Environmental Regulation Effect on Green Total Factor Productivity: Mediating Role of Foreign Direct Investment Quantity and Quality.

Green total factor productivity (GTFP) is an excellent index for green development. The objective of this study was to check whether environmental regulation (ER) can affect GTFP through the mediating role of foreign direct investment (FDI) quantity and quality. Using the super-efficiency Epsilon-based measure (EBM) model and a Malmquist-Luenberger (ML) index, China's GTFP growth was measured during 1998-2018. On this basis, we adopted a Systematic Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) to analyze the effect of ER on GTFP. The findings show that China's GTFP declined first and rose again during the sample period. GTFP in the coastland was greater than that in the inland region. ER positively affected China's GTFP growth. FDI quantity and quality mediated the nexus between ER and GTFP growth in the whole nation. Specifically, this mediation role of FDI quantity and quality was only significant in coastal China. Additionally, financial development can also boost GTFP growth in China. Given the importance of developing a green economy, the government should improve the FDI quality and attract green FDI.

Effect of self-acupressure on middle ear barotrauma associated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy: A nonrandomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: In hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a patient is exposed to pure oxygen in a chamber. While HBOT is a long-standing and well-established treatment for a wide variety of medical conditions, one of the main complications is middle ear barotrauma (MEB), which can lead to complaints of ear discomfort, stuffiness or fullness in the ear, and difficulties in equalizing ear pressure. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of self-acupressure in preventing and reducing the degree of MEB associated with HBOT. METHODS: This is a prospective nonrandomized controlled study. A sample of 152 participants will be assigned to 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. The participants in the control group will receive conventional Valsalva and Toynbee maneuvers, while those in the experimental group will be given additional self-acupressure therapy. The acupoints used will be TE17 (Yifeng), TE21 (Ermen), SI19 (Tinggong), and GB2 (Tinghui). The Modified Teed Classification, symptoms of MEB, and overall ear discomfort levels will be assessed. Data will be analyzed using the Chi-Squared test or t test. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of self-acupressure for preventing and reducing the degree of MEB associated with HBOT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04311437. Registered on 17 March, 2020.

How well has economic strategy changed CO2 emissions? Evidence from China's largest emission province.

In recent years, Shandong Province became one of China's largest carbon emitters; however, existing studies failed to capture the recent trends and the key driving factors behind it at the city level. In this study, we computed the city-level CO2 emission by employing accounting methods and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) to provide a holistic picture and measure the contributing factors CO2 emissions across 16 cities in Shandong Province during 2010-2018. Research outcomes indicate that Shandong's CO2 emissions showed an increasing trend during 2010-2018, except in 2013. Shandong Province's GDP per capita and population size promote energy-related CO2 emissions from 2010 to 2018. Energy intensity is the main driving force behind Shandong's significant CO2 emission growth, followed by the energy consumption structure. Emission intensity and regional structure partly offset the CO2 emission increase. Industrial structure is the most important driving factor in reducing emissions; however, its emission reduction effect is not stable in some cities and sectors, especially for the nonmetal and metal industry, petroleum and chemical industry, and energy sector. Dongying is the top emitter across Shandong from 2010 to 2018. Its emissions mainly come from the petroleum and chemical industry. The largest driving factors are the energy intensity and industrial structure. Investigating CO2 emissions at the city level yields a strong recommendation that Shandong Province's regions cooperate to improve development patterns.

Heterogeneous impacts of environmental regulations and foreign direct investment on green innovation across different regions in China.

Green innovation (GI) is an important way to realize the sustainable development. This paper contributes to the existing literature by analyzing the effects of different environmental regulations on green innovation from a heterogeneous perspective. We also compare the impacts of indigenous innovation input and foreign technology spillover on green innovation. The dataset of this paper covers a panel of China's 30 provinces from 2003 to 2017. The results of Systematic Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) show that command-and-control regulation (CER) and informal regulation (IER) have significant "Porter's effect" on green innovation while market-based regulation (MER) negatively affects green innovation in China. Inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) plays a positive role in developing China's green innovation thus, validating the "Pollution Halo hypothesis". Outward direct investment (OFDI) has a reverse green technique effect on China's green innovation. In addition, the positive effect of indigenous innovation input on green innovation is larger than that of foreign technology spillover from IFDI and OFDI. Moreover, the strengthening of CER weakens the positive effect of IFDI on green innovation. By contrast, the increase of IER can promote the reverse green technology spillover effect of OFDI on green innovation. On the basis of results, the government should attract green inward FDI and invest on foreign technology-intensive industries to obtain green technology spillover and stimulate green innovation.

Influential Effects of Intrinsic-Extrinsic Incentive Factors on Management Performance in New Energy Enterprises.

Background: New energy has become a key trend for global energy industry development. Talent plays a very critical role in the enhancement of new energy enterprise competitiveness. As a key component of talent, managers have been attracting more and more attention. The increase in job performance relies on, to a certain extent, incentive mechanism. Based on the Two-factor Theory, differences in influences and effects of different incentives on management performance have been checked in this paper from an empirical perspective. Methods: This paper selects the middle and low level managers in new energy enterprises as research samples and classifies the managers' performance into task performance, contextual performance and innovation performance. It uses manager performance questionnaires and intrinsic-extrinsic incentive factor questionnaires to investigate and study the effects and then uses Amos software to analyze the inner link between the intrinsic-extrinsic incentives and job performance. Results: Extrinsic incentives affect task performance and innovation performance positively. Intrinsic incentives impose active significant effects on task performance, contextual performance, and innovation performance. The intrinsic incentive plays a more important role than the extrinsic incentive. Conclusions: Both the intrinsic-extrinsic incentives affect manager performance positively and the intrinsic incentive plays a more important role than the extrinsic incentive. Several suggestions to management should be given based on these results.