Impact of Digital Industrialization on the Energy Industry Supply Chain: Evidence from the Natural Gas Industry in China

The global economy is moving into a new era characterized by digital and green development. To examine the impact of digital industrialization development on the energy supply chain, in relation to the sustainable development of China's energy security, we discuss the nonlinear impact and transmission mechanism of digital industrialization on the supply chain of the energy industry using a panel threshold regression model based on sample data on the development of the provincial natural gas industry in China from 2006 to 2020. We found that there are multiple threshold effects of digital industrialization level development on energy supply chain length, and the results are statistically significant, i.e., digital industrialization development positively contributes to natural gas supply chain length after digital industrialization is raised to or crosses the critical threshold. Meanwhile, the heterogeneity analysis results show that there are differences in the impact of digital industrialization on the energy supply chain from sub-sectors, regional development differences, and different development periods. Therefore, we provide some factual support and experience for achieving the construction goal of "Digital China" and accelerating the digital reform of the energy supply chain as well as transforming and upgrading the economic structure.

[Analysis on infection sources and transmission chains of three outbreaks caused by 2019-nCoV Omicron variant in Beijing, China].

Objective: To investigate the infection sources and the transmission chains of three outbreaks caused by 2019-nCoV Omicron variant possibly spread through cross-border logistics in Beijing. Methods: Epidemiological investigation and big data were used to identify the exposure points of the cases. Close contacts were traced from the exposure points, and the cases' and environmental samples were collected for nucleic acid tests. Positive samples were analyzed by gene sequencing. Results: The Omicron variant causing 3 outbreaks in Beijing from January to April, 2022 belonged to BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2. The outbreaks lasted for 8, 12 and 8 days respectively, and 6, 42 and 32 cases infected with 2019-nCoV were reported respectively. International mail might be the infection source for 1 outbreak, and imported clothes might be the infection sources for another 2 outbreaks. The interval between the shipment start time of the imported goods and the infection time of the index case was 3-4 days. The mean incubation period (Q1, Q3) was 3 (2,4) days and the mean serial interval (Q1, Q3) was 3 (2,4)days. Conclusions: The 3 outbreaks highlighted the risk of infection by Omicron variant from international logistics-related imported goods at normal temperature. Omicron variant has stronger transmissibility, indicating that rapid epidemiological investigation and strict management are needed.

Analysing the factors affecting medical waste generation in China

Medical waste deserves particular attention due to its potential for causing serious damage to people and the environment. Although the factors influencing the generation of medical waste are critical for designing policies aimed at effectively reducing medical waste and improving medical waste management, they have not been extensively studied. The rapid development of China's medical and health services and the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 have brought significant challenges to managing medical waste in China. Therefore, based on panel data from eight cities in China from 2013 to 2019, this study used a fixed-effects model to investigate the influencing factors of medical waste generation (MWG) in China, and tested the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The results show that there is a non-linear N-shaped curve relationship between MWG and per capita gross domestic product (GDP);MWG will continue to increase with economic growth, but the growth rate will slow down from fast to slow, and then from slow to fast with economic growth. The analysis also reveals that implementing a tiered diagnosis and treatment policy may negatively affect MWG by reducing the waste of medical resources and thus reducing the generation of medical waste. The positive effect of population size on MWG is also highly significant, so when the aging of the population increases, the generation of medical waste also increases. The three policy suggestions are provided: 1) improve the disposal capacity and efficiency of medical waste;2) give full play to the advantages of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment policy;3) improve the management level of medical waste in primary medical institutions. © 2023

[Survey on infection source of a cold-chain product associated COVID-19 epidemic caused by 2019-nCoV Delta variant in Beijing].

Objective: To investigate the source and the transmission chain of a cold-chain product associated COVID-19 epidemic caused by 2019-nCoV Delta variant in Beijing. Methods: Epidemiological investigation were used to verify the exposure points of the cases. Close contacts were traced from the exposure points, and human and environmental samples were collected for nucleic acid tests. Positive samples were analyzed by gene sequencing. Results: A total of 112 cases of COVID-19 were reported in the epidemic from January 18 to February 6, 2022 in Beijing. Except for 1 case was uncertain, there were epidemiological links among 111 cases. The source of infection was the packages of imported cold-chain products from Southeast Asia, which were harvested and stored in a local cold-storage in January 2021, and packaged and sent to the cold-storage A in A district in June 2021, and then sold in batches in cold-storage B in B district from January 2022. The first case was infected in the handling of positive frozen products, and then 77 cases occurred due to working, eating and living together with the index case in the cold-storage B, cold-storage C and restaurant D. Besides the cold-storage B, C and the restaurant D, there were 16 sub-transmission chains, resulting in additional 35 cases. Conclusion: The epidemic indicated that the risk of 2019-nCoV infection from imported cold-chain products contaminated by package and highlighted the importance to strengthen the management of cold-chain industry in future.

Kidney Angiotensin in Cardiovascular Disease: Formation and Drug Targeting.

The concept of local formation of angiotensin II in the kidney has changed over the last 10-15 years. Local synthesis of angiotensinogen in the proximal tubule has been proposed, combined with prorenin synthesis in the collecting duct. Binding of prorenin via the so-called (pro)renin receptor has been introduced, as well as megalin-mediated uptake of filtered plasma-derived renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components. Moreover, angiotensin metabolites other than angiotensin II [notably angiotensin-(1-7)] exist, and angiotensins exert their effects via three different receptors, of which angiotensin II type 2 and Mas receptors are considered renoprotective, possibly in a sex-specific manner, whereas angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptors are believed to be deleterious. Additionally, internalized angiotensin II may stimulate intracellular receptors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) not only generates angiotensin-(1-7) but also acts as coronavirus receptor. Multiple, if not all, cardiovascular diseases involve the kidney RAS, with renal AT1 receptors often being claimed to exert a crucial role. Urinary RAS component levels, depending on filtration, reabsorption, and local release, are believed to reflect renal RAS activity. Finally, both existing drugs (RAS inhibitors, cyclooxygenase inhibitors) and novel drugs (angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, soluble ACE2) affect renal angiotensin formation, thereby displaying cardiovascular efficacy. Particular in the case of the latter three, an important question is to what degree they induce renoprotection (e.g., in a renal RAS-dependent manner). This review provides a unifying view, explaining not only how kidney angiotensin formation occurs and how it is affected by drugs but also why drugs are renoprotective when altering the renal RAS. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Angiotensin formation in the kidney is widely accepted but little understood, and multiple, often contrasting concepts have been put forward over the last two decades. This paper offers a unifying view, simultaneously explaining how existing and novel drugs exert renoprotection by interfering with kidney angiotensin formation.

[Epidemiological characteristics of imported COVID-19 cases in Beijing].

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of imported COVID-19 cases and the effect of vaccination on virus load and disease severity of the cases in Beijing. Methods: The data of the imported COVID-19 cases in Beijing were collected from the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System of China Information for Disease Control and Prevention and Epidemiology investigation. The data were processed and analyzed by Excel 2010 and SPSS 22.0. Results: From June 1 to September 30, 2021, a total of 171 imported COVID-19 cases were reported in Beijing, of which 66.67% (114/171) were asymptomatic. The cases were mainly from the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation, accounting for 67.84% (116/171). The male to female ratio of the cases was 2∶1 (114∶57). The median age M (Q1, Q3) of the cases was 28 (23, 36) years. The cases of Chinese accounted for 80.12% (137/171). The sequencing of the whole genome of the virus in 47 imported COVID-19 cases showed that the proportion of Delta variant was 76.60% (36/47). The COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate in the cases was 60.82% (104/171), but the full vaccination coverage rate was 53.80% (92/171). In the imported COVID-19 cases, 13.53% (23/170) were screened to be SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid positive on the day when they arrived in Beijing, and all the cases were positive for 2019-nCoV nucleic acid within 28 days. The severity of the disease was higher in the unvaccinated group than in the partially vaccinated group and fully vaccinated group (P<0.001). In the unvaccinated group, there were 1 severe case and 1 critical case. The median Ct values M (Q1, Q3) of N gene and ORFlab gene in unvaccinated group were 32.51 (23.23, 36.06) and 32.78 (24.00, 36.38), respectively. There was no significant difference in the median of double-gene Ct value between the partially vaccinated group and the fully vaccinated group. Conclusions: During the study period, most of the imported COVID-19 cases in Beijing were asymptomatic. No matter vaccinated or not, the viral loads in the COVID-19 cases were similar, but the vaccination could reduce the severity of the disease.

Large-Scale Blow Spinning of Nanofiber Membranes for Highly Efficient Air Mechanical Filtration with Antibacterial Activity

The demand for air filtration products has increased significantly with the aggravation of air pollution and the pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It is urgently needed to develop an air filtration membrane that exhibits lasting filtration performance and antibacterial activity. Herein, we report a large-scale blow spinning technique to produce polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber membranes for highly efficient air mechanical filtration and its antibacterial modification by adding the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The PVDF nanofiber membrane with an area density of only 1.0 g/m2 exhibits the highest filtration efficiency of 98.63% for the particle with a size of 0.3 μm. After eliminating static electricity, there is almost no reduction in the filtration efficiency of particulate matter with a size larger than 1 μm and only 4.69% decrease in the particulate matter with a size of 0.5 μm. Hence, the PVDF nanofiber membrane with nanostructures for air filtration works mainly by the means of mechanical filtration. To inhibit the survival or growth of the intercepted bacteria on the membrane, the PVDF/AgNPs nanofiber membrane was fabricated by adding AgNPs to PVDF nanofibers, which exhibits the strongest antibacterial activity of more than 99% and an excellent filtration efficiency similar to that without adding AgNPs. The nanofiber membrane with antibacterial activity is expected to extend the service or storage time or be reused without loss of filtration performance. Additionally, large-scale production of nanofiber filtration membranes has been realized using a multi-needle blow spinning machine. © 2022 American Chemical Society.

Angiotensin II and AT1a Receptors in the Proximal Tubules of the Kidney: New Roles in Blood Pressure Control and Hypertension.

Contrary to public perception, hypertension remains one of the most important public health problems in the United States, affecting 46% of adults with increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and kidney diseases. The mechanisms underlying poorly controlled hypertension remain incompletely understood. Recent development in the Cre/LoxP approach to study gain or loss of function of a particular gene has significantly helped advance our new insights into the role of proximal tubule angiotensin II (Ang II) and its AT1 (AT1a) receptors in basal blood pressure control and the development of Ang II-induced hypertension. This novel approach has provided us and others with an important tool to generate novel mouse models with proximal tubule-specific loss (deletion) or gain of the function (overexpression). The objective of this invited review article is to review and discuss recent findings using novel genetically modifying proximal tubule-specific mouse models. These new studies have consistently demonstrated that deletion of AT1 (AT1a) receptors or its direct downstream target Na+/H+ exchanger 3 (NHE3) selectively in the proximal tubules of the kidney lowers basal blood pressure, increases the pressure-natriuresis response, and induces natriuretic responses, whereas overexpression of an intracellular Ang II fusion protein or AT1 (AT1a) receptors selectively in the proximal tubules increases proximal tubule Na+ reabsorption, impairs the pressure-natriuresis response, and elevates blood pressure. Furthermore, the development of Ang II-induced hypertension by systemic Ang II infusion or by proximal tubule-specific overexpression of an intracellular Ang II fusion protein was attenuated in mutant mice with proximal tubule-specific deletion of AT1 (AT1a) receptors or NHE3. Thus, these recent studies provide evidence for and new insights into the important roles of intratubular Ang II via AT1 (AT1a) receptors and NHE3 in the proximal tubules in maintaining basal blood pressure homeostasis and the development of Ang II-induced hypertension.

The City Agent Model of COVID-19 based on GIS and Application: A Case Study of Guangzhou

Since December 2019, a new type of coronavirus pneumonia has occurred in Wuhan, Hubei. The strong spread ability of the new coronavirus has led to the rapidly emergence of new coronaviruses throughout the country and even all over the world. In order to portray the spread line of the new coronavirus within the city and then provide reasonable suggestions for the prevention and control of the urban epidemic, this article constructs a new coronavirus intelligent simulation model by combining complex network theory and GIS technology based on the behavior and social relationships of individuals in the city. Considering to the facts that it is necessary to strictly prevent the import of overseas cases to prevent the local epidemic from rebounding in cities with complex composition of population. This agent model takes the first entry point for overseas entry, Guangzhou city, as the research object to review the development of the epidemic. The attributes and rules of the model was determined by collecting statistical data from the literatures. Then the parameters were fitted by the Markov chain Monte Carlo method to achieve an accurate review of the epidemic situation in Guangzhou. The model is of high accuracy whose MAPE value have achieved 0.17. Meanwhile, this model also has good applicability which can simulate the impact of imported cases from abroad on the development of urban epidemics. Since the agent model marks the individual's time and space location and social relationship, this paper proposes a method for epidemiological investigation through the agent model, which is more convenient and more efficient than traditional epidemiological investigations.This article also visually displays the results of the infection chain, which is convenient for analyzing the activity trajectory of virus carriers and close contacts. This model provides valuable decision-making information for urban epidemic prevention and control. Moreover, the simulation results show that if there is another epidemic outbreak in the city, the epidemic will be controlled within 14-20 days so the citizens don't need to be panic. However, it is still necessary to improve self-protection awareness and protect individuals finely, especially the children and the elderly. When the epidemic comes again, it is recommended that schools and enterprises should establish a joint health monitoring mechanism to strengthen the health monitoring of children and employees, respectively. Relevant governmental departments have to strengthened the spread of epidemic prevention knowledge and persuaded retired people to reduce gatherings and wear masks reasonably. 2021, Science Press. All right reserved.

Communicable disease transmission model for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Wuhan City, China

Epidemic prevention and control strongly affect people's lives in cities, but existing communicable disease models cannot accurately simulate the effects of prevention and control procedures. A city simulation model for the 2019 coronavirus epidemic was developed based on an Agent model for Wuhan, China to model the epidemic transmission process. The model includes the government control measures and the hospital diagnosis and treatment levels during the epidemic with analyses of the infection rates and spatial distributions for various epidemic control measures. The model was also used to model the active anti-epidemic impact of nucleic acid testing after people returned to work. The results show that this modeling method accurately reproduces the spatio-temporal transmission characteristics of the Wuhan epidemic. Thus, this method can be used to evaluate government control measures and to implement diagnosis and treatment plans for decision-making for infectious disease prevention and control. © 2021, Tsinghua University Press. All right reserved.

[Survey on source of infection of the first local outbreak caused by SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant in China].

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and the chain of infection of a local outbreak, which was the first outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 Alpha variant in China and occurred in Daxing district, Beijing. Methods: Epidemiological investigation and big data technology were used to verify the exposure points of the cases. Close contacts were traced from the exposure points, and their human and environmental samples were collected for nucleic acid tests. Serum samples were collected from key persons for antibody detection. Results: A total of 33 corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19) cases were reported in the local outbreak, from January 17, 2021 to January 29, 2021 in Daxing district, Beijing, and there was epidemiological association in 32 cases. Except for one case who was infected in the workplace, other cases were all infected in the community and family. All cases involved 14 families, of which 6 families were all infected. The attack rate of all family members was 69%(33/48), and the secondary attack rate was 56%(19/34). There was no obvious source of infection found after the investigation of entry-exit personnel and goods. Conclusion: The first outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 Alpha variant in China is found and handled in time, and thus the scope of influence is limited, but the family clustering characteristics are more obvious than previous outbreaks.

Emotional Analysis on the Public Sentiment of Students Returning to University under COVID-19

As an enormous epidemic for the global, COVID-19, has become a major threat to the mankind thus influence economy, living activities, especial eduction. The public sentiment has been produced in the internet. In this paper, public emotional sentiment about returning to the university is crawled from the weibo and studied. By analyzing the reviews, the students' emotional analysis is studied by snowNLP-based method and TF-IDF-based method. Numerical experiments and visualization results indicate that the students have positive emotion for returning to the university.

Application of ultrasound in diagnosis and treatment of Coronavirus disease 2019

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has run rampant across the world, with a rapid transmission rate and a high infection rate. With the advantages of portability, easy sterilization, and multiple diagnostic mode, ultrasound can dynamically guide the diagnosis of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients, monitor patients’ medical conditions, and facilitate the treatment evaluation for the adjustment of therapeutic decision-making. Moreover, ultrasonic remote consultation can be carried out by intelligent ultrasonic equipment with the support of 4G/5G network. Ultrasonic experts can perform real-time scanning through remote operation of ultrasonic robot manipulators, which can effectively relieve the shortage of ultrasonic doctors in isolation wards and reduce infection risks. At present, ultrasound is the only visual imaging device that can be brought into isolation wards for bedside examination of COVID-19 patients. This article analyzes the application value of ultrasound technology in the examination, diagnosis, medical condition monitoring, and treatment evaluation of lung injury and even systemic multiple organ diseases in COVID-19 patients, and discusses the application prospect of remote ultrasound and artificial intelligence in the relevant fields.

Comprehensive Evaluation on Emergency Response Capacity of Urban Public Health Emergencies: A Case Study of Zhejiang Province

The evaluation of public health emergency response capacity can provide guidance for the construction of public health emergency response capacity. This paper, using text analysis method and expert consultation method, established the comprehensive evaluation index system of urban public health emergency capacity in Zhejiang Province. The results show that the ranking of comprehensive scores of emergency response capacity of prefecture level cities in Zhejiang Province is Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Shaoxing, Jinhua, Jiaxing, Zhoushan, Quzhou, Huzhou, Taizhou and Lishui. The evaluation index system reflects the current situation and problems of urban public health emergency response capacity in Zhejiang Province. On this basis, this paper puts forward relevant countermeasures and suggestions on the construction of urban public health emergency response capacity. © 2020 IEEE.

[Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases in outbreak in Xinfadi market in Beijing].

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases, including asymptomatic cases and symptomatic cases, in the outbreak in Xinfadi market in Beijing. Methods: Data and epidemiological survey reports of COVID-19 cases in Xinfadi market in Beijing were extracted from China's Infectious Disease Information System. Epidemiological characteristics of symptomatic cases and asymptomatic cases were analyzed and compared by using software SPSS 19.0. Results: From June 11 to July 10, 2020, a total of 368 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Xinfadi market, in which, 335 (91.03%) were symptomatic and 33 (8.97%) were asymptomatic. The cases were distributed in 11 districts, and most cases (252/368, 68.48%) were reported in Fengtai district. The incidence curve of the cases showed a typical outbreak pattern, the case number peaked on 13 June. The median age of the cases were 43 years (QR: 31-51). The asymptomatic cases (M=32, QR: 29-46) were younger than the symptomatic cases (M=43, QR: 31-52), the difference was significant (Z=2.416, P=0.016). The ratio of male to female was 1.26∶1. Most cases (236/368, 64.13%) were engaged in catering service and public place service. 73.91% (272/368) of the cases had historg of direct exposures in the Xinfadi market. 54.08%(199/368) of cases were detected through nucleic acid testing and screening. Mild and moderate cases accounted for 99.10% (332/335) and no death occurred. Conclusion: The COVID-19 cases in the outbreak in Xinfadi market were mainly engaged in catering service and public place service. The asymptomatic cases were younger than the symptomatic cases.

Research of Intelligent Temperature Measuring Robot System

With the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia worldwide, a kind of epidemic prevention robot is urgently needed in society. The intelligent temperature measurement robot system mainly includes the robot's high stability multi-attitude omnidirectional movement module, robot path planning and autonomous navigation module, robot environment information acquisition and recognition module, robot remote control module, and robot system integration. According to the design principle of the wheeled robot, high stability and multi attitude omni-directional mobile platform of temperature measuring robot are constructed;path planning and autonomous navigation of robot are realized based on sensor data fusion;temperature detection and remote care function are realized by thermal imaging sensor system by capturing the thermal radiation emitted by the human body, and based on open modular control system architecture. Based on the existing research foundation, the intelligent temperature measurement robot system is established by integrating the robot multi attitude omni-directional mobile system, robot path planning, and autonomous navigation system, robot environment information acquisition and recognition system, and robot remote control system. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Application of mineral resources in medical field

After the outbreak of the new Covid-19 pandemic, the antibacterial and antiviral properties of minerals have never been considered as a main concern or needed by humanity. The American Mining Association has repeatedly stated that minerals and metals are vital to the field of modern medicine, and the key to the medical innovations nowadays. They are also the basis of life-saving medical equipment and medicines on which doctors and patients are relied every day. This study mainly introduces the application of rare earth elements, graphene coatings and copper in the prevention and control of pandemic and other medical fields. © Geology Resource Management and Sustainable Development.All right reserved.

IoT System for Collecting Vital Signs and Geographic Location Data of Mobile Users

Currently, the 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV) has caused a worldwide emergency because of its long period of incubation and high infectivity. As the first country where the severity of the disease has been witnessed, China has been implementing some effective policies to prevent the spread of the infection. For example, all citizens, who come back to the community from other cities, other provinces, or other countries, have to be obligatorily isolated until they were affirmed to be uninfected. However, there was someone who concealed the travel experiences in the health survey, and they had infected many healthy people before testing positive for Coronavirus. Therefore, in this paper, an IoT system, which is composed of the wearable healthcare device, the smartphone, and the cloud servers, is described. It aims to give support for the management of communities to distinguish the people having close contact with the confirmed cases. Hence, basic health monitoring sensors are employed by the wearable device, and this device will be cheaper than the common wearable products, such as Mi Band or iWatch, because it only has the basic functions. Furthermore, the device can communicate with the smartphone of users via Bluetooth Low Energy to send messages about health conditions or receive simple commands. Moreover, through the techniques of the internet, the phone can convey the vital signals and the present locations of users, which are obtained by special locating systems, to the cloud server. The cloud server processes and records the data, and an application on the smartphone can provide the visualized results of cloud computing to users. © 2020 IEEE.