China's domestic industry redistribution facilitates carbon emissions mitigation.

Industry redistribution is a common economic phenomenon that involves a dynamic configuration of the production location across a region, country, or the world. However, measurements of the associated pollutant emission effects have not been well conducted at the domestically regional level. Here, we calculate the CO2 emission changes induced by China's domestic inter-provincial industry redistribution during 2002-2017 using a counterfactual approach in the multi-regional input-output framework. We find that China's domestic industry redistribution decreased CO2 emissions during 2002-2017 and has considerable potential to continuously mitigate CO2 emissions in the future. We emphasize that the pollution haven effect may accompany the process of industry redistribution but can be weakened by effective policies, including stringent access thresholds in the regions undertaking industry relocation and regional industry structural upgrading. This paper provides policy recommendations for strengthening regional coordination to achieve China's transformation to carbon neutrality.

Micro-computed tomography evaluation of the effects of orthodontic force on immature maxillary first molars and alveolar bone mineral density of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Objective: To investigate changes in the immature teeth of Sprague-Dawley rats during orthodontic treatment and to explore the changes in the peri-radicular alveolar bone through micro-computed tomography (CT). Methods: Twenty-five 26-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were included. The maxillary left first molar was moved mesially under a continuous force of 30 cN, and the right first molar served as the control. After orthodontic treatment for 7, 14, 21, 28, and 42 days, the root length, tooth volume, and alveolar bone mineral density (BMD) around the mesial root were measured through micro-CT. Results: The immature teeth continued to elongate after application of orthodontic force. The root length on the force side was significantly smaller than that on the control side, whereas the differences in the volume change between both sides were not statistically significant. Alveolar bone in the coronal part of the compression and tension sides showed no difference in BMD between the experimental and control groups. The BMD of the experimental group decreased from day 14 to day 42 in the apical part of the compression side and increased from day 7 to day 42 in the apical part of the tension side. The BMD of the experimental group decreased in the root apex part on day 7. Conclusions: The root length and volume of immature teeth showed continued development under orthodontic forces. Alveolar bone resorption was observed on the compression side, and bone formation was observed on the tension side.

The economy-employment-environmental health transfer and embedded inequities of China's capital metropolitan area: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Metropolitan areas have complex trade linkages internally and externally. This complexity stimulates the unequal spatial transfer of environmental health consequences, economy, and employment embodied in internal trade or trade with the outside regions, resulting in unequal exchange. Existing research has rarely discussed this issue at a refined scale, hindering targeted inequity alleviation policies. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study, focusing on the most polluted metropolitan area in the world, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China, and developed an integrated modelling framework to downscale the analysis of the trade-driven unequal transfer of PM2·5- related premature deaths, value added, and job opportunities to the city scale within Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. The study couples a nested Multi-Regional Input-Output model table containing data from 13 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cities and 28 outer provinces in 2017 with a bottom-up emission inventory, value added and employment statistical data, the Weather Research and Forecasting-Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions, the Global Exposure Mortality Model, and human capital methods. We also constructed two indices measuring unequal exchanges between PM2·5-related deaths and economic and employment gains embodied in trades between cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and trades with outside regions. FINDINGS: The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region as a single entity shifted 14 985 (95% CI 12 800-16 948) net deaths to regions outside the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei through trade, most of which occurred in the central region of China. The industrial-based peripheral Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cities suffered the most serious inequities when trading with other Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cities and outside regions. While gaining equivalent local jobs, these industrial-based peripheral cities had 250% higher PM2·5-related deaths (10·2 PM2·5-related deaths for obtaining 1000 local jobs) than core cities (2·9 PM2·5-related deaths for obtaining 1000 local jobs) and 57·7% higher PM2·5-related deaths than agricultural-based peripheral cities (6·5 PM2·5-related deaths for obtaining 1000 local jobs). While gaining equivalent value added, industrial-based peripheral cities had 50·6% higher PM2·5-related deaths (¥13·9 of reduced human capital due to PM2·5-related premature deaths to obtain ¥1000 local value added) than core cities (¥9·2 of reduced human capital due to PM2·5-related premature deaths to obtain ¥1000 local value added) and 67·4% higher PM2·5-related deaths than agricultural-based peripheral cities (¥8·3 of reduced human capital due to PM2·5-related premature deaths to obtain ¥1000 local value added). INTERPRETATION: Treating metropolitan areas as a single entity obscured internal heterogeneity, potentially misleading policy makers into imposing strict regulations on the whole metropolitan area to alleviate the inequities it posed on outside regions. However, several peripheral Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cities were disadvantaged in their trade with core Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cities and outside regions. Therefore, policies should be tailored for particular cities within metropolitan areas. Future targeted policies should include, but not be limited to, making ecological compensations and incorporating the environment and health costs into the price of pollution-intensive goods and services. FUNDING: National Key Research and Devlopment Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation.

Understanding Beijing's water challenge: a decomposition analysis of changes in Beijing's water footprint between 1997 and 2007.

Beijing has been experiencing increasing water shortage alongside its astonishing economic growth over the past decades. This study conducts a quasi-dynamic input-output (IO) analysis to investigate changes in Beijing's water footprint (WF) and decompose the effects of contributing factors to the changes during 1997-2007. The analysis distinguishes "internal" and "external" WF to depict connections of Beijing's water use with outside. The results show an increase in Beijing's WF from 4342 million m(3) in 1997 to 5748 million m(3) in 2007. Almost all the increase was attributable to the expansion of the external WF, while the internal WF only changed slightly, indicating a growing dependence of Beijing on external water resources. The decomposition analysis reveals that the technological effect was the principal contributor to offset the WF increase and the structural effect stemmed from the shift of demand toward products of the tertiary industries also contributed to reducing the WF. However, these effects were not sufficient to reverse the expansion of Beijing's WF resulted from the scale effect induced by expansion of final demand and the economic system efficiency effect associated with the growth of trade between Beijing and outside. The study provides insights into Beijing's water challenge and sheds lights on the combating strategies for the future. It is also an endeavor to enhance the policy relevance of the WF studies.

Managing stakeholders' conflicts for water reallocation from agriculture to industry in the Heihe River Basin in Northwest China.

Along with the accelerating process of industrialization and urbanization, water reallocation from agriculture to industry will be an inevitable trend in most developing countries. In the inland river basin, inter-sectoral water transfer is likely to result in reallocation of water resources between upstream and downstream regions, and further triggers frictions and conflicts between regions. Designing effective policy measures to coordinate these conflicts among stakeholders is crucial for the successful implementation of water reallocation. This study established a participatory multi-attribute decision support model to seek a widely acceptable water allocation alternative in the Heihe River Basin, an arid region in Northwest China. The results indicate that: (1) intense conflicts arise not only among stakeholder groups but also between upstream and downstream regions in the process of water reallocation from agriculture to industry; (2) among the options which respectively emphasize on equity, efficiency, and sustainability, the combination of equity and efficiency is the least controversial alternative for the majority of stakeholder groups, although it is not the most desirable one in the performance of all sub-objectives; (3) the multi-attribute value theory (MAVT) approach is a useful technique to elicit stakeholder values and to evaluate water reallocation options. The technique can improve the transparency and credibility of decision making in the water management process.

Effect of Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides on the expression of BCL-2 and bax in hepatic tissues after exhaustive exercise in rats.

This study aims to assess the effects of Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABPS) on the expression of bcl-2 and bax in hepatic tissues after exhaustive exercise in order to provide theoretical support for the application of ABPS in the field of sports nutrition. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups, each consisting of 10 rats: Normal control group (NCG), Exhausting exercises control group (EECG), ABPS treated group (ATG). ABPS were fed orally by gastric intubation to rats of ABPS treated group (ATG) once daily for 7 days. Control animals (EECG and NCG) received the same amount of isotonic sodium chloride solution. Exhaustive exercise was performed on a rodent treadmill. The SP (streptavidin peroxidase) method for immunohistochemical staining was adopted to test the protein expression of bax and bcl-2 in the hepatic tissues of the rats. Exhausting exercises increased bax protein expression of hepatic tissues of rats and bax/bcl-2 ratio dramatically, but a decreased bcl-2 protein expression. In the rats fed ABPS orally by gastric intubation, the bax protein expression and bax/bcl-2 ratio obviously decreased, while bcl-2 protein expression increased. The result indicated that bax and bcl-2 co-regulated the exercise-induced hepatocyte apoptosis. Feeding ABPS orally by gastric intubation to rats can inhibit the hepatocyte apoptosis in exhaustive exercise.