Are global value chains truly global? a new perspective based on the measure of trade in value-added

Are global value chains (GVCs) truly global or are they more of a regional p henomenon? Opinions concerning this issue are widely divergent in the literature. This p aper provides new perspectives on GVCs using network analysis based on the concept of trade in value-added. By using a multiregional input-output model, we first show that GVC activities can be consistently identified at the country, sector, and bilateral levels according to the number of times that factor contents cross national borders in global p roduction sharing. This allows us to group trade-related, value-added creation activities into three networks, including traditional trade, simple GVC trade, and complex GVC trade networks. Further, we use network analysis tools based on the Asian Development Bank’s Multiregional Input-Output Tables covering 62 economies and 35 sectors between 2000 and 2017 to investigate changes in the topology and structure of different types of G VC networks. Our results show that the characteristics of GVCs largely depend on the viewpoint of the participating country (as a supplier or demander), the type of trade, and the aggregate level of trade in the corresponding networks

Strengthen Air Oxidation of Refractory Humic Acid Using Reductively Etched Nickel-Cobalt Spinel Catalyst

Nickel-cobalt spinel catalyst (NCO) is a promising catalyst for air oxidation of humic acid, which is a typical natural refractory organic matter and a precursor of toxic disinfection by-products. In this study, reductive etchers, NaBH4 or Na2SO3, were used to adjust the NCO surface structure to increase the performance. The modified catalyst (NCO-R) was characterized, and the relationship between its intrinsic properties and catalytic paths was discovered. The results of O2-temperature programmed desorption, NH3-temperature programmed desorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated that reductant etching introduced oxygen vacancies to the surface of NCO and increased active surface oxygen species and surface acidity. In addition, the modification did not change the raw hollow sphere structure of NCO. The crystallinity and specific surface area of NCO-R increased, and average pore size of NCO-R decreased. XPS results showed that the ratio of Co3+/Co2+ in NCO-R decreased compared with NCO, while the ratio of Ni3+/Ni2+ increased. The results of H2-temperature programmed reduction showed that the H2 reduction ability of NCO-R was stronger. Due to these changes in chemical and physical properties, NCO-R exhibited much better catalytic performance than NCO. In the catalytic air oxidation of humic acid at 25 °C, the total organic carbon (TOC) removal rate increased significantly from 44.4% using NCO to 77.0% using NCO-R. TOC concentration of humic acid decreased by 90.0% after 12 h in the catalytic air oxidation using NCO-R at 90 °C

Synthesis of TiO₂@WO₃/Au Nanocomposite Hollow Spheres with Controllable Size and High Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity

A new nanocomposite was reported as a good-performance photocatalyst, i.e., double-shelled, positively and negatively charged, nanostructured hollow spheres with supported Au nanoparticles (NPs). TiO₂, WO₃, and Au NPs were coated successively onto the functionalized polystyrene (PS) template spheres. The as-synthesized product PS@TiO₂@WO₃/Au nanocomposites were calcined at elevated temperature and then intact double-shelled TiO₂@WO₃/Au hollow spheres were obtained. The dispersity, morphology, size, and lattice of TiO₂@WO₃/Au hollow spheres were investigated by SEM and TEM. The presence of TiO₂ hollow sphere and WO₃/Au shell was proved by HAADF-STEM and XRD images. The photodegradation activity for rhodamine B and trimesic acid (i.e., color and colorless aromatic pollutants) in decreasing order were TiO₂@WO₃/Au, TiO₂–WO₃, P25. Under visible-light irradiation, the photodegradation rate of rhodamine B and trimesic acid for TiO₂@WO₃/Au was 94% and 95%, respectively, which exhibited a significant increase of 62% and 80% as compared with P25. The synergistic effect of coupling TiO₂ hollow spheres with WO₃ shell and Au NPs on photocatalytic performance was proved by this article. First, Au NPs deposited in WO₃ shell and loaded on TiO₂ shell separately act as electron trap site and surface plasmon resonance-sensitizer, respectively, and hence the photogenerated electron–hole separation rate was improved. Second, the visible-light absorption of TiO₂ hollow spheres was increased by the coexistence of WO₃ and Au and unique hierarchical mesoporous architectures of TiO₂@WO₃/Au. Finally, the surface charge of TiO₂@WO₃/Au and rhodamine B was negative and positive, respectively, the affinity between them could be improved by electrical attractions, and then the major bottleneck in heterogeneous photocatalysis (i.e., poor affinity between pollutants and photocatalyst) could be broken. The optimal hollow sphere size of TiO₂@WO₃/Au was 450 nm, which was proved by the photodegradation of aromatic pollutants and photoreduction of Cr­(VI)

Supply of neuraminidase inhibitors related to reduced influenza A (H1N1) mortality during the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic: an ecological study.

BACKGROUND: The influenza A (H1N1) pandemic swept across the globe from April 2009 to August 2010 affecting millions. Many WHO Member States relied on antiviral drugs, specifically neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) oseltamivir and zanamivir, to treat influenza patients in critical condition. Such drugs have been found to be effective in reducing severity and duration of influenza illness, and likely reduced morbidity during the pandemic. However, it is less clear whether NAIs used during the pandemic reduced H1N1 mortality. METHODS: Country-level data on supply of oseltamivir and zanamivir were used to predict H1N1 mortality (per 100,000 people) from July 2009 to August 2010 in forty-two WHO Member States. Poisson regression was used to model the association between NAI supply and H1N1 mortality, with adjustment for economic, demographic, and health-related confounders. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders, each 10% increase in kilograms of oseltamivir, per 100,000 people, was associated with a 1.6% reduction in H1N1 mortality over the pandemic period (relative rate (RR) = 0.84 per log increase in oseltamivir supply). While the supply of zanamivir was considerably less than that of oseltamivir in each Member State, each 10% increase in kilogram of active zanamivir, per 100,000, was associated with a 0.3% reduction in H1N1 mortality (RR = 0.97 per log increase). CONCLUSION: While there are limitations to the ecologic nature of these data, this analysis offers evidence of a protective relationship between antiviral drug supply and influenza mortality and supports a role for influenza antiviral use in future pandemics

Health, health-related, and socioeconomic indicators (references noted).

<p>Health, health-related, and socioeconomic indicators (references noted).</p

World Health Organization Member States included in analysis (shaded).

<p>World Health Organization Member States included in analysis (shaded).</p