Revisiting the linkage between green finance and China’s sustainable development: evidence from the pilot zones for green finance reform innovations

Based on the fundamental logic of “green finance – improvement of ecological environment and new kinetic energy of economic development – sustainable development of economy and society”, this paper conducts quasi-natural experiments using panel data from 30 provinces and cities in China between 2013 and 2021. It explores the effects of pilot policies of the green finance reform and innovation pilot zone on the sustainable development of the economy and society through a double difference model. The study reveals that the establishment of the green finance reform and innovation pilot zone has a significant promoting effect on the sustainable development of the economy and society. This conclusion remains valid even after conducting a series of robustness tests. In further analysis, it is found that the promotion effect of the green finance reform and innovation pilot zone on sustainable development exhibits some temporal characteristics. It is particularly significant in regions with lower levels of financial development and industrialization but higher levels of technological innovation. Mechanism analysis indicates that the pathways through which the green finance reform and innovation pilot zone facilitates economic and social sustainable development are relatively singular, primarily revolving around the improvement of the ecological environment. The key contribution of this paper lies in demonstrating the crucial role of pilot policies in the field of sustainable economic and social development. Additionally, it offers new insights for strengthening the implementation effectiveness of green finance pilot policies

Effectiveness and tolerability of different therapies in preventive treatment of MOG-IgG-associated disorder: A network meta-analysis

BackgroundImmunotherapy has been shown to reduce relapses in patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disorder (MOG-AD); however, the superiority of specific treatments remains unclear.AimTo identify the efficacy and tolerability of different treatments for MOG-AD.MethodsSystematic search in Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases from inception to March 1, 2021, were performed. Published articles including patients with MOG-AD and reporting the efficacy or tolerability of two or more types of treatment in preventing relapses were included. Reported outcomes including incidence of relapse, annualized relapse rate (ARR), and side effects were extracted. Network meta-analysis with a random-effect model within a Bayesian framework was conducted. Between group comparisons were estimated using Odds ratio (OR) or mean difference (MD) with 95% credible intervals (CrI).ResultsTwelve studies that compared the efficacy of 10 different treatments in preventing MOG-AD relapse, including 735 patients, were analyzed. In terms of incidence of relapse, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), oral corticosteroids (OC), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), azathioprine (AZA), and rituximab (RTX) were all significantly more effective than no treatment (ORs ranged from 0.075 to 0.34). On the contrary, disease-modifying therapy (DMT) (OR=1.3, 95% CrI: 0.31 to 5.0) and tacrolimus (TAC) (OR=5.9, 95% CrI: 0.19 to 310) would increase the incidence of relapse. Compared with DMT, IVIG significantly reduced the ARR (MD=−0.85, 95% CrI: −1.7 to −0.098). AZA, MMF, OC and RTX showed a trend to decrease ARR, but those results did not reach significant differences. The combined results for relapse rate and adverse events, as well as ARR and adverse events showed that IVIG and OC were the most effective and tolerable therapies.ConclusionsWhilst DMT should be avoided, IVIG and OC may be suited as first-line therapies for patients with MOG-AD. RTX, MMF, and AZA present suitable alternatives

Predictions for cold nuclear matter effects in p plus Pb collisions at root SNN =8.16 TeV

Predictions for cold nuclear matter effects on charged hadrons, identified light hadrons, quarkonium and heavy flavor hadrons, Drell-Yan dileptons, jets, photons, gauge bosons and top quark pairs produced in p+Pb collisions at, root S-NN = 8.16 TeV are compiled and, where possible, compared to each other. Predictions of the normalized ratios of p+Pb to p+ p cross sections are also presented for most of the observables, providing new insights into the expected role of cold nuclear matter effects. In particular, the role of nuclear parson distribution functions on particle production can now be probed over a wider range of phase space than ever before. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

The Business Model of Digital Platforms for the Sharing Economy: Intensive Case Study Methodology for <uri>Rover.com</uri> Pet Boarding Platform

The sharing economy has allowed idle resources to be used again and is known as a model for the new economy. Advances in network technology have allowed the scale of the sharing economy to be expanded through digital platforms. To our best knowledge, no studies in the literature have explored a pet boarding platform for the sharing economy. This research selected the emerging pet care industry as its scope and took the Rover.com pet boarding digital platform, with the highest market share in the world, as the research object for an intensive case study. Three types of secondary data analysis were used: industry profile analysis, case information, and papers and journals. The business model and value proposition of the platform summarizes the key to the success of digital platforms, which is expected to be helpful to entrepreneurs who want to create a sharing economy marketplace. The research results showed that the sharing economy needs to use digital platforms as a matching intermediary between supply and demand to establish a personal-to-personal transaction pattern and it also needs digital platforms to establish a sense of trust and a guarantee mechanism for participants in the sharing economy. For the digital platform to be profitable, it must identify the platform’s unique value proposition and business model, and set up monitoring of transaction parties and evaluation functions, as well as insurance systems and digital platform IT support

Multi-Degree-of-Freedom for Underwater Optical Wireless Communication with Improved Transmission Performance

Underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) has great potential to provide high-speed and intensive communications over short ranges underwater. However, the mobility of the UOWC system is limited by the strict alignment requirements between the transceivers. In this paper, a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) UOWC system with high flexibility and improved transmission performance is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on the off-the-shelf light-emitting diode (LED) source. A hardware pre-equalization circuit is employed at the transmitter to extend the modulation bandwidth from 5.03 MHz to 50 MHz. At the receiving end, a Fresnel lens array is constructed to achieve efficient convergence of multiple incident optical signals from different directions. To improve the underwater signal transmission quality, we designed an additional digital signal recovery module after the trans-impedance amplifier. Finally, an experimental system is established with a 460 nm blue LED. The communication reliability of the system is verified by the measurement of the eye diagram and the bit error rate of the recovered signal at the receiving end. The experimental results show that optical signals from three different incident directions with a maximum data rate of 100 Mbps are reliably transmitted over a 1.2-m-long water tank using the non-return-to-zero on-off-keying modulation format

The Mediating Effect of Herd Behavior and Brand Attitude towards the Impact of Spokesman Credibility, Source Fit, and Online Word-of-Mouth on Purchase Intention

Product endorsement has become a common marketing method. Many companies hire a famous person to act as the spokesman for the product and brand. They want to use the celebrity’s fame and attractiveness to promote their products and brands. However, is every celebrity suitable to be the spokesman for a product? In addition, in the era of advanced technology, whether the comments on the Internet and the credibility of the spokesman affect consumers’ purchase intention through herd behavior. And whether the credibility of the spokesman and the degree of source fit (the degree of fit between the spokesman and the product and brand) affect consumers’ purchase intention through brand attitude and heard behavior. To our best knowledge, no studies in the research literature have explored the relationships between spokesman credibility, source fit, herd behavior, brand attitude, online word-of-mouth, and purchase intention, where herd behavior and brand attitude are mediating variables. The research questionnaire was designed and distributed using an online questionnaire format, and the distribution period was from 6 April 2022, to 12 April 2022. In this study, a total of 203 valid questionnaires were obtained. According to the results, both online word-of-mouth and spokesman credibility had a significantly positive impact on consumers’ herd behavior, which will significantly increase consumers’ purchase intention. The credibility of the spokesman also had a significantly positive impact on consumers’ brand attitudes and, therefore, will significantly increase consumers’ purchase intention. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided

First-principles calculation of the effect of Ti content on the structure and properties of TiVNbMo refractory high-entropy alloy

The virtual crystal approximation (VCA) method based on the Cambridge Sequential Total Energy Package (CASTEP) was used to establish the TiVNbMo refractory high-entropy alloy structure model. The effects of different Ti contents on the elastic and thermodynamic properties of Ti _x VNbMo (x = 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 2.00) high entropy alloys were calculated. The lattice constants calculation results of TiVNbMo with equal atomic ratio match well with the experimental values of vacuum arc melting, indicating that the VCA method is suitable for the first-principles calculation of Ti _x VNbMo random solid solution. The EOS equation of state is used to determine the energy and volume of the equilibrium structure of the alloy. The elastic constants of Ti _x VNbMo (x = 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 2.00) high entropy alloys are calculated based on the body-centered cubic structure, and their Young’s modulus anisotropic three-dimensional contour stereograms are drawn. Moreover, the quasi-harmonic Debyeg-Grüneisen model is used to calculate the thermodynamic properties, such as thermal capacity, isothermal body modulus, volumetric thermal expansion coefficient, and Grüneisen parameter with Ti content and temperature

Evaluation and comparison of ocular biometric parameters obtained with Tomey OA-2000 in silicone oil-filled aphakic eyes

Abstract Purpose To evaluate a new non-contact instrument (OA-2000) measuring the ocular biometry parameters of silicone oil (SO)-filled aphakic eyes, as compared with IOLMaster 700. Methods Forty SO-filled aphakic eyes of 40 patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional clinical trial. The axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), keratometry ((flattest keratometry) Kf and (steep keratometry, 90° apart from Kf) Ks), and axis of the Kf (Ax1) were measured with OA-2000 and IOLMaster 700. The coefficient of variation (CoV) was calculated to assess the repeatability. The correlation was evaluated by the Pearson coefficient. Bland-Altman analysis and paired t test were used to analyze the agreements and differences of parameters measured by the two devices, respectively. Results The mean AL obtained with the OA-2000 was 23.57 ± 0.93 mm (range: 21.50 to 25.68 mm), and that obtained with the IOLMaster 700 was 23.69 ± 0.94 mm (range: 21.85 to 25.86 mm), resulting in a mean offset of 0.124 ± 0.125 mm (p  0.05). All the measured parameters of the two devices showed strong linear correlations (all r ≥ 0.966). The Bland-Altman analysis showed a narrow 95% limits of agreement (LoA) of Kf, Ks and AL, but 95%LoA of CCT and Ax1 was wide, which were − 29.3 ~ 0.1 μm and-25.9 ~ 30.7°respectively. The CoVs of the biometric parameters obtained with OA-2000 were lower than 1%. Conclusion In SO-filled aphakic eyes, the ocular parameters (including AL, Kf, Ks, Ax1, and CCT) measured by the OA-2000 and IOLMaster 700 had a good correlation. Two devices had an excellent agreement on ocular biometric measurements of Kf, Ks and AL. The OA-2000 provided excellent repeatability of ocular parameters in SO-filled aphakic eyes

A low-inflammatory diet is associated with a lower incidence of diabetes: role of diabetes-related genetic risk

BACKGROUND: Whether a low-inflammatory diet relates to type 2 diabetes risk remains unclear. We examined the association between a low-inflammatory diet and risk of type 2 diabetes among normoglycemic and prediabetic participants. We also explored whether a low-inflammatory diet modifies genetic risk for type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Among 142,271 diabetes-free UK Biobank participants (aged 39–72 years), 126,203 were normoglycemic and 16,068 were prediabetic at baseline. Participants were followed for up to 15 years to detect incident type 2 diabetes. At baseline, dietary intake was assessed with a 24-h dietary record. An inflammatory diet index (IDI) was generated based on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and was a weighted sum of 34 food groups (16 anti-inflammatory and 18 pro-inflammatory). Participants were grouped into tertiles corresponding to inflammatory level (low, moderate, and high) based on IDI scores. Prediabetes at baseline was defined as HbA1c 5.7–6.4% in diabetes-free participants. Incident type 2 diabetes and age of onset were ascertained according to the earliest recorded date of type 2 diabetes in the Primary Care and Hospital inpatient data. A diabetes-related genetic risk score (GRS) was calculated using 424 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Data were analyzed using Cox regression and Laplace regression. RESULTS: During follow-up (median 8.40 years, interquartile range 6.89 to 11.02 years), 3348 (2.4%) participants in the normoglycemia group and 2496 (15.5%) in the prediabetes group developed type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes risk was lower in normoglycemic (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65, 0.78) and prediabetic (HR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.73, 0.89) participants with low IDI scores compared to those with high IDI scores. A low-inflammatory diet may prolong type 2 diabetes onset by 2.20 (95% CI 1.67, 2.72) years among participants with normoglycemia and 1.11 (95% CI 0.59, 1.63) years among participants with prediabetes. In joint effect analyses, normoglycemic or prediabetes participants with low genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes and low IDI scores had a significant 74% (HR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.21, 0.32) or 51% (HR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.40, 0.59) reduction in type 2 diabetes risk compared to those with high genetic risk plus high IDI scores. There were significant additive and multiplicative interactions between IDI and GRS in relation to type 2 diabetes risk in the normoglycemia group. CONCLUSIONS: A low-inflammatory diet is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and may delay type 2 diabetes onset among participants with normal blood glucose or prediabetes. A low-inflammatory diet might significantly mitigate the risk of genetic factors on type 2 diabetes development

Bioactive natural compounds against human coronaviruses: a review and perspective

Coronaviruses (CoVs), a family of enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses, are characterized by club-like spikes that project from their surface, unusually large RNA genome, and unique replication capability. CoVs are known to cause various potentially lethal human respiratory infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and the very recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Unfortunately, neither drug nor vaccine has yet been approved to date to prevent and treat these diseases caused by CoVs. Therefore, effective prevention and treatment medications against human coronavirus are in urgent need. In the past decades, many natural compounds have been reported to possess multiple biological activities, including antiviral properties. In this article, we provided a comprehensive review on the natural compounds that interfere with the life cycles of SARS and MERS, and discussed their potential use for the treatment of COVID-19