Relationship between Green Financing and Investment Logic and Effectiveness Evaluation of Financing Decisions

Green financing diverts more funds to green industries such as environmental protection, and clean energy, enabling the industries to realize structural adjustment. On green financing, the existing studies at home and abroad mainly focus on the definition of concepts and service scope and system construction. There are few attempts to combined green financing efficacy with corporate investment from the angles of investment level, investment efficiency, and investment risks. This paper associates green financing policy with corporate investment, analyzes the logical connection between the two, and thereby evaluates the effectiveness of green financing decisions. Specifically, a decision model was established for the government participation in green financing via green product subsidy, and a solving algorithm was developed for the model. After that, the authors analyzed the correlations of green financing with the investment level and investment efficiency of green enterprises. Next, the effectiveness of green financing decisions was discussed under dynamic operation risks. Finally, the proposed approach was demonstrated through simulation and empirical analysis

Strain driven mode-switching analytical framework for estimating flexural strength of RC box girders strengthened by prestressed CFRP plates with experimental validation

This paper presents a pioneering study that developed the first analytical model to analyse and design reinforced concrete (RC) box girders strengthened by prestressed CFRP plates. The proposed analytical model considered and addressed prestress loss, shear lag effect and failure modes under different design configurations at elastic, elastoplastic and plastic stages. An experimental study was also conducted to validate the proposed analytical model. The study was motivated by the increasing demand for the structural strengthening of aged and over-used hollow RC box girders in transport and other infrastructure systems, as well as the lack of previous attempts to incorporate prestressed CFRP plate strengthening for hollow RC beams. It is very common in many developing countries, the traffic flow increased dramatically due to the economic growth. The original design underestimated the traffic loads. When demolition and re-building may not always be the best option, thus, strengthening and enhanced maintenance have become promising alternatives. But the lack of existing analytical models that can guide the engineers to analyse and design this type of structures effective, has become an urgent need from the industry. In the experimental study, eight box girders with different types, cross-section sizes, and prestress levels were prepared and tested. Two samples were preloaded to create damaged beams before strengthening to simulate the aged or over-used members. The experimental results are in good agreement with the analytical prediction. The proposed analytical framework provides a comprehensive yet practical method for designing the prestressed CFRP strengthened RC box girders in bending and laid the foundation for further studies on shear and torsion behaviours

Sol–Gel-Derived Ni₃Al Coating on Nickel Alloy for Oxidation Resistance in Supercritical Water Environments

Although nickel-based alloys are widely used in industries due to their oxidation and corrosion resistance, the pursuit of better performance in harsh environments is still a great challenge. In this work, we developed a sol–gel method to synthesize Ni3Al coating on a nickel alloy, assisted by a post-annealing process, and investigated the oxidation-resistant performance. The coating thickness can be controlled by designing the deposition times, which keep the pure Ni3Al phase stable. In addition, the surface morphologies indicate that the coating is compact without obvious voids or cracks. Furthermore, the oxidation-resistant property of the coating was investigated by carrying out a supercritical water oxidation experiment. The crystalline structure and surface morphology of the samples before and after 72-h oxidation demonstrated the superior oxidation resistance of the coating. This work provides a convenient method to fabricate an oxidation-resistant coating on a nickel-based alloy, which would be significant for prolonging the service life of vessels under oxidation conditions, especially for supercritical water reactions

Bacillus subtilis Supplementation in a High-Fat Diet Modulates the Gut Microbiota and Ameliorates Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

To study the effects of Bacillus subtilis supplementation in a high-fat diet on the gut microbiota and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), juveniles (60 ± 5 g) were fed three diets: (a) a control diet (CON), (b) a high-fat diet (HFD) and (c) a high-fat diet supplemented with B. subtilis (HFD + BS). After 8 weeks of feeding, fish growth, serum biochemical indices and total liver lipid content were measured, and gut microbiota analysis was performed using the MiSeq250 high-throughput sequencing platform. The results of this study showed that B. subtilis could improve growth and blood serum indices and reduce lipid deposition in the fish liver, preventing fatty liver disease. A grass carp model of fatty liver induced by a high-fat diet was successfully established. Moreover, B. subtilis altered the intestinal microbiota of HFD-fed grass carp, making it more similar to that of the control group. This study revealed the important effects of B. subtilis on grass carp with fatty liver induced by a high-fat diet and provides the foundation for the application of probiotics in grass carp farming

<i>Bacillus subtilis</i> Supplementation in a High-Fat Diet Modulates the Gut Microbiota and Ameliorates Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Grass Carp (<i>Ctenopharyngodon idella</i>)

To study the effects of Bacillus subtilis supplementation in a high-fat diet on the gut microbiota and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), juveniles (60 ± 5 g) were fed three diets: (a) a control diet (CON), (b) a high-fat diet (HFD) and (c) a high-fat diet supplemented with B. subtilis (HFD + BS). After 8 weeks of feeding, fish growth, serum biochemical indices and total liver lipid content were measured, and gut microbiota analysis was performed using the MiSeq250 high-throughput sequencing platform. The results of this study showed that B. subtilis could improve growth and blood serum indices and reduce lipid deposition in the fish liver, preventing fatty liver disease. A grass carp model of fatty liver induced by a high-fat diet was successfully established. Moreover, B. subtilis altered the intestinal microbiota of HFD-fed grass carp, making it more similar to that of the control group. This study revealed the important effects of B. subtilis on grass carp with fatty liver induced by a high-fat diet and provides the foundation for the application of probiotics in grass carp farming

Long-term outcome and cost-effectiveness of complete versus assisted video-assisted thoracic surgery for non-small cell lung cancer

Background To compare the outcomes and costs of two methods of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) major pulmonary resection in patients with clinically resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Between January 2000 and December 2007, 1,058 patients with proven stages I-IIIA NSCLC underwent complete VATS (c-VATS) or assisted VATS (a-VATS) major pulmonary resection together with a systematic nodal dissection. Results The study cohort consisted of 736 men and 322 women. Mean operative time was shorter for the a-VATS cohort compared with the c-VATS group (P = 0.038). Overall survival (OS) at 5 years based on Kaplan-Meier analysis was 55.3% (95%CI, 50.6-60.0%) for those who underwent c-VATS and 47.7% (95%CI, 41.2-54.2%) for those who underwent a-VATS (P = 0.404). Gender, final pathology, TNM stage, and pT status were significant predictive factors for OS according to multivariate analysis. The total cost of a-VATS lobectomy was lower than that of c-VATS lobectomy. Conclusions c-VATS and a-VATS yield similar results in patients with clinically resectable NSCLC. a-VATS, however, may be less expensive and easier to adopt, making it a particularly attractive option for thoracic surgeons in developing countries.7 page(s