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While the impact of human energy-related activities on climate change is well-studied, limited research explores the reverse causality from physical and psychological perspectives, specifically the influence of abnormal temperature rise on people's concern about climate warming. To address this gap, we have developed a conceptual framework that integrates arousal theory, environmental load theory and environmental stress theory to analyze the relationship between changes in energy consumption and rising temperatures, while using multiple regression models to build identification strategies. Using fine-grained, high-frequency data, including 762,275 building-level hourly data points from 77 large public buildings from February 1st, 2020 to January 31st, 2021, we have empirically examined how consumers respond to short-term weather shocks and long-term variations to uncover disparities in the existing literature. Our results indicate that rising temperatures indeed increase the search index, serving as a proxy for the concern of climate warming. A 1 % increase in the search index is associated with a 15.3 % reduction in total energy intensity, a 39.1 % decrease in heating energy, a 23.7 % decrease in air conditioning energy and a 7.91 % reduction in office equipment energy consumption. Additionally, our research reveals that air pollution can divert people's attention away from climate warming, leading to a decrease in arousal levels. We discussed the effectiveness of pollution regulatory and carbon regulatory intensities, and found that an increase in carbon regulatory intensity weakens the arousal effect of indoor and outdoor temperature changes, while pollution regulatory intensity shows no influence on arousal levels. We proposed a sense of guarantying (SoG) and sense of learned helplessness (SlH) to interpret the unexpected results. Our findings shed light on the design and delivery of carbon reduction programs, especially for countries with dual pressing environment pollution and climate warming threats. • We explored the reverse causality relationship of human energy-related activities and climate change. • We advanced the understanding of human psychological response processes related to energy use in public buildings. • We provided policy and technical proposals for countries facing the threats of environmental pollution and climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a resilient state estimation problem for an array of nonlinear complex networks with switching topologies under the dynamic event-triggered mechanism (ETM). To reduce the unnecessary data delivery, the dynamic ETM is introduced to schedule the data delivery from sensors to estimators. The model of the switched complex networks is established by adopting a Markov chain which is better to reflect the characteristics of practical complex networks. A set of novel estimators is obtained by using the properties of Kronecker product combining with the Lyapunov–Krasovskii method, and some easy-to-check conditions are derived such that the dynamics of state estimation error satisfies the prescribed H ∞ performance index. In addition, the parameters of the designed resilient state estimators can be acquired by solving a series of convex optimization problems. In the end, a simulation example is given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed theoretical results in this paper. • A resilient state estimator is designed for switched complex networks under dynamic ETM. • A Markov chain is employed to reflect the topology variations of the complex networks. • A dynamic ETM is proposed to reduce the communication resource occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tire wear particles (TWPs) are considered an important component of microplastic pollution in the marine environment and occur together with a variety of aquatic pollutants, including frequently detected bisphenols. The adverse effects of TWPs or bisphenols on aquatic organisms have been widely reported. However, the combined toxicity of TWPs and bisphenols is still unknown. In this study, the combined toxicity of both pristine (p-) and aged TWPs (a-TWPs) and four bisphenols ((bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol S (BPS), and bisphenol AF (BPAF)) to Tigriopus japonicus was evaluated. TWPs increased the toxicity of BPA and BPF but decreased the toxicity of BPAF. For BPS, there was synergistic toxic effect in the presence of p -TWPs, but slightly antagonistic effect was observed in the presence of a-TWPs. This adsorption of BPAF by TWPs resulted in a reduction of its toxicity to the copepod. A-TWPs could release more Zn than p -TWPs, and the released Zn contributed to the synergistic effect of TWPs and BPA or BPF. The aggregation formed by TWPs in certain sizes (e.g., 90–110 μm) could cause intestinal damage and lipid peroxidation in T. japonicus. The synergistic effect of p -TWPs and BPS might be due to the aggregation size of the binary mixture. The results of the current study will be important to understand the combined toxic effect of TWPs and bisphenols and the potential toxic mechanisms of the binary mixture. [Display omitted] • The pattern of combined toxicity with TWPs was different among different bisphenols. • Adsorption of BPAF by TWPs led to antagonistic effect. • Released Zn from TWPs caused increased toxicity of BPA and BPF. • TWPs' aggregation at certain sizes led to synergistic effect between TWPs and BPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper empirically explores the influence of state-owned capital venture investment on enterprise innovation. • State-owned capital venture investment promotes the improvement of enterprise innovation ability by easing the financing constraint, joint investment, and the introduction of technical talents. • This paper proves that the state-owned capital venture investment with a higher degree of market-oriented operation can promote the innovation level of enterprises, and provide the direction for the state-owned capital reform of various countries. Venture capital (VC) funded by state-owned enterprises constitutes a significant component of China's state-owned capital (SOC) investment. This paper empirically investigates the impact of state-owned venture capital (SOVC) on enterprise innovation and identifies that SOVC exerts a more pronounced influence on enhancing enterprise innovation capability. SOVC facilitates the enhancement of enterprise innovation capability by alleviating financial constraints, fostering joint investments, and attracting technical talents. This paper not only aids in identifying effective approaches to advance SOC reform but also contributes to enhancing enterprise innovation capability through the utilization of SOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic-dysfunction-associated Steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a high-risk condition for both liver fibrosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, therapeutic strategies to prevent both liver fibrosis and atherosclerotic CVD are required for the treatment of MASLD. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is the more severe form of MASLD, is defined histologically by the presence of lobular inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning and is associated with a greater risk of fibrosis progression. While CVD is the leading cause of mortality in patients with MASLD, those with more severe liver fibrosis are at increased risk of liver-related mortality, with the risk increasing exponentially with fibrosis stage. MASH has been found in 63% of patients with MASLD undergoing liver biopsy in an Asian multi-center cohort. Multiple complex pathways are involved in the association between MASLD and CVD. The visceral accumulation of fat around the liver and other organs, including the pericardium, leads to the release of fat-derived metabolites with the activation of several inflammatory pathways Cardiac rhythm abnormalities are prevalent in MASLD, such as prolongation of the QT interval, ventricular arrhythmias, and atrial fibrillation. Therapeutic interventions that improve cardiometabolic risk factors may be beneficial for an improvement in MASLD. The effects of such therapeutic interventions on lipid, lipoprotein and apoprotein accumulation in the liver and on hepatic steatosis and fibrosis still remain unelucidated. Which lipid factor is crucial for developing MASLD also remains largely unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tire wear particles (TWPs) are a major source of environmental microplastic pollution which gradually settle and accumulate in sediments after entering the aquatic environment, which can affect the behaviors of benthic organisms. Bioturbation of benthic species could affect the fate, impacts and potential risks of TWPs by altering the properties and structure of sediments. Therefore, in this study, the effect of TWPs on the burrowing activity of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) was investigated. In addition, the effects of crab bioturbation on the distribution of TWPs and their additives were studied. The combined effects of TWPs and crab bioturbation on the microbial communities in the sediments were also explored. The results of this study showed that both TWPs and the leachate significantly inhibited the burrowing activity of crabs. TWPs in the surface layer of sediments were re-distributed by crab bioturbation and enriched mainly in the sediments near the burrow walls. Meanwhile, the heavy metals (i.e., Zn, Ca, Mg, Ba and Al) used as additives during the tire production in the burrow walls significantly increased as the accumulation of TWPs near burrow walls. In this study, TWP exposure decreased the bacterial diversity and abundance, as well as the functional genes related to carbon and nitrogen cycling process, but crab bioturbation increased them in the sediments of burrow walls by constructing a unique habitat. However, after TWPs entering into burrows, they were significantly decreased in the sediments near the burrow walls like the effects of TWPs, suggesting the negative effects of TWPs could play a dominant role in this combined system. Overall, this study is important for evaluating the distribution and effects of TWP pollution in the sediment ecosystem under biological factors such as bioturbation. [Display omitted] • Tire wear particles (TWPs) and the leachate inhibited crab's burrowing activity. • TWPs were redistributed in sediments by crab bioturbation. • Heavy metals as additives in tire production were increased near the burrow wall. • Bacterial community was affected by the combined system of TWPs and bioturbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: • We compare the effectiveness of exclusivity and minimum demand guarantees. • A multi-objective programming model is developed. • Pareto-optimal decision is carried out under exclusivity and demand guarantees. • Some Policy implications are proposed based on model results. Abstract Government guarantees are frequently used in public-private partnership (PPP) toll road projects to attract private sector partners. In this paper, we propose a multi-objective programming model for Pareto-optimal decision in which the toll, quantity demanded, private firm’s profit and social welfare are investigated, and compare the effectiveness of exclusivity guarantees and minimum demand guarantees in PPP contracts. Under certain assumptions, we find that for any government guarantee, the Pareto-optimal toll lies in between the toll set by private firms and socially optimal toll; in addition, the Pareto-optimal toll is higher and monopoly power is stronger under minimum demand guarantee if the relative negotiating power of private firms is sufficiently high. Both the private firm’s profit and social welfare depend on relative negotiating power, buyback price, marginal social cost and minimum quantity demanded. In particular, if the minimum quantity demanded and the buyback price are sufficiently high, the government will tend to provide exclusivity guarantee but not minimum demand guarantee. A policy implication of this result is that it is not always the best choice for the government to provide a minimum demand guarantee to private firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the upgrading of living standards and rapid urbanization throughout the world, municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment has become a ubiquitous environmental issue. Incineration can reduce the quantity and volume of MSW, save land resources and generate power, and it has been considered an effective means of MSW treatment. However, a variety of obstacles to the development of the waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration industry have emerged. To identify and overcome these obstacles, this paper applies the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) framework to analyse the macro-environment of the WTE incineration industry in China. First, the MSW treatment status and treatment methods in China are summarized. Then, we analyse the PESTEL factors in the WTE incineration industry in China, including relevant legislation and policies, investment modes and intensity, the distribution and scale of investment, difficulties in MSW treatment and classification, public concerns, the various incineration techniques, environmental protection issues and the existing shortcomings. Finally, managerial implications and suggestions for the government and private sector regarding policy changes, the application of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode and efficient project operation are provided. It is expected to pave the way for private investors to finance such projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Build-operate-transfer (BOT) highway projects are widespread around the world. However, many BOT highway projects are terminated before the expiry of the concession period for a variety of reasons, such as unreasonable decisions and a lack of a risk allocation mechanism. As the most concerning issue for the government and private sector, compensation for early termination has been a major controversy due to the lack of a fair and reasonable decision approach. This paper proposes an effective method to evaluate the compensation amount for projects with incomplete contracts using game theory. First, a bargaining-game model with complete information is constructed to analyse the process of negotiation, for which the influences of the government investing in a new road and the traffic demand changes of the early terminated project on bargaining are taken into consideration. Then, the Nash equilibrium solution of the model is derived by backward induction, and a discussion of the properties of the solution is presented. Finally, the model results are verified using the Wutong Mountain Tunnel BOT project in China. This paper provides a solution to compensation for early termination of BOT highway projects with incomplete contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand uncertainty is a significant issue faced by both the government and private firms in build-operate-transfer (BOT) toll road projects. To encourage private firms' participation, the government usually provides them with demand guarantee. This paper investigates and compares the optimal BOT contracts with the minimum demand guarantee (MDG) and the flexible demand guarantee (FDG), respectively, in environments of symmetric and asymmetric information. It is determined that under the MDG with asymmetric information, the private firm's optimal effort decreases with respect to the guarantee level, which indicates that the MDG provides the private firm with a disincentive to exert effort to increase traffic demand. Under the FDG with asymmetric information, the private firm's optimal effort decreases with respect to the guarantee level and threshold coefficient. Through a comparison of the environment with asymmetric information, the optimal toll price, optimal guarantee level and resulting social welfare are higher under the FDG for a small threshold coefficient. Therefore, it is concluded that the government may choose the FDG instead of the MDG for a small threshold coefficient, which means that the FDG is suitable for toll roads with relatively low demand. Conversely, the government prefers to choose the MDG instead of the FDG when the threshold coefficient is large enough, which means that the MDG is suitable for toll roads with relatively high demand. We further demonstrate that our model results still qualitatively hold when traffic congestion is considered. • The MDG and FDG in toll road projects are investigated and compared in this paper. • The guarantee level and other key contract variables are simultaneously determined. • The MDG provides the private firm with a disincentive to increase traffic demand. • Which demand guarantee is optimal depends on the setting threshold coefficient. • The model results still qualitatively hold when the traffic congestion is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tire wear particles (TWPs), which are among the microplastic pollutants in the environment, can inevitably accumulate in coastal sediments. The present study comprehensively investigated the effect of pristine TWPs on bacterial community structure in coastal sediments and compared the effect of pristine TWPs and aged TWPs on nine strains of bacteria in sediments. In addition, the effect of the TWP leachate was studied with all the nine bacterial strains and the toxicity-causing substances in the leachate was investigated using Bacillus subtilis. Exposure to TWPs could lead to a shift in bacteria community and affect nitrogen metabolism in marine sediments. Aged TWPs were more toxic than pristine TWPs due to changes in particle surface characteristics. The leachate exhibited greater toxicity than TWPs as well, and Zn was identified to be the major toxicity-causing substance. The overall results of this study are important for understanding the effects of TWPs and the leachates on microorganisms in marine sediments. [Display omitted] • TWPs could alter the bacteria community in marine sediments. • Aged TWPs showed slightly higher inhibitory effects on bacteria. • The TWP leachate was toxic to three of the bacteria species. • Zn was the major toxicity-causing substance in the TWP leachate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents' attitudes and behaviors exert increasingly essential roles in the success of wholesale urban redevelopment and the resultant resettlement. While previous literature has extensively investigated the predominant impact of residents' cognitive reactions on their attitudes towards resettlement, with a focus on pre- or post-resettlement phase, emotional experience, as an indispensable driving factor, has been largely disregarded. This study expands on existing research by offering a deep understanding of residents' emotion-based attitudes, drawing on insights from environmental psychology and human needs theory. Using individual-level data from a nationwide questionnaire survey in urbanizing China, the statistical results prove that owing to differing situational factors before and after resettlement, two discrete emotions (i.e., worry and satisfaction) are invoked and shape residents' attitudes in opposite directions. Furthermore, the emotions manifest across six specific dimensions related to resettlement. The ordered probit regression results reveal a fine-grained relationship between dimension-specific emotions and attitudes. Community attachment and housing and facility conditions emerge as significant determinants of attitudes in two phases respectively, whereas government behavior holds a long-lasting impact. These insights offer valuable recommendations for policymakers to govern residents' emotions and garner their support throughout the resettlement process. • The causal linkages between residents' emotions and attitudes offer a marked diverge from prior cognition-based research. • An emotional transition from worry to satisfaction accompanies the shift from uncertainty to certainty in resettlement. • Of the six emotional dimensions, government behavior continuously influences residents' attitudes during resettlement. • Community attachment contributes the most before resettlement, whereas the focus turns to material aspects afterward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MgO with NaNO 3 /NaNO 2 molar ratio of 0.8 exhibited outstanding performance. • Appropriate NaNO 3 improved CO 2 adsorption activity. • Suitable NaNO 2 slowed the sintering step and improved stability. • The molten salt remained stable and guaranteed the cyclic stability. The magnesium oxide (MgO) sorbents doped with different NaNO 3 /NaNO 2 molar ratios were prepared to improve their stability over multiple cycles. Regulating the NaNO 3 /NaNO 2 molar ratio effectively improved the CO 2 adsorption performance of the sorbent. The MgO sorbent with the NaNO 3 /NaNO 2 molar ratio of 0.8 exhibited outstanding performance and stability. Characterization and density functional theory calculations confirmed the positive effects of the appropriate NaNO 3 amount in improving the adsorption activity, whereas the suitable NaNO 2 amount slowed the sintering step and improved stability. Notably, the molten salt remained stable during cycling and did not decompose even at high regeneration temperatures, guaranteeing the cyclic stability of the sorbent. Further characterization showed that the CO 2 sorption drop in the first few cycles was ascribed to the decline in the active surface owing to the aggregation of MgO particles, incomplete regeneration of sorbents, and segregation of molten salt on the sorbent surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hero Bridge is an extraordinarily huge bride across northern branch Ganjiang River, in the city of Nanchang. Main tower adopted single column slanted pylon space twist face back cable structure. Its construction is based on double-wall cofferdam method. This literature introduces the design of double-wall cofferdam and key techniques in terms of platform underwater construction, which can be a reference for similar project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A network-based model is proposed to capture the choice behavior of ships. • The physical and operational characteristics of ships are considered. • Effects of shore power promotion policies of government are investigated. • Case study of the Yangtze River is conducted. Ship emissions are essential sources of air pollution and have received extensive attention from both academia and industry in recent years. Provision of power supply to the berthed ships is often preferable to improve the air quality of port areas. This paper first proposes a network-based model to capture the choice behaviour of container ships on shore power (SP) in an inland river shipping system. Then the efficiency of SP is evaluated for all ports connected by the shipping network in the sense of environmental improvement. The systematic method can investigate the differential effects of the promotion policies, such as, the emission regulation and electricity subsidy, on different ports incorporating the choice behavior of ships. The method implementation and policy insights are carefully examined in the simulation example of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Service level is defined as the probability of project capacity satisfying uncertain demand. • We investigate the effects of service level requirement on BOT transport project contract. • We compare service level requirement with capacity regulation and price cap regulation. • We compare the optimal BOT contracts under government regulations with the first-best solution. • Some managerial implications are derived from model results. Abstract For many BOT transport projects, the government imposes service level requirement on the private firm so that project capacity and stochastic demand can be better matched. We define service level as the probability of project capacity satisfying uncertain demand. The results suggest that the presence of service level requirement improves both user fee and project capacity, and also improves consumer surplus while decreases firm profit. We have made two extensions to investigate the government's optimal service level, and to compare service level requirement with capacity regulation and price cap regulation. Some managerial insights offered by model results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In BOT road project, the government offers a firm an ex ante contract, which specifies toll price and concession period based on the forecasted demand. When the demand states are observed in the operation period, the government may request renegotiation to adapt the initial contract to the realized demand state. By considering the loss aversion behavior of the private firm, this paper shows that renegotiation takes place only if the private firm’s extent of loss aversion is sufficiently small. However, in what direction the government adjusts toll price and concession period depends on the combined effects of initial price, demand level, and demand uncertainty in each demand state. This paper has further investigated the optimal initial contract. We find that if one demand state realizes with a sufficiently large probability, then the optimal initial contract is renegotiation-proof in this demand state while inducing renegotiation in other demand states; if all demand states realize with almost equal probabilities, whether the optimal initial contract prevents or induces renegotiations in all demand states depends on the private firm’s extent of loss aversion. This paper makes two major contributions to the literature. First, we apply loss aversion to the context of renegotiation in BOT road projects and show that renegotiation is costly. Second, we consider the optimal initial contract in anticipation of ex post renegotiation and show that the government should trade off between ex ante social welfare and ex post psychological loss. To obtain more insights and to strengthen our model results, we have reexamined the optimal renegotiation and initial contracts under some relaxed assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to use foreign direct investment (FDI) to achieve sustainable development of resources, environment and economy in China has become an increasingly important proposition. Previous studies mainly focused on the relationship between FDI quantity and energy efficiency, and neglected the important role of FDI quality in improving energy efficiency. Based on the panel data on 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2016, this paper uses slacks-based measure data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) method to estimate energy efficiency, and then uses seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) method to empirically study the influence of FDI quality on energy efficiency. The results are presented as follows: (1) From the national level view, FDI quality plays a significant role in promoting China's energy efficiency; (2) From the regional-level view, FDI quality plays a significant role in promoting China's energy efficiency in coastal and inland areas, but its role in the inland area is significantly greater than that in the coastal area. The results indicate that China should make full use of the opportunity of global economic integration and pay more attention to the improvement of FDI quality, so as to promote energy efficiency and low-carbon economic development. • The important role of FDI quality in improving energy efficiency is studied. • SUR method is used to avoid autocorrelation between data sections. • SBM-DEA method is used to estimate energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]