Due to continuous spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide, long-term effective prevention and control measures should be adopted for public transport facilities, as they are increasing in popularity and serve as the principal modes for travel of many people. The human infection risk could be extremely high due to length of exposure time window, transmission routes and structural characteristics during travel or work. This can result in the rapid spread of the infection. Based on the transmission characteristics of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the nature of public transport sites, we identified comprehensive countermeasures toward the prevention and control of COVID-19, including the strengthening of personnel management, personal protection, environmental cleaning and disinfection, and health education. Multi-pronged strategies can enhance safety of public transportation. The prevention and control of the disease during the use of public transportation will be particularly important when all countries in the world resume production. The aim of this study is to introduce experience of the prevention and control measures for public transportation in China to promote the global response to COVID-19.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the purchasing behaviours of two Beijing wine consumer groups and evaluate the influence of different factors on their decision making process to provide information to better understand the Chinese wine market and assist with market entry and penetration.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire with 27 single choice or scoring questions and a set of 13 best–worst (BW) scaling questions is designed. Typical consumers in supermarkets and university students are invited to answer the questionnaire which uses a mix of nominal and rating scale responses as well as a BW choice experiment.FindingsThe results show that the consumers intend to pay low prices for daily use wines, but high prices for wines for gift purposes. Domestic brands constituted the highest proportion of the purchases, followed by French wines. The consumers are sensitive on price and country of wine origin; awards, medals, and vintage were of low influences in wine purchasing decisions. Typical consumers like supermarkets and boutique wine shops, while university students prefer the internet for on‐line sales. In the BW experiment, tasting the wine previously, the origin of the wine and brand name listed are the most influential factors in purchasing decisions.Originality/valueThe overall picture of wine preference of Beijing consumers is reported for the first time. It provides an understanding of the factors in wine purchasing decision making and their relative importance. The result could better facilitate wine promotion and penetration in this promising and unique market.
Macrophages play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, but the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we show that microRNA-34a (miR-34a) is a key regulator of macrophage cholesterol efflux and reverse cholesterol transport by modulating ATP-binding cassette transporters ATP-binding cassette subfamily A member 1 (ABCA1) and ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 1 (ABCG1). miR-34a also regulates M1 and M2 macrophage polarization via liver X receptor a. Furthermore, global loss of miR-34a reduces intestinal cholesterol or fat absorption by inhibiting cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP7A1 and sterol 12a-hydroxylase (CYP8B1). Consistent with these findings, macrophage-selective or global ablation of miR-34a markedly inhibits the development of atherosclerosis. Finally, therapeutic inhibition of miR-34a promotes atherosclerosis regression and reverses diet-induced metabolic disorders. Our studies outline a central role of miR-34a in regulating macrophage cholesterol efflux, inflammation, and atherosclerosis, suggesting that miR-34a is a promising target for treatment of cardiometabolic diseases.
The phloem unloading pathway remains unclear in fruits of Cucurbitaceae, a classical stachyose-transporting species with bicollateral phloem. Using a combination of electron microscopy, transport of phloem-mobile symplasmic tracer carboxyfluorescein, assays of acid invertase and sucrose transporter, and [ 14 C]sugar uptake, the phloem unloading pathway was studied in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit from anthesis to the marketable maturing stage. Structural investigations showed that the sieve element-companion cell (SE-CC) complex of the vascular bundles feeding fruit flesh is apparently symplasmically restricted. Imaging of carboxyfluorescein unloading showed that the dye remained confined to the phloem strands of the vascular bundles in the whole fruit throughout the stages examined. A 37 kDa acid invertase was located predominantly in the cell walls of SE-CC complexes and parenchyma cells. Studies of [ 14 C]sugar uptake suggested that energy-driven transporters may be functional in sugar trans-membrane transport within symplasmically restricted SE-CC complex, which was further confirmed by the existence of a functional plasma membrane sucrose transporter (CsSUT4) in cucumber fruit. These data provide a clear evidence for an apoplasmic phloem unloading pathway in cucumber fruit. A presumption that putative raffinose or stachyose transporters may be involved in soluble sugars unloading was discussed.
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