Phytochemical analysis and hepatotoxicity assessment of braised Polygoni Multiflori Radix (Wen-He-Shou-Wu).

Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR) is a medicinal herb commonly used in China and Eastern Asia. Recently, the discovery of hepatotoxicity in PMR has received considerable attention from scientists. Processing is a traditional Chinese medicine technique used for the effective reduction of toxicity. One uncommon technique is the braising method-also known as 'Wen-Fa' in Chinese-which is used to prepare tonics or poisonous medications. Braised PMR (BPMR)-also known as 'Wen-He-Shou-Wu'-is one of the processed products of the braising method. However, the non-volatile components of BPMR have not been identified and examined in detail, and therefore, the hepatotoxic advantage of BPMR remains unknown. In this study, we compared the microscopic characteristics of different samples in powder form using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), investigated the non-volatile components, assessed the effects of different processed PMR products on the liver, and compared the differences between BPMR and PMR Praeparata recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition). We found that the hepatotoxicity of BPMR was dramatically decreased, which may be related to an increase in polysaccharide content and a decrease in toxic substances. The present study provides an important foundation for future investigations of the processing mechanisms of BPMR.

[Risk assessment of hearing loss of noise workers in three petrochemical enterprises].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of noise induced hearing loss among workers in petrochemical enterprises. METHODS: Number of workers exposed to noise were recruited from three petrochemical enterprises. The noise exposure level(L_(EX, W)) of the research objects was measured, their occupational history was investigated, and the audiometric testing was carried out. The ISO 1999:2013 model was used to calculate the change of hearing threshold level and the risk of hearing loss in each post, and compared the result of model with the result of the audiometric testing. RESULTS: The median of L_(EX, W) is range from 79.8 to 85.0 dB(A). L_(EX, W) among all posts were greater than 80 dB(A) except naphtha processing operators. The result of pure tone hearing threshold test showed that the prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss among workers exposed to noise was 12.8%. According to the classification of noise operation according to the maximum value of L_(EX, W), the operator for styrene dry gas combined unit is the only post that is extremely dangerous in the department of chemical, the other posts in the department of chemical and all posts in the department of public works are exposed to light and medium noise hazards, and 62.5% the external operators of the oil refining department are under heavy and extremely hazardous. According to the evaluation result of ISO 1999:2013, the risk of high-frequency hearing loss among workers in crude distillation unit, hydrogen production unit and the electricians of electrical system is high. The measured median of noise-induced pernament threshold shift(NIPTS) among male workers in different workstation was higher than the predicted median of NIPTS of ISO 1999, and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.01), and the predicted values for four-fifths of positions were more than 10 dB lower than the measured value. CONCLUSION: The risk of noise induced hearing loss of workers in petrochemical enterprises is high.

Can the Behavioural Spillover Effect Affect the Environmental Regulations Strategy Choice of Local Governments?

Combined with the characteristics of the Chinese environmental regulation supervision system and evolutionary game theory, the spillover effect of local governments' investment behaviour has been incorporated into their payment function to study the influence of spillover on the strategy choice of local governments and enterprises. The results show that (1) the spillover effect is one of the reasons for distortions in the implementation of environmental regulations. Whether the influence of the spillover effect on the probability of local governments choosing the strategy of strict supervision is positive or negative depends on the environmental benefit of the local government's environmental protection investment. (2) Increasing the reward for the enterprise's complete green technology innovation behaviour is conducive to improving the probability of the enterprises choosing the strategy of complete green technology innovation, while it reduces the probability of local governments choosing the strategy of strict supervision. Increasing punishment for enterprises' incomplete green technology innovation behaviour is conducive to improving the probability of enterprises choosing the strategy of complete green technology innovation, but its impact on the probability of local governments choosing the strategy of strict supervision is uncertain due to the limitations of many factors. (3) Enterprises' emission reduction capacity is positively related to the probability of the enterprises choosing the strategy of complete green technology innovation and is negatively related to the probability of local governments choosing the strategy of strict supervision. The research conclusions provide a new explanation for the distorted enforcement of environmental regulations from the perspective of the spillover of local governments' investment behaviour.

Financial performance evaluation of nuclear power-related enterprises from the perspective of sustainability.

A set of dynamic evaluation systems based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation II has been constructed to determine the financial performance of Chinese nuclear power-related enterprises; the evaluation indicators reflect not only current development but also future development. (1) A comparison of the competitiveness of nine companies is conducted showing that Everbright Jiabao Co. Ltd. has the strongest competitiveness, the relative competitiveness of Dongfang Electric Corporation has declined year by year, and the competitiveness of Atlantic has increased year by year. (2) According to the analysis of the overall sustainable development capability indicated by financial performance, the financial performance of DUNAN Environment and Everbright Jiabao Co. Ltd. is relatively better than that of the other companies, and that of Atlantic is the worst. (3) According to the analysis of the sustainable development capability indicated by investment efficiency and development performance, during the 10-year development period, the investment efficiency and development performance of Dongfang Electric Corporation, DUNAN Environment, Wintime Energy Co. Ltd. and Everbright Jiabao Co. Ltd. increased, while those of Shanghai Electric and Hubei Energy Group Co. Ltd. declined. In the 10-year period, the other three companies, Boasteel Group, Atlantic, and HBIS Group Co. Ltd., developed unevenly. In addition, the investment efficiency and development performance of the nine companies are unbalanced in the two short-term development stages from 2007 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2016.