How does digital technology promote carbon emission reduction? Empirical evidence based on e-commerce pilot city policy in China.

Digital technology is an effective way to realize the carbon neutrality target in China. Therefore, based on panel data at the city level in China from 2006 to 2016, we take the e-commerce pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, using the staggered difference-in-differences (DID) method to explore the effect of digital technology development on carbon emissions and its transmission mechanism. The conclusion of this paper shows that (ⅰ) the e-commerce pilot policy has significantly reduced carbon emissions. After a series of robustness tests, this empirical conclusion is still valid. (ⅱ) The inhibitory effect of different waves of e-commerce pilot cities on carbon emissions sequentially decreases. The e-commerce pilot policy has a greater effect on reducing carbon emissions in non-old industrial based cities and non-resource-based cities. (ⅲ) Implementing the e-commerce pilot city policy mainly reduces urban carbon emissions by optimizing resource allocation, reducing energy consumption and upgrading the industrial structure. (ⅳ) In addition, implementing the e-commerce pilot city policy has a significant positive carbon-reducing linkage effect with the carbon trading pilot policy and the low-carbon city pilot policy. The findings of this paper provide empirical evidence for carbon emission reduction, which has implications for upgrading urban construction patterns and promoting green urban development.

Towards green economy: Environmental performance of belt and road initiative in China.

As a Chinese solution to build a community of human destiny, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has shown China's international responsibility by promoting its green development. Based on the annual panel data of Chinese cities from 2004 to 2018, this paper systematically explores the effect of BRI on the Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) of cities along its domestic route using the difference-in-differences (DID) method. The results of the study show that (1) BRI significantly increases the GTFP of cities along its domestic route, and this finding holds after excluding a series of robustness tests such as endogeneity issues and other policy disturbances. (2) BRI promotes the growth of GTFP in the region mainly through improving science and technology innovation, increasing foreign direct investment and enhancing trade cooperation. (3) From the perspective of heterogeneity, the promotion effect of BRI on the GTFP of inland cities along the route is much higher than that of coastal cities, and cities along the route with stronger environmental concerns have a more significant enhancement effect. (4) Based on the policy context and the undertaking of role functions, there is a significant positive linkage effect between BRI Initiative and the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) construction in promoting GTFP growth. (5) From a spatial perspective, BRI has not only increased the GTFP of cities along the route, but also radiated the growth of GTFP in neighboring cities along the route. The conclusion of this paper provides a policy reference and theoretical basis for further building the green "Belt and Road" and promoting the sustainable development of China's economy and high-quality transformation.

Do pilot free trade zones improve the green total factor productivity? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China.

China's pilot free trade zone (PFTZ) is an important national strategy to achieve high-quality development, so it is necessary to discuss the effect of PFTZ implementation on green total factor productivity (GTFP). Based on the data from 279 cities in China from 2004 to 2018, this study takes the establishment of PFTZ as a quasi-natural experiment and uses the difference-in-differences (DID) method to systematically evaluate the effect of PFTZ on urban GTFP. The empirical results of this paper are shown as follows: Firstly, the construction of PFTZ has a significant effect on urban GTFP, and this effect has increased gradually over time. Secondly, the construction of PFTZ mainly promotes the urban GTFP by increasing the level of science and technology innovation, reducing government intervention and improving the level of human capital. Thirdly, the effect of PFTZ construction on GTFP is more pronounced in regions with earlier waves of PFTZ and in western regions where environmental concerns are higher. In addition, there is a significant positive linkage between the construction of the PFTZ and the Belt and Road Initiative to improve the urban GTFP. The findings of this paper enrich the relevant literature on PFTAs and sustainable development and provide a theoretical basis for further promotion of PFTZ construction.

Clarithromycin versus furazolidone for naïve Helicobacter pylori infected patients in a high clarithromycin resistance area.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The increase in antibiotic resistance makes the eradication of Helicobacter pylori more difficult. Considering the limitations of the application of susceptibility-guided therapy, it is important to find an effective empirical regimen. The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of clarithromycin-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (C-BQT) and furazolidone-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (F-BQT) in naïve H. pylori positive patients. METHODS: This was an open-label, randomized controlled, crossover trial. The trial comprised two phases. In C-F group, patients received C-BQT in the first phase; those who were still positive for H. pylori infection after the first phase entered the second phase to receive F-BQT as rescue treatment. In F-C group, patients were treated with F-BQT firstly and rescued with C-BQT. RESULTS: As first-line treatments, the eradication rates of C-BQT and F-BQT were 89.7% (157/175) and 92.0% (161/175) (P = 0.458) in intention-to-treat analysis and 93.4% (156/167) and 95.8% (161/168) (P = 0.327) in per-protocol analysis, respectively. The cumulative eradication rates of the C-F group and the F-C group were both 94.3% in intention-to-treat analysis (P = 1.000). Cost-effectiveness indexes of F-BQT and C-BQT were 0.54 and 1.24 in first-line treatments. Frequencies of adverse events in F-BQT and C-BQT had no differences (36.0% in C-BQT vs 32.6% in F-BQT, P = 0.499). CONCLUSIONS: Furazolidone-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy should be preferred for its excellent cost-effectiveness and acceptable safety.

Changes in children's respiratory morbidity and residential exposure factors over 25 years in Chongqing, China.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory morbidity and mortality during childhood remains a major challenge for global health. Due to the rapid economic development in Chongqing, we expect substantial temporal changes in respiratory health status and environmental risk factors in children. By leveraging a historical dataset, this study aims to assess the changes in prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases, residential exposure factors, and their associations in school-age children over a period of 25 years. METHODS: This study involved two cross-sectional surveys conducted in Chongqing with a 25-year interval (2017 vs. 1993). Purpose sampling was used to conduct questionnaire surveys on school-age children in both surveys. Information collected include children's respiratory health outcomes, family residential exposures, demographic information, and parental respiratory disease history. The changes of residential exposures as well as demographics were determined by chi-square test. Odds ratios were calculated to compare the prevalence of children's respiratory symptoms and diseases between the two periods. Associations between children's respiratory outcomes and exposure indicators were assessed using multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: The majority of residential exposure indicators improved in 2017, including sleep in shared room, cooking with coal, poor kitchen ventilation, cooking frequency, and parental smoking. Compared to the 1993 study, the adjusted risk for children's wheezing was lower (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.49), but the risk for bronchitis was higher (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.54, 2.31) in the 2017 study. Poor kitchen ventilation and parental smoking were linked to an increased risk of children's wheezing (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.90) and bronchitis (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.21), respectively, while heating in winter was linked to an increased risk of phlegm (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.90) and wheezing (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.01) in the 1993 study. However, these residential exposure factors were no longer associated with the children's respiratory diseases in the 2017 study. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found improvement of residential exposures in Chongqing, a decline of prevalence of children's wheezing but an increase of that of bronchitis from 1993 to 2017. Poor kitchen ventilation, heating in winter, and parental smoking were significant risk factors in the 1993 survey but, with significantly reduced prevalence in 2017, were not significantly associated with children's respiratory morbidity in the latter survey.

Detection of tobamoviruses by RT-PCR using a novel pair of degenerate primers.

A generic RT-PCR assay was developed for the universal detection of viruses of the genus Tobamovirus using a novel pair of degenerate primers designed based on conserved regions on replicase genes of 32 tobamoviruses. The assay detected nine tobamoviruses, including six Solanaceae-infecting subgroup tobamoviruses of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), Tomato mottle mosaic virus (ToMMV), Tobacco mottle green mosaic virus (TMGMV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), Paprika mild mottle virus (PaMMV), one Orchidaceae-infecting tobamovirus of Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) and two Cucurbitaceae-infecting subgroup tobamoviruses of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV), with high amplification efficiency, specificity and sensitivity. The assay was applied to detect tobamoviruses in pepper and tomato fields. Five tobamoviruses, PMMoV, TMV, ToMV, ToMMV and TMGMV, were detected from the pepper fields in single and mixed infections. Single infections of PMMoV, ToMV and ToMMV and mix-infection of ToMV + PMMoV were detected from the tomato fields. Among these viruses, PMMoV was first detected from tomato worldwide, while ToMMV was first detected from tomato plants in China. This generic assay is simple, cost-effective and has great potential to detect more tobamoviruses in the field.

Assessment of the hemolysis and endothelial cell cytotoxicity induced by residual linear alkylbenzene sulfonates on pharmaceutical rubber stoppers based on HPLC-ESI-MS.

This study was designed to develop a high-performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) method for quantitative determination of residual surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) compounds on pharmaceutical rubber stoppers. An HPLC-ESI-MS method was developed for separation and determination of five LAS homologs (C10-C14) under gradient conditions using methanol and ammonium acetate as mobile phases. Hemolysis activity of residual LAS compounds was analyzed by spectrophotometry. Expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after LAS compound treatment was examined by enzyme-linked sorbent assay. LAS compounds were well separated and determined by the established gradient conditions. The linear range was 0.05-8 µg/mL with correlation coefficients ≥0.997. Recoveries were from 73 to 134% and the relative standard deviation was <13.7%. There was a correlation between hemolysis rate and LAS compounds concentration when it was ≥0.8 µg/cm(2). LAS compounds decreased the viability of HUVECs and promoted the production of IL-6 and TNF-α. The developed analytical method was successful for quantitative determination of residual LAS compounds on pharmaceutical rubber stoppers and it is important to monitor and control the amount of LAS compounds on rubber stoppers.