The potential role of the “cold chain” in the spread of SARS-CoV-2

Direct transmission of SARS-CoV-2 involves two main aspects:it can occur by inhaling either droplets or aerosols in the air containing viruses.In addition,viruses can also spread after being deposited on inanimate surfaces.Recently,there were reports suggested that SARS-CoV-2 can be found in frozen products.The cold chain creates opportunities for the spread of SARS-CoV-2.With the advent of winter,the drop in outside temperature makes the“frozen chain”less likely to be destroyed;thus,the virus will survive longer on frozen products.During the transportation of imported food,there is a greater risk of virus infection.Therefore,we should be vigilant and strengthen the quarantine of each type of imported food.

Research on Sharing Economic Development of“Big Data+Block Chain”——Based on Industry Convergence Theory

Sharing economy as an important product of the Internet Era,its essence is to rely on Internet technology,especially big data technology to reuse the idle resources of society and creating new market value.However,with the increasing scope of the sharing economy,the problems of data security,circulation,sharing and privacy protection are gradually emerging,and big data technology has become the biggest bottleneck for further development of shared economy.The block chain technology is composed of a variety of technology and communication protocol to form a new Internet architecture,it through cryptographic sharing,distributed books and other feathers to provide new methods and ideas for data distribution and sharing and complementary with big data technology.Therefore,through the combination of block chain technology and big data technology,they can subvert the traditional shared economic business model and provide a new opportunity for sharing economic development.

A Tutorial Review of the Solar Power Curve: Regressions, Model Chains, and Their Hybridization and Probabilistic Extensions

Owing to the persisting hype in pushing toward global carbon neutrality,the study scope of atmospheric science is rapidly expanding.Among numerous trending topics,energy meteorology has been attracting the most attention hitherto.One essential skill of solar energy meteorologists is solar power curve modeling,which seeks to map irradiance and auxiliary weather variables to solar power,by statistical and/or physical means.In this regard,this tutorial review aims to deliver a complete overview of those fundamental scientific and engineering principles pertaining to the solar power curve.Solar power curves can be modeled in two primary ways,one of regression and the other of model chain.Both classes of modeling approaches,alongside their hybridization and probabilistic extensions,which allow accuracy improvement and uncertainty quantification,are scrutinized and contrasted thoroughly in this review.

Research on Alliance Decision of Dual-Channel Remanufacturing Supply Chain Considering Bidirectional Free-Riding and Cost-Sharing

This study delves into the formation dynamics of alliances within a closed-loop supply chain(CLSC)that encom-passes a manufacturer,a retailer,and an e-commerce platform.It leverages Stackelberg game for this exploration,contrasting the equilibrium outcomes of a non-alliance model with those of three differentiated alliance models.The non-alliance model acts as a crucial benchmark,enabling the evaluation of the motivations for various supply chain entities to engage in alliance formations.Our analysis is centered on identifying the most effective alliance strategies and establishing a coordination within these partnerships.We thoroughly investigate the consequences of diverse alliance behaviors,bidirectional free-riding and cost-sharing,and the resultant effects on the optimal decision-making among supply chain actors.The findings underscore several pivotal insights:(1)The behavior of alliances within the supply chain exerts variable impacts on the optimal pricing and demand of its members.In comparison to the non-alliance(D)model,the manufacturer-retailer(MR)and manufacturer-e-commerce platform(ME)alliances significantly lower both offline and online resale prices for new and remanufactured goods.This adjustment leads to an enhanced demand for products via the MR alliance’s offline outlets and the ME alliance’s online platforms,thereby augmenting the profits for those within the alliance.Conversely,retailer-e-commerce platform(ER)alliance tends to increase the optimal retail price and demand across both online and offline channels.Under specific conditions,alliance behavior can also increase the profits of non-alliance members,and the profits derived through alliance channels also exceed those from non-alliance channels.(2)The prevalence of bidirectional free-riding behavior largely remains constant across different alliance configurations.Across these models,bidirectional free-riding typically elevates the equilibrium prices in offline channel while negatively affecting the equilibrium prices in other channel.(3)The effect of cost-sharing shows relative uniformity across the various alliance models.Across all configurations,cost-sharing tends to reduce the manufacturer’s profits.Nonetheless,alliances initiated by the manufacturer can counteract these negative impacts,providing a strategic pathway to bolster CLSC profitability.

A Proposed Feature Selection Particle Swarm Optimization Adaptation for Intelligent Logistics--A Supply Chain Backlog Elimination Framework

The diversity of data sources resulted in seeking effective manipulation and dissemination.The challenge that arises from the increasing dimensionality has a negative effect on the computation performance,efficiency,and stability of computing.One of the most successful optimization algorithms is Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)which has proved its effectiveness in exploring the highest influencing features in the search space based on its fast convergence and the ability to utilize a small set of parameters in the search task.This research proposes an effective enhancement of PSO that tackles the challenge of randomness search which directly enhances PSO performance.On the other hand,this research proposes a generic intelligent framework for early prediction of orders delay and eliminate orders backlogs which could be considered as an efficient potential solution for raising the supply chain performance.The proposed adapted algorithm has been applied to a supply chain dataset which minimized the features set from twenty-one features to ten significant features.To confirm the proposed algorithm results,the updated data has been examined by eight of the well-known classification algorithms which reached a minimum accuracy percentage equal to 94.3%for random forest and a maximum of 99.0 for Naïve Bayes.Moreover,the proposed algorithm adaptation has been compared with other proposed adaptations of PSO from the literature over different datasets.The proposed PSO adaptation reached a higher accuracy compared with the literature ranging from 97.8 to 99.36 which also proved the advancement of the current research.

Durable poly(binaphthyl-co-p-terphenyl piperidinium)-based anion exchange membranes with dual side chains

Building well-developed ion-conductive highways is highly desirable for anion exchange membranes(AEMs).Grafting side chain is a highly effective approach for constructing a well-defined phaseseparated morphological structure and forming unblocked ion pathways in AEMs for fast ion transport.Fluorination of side chains can further enhance phase separation due to the superhydrophobic nature of fluorine groups.However,their electronic effect on the alkaline stability of side chains and membranes is rarely reported.Here,fluorine-containing and fluorine-free side chains are introduced into the polyaromatic backbone in proper configuration to investigate the impact of the fluorine terminal group on the stability of the side chains and membrane properties.The poly(binaphthyl-co-p-terphenyl piperidinium)AEM(QBNp TP)has the highest molecular weight and most dimensional stability due to its favorable backbone arrangement among ortho-and meta-terphenyl based AEMs.Importantly,by introducing both a fluorinated piperidinium side chain and a hexane chain into the p-terphenyl-based backbone,the prepared AEM(QBNp TP-QFC)presents an enhanced conductivity(150.6 m S cm^(-1))and a constrained swelling at 80℃.The electronic effect of fluorinated side chains is contemplated by experiments and simulations.The results demonstrate that the presence of strong electro-withdrawing fluorine groups weakens the electronic cloud of adjacent C atoms,increasing OH^(-)attack on the C atom and improving the stability of piperidinium cations.Hence QBNp TP-QFC possesses a robust alkaline stability at 80℃(95.3%conductivity retention after testing in 2 M Na OH for 2160 h).An excellent peak power density of 1.44 W cm^(-2)and a remarkable durability at 80℃(4.5%voltage loss after 100 h)can be observed.

Alkyl chain modulation of asymmetric hexacyclic fused acceptor synergistically with wide bandgap third component for high efficiency ternary organic solar cells

Herein,two asymmetric hexacyclic fused small molecule acceptors(SMAs),namely BP4F-HU and BP4F-UU,were synthesized.The elongated outside chains in the BP4F-UU molecule played a crucial role in optimizing the morphology of blend film,thereby improving charge mobility and reducing energy loss within the corresponding film.Notably,the PM6:BP4F-UU device exhibited a higher open-circuit voltage(V_(oc))of 0.878 V compared to the PM6:BP4F-HU device with a V_(oc)of 0.863 V.Further,a new wide bandgap SMA named BTP-TA was designed and synthesized as the third component to the PM6:BP4F-UU host binary devices,which showed an ideal complementary absorption spectrum in PM6:BP4F-UU system.In addition,BTP-TA can achieve efficient intermolecular energy transfer to BP4F-UU by fluorescence resonance energy transfer(FRET)pathway,due to the good overlap between the photoluminescence(PL)spectrum of BTP-TA and the absorption region of BP4F-UU.Consequently,ternary devices with 15wt%BTP-TA exhibits broader photon utilization,optimal blend morphology,and reduced charge recombination compared to the corresponding binary devices.Consequently,PM6:BP4F-UU:BTP-TA ternary device achieved an optimal power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 17.83%with simultaneously increased V_(oc)of 0.905 V,short-circuit current density(J_(sc))of 26.14 mA/cm^(2),and fill factor(FF)of 75.38%.

Hepatomegaly and jaundice as the presenting symptoms of systemic light-chain amyloidosis: A case report

BACKGROUND Light chain(AL)amyloidosis is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the pathologic production and extracellular tissue deposition of fibrillar proteins derived from immunoglobulin AL fragments secreted by a clone of plasma cells,which leads to progressive dysfunction of the affected organs.The two most commonly affected organs are the heart and kidneys,and liver is rarely the dominant affected organ with only 3.9%of cases,making them prone to misdia-gnosis and missed diagnosis.CASE SUMMARY A 65-year-old woman was admitted with a 3-mo history of progressive jaundice and marked hepatomegaly.Initially,based on enhanced computed tomography scan and angiography,Budd-Chiari syndrome was considered and balloon dilatation of significant hepatic vein stenoses was performed.However,addi-tional diagnostic procedures,including liver biopsy and bone marrow-exami-nation,revealed immunoglobulin kapa AL amyloidosis with extensive liver involvement and hepatic vascular compression.The disease course was progre-ssive and fatal,and the patient eventually died 5 mo after initial presentation of symptoms.CONCLUSION AL amyloidosis with isolated liver involvement is very rare,and can be easily misdiagnosed as a vascular disease.

Nonlinear wave dispersion in monoatomic chains with lumped and distributed masses:discrete and continuum models

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of inertia of nonlinear springs on the dispersion behavior of discrete monoatomic chains with lumped and distributed masses.The developed model can represent the wave propagation problem in a non-homogeneous material consisting of heavy inclusions embedded in a matrix.The inclusions are idealized by lumped masses,and the matrix between adjacent inclusions is modeled by a nonlinear spring with distributed masses.Additionally,the model is capable of depicting the wave propagation in bi-material bars,wherein the first material is represented by a rigid particle and the second one is represented by a nonlinear spring with distributed masses.The discrete model of the nonlinear monoatomic chain with lumped and distributed masses is first considered,and a closed-form expression of the dispersion relation is obtained by the second-order Lindstedt-Poincare method(LPM).Next,a continuum model for the nonlinear monoatomic chain is derived directly from its discrete lattice model by a suitable continualization technique.The subsequent use of the second-order method of multiple scales(MMS)facilitates the derivation of the corresponding nonlinear dispersion relation in a closed form.The novelties of the present study consist of(i)considering the inertia of nonlinear springs on the dispersion behavior of the discrete mass-spring chains;(ii)developing the second-order LPM for the wave propagation in the discrete chains;and(iii)deriving a continuum model for the nonlinear monoatomic chains with lumped and distributed masses.Finally,a parametric study is conducted to examine the effects of the design parameters and the distributed spring mass on the nonlinear dispersion relations and phase velocities obtained from both the discrete and continuum models.These parameters include the ratio of the spring mass to the lumped mass,the nonlinear stiffness coefficient of the spring,and the wave amplitude.

Service Function Chain Migration in LEO Satellite Networks

With the advancements of software defined network(SDN)and network function virtualization(NFV),service function chain(SFC)placement becomes a crucial enabler for flexible resource scheduling in low earth orbit(LEO)satellite networks.While due to the scarcity of bandwidth resources and dynamic topology of LEO satellites,the static SFC placement schemes may cause performance degradation,resource waste and even service failure.In this paper,we consider migration and establish an online migration model,especially considering the dynamic topology.Given the scarcity of bandwidth resources,the model aims to maximize the total number of accepted SFCs while incurring as little bandwidth cost of SFC transmission and migration as possible.Due to its NP-hardness,we propose a heuristic minimized dynamic SFC migration(MDSM)algorithm that only triggers the migration procedure when new SFCs are rejected.Simulation results demonstrate that MDSM achieves a performance close to the upper bound with lower complexity.

Periorbital purpura can be the only initial symptom of primary light chain amyloidosis:A case report

BACKGROUND Primary light chain amyloidosis is a rare and complex disease with complex clinical features and is highly susceptible to misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis in the early stages.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of a 47-year-old female patient whose only initial symptom was periorbital purpura,which was not taken seriously enough.As the disease progressed,pleural effusion gradually appeared,and after systematic diagnosis and treatment,she was diagnosed with“primary light chain amyloidosis”.She achieved rapid hematological remission after treatment with a daratumumab+bortezomib+cyclophosphamide+dexamethasone regimen.CONCLUSION Periorbital purpura can be the only initial symptom of primary light chain amyloidosis;we should pay attention to the cases where the initial clinical symptoms are only periorbital purpura.

Production Chain Length and PPI-CPI Divergence:Analysis Based on the Global Input-output Price Model

Productivity and international energy price shocks are reflected in PPI and CPI via industrial chains.China’s in-depth participation into the global value chains has increasingly lengthened its industrial production chains.The question is how the changing length of production chains will affect CPI and PPI,as well as CPI-PPI correlation?By constructing a global input-output price model,this paper offers a theoretical discussion on the impact of production chain length on the CPI-PPI divergence.Our findings suggest that the price shock of international bulk commodities has a greater impact on China’s PPI than that on CPI.The effects on both China’s PPI and CPI estimated by using the single-country input-output model are higher than the results estimated with the global input-output model.However,the difference between CPI and PPI variations estimated with the global input-output model is greater than the result estimated with the single-country input-output model,which supports the view that the lengthening of production chains,especially international production chains,leads to a divergence between CPI and PPI.Empirical results based on cross-national panel data also suggest that the lengthening of production chains has reduced the CPI-PPI correlation for countries,i.e.the lengthening of production chains has increased the PPI-CPI divergence.That is to say,policymakers should target not just CPI in maintaining price stability,but instead focus on the stability of both PPI and CPI.Efforts can be made to proactively adjust the price index system,and formulate the industrial chain price index.

Global Industrial and Supply Chain Restructuring:Background,Characteristics and Development Trends

The restructuring of global industrial and supply chains is a hot issue in today’s world,and as a result of the once-in-a-century changes and intensified geopolitical and economic competition,the demand for global industrial and supply chain security has risen sharply,with government departments and transnational corporations(TNCs)becoming the most critical stakeholders.Governments carefully calibrate industrial and trade policies from the perspective of national strategies to create industrial chains that support national competitive advantages,and multinational corporations respond to geopolitical risks by prioritizing industrial and supply chain security and sustainability over capital and efficiency.Against the backdrop of changes unseen in a century,decelerating globalization and global economic downturn,the characteristics and future trends of global industrial and supply chain restructuring are worth paying attention to.

International Supply Chain Cooperation and China’s Role

In recent years,the challenges facing the development of international supply chains have been increasing.Major country competition,COVID pandemic and geopolitical conflicts have impacted the development of international supply chains and continue to have negative effects.Against this background,the international community should cooperate to deal with the risks and challenges.

Global Supply Chain Governance and the Future of Globalization

Over the past 30 years or so,globalization has been underpinned by ever-evolving supply chains.The heightened attention to supply chain issues in recent years has been due to a series of global events in the world that have had a significant and profound impact.Factors such as the COVID pandemic,the Ukraine Crisis and increased geopolitical tensions have led to supply chain crises globally or regionally.

The Meeting Points a New Way out for Surfactant Industrial Chain

In March 2024,a large batch of people along the surfactant industrial chain attended the“2024 Chinese Surfactant Industrial Meeting”,also the 2024(The 2nd)Chinese International Surfactant Industrial Expo held between March 25 and March 28,so as to explore new possibilities in the industry.This event was hosted by China Research Institute of Daily Chemical Industry and National Engineering Research Center for Surfactant(NERCS)and organized by Productivity Promotion Centre for the Surfactant and Detergent Industry and China Daily chemical Industry Information Center,with the special support by China Quality Mark Certification Group.

Ensure the Stability and Smoothness of Global Supply Chain

In 2024,the world economy still faces many uncertainties,and it is likely that the geopolitical economy and global security tensions are likely to continue to intensify;although the global inflation rate is declining,it is still at a high level;the global debt crisis has risen sharply;in particular,the risk of decoupling and chain breakage of the industrial chain and supply chain still exists.

Development of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of hepatitis C virus,hepatitis B virus,and human immunodeficiency virus 1

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus(HCV),hepatitis B virus(HBV),and human immunodeficiency virus 1(HIV-1)are the most epidemic blood-borne viruses,posing threats to human health and causing economic losses to nations for combating the infection transmission.The diagnostic methodologies that depend on the detection of viral nucleic acids are much more expensive,but they are more accurate than sero-logical testing.AIM To develop a rapid,cost-effective,and accurate diagnostic multiplex polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assay for simultaneous detection of HCV,HBV,and HIV-1.METHODS The design of the proposed PCR assay targets the amplification of a short conserved region featured with a distinguishable melting profile and electro-phoretic molecular weight inside each viral genome.Therefore,this diagnostic method will be appropriate for application in both conventional(combined with electrophoresis)and real-time PCR facilities.Confirmatory in silico investigations were conducted to prove the capability of the approached PCR assay to detect variants of each virus.Then,Egyptian isolates of each virus were subjected to the wet lab examination using the given diagnostic assay.RESULTS The in silico investigations confirmed that the PCR primers can match many viral variants in a multiplex PCR assay.The wet lab experiment proved the efficiency of the assay in distinguishing each viral type through high-resolution melting analysis.Compared to related published assays,the proposed assay in the current study is more sensitive and competitive with many expensive PCR assays.CONCLUSION This study provides a simple,cost-effective,and sensitive diagnostic PCR assay facilitating the detection of the most epidemic blood-borne viruses;this makes the proposed assay promising to be substitutive for the mistakable and cheap serological-based assays.

The evolution analysis of agricultural global value chains

With the Uruguay Round bringing agricultural trade into multilateral regulation,the major countries have actively participated in agricultural global value chains(AGVC)and occupied an important position according to their comparative advantages.Utilizing bilateral agricultural trade data of 66 countries based on the OECD Inter-Country-Input-Output Tables(OECD ICIO)from 2010 to 2018,this study applies social network analysis indicators to measure each country’s eigenvector centrality within AGVC and to examine the current global agricultural trade patterns,with particular attention to the changes in the status of world powers within AGVC.The main findings are as follows:first,with the multilateral and regional trade liberalization,growing numbers of developing nations,including China and India,are engaging in international agricultural trade,which contributes to its diversification;second,as AGVC develops,the structure of global agricultural trade networks has become more decentralized and balanced.This is evidenced by the emergence of additional central nodes,and large nations like the United States,which formerly held the most central position as indicated by a drop in its centrality,are becoming less dominant.

Comparative Analysis and Legal Reflection on the Boundaries of Human Rights Due Diligence in the Supply Chain

As global supply chains become increasingly lengthy and complex, human rights due diligence in the supply chain is becoming a controversial focal point in the accountability of multinational corporations. In recent years, legislative practices in the field of human rights due diligence have shown a trend from voluntary soft law toward mandatory hard law, and from corporate due diligence for their own operations towards extended due diligence for the entire supply chain. However, there is a divergence in national practices regarding the extent to which human rights due diligence should extend along the supply chain and the manner in which it should be incorporated into domestic legal policies. International soft law interpretations surrounding the boundaries of human rights due diligence in the supply chain are decentralized, posing risks of interpretation diversification, boundary blurring, and procedural formalization, as well as risks of misinterpretation and misuse. Meanwhile, some countries and regions are vigorously promoting mandatory legislation on human rights due diligence in the supply chain, which has profound implications for the stability of global supply chains and the international economic and trade order. Against this backdrop, it is crucial to explore the reasonable boundaries of human rights due diligence in the supply chain. Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all approach,the rationality of legal factors and the complexity of practical factors should be considered, applying context-specific measures based on the varying degrees of linkage between companies and negative human rights impacts in the supply chain. China should be particularly wary of the “chilling effect” of mandatory legislation on human rights due diligence in the supply chain, attaching great importance to national supply chain security and international supply chain competitiveness.Additionally,China should actively promote the implementation of voluntary human rights due diligence under the United Nations framework, and accelerate the enhancement of China's discourse power in the international rule-making process in the fields of industry and commerce as well as human rights.