Search

Is it the heavy industry or light industry that performs better in energy efficiency incorporating undesirable outputs? Energy efficiency is the gap between actual and target energy inputs, thus the more energy intensive heavy industry is not necessarily the less energy efficient one. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare the ecological total-factor energy efficiency (ETFEE) of the heavy and light industries as well as to assess their technology gaps. Considering the slack-bias of conventional DEA models and technological heterogeneity between heavy and light industries, the slack-based DEA model (SBM) and meta-frontier technology have been combined. The empirical results show that: (1) China's industries did not perform efficiently. Among them, heavy industry, albeit has more advanced technology, demonstrates lower energy efficiency than light industry. Thus, China needs to stimulate heavy industry to achieve its potential in efficiency improvement. (2) Compared with light industry, governmental stimulus induced expansion has promoted technological advancement in heavy industry, but it still has had no effect on the utilization of existing technologies by, for example, improving the managerial efficiency. Greater pressure on environmental standards is needed to motivate factories in heavy industry to utilize existing technologies more sufficiently. (3) Technological gap among industries has enlarged, thus more attention should be paid on encouraging technology spillover from heavy industry to light industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electricity system faces load-matching pressure due to imbalances during peak times or extreme weather, making it costly to phase out coal-fired electricity and reduce carbon emissions. The electricity spot market pilot (ESMP) policy provides reserve capacities for grids, but its effectiveness on green economic development is still unknown. Therefore, using panel data from 286 cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this study analyzes the impact of the ESMP policy on green economic performance. The results indicate a significantly positive effect of the ESMP policy on green economic performance. In addition, the policy could help to phase out 6.3% of coal-fired capacity, on average, reduce coal-fired equipment utilization hours by 0.9%, and increase renewable equipment utilization hours by 4% in pilot regions. These findings provide new insights into ESMP policy and green economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study explores the underexplored application of benchmarking in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) among Chinese A-listed companies from 2010 to 2020. The results reveal a positive relationship between CSR performance and local best practices, indicating benchmarking’s influence on CSR activities. Notably, benefits like increased market value, robust revenue, and heightened analyst attention signify positive market signals, motivating companies to enhance their CSR performance. The impacts on CSR performance varies significantly based on leader companies’ CSR scores, ages, and follower companies’ ownership properties, sizes, and locations. Our findings offer valuable insights into CSR motivations and the performance effects of best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chirp modulation can generate a relatively flat electro-optic frequency comb (EO comb) and offers the advantage of frequency reconfigurability, demonstrating significant potential in high-precision sensing and absorption spectroscopy measurements. However, nonresonant devices such as waveguides are susceptible to limitations in modulation efficiency and bandwidth during electro-optic modulation. In this paper, by utilizing chirp modulation resonance mode, we have realized an EO comb based on a lithium niobate resonator with small tooth spacing and high flatness. Theoretically, the chirp modulation of phase is achieved by modulating the dispersion coupling term in the resonant mode transmission equation. Compared with conventional waveguide-based EO combs, the resonant mode chirp modulation is capable of generating a multistage flat comb, and thus the bandwidth of the comb is significantly expanded. In the experiment, with a repetition rate as low as 20 kHz and a bias voltage of 1 V, the comb bandwidth extended to over 150 MHz, where the number of 3 dB flat comb teeth for a single stage exceeds 2,000. Finally, we evaluated the measurement capability of the frequency comb at different temperatures by utilizing the transmission spectrum of the germanium-doped silica waveguide cavity as the absorption spectrum, measuring a temperature sensitivity of 1505.00 MHz/K and a temperature instability of 1.13 mK/Hz 1/2 .

Frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) narrow linewidth lasers have served as the cornerstone behind applications such as autonomous driving, wearable technology, virtual reality, and remote sensing mapping. Strongly coherent lasers are typically used for these studies, with a clear demand for linear fast response and wide frequency tuning range. In this paper, profiting from the ultrahigh-quality factor of the crystalline whispering-gallery-mode resonator, by using a self-injection locking mechanism to suppress spontaneous emission noise and improve coherence, sub-kHz linewidth at 450 nm is obtained. Furthermore, based on the dispersive response principle, fast electrical tuning is realized by using the strain-influenced resonator, and the experimental test result reaches 81 pm/V. More importantly, we demonstrate the comprehensive performance of this type of FMCW laser in underwater detection, with a sensitivity of 319 MHz/m at a chirp frequency of 1 kHz.

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a major cause of low back pain (LBP), worsened by chronic inflammatory processes associated with aging. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf-α) and its receptors, Tnf receptor type 1 (Tnfr1) and Tnf receptor type 2 (Tnfr2), are upregulated in IVDD. However, its pathologic mechanisms remain poorly defined., Methods: To investigate the role of Tnfr in IVDD, we generated global Tnfr1/2 double knockout (KO) mice and age-matched control C57BL/6 male mice, and analyzed intervertebral disc (IVD)-related phenotypes of both genotypes under physiological conditions, aging, and lumbar spine instability (LSI) model through histological and immunofluorescence analyses and μCT imaging. Expression levels of key extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in aged and LSI mice, especially markers of cell proliferation and apoptosis, were evaluated in aged (21-month-old) mice., Results: At 4 months, KO and control mice showed no marked differences of IVDD-related parameters. However, at 21 months of age, the loss of Tnfr expression significantly alleviated IVDD-like phenotypes, including a significant increase in height of the nucleus pulposus (NPs) and reductions of endplates (EPs) porosity and histopathological scores, when compared to controls. Tnfr deficiency promoted anabolic metabolism of the ECM proteins and suppressed ECM catabolism. Tnfr loss largely inhibited hypertrophic differentiation, and, in the meantime, suppressed cell apoptosis and cellular senescence in the annulus fibrosis, NP, and EP tissues without affecting cell proliferation. Similar results were observed in the LSI model, where Tnfr deficiency significantly alleviated IVDD and enhanced ECM anabolic metabolism while suppressing catabolism., Conclusion: The deletion of Tnfr mitigates age-related and LSI-induced IVDD, as evidenced by preserved IVD structure, and improved ECM integrity. These findings suggest a crucial role of Tnf-α/Tnfr signaling in IVDD pathogenesis in mice. Targeting this pathway may be a novel strategy for IVDD prevention and treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests., (© 2024 The Author(s). JOR Spine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Orthopaedic Research Society.)

Rabies is a lethal disease caused by the rabies virus (RABV), which causes acute neurological infections in mammals, including human beings. We previously reported that an mRNA vaccine (LVRNA001) encoding the rabies virus's glycoprotein induced strong protective immune responses to rabies in mice and dogs. Here, we further evaluate the safety of LVRNA001. First, we performed a confirmative efficacy study in dogs, which showed that LVRNA001 fully protected the animals from the virus, both pre- and post-infection. Moreover, using pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis murine models, we showed that LVRNA001, built from the CTN-1 strain, was able to protect against various representative RABV strains from the China I-VII clades. To evaluate the safety of the vaccine, chronic and reproductive toxicity studies were performed with cynomolgus macaques and rats, respectively. In a repeated-dose chronic toxicity study, vaccinated monkeys displayed no significant alterations in body weight, temperature, or hematological and biochemical markers. Lymphocyte subset measurement and histopathological examination showed that no toxicity was associated with the vaccine. The immunogenicity study in cynomolgus macaques demonstrated that LVRNA001 promoted the generation of neutralizing antibodies and Th1-biased immune response. Evaluation of reproductive toxicity in rats revealed that administration of LVRNA001 had no significant effects on fertility, maternal performance, reproductive processes, and postnatal outcomes. In conclusion, LVRNA001 can provide efficient protection against rabies virus infection in dogs and mice, and toxicity studies showed no significant vaccine-related adverse effects, suggesting that LVRNA001 is a promising and safe vaccine candidate for rabies prophylaxis and therapy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The effectiveness of cervical perivascular sympathectomy (CPVS) in enhancing upper limb motor function in children with cerebral palsy is unclear, and the factors that influence the effectiveness of the surgery have not been documented., Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of CPVS in enhancing upper limb motor function in children with cerebral palsy and develop a predictive chart for potential associated adverse outcomes METHODS: The study included 187 children with cerebral palsy who underwent CPVS at the Cerebral Palsy Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, between January 2018 and January 2022. Patients were categorized into two groups based on prognostic outcomes: those with adverse and favorable prognoses. Demographic and laboratory data were collected and analyzed from both groups. To identify independent predictors of poor post-CPVS upper limb motor function outcomes, statistical techniques, including univariate analysis and binary logistic regression, were applied. Subsequently, these predictors were integrated to formulate a comprehensive predictive model., Results: In this cohort of 187 children with cerebral palsy undergoing CPVS, 68 (36.36%) exhibited a favorable prognosis for upper limb motor function and 119 (63.64%) demonstrated an adverse prognosis. Age, motor function, and serum albumin levels were identified as significant prognostic factors via logistic regression analysis. To develop the model, we divided the sample into a training set (70%, n = 131) and a validation set (30%, n = 56). Employing motor function, serum albumin levels, and age as variables, we crafted a predictive model. The model's performance, reflected by the area under the curve was 0.813 (0.732, 0.894) in the training set and 0.770 (0.647, 0.892) in the validation set, demonstrating its robust predictive capability for post-CPVS adverse outcomes. Furthermore, the consistency curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow test (χ 2 = 8.808, p = 0.359) illustrated a strong concordance between the model's predictions of poor prognosis and the actual incidence rate., Conclusion: CPVS has been shown to be effective in improving upper limb motor function in patients with cerebral palsy. Independent prognostic factors identified encompass motor function, age, and serum albumin levels. The composite predictive model shows potential for clinical applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interests or personal relationships with other persons or organisations., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cervical perivascular sympathectomy (CPVS) can improve communication disorders in children with cerebral palsy (CP); however, there are no research reports on the factors affecting surgical efficacy. This study aimed to establish a nomogram for poor prognosis after CPVS. We collected data from 313 CP patients who underwent CPVS at the Neurosurgery Cerebral Palsy Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2019 to January 2023. Among them, 70% (n = 216) formed the training cohort and 30% (n = 97) the validation cohort. The general data and laboratory examination data of both groups were analyzed. In training cohort, 82 (37.96%) showed improved postoperative communication function. Logistic analysis identified motor function, serum alkaline phosphatase, serum albumin, and prothrombin activity as the prognostic factors. Using these four factors, a prediction model was constructed with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.807 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.743-0.870), indicating its ability to predict adverse outcomes after CPVS. The validation cohort results showed an AUC of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.650-0.869). The consistency curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow test (χ 2  = 10.988 and p = 0.202, respectively) demonstrated good consistency between the model-predicted incidence and the actual incidence of poor prognosis. Motor function, serum alkaline phosphatase, serum albumin, and prothrombin activity are independent risk factors associated with the prognosis of communication disorders after CPVS. The combined prediction model has a good clinical prediction effect and has promising potential to be used for early prediction of prognosis of CPVS., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: There is a lack of research to determine the efficacy of cervical perivascular sympathectomy (CPVS) in children with cerebral palsy (CP)., Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CPVS in children with CP and analyze the associated influential factors., Methods: Using the method of retrospective cohort studies, children who underwent CPVS were included in the CPVS group, whereas those who underwent selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR) were included in the SPR group. The Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) and Teacher Drooling Scale (TDS) were used to evaluate the communication function and salivation in the two groups before and 12 months after surgery and compare the surgical efficiency between the two groups, and the factors affecting the efficacy were screened by binary logistic regression., Results: The study included 406 patients, 202 in the CPVS group and 204 in the SPR group. No significant differences were observed in the baseline characteristics (p > 0.05). The surgical efficacy of the CPVS group (47.01%) was significantly higher than that in the SPR group (9.81%) (χ 2  = 71.08, p < 0.001). Binary logic regression analysis showed that preterm birth and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) grade were influencing factors of surgical efficacy. Eighteen patients developed postoperative complications., Conclusion: CPVS is a safe and effective surgery for cerebral palsy. Preterm birth and GMFCS grade are independent factors affecting the efficacy of surgery., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Translational control is crucial for protein production in various biological contexts. Here, we use Ribo-seq and RNA-seq to show that genes related to oxidative phosphorylation are translationally downregulated during heart regeneration. We find that Nat10 regulates the expression of Uqcr11 and Uqcrb mRNAs in mouse and human cardiomyocytes. In mice, overexpression of Nat10 in cardiomyocytes promotes cardiac regeneration and improves cardiac function after injury. Conversely, treating neonatal mice with Remodelin-a Nat10 pharmacological inhibitor-or genetically removing Nat10 from their cardiomyocytes both inhibit heart regeneration. Mechanistically, Nat10 suppresses the expression of Uqcr11 and Uqcrb independently of its ac4C enzyme activity. This suppression weakens mitochondrial respiration and enhances the glycolytic capacity of the cardiomyocytes, leading to metabolic reprogramming. We also observe that the expression of Nat10 is downregulated in the cardiomyocytes of P7 male pig hearts compared to P1 controls. The levels of Nat10 are also lower in female human failing hearts than non-failing hearts. We further identify the specific binding regions of Nat10, and validate the pro-proliferative effects of Nat10 in cardiomyocytes derived from human embryonic stem cells. Our findings indicate that Nat10 is an epigenetic regulator during heart regeneration and could potentially become a clinical target., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Acoustic sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity, broadband response, and high resolution are essential for high-precision nondestructive weak signal detection technology. In this paper, based on the size effect of an ultrahigh-quality ( Q ) calcium fluoride (CaF 2 ) resonator, a weak acoustic signal is detected by the dispersive response regime in which an acoustic, elastic wave modulates the geometry and is converted to a resonance frequency shift. Through the structural design of the resonator, the sensitivity reaches 11.54 V/Pa at 10 kHz in the experiment. To our knowledge, the result is higher than that of other optical resonator acoustic sensors. We further detected a weak signal as low as 9.4 µPa/Hz 1/2 , which greatly improved the detection resolution. With a good directionality of 36.4 dB and a broadband frequency response range of 20 Hz-20 kHz, the CaF 2 resonator acoustic sensing system can not only acquire and reconstruct speech signals over a long distance but also accurately identify and separate multiple voices in noisy environments. This system shows high performance in weak sound detection, sound source localization, sleep monitoring, and many other voice interaction applications., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease that is mainly caused by the rabies virus (RABV). Although effective vaccines have long existed, current vaccines take both time and cost to produce. Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology is an emergent vaccine platform that supports rapid vaccine development on a large scale. Here, an optimized mRNA vaccine construct (LVRNA001) expressing rabies virus glycoprotein (RABV-G) was developed in vitro and then evaluated in vivo for its immunogenicity and protective capacity in mice and dogs. LVRNA001 induced neutralizing antibody production and a strong Th1 cellular immune response in mice. In both mice and dogs, LVRNA001 provided protection against challenge with 50-fold lethal dose 50 (LD 50 ) of RABV. With regards to protective efficiency, an extended dosing interval (14 days) induced greater antibody production than 3- or 7-day intervals in mice. Finally, post-exposure immunization against RABV was performed to evaluate the survival rates of dogs receiving two 25 μg doses of LVRNA001 vs. five doses of inactivated vaccine over the course of three months. Survival rate in the LVRNA001 group was 100%, whereas survival rate in the inactivated vaccine control group was only 33.33%. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that LVRNA001 induced strong protective immune responses in mice and dogs, which provides a new and promising prophylactic strategy for rabies., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In policy remedies, transportation infrastructure such as metro transit is widely considered to be an important and effective means to reduce air pollution. However, the policy prediction that metro transits reduce air pollution depends on driver responses. China provides an appropriate context to explore the answer since its major cities have expanded their metro transit systems in recent years, which enables us to exploit a natural experiment. Accordingly, a sharp regression discontinuity is employed to evaluate the impact of 112 metro lines (with an accumulation of 3286 km) on air quality. Evidence shows that the opening of metro transits has a negative causal effect on air pollution. The results are robust to several alternative specifications. Furthermore, a heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that metro openings have a time-varying impact on air pollution, which is larger during rush hours. We anticipate that the air quality improvement in China caused by metro transits can generate large welfare gains., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Understanding how urbanisation and industrialisation interact with carbon emissions (CEs) among different regions informs the approaches for achieving emissions reduction targets and promoting regional economic development. However, this topic has not been adequately addressed in previous studies. Therefore, it is of great significance to conduct an empirical investigation of the interactions between urbanisation, industrialisation and CEs. Aided by the gravity model, the barycentre trajectories of urbanisation, industrialisation and CEs are analysed. Additionally, the total transfer amounts of industry and CEs are quantitatively examined by using an improved shift-share analysis method, and the spatial aggregation features of urbanisation, industrialisation and CEs are elucidated by constructing a three-dimensional (3D) contribution matrix model. The key conclusions are as follows: (1) The barycentre of industrialisation and urbanisation migrated to the southwest, while that of CE migrated to the northwest and the speed of this movement was faster than that of urbanisation and industrialisation. (2) Industrial transfer mainly occurred in 2005-2012, while the turning point of industrial upgrading appeared in 2013. Furthermore, midwestern regions mainly underwent industrial transfer, while northwest regions always showed CEs transfer from 2005 to 2016. (3) To achieve coordination among urbanisation, industrialisation and emission reductions, 30 provinces are grouped into 8 types according to the 3D contribution matrix model, and optimisation strategies are proposed to highlight regional disparities. These findings have significant implications for making informed decisions regarding urbanisation and industrialisation development as well as emissions-reduction policies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has caused huge economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. Live and inactivated vaccines have only been partially successful in generating protective immune responses. The PRRS virus (PRRSV) glycoprotein 5 (GP5) is a major viral antigenic target and is thus suitable for development of genetically engineered PRRSV vaccines. Here, a modified GP5 and ferritin were fused and expressed using a baculovirus system to generate a GP5m-ferritin nanoparticle vaccine. We demonstrated that the GP5m-ferritin vaccine elicited higher serum antibody titers in pigs than inactivated PRRSV. Moreover, immunization with GP5m-Ft promoted a Th1-dominant cellular immune response and enhanced specific T-lymphocyte immune responses. GP5m-ferritin-vaccinated pigs had significantly lower mean rectal temperatures, respiratory scores, viremia, and macroscopic and microscopic lung lesion scores post-challenge compared with unvaccinated pigs. These results indicated that GP5m-ferritin subunit vaccines can elicit specific protective immune responses and represent promising vaccine candidates., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Molecular adjuvants are vaccine delivery vehicle to increase specific antigens effectiveness. Herein, we concentrated on IgG Fc, an effective molecular adjuvant, to develop novel pseudorabies virus (PRV) subunit vaccines. Two major protective antigen genes of PRV were constructed and linked into the mouse IgG Fc fragment. The gD, gD-IgG2aFc, gB and gB-IgG2aFc proteins were expressed using a baculovirus system. Mice intranasally immunized with gD-IgG2aFc or gB-IgG2aFc subunit vaccine exhibited significantly higher PRV-specific antibodies, neutralizing antibodies and intracellular cytokines than the mice intranasally immunized with gD or gB subunit vaccine. Moreover, no histopathological lesions were observed in mice immunized with gB-IgG2aFc subunit vaccine via histopathology examination. Further, the gB-IgG2aFc subunit vaccine was efficient for PRV infection compared with live attenuated vaccine. Overall, these results suggest that IgG2a Fc fragment, as a potential molecular adjuvant, fused with PRV antigen might be a promising and efficient PRV vaccine candidate., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)