Benefits evaluation of ecological restoration projects based on value realization of ecological products.

Ecological restoration project is the premise to realize the value of ecological products. The current ecological product value accounting and ecological restoration project benefit evaluation methods are interlinked. The benefit evaluation of ecological restoration projects can not only analyze the completion of ecological restoration projects, but also quantify the impact of externalities on regional development. This study proposes a hypothesis that the benefit evaluation results of ecological restoration projects can affect the realization of urban ecological product value. In order to verify the above hypothesis, this study designed a benefit evaluation framework to evaluate the economic benefits, ecological benefits and project costs of ecological restoration projects. In this study, the benefit evaluation results are divided into three cases to calculate the benefit-cost ratio under different conditions. The three cases are only considering the direct economic benefits (DEB), considering the indirect economic benefits (TEB) and considering the comprehensive benefits (AEB). Taking Jiangyin City of Jiangsu Province as an example, the benefit evaluation of water source protection project in Jiangyin City is carried out. The results show that the benefit-cost ratios in the three cases are 6.68,7.60 and 9.36, respectively. The results show that the benefit-cost ratio is different in different benefit situations. Therefore, when discussing the realization path of ecological product value in ecological restoration areas, it is also necessary to discuss the situation. The evaluation system can provide reference for the benefit evaluation of ecological restoration projects, and also provide data and theoretical support for the realization of regional ecological product value.

The political economy of net-zero transitions: Policy drivers, barriers, and justice benefits to decarbonization in eight carbon-neutral countries.

This study examines the political economy of decarbonization in eight countries over the period 2000 to 2021/2022 that have already achieved a national net-zero transition. These countries are Bhutan, Suriname, Panama, Guyana, Comoros, Gabon, Madagascar, and Niue. It utilizes an analytical method of a rich, interdisciplinary and systematized literature review integrated with thematic analysis. For each of these countries, the study examines the drivers and political motivation behind net-zero progress, including the timeline of events; the barriers and challenges that had to be overcome; and the benefits of decarbonization and its impacts on equity and justice. The main objectives of the study are to broaden the evidence base on low-carbon transitions beyond often and even overstudied countries that are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democracies, or WEIRD countries, and to offer new empirical data on the strategy of energy policies in the real world, examining the first eight countries to achieve net-zero success in the modern era. It finds that all eight countries used a similar mix of nine policy interventions involving land use, renewable energy, and waste management. Common barriers included vulnerability to the effects of extreme climate events either in the form of natural disasters (i.e. landslides and floodings) or ecosystems degradation (i.e. ocean acidification, coastal erosion and forests loss). Despite these barriers, achieving net-zero emissions positively impacted marginalized communities by providing a more equitable distribution of climate benefits, mitigating adverse health effects and reducing social inequalities, particularly in low-income areas.

Effects of C-reactive protein trajectories of critically ill patients with sepsis on in-hospital mortality rate.

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by an inflammatory response to systemic infection, results in a significant social burden and healthcare costs. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the C-reactive protein (CRP) trajectories of patients with sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the in-hospital mortality rate. We reviewed 1464 patients with sepsis treated in the ICU of Dongyang People's Hospital from 2010 to 2020 and used latent growth mixture modeling to divide the patients into four classes according to CRP trajectory (intermediate, gradually increasing, persistently high, and persistently low CRP levels). We found that patients with intermediate and persistently high CRP levels had the lowest (18.1%) and highest (32.6%) in-hospital mortality rates, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that patients with persistently high (odds ratio [OR] = 2.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.55-3.11) and persistently low (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.03-1.94) CRP levels had a higher risk of in-hospital mortality than patients with intermediate CRP levels. In conclusion, in-hospital mortality rates among patients with sepsis differ according to the CRP trajectory, with patients with intermediate CRP levels having the lowest mortality rate. Further research on the underlying mechanisms is warranted.

The Impact Relationships between Scientific and Technological Innovation, Industrial Structure Advancement and Carbon Footprints in China Based on the PVAR Model.

As one of the three major engines of economic growth in China, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration has become one of the regions with the highest energy consumption intensity. To investigate the dynamic relationships between scientific and technological innovation, industrial structure advancement and carbon footprints, panel data in BTH from 2006 to 2019 was selected, and a Panel Vector Auto-Regressive (PVAR) model was established to conduct an empirical study. The conclusions show that there is a causal relationship between the industrial structure advancement and carbon footprints, and the influence of each on the other is significant. The impact of scientific and technological innovation on carbon footprints has a "rebound effect". Scientific and technological innovation can accelerate the process of industrial structure advancement. Carbon footprints have a significant backward forcing effect on both industrial structure advancement and scientific and technological innovation, with impact coefficients of 0.0671 and 0.2120, respectively. Compared with scientific and technological innovation, the industrial structure advancement has a greater impact on carbon footprints, with a variance contribution of 25.4%. The research findings are conducive to providing policy support for the coordinated development of BTH and promoting the realization of the Double Carbon goal.

Examining the Impact of Regional Development Policy on Industrial Structure Upgrading: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from China.

"Guiding Opinions on Relying on the Golden Waterway to Promote the Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB)", the "YREB Development Policy", is a national Chinese policy aiming to promote industrial structure upgrading and high-quality development in the YREB. To test the effects of this policy, we used 2009-2019 data from 283 cities to examine whether its implementation promoted regional industrial structure upgrading. The YREB Development Policy positively impacted industrial structure advancement but scarcely benefited industrial structure rationalization. Moreover, the impacts indicated a temporary, unsustainable influence on industrial structure advancement, presenting a clear U-shaped development trend. The YREB Development Policy can more significantly improve industrial structure upgrading in cities with large populations. The effects of this policy on industrial structure upgrading in the middle and lower reaches of the YREB are almost five times that in the upper reaches. In addition, the policy more greatly impacts the tertiary industry than the primary and secondary industries, especially in the lower reaches. These findings have policy-making implications, enrich the research regarding the YREB Development Policy impacts on industrial structure upgrading, and provide an empirical reference to improve subsequent policies.

How Effective Is the Green Development Policy of China's Yangtze River Economic Belt? A Quantitative Evaluation Based on the PMC-Index Model.

Although many countries around the world, especially China, highlight the strategy of green development, there has been little research evaluating the effectiveness of green development policies in local area. This study explores 16 policy texts with the theme of green development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China. Using the Policy Modeling Consistency Index (PMC-Index) model, the paper establishes a multi-input-output policy table and scientifically and systematically evaluates these policies. The results show that the average PMC index of the 16 policy texts is 6.83, indicating a high overall quality of policy texts. The index identifies two states of policy effectiveness as being good and excellent; 50% of the total texts fall into these categories and do not fall into the category of having a low level of policy effectiveness. Five indicators, including policy timeliness, social benefits, policy audience scope, and incentives and constraints, significantly impact the PMC-Index of the policy. Six representative policy samples were selected and analyzed. The advantages and disadvantages of the policy can be more fully understood by the degree of depression of the PMC's three-dimensional curved surface (PMC-Surface) model. Finally, the paper provides theoretical recommendations for the optimization of the green development policies.

Estimation of stress distribution in ferromagnetic tensile specimens using low cost eddy current stress measurement system and BP neural network.

Estimation of the stress distribution in ferromagnetic components is very important for evaluating the working status of mechanical equipment and implementing preventive maintenance. Eddy current testing technology is a promising method in this field because of its advantages of safety, no need of coupling agent, etc. In order to reduce the cost of eddy current stress measurement system, and obtain the stress distribution in ferromagnetic materials without scanning, a low cost eddy current stress measurement system based on Archimedes spiral planar coil was established, and a method based on BP neural network to obtain the stress distribution using the stress of several discrete test points was proposed. To verify the performance of the developed test system and the validity of the proposed method, experiment was implemented using structural steel (Q235) specimens. Standard curves of sensors at each test point were achieved, the calibrated data were used to establish the BP neural network model for approximating the stress variation on the specimen surface, and the stress distribution curve of the specimen was obtained by interpolating with the established model. The results show that there is a good linear relationship between the change of signal modulus and the stress in most elastic range of the specimen, and the established system can detect the change in stress with a theoretical average sensitivity of -0.4228 mV/MPa. The obtained stress distribution curve is well consonant with the theoretical analysis result. At last, possible causes and improving methods of problems appeared in the results were discussed. This research has important significance for reducing the cost of eddy current stress measurement system, and advancing the engineering application of eddy current stress testing.

Improvement of Ethanol Production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by High-Efficient Disruption of the ADH2 Gene Using a Novel Recombinant TALEN Vector.

Bioethanol is becoming increasingly important in energy supply and economic development. However, the low yield of bioethanol and the insufficiency of high-efficient genetic manipulation approaches limit its application. In this study, a novel transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) vector containing the left and right arms of TALEN was electroporated into Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain As2.4 to sequence the alcohol dehydrogenase gene ADH2 and the hygromycin-resistant gene hyg. Western blot analysis using anti-FLAG monoclonal antibody proved the successful expression of TALE proteins in As2.4 strains. qPCR and sequencing demonstrated the accurate knockout of the 17 bp target gene with 80% efficiency. The TALEN vector and ADH2 PCR product were electroporated into ΔADH2 to complement the ADH2 gene (ADH2 (+) As2.4). LC-MS and GC were employed to detect ethanol yields in the native As2.4, ΔADH2 As2.4, and ADH2 (+) As2.4 strains. Results showed that ethanol production was improved by 52.4 ± 5.3% through the disruption of ADH2 in As2.4. The bioethanol yield of ADH2 (+) As2.4 was nearly the same as that of native As2.4. This study is the first to report on the disruption of a target gene in S. cerevisiae by employing Fast TALEN technology to improve bioethanol yield. This work provides a novel approach for the disruption of a target gene in S. cerevisiae with high efficiency and specificity, thereby promoting the improvement of bioethanol production in S. cerevisiae by metabolic engineering.

Non-Markovian dynamics of a microcavity coupled to a waveguide in photonic crystals.

In this paper, the non-Markovian dynamics of a microcavity coupled to a waveguide in photonic crystals is studied based on a semi-finite tight binding model. Using the exact master equation, we solve analytically and numerically the general and exact solution of the non-Markovain dynamics for the cavity coupled to the waveguide in different coupling regime. A critical transition is revealed when the coupling increases between the cavity and the waveguide. In particular, the cavity field becomes dissipationless when the coupling strength goes beyond a critical value, as a manifestation of strong non-Markovian memory effect. The result also indicates that the cavity can maintain in a coherent state with arbitrary small number of photons when it strongly couples to the waveguide at very low temperature. These properties can be measured experimentally through the photon current flowing over the waveguide in photonic crystals.

Structural analysis of sterol distributions in the plasma membrane of living cells.

Although plasma membrane (PM) cholesterol-rich and -poor domains have been isolated by subcellular fractionation, the real-time arrangement of cholesterol in such domains in living cells is still unclear. Therefore, dehydroergosterol (DHE), a naturally occurring fluorescent sterol, was incorporated into cultured L-cell fibroblasts. Two PM markers, the enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP-Mem) and 3'-dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate [DiOC(18)(3)], were used to distinguish DHE localized at the PM of living cells. Spatial enrichment of DHE in the PM of living cells was visualized in real time by multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MPLSM). Quantitative models and image-processing techniques were developed for statistical analysis of the distribution of DHE within the PM. The PM was resolved from the cytoplasm in a two-step process, and a smooth trajectory reference of the PM was refined by statistical regression and moments-based techniques. Thus, DHE intensities over the PM were measured following the major DHE intensity distributions. Spatial distributions of DHE within the PM were examined by a statistical inference technique, complete spatial randomness (CSR). For PM regions densely populated with DHE, the distributions of DHE exhibited statistical arrangements that were not spatial random (i.e., homogeneous Poisson process) or regular but, instead, exhibited strong cluster patterns. In effect, real-time MPLSM imaging data for the first time demonstrated that sterol enrichment occurred in clustered regions in the PM, consistent with the existence of cholesterol-rich domains in the plasma membrane of living cells.