Search

Abstract Unequal outcomes resulting from urbanization can pose a significant challenge to sustainable development. Vehicles are an important urbanization dimension as a critical component of urban infrastructure by providing mobility and accessibility to social services. China’s vehicle ownership (referred to as in-use vehicle stocks) has been growing quickly since 2000, but its per capita stocks are still much lower than that in developed economies. This raises the question of whether and when China’s vehicle stocks will reach a peak level close to that in the developed countries. By analyzing vehicle stocks in 283 Chinese cities during 2001–2018, we have the following findings: (1) vehicle stocks are predominantly distributed in northern and eastern coastal cities and provincial capital cities; (2) inequality in vehicle ownership rates between cities shows a declining trend at both national and region scales; (3) the growth of vehicle ownership rates follows an S-shape curve and most cities are still at the early stage of motorization; (4) China is likely to have a lower saturation level of vehicle ownership rate. These results could help to accurately forecast future vehicle demand in China, estimate the resulting environmental impacts, and explore strategies to achieve carbon neutrality in transportation.

Summary: Pesticides may help safeguard food security but endanger the local ecosystem and farmer health. The globalization of the food trade is masking such impacts by separating production from consumption, and its effects on pesticide use and their related risks remain unclear. Here, we provide a map of the environmental and health risks associated with pesticide footprints along the soybean trade across 197 countries. We find that approximately 64% of soybeans were traded globally, embodying ∼55% of environmental-health risks linked to ∼108 kt of pesticide use. Notably, trade soybean pesticide footprints and their associated environmental-health risks are concentrated in a few hotspot nations, including the USA, Brazil, and Argentina. About 30 kt of future increase in soybean pesticide use and ∼6% of their related environmental-health risks can be offset by reducing 80% of soybean traded from high-pesticide-use-intensity nations to lower ones. Our results highlight the necessity of rethinking the role of agricultural trade in global pesticide management. Science for society: The widespread use of pesticides in food production systems impacts human, animal, and ecosystem health. Food trade complicates the issue, as it can separate consumption from production, shifting pesticide-related burdens from consumers to producers across regions. However, there is a lack of clarity on pesticide footprints and their associated impacts embodied in the global food trade, impeding sustainable pesticide management. Our research develops an integrated framework to assess nation-specific environmental and health burdens linked to pesticide use along the global soybean trade. Our study identifies a concentrated pattern of embodied soybean pesticide footprints and their related risks, as well as a declining contribution of trade to overall pesticide-related risks. Our findings reveal the potential of trade in reducing environmental-health risks associated with soybean pesticides and underscore the need to rethink the role of agricultural trade in global pesticide management.

Droughts and floods in 2022 and 2023 have compounded stress on Chinese food security. China’s northeast region is a major grain-producing powerhouse, but recent climatic extremes combined with EI Niño effects have exposed vulnerabilities in its agricultural landscape. To address these challenges, flood relief infrastructure, protection of major croplands, and climate projection strategies must be implemented to safeguard food security.

Abstract It is generally believed that the 1+1D model for a single chiral fermion does not exist by itself alone on lattice. The obstruction to such a lattice realization is the failure to reproduce the quantum anomalies of a chiral fermion in continuum. The conventional way to escape is to associate the anomalous 1d system with a 2d bulk, which is in a topologically non-trivial state, as the boundary of the latter. In this paper, we propose a 1+1D chiral fermion model on 1d spatial lattice, standing alone — without being associated with a 2d bulk — with a simple non-Hermitian hopping Hamiltonian. We demonstrate, using various methods, that the model possesses the same chiral anomaly and gravitational anomaly as in continuum theory. Furthermore, with appropriate parameters, the low energy effective theory of the model remains a field theory for unitary chiral fermions. The essential reason for the success is that the usual “doubled” fermion mode with opposite chirality is rapidly damped out because of non-Hermicity of the Hamiltonian.

Background and aimStandardized approach to postoperative adjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. This study endeavors to examine the effects of postoperative PD-1 adjuvant therapy on the short-term and long-term prognosis of patients at a heightened risk of post-surgical recurrence.MethodsThe data of HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy at our center from June 2018 to March 2023 were collected from the hospital database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to perform a 1:1 match between the postoperative anti-PD-1 antibody group and the postoperative non-anti-PD-1 antibody group. Kaplan-Meier method was utilized to compare the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) between the two groups. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the prognostic factors affecting patient outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed for different high-risk factors.ResultsAmong the 446 patients included in the study, 122 patients received adjuvant therapy with postoperative anti-PD-1 antibodies. After PSM, the PD-1 group had postoperative 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year OS rates of 93.1%, 86.8%, 78.2%, and 51.1%, respectively, while the non-PD-1 group had rates of 85.3%, 70.2%, 47.7%, and 30.0%. The PD-1 group had postoperative 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year RFS rates of 81.7%, 77.0%, 52.3%, and 23.1%, respectively, whereas the non-PD-1 group had rates of 68.4%, 47.7%, and 25.8% in 1-year, 2-year, 3-year. A multifactorial Cox regression analysis revealed that postoperative PD-1 use was a prognostic protective factor associated with OS and RFS. Subgroup analysis results indicated that HCC patients with high recurrence risks significantly benefited from postoperative anti-PD-1 antibody treatment in terms of OS and RFS.ConclusionFor HCC patients with high-risk recurrence factors and undergoing hepatectomy, postoperative adjuvant therapy with anti-PD-1 antibodies can effectively improve their survival prognosis.

Under a high-cost scenario for battery critical materials, the uptake of electric vehicles in China may be greatly reduced, leading to increased cumulative carbon emissions. This may jeopardize both China’s electric vehicle and climate targets.

Abstract Urban floods are the most severe disaster in most Chinese cities due to rapid urbanisation and climate challenges. Recently, media data analytics has become prominent in enhancing urban flood resilience. In this study, news media data from the GKG of the GDELT project was innovatively used to examine the pattern of news media responses towards urban flooding in China's Sponge City Programme (SCP) pilot cities. We find that public sentiments toward urban flood events have been more positive in SCP pilot cities from 2015 to 2021. News media responses towards urban floods exhibit strong seasonality, which is significantly connected with rainfall patterns. Most of the media articles were posted during the urban flood event. Finally, we suggest the opportunities and challenges in applying GKG data analytics and new technologies for urban flood resilience. The results can provide beneficial references to urban flood management strategies in China's Sponge Cities for associated policymakers and stakeholders.

Measurement(s) domestic extraction • emission • international trade • imports • exports Technology Type(s) economy-wide material flow analysis Factor Type(s) economy • environment • material flow Sample Characteristic - Location China

Lithium (Li) has been widely recognized as an essential metal for clean technologies. However, the environmental impacts and emission reduction pathways of the lithium supply chain have not been clearly investigated, especially between Australia and China, where most lithium ore are mined and produced. This study analyzed and compared the environmental and human health implications of six key cross-border Li supply chains from Australia to China through material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) methods. Key findings include: (1) approximately 30% of total Li extraction is lost in the beneficiation stage due to low recovery rates; (2) the Cattlin–Yaan routes exhibit superior environmental and human health performances than other routes attributed to lower diesel consumption, reduced electricity use, and a high chemical conversion rate; (3) the Wodgina production routes have a higher carbon footprint mainly due to low ore grade and significant diesel consumption; (4) the dominant environmental implications in the supply chain are associated with refining battery-grade lithium carbonate, driven by energy use (electricity, coal and natural gas), sulfuric acid, soda ash, and sodium hydroxide. In addition, lithium carbonate refining has the highest water consumption. Overall, the analysis highlights opportunities to improve environmental performance, advance data-poor environmental assessments, and provide insights into sustainable Li extraction.

Carbon neutrality requires systematic transformations of both energy and metal systems. These transformations are not isolated but rather interlinked and interdependent, such that trade-offs between different strategies exist. Herein, we explore the critical interlinkages between energy and metal systems and further propose a circular metal-energy nexus to advance global coordinated actions towards a carbon-neutral future.

Abstract Sustainable urban systems (SUS) science is a new science integrating work across established and emerging disciplines, using diverse methods, and addressing issues at local, regional, national, and global scales. Advancing SUS requires the next generation of scholars and practitioners to excel at synthesis across disciplines and possess the skills to innovate in the realms of research, policy, and stakeholder engagement. We outline key tenets of graduate education in SUS, informed by historical and global perspectives. The sketch is an invitation to discuss how graduates in SUS should be trained to engage with the challenges and opportunities presented by continuing urbanization.

Measurement(s) Material stocks • Material flows Technology Type(s) digital curation • Mathematical Model Sample Characteristic - Location China Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16601249

Understanding building metabolism is critical for guiding urban resource management and addressing challenges in urban sustainable development. Key attributes of buildings, including geolocation, footprint, height, and vintage, are crucial to characterizing spatiotemporal patterns of building metabolism. However, these attributes are usually challenging to obtain broadly and automatically, which obscures a comprehensive understanding and accurate assessment of urban metabolism. Moreover, the lack of a finer spatial pattern of these attributes shadows a spatially explicit characterization of material stock and flow in cities. In this study, we took Shenzhen—whose urbanization over the past three decades has been unprecedented in China and even around the world— has been taken as an example to develop a city-level building dataset based on a random-forest model and quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of material metabolism at relatively high spatial resolution (in 500 m × 500 m grids) by combing material flow analysis (MFA) with geographic information system (GIS). The results show that Shenzhen grew from a small town with 281.02 × 106 m3 of buildings in the 1990s to a mega-city with 3585.5 × 106 m3 of buildings in 2018 and expanded both outward and upward from downtown to suburban areas. The urban “weight” (material stock) increased from 92.69 Mt in the 1990s to 1667.8 Mt in 2018 and tended to be saturated, with an average growth rate of 9.5% per year. Spatially, the south-central areas were the largest container of material stocks and generated the most demolition waste. The spatially explicit maps of building three-dimensional (3-D) form and vintage provide detailed information for architectural conservation and could support the decision-making for urban renewal planning. The spatiotemporal patterns of in-use material stocks and potential generation of construction and demolition waste (CDW) provide a benchmark of environmental risk assessment and potential secondary resources to reduce “original” material consumption, which could help alter urban renewal to an environmental-friendly and sustainable trajectory.

The effectiveness of large historical efforts for decarbonizing steel production is unclear. Here, the authors show that such efficiency gains were offset by a booming steel demand increase. This has led to a stagnating decarbonization progress over past decades, which jeopardizes realization of future climate targets.

Cities rely on massive amounts of physical, chemical, and biological resources to support their growth and metabolism. These ‘metabolic inputs’ are accumulated in cities to form material stocks in buildings, infrastructures, transportation facilities, and household appliances. This study takes China’s urbanization as an example to illustrate the characteristics of material stock changes in developing countries and compare them with those in developed countries. Results show that (1) material stocks have been growing in China, but have saturated in developed countries, and (2) the major components of urban metabolism are construction and industrial materials (e.g., steel) in developing countries but biomass (e.g., food) in developed countries. The changes in the magnitude and types of material stocks can not only measure urban development but also directly link city and its residents, offering advantages in representing urbanization over the existing indices such as population, land use, or gross domestic product (GDP). Given the new insights provided by material stock, we recommend to embrace it as a critical index of urbanization for guiding urban planning and policy-making.

Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) as novel phases of matter with long-range entanglement and deconfined quantum critical points (DQCPs) as descriptions for unconventional phase transitions between two ordered states beyond the standard paradigm, such as the transition between antiferromagnetic (AFM) and valence-bond solid (VBS) phases, are two representative emerging phenomena. These implications for understanding correlated materials and developing theoretical frameworks for many-body physics are of crucial importance. Here, we show that a gapless QSL can naturally emerge from a DQCP. Via large-scale tensor network simulations of a square-lattice spin-1/2 frustrated Heisenberg model, both QSL-state and DQCP-type AFM-VBS transitions are observed. By tuning the coupling constants, the AFM-VBS transition vanishes, and instead, a gapless QSL phase gradually develops in between. Remarkably, along the phase boundaries of AFM-QSL and QSL-VBS transitions, we always observe the same correlation-length exponents, ν≈1.0, which is intrinsically different from the one of the DQCP-type transition, indicating new types of universality classes. Our results explicitly demonstrate a new scenario for understanding the emergence of gapless QSL from an underlying DQCP. The discovered QSL phase survives in a large region of tuning parameters, and we expect its experimental realization in solid-state materials or quantum simulators.

Introduction: In-use product and material stocks are the amount of concerned manufactured products and materials in active use, and are essential components of urban ecosystem. Methods: This study estimates the dynamic in-use stocks of steel-containing products and steel in the city of Xiamen, China, during 1980–2015 by applying a bottom-up accounting approach. We incorporate 55 categories of steel-containing products that are classified into five end-use sectors (i.e., buildings, infrastructure, transportation equipment, machinery, and domestic appliances). Outcomes and Discussion: In-use stocks of 51% of the studied products kept increasing during 1980–2015, especially after 2000. Steel stocks have grown up to 4.9 ± 1.4 tons per capita (t/cap) in 2015, from 0.5 ± 0.2 t/cap in 1980. Buildings are the largest reservoirs, although its share decreased from 89% in 1980 to 68% in 2015. The dynamic spatial distribution indicates that steel stocks gradually expanded from urban core to suburban areas. Conclusion: Theresults help to explore how a city’s urbanization is sustained by the in-use stocks growth. In-use steel stocks, of which the growth is highly correlated to and probably driven by the population growth, GDP increase, and urban built-up area expansion, may serve as a supplementary indicator for urbanization.

Introduction: The rapid development of economy has led to extensive raw material consumption and relevant environmental damage in China. To analyze environmental impacts and identify materials resulting in these environmental effects via raw material extraction, we combine economy-wide material flow accounting and life-cycle analysis methods to estimate environmental impacts of Chinese domestic extraction (DE) during the period of 1992–2015. The relationship between these increasing environmental impacts and Chinese GDP was also explored by decoupling analysis. Outcomes: Results show that Chinese DE increased by 372% during 1992–2015. The global warming potential, abiotic depletion potential, and respiratory inorganics of Chinese DE increased by 195%, 46%, and 408%, respectively. In terms of specific materials, extraction of iron ores, gravel and sand, and coal induced the most environmental impacts. The relationship between environmental impacts and Chinese GDP/DE was characterized by relative decoupling. Conclusion: To minimize the environmental impacts of extraction, we recommend that the Chinese government improve its extraction techniques and reduce excess demand for materials with large extraction such as iron ores, gravel and sand, and coal. We also recommend researching alternative materials for scarce resources like molybdenum, gold, and fluorite.

Introduction China’s import bans on solid wastes starting from 2017 have challenged the global trade system of plastic wastes, which remains poorly characterized. This study chooses polyethylene (PE) as a case and aims to map out the global trade networks of PE waste (GPETN) from 1976 to 2017. Outcomes We find that the size and complexity of the GPETN had been growing until 2016. After the mid-1990s, PE waste basically flowed from developed economies, mainly the EU and the US, to developing economies such as China. Since 2001 when admitted into the WTO, China’s PE waste import surged until 2014 when it absorbed over 60% of global export. Regulations on solid waste import following the Green Fence campaign in 2013 resulted in substantial reductions in China’s import as well as the global export of PE waste after 2014. Several other developing economies, such as Malaysia, Turkey, and Vietnam, had transitioned to net importers, but their imports were insufficient to replace China as new recycling bases for PE waste. Conclusion The results highlight the urgent need of a joint effort for developed and developing countries to build a stronger global circular economy system with sufficient capacity to treat PE waste locally.

Introduction: Over the past two decades, China has experienced rapid economic development, which has not only led to a rapid increase in the use of raw materials but has also created environmental problems. This research analyzes the environmental impacts of resource extraction in China at the provincial level, and fully considers the environmental impact of various resources extraction. In addition, it is the first time to quantitatively study the spatial pattern and evolution characteristics of the environmental impacts of China’s resource extraction from multiple perspectives by means of spatial visualization. Outcomes: The results showed that the center of gravity of abiotic depletion potential (ADP) moved northwest, respiratory inorganics (RI) moved southwest and global warming potential (GWP) moved west. The results of the standard deviation ellipse showed that RI and GWP varied over time and space, while ADP showed a discrete trend. In addition, the distribution of the four in the northeast-southwest direction became more prominent. Conclusion: To mitigate the environmental impacts of resource extraction, we recommend that regional governments implement measures to control environmental impacts in the provinces within the distributed ellipse and design targeted policies based on actual conditions.

To avoid catastrophic climate change, the world is promoting a fast and unprecedented transition from fuels to renewables. However, the infrastructures of renewables, such as wind turbines and solar cells, rely heavily on critical minerals like rare earths, indium, etc. Such interactions between climate targets, energy transitions, and critical minerals were widely overlooked in the present climate scenario analysis. This study aims to fill this gap through an introduction of metal–energy–climate nexus framework with its application on global energy transition towards a carbon-neutral (or below 1.5 °C) target, in which six state-of-the-art integrated assessment models (IAMs) under different shared socioeconomic pathways were applied. Our analysis revealed that climate mitigation is expected to boost significantly the critical mineral demand by 2.6–267-fold, which varies greatly by IAM models. Solar power development may be constrained by tellurium (Te) and selenium (Se) shortage, while wind power will be jeopardized by the limited scalability of rare earth production. Moreover, a more sustainable pathway may come at higher demand for critical minerals along with higher renewable ratios. Consequently, a holistic investigation of the interaction of mineral, energy, and climate systems is highly recommended for future scenario designing.

Spin–orbit coupling (SOC) plays a determinate role in spintronics and topological physics. Previous studies indicate that the SOC in graphene nanoribbon (GNR) can be enhanced by the proximity effect from two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenide (2D-TMD). However, the bulk inversion symmetry of GNR/2D-TMD restricts further increase of the proximity-induced SOC in GNR. In this view, we introduce a TMD nanoribbon (TMDNR) with finite width, and propose three methods to break the bulk inversion symmetry, i.e. defects in TMDNR, spatial interlayer edge coupling, and twist between GNR and TMDNR, which can further enhance the SOC in the GNR by roughly 30 times, 20 times and 150 times, respectively, depending on the relative energy between the Dirac point of GNR and the states of TMDNR. Furthermore, the significantly enhanced SOC can drive the GNR into a topological superconducting phase. By introducing the Zeeman splitting and s -wave superconductivity in the GNR, quasi one-dimensional topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes (MZMs) can be achieved in the GNR. At last we propose a feasible experimental method to realize and manipulate MZMs in the GNR/TMDNR system.

Interleukin-6 has been shown to be involved in nerve injury and nerve regeneration, but the effects of long-term administration of high concentrations of interleukin-6 on neurons in the central nervous system is poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of 24 hour exposure of interleukin-6 on cortical neurons at various concentrations (0.1, 1, 5 and 10 ng/mL) and the effects of 10 ng/mL interleukin-6 exposure to cortical neurons for various durations (2, 4, 8, 24 and 48 hours) by studying voltage-gated Na + channels using a patch-clamp technique. Voltage-clamp recording results demonstrated that interleukin-6 suppressed Na + currents through its receptor in a time- and dose-dependent manner, but did not alter voltage-dependent activation and inactivation. Current-clamp recording results were consistent with voltage-clamp recording results. Interleukin-6 reduced the action potential amplitude of cortical neurons, but did not change the action potential threshold. The regulation of voltage-gated Na + channels in rat cortical neurons by interleukin-6 is time- and dose-dependent.

The hidden trade of a material (e.g., aluminum) refers to the trade of that material embedded in final products (e.g., automobiles). There are two methods for estimating the hidden trade amount of materials: (1) the physical method relies on the physical trade data (measured by physical units) in which products are categorized according to the standard international trade classification codes or the harmonized system codes; and (2) the monetary method relies on the monetary trade data (measured by monetary units) in which products are categorized in accordance to the sectors of an input−output (IO) table. Information on material concentrations in products can be relatively quickly estimated by an IO-based model in the monetary method, but will have to be collected from various sources with intensive time cost in the physical method. Exemplified by the U.S. hidden trade of aluminum, iron, and copper in 2007, this study attempts to compare the two methods. We find that, despite the unavoidable but reasonable differences in the amounts of three metals trade, the results generated by the two methods are consistent with each other pretty well for final products at the level of end-use product groups (e.g., total transportation facilities). However, the comparison for specific products (e.g., automobiles) is challenging or does not generate consistent enough results. We suggest that similar estimations be done for more materials, more countries/territories, and different years, to gain experience, reduce estimation time and costs, and increase the knowledge base on metal flows in society.

Spatial information can be integrated into almost all fields of industrial ecology. Many researchers have shown that spatial proximity affects a variety of behaviors and interactions, and thus matters for materials stocks and flows analysis. However, normal tools or models in industrial ecology based on temporal dependence cannot be simply applied to the case of spatial dependence. This paper proposes a framework integrating material stocks and flows analysis with spatial analysis. We argue that spatial analysis can help data management and visualization, determine spatio-temporal patterns-processes-drivers, and finally develop dynamic and spatially explicit models, to improve the performance of simulating and assessing stocks and flows of materials. Scaling in spatial, temporal, and organizational dimensions and other current limitations are also discussed. Combined with spatial analysis, industrial ecology can really be more powerful in achieving its origin and destination—sustainability.

Avastin® (bevacizumab) is a protein drug widely used for cancer treatment although its further use is questionable due to serious side effects reported. As no systematic proteomic study on posttranslational modifications (PTMs) was reported so far, it was the aim of the current study to use a gel-based proteomics method for determination of Avastin®-protein(s). Avastin® was run on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), spots were picked, followed by multi-enzyme in-gel digestion. Subsequently, the resulting peptides and posttranslational modifications were identified by mass spectrometry (nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS; HCT and LTQ Orbitrap MS). Heavy and light chains were observed and the 9 spots that were picked from 2DE-gels were identified as bevacizumab with high sequence coverage. MS/MS results showed multiple tyrosine nitrations on the Avastin® light and heavy chains that were either represented as nitrotyrosine or as aminotyrosine, which was shown to be generated from nitrotyrosine under reducing conditions. Protein nitration is known to significantly change protein functions and interactions and it may well be that some of the adverse effects of the protein drug Avastin® may be due to this PTM, which may have been generated during production--thus, nitration of Avastin® is a challenge for the pharmaceutical industry.

Dicycloplatin, a new supramolecular platinum-based antitumor drug, has been approved by the State Food and Administration (SFDA) of China. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of dicycloplatin in cancer cells and signaling pathways involved in dicycloplatin-induced apoptosis. Dicycloplatin inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells and increased the percentage of apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Besides, some apoptosis related events were observed after treatment with dicycloplatin, including increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol, upregulation of p53, which were accompanied by activation of caspase-9, caspase-3, caspase-8, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage in a concentration-dependent manner. The role of apoptosis in dicycloplatin-mediated cell death was further confirmed by the concomitant treatment with caspase-8 or caspase-9 inhibitors, which inhibited apoptosis and PARP cleavage. Intracellular glutathione (GSH) was also found to inhibit the cytotoxic effect of dicycloplatin. In conclusion, these findings suggest that dicycloplatin induces apoptosis through ROS stress-mediated death receptor pathway and mitochondrial pathway which is similar to carboplatin.

The dynamics of magnetization coupled with an electron gas via s-d exchange interaction is investigated by using the density matrix technique. Our theory shows that nonequilibrium spin accumulation induces a spin torque and the electron bath leads to a damping of the magnetization . For the two-dimensional magnetization thin film coupled to the electron gas with Rashba spin-orbit coupling, the result for the spin-orbit torques is consistent with previous semiclassical theory. However, our theory predicts a damping of the magnetization, which is absent in semiclassical theory. The magnitude of the damping due to the electron bath is comparable to the intrinsic Gilbert damping and may be important in describing the magnetization dynamics of the system.