The effect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution on health inequality: an intergenerational perspective.

Air pollution poses a serious challenge to public health and simultaneously exacerbating regional & intergenerational health inequality. This research introduces PM2.5 pollution into the intergenerational health transmission model, and estimates its impact on health inequality in China using Ordered Logit Regression (OLR) and Multi-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) model. The results indicate that PM2.5 pollution exacerbate the intergenerational health inequality, and its impacts show inconsistency across family income levels, parental health insurance status, and area of residence. Specifically, it is more difficult for offspring in low-income families to escape from the influence of unhealthy family to become upwardly mobile. Additionally, this health inequality is more significant in households in which at least one parent does not have health insurance. Moreover, the intergenerational solidification caused by PM2.5 pollution is higher in the east and lower in the west. Both the PM2.5 level and solidification effect are high in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta region and central areas of China, which is the focus of air pollution management. These findings suggest that more emphasis should be placed on family-based health promotion. In areas with high PM2.5 pollution levels, resources, subsidies and air pollution protection should be provided for less healthy families with lower incomes and no health insurance.

How to improve the energy-saving performance of China's transport sector? An input-output perspective.

The transport sector proves a major energy consumer in China, but improving energy-saving performance in China's provincial transport sector from the lifecycle perspective remains unresolved. Thus, this study employs the environmentally extended multi-region input-output (MRIO) method, structural path analysis, and the newest MRIO table of China from 2017, to investigate how to improve the energy-saving performance from final demand structure, supply chain, and pathway perspectives. The relevant results are threefold. (1) Regarding the final demand structure level, the embodied energy consumption of China's transport sector is predominantly driven by investment from the production side, while that of the consumption side is primarily caused by exports. (2) At the supply chain level, production-side embodied energy consumption primarily occurs along a three-echelon supply chain, while that from the consumption side mostly occurs via a two-echelon supply chain. (3) At the pathway level, the production-side energy-saving performance of China's provincial transport sector is dominated by two pathways along the construction sector, including transport sector → construction sector → final demands, and transport sector → intermediate inputs → construction sector → final demands, while that of the consumption side is chiefly determined by three pathways along internal transportation chains.

Time-series analysis of the contributors and drivers of Zhejiang's carbon emissions and intensity since China's accession to the WTO.

Carbon abatement efforts in China are penetrating to sub-national level. Zhejiang province, as the 4th wealthy region in China and important player in global market (e.g., textiles, cloth, petroleum, and chemical products), lacks in-depth study of its climate change mitigation efforts, especially after China's accession to the WTO in 2001. This paper analyzed carbon emissions and intensity in Zhejiang province using most comprehensive and time-series dataset available to date since 2002. Its carbon emissions were growing at a declining speed, and carbon intensity was almost halved. The leading emitters largely agglomerate around Hangzhou Bay, close to Zhoushan Port and Shanghai Port. The growth in absolute emissions primarily arose from higher investment (323.1 Mt) and exports (280.6 Mt), while the slower growth was mainly due to efficiency improvements (- 245.7 Mt) stemming from energy and carbon abatement policies and inflows of emission-intensive products from the rest of China. Similarly, declined carbon intensity was mainly attributed to efficiency improvement. Major contributors were sector S13-Non-metallic minerals, S12-Chemicals, S26-Transport, storage and post, S07-Textiles, and S10-Paper. Economic restructuring played different roles on emissions and intensity during various development stages. Policy implications of the findings are discussed for future developments.

Psychometric properties of the readiness for return to work scale in occupational rehabilitation in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: This study validated the Korean version of the Readiness to Return to Work (RRTW) scale, as an assessment measure, following a musculoskeletal, work-related injury and as a measure of following return to work. METHODS: The participants of this study were workers with experience in rehabilitation programs at the Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) Hospital in Korea. Factor analyses were employed to ensure the validity and reliability of the RRTW scale in claimants who were in treatment without working (the not-working group) or who had already returned to work (the working group). To test structural validity, we analyzed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) respectively for the not working group (exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (n = 200), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 109), and the working group (n = 123). To verify concurrent validity (multidimensional and assignment approach), the variables that were identified as relevant variables in previous studies were analyzed. RESULTS: The not working group EFA, as shown in the original scale, had four dimensions, and one item was deleted: (1) Precontemplation (PC), (2) Contemplation (C), (3) Prepared for Action-Self-evaluative (PAS), and (4) Prepared for Action-Behavioral (PAB). The CFA revealed that a good model fit and reliability were suitable. Regarding the working group of EFA, it appeared in two dimensions as in the original scale, one item was modified from the UM scale to the PM scale, and the reliability was appropriate. Concurrent validity was satisfied based on the correlation between the RRTW factor and related variables. CONCLUSIONS: RRTW in the Korean version of the instrument was similar to those reported for the original scale, indicating that it may be used in research and clinical settings.

Contributions of cleaner production and end-of-pipe treatment to NOx emissions and intensity reductions in China, 1997-2018.

The Chinese experience of economic development and environmental protection provides an important reference for developing countries. Although changes in aggregate NOx emissions have been widely studied, there is a relative lack of studies analysing NOx intensity changes and their related development strategies in China. This study attempts to identify the socioeconomic drivers and change patterns for both NOx emissions and intensity considering the cleaner production and end-of-pipe treatments. Both structural decomposition analysis and structural path analysis were used to analyse the NOx emissions/intensity changes at different levels and transmission layers in China in the last two decades (1997-2018). The results indicate that construction contributes the most to NOx emissions/intensity, followed by transportation. The emission intensity effect is the primary driver of NOx emissions/intensity reduction, which mainly benefits from end-of-pipe treatment and energy efficiency improvement. Especially, during 2012-2018, they decreased 11,916 Kt-NOx and 8,103 Kt-NOx emissions and aggregate embodied intensity by 43.2% and 29.8%, respectively. The final demand effect is the primary deterrent, which is attributed to investment and consumption effects. The critical sectors for future NOx reduction are the construction and building materials industry, transportation and other services industry. The policy implications and recommendations for the future developments are discussed based on the study findings.

Carbon-economic inequality in global ICT trade.

The expansion of information and communications technology (ICT) trade has contributed to rising trade imbalances and international tensions. A detailed assessment of the potential carbon and economic impacts of ICT trade is pertinent. We assess to what extent and how the carbon costs and economic benefits embodied in ICT trade were unevenly distributed among global regions in the period 2000-2018 using multiregional input-output models. We show that in 2018, emerging economies received 82% of the CO2 emissions while developed economies gained 42% of the value-added in ICT exports. This carbon-economic inequality (CEI) decreased (i.e., improved) by 16% from 2000 to 2018, arising from global production fragmentation, with developed economies retaining downstream high value-added ICT marketing but outsourcing upper- and middle-stream carbon-intensive material extraction and manufacturing to emerging economies. This study provides insights for enhancing negotiations and cooperation among global regions to light a path toward sustainable ICT trade.

Factors Influencing Hospitalization Cost for Diabetic Patients in Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals in Qingyang City, China.

(1) Background: This study aims to understand the factors influencing hospitalization cost related to diabetes mellitus in two traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals, and to provide a scientific basis for TCM hospitals to control the hospitalization cost of chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus. (2) Methods: Univariate analysis was used to preliminarily screen the factors related to hospitalization cost, and then multiple linear regression and path models were comprehensively used to analyze the influencing factors of hospitalization cost. (3) Results: The cost of hospitalization for diabetic patients was mainly affected by hospital level, length of stay, type of diabetes, and complications and comorbidities, and hospital level was the most critical influencing factor. (4) Conclusions: The higher the Chinese medicine hospital level, the longer the length of stay, and the more severe the complications and comorbidities, the higher the hospitalization cost for diabetic patients. The Chinese government should continue to promote the tiered medical treatment system and improve the standard of treatment at TCM hospitals to reduce the economic burden of chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus.

Association between private health insurance and medical use by linking subjective health and chronic diseases.

This empirical study identifies the negative aspects of private health insurance (PHI) by analyzing the association between subjective health conditions, 2 weeks of outpatient care, chronic diseases, and hospitalizations for 1 year. We used frequency analysis, χ2 testing, an analysis of variance, and logistic and multiple logistic regression models to analyze the association between PHI and subjective health conditions, outpatient care, chronic disease status, and hospitalization. The PHI group had good subjective health but had more outpatient care for 2 weeks. There were few chronic diseases in the private insurance group, and there was no significant difference in hospitalizations for 1 year. Hospitalization may occur when essential medical care is required, regardless of health insurance type. This study confirmed that as the PHI lowers the burden of personal medical expenses, the PHI can lead to an increase in the medical resource expenditures on the outpatient medical service and higher public health costs. The government should work to redefine the role of private and national health insurance. Also, the effectiveness of PHI should be reevaluated so that it does not lead to indiscriminate use of medical services by minimizing the burden of private insurance.

Analysis of China's regional differences in water consumption based on spatial structural decomposition analysis model.

Analyzing the factors that affect the spatial differences in production water consumption in China is necessary to implement its most stringent water resource management system effectively. Based on the input-output tables of 31 provinces and the water-consumption data of provinces by sectors in 2017, the water consumption-economy input-output tables of 31 provinces are constructed. The spatial structural decomposition analysis method is used to analyze the impact of technology level, economic scale, and regional characteristics on spatial differences in production water consumption. The final demand effect is then decomposed into final demand sectoral structural effect, final demand distribution structure effect, population-scale effect, and consumption-level effect. The results show that production water consumption depends on the economic scale and regional characteristics. Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Heilongjiang, and most provinces in the central region use more production water than the average level, while those in the Beijing-Tianjin region and most in the North-west region use less than average. The decomposition results show that the technical and the final demand effects are the main factors for the spatial differences. The impact of population-scale and consumption-level contribute the most to the final demand effect.

Biodistribution and internal radiation dosimetry of a companion diagnostic radiopharmaceutical, [68Ga]PSMA-11, in subcutaneous prostate cancer xenograft model mice.

[68Ga]PSMA-11 is a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting radiopharmaceutical for diagnostic PET imaging. Its application can be extended to targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT). In this study, we characterize the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of [68Ga]PSMA-11 in PSMA-positive and negative (22Rv1 and PC3, respectively) tumor-bearing mice and subsequently estimated its internal radiation dosimetry via voxel-level dosimetry using a dedicated Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the absorbed dose in the tumor directly. Consequently, this approach overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional organ-level (or phantom-based) method. The kidneys and urinary bladder both showed substantial accumulation of [68Ga]PSMA-11 without exhibiting a washout phase during the study. For the tumor, a peak concentration of 4.5 ± 0.7 %ID/g occurred 90 min after [68Ga]PSMA-11 injection. The voxel- and organ-level methods both determined that the highest absorbed dose occurred in the kidneys (0.209 ± 0.005 Gy/MBq and 0.492 ± 0.059 Gy/MBq, respectively). Using voxel-level dosimetry, the absorbed dose in the tumor was estimated as 0.024 ± 0.003 Gy/MBq. The biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of [68Ga]PSMA-11 in various organs of subcutaneous prostate cancer xenograft model mice were consistent with reported data for prostate cancer patients. Therefore, our data supports the use of voxel-level dosimetry in TRT to deliver personalized dosimetry considering patient-specific heterogeneous tissue compositions and activity distributions.

Trends in Beverage Consumption and Related Demographic Factors and Obesity among Korean Children and Adolescents.

It is well known that reducing consumption of sugar is a global public health priority. Beverages were the primary source of total sugar intake from processed foods. However, there are few studies investigating the trend of beverage consumption among children and adolescents in Korea. We examined the overall trend in beverage consumption among 11,996 participants aged 10-18 years who were enrolled in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) (1998-2018). Further, we examined the effect of beverage types on beverage consumption-related demographic factors and obesity among 6121 participants using the recent 24 h dietary recall data (2010-2018) that captured the consumption of fruit and vegetable juices, soft drinks, milk and milk-based products and alcoholic beverages. Demographic characteristics, including sex, age, body mass index, household income level and residential area, were considered. Consumers' overall beverage intake and the percentage of energy derived from fruit and vegetable juices and soft drinks steadily increased from 1998 to 2016-2018 (p-trend < 0.0001); in contrast, dairy product consumption declined since 2010-2012. The main sources of beverage-based calories were fruit and vegetable juices (107.5 kcal/day), soft drinks (145.2 kcal/day), dairy products (181.8 kcal/day) and alcoholic beverages (103.5 kcal/day). Also, Korean adolescents aged 16-18 years consumed more soft drinks, fewer dairy products and higher alcoholic drinks than other age groups; particularly, boys consumed more energy from beverages (p < 0.0001). The odds ratios of obesity prevalence tended to be higher for soft drink consumption than for other beverages but this was not significant. The consumption of fruit and vegetable juices and milk and milk products showed a marginal association with a reduced risk of obesity prevalence. Since beverage consumption has increased steadily among Korean children and adolescents, appropriate interventions are needed. In the future, data from a larger sample of Korean children and adolescents are necessary to identify significant differences and longitudinal studies are necessary to examine the causalities.

Transcultural validation of the return-to-work self-efficacy scale in Korean patients with work-related injuries.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a Korean version of the Return-to-Work Self-Efficacy (RTWSE)-19 Scale using forward- and backward-translation and investigate the validity of the RTWSE Scale specifically for Korean workers with work-related injuries. METHODS: Participants were 202 injured workers who had filed a claim accepted by the workers' compensation system and had received medical rehabilitation at workers' compensation hospitals following a work-related musculoskeletal injury. Among these participants, 88.1% were male, 54.5% were over 45 years, 45.5% were manufacturing employees, and 54.5% were craft or machine operator and assemblers. The 19 item RTWSE-19 scale was developed by Shaw et al. and have three underlying subscales: (i) meeting job demands, (ii) modifying job tasks, and (iii) communicating needs to others. Statistical analysis included exploratory factor analysis (maximum likelihood estimation with oblique quartimin rotation), internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha, and correlations with related measures: pain intensity; fear-avoidance beliefs; general health; depression; and general self-efficacy. RESULTS: Using exploratory factor analysis, three factors with 17 items were identified: meeting job demands, modifying job tasks, and communicating needs to others. The removal of two items in the modifying job tasks domain resulted in an increased reliability. The Korean version of the RTWSE-17 showed reasonable model fit (CFI = .963; TLI = .943; RMSEA = .068; SRMR = 0.029), satisfactory reliability (r = 0.925), no floor and ceiling effect, and construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: The Korean RTWSE-17 scale was found to possess good psychometric properties and could address different injury types ranging from fractures to amputations involved in sub-acute and rehabilitation phases in the Korean context. This study's findings provide insights for practitioners and researchers to return to work after rehabilitation in a Korean clinical and workplace setting.

The assessment of transmission efficiency and latent infection period in asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Few studies have focused on the transmission efficiency of asymptomatic carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Our follow-up study was performed on 147 asymptomatic carriers in Anhui Province. Of these, 50.0% were male, 50.3% were older than 40 years, 43.8% were farmers, and 68.7% were from the north of Anhui Province. 16 of the 147 asymptomatic carriers developed symptoms in the following 14 days of isolated observation, and were subsequently diagnosed as confirmed cases. The possible latent infection period was found to range from 1-5 days before onset, with a median time of 2 days. The second attack rate for the 16 confirmed cases who had transferred from being asymptomatic carriers was 9.7% (23/236 close contacts), while for the 131 asymptomatic carriers the rate was 2.6% (24/914 close contacts), showing a significant difference in second attack rate between the two groups (p＜0.001). Our study indicated that COVID-19 cases are contagious during the incubation period, and that close contact screening should be extended to include the incubation period. Our results also showed that the transmission efficiency for asymptomatic carriers was lower than that for confirmed case.

Combined Preoperative LMR and CA125 for Prognostic Assessment of Ovarian Cancer.

Objectives: To investigate the role of inflammation-related factors, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) alone and combined detection with cancer antigen 125 (CA125), in the prognostic assessment of ovarian cancer (OC). Methods: A retrospective clinicopathologic review was performed. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves of LMR, CA125, and COLC predicting mortality in OC patients were constructed. Besides, Kaplan-Meier and Cox logistic regression models were used to plot the survival curves and determine the independent prognostic factors. Results: A total of 214 OC patients were identified in this cohort. The mean duration of follow-up was 64 months (minimum 8 months, maximum 116 months). In this cohort, 135 cases died (63.1%), and the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 20 and 39.5 months, respectively. Results of the multivariate Cox regression model showed that LMR≤3.8 (HR = 0.494, 95% CI: 0.329-0.742, P = 0.001) and CA125>34 U/ml (HR = 1.641, 95% CI: 1.057-2.550, P = 0.027) were significantly associated with poor PFS; and LMR≤3.8 (HR = 0.459, 95% CI: 0.306-0.688, P = <0.001) and CA125>34 U/ml (HR = 1.946, 95% CI: 1.256-3.015, P = 0.003) were significantly associated with OS. Furthermore, the area under the curve of COLC was higher (0.713) than that of LMR (0.709) or CA125 (0.583), the specificity of COLC was higher (75.9%) than that of LMR (62%) or CA125 (40.5%) in predicting mortality in OC patients. Conclusions: LMR alone and combined with CA125 might be used as predictive markers in OC. Furthermore, as a prognostic factor, COLC might have a higher specificity to predict the outcome.

Adverse events in Chinese human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients receiving first line antiretroviral therapy.

BACKGROUND: Although the global human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic has improved significantly due to antiretroviral treatment (ART), ART-related adverse events (AEs) remain an issue. Therefore, investigating the factors associated with ART-related AEs may provide vital information for monitoring risks. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted among adult patients (aged 18 years or older) with HIV who received Tenofovir (TDF) + Lamivudine (3TC) + Efavirenz (EFV) as first-line ART regimens. All AEs during the first 12 months of therapy were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables associated with AEs. RESULTS: Four hundred seventy-four patients receiving TDF+ 3TC+ EFV ART regimens between March 2017 and October 2017 were included in the study analysis. Among them, 472 (99.6%) experienced at least one AE, 436 (92.0%) patients experienced at least one AE within 1 month of treatment, 33 (7.0%) between one and 3 months of treatment, and three (0.6%) patients after 3 months of treatment. The most commonly reported AE was nervous system (95.6%) related, followed by dyslipidemia (79.3%), and impaired liver function (48.1%). Patients with baseline body mass index (BMI) greater than 24 kg/m2 (adjusted OR 1.77, 95%CI 1.03-3.02), pre-existing multiple AEs (adjusted OR 2.72, 95%CI 1.59-4.64), and pre-existing severe AEs (adjusted OR 5.58, 95%CI 2.65-11.73) were at increased odds of developing a severe AE. Patients with baseline BMI greater than 24 kg/m2 (adjusted OR 2.72, 95%CI 1.25-5.89) were more likely to develop multiple AEs. CONCLUSION: The incidence of ART-related adverse events over a 12-month period in China was high. Baseline BMI greater than 24 kg/m2, pre-existing multiple AEs, and pre-existing severe AEs were shown to be independent risk factors for developing a severe AE.

Identifying Infectious Diarrhea Hot spots and Associated Socioeconomic Factors in Anhui Province, China.

Infectious diarrhea cases have increased during the past years in the Anhui Province of China, but little is known about its spatial cluster pattern and associated socioeconomic factors. We obtained county-level total cases of infectious diarrhea in 105 counties of Anhui in 2016 and computed age-adjusted rates. Socioeconomic factors were collected from the Statistical Yearbook. Hot spot analysis was used to identify hot and cold spot counties for infectious diarrhea incidence. We then applied binary logistic regression models to determine the association between socioeconomic factors and hot spot or cold spot clustering risk. Hot spot analysis indicated there were both significant hot spot (29 counties) and cold spot (18 counties) clustering areas for infectious diarrhea in Anhui (P < 0.10). Multivariate binary logistic regression results showed that infectious diarrhea hot spots were positively associated with per capita gross domestic product (GDP), with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.51, 95% CI: 2.09-5.91, whereas cold spots clustering were positively associated with the number of medical staffs (AOR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08-1.29) and negatively associated with the number of public health physicians (AOR: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.09-0.86). We identified locations for hot and cold spot clusters of infectious diarrhea incidence in Anhui, and the clustering risks were significantly associated with health workforce resources and the regional economic development. Targeted interventions should be carried out with considerations of regional socioeconomic conditions.

Assessment of Molecular Subtypes in Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis and Graves Disease Among Chinese Han Adults: A Population-Based Genome-Wide Association Study.

Importance: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a potentially lethal complication of hyperthyroidism. However, only 1 specific susceptibility locus for TPP has been identified. Additional genetic determinants should be detected so that a prediction model can be constructed. Objective: To investigate the genetic architecture of TPP and distinguish TPP from Graves disease cohorts. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based case-control study used a 2-stage genome-wide association study to investigate the risk loci of TPP and weighted genetic risk score to construct a TPP prediction model with data from a Chinese Han population recruited in hospitals in China from March 2003 to December 2015. The analysis was conducted from November 2014 to August 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures: Loci specifically associated with TPP risk and those shared with Graves disease and prediction model of joint effects of TPP-specific loci. Results: A total of 537 patients with TPP (mean [SD] age, 35 [11] years; 458 male) 1519 patients with Graves disease and no history of TPP (mean [SD] age, 38 [13] years; 366 male), and 3249 healthy participants (mean [SD] age, 46 [10] years; 1648 male) were recruited from the Han population by hospitals throughout China. Two new TPP-specific susceptibility loci were identified: DCHS2 on 4q31.3 (rs1352714: odds ratio [OR], 1.58; 95% CI, 1.35-1.85; P = 1.24 × 10-8) and C11orf67 on 11q14.1 (rs2186564: OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.29-1.74; P = 2.80 × 10-7). One previously reported specific locus was confirmed on 17q24.3 near KCNJ2 (rs312729: OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.83-2.38; P = 8.02 × 10-29). Meanwhile, 2 risk loci (MHC and Xq21.1) were shared by Graves disease and TPP. After 2 years of treatment, the ratio of persistent thyrotropin receptor antibody positivity was higher in patients with TPP than in patients with Graves disease and no history of TPP (OR, 3.82; 95% CI, 2.04-7.16; P = 7.05 × 10-6). The prediction model using a weighted genetic risk score and 11 candidate TPP-specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms had an area under the curve of 0.80. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings provide evidence that TPP is a novel molecular subtype of Graves disease. The newly identified loci, along with other previously reported loci, demonstrate the growing complexity of the heritable contribution to TPP pathogenesis. A complete genetic architecture will be helpful to understand the pathophysiology of TPP, and a useful prediction model could prevent the onset of TPP.

Environmental efficiency and equality embodied in China's inter-regional trade.

Embodied emissions in trade have been widely studied; however, there is still a lack of studies that explore whether a country is benefitting from its inter-regional trade in terms of pollutant emissions. This study took sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions as an example and employed modified input-output (MIO) model and traditional input-output (IO) model to quantify emissions under no-trade and trade conditions, and further investigated environmental efficiency and equality of inter-regional trade in China in 2010. The results show that inter-regional trade had increased emissions by 28% compared to no-trade emissions, which confirms the environmental inefficiency of inter-regional trade in China. This was largely because regions with better technology and low emission intensities tended to outsource the production of pollution-intensive but low value-added goods to regions with high emission intensities through inter-regional trade. The exchanges of pollution-intensive products in inter-regional trade have led to notable environmental inequities. Eastern regions usually gained the greatest environmental benefits from trade, while central regions (especially Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei) suffered the largest environmental loss induced by trade. Specifically, Guangdong plundered other regions the most (796 G gram (Gg)), while Shanxi was plundered the most by other regions (790 Gg). Polices to differentiate reduction criteria for emission intensity in different regions and adjust trade patterns within China could be recommended in order to achieve trade-related environmental efficiency as well as environmental equality.

Quantitative Assessment of Molecular Transport through Sub-3 nm Silica Nanochannels by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) has been proved to be a powerful technique to study molecular transport across ionic channels in biomembranes and artificial nanoporous membranes. In this work SECM was used to study the dynamics of molecular transport across the ultrathin silica nanoporous membrane consisting of sub-3 nm diameter perpendicular channels. We focused on the quantitative assessment of permselectivity and permeability of the membrane and the effect of radial electrical double layer (EDL) on them. By SECM imaging, it was phenomenologically observed that the membrane with negatively charged surface exhibited permselectivity to anionic molecule, for instance hexacyanoruthenate(II) (Ru(CN)64-). And the permselective transport of Ru(CN)64- was obviously more favored at a higher concentration of KCl. Precise membrane permeability to Ru(CN)64- was quantitatively determined by overlapping experimental SECM approach curves with the ones generated by finite element simulations. The high permeability up to 35 µm s-1 was ascribed to the straight channel structure and ultrahigh channel density of 4 × 1012 cm-2. Moreover, the permeability was varied from 35 µm s-1 to 2.5 µm s-1 when decreasing the concentration of KCl from 1.0 to 0.01 M, corroborating the electrostatic origin of membrane permselectivity. On the other hand, the simulated concentration profiles at both sides of the membrane suggested that the molecular transport across the membrane was mainly driven by the large transmembrane concentration gradient while the tip-induced transport was relatively negligible. These results help to quantitatively understand the molecular transport selectivity and dynamics across nanoporous membranes and to rationally design artificial molecular sieving membranes.