ahmedabdelwahed/Medical_papers_title_and_abstract_NLP_dataset huggingface dataset:
The relationship between energy consumption and fiscal decentralization and the importance of urbanization: Evidence from Chinese provinces

This study examines the provincial impact of fiscal decentralization, in the form of shifting fiscal responsibilities of expenditures and revenues and others from the central government to lower local governments, as well as rapidly rising urbanization, on energy consumption for 31 Chinese provinces subject to relevant important control variables over the period 2006 to 2015. This analysis has implications for economic growth, efficiency and equality in China. To this end, the study employs multiple panel data analyses and panel quantile regressions to analyse this impact. Our findings show that fiscal decentralization has a non-linear relationship with energy consumption, which confirms the concave behaviour of fiscal decentralization in the Chinese provinces and underscores the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in those provinces, given the control variables. Moreover, increasing Chinese urbanization leads to high demand for energy consumption. Provincial governments can support eco-innovation and eco-investment by pursuing green growth strategies such as the expansion of the service sector and the boosting of the renewable energy sector: particularly when taking into account that coal, at one end of the spectrum, generates a 20 times greater carbon impact than renewables at the other.
Hybrid photovoltaic and wind mini-grids in Kenya: Techno-economic assessment and barriers to diffusion

Mini-grids have been widely developed for rural electrification purposes in Kenya, predominantly as systems combining photovoltaic modules (PV), a diesel generator, and battery capacity. (Small) wind turbines have been largely neglected in such setups and are basically non-existent in Kenyan mini-grids despite potential complementarity with PV due to different temporal production profiles of PV and wind power. This study investigates why small wind turbines have largely been omitted from Kenyan mini-grids from both a techno-economic and diffusion theoretical perspective. A techno-economic model is used for backtesting the feasibility of a hybrid PV/wind system, and building upon theories of innovation and diffusion of technology a conceptual framework is developed and applied for assessing the state of the Kenyan mini-grid sector and categorizing identified barriers accordingly. The article thus suggest an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the potential role of small wind power in energy systems transitioning towards renewables. The techno-economic modelling shows that PV/wind hybrids have both technical and economic potential at average wind speeds above 4.5 m/s but little relevance below. Comprehensive barriers within the technical, economic and systemic spheres are encountered by established stakeholders of the Kenyan mini-grid sector, severely hindering diffusion of hybrid PV/wind solutions. (C) 2019 International Energy Initiative. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Multicriteria analysis of seawater electrolysis technologies for green hydrogen production at sea

The production of green hydrogen through the electrolysis of seawater using marine renewable energies offer numerous advantages. Nonetheless, the combination of marine renewables and electrolysis technologies has not reached commercial status yet. This study aims to see which electrolysis technology presents the best prospects of applicability in the short term by conducting a multicriteria comparison, where economic, environmental and social factors have been selected. Due to the different nature of the involved factors, the analysis is inherently complex. For its simplification, multicriteria decision-making methods are used. However, such methods could lead to various types of inconsistencies, and in order to avoid them, five distinct multicriteria decision-making methods have been employed. This combination enables checking the ranking consistency and its robustness, conferring the results a higher reliability. The results of the study reveal that Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis at sea presents the best prospects of applicability in the short term.
Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Adult Crohn's Disease: an Overview of Clinical Practice and Perceived Barriers

Recently, the role of nutrition in the management of Crohn's disease (CD) is of increasing interest and the exploration of novel nutritional interventions to improve long-term management of the disease is challenging. So far, the majority of the studies on the role of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) in CD are conducted in the pediatric population and have highlighted the efficacy of EEN for achieving mucosal healing. This implicates that a similar approach would be beneficial in adult patients. However, the evidence for EEN in adults is heterogeneous, with meta-analyses reporting it as inferior to steroids while growing data demonstrate improvement in complicated CD. Currently, EEN is less used in adult patients with IBD. Indeed, the lack of palatability of enteral formula leads to difficulties in acceptance and compliance. The search for more tolerable and still effective diets has become an intense area of research aiming to explore the potential role of diet to control inflammation in patients with CD. Thus, this narrative review provides the state-of-the-art on the use of EEN treatment in CD and highlights the perceived barriers to its implementation in adult CD patients.
Investigating the barriers to building information modeling (BIM) implementation within the Nigerian construction industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the perceptions of constructional professionals on barriers to implementation of building information modeling (BIM) within the Nigerian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A scoping literature review was conducted to identify the fourteen barriers to implementation of BIM, which were employed to design a questionnaire survey. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean score, Kruskal-Wallis test, analysis of variance and multivariate techniques such as factor analysis. Findings The descriptive and empirical analysis demonstrated a disparity of ranking of the 14 barriers factors among the groups; however no statistically significant differences among the 14 barriers to BIM. Based on the mean score ranking results, only three (out of 14) barriers are identified as critical (mean score greater than 3.5): few studies available on BIM and lack of knowledge, inexistence or inadequate government policies, and high cost of implementation. The results of the one-sample t-tests show that they were statistically significant differences in 10 out of 14 barriers as follows: few studies available on BIM and lack of knowledge, lack of demand for use and acceptance of BIM, inadequate contractual coordination, lack of specified standards, cost of data and information sharing, technological availability issues, reluctance of other stakeholders, business and cultural changes, data and intellectual property issues, and interoperability issues. The study, through factor analysis, categorized the fourteen barriers to BIM implementation into four principal factors. The factors are: technology and business-related barriers; training and people-related barriers; cost and standards-related barriers; and process and economic-related barriers. Practical implications The identification and assessment of the key barriers to BIM implementation would be useful for the construction professionals and other stakeholder of the construction industry with the view to advance BIM adoption in Nigeria. This could also be extended to other developing countries through considerations of the local economic conditions, given the status of BIM as being in the germinating stage of development in Africa. Originality/value The study provides insights on the barriers to BIM implementation across the Nigerian construction sector environments. The innovative aspect of the study is the identification of the ordered and grouped (composite) set of barriers to BIM which could be used to developing appropriate mitigating solutions.
Effective municipal solid waste management capability under uncertainty in Vietnam: Utilizing economic efficiency and technology to foster social mobilization and environmental integrity

Resources and expertise for controlling processes are inadequate due to municipal solid waste management (MSWM) capability limitations in Vietnam. The resource-based view (RBV) needs to be considered in the assessment of municipal solid waste management. Nevertheless, in practice, various attributes of municipal solid waste management are not considered in the sustainable performance of cities. Hence, this study applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to confirm the validity and reliability of these attributes and construct a hierarchical structure. Fuzzy set theory was used to convert the linguistic preferences into crisp values and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to assess the causal interrelationships among the attributes. The analytic network process (ANP) was adopted to construct the hierarchical framework, and fuzzy importance - performance analysis (IPA) was used to enhance our understanding of the gap between importance and performance. The results show that the efficiency and effectiveness of cities' waste management systems depend on the capability based on utilizing economic efficiency and technology advantages to foster social mobilization and environmental integrity. Practitioners should consider new data acquisition and communication technologies, the circular economy, technical capabilities, and organizational/leadership capabilities in their decision making to promote sustainable performance. To develop sustainable MSWM, suitable strategic solutions based on the resources and strengths of each city should be developed that consider formal, informal and small-scale sectors. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
How does green credit policy affect total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China? The mediating role of debt financing and the moderating role of environmental regulation

Treating the green credit policy issued in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment, this study has investigated the impact of green credit policy on total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China by using the panel data of the A-share firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges during 2008 and 2020, with the consideration of the mediating role of debt financing and the moderating role of environmental regulation simultaneously. The results show that green credit policy has a negative effect on total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China. Empirical evidence also shows that debt financing could oppositely mediate the nexus between green credit policy and total factor productivity of the manufacturing firms in China by both inhibiting long-term loans and promoting short-term loans. In addition, the moderating role of environmental regulation is partially and conditionally established. Furthermore, the regional heterogeneity and the property rights heterogeneity are proved. Finally, conclusions and policy implications are provided to improve the quality of green credit policy in the future.
Modeling mortality rates and environmental degradation in Asia and the Pacific: does income group matter?

This two-dimensional study makes significant incursions into the health-environment literature by interrogating whether non-renewable energy moderates the impact of environmental degradation on mortality rates. It further aligns with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and 11, which aim to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. It contributes to the health-environment literature by investigating the intrinsic relationships among mortality rates, carbon emissions (environmental degradation), and non-renewable energy consumption. The study uses an unbalanced sample of 42 Asia and Pacific countries to determine (1) whether carbon emissions exaggerate the incidence of mortality rates and (2) if the interaction of non-renewable energy with carbon emissions enhances or alters the impact of carbon emissions on mortality rates. Consistent findings from the panel spatial correlation consistent least-squares dummy variables (PSCC-LSDV) and two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) techniques reveal that (i) carbon emissions exacerbate mortality rates; (ii) non-renewable energy consumption exhibit mortality-reducing properties; (iii) non-renewable energy attenuates the impact of carbon emissions on mortality rates, (iv) persistency in mortalities occurs; and (v) the health-environment-energy dynamics differ across income groups. The paper's conjecture is expected to channel a new line of discourse on how non-renewable energy influences the environment and health outcomes.
Upstream Activation Sequence Can Function as an Insulator for Chromosomal Regulation of Heterologous Pathways Against Position Effects in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Metabolic engineering of microbial cell factories through integrating the heterologous synthetic pathway into the chromosome is most commonly used for industrial applications. However, the position of the foreign gene in the chromosome can affect its transcriptional level. As a microorganism that is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) and commonly applied in industrial manufacture with large-scale operations, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is also confronted with this position effect. In this study, we characterized 12 different chromosome sites by inserting the lycopene biosynthetic pathway as a reporter cassette. Due to the different integration loci, the gene transcription and lycopene yield exhibited more than 58-fold and 3.8-fold differences, respectively. Furthermore, changing the gene order also revealed a remarkable influence (30-fold and 14-fold) on gene transcription and lycopene yield. Besides, the upstream activation sequence of a strong promoter (defined as an insulator) in S. cerevisiae could reduce the impact by gene order, and increased the gene transcription (tenfold) and lycopene yield (sevenfold). Taken together, our results demonstrated that gene order and insulator affected gene transcription and heterogeneous biosynthesis, opening the opportunity to regulate gene transcription by insulator against position effect in S. cerevisiae.
Biosynthetic process and strain improvement approaches for industrial penicillin production

Penicillins and cephalosporins are the most important class of beta (β) lactam antibiotics, accounting for 65% total antibiotic market. Penicillins are produced by Penicillium rubens (popularly known as P. chrysogenum) were used to synthesize the active pharmaceutical intermediate (API), 6-aminopenicillinic acid (6-APA) employed in semisynthetic antibiotic production. The wild strains produce a negligible amount of penicillin (Pen). High antibiotic titre-producing P. chrysogenum strains are necessitating for industrial Pen production to meet global demand at lower prices. Classical strain improvement (CSI) approaches such as random mutagenesis, medium engineering, and fermentation are the cornerstones for high-titer Pen production. Since, Sir Alexander Fleming Discovery of Pen, great efforts are expanded to develop at a commercial scale antibiotics producing strains. Breakthroughs in genetic engineering, heterologous expression and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tools opened a new window for Pen production at a commercial scale to assure health crisis. The current state of knowledge, limitations of CSI and genetic engineering approaches to Pen production are discussed in this review.
An Infant with Blended Phenotype of Zellweger Spectrum Disorder and Congenital Muscular Dystrophy

We report a newborn born to a consanguineous couple with antenatally detected dilatation of third ventricle, unilateral talipes, and intra uterine growth retardation. On examination, there was facial dysmorphism, hypotonia, encephalopathy, joint laxity and muscle hypertrophy in addition to left foot talipes. On evaluation, there were renal cortical cysts, rhizomelia, chondrodysplasia punctata and elevated muscle enzymes, along with a dilated third ventricle. As the phenotype was not consistent with any of the muscular dystrophies or the peroxisomal disorders, an exome sequencing was requested. It revealed a combination of Zellweger syndrome and Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy type 1.
Microplastics in the abyss: a first investigation into sediments at 2443-m depth (Toulon, France)

Plastic and microplastic pollutions are known to be widespread across the planet in all types of environments. However, relatively little about microplastic quantities in the deeper areas of the oceans is known, due to the difficulty to reach these environments. In this work, we present an investigation of microplastic (<5 mm) distribution performed in the bottom sediments of the abyssal plain off the coast and the canyon of Toulon (France). Four samples of deep-sea sediment were collected at the depth of 2443 m during the sea operations carried out by the French oceanographic cruises for the KM3NeT project. The chemical and physical characterisation of the sediment was carried out, and items were extracted from sediments by density separation and analysed by optical microscope and µRaman spectroscopy. Results show microplastics in the deep-sea sediments with a concentration of about 80 particles L-1, confirming the hypothesis of microplastics spread to abyssal sediments in the Mediterranean Sea.
Food waste management during the COVID-19 outbreak: a holistic climate, economic and nutritional approach

Improving the food supply chain efficiency has been identified as an essential means to enhance food security, while reducing pressure on natural resources. Adequate food loss and waste (FLW) management has been proposed as an approach to meet these objectives. The main hypothesis of this study is to consider that the "strong fluctuations and short-term changes" on eating habits may have major consequences on potential FLW generation and management, as well as on GHG emissions, all taking into account the nutritional and the economic cost. Due to the exceptional lockdown measures imposed by the Spanish government, as a consequence of the emerging coronavirus disease, COVID-19, food production and consumption systems have undergone significant changes, which must be properly studied in order to propose strategies from the lessons learned. Taking Spain as a case study, the methodological approach included a deep analysis of the inputs and outputs of the Spanish food basket, the supply chain by means of a Material Flow Analysis, as well as an economic and comprehensive nutritional assessment, all under a life cycle thinking approach. The results reveal that during the first weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, there was no significant adjustment in overall FLW generation, but a partial reallocation from extra-domestic consumption to households occurred (12% increase in household FLW). Moreover, the economic impact (+11%), GHG emissions (+10%), and the nutritional content (-8%) complete the multivariable impact profile that the COVID-19 outbreak had on FLW generation and management. Accordingly, this study once again highlights that measures aimed at reducing FLW, particularly in the household sector, are critical to make better use of food surpluses and FLW prevention and control, allowing us to confront future unforeseen scenarios. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
3-hydroxy butyrate dehydrogenase 2 deficiency aggravates systemic lupus erythematosus progression in a mouse model by promoting CD40 ligand demethylation

The implications of the CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) signaling pathway in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were well documented, due to its important role among immune cells. Previous research found that 3-hydroxy butyrate dehydrogenase 2 (BDH2), a modulator of intracellular iron homeostasis and iron transportation promoted the pathogenic process of SLE by regulating the demethylation of cd70, cd11a, and cd40l genes among CD4 + T cells. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of BDH2 in oxidative damage-induced SLE. First, CD4 + T cells treated with H2O2 were injected into the tail vein of mice to establish a lupus model. CD40L knockdown significantly decreased CD40L expression on CD4 + T cells in the spleen of SLE mice. Compared with SLE model mice, the levels of serum anti-dsDNA antibody and urinary protein in the CD40L interference group were significantly decreased. CD40L knockdown alleviated the immune complex glomerulonephritis in syngeneic SLE mice. Moreover, the levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 were decreased. However, IL-4 and IL-10 levels were significantly upregulated in the serum of CD40L knockdown SLE mice, compared with SLE model mice. Accordingly, CD40L knockdown reduced Th1/Th2 percentage in SLE mice. Inhibiting the expression of BDH2 of CD4 + T cells promoted the demethylation of CD40L, while it inhibited cell proliferation, elevated oxidative stress through increased expression of CD40L, and thus, promoted the progress of SLE. Our results demonstrate that BDH2 aggravates the pathologic progression of SLE in mice, by increasing the demethylation level of CD40L among CD4 + T cells.
The relationship between health expenditure, CO2 emissions, and economic growth in the BRICS countries-based on the Fourier ARDL model

In this paper, we use (Yilanci et al. 2020) Fourier autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to study the correlation between health expenditures, CO2 emissions, and GDP fluctuations in BRICS countries from 2000 to 2019. The Fourier ARDL model has the function of bootstrap repeated simulation calculations, so that small samples can also achieve the advantages of finer inspection results. In this paper, we find that in the long term, Brazil and China are countries that both have cointegration relationships in health expenditure, CO2 emissions, and economic growth. With CO2 emissions as the dependent variable and health expenditure and economic growth as independent variables, in the short term, there is a negative causal relationship between India's CO2 emissions and health expenditure; other countries only show the relationship between CO2 emissions, health expenditure, or economic growth one-way relationship. This paper also has some policy suggestions on health expenditures and CO2 emissions in the BRICS countries at the end.