Urban food systems need remedies due to the global rise of food insecurity. Aquaponics has emerged as a circular agricultural mode to shape edible cities and features multiple food-water-energy (FWE) nexus. Here we pr...Urban food systems need remedies due to the global rise of food insecurity. Aquaponics has emerged as a circular agricultural mode to shape edible cities and features multiple food-water-energy (FWE) nexus. Here we provide a generalizable methodology and framework to capture the FWE nexus flows of aquaponics systems within city jurisdiction. To test the framework in Beijing, China, we offer an evidence-based tradeoff analysis of urban rooftop aquaponics (RA) and ground aquaponics (GA) from a FWE nexus perspective. The results show that urban aquaponics performs well in terms of water effi-ciency, which saves 42%-44% of water consumption than traditional greenhouses (TG) during the on-farm stage, but generates 2.3-3.0 times higher energy consumption and 1.1-2.1 times more carbon emis-sions. “From farm to table” aquaponics helps decrease 14%-44% of the energy, water, and carbon impacts during the off-farm stage. With diversely optimized strategies for renewable electricity, fish food, infras-tructure materials, and recycling actions, urban aquaponics can hopefully reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 80%-85% in the on-farm stage. In addition to greenhouse agriculture, utilizing a total of 155 km2 of RA and GA potential areas could increase urban vegetable self-sufficiency by 15%, and avoid 82% of the energy, water, and carbon footprints during upstream food supply chains beyond cities. Our findings could provide policy insights for urban stakeholders to create edible landscapes by integrating RA and GA, and thus direct resilient and sustainable agricultural transformation.展开更多
The past two decades have seen formative assessment claim legitimacy in policy discourse and engender immense tensions within the testing-dominated assessment regimes of multiple educational settings.These tensions,al...The past two decades have seen formative assessment claim legitimacy in policy discourse and engender immense tensions within the testing-dominated assessment regimes of multiple educational settings.These tensions,along with the top-down approach of the policy process,have made the inroads of formative assessment in local contexts very complex.This study seeks to unveil the localized appropriation and actualization of a formative assessment initiative in the College English area at a Chinese local university.The focus is on how the key actors at the institutional and classroom levels appropriate and negotiate the policy meaning within their local community of practice.Analysis of an individual interview with the dean and a focus-group interview with six 1 teachers has revealed a“two-hand”approach to the national policy and a nested mediation from local constraints,“cultural tools for thinking”and,more importantly,power in the policymaking process at the institutional level.The classroom level,on the other hand,witnesses capable teachers exercising their agency within a limited space.As a result,we would caution that power and agency could be solid mediators in the policy process and need to be exercised with care to ensure a more coherent implementation of assessment innovations.展开更多
In the new phase of sustainable development,agriculture is seeking sustainable management of the water-land-energy-economy-environment-food nexus.At present,there are few studies on optimizing crop planting structure ...In the new phase of sustainable development,agriculture is seeking sustainable management of the water-land-energy-economy-environment-food nexus.At present,there are few studies on optimizing crop planting structure and analyzing its spatial layout with consideration of natural and socio-economic factors.Herein,we proposed a framework for addressing this issue.In this framework,the NSGA-II algorithm was used to construct the multi-objective optimization model of crop planting structures with consideration of water and energy consumption,greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions,economic benefits,as well as food,land,and water security constraints,while the model for planting spatial layout optimization was established with consideration of crop suitability using the MaxEnt model and the improved Hungarian algorithm.This framework was further applied in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China(BSRNC)for analyzing optimized crop planting structures and spatial layouts of three main crops(rice,maize,and soybean)under various scenarios.This study showed that the sown area of rice in the BSRNC decreased by up to 40.73%and 35.30%in the environmental priority scenario and economic-environmental balance scenario,respectively,whereas that of soybean increased by up to 112.44%and 63.31%,respectively.In the economic priority scenario,the sown area of rice increased by up to 93.98%.Expanding the sown area of soybean was effective in reducing GHG emissions.On the contrary,rice production led to greater environmental costs though it provided higher economic returns.Among the three crops,maize exhibited an advantage in balancing environmental and economic benefits.Hegang-Jixi area in the northeast of the BSRNC was identified as the key area with the most intense crop planting transfer among different scenarios.Overall,this framework provides a new methodology for optimizing crop planting structures and spatial layouts with con-sideration of the nexus of various factors.Moreover,the case study demonstrates the applicability and expansion potential of the framework in the fields of sustainable agricultural development and food security assurance.展开更多
Lignite provides energy security and contributes economically.However,it also causes dirty outcomes in terms of climate aspect.In addition to the energy and climate dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals,ther...Lignite provides energy security and contributes economically.However,it also causes dirty outcomes in terms of climate aspect.In addition to the energy and climate dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals,there is also a water issue:lignite is usually found submerged below the local groundwater tables.Mining lignite could be exploited to achieve drinkable and agriculturally usable water.In today’s literature,while the impact of lignite production on global warming and emissions are already highly discussed,the water management side of the issue is regularly omitted.However,considering the complex interlink between these three areas(the Water-Energy-Climate(WEC)nexus)is necessary within policy coherence,which is mostly ignored even though it is one of the development targets.Here in this framework,Turkiye,which aims to reduce its heavy dependency on energy imports,is worth studying because almost all of its coal,the country’s largest fossil resource,is lignite.Therefore,this study examines the WEC nexus related to lignite production and combustion and seeks policy coherence between their outputs in the context of Turkiye’s historical steps to climate change mitigation,specifically oriented with the Paris Agreement.This story expands from the absence of specific development policy objectives to the practicalities of politics and economics.展开更多
The water-energy nexus is a key area of focus in efforts to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.As population growth and climate change continue to strain both water and energy systems,innovativ...The water-energy nexus is a key area of focus in efforts to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.As population growth and climate change continue to strain both water and energy systems,innovative and integrated solutions are required that take into account the inextricable interdependen-cies of these systems.Optimizing resource use,reducing carbon emissions,and increasing system resilience are no longer optional;they are critical imperatives for a sustainable future.This special issue of Engineering presents groundbreaking research exploring the synergies and tradeoffs within the water-energy nexus,offer-ing invaluable insights for policymakers,engineers,and researchers.展开更多
This study examines the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus in Lebanese agriculture, with a focus on the shift from conventional surface irrigation techniques to advanced smart irrigation systems in the Bekaa re...This study examines the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus in Lebanese agriculture, with a focus on the shift from conventional surface irrigation techniques to advanced smart irrigation systems in the Bekaa region, specifically targeting potato cultivation. The study quantitatively analyzes the interaction among water, energy, and agricultural outputs at the farm scale using the WEFE Nexus framework for scenario analysis. It evaluates variations in water productivity, environmental effects, and economic outcomes, offering a detailed view of existing practices and their sustainable improvement potential. The WEFE Nexus assessment demonstrates that smart irrigation integration significantly decreased resource usage: water consumption was reduced by 58%, diesel fuel use for irrigation dropped by 57%, and the demand for labor and fertilizers decreased by 47% and 49%, respectively. This change led to enhanced crop yields and increased resource efficiency, demonstrating the potential of smart irrigation as a transformative strategy for sustainable agriculture in Lebanon and other arid areas. Economic analysis showed that farmers could recover the costs of installing the smart irrigation system within 3 months. The findings highlight the need for further research on integrating smart irrigation with renewable energy, showing potential for sustainable agricultural development. .展开更多
There has been widespread cooperation and intervention by the international community in the reconstruction of post-conflict countries,and maintaining security and stability and assistance for economic recovery and de...There has been widespread cooperation and intervention by the international community in the reconstruction of post-conflict countries,and maintaining security and stability and assistance for economic recovery and development have been positioned as two indispensable wheels(Security-Development Nexus)in the rebuilding process of unstable countries.One of the most typical examples of the international community's involvement in post-conflict state-building was its support for Afghanistan after 2002.However,despite its efforts over 20 years,the Taliban seized all of Afghanistan in 2021,resulting in the collapse of 20 years of international community support for the building of a democratic state.This paper attempts to recapitulate the international community’s ambitious 20-year Security and Development efforts in Afghanistan,where the resulting failure lies and what lessons can be learned.The key points are:(1)the limitations of the UN’s role and the fact that it had continued to provide assistance without a clear“exit strategy”,(2)the security circle and the development circle had different objectives,and their collaboration was not effectively conducted,(3)the failure to include Taliban in the initial political process of the new state.展开更多
Given the challenges facing most humanitarian operations worldwide, a change of approach is needed to ensure greater sustainability of humanitarian settlements right from the planning stage. Some studies attribute uns...Given the challenges facing most humanitarian operations worldwide, a change of approach is needed to ensure greater sustainability of humanitarian settlements right from the planning stage. Some studies attribute unsustainability to inadequate provision of basic resources and highlight the apparent bottlenecks that prevent access to the meaningful data needed to plan and remedy problems. Most operations have relied on an “ad hoc ism” approach, employing parallel and disconnected data processing methods, resulting in a wide range of data being collected without subsequent prioritization to optimize interconnections that could enhance performance. There have been little efforts to study the trade-offs potentially at stake. This work proposes a new framework enabling all subsystems to operate in a single system and focusing on data processing perspective. To achieve this, this paper proposes a Triple Nexus Framework as an attempt to integrate water, energy, and housing sector data derived from a specific sub-system within the overall system in the application of Model-Based Systems Engineering. Understanding the synergies between water, energy, and housing, Systems Engineering characterizes the triple nexus framework and identifies opportunities for improved decision-making in processing operational data from these sectors. Two scenarios illustrate how an integrated platform could be a gateway to access meaningful operational data in the system and a starting point for modeling integrated human settlement systems. Upon execution, the model is tested for nexus megadata processing, and the optimization simulation yielded 67% satisfactory results, demonstrating that an integrated system could improve sustainability, and that capacity building in service delivery is more than beneficial.展开更多
Water,economy,and ecology are interdependent and should be viewed as an interconnected“system of systems”(Daher et al.,2019;Dargin et al.,2019).Water is placed at the center of this complex nexus,being essential for...Water,economy,and ecology are interdependent and should be viewed as an interconnected“system of systems”(Daher et al.,2019;Dargin et al.,2019).Water is placed at the center of this complex nexus,being essential for human survival,economic growth,food security,and ecological integrity.Any disruption in the water domain reverberates across multiple other domains,amplifying existing challenges and creating new ones.Consequently,water management and governance carry significant economic and environmental implications that must be addressed through a holistic,integrated approach.展开更多
Mammalian spermatogenesis is a well-organized process of cell development and differentiation. Meiosis expressed gene I （MEIG 1） plays an essential role in the regulation of spermiogenesis. To explore potential mech...Mammalian spermatogenesis is a well-organized process of cell development and differentiation. Meiosis expressed gene I （MEIG 1） plays an essential role in the regulation of spermiogenesis. To explore potential mechanisms of MEIGI＇s action, a yeast two-hybrid screen was conducted, and several potential binding partners were identified; one of them was membrane occupation and recognition nexus repeat containing 3 （MORN3）. MORN3 mRNA is only abundant in mouse testis. In the testis, Morn3 mRNA is highly expressed in the spermiogenesis stage. Specific anti-MORN3 polyclonal antibody was generated against N-terminus of the full-length MORN3 protein, and MORN3 expression and localization was examined in vitro and in vivo. In transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells, the antibody specifically crossed-reacted the full-length MORN3 protein, and immunofluorescence staining revealed that MORN3 was localized throughout the cytoplasm. Among multiple mouse tissues, about 25 kDa protein, was identified only in the testis. The protein was highly expressed after day 20 of birth. Immunofluorescence staining on mixed testicular cells isolated from adult wild-type mice demonstrated that MORN3 was expressed in the acrosome in germ cells throughout spermiogenesis. The protein was also present in the manchette of elongating spermatids. The total MORN3 expression and acrosome localization were not changed in the Meig/-deficient mice. However, its expression in manchette was dramatically reduced in the mutant mice. Our studies suggest that MORN3 is another regulator for spermatogenesis, probably together with MEIG1.展开更多
Stem cell fate determination is one of the central questions in stem cell biology,and although its regulation has been studied at genomic and proteomic levels,a variety of biological activities in cells occur at the m...Stem cell fate determination is one of the central questions in stem cell biology,and although its regulation has been studied at genomic and proteomic levels,a variety of biological activities in cells occur at the metabolic level.Metabolomics studies have established the metabolome during stem cell differentiation and have revealed the role of metabolites in stem cell fate determination.While metabolism is considered to play a biological regulatory role as an energy source,recent studies have suggested the nexus between metabolism and epigenetics because several metabolites function as cofactors and substrates in epigenetic mechanisms,including histone modification,DNA methylation,and microRNAs.Additionally,the epigenetic modification is sensitive to the dynamic metabolites and consequently leads to changes in transcription.The nexus between metabolism and epigenetics proposes a novel stem cell-based therapeutic strategy through manipulating metabolites.In the present review,we summarize the possible nexus between metabolic and epigenetic regulation in stem cell fate determination,and discuss the potential preventive and therapeutic strategies via targeting metabolites.展开更多
Food,energy and water(FEW)are indispensable,irreplaceable and safeguarding resources with tangled interlinkages among each other,often framed in terms of‘nexus’.Cities have become the bustling hubs of resource consu...Food,energy and water(FEW)are indispensable,irreplaceable and safeguarding resources with tangled interlinkages among each other,often framed in terms of‘nexus’.Cities have become the bustling hubs of resource consumption and production,facing the most intense stress.Globally,food security,fresh water shortage and fossil energy exhaustion have become the greatest challenge for the sustainable development of cities in the future.Systematic analysis and simulation of dynamic evolution of urban FEW demand and supply and its nexus would add significant and practical value for macro-management such as ensuring the security of urban resource.Taking Beijing as the case study,we established a dynamic model for the FEW demand and supply from the perspective of cross-ectoral and cross-regional nexus with the Stella modelling platform,then it was run for simulating the dynamic changes and nexus characteristics of FEW during the interval between 2016 and 2035.The results showed that:①The gap between local production and demand of these three resources in Beijing will continue to increase.In 2035,Beijing will need 2.16 million tons of grain,0.83 million tons of meat,4.6 billion m3 of water and 91.65 million tons of standard coal of energy while the resources produced and supplied by locality independently will be 0.21 million tons,0.23 million tons,3.3 billion cubic meters and 16.5 million tons of standard coal respectively.Beijing has to draw on cross-boundary production to meet FEW-use with the increasing gap between local supply and demand.②There is a developing trend of the absolute quantity of interaction among FEW.Structurally,the‘outsourcing’feature is obvious and the indigenous nexus links of three resources are shifting to back-end supply chain such as transportation and treatment.③The change of nexus indexes are mainly affected by the mutual and strong dependence between food and water.Food and energy depend more and more on each other;in contrast,the inter-relationship between water and energy is more stable.In addition,inter-regional FEW nexus is strengthened.④To improve systematic management of urban resources,we need to capture multi-tradeoffs of the FEW system comprehensively and establish a multi-regional and multi-factor integrated and collaborative resource management mechanism.展开更多
This paper presents a quantitative assessment framework of the Water, Energy and Food (W-E-F) nexus. The proposed approach allows integrated quantitative assessments by considering all the W-E-F intersectoral linkages...This paper presents a quantitative assessment framework of the Water, Energy and Food (W-E-F) nexus. The proposed approach allows integrated quantitative assessments by considering all the W-E-F intersectoral linkages and the competing demand for W-E-F resources to evaluate future development scenarios. Firstly, the conceptual model adopted for the proposed framework is presented. Secondly, a detailed methodological framework is introduced to serve as W-E-F nexus evaluation and planning platform. At the practical level, the model is applied to evaluate the W-E-F nexus in Lebanon. Finally, the conclusions and further developments are presented.展开更多
在本文上篇完成以后，围绕着iPhone发生了两件大事。一是苹果正式发布了iPhone OS 4，增加了多任务能力；二是下一代iPhone被意外曝光，除了造型变化外，硬件规格大有赶超Nexus One之势。这也意味着，iPhone和Android手机的较量将更多...在本文上篇完成以后，围绕着iPhone发生了两件大事。一是苹果正式发布了iPhone OS 4，增加了多任务能力；二是下一代iPhone被意外曝光，除了造型变化外，硬件规格大有赶超Nexus One之势。这也意味着，iPhone和Android手机的较量将更多取决于综合实力。展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foun-dation of China(72174028 and 52225902)the Strategic Research and Consulting Project of Chinese Academy of Engineer-ing(2024-XZ-47).
文摘Urban food systems need remedies due to the global rise of food insecurity. Aquaponics has emerged as a circular agricultural mode to shape edible cities and features multiple food-water-energy (FWE) nexus. Here we provide a generalizable methodology and framework to capture the FWE nexus flows of aquaponics systems within city jurisdiction. To test the framework in Beijing, China, we offer an evidence-based tradeoff analysis of urban rooftop aquaponics (RA) and ground aquaponics (GA) from a FWE nexus perspective. The results show that urban aquaponics performs well in terms of water effi-ciency, which saves 42%-44% of water consumption than traditional greenhouses (TG) during the on-farm stage, but generates 2.3-3.0 times higher energy consumption and 1.1-2.1 times more carbon emis-sions. “From farm to table” aquaponics helps decrease 14%-44% of the energy, water, and carbon impacts during the off-farm stage. With diversely optimized strategies for renewable electricity, fish food, infras-tructure materials, and recycling actions, urban aquaponics can hopefully reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 80%-85% in the on-farm stage. In addition to greenhouse agriculture, utilizing a total of 155 km2 of RA and GA potential areas could increase urban vegetable self-sufficiency by 15%, and avoid 82% of the energy, water, and carbon footprints during upstream food supply chains beyond cities. Our findings could provide policy insights for urban stakeholders to create edible landscapes by integrating RA and GA, and thus direct resilient and sustainable agricultural transformation.
基金based on research projects sponsored by the National Social Science Fund of China(NSSFC)(No.17BYY100)the China Association of Higher Education—Foreign Language Teaching and Research Association[21WYJYYB24]。
文摘The past two decades have seen formative assessment claim legitimacy in policy discourse and engender immense tensions within the testing-dominated assessment regimes of multiple educational settings.These tensions,along with the top-down approach of the policy process,have made the inroads of formative assessment in local contexts very complex.This study seeks to unveil the localized appropriation and actualization of a formative assessment initiative in the College English area at a Chinese local university.The focus is on how the key actors at the institutional and classroom levels appropriate and negotiate the policy meaning within their local community of practice.Analysis of an individual interview with the dean and a focus-group interview with six 1 teachers has revealed a“two-hand”approach to the national policy and a nested mediation from local constraints,“cultural tools for thinking”and,more importantly,power in the policymaking process at the institutional level.The classroom level,on the other hand,witnesses capable teachers exercising their agency within a limited space.As a result,we would caution that power and agency could be solid mediators in the policy process and need to be exercised with care to ensure a more coherent implementation of assessment innovations.
基金funded by the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.72221002)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA28060200)National Natural Science Foundation of Youth Project(Grant No.72303087).
文摘In the new phase of sustainable development,agriculture is seeking sustainable management of the water-land-energy-economy-environment-food nexus.At present,there are few studies on optimizing crop planting structure and analyzing its spatial layout with consideration of natural and socio-economic factors.Herein,we proposed a framework for addressing this issue.In this framework,the NSGA-II algorithm was used to construct the multi-objective optimization model of crop planting structures with consideration of water and energy consumption,greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions,economic benefits,as well as food,land,and water security constraints,while the model for planting spatial layout optimization was established with consideration of crop suitability using the MaxEnt model and the improved Hungarian algorithm.This framework was further applied in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China(BSRNC)for analyzing optimized crop planting structures and spatial layouts of three main crops(rice,maize,and soybean)under various scenarios.This study showed that the sown area of rice in the BSRNC decreased by up to 40.73%and 35.30%in the environmental priority scenario and economic-environmental balance scenario,respectively,whereas that of soybean increased by up to 112.44%and 63.31%,respectively.In the economic priority scenario,the sown area of rice increased by up to 93.98%.Expanding the sown area of soybean was effective in reducing GHG emissions.On the contrary,rice production led to greater environmental costs though it provided higher economic returns.Among the three crops,maize exhibited an advantage in balancing environmental and economic benefits.Hegang-Jixi area in the northeast of the BSRNC was identified as the key area with the most intense crop planting transfer among different scenarios.Overall,this framework provides a new methodology for optimizing crop planting structures and spatial layouts with con-sideration of the nexus of various factors.Moreover,the case study demonstrates the applicability and expansion potential of the framework in the fields of sustainable agricultural development and food security assurance.
文摘Lignite provides energy security and contributes economically.However,it also causes dirty outcomes in terms of climate aspect.In addition to the energy and climate dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals,there is also a water issue:lignite is usually found submerged below the local groundwater tables.Mining lignite could be exploited to achieve drinkable and agriculturally usable water.In today’s literature,while the impact of lignite production on global warming and emissions are already highly discussed,the water management side of the issue is regularly omitted.However,considering the complex interlink between these three areas(the Water-Energy-Climate(WEC)nexus)is necessary within policy coherence,which is mostly ignored even though it is one of the development targets.Here in this framework,Turkiye,which aims to reduce its heavy dependency on energy imports,is worth studying because almost all of its coal,the country’s largest fossil resource,is lignite.Therefore,this study examines the WEC nexus related to lignite production and combustion and seeks policy coherence between their outputs in the context of Turkiye’s historical steps to climate change mitigation,specifically oriented with the Paris Agreement.This story expands from the absence of specific development policy objectives to the practicalities of politics and economics.
文摘The water-energy nexus is a key area of focus in efforts to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.As population growth and climate change continue to strain both water and energy systems,innovative and integrated solutions are required that take into account the inextricable interdependen-cies of these systems.Optimizing resource use,reducing carbon emissions,and increasing system resilience are no longer optional;they are critical imperatives for a sustainable future.This special issue of Engineering presents groundbreaking research exploring the synergies and tradeoffs within the water-energy nexus,offer-ing invaluable insights for policymakers,engineers,and researchers.
文摘This study examines the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus in Lebanese agriculture, with a focus on the shift from conventional surface irrigation techniques to advanced smart irrigation systems in the Bekaa region, specifically targeting potato cultivation. The study quantitatively analyzes the interaction among water, energy, and agricultural outputs at the farm scale using the WEFE Nexus framework for scenario analysis. It evaluates variations in water productivity, environmental effects, and economic outcomes, offering a detailed view of existing practices and their sustainable improvement potential. The WEFE Nexus assessment demonstrates that smart irrigation integration significantly decreased resource usage: water consumption was reduced by 58%, diesel fuel use for irrigation dropped by 57%, and the demand for labor and fertilizers decreased by 47% and 49%, respectively. This change led to enhanced crop yields and increased resource efficiency, demonstrating the potential of smart irrigation as a transformative strategy for sustainable agriculture in Lebanon and other arid areas. Economic analysis showed that farmers could recover the costs of installing the smart irrigation system within 3 months. The findings highlight the need for further research on integrating smart irrigation with renewable energy, showing potential for sustainable agricultural development. .
文摘There has been widespread cooperation and intervention by the international community in the reconstruction of post-conflict countries,and maintaining security and stability and assistance for economic recovery and development have been positioned as two indispensable wheels(Security-Development Nexus)in the rebuilding process of unstable countries.One of the most typical examples of the international community's involvement in post-conflict state-building was its support for Afghanistan after 2002.However,despite its efforts over 20 years,the Taliban seized all of Afghanistan in 2021,resulting in the collapse of 20 years of international community support for the building of a democratic state.This paper attempts to recapitulate the international community’s ambitious 20-year Security and Development efforts in Afghanistan,where the resulting failure lies and what lessons can be learned.The key points are:(1)the limitations of the UN’s role and the fact that it had continued to provide assistance without a clear“exit strategy”,(2)the security circle and the development circle had different objectives,and their collaboration was not effectively conducted,(3)the failure to include Taliban in the initial political process of the new state.
文摘Given the challenges facing most humanitarian operations worldwide, a change of approach is needed to ensure greater sustainability of humanitarian settlements right from the planning stage. Some studies attribute unsustainability to inadequate provision of basic resources and highlight the apparent bottlenecks that prevent access to the meaningful data needed to plan and remedy problems. Most operations have relied on an “ad hoc ism” approach, employing parallel and disconnected data processing methods, resulting in a wide range of data being collected without subsequent prioritization to optimize interconnections that could enhance performance. There have been little efforts to study the trade-offs potentially at stake. This work proposes a new framework enabling all subsystems to operate in a single system and focusing on data processing perspective. To achieve this, this paper proposes a Triple Nexus Framework as an attempt to integrate water, energy, and housing sector data derived from a specific sub-system within the overall system in the application of Model-Based Systems Engineering. Understanding the synergies between water, energy, and housing, Systems Engineering characterizes the triple nexus framework and identifies opportunities for improved decision-making in processing operational data from these sectors. Two scenarios illustrate how an integrated platform could be a gateway to access meaningful operational data in the system and a starting point for modeling integrated human settlement systems. Upon execution, the model is tested for nexus megadata processing, and the optimization simulation yielded 67% satisfactory results, demonstrating that an integrated system could improve sustainability, and that capacity building in service delivery is more than beneficial.
基金This work was supported by the general operational fund of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research。
文摘Water,economy,and ecology are interdependent and should be viewed as an interconnected“system of systems”(Daher et al.,2019;Dargin et al.,2019).Water is placed at the center of this complex nexus,being essential for human survival,economic growth,food security,and ecological integrity.Any disruption in the water domain reverberates across multiple other domains,amplifying existing challenges and creating new ones.Consequently,water management and governance carry significant economic and environmental implications that must be addressed through a holistic,integrated approach.
文摘Mammalian spermatogenesis is a well-organized process of cell development and differentiation. Meiosis expressed gene I （MEIG 1） plays an essential role in the regulation of spermiogenesis. To explore potential mechanisms of MEIGI＇s action, a yeast two-hybrid screen was conducted, and several potential binding partners were identified; one of them was membrane occupation and recognition nexus repeat containing 3 （MORN3）. MORN3 mRNA is only abundant in mouse testis. In the testis, Morn3 mRNA is highly expressed in the spermiogenesis stage. Specific anti-MORN3 polyclonal antibody was generated against N-terminus of the full-length MORN3 protein, and MORN3 expression and localization was examined in vitro and in vivo. In transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells, the antibody specifically crossed-reacted the full-length MORN3 protein, and immunofluorescence staining revealed that MORN3 was localized throughout the cytoplasm. Among multiple mouse tissues, about 25 kDa protein, was identified only in the testis. The protein was highly expressed after day 20 of birth. Immunofluorescence staining on mixed testicular cells isolated from adult wild-type mice demonstrated that MORN3 was expressed in the acrosome in germ cells throughout spermiogenesis. The protein was also present in the manchette of elongating spermatids. The total MORN3 expression and acrosome localization were not changed in the Meig/-deficient mice. However, its expression in manchette was dramatically reduced in the mutant mice. Our studies suggest that MORN3 is another regulator for spermatogenesis, probably together with MEIG1.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program),No. 82170921the Sichuan Science and Technology Program,No. 2022YFS0284the Research and Develop Program,West China Hospital of Stomatology Sichuan University,No. LCYJ2019-24
文摘Stem cell fate determination is one of the central questions in stem cell biology,and although its regulation has been studied at genomic and proteomic levels,a variety of biological activities in cells occur at the metabolic level.Metabolomics studies have established the metabolome during stem cell differentiation and have revealed the role of metabolites in stem cell fate determination.While metabolism is considered to play a biological regulatory role as an energy source,recent studies have suggested the nexus between metabolism and epigenetics because several metabolites function as cofactors and substrates in epigenetic mechanisms,including histone modification,DNA methylation,and microRNAs.Additionally,the epigenetic modification is sensitive to the dynamic metabolites and consequently leads to changes in transcription.The nexus between metabolism and epigenetics proposes a novel stem cell-based therapeutic strategy through manipulating metabolites.In the present review,we summarize the possible nexus between metabolic and epigenetic regulation in stem cell fate determination,and discuss the potential preventive and therapeutic strategies via targeting metabolites.
基金This work was supported by the Funds for National Science and Technology Major Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China[Grant number.2017YFC0505703]National Natural Science Foundation of China[Grant number.52070022]Sino Italian Cooperation of China Natural Science Foundation[Grant number.71861137001].
文摘Food,energy and water(FEW)are indispensable,irreplaceable and safeguarding resources with tangled interlinkages among each other,often framed in terms of‘nexus’.Cities have become the bustling hubs of resource consumption and production,facing the most intense stress.Globally,food security,fresh water shortage and fossil energy exhaustion have become the greatest challenge for the sustainable development of cities in the future.Systematic analysis and simulation of dynamic evolution of urban FEW demand and supply and its nexus would add significant and practical value for macro-management such as ensuring the security of urban resource.Taking Beijing as the case study,we established a dynamic model for the FEW demand and supply from the perspective of cross-ectoral and cross-regional nexus with the Stella modelling platform,then it was run for simulating the dynamic changes and nexus characteristics of FEW during the interval between 2016 and 2035.The results showed that:①The gap between local production and demand of these three resources in Beijing will continue to increase.In 2035,Beijing will need 2.16 million tons of grain,0.83 million tons of meat,4.6 billion m3 of water and 91.65 million tons of standard coal of energy while the resources produced and supplied by locality independently will be 0.21 million tons,0.23 million tons,3.3 billion cubic meters and 16.5 million tons of standard coal respectively.Beijing has to draw on cross-boundary production to meet FEW-use with the increasing gap between local supply and demand.②There is a developing trend of the absolute quantity of interaction among FEW.Structurally,the‘outsourcing’feature is obvious and the indigenous nexus links of three resources are shifting to back-end supply chain such as transportation and treatment.③The change of nexus indexes are mainly affected by the mutual and strong dependence between food and water.Food and energy depend more and more on each other;in contrast,the inter-relationship between water and energy is more stable.In addition,inter-regional FEW nexus is strengthened.④To improve systematic management of urban resources,we need to capture multi-tradeoffs of the FEW system comprehensively and establish a multi-regional and multi-factor integrated and collaborative resource management mechanism.
文摘This paper presents a quantitative assessment framework of the Water, Energy and Food (W-E-F) nexus. The proposed approach allows integrated quantitative assessments by considering all the W-E-F intersectoral linkages and the competing demand for W-E-F resources to evaluate future development scenarios. Firstly, the conceptual model adopted for the proposed framework is presented. Secondly, a detailed methodological framework is introduced to serve as W-E-F nexus evaluation and planning platform. At the practical level, the model is applied to evaluate the W-E-F nexus in Lebanon. Finally, the conclusions and further developments are presented.
