Did place-based industrial policy promote regional economic growth? ---- Evidence from China.

Whether the place-based industrial policy promotes regional economic growth is a hot issue in the field of regional industrial economic practice. As a major national strategy in China, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei industrial coordinated development policy has been implemented more than 8 years. Verifying its effect on regional economic growth and revealing the policy action path will help to further optimize the policy implementation process through feedback. In this paper, the policy effect and its differentiation are empirically studied from 'quality' and 'quantity' respectively by establishing a growth model using the Dual Differences method. The results show that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei industrial coordinated development policy improves total factor productivity by 2.26% in terms of 'quality', and reduces GDP growth rate by 4.65% in terms of 'quantity'. For the different region, the GDP growth rate increased by 1.28%, while total factor productivity decreased by 2.63% in Beijing, the GDP growth rate decreased by 3.17% and total factor productivity increased by 0.87% in Tianjin, and the GDP growth rate increased by 2.56% and total factor productivity increased by 1.58% in Hebei. The policy is mainly realized by fixed asset investment, capital deepening degree and enterprise scale expansion, while the effect of labor input, R&D investment and enterprise number is not significant. The policy is to give full play to the driving role of fixed asset investment such as "new infrastructure", increase investment in labor and research and development in the region, strengthen the construction of a competitive market environment, and stabilize the 'quality' and 'quantity' to further release policy dividends.

Source analysis of heavy metal pollution in agricultural soil irrigated with sewage in Wuqing, Tianjin.

In this study, the contents of heavy metals and Cd and Pb isotope ratios of agricultural soil and potential source samples collected from farmland receiving sewage irrigation in Wuqing District, Tianjin, China were determined. Multiple methods were used for source analysis, including positive matrix factorization (PMF), correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and the Cd and Pb isotope ratio method. The results showed that agricultural soil was slightly contaminated by heavy metals in the research area, with relatively higher Cd and Pb accumulation levels compared to those of other heavy metals. Four types of pollution sources, including the soil parent material sources, industrial emission sources, agricultural practice sources, and mixed sources of sewage irrigation and transportation were apportioned and quantified by PMF, combined with the results of PCA and correlation analysis. The contribution rates quantified by the Cd and Pb isotope ratio method were similar, suggesting that no single source dominates Pb and Cd pollution. The contribution rates of Pb analyzed by the isotope ratio method were almost identical to those of the PMF model, indicating the rationality of the PMF result. Our results suggested that correlation analysis and PCA should be utilized to provide information for obtaining reasonable results and defining source categories for PMF, whereas the isotope ratio method should be applied to verify the accuracy of source contributions analyzed by PMF.

Loss of AKR1C1 is a good prognostic factor in advanced NPC cases and increases chemosensitivity to cisplatin in NPC cells.

Cisplatin resistance is one of the main obstacles in the treatment of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). AKR1C1 is a member of the Aldo-keto reductase superfamily (AKRs), which converts aldehydes and ketones to their corresponding alcohols and has been reported to be involved in chemotherapeutic resistance of multiple drugs. The expression and function of AKR1C1 in NPC have not been reported until now. The aim of this research was to investigate the expression of AKR1C1 and it is role in cisplatin resistance in NPC. AKR1C1 protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in human NPC tissues and by Western blot assays in NPC and immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. The effects of AKR1C1 knock-down by siRNA on proliferation, migration and invasion in NPC cells were evaluated by CCK8, wound healing and transwell assays. To evaluate the effects of AKR1C1 silencing on cisplatin sensitivity in NPC cells, CCK8 assays were used to detect cell proliferation, flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle distribution, and flow cytometry and DAPI staining were used to detect cell apoptosis. AKR1C1 down-regulation was associated with advanced clinicopathological characters such as larger tumor size, more lymphatic nodes involvement, with metastasis and later clinical stages, while AKR1C1 down-regulation was a good prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) in NPC patients. In vitro study showed that AKR1C1 was not directly involved in the malignant biological behaviours such as proliferation, cell cycle progression and migration of NPC cells, whereas AKR1C1 knock-down could enhance cisplatin sensitivity of NPC cells. These results suggest that AKR1C1 is a potential marker for predicting cisplatin response and could serve as a molecular target to increase cisplatin sensitivity in NPC.

Incomplete fluid-air exchange technique for idiopathic macular hole surgery.

AIM: To explore an improved procedure involving incomplete fluid-air exchange for idiopathic macular hole (IMH), and the closure rate, visual function, and the visual field of macular holes (MHs) were evaluated. METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled study, included 40 eyes of 40 patients with IMH who were treated with pars plana vitrectomy and peeling of the internal limiting membrane. They were grouped by random digital table. Twenty-one eyes underwent incomplete fluid-air exchange (IFA) and 19 eyes underwent traditional complete fluid-air exchange (CFA) as the control group. Outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure, and optical coherence tomography, light adaptive electroretinography, and visual field evaluations. RESULTS: All MHs <400 µm were successfully closed. BCVAs before and 6mo after surgery were 0.82±0.41 logMAR and 0.28±0.17 logMAR in IFA group and 0.86±0.34 logMAR and 0.34±0.23 logMAR in CFA group, respectively. The electroretinogram analysis of patients in IFA group revealed increases in b-wave amplitudes at 1, 3, and 6mo after surgery. Additionally, patients in IFA group showed an amplitude increase of 28.6% from baseline at 6mo (P<0.05), while no obvious improvements were noted in CFA group. Although there were no statistically significant improvements in either group, the IFA group showed a slight increase in mean sensitivity (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: IFA is a reliable method that offers comparable closure rate to CFA and facilitates improvements in visual function.

Research progress on the role of connective tissue growth factor in fibrosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most important types of diabetic microangiopathy, which is a specific change of fundus lesions and is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. When DR develops to proliferative DR, the main factors of decreasing vision, and even blindness, include retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage caused by contraction of blood vessels by fiber membrane. Recent studies reported that the formation of fiber vascular membrane is closely related to retinal fibrosis. The connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a cytokine that is closely related to DR fibrosis. However, its mechanism is poorly understood. This paper summarizes the recent studies about CTGF on DR fibrosis for a comprehensive understanding of the role and mechanism of CTGF in PDR.

Application of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology.

Artificial intelligence is a general term that means to accomplish a task mainly by a computer, with the least human beings participation, and it is widely accepted as the invention of robots. With the development of this new technology, artificial intelligence has been one of the most influential information technology revolutions. We searched these English-language studies relative to ophthalmology published on PubMed and Springer databases. The application of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology mainly concentrates on the diseases with a high incidence, such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity, age-related or congenital cataract and few with retinal vein occlusion. According to the above studies, we conclude that the sensitivity of detection and accuracy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy ranged from 75% to 91.7%, for non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy ranged from 75% to 94.7%, for age-related macular degeneration it ranged from 75% to 100%, for retinopathy of prematurity ranged over 95%, for retinal vein occlusion just one study reported ranged over 97%, for glaucoma ranged 63.7% to 93.1%, and for cataract it achieved a more than 70% similarity against clinical grading.

Porous Coconut Shell Carbon Offering High Retention and Deep Lithiation of Sulfur for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Retaining soluble polysulfides in the sulfur cathodes and allowing for deep redox are essential to develop high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. The versatile textures and physicochemical characteristics of abundant biomass offer a great opportunity to prepare biochar materials that can enhance the performance of Li-S batteries in sustainable mode. Here, we exploit micro-/mesoporous coconut shell carbon (CSC) with high specific surface areas as a sulfur host for Li-S batteries. The sulfur-infiltrated CSC materials show superior discharge-charge capacity, cycling stability, and high rate capability. High discharge capacities of 1599 and 1500 mA h g-1 were achieved at current rates of 0.5 and 2.0 C, respectively. A high reversible capacity of 517 mA h g-1 was retained at 2.0 C even after 400 cycles. The results demonstrate a high retention and a deep lithiation of the CSC-confined sulfur. The success of this strategy provides insights into seeking high-performance biochar materials for Li-S batteries from abundant bioresources.

Enhanced thermoelectric properties of Pb1-xBixS prepared with hydrothermal synthesis and microwave sintering.

As a cheap substitute for PbTe or PbSe, the thermoelectric performance of PbS still remains to be improved. In this report, we selected Bi2S3 as a donor and employed a facile route of hydrothermal synthesis combined with microwave sintering to fabricate Bi2S3 doped PbS. Due to the increased electrical conductivity by Bi2S3 doping and the decreased thermal conductivity from the refined microstructure, the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of microwave sintered Pb0.995Bi0.005S and Pb0.99Bi0.01S reached 0.90 and 0.86 at 800 K, respectively, without sign of saturation. When processed with plasma activated sintering (PAS), the highest ZT value of Pb0.99Bi0.01S only reached 0.3 at 800 K. The obtained results indicate that hydrothermal synthesis and microwave sintering can essentially improve the thermoelectric properties of Pb1-xBixS and easily realize mass production at low cost.

Field-induced dielectric response saturation in o-TaS3.

We investigated dependence of the dielectric properties on temperature and electric field below 50 K along the chain direction of o-TaS3. With external electric field increase, two threshold features could be identified. For electric fields somewhat larger than the lower threshold [Formula: see text], the dielectric constant starts to decrease whereas the conductivity increases due to the tunnelling of solitons. For higher external electric field we observe a saturation of dielectric response and analyze that the possible reasons may be related to the polarization behavior of charged solitons. With a decrease in temperature, the effect of external field on the dielectric response of the system weakens gradually and at 13 K it diminishes due to soliton freezing.

Conductive Carbon Network inside a Sulfur-Impregnated Carbon Sponge: A Bioinspired High-Performance Cathode for Li-S Battery.

A highly conductive sulfur cathode is crucial for improving the kinetic performance of a Li-S battery. The encapsulation of sulfur in porous nanocarbons is expected to benefit the Li(+) migration, yet the e(-) conduction is still to be improved due to a low graphitization degree of a conventional carbon substrate, especially that pyrolyzed from carbohydrates or polymers. Aiming at facilitating the e(-) conduction in the cathode, here we propose to use ketjen black, a highly graphitized nanocarbon building block to form a conductive network for electrons in a biomass-derived, hierarchically porous carbon sponge by a easily scaled-up approach at a low cost. The specifically designed carbon host ensures a high loading and good retention of active sulfur, while also provides a faster electron transmission to benefit the lithiation/delithiation kinetics of sulfur. The sulfur cathode prepared from the carbon network shows excellent cycling and rate performance in a Li-S battery, rendering its practicality for emerging energy storage opportunities such as grids or automobiles.

The Electrochemistry with Lithium versus Sodium of Selenium Confined To Slit Micropores in Carbon.

Substitution of selenium for sulfur in the cathode of a rechargeable battery containing Sx molecules in microporous slits in carbon allows a better characterization of the electrochemical reactions that occur. Paired with a metallic lithium anode, the Sex chains are converted to Li2Se in a single-step reaction. With a sodium anode, a sequential chemical reaction is characterized by a continuous chain shortening of Sex upon initial discharge before completing the reduction to Na2Se; on charge, the reconstituted Sex molecules retain a smaller x value than the original Sex chain molecule. In both cases, the Se molecules remain almost completely confined to the micropore slits to give a long cycle life.

Construction and validation of a preliminary Chinese version of the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale.

BACKGROUND: The development, validation, and psychometric properties of the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (WFPTS)-equivalent instrument for Chinese patients were investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We approached 3442 randomly selected outpatients at 3 Shanghai (China) general hospitals, treated ≥2 times per year by the same physician, for participation between November 2008 and December 2008. A Chinese version of the WFPTS (C-WFPTS) was prepared and administered to eligible and consenting patients, and subjected to validity assessment using 5 patient behaviors: (1) recommendation of the physician; (2) occurrence of dispute; (3) seeking a second opinion; (4) treatment adherence; and (5) consideration of switching physicians. RESULTS: A total of 352 (M: F, 149: 203; mean age, 40.67±17.31 years; age range, 14-94 years) consenting and eligible patients were included in the analysis. The unidimensionality and internal consistency of C-WFPTS was confirmed (Cronbach's α=0.833). Physician trust correlated significantly with physician satisfaction (r=0.73, P<0.001) and all 5 behaviors (1: r=0.453, 2: r=0.209, 3: r=0.406, 4: r=0.444, 5: r=0.471; P<0.001 for all), indicating validity and predictive validity, respectively. Patient trust increased significantly with increasing age and physician visits (P>0.05), but was not related to gender, birthplace, or insurance type. CONCLUSIONS: C-WFPTS has good psychometric properties, reliability, and validity for the evaluation of patient trust in the patient-physician relationship, and thereby provides an essential tool for the characterization of patient-physician relationships in China, which is necessary for healthcare reform.

[Development of multiplex microbead immunoassay for detection of specific antibodies against Cryptosporidium parvum].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a multiplex microbead immunoassay for detection of specific antibodies against Cryptosporidium parvum using recombinant proteins CP23, SA35 and SA40. METHODS: By using purified recombinant proteins CP23, SA35 and SA40 as detected antigens, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as internal control, the four proteins aforementioned were coupled with micro beads and MIA was developed. Then, the efficiency of the coupled proteins was tested, the difference between the single MIA method and the multiple MIA method was compared, and the difference between plates was also compared. RESULTS: The purified proteins and BSA were coupled with microbeads successfully, and the MIA method was developed. Finally, the sensitivity and specificity of MIA method were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The multiplicate MIA method could be used to detect multiple antibodies after Cryptosporidium parvum infection, and the specificity and sensitivity of MIA are very high. The multiplicate MIA method can be one of the tools used in epidemiological survey.

Simultaneous detection of serum immunoglobulin G antibodies to Cryptosporidium parvum by multiplex microbead immunoassay using 3 recognized specific recombinant C. parvum antigens.

Cryptosporidiosis is a significant diarrheal disease in both humans and other mammals worldwide. In the present study, we established and validated a multiplex microbead immunoassay (MIA) for surveillance of Cryptosporidium parvum infections. In the multiplex MIA, 3 specific recombinant proteins, CP23, SA35, and SA40, were used as the capture antigens simultaneously. The antibody directed against CP23 is an index of historic infection, and those against SA35 and SA40 are indices of recent infection. The multiplex MIA yielded essentially identical results with that of monoplex MIA using these 3 recombinant proteins, and the reproducibility of the multiplex MIA results was high when standardized with a calibration curve. With multiplex MIA, we detected that the pediatric population showed a higher percentage of recent infections (seropositive rates of antibodies directed against CP23, SA35, and SA40 were 6.28%, 23.19%, and 22.71%, respectively, n = 207), whereas the adult population showed a higher percentage of historic infections (seropositive rates of antibodies directed against CP23, SA35, and SA40 were 24.40%, 11.48%, and 16.75%, respectively, n = 209).