Stringent System Research Articles

Decision support system for the early stage of green building envelope design considering energy and maintainability

ABSTRACT Green buildings (GB) show performance gaps despite a plethora of materials, technologies and stringent certification systems. India is predicted to shape the global energy demand shortly; hence, its recent GB mandate of Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) will contribute significantly to the global Agenda 2030. However, its success depends on a holistic relook beyond the myopic design approach focused on energy efficiency. Therefore, a multi-criteria decision support system (DSS) based on the Best-Worst method was developed. It integrates ECBC and BIM-based energy simulation while facilitating maintainability performance prediction in the early phase of design of the GB envelope. The top five options out of 72 common envelope combinations for wall, fenestration and roof materials were chosen for energy performance. The DSS is flexible to accumulate other decision-making criteria as per project-specific requirements. Its efficacy was analysed with a GB located in a warm-humid climatic zone of India. Here, the material availability criterion was also added. The framework provides probing insights and facilitates decision-makers to act appropriately in the early design phase to ensure efficient performance in the long run.

Modelling the economic impact of rickshaw transportation in Ghana: The case of kumasi

Transportation has contributed to the transformation of many economies, yet in Ghana, the challenges of transportation coupled with high youth unemployment has led to the introduction of auto-rickshaws (two- and three-wheeled carts) in the public transportation service in urban and rural communities alike. The focus of the paper is to analyse the economic impact of the rickshaw as a means of public transportation in Kumasi, Ghana. The study relied on structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse both the direct and indirect economic impact of rickshaw riders. In all, a sample of 459 rickshaw riders in the Kumasi Metropolis were obtained through cluster and systematic sampling techniques. It was revealed that most rickshaw riders are youthful and mostly unmarried with their net daily income of about 14 times the daily minimum wage in Ghana which asserts its economic viability. Gender and education characteristics were similar to countries such as Nigeria, Somaliland, and India. The study found patronage of rickshaw services to be largely due to convenience, affordability and reliability. The direct economic impact of rickshaw as a means of public transport was higher that its indirect impact when type of patrons was utilized as a mediating factor. Safety issues and harassment from authorities were the biggest challenges found to be faced by rickshaw operators. Regulation of commercial rickshaw operations through a stringent licensing system, training, and enforcement of minimum age for operators were recommended among others. Additionally, the government can generate revenue from their activities through income tax, insurance and roadworthy renewals and license acquisition.

Halide perovskites enable polaritonic XY spin Hamiltonian at room temperature.

Exciton polaritons, the part-light and part-matter quasiparticles in semiconductor optical cavities, are promising for exploring Bose-Einstein condensation, non-equilibrium many-body physics and analogue simulation at elevated temperatures. However, a room-temperature polaritonic platform on par with the GaAs quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low temperatures remains elusive. The operation of such a platform calls for long-lifetime, strongly interacting excitons in a stringent material system with large yet nanoscale-thin geometry and homogeneous properties. Here, we address this challenge by adopting a method based on the solution synthesis of excitonic halide perovskites grown under nanoconfinement. Such nanoconfinement growth facilitates the synthesis of smooth and homogeneous single-crystalline large crystals enabling the demonstration of XY Hamiltonian lattices with sizes up to 10 × 10. With this demonstration, we further establish perovskites as a promising platform for room temperature polaritonic physics and pave the way for the realization of robust mode-disorder-free polaritonic devices at room temperature.

Determination of Quality of Green Chili Sauce Served by Street Food Venders (SFVs) in Delhi (India)

Background: India is enriched with local culture and street food vending practices. Street food joints (SFJs) cater to the demands of the economic and on-the-go needs of the consumers. In view of its increasing popularity, the quality and safety aspects of street foods need continuous evaluation. Objectives: There are few studies in our country focusing on the quality determination of sauces being served as an accompaniment to street foods by local vendors. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess the quality of commonly served green chili sauce. Methods: A total of 100 samples in duplicate of green chili sauce were collected from street food joints in five geographical zones of Delhi. The pH, titratable acidity, and total soluble solids (TSS) content on a salt-free basis were assessed for all samples using standardized estimation techniques given by the national regulator (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India- FSSAI). Results: The pH of the samples was in the range of 3.1-5.1. The average titratable acidity expressed as acetic acid was 0.67± 0.25 %, which is below the limit of 1% given by FSSAI. The average TSS content (salt-free basis) was found to be 6.23 ± 3.75 %, which is well below the regulatory limit of 8%. Only 25% of samples conformed to the national regulatory limits for all parameters. Conclusion: Stringent surveillance system which lays emphasis on the training of microentrepreneurs needs to be framed to ensure regulatory compliance amongst small-scale manufacturers of street foods such as green chili sauce.

785-P: Comparison of Six Months Experience on Hybrid Closed Loop MiniMed 670G System and Advanced Hybrid Closed Loop MiniMed 780G System Using a Structured Initiation Protocol in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate glycemic outcomes using a structured initiation protocol for Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) MiniMed 670G and Advanced Hybrid Closed Loop (AHCL) Minimed 780G system in children and adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) previously treated with Multiple Daily Injections. Methods: The data from two separate (HCL and AHCL system) investigations were analyzed in individuals (aged 7-18 years) with T1D on MDI therapy, both followed a structured initiation protocol. Time in Ranges, HbA1c and system characteristics were analyzed between two systems at 3 and 6 months of Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) . Results: 30 children (age 10.24 ± 2.6 years, HbA1c 8.2±1.4% (66±15.3 mmol/mol)) with HCL system and 34 children (12.5 ± 3.7 years, 8.6±1.7% (70±18.6 mmol/mol)) with AHCL system completed the planned 12 weeks of AID. TIR (70-180mg/dl) of 73.4±8.9% with HCL and 78.2±4.3% with AHCL (p=0.01) was achieved at 6 months of AID. No episodes of severe hypoglycemia or DKA were reported using both systems. Conclusion: Individuals using AHCL MiniMed 780G system had more stringent system settings, spent more time in AID with less exits, which possibly lead to further improvements of glycemic control compared to HCL MiniMed 670G system using the same structured protocol. Disclosure G.Petrovski: None. J.Campbell: Advisory Panel; Medtronic. F.Alkhalaf: None. K.Hussain: None.

Does sound lending infrastructure foster better financial reporting quality of SMEs?

Using an unbalanced panel dataset that contains financial information of 46,340 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across 11 European countries over 2007–2015, this study examines the impacts of soundness of institutional factors on SME financial reporting quality as (inversely) reflected by the degree of earnings management. We consider a comprehensive framework of country-level lending infrastructure proxies which includes information, legal, social and regulatory environments and show that SME financial reporting quality is better in economies where there is greater availability, depth and quality of credit information sharing between lenders and credit reporting service providers, as empirically shown by a lower level of earnings management. We also show that a well-established legal system, i.e. better judicial and bankruptcy protection systems, is effective in restraining SME earnings management incentives and, earnings management is less prevalent in economies that are subject to a higher stock of social capital which increases SME borrowing capacity. Furthermore, we find that the stringent tax and regulatory systems can foster better financial reporting quality, as earnings management may be less effective. Overall, our robust findings suggest that the soundness of country-level lending infrastructure plays a vital role in improving SME financial reporting quality.

Evaluation of Implementation of the Most Stringent Water Resource Management System in China

Evaluation of Implementation of the Most Stringent Water Resource Management System in China

Importation and distribution of unregistered medicines in the public sector: similarities, differences, and shared challenges among Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries

BackgroundThe purpose of the study was to assess the requirements for approval of the importation of unregistered medicines for use in the public sector in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.MethodsThe study reviewed the legal provisions and requirements to be fulfilled when importing unregistered medicines for the public sector in SADC countries relative to two comparators drawn from countries with stringent regulatory systems through extant document analysis. The relative implementation index score was calculated and used to measure the level of implementing legal provisions and requirements to be fulfilled. Analysis was performed using the STATA software package.ResultsApproximately 13 out of 16 SADC countries had a relative implementation index below 50%. The aggregated implementation index across all SADC countries was 44%, ranging from 4 to 54%, while the two comparators had a relative implementation index of 81% and 85%, respectively.ConclusionImplementing the minimum requirements for importing unregistered medicines for the public sector was deficient compared to the jurisdictions with stringent regulatory systems, and wide implementation gaps also existed within the SADC region.

Invivo partial cellular reprogramming enhances liver plasticity and regeneration.

Mammals have limited regenerative capacity, whereas some vertebrates, like fish and salamanders, are able to regenerate their organs efficiently. The regeneration in these species depends on cell dedifferentiation followed by proliferation. We generate a mouse model that enables the inducible expression of the four Yamanaka factors (Oct-3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc, or 4F) specifically in hepatocytes. Transient invivo 4F expression induces partial reprogramming of adult hepatocytes to a progenitor state and concomitantly increases cell proliferation. This is indicated by reduced expression of differentiated hepatic-lineage markers, an increase in markers of proliferation and chromatin modifiers, global changes in DNA accessibility, and an acquisition of liver stem and progenitor cell markers. Functionally, short-term expression of 4F enhances liver regenerative capacity through topoisomerase2-mediated partial reprogramming. Our results reveal that liver-specific 4F expression invivo induces cellular plasticity and counteracts liver failure, suggesting that partial reprogramming may represent an avenue for enhancing tissue regeneration.

Correlative proteomics identify the key roles of stress tolerance strategies in Acinetobacter baumannii in response to polymyxin and human macrophages.

The opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii possesses stress tolerance strategies against host innate immunity and antibiotic killing. However, how the host-pathogen-antibiotic interaction affects the overall molecular regulation of bacterial pathogenesis and host response remains unexplored. Here, we simultaneously investigate proteomic changes in A. baumannii and macrophages following infection in the absence or presence of the polymyxins. We discover that macrophages and polymyxins exhibit complementary effects to disarm several stress tolerance and survival strategies in A. baumannii, including oxidative stress resistance, copper tolerance, bacterial iron acquisition and stringent response regulation systems. Using the spoT mutant strains, we demonstrate that bacterial cells with defects in stringent response exhibit enhanced susceptibility to polymyxin killing and reduced survival in infected mice, compared to the wild-type strain. Together, our findings highlight that better understanding of host-pathogen-antibiotic interplay is critical for optimization of antibiotic use in patients and the discovery of new antimicrobial strategy to tackle multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

Mapping the Evolving Teacher Professional Development Landscape in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract One of the goals of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to be the centre of excellence in both education and research in the Middle East. Radical educational reforms have been introduced with substantial governmental support provided to ensure that the essential standards of quality are met in terms of teacher professional development (TPD) as the country transitions to a knowledge-based economy. Given UAE’s unique demographic landscape, it is of great interest to map the evolving TPD landscape in the country from its historical beginnings to the current initiatives being done and future initiatives being conceptualized in government and private schools. The paper focuses on TPD in the following areas: early childhood, special education, educational leadership, health and physical education. The resulting shifts in the UAE educational landscape as a function of the pandemic across these specific disciplines are discussed. The impact on field experiences among preservice teachers and the continuous professional development opportunities for in-service teachers are further explored. Moreover, the authors will touch on some best practices and challenges in providing TPD in the UAE, in light of stringent quality assurance systems in teacher education. It is argued that there is a lack of centralization by way of a cohesive framework that effectively structures the implementation of a TPD model that is aligned and customized to the needs of its stakeholders. This provides a unique opportunity for educators to chart their own roadmap and collectively define the evolving educational landscape. Keywords: teacher professional development in UAE, teacher training in the UAE

Identification of a RelA/SpoT Homolog and Its Possible Role in the Accumulation of Astaxanthin in Haematococcus pluvialis.

A RelA/SpoT homolog, HpRSH, was identified in Haematococcus pluvialis. HpRSH was found to catalyze Mg2+-dependent guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) synthesis and Mn2+-dependent ppGpp hydrolysis, respectively. The transcription of HpRSH was significantly upregulated by environmental stresses, such as darkness, high light, nitrogen limitation, and salinity stress. The intracellular ppGpp level was also increased when exposed to these stresses. In addition, the classical initiator of stringent response, serine hydroxamate (SHX), was found to upregulate the transcription of HpRSH and increase the level of ppGpp. Moreover, stringent response induced by SHX or environmental stresses was proven to induce the accumulation of astaxanthin. These results indicated that stringent response regulatory system involved in the regulation of astaxanthin biosynthesis in H. pluvialis. Furthermore, stringent response was unable to induce astaxanthin accumulation under dark condition. This result implied that stringent response may regulate astaxanthin biosynthesis in a light-dependent manner.

High-Performance Adaptive Attitude Control of Spacecraft With Sliding Mode Disturbance Observer

A new disturbance observer-based control method is presented in this paper to address the attitude tracking problem of rigid-body spacecraft in the presence of external disturbances and parameter uncertainties. Particularly, a sliding mode disturbance observer (SMDO) is designed. The most important feature of this SMDO is the relaxation of the assumption that external disturbances must be constants or changing at a slow rate, which is a typical assumption required in these classes of problems concerning disturbance observer (DO) design but hard to guarantee from the standpoint of practical engineering. In addition, a special adaptive integral sliding mode controller is combined with the SMDO to ensure system state convergence. The proposed control scheme’s primary advantage is the enhanced robustness against system parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. Stringent closed-loop system stability analysis is performed using Lyapunov-based stability theory. Numerical simulations are carried out on nonlinear model of spacecraft to validate the proposed control scheme’s efficiency compared to the existing methods in the literature.

Современный Китай: смена экономической парадигмы

The article presents the key directions of China’s socio-economic policy since the XVIII Congress of the CPC (2012), which introduced the fifth generation of Chinese leaders led by Xi Jinping. The emphasis is placed on the consideration of the main components of China’s transition to a new model of economic development. Assessing institutional changes with regard to this task, the author argues that alongside with strengthening market principles in the economy, they provide for enhancing the supervisory and regulatory functions of the government based on a number of newly adopted laws and regulations. The authorities’ efforts to improve people’s wellbeing and expand domestic demand extended to the creation of a comprehensive social security system, state support for the poor, tax relief, ensuring good conditions for small businesses, developing education and medical services. As a result in early 2020s the PRC declared overcoming absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society. Favorable framework was provided for the science and technology development, e.g. growing R&D spending, tax benefits, the creation of numerous innovation centers, as well as expanding international cooperation in science and technology. This allowed the PRC to become one of the world leaders in a number of aspects of innovative development. China’s green and carbon transition policy meets the terms of the Paris Agreement on climate and provides for establishing stringent eco-environmental protection systems as well as changing energy mix through closure of carbon-intensive industries, stimulating eco-friendly technologies, creation of a national carbon market, etc. All this gives hope for a gradual improvement of the country’s eco-environment. Currently, China’s economy bears visible traces of its transition to a new development model. Despite all its problems and global challenges, the macro- and microeconomic results of the policy, pursued by the Chinese leadership, cause reasonable optimism about the country’s further development.

Engineering a Controllable Targeted Protein Degradation System and a Derived OR-GATE-Type Inducible Gene Expression System in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942.

Cyanobacteria are important model organisms for exploring the mechanisms of photosynthesis and are considered as promising microbial platforms for photosynthetic biomanufacturing. The development of efficient cyanobacteria cell factories requires efficient and convenient tools to dynamically regulate and manipulate target proteins, modules, and pathways. Targeted protein degradation is important to achieve rapid responses of cellular metabolic networks to artificial or environmental signals, and there are currently limited approaches to induce protein degradation in cyanobacteria. In this work, we developed an Escherichia coli sourced ssrA-tagging system in an important cyanobacteria strain, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, to achieve inducible degradation of target proteins. A modified version of the E. coli ssrA tag (ssrADAS) proved to be immune to the native ClpXP system in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, while induced expression of the E. coli sourced adaptor SspB and ClpXP resulted in effective degradation of the tagged proteins. Compared to the previously developed down-regulation approaches, the inducible ssrADAS-SspB-ClpXPEc system facilitated the smart and rapid degradation of target proteins in PCC7942 cells at different growth stages. Furthermore, when used to regulate the degradation of LacI, the repressor element of LacO-LacI transcription regulation system, an efficient and stringent inducible gene expression system was obtained based on an OR-GATE type genetic circuit design. The tools developed in this work expanded the cyanobacteria synthetic biology toolbox and will facilitate the success of future dynamic metabolic engineering.

In Silico Investigation of the Biological Implications of Complex DNA Damage with Emphasis in Cancer Radiotherapy through a Systems Biology Approach.

Different types of DNA lesions forming in close vicinity, create clusters of damaged sites termed as “clustered/complex DNA damage” and they are considered to be a major challenge for DNA repair mechanisms resulting in significant repair delays and induction of genomic instability. Upon detection of DNA damage, the corresponding DNA damage response and repair (DDR/R) mechanisms are activated. The inability of cells to process clustered DNA lesions efficiently has a great impact on the normal function and survival of cells. If complex lesions are left unrepaired or misrepaired, they can lead to mutations and if persistent, they may lead to apoptotic cell death. In this in silico study, and through rigorous data mining, we have identified human genes that are activated upon complex DNA damage induction like in the case of ionizing radiation (IR) and beyond the standard DNA repair pathways, and are also involved in cancer pathways, by employing stringent bioinformatics and systems biology methodologies. Given that IR can cause repair resistant lesions within a short DNA segment (a few nm), thereby augmenting the hazardous and toxic effects of radiation, we also investigated the possible implication of the most biologically important of those genes in comorbid non-neoplastic diseases through network integration, as well as their potential for predicting survival in cancer patients.

Water-land resource carrying capacity in China: Changing trends, main driving forces, and implications

Due to significant resource and environmental pressures resulting from the rapidly developing economy and fast-growing population in recent decades in China, an evaluation of the trends of the water-land resource carrying capacity (W-LRCC) is necessary to promote coordinated and sustainable development. This study proposed a framework for evaluating the trends of the W-LRCC from the perspectives of the water-land resource supporting force (W-LRSF) and pressure (W-LRP) via a decoupling model combined with the ecological footprint concept and an index system. The overall and annual trends of W-LRCC in China from 2006 to 2017 at the provincial level were evaluated, and the main driving forces of the trends were analyzed. The results show that the overall change in the W-LRCC shows a declining trend, and most of the provinces exhibit expansive negative decoupling. Provinces with an increasing W-LRCC trend are mainly located in the middle and downstream portions of the Yangtze River basin. Decreases in the Completed Investment in Solid Waste Treatment Projects/Gross Domestic Product (CISWTP/GDP) and the Completed Investment in Wastewater Treatment Projects/Gross Domestic Product (CIWTP/GDP) have the largest contributions to the decrease in W-LRSF. In contrast, increases in the Domestic Waste Sanitary Landfill Volume/Land Area (DWSL/LA) and Ecological Water Compensation/Total Water Consumption (EWC/TWC) contribute the most to an increase in the W-LRP in most provinces. These are the main driving forces of the overall decline in the W-LRCC in China. Policies that could improve the W-LRCC at the provincial level in China include the systematic implementation of appropriate land resource management measures, soil pollution prevention, promoting effective resource and technology exchanges among the provinces, increasing the investment in wastewater treatment projects, and implementing the most stringent water management system. This study has the potential to deepen our understanding of the W-LRCC trend and its spatial pattern and regional differences in China and provide suggestions for coordinated and sustainable regional water/land resource development plans.

The physiological and ecological properties of bacterial persisters discovered from municipal sewage sludge and the potential risk

Bacterial persisters are a special microbial population and are considered to be the bacterial reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They can survive antibiotic treatment even in high concentrations of antibiotics and revive in the appropriate conditions. However, the characteristics of bacterial persisters in the municipal sewage sludge and their potential environmental risks have not yet been paid much attention to. In this study, bacterial persisters were discovered from the sludge of wastewater treatment plants in four different regions (Jilin, Lhasa, Shenzhen, and Yili), and the metagenomic analysis confirmed that bacterial persisters were ubiquitous in all four municipal sewage sludge and positively related to the protobacterium populations. At the taxonomic genus level, a total of 57 genera of bacterial persisters were shared by the four sewage sludge, and the genera with abundance exceeding 2% were Acinetobacter, Lysinibacillus, Aeromonas, Brevundimonas, Pseudomonas, and Alcaligenes, among which Acinetobacter accounted for 57.24%. Genus Lysinibacillus and Aeromonas were significant in Jilin and Lhasa, respectively. The persistence mechanism of bacterial persisters derived from sludge was also clarified, among which, Aeromonas, Brevundimonas, and Alcaligenes rely on the hipBA toxin-antitoxin system, while Acinetobacter enters the persistence state mainly through the stringent response system based on (p)ppGpp. Moreover, it was found that a typical bacterial persister originated from Acinetobacter, named T9-9, could tolerate a variety of antibiotics, such as 1000 μg/mL of kanamycin, 160 μg/mL of tetracycline, and 30 μg/mL of ciprofloxacin. Even if the ultraviolet intensity was 6–36 times the usual dosage of ultraviolet disinfection in wastewater treatment plants, it could not completely kill T9-9, but the killing efficiency by chlorine disinfection technology could reach 100%. This study pointed out an environmental risk of bacterial persisters that existed in sewage sludge that had been neglected and strongly recommended to improve the disinfection process in the wastewater treatment plant.

Pollution-Induced Food Safety Problem in China: Trends and Policies.

Based on systematic literature study and policy document analysis, this paper investigates the environmental pollution-induced food safety problem in China, including the impact of environmental pollution on food safety and the policy response of Chinese government since 1970's. The results show that, to different degrees, food safety of China is affected by large but inefficient chemical fertilizer and pesticides residue (although the consumption began to decline after around 2015), cropland heavy metal pollution (especially cadmium), water pollution, and high ozone concentration. The evolution of pollution-induced food safety policies of China can be divided into four stages, i.e., preparation stage (1974–1994), construction stage (1995–2005), elaboration stage (2006–2013), and intensification stage (2014–). Through the four stages, the increasingly stringent policy system has been featured by “from supply-safety balance to safety first,” “from multi-agency management to integrated management,” and “from ex post supervision to ex ante risk control.” To further prevent pollution and control food quality, more collaborations between the agricultural and environmental agencies and more specific policies should be anticipated.

1508 Acute ENT Clinic Audit

Abstract Introduction The acute ENT clinic is run by the ENT SHO’s and is used to assess and treat patients with a variety of everyday ENT pathology. As a department, we are seeing increasing numbers of patients who have been referred via the community for conditions that do not meet the departmental guidelines as well as noting our clinic is consistently overbooked and overrunning. Method A retrospective audit was performed analysing all clinic data between December 2019 and January 2020, specifically looking at patient demographics and reason for referral. The total number of patients per clinic was analysed and compared against ENT UK guidelines for safe clinic numbers, which state that an SHO led acute clinic should have 6 patients maximum. Results Over a two-month period, we looked at data from 35 clinics. As per our standard operating practice, children should be seen first in the clinic and this occurred in only 8 clinics (22.9%). Secondly, 8 clinics had appropriately booked a maximum of 6 patients, whilst in 27 clinics (77.2%) there were more than 7 patients booked. Finally, 69.8% of patients had unsuitable referrals as per the guideline. Conclusions It is clear from our data that the capacity of the acute clinic does not meet its current demand, and this is something that needs to be addressed to ensure patient safety and to adhere to ENT UK guidance. The implementation of a more stringent referral system will increase patient safety by ensuring patients with appropriate pathology are seen in this clinic.