Responsibility-sharing and compensation scheme of transboundary water pollution embodied in China's inter-provincial trade: a perspective from economic value capturing.

Transboundary water pollution induced by inter-regional trade is a complex and challenging issue due to the multiple jurisdictions involved. This study combined water pollution discharge inventory, multi-regional input-output analysis, discharge responsibility-sharing, and ecological compensation model to advance the collaborative control of water pollution embodied in China's inter-provincial trade. Over a fifth of China's water pollution discharges in 2017, equivalent to 1376 Kt, were a result of inter-provincial trade, which primarily flowed from wealthier coastal provinces to less developed ones. Moreover, the analysis demonstrates a mismatch between economic gains and environmental costs. In particular, Jiangxi and Guangxi bear the greatest environmental impact (64 and 58 Kt, respectively) while only receiving meager economic returns (131 and 80 billion Yuan). The economic benefit shared responsibility results for the great majority of provinces fell between production- and consumption-based discharges, and this compromise-based allocation of responsibility is more likely to gain acceptance across various regions. Provinces such as Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Beijing necessitate the highest compensation volumes to others, with 31 Kt, 25 Kt, and 20 Kt, respectively, while provinces including Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Ningxia require the largest inflows of compensation, totaling 26 Kt, 23 Kt, and 18 Kt, respectively. The compensation outcomes ensure that less developed regions, bearing a greater pollution burden, receive compensation from more developed regions with lower pollution burdens. The compensation values aligned with compensation volumes, with a few exceptions driven by variations in shadow prices of water pollution. Our study sheds light on the inter-provincial water pollution burdens and benefits and provides a quantitative basis for optimizing the responsibility-sharing and compensation strategies in China, thereby promoting regional cooperation on water pollution control.

Effect of feeding a dried distillers' grains with solubles diet on the metabolism of the intestinal wall in Guanling crossbred cattle: a preliminary assessment.

Dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS)-based diets are nutritious and can improve the inflammations and intestinal immunity in livestock. However, there is limited research examining the effect of feeding DDGS-based diets on changes in intestinal metabolites and related pathways in livestock. In this study, six Guanling crossbred cattle (Guizhou Guanling Yellow cattle × Simmental cattle) were selected and divided into a basal diet (BD) group and an experimental group fed with DDGS replacing 25% of the daily ration concentrates (DDGS) (n=3), respectively. Fresh jejunum (J), ileum (I) and cecum (C) tissues were collected for metabolomic analysis. Differential metabolites and metabolic pathways were explored by means of univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. In comparison to the J-BD group, 123 differential metabolites (VIP > 1, p < 0.05) were identified in the J-DDGS group, which (top 20) were mainly divided into superclasses, including lipids and lipid-like molecules, organic acids and derivatives, and organoheterocyclic compounds. Compared with the I-BD group, 47 differential metabolites were obtained in the I-DDGS group, which were mainly divided into superclasses, including lipids and lipid-like molecules and organic acids and derivatives. The C-DDGS vs. C-BD comparison revealed 88 differential metabolites, which were mainly divided into superclasses, including lipids and lipid-like molecules, organic oxygen compounds, and nucleosides. A total of 34 significant metabolic pathways were found (p < 0.05, -log(p) > 1.3). Among them, 3 significant pathways were significantly enriched in the J-DDGS group, 11 significant pathways were significantly enriched in the I-DDGS group, and 20 significant pathways were significantly enriched in the C-DDGS group. Importantly, primary bile acid biosynthesis, linoleic acid metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism correlated with intestinal inflammation and immunity by regulating gut microbiota, prostaglandin synthesis, and cell signaling. The data suggest that DDGS-fed cattle unregulated three metabolic pathways mentioned above and that a DDGS-based diet was able to maintain a balance of these three metabolic pathways, thus resulting in improvement of intestinal inflammation and enhanced immunity in cattle. In conclusion, the DDGS diet has the potential to improve intestinal inflammation and enhance the immunity of Guanling crossbred cattle by regulating the metabolic patterns of lipids and lipid-like molecules, organic acids and derivatives, and related metabolic pathways. These results allude to potential metabolic regulatory mechanisms of DDGS diets and also provide a theoretical basis for the application of DDGS in livestock feed.

Four-year analysis of cataract surgery rates in Shanghai, China: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The cataract surgery rate (CSR) is a critical index used to show that cataract blindness is being eliminated. It is considered to be tightly connected to social economic development; however, it is still extremely low in developing countries such as China. Although Shanghai is the most economically developed city in China, its CSR and the obstacles for increasing its CSR have not been previously evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. By analyzing the data in the "Shanghai Cataract Operations Database" from 2006 to 2009, the CSR in Shanghai was calculated. The numbers of cataract surgeries between urban and suburban districts as well as among various medical institutions were compared. RESULTS: The CSR in Shanghai increased from 1741 in 2006 to 2210 in 2009, reflecting a 26.94% improvement. Phacoemulsification was the most frequent surgical choice for cataract removal, accounting for 94.93% of total cataract surgeries by 2009. In addition, by 2009, the CSR in urban districts had reached 5468, but only 532 in the suburbs. During 2009, cataract surgery records in 68 district hospitals, 23 medical centers, and 6 private hospitals comprised 32.05%, 52.33%, and 15.62%, respectively, of the total. There was a nearly 3.3-fold increase in the number of surgeries performed in private hospitals in the past four years. Furthermore, the average number of cataract surgeries per doctor that took place in private hospitals per year reached 207, which exceeded the average of 145 that took place in medical centers. CONCLUSIONS: Until 2009, the CSR in Shanghai remained below the rates of social development and fell short of targets suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, increasing the CSR in the suburbs as well as in district hospitals is an important issue that needs to be addressed.