Moving towards Environmental Sustainability: Can Digital Economy Reduce Environmental Degradation in China?

In the context of environmental sustainability and accelerated digital technology development, China attaches great importance to the prominent role of digital economy in addressing environmental degradation. Utilizing Chinese provincial panel data from 2011 to 2019, this study investigates whether the digital economy can improve China’s environmental sustainability proxy by reducing carbon emission intensity. Based on the fixed effects model, the findings reveal that the digital economy has a significant negative effect on carbon emission intensity and the conclusion remains robust after conducting several robustness checks. However, this impact shows regional heterogeneity, which is more effective in resource-based eastern regions and the Belt and Road provinces. Moreover, mediating effect analyses indicate that the transmission mechanisms are energy consumption structure, total factor energy productivity, and green technology innovation. Furthermore, the results based on the spatial Durbin model (SDM) demonstrate that digital economy development has a significant spatial spillover effect. Finally, on the basis of results analysis and discussion, policy recommendations are provided for achieving environmental sustainability

Analysis of winter diet in Guizhou golden monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi) using DNA metabarcoding data

Abstract The Guizhou golden monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi) is a critically endangered wildlife species, and understanding its diet composition may be useful for assessing its feeding strategies. DNA metabarcoding was used to determine the dietary diversity of R. brelichi. DNA was extracted from 31 faecal samples and amplified chloroplast rbcL and mitochondrial COI DNA was sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq platform. A comparative analysis of the sequences revealed that the five most abundant plant genera were Magnolia, Morinda, Viburnum, Tetradium and Eurya. In winter, R. brelichi mostly consumed shrubs, herbs and shrubs/trees according to the habit of plant genera with higher abundances comparatively. The five most abundant families in animal diet were Psychodidae, Trichinellidae, Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae and Trichoceridae. This study is the first to show the composition of the winter animal diets of R. brelichi based on DNA metabarcoding. These results provide an important basis for understanding the diet of wild R. brelichi, which inhabits only the Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, China

Selective impairments of resting-state networks in minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is a neuro-cognitive dysfunction characterized by impairment in attention, vigilance and integrative functions, while the sensorimotor function was often unaffected. Little is known, so far, about the exact neuro-pathophysiological mechanisms of aberrant cognition function in this disease. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To investigate how the brain function is changed in MHE, we applied a resting-state fMRI approach with independent component analysis (ICA) to assess the differences of resting-state networks (RSNs) between MHE patients and healthy controls. Fourteen MHE patients and 14 age-and sex-matched healthy subjects underwent resting-state fMRI scans. ICA was used to identify six RSNs [dorsal attention network (DAN), default mode network (DMN), visual network (VN), auditory network (AN), sensorimotor network (SMN), self-referential network (SRN)] in each subject. Group maps of each RSN were compared between the MHE and healthy control groups. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between the RSNs functional connectivity (FC) and venous blood ammonia levels, and neuropsychological tests scores for all patients. Compared with the healthy controls, MHE patients showed significantly decreased FC in DAN, both decreased and increased FC in DMN, AN and VN. No significant differences were found in SRN and SMN between two groups. A relationship between FC and blood ammonia levels/neuropsychological tests scores were found in specific regions of RSNs, including middle and medial frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, as well as anterior and posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: MHE patients have selective impairments of RSNs intrinsic functional connectivity, with aberrant functional connectivity in DAN, DMN, VN, AN, and spared SMN and SRN. Our fMRI study might supply a novel way to understand the neuropathophysiological mechanism of cognition function changes in MHE

Group comparison maps of six RSNs between MHE patients, and healthy controls.

<p>Compared with the healthy controls, MHE patients showed a generally decreased FC within DAN, both decreased and increased FC in DMN, VN, and AN, as well as unchanged SMN and SRN. Significant thresholds were set at a corrected <i>P</i><0.05 using AlphaSim program. The SMN and SN had no statistical significance between the two groups. MHE = minimal hepatic encephalopathy; FC = functional connectivity; DAN = dorsal attention network; DMN = default mode network; VN = visual network; and AN = auditory network; SMN = sensorimotor network; SRN = self-referential network.</p

Within group maps of six RSNs in HC and in MHE groups.

<p>Lateral and medial views of left hemisphere and lateral and medial views of right hemisphere are shown for each RSN, in addition to the top-down view. The color scale represents T values in each RSN (<i>P</i><0.05, FDR corrected). RSN = resting-state network; HC = healthy control; MHE = minimal hepatic encephalopathy; FDR = false discovery rate; DAN = dorsal attention network; DMN = default mode network; VN = visual network; and AN = auditory network; SMN = sensorimotor network; SRN = self-referential network.</p

The correlation between venous blood ammonia/neuropsychological tests scores with mean <i>z</i>-score of regions that differed significantly between the patient and control groups within each RSN.

<p>The venous blood ammonia levels of MHE patients negatively correlated with mean <i>z-</i>values of left parietal cortex and medial frontal gyrus within DAN. The DST scores showed positive correlation with mean <i>z-</i>values of right anterior cingulate cortex within DMN. The NCT scores demonstrated positive correlation with mean <i>z-</i>values of posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus within DMN, and negative correlation with mean <i>z-</i>values of right middle frontal gyrus in DAN. (<i>P</i><0.05, Bonferroni corrected). RSN = resting-state network; MHE = minimal hepatic encephalopathy; DAN = dorsal attention network; DMN = default mode network; DST = digit symbol test; NCT = number connection test.</p