometry and astigmatism measurements with both devices. Axial length (AL) was measured on IOLMaster. The interdevice agreement was evaluated using the Bland-Altman analysis and paired t-test. The correlations between age and AL & ACD were analyzed. Vector analysis was used to compare astigmatism measurements. RESULTS: The ACD from IOLMaster and Pentacam HR was different for the normal group (P = 0.003) but not for the HM group (P = 0.280). IOLMaster demonstrated higher steep K and mean K values than Pentacam HR for both normal and HM groups (P<0.001 for all). IOLMaster also have higher flat K values for the HM groups (P<0.001) but were statistically equivalent with Pentacam HR for the normal group (P = 0.119) IOLMaster and Pentacam HR were different in astigmatism measurements for the normal group but were statistically equivalent for the HM group. For the normal group, age was negatively correlated with AL, IOLMaster ACD and Pentacam HR ACD (r = -0.395, P = 0.001; r = -0.715, P < 0.001; r = -0.643, P < 0.001). For the HM group, age was positively correlated with AL but negatively correlated with IOLMaster ACD and Pentacam HR ACD (r = 0.377, P = 0.003; r = -0.392, P = 0.002; r = -0.616, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The IOLMaster and Pentacam HR have significant difference in corneal power measurements for both normal and HM groups. The two instruments also differ in ACD and astigmatism measurement for the normal group. Therefore, a single instrument is recommended for studying longitudinal changes in anterior segment biometric measurements. Age should be considered as an influencing factor for both AL and ACD values in the normal and HM group.