High-Resolution Estimates of N2O Emissions from Inland Waters and Wetlands in China.

Inland waters (rivers, lakes, and reservoirs) and wetlands (marshes and coastal wetlands) represent large and continuous sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, in view of adequate biomass and anaerobic conditions. Considerable uncertainties remain in quantifying spatially explicit N2O emissions from aquatic systems, attributable to the limitations of models and a lack of comprehensive data sets. Herein, we conducted a synthesis of 1659 observations of N2O emission rates to determine the major environmental drivers across five aquatic systems. A framework for spatially explicit estimates of N2O emissions in China was established, employing a data-driven approach that upscaled from site-specific N2O fluxes to robust multiple-regression models. Results revealed the effectiveness of models incorporating soil organic carbon and water content for marshes and coastal wetlands, as well as water nitrate concentration and dissolved organic carbon for lakes, rivers, and reservoirs for predicting emissions. Total national N2O emissions from inland waters and wetlands were 1.02 × 105 t N2O yr-1, with contributions from marshes (36.33%), rivers (27.77%), lakes (25.27%), reservoirs (6.47%), and coastal wetlands (4.16%). Spatially, larger emissions occurred in the Songliao River Basin and Continental River Basin, primarily due to their substantial terrestrial biomass. This study offers a vital national inventory of N2O emissions from inland waters and wetlands in China, providing paradigms for the inventorying work in other countries and insights to formulate effective mitigation strategies for climate change.

Preference of consumers for higher-grade energy-saving appliances in hierarchical Chinese cities.

Promotion of energy-saving household appliances (ESHAs) potentially contributes to optimizing both the total quantity and efficiency of household energy consumption. Differences in urban consumers' preference for higher-grade ESHAs as well as its influencing factors in cities with hierarchical socioeconomic levels remain elusive. Targeting 55 Chinese cities pertaining to three levels of socioeconomic development, we distribute questionnaires designed to cover both demographic and consciousness factors. By combining Contingent Valuation Method and multiple linear regression, the extra willingness to pay (WTP) for Grade-1/2 appliances compared with Grade-3 appliances is measured, and the influence factors on the WTP as well as consumers with highest WTP are identified. The extra WTP for Grade-1 appliances in First-, Second- and Third-level cities is 44.1%, 42.3% and 32.7%, respectively. The influences of age, household income, having children or not and monthly electricity bill parallel the socioeconomic level, while gender and schooling affect differently across socioeconomic levels. Consumers in less developed cities focus more on their affordability for the ESHAs, and in more developed cities have better environmental consciousness. Subsidies for consumers, such as those having master degree or above in First-level and Second-level cities, and having children in Third-level cities will increase their WTP. The findings provide insights for policy interventions aimed at boosting the purchase behavior for ESHAs according to local conditions for control of both household energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Tracking Key Industrial Sectors for CO2 Mitigation through the Driving Effects: An Attribution Analysis.

The heavy pressure to improve CO2 emission control in industry requires the identification of key sub-sectors and the clarification of how they mitigate CO2 emissions through various actions. Focusing on 30 Chinese provincial regions, this study quantifies the contribution of each industrial sector to regional CO2 mitigation by combining the logarithmic mean Divisia index with attribution analysis and extract the key sectors of CO2 mitigation for each region. Results indicate that during 2010-2019, significant emission reduction was achieved through energy intensity (74%) in Beijing, while emission reductions were attained through industrial structure changes for Anhui (50%), Henan (45%), and Chongqing (45%). The contribution to emission reduction through energy structures is not significant. The production and supply of power and heat (PSPH) is a central factor in CO2 mitigation through all three inhibitive factors. Petroleum processing and coking (PPC) generally contributes to emission reduction through energy structures, while the smelting and pressing of ferrous metals (SPMF) through changes in industrial structures and energy intensity. PSPH and SPMF, in most regions, have not achieved the emission peak. Except in the case of coal mining and dressing (CMD), CO2 emissions in other key sectors have almost been decoupled from industrial development. CMD effectively promotes CO2 mitigation in Anhui, Henan, and Hunan, with larger contribution of PPC in Tianjin, Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, and that of smelting and pressing of nonferrous metals in Yunnan and Guangxi. The findings help to better identify key sectors across regions that can mitigate CO2 emissions, while analyzing the critical emission characteristics of these sectors, which can provide references to formulating region- and sector-specific CO2 mitigation measures for regions at different levels of development.

Shared network and supply chain features for synergetic control of carbon and air pollutant emissions.

The synergetic control of carbon and air pollutant emissions will be an unflagging effort for China in its dual pursuit of air quality improvement and carbon neutrality. The shared features of sectoral emissions from network and supply chain perspectives, as well as the evolution of these features under policy intervention remain to be investigated. This study develops four ecological networks for CO2 and SO2 emissions targeting the period 2010-2015 with strengthened emission control implemented. By fusing input-output analysis, Ecological Network Analysis and Structural Path Analysis, the shared intersectoral linkages of emissions are examined, and the key supply chains are identified. The results indicate that most sectors have control over Transportation Equipment, Electronic Equipment, and Construction, and almost all sectors have dependence on Power and Heat. Exploitative relationships induced by emission flows along supply chains are predominant, accounting for over 60% for four emission flow networks. Eight shared supply chains are identified among the top 20 that generally induce larger than 50% emissions in both 2010 and 2015. The one with the largest emissions is "Total capital formation → Construction → Nonmetals". During 2010-2015, the critical evolution of network features is the decrease in the economy's control over Construction, dependence on Fossil Energy Mining, and emissions contained in the paths associated with exports. The findings help to more pertinently strategize on prescient regulation of key supply chains for a more effective carbon-pollution synergetic control.

Bridging planetary boundaries and spatial heterogeneity in a hybrid approach: A focus on Chinese provinces and industries.

Communicating the finiteness of the Earth system at sub-global scales is necessary to guide human activities within a safe operating space. Despite the numerous efforts committed to downscaling planetary boundaries (PBs) at multiple scales, neither top-down nor bottom-up approaches adequately account for the spatial heterogeneity and integrity of local and global natural systems. To overcome these shortcomings, we developed a hybrid approach that combines bottom-up aggregation and top-down adjustment for downscaling five crucial PBs (i.e., climate change, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, freshwater use, and land use change) to Chinese provinces and industries. In addition to the widely applied equity principle, we further incorporated the eco-efficiency principle into the downscaling of PBs under the proposition that safeguarding finite PBs should be reconciled with the pursuit of maximizing human welfare. Environmental sustainability at multiple scales was subsequently assessed with the complementary use of environmental footprints and downscaled PBs. The results demonstrate that 1) China suffers from severe unsustainability because of the transgression of PBs for phosphorus and nitrogen cycles, carbon emissions, and cropland use; 2) provinces in West and North China perform worse than other provinces in terms of the eco-efficiency in manufacturing industries, including Electronic equipment, Textiles, and Wood processing and furnishing, rendering these industries that are more unsustainable; and 3) industries with varying eco-efficiencies account differently for the provincial PBs. Construction dominates the provincial shares of carbon PBs, whereas Agriculture and Food processing and tobacco contribute most to the other four PBs. Our findings suggest that improving eco-efficiency in most manufacturing industries is the key to saving resources, reducing emissions, and safeguarding local boundaries.

Integrated crop-livestock-bioenergy system brings co-benefits and trade-offs in mitigating the environmental impacts of Chinese agriculture.

Agricultural bioenergy utilization relies on crop and livestock production, favouring an integrated crop-livestock-bioenergy production model. Yet the integrated system's exact contribution to mitigating various environmental burdens from the crop production system and livestock production system remains unclear. Here we inventory the environmental impacts of each process in three subsystems at both national and regional scales in China, ultimately identifying key processes and impact categories. The co-benefits and trade-offs in nine impact categories are investigated by comparing the life cycle impacts in the background scenario (crop production system + livestock production system) and foreground scenario (integrated system). Freshwater eutrophication is the most serious impact category in both scenarios. Except terrestrial acidification, the mitigation effects on the other eight impact categories vary from 1.8% to 94.8%, attributed to fossil energy and chemical fertilizer offsets. Environmental trade-offs should be deliberated when expanding bioenergy utilization in the identified critical regions.

High CTSL2 expression predicts poor prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Cathepsin like 2 (CTSL2) is a lysosomal cysteine protease, and may be associated with tumor metastasis. However, CTSL2 has not been reported as a biomarker in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). In this study, bioinformatics analysis using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas was performed. Wilcoxon rank-sum test and chi-square test were carried out. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were performed to evaluate the effect of CTSL2 expression in the overall survival. Our results indicated that CTSL2 in tumor was significantly higher than that in normal tissue (P < 0.001). High CTSL2 expression was significantly associated with age (P = 0.02), vital status (P < 0.001), and T classification (P = 0.03), and correlated with poor overall survival (HR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.21-2.18, P = 0.001). CTSL2 expression was an independent risk factor for overall survival in patients with LUAD (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.12-2.05, P = 0.006). A nomogram was plotted for illustration of CTSL2 expression on the risk of LUAD. Furthermore, in vitro cell experiments showed the CTSL2 promoted the proliferation and migration of A549 cells. In summary, high CTSL2 expression predicts poor prognosis in patients with LUAD.

Holistic suitability for regional biomass power generation development in China: An application of matter-element extension model.

In the context of tremendously promoting bioenergy utilization, regional suitability for industrial development of biomass power generation is a critical factor when deploying region-specific strategies. An integrated framework is developed incorporating resource potential, development demands and development conditions to evaluate the suitability for regional industrial development of power generation utilizing agricultural bioresources. Twelve indicators reflecting local resource, environmental and socioeconomic features are used to measure the suitability of 31 provincial regions in China. An improved matter-element extension model combined with the entropy weight method is adopted to attain holistic and hierarchical suitability ranks. The results reveal that the distribution of holistic suitability ranks among regions is imbalanced with the eastern regions presenting more advantages compared with the western regions. Three regions belonging to Rank I (optimum) are Henan, Shandong and Xinjiang. Hainan, Tibet, Qinghai are classified into Rank V (unsuited). Moreover, there are great differences in the limiting factors of the suitability among regions. Resource potential is a limiting factor for Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, Hainan and Guizhou; Development demands refrain Fujian, Guangxi and Yunnan; Tianjin and Ningxia are limited by development conditions. Tibet and Qinghai have the worst performance on each criterion. The results and region-targeted policy recommendations can provide insights for bioenergy utilization development in accordance with local conditions closely.

Effect of dexmedetomidine combined with oxycodone patient-controlled intravenous analgesia on the levels of inflammatory cytokine in patients with rectal cancer.

This study was designed to discuss the clinical effects of dexmedetomidine combined with oxycodone patient-controlled intravenous analgesia for patients with laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer. A total of 90 patients with rectal cancer undergoing laparoscopic radical resection surgery were selected. The patients were divided into A, B and C group using a random number table method, 30 cases in each group. Patients in group A received oxycodone (O) alone postoperatively; patients in group B received dexmedetomidine combined with oxycodone (DO) postoperatively; and patients in group C received dexmedetomidine (D) alone postoperatively. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score and Ramsay sedative score at 2h, 6h, 24h and 48h after surgery were evaluated, and the effective compressions number of controlled intravenous analgesia (CIA) was recorded. The occurrence of side effects including fever, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, itchy skin, respiratory depression and other adverse reactions were noted. CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 were detected by ELISA prior to surgery and on the morning of the 1st and the 3rd day after surgery, respectively. VAS scores in group B were lower than group A and C, the effective compressions number of CIA in group B was less than group A and C, the incidence of adverse reactions in group B was lower than group A and group C. The levels of CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 at 72h after surgery in group B were lower than group A and C. Dexmedetomidine combined with oxycodone has better sedative and analgesic effects with less adverse reactions, it can reduce the release of inflammatory cytokines of CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 in the body and has certain clinical application value.

Efficacies of Various Surgical Regimens in the Treatment of Renal Calculi Patients: a Network Meta-Analysis in 25 Enrolled Controlled Clinical Trials.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Renal calculi, or kidney stones, are masses made of crystals that affect people of all geographical, cultural, and racial groups. We conduct this study with the aim of comparing the efficacy of various surgical methods in the treatment of renal calculi. METHODS: Controlled clinical trials (CCTs) related to different surgical treatment approaches for renal calculi were included in this study by retrieving them from electronic English databases. The odds ratios (OR), the weighted mean difference (WMD), 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) were evaluated, followed by a cluster analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL), minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (standard PCNL), ureterorenoscopy (URS) and micro-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (microperc) regimens, the open anatrophic nephrolithotomy (Open AN), URS + RIRS and laparoscopic pyelolithotomy (LP) surgical procedures all presented with a higher stone-free rate in renal calculi. Lower auxiliary procedures were found in the URS + RIRS treatment approach compared with SWL, RIRS, URS and microperc regimens. In addition, the SWL regimen indicated a lower stone-free rate than the mini-PCNL, standard PCNL, Open AN, URS + RIRS and LP regimens. Finally, the RIRS regimen presented with the shortest in-patient stay compared to the mini-PCNL, standard PCNL, Open AN, URS, URS + RIRS and LP regimens. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrated that the URS + RIRS surgical procedure has the best stone-free rate and the lowest number of auxiliary procedures. The RIRS and Microperc both have the shortest hospital stay and operative time.