The impact of foreign bank penetration on the domestic banking sector:New evidence from China

This study proposes a foreign bank branch networks index (FBBNI) to capture bank-level exposure to competition from foreign banks in terms of geographical proximity. The index takes account of the rapidly expanding branch networks of both foreign and domestic banks in China. Based on data from a sample of three types of Chinese commercial banks from 2002 to 2011, we find that exposure to the branch networks of foreign banks is associated with improved profitability at domestic banks, higher efficiency, and increased non-interest income, consistent with knowledge transfer from foreign banks. These relationships are most pronounced for joint-stock domestic banks presumably because their ownership structure fosters knowledge transfer

The impact of green finance policy on green innovation performance: evidence from Chinese heavily polluting enterprises

Green innovation (GI) is increasingly recognised as an effective strategy for tackling climate change, mitigating environmental issues, and promoting sustainable development. Using panel data of the Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2019, this study adopts the difference-in-differences approach to assess the impact of the green finance policy (GFP) initiated by the Chinese government in 2012 on the green innovation performance of firms. The findings reveal that the GFP significantly boosts the green innovation performance of heavily polluting enterprises (HPEs). Notably, this effect is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and firms with high dependence on external finance. Compared with penalty-based regulations, incentive-based and voluntary environmental regulations demonstrate more significant moderating effects on the relationship between the GFP and green innovation performance for HPEs. We also identify improved efficiency in the usage of green investments as a potential mechanism through which the GFP enhances the green innovation performance of HPEs. Further comparative analysis shows that green enterprises can achieve simultaneous improvement in both the quality and quantity of green innovation, whereas HPEs predominantly exhibit enhancements in innovation quantity. To maximise the GFP's positive effects, it is recommended to facilitate more targeted bank lending towards HPEs to support their structural transformation. Additionally, the coordinated deployment of diverse environmental policy instruments is advised to exploit their synergistic effects

Lactobacillus reuteri in digestive system diseases: focus on clinical trials and mechanisms

ObjectivesDigestive system diseases have evolved into a growing global burden without sufficient therapeutic measures. Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) is considered as a new potential economical therapy for its probiotic effects in the gastrointestinal system. We have provided an overview of the researches supporting various L. reuteri strains’ application in treating common digestive system diseases, including infantile colic, diarrhea, constipation, functional abdominal pain, Helicobacter pylori infection, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, colorectal cancer and liver diseases.MethodsThe summarized literature in this review was derived from databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.ResultsThe therapeutic effects of L. reuteri in digestive system diseases may depend on various direct and indirect mechanisms, including metabolite production as well as modulation of the intestinal microbiome, preservation of the gut barrier function, and regulation of the host immune system. These actions are largely strain-specific and depend on the activation or inhibition of various certain signal pathways. It is well evidenced that L. reuteri can be effective both as a prophylactic measure and as a preferred therapy for infantile colic, and it can also be recommended as an adjuvant strategy to diarrhea, constipation, Helicobacter pylori infection in therapeutic settings. While preclinical studies have shown the probiotic potential of L. reuteri in the management of functional abdominal pain, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, colorectal cancer and liver diseases, its application in these disease settings still needs further study.ConclusionThis review focuses on the probiotic effects of L. reuteri on gut homeostasis via certain signaling pathways, and emphasizes the importance of these probiotics as a prospective treatment against several digestive system diseases

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity and impact factors of hepatitis B and C in China from 2010 to 2018: Bayesian space–time hierarchy model

IntroductionViral hepatitis is a global public health problem, and China still faces great challenges to achieve the WHO goal of eliminating hepatitis.MethodsThis study focused on hepatitis B and C, aiming to explore the long-term spatiotemporal heterogeneity of hepatitis B and C incidence in China from 2010 to 2018 and quantify the impact of socioeconomic factors on their risk through Bayesian spatiotemporal hierarchical model.ResultsThe results showed that the risk of hepatitis B and C had significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity. The risk of hepatitis B showed a slow downward trend, and the high-risk provinces were mainly distributed in the southeast and northwest regions, while the risk of hepatitis C had a clear growth trend, and the high-risk provinces were mainly distributed in the northern region. In addition, for hepatitis B, illiteracy and hepatitis C prevalence were the main contributing factors, while GDP per capita, illiteracy rate and hepatitis B prevalence were the main contributing factors to hepatitis C.DisussionThis study analyzed the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of hepatitis B and C and their contributing factors, which can serve as a basis for monitoring efforts. Meanwhile, the data provided by this study will contribute to the effective allocation of resources to eliminate viral hepatitis and the design of interventions at the provincial level

Maternal supplementation with Limosilactobacillus reuteri FN041 for preventing infants with atopic dermatitis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) has increased rapidly with rapid urbanization; however, the treatment options for AD are lacking because the commonly used therapies can only alleviate symptoms. Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri), FN041 is a specific strain isolated from human breast milk, and its protective potential against AD has been confirmed. This study aims to assess the efficacy of maternal consumption of L. reuteri FN041 during late pregnancy and lactation in preventing infantile AD.MethodsFirst, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention study will be conducted on 340 pregnant females with babies at high risk for AD. These subjects will be randomly divided into four groups of different doses of L. reuteri FN041 (1 × 109, 5 × 109, and 1 × 1010 CFU/d) along with a placebo. The safety and efficacy of maternal use of L. reuteri FN041 for preventing infantile AD will be analyzed, and the most efficient dosage of L. reuteri FN041 will be determined. Subsequently, a multicenter cohort study of 500 pregnant females with babies at high risk for AD will be conducted to promote the maternal application of L. reuteri FN041. These subjects will be administered L. reuteri FN041 at the optimal dose determined during the first stage of late pregnancy and lactation, and their babies will be analyzed for AD development. Recruitment was initiated in October 2022.DiscussionThe primary outcome is the cumulative incidence of AD at 24 months after maternal consumption of L. reuteri FN041 during late pregnancy and lactation, whereas the secondary outcome is the efficiency of L. reuteri FN041 transfer from the mother’s gut to breast milk and then the infant’s gut after oral supplementation. This study will demonstrate the efficacy of edible probiotics isolated from breast milk in preventing or treating AD in infants. Accordingly, we provide population-based advice for administering specific probiotics for the primary prevention of AD in pregnant females. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of probiotic strains derived from breast milk can promote their application in preventing infant diseases associated with intestinal microbiota imbalance and immune disorders.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier [ChiCTR2300075611]

Designed TiS2 nanosheets for efficient electrocatalytic reductive amination of biomass-derived furfurals

Green and highly selective synthesis of organonitrogen chemicals (ONCs) using the renewable energy source biomass over noble-metal free solid catalysts under common room temperature and pressure conditions is still a major challenge. Here, we report a sustainable electrochemical method for selective synthesis of several valuable ONCs with high yields using biomass-derived furanic aldehydes over greenly fabricated TiS2 nanosheets through a facile synthesis. Based on a range of characterization techniques including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure, a well-defined structure of the TiS2 nanosheets (3.86 nm with 1T phase) was constructed. These as-prepared catalysts were applied to the electrochemical reductive amination (ERA) of three biomass-derived aldehydes, i.e. furfural (FF), 5-methylfurfural (MF) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and exhibited superior performance whereby over 95% conversion of each furanic aldehyde and nearly perfect selectivity of ONCs were achieved. TiS2 nanosheets, in particular, exhibited a marked ∼2-fold increase in conversion (∼49%) compared with the monometallic Ti electrode. Besides, the reaction kinetics and rational pathway were also studied. In addition, these exfoliated TiS2 nanosheets maintained high durability over 6 h, providing a promising and versatile route for the sustainable upgrading of biomass-derived sources

A prototypic microfluidic platform generating stepwise concentration gradients for real-time study of cell apoptosis

This work describes the development of a prototypic microfluidic platform for the generation of stepwise concentration gradients of drugs. A sensitive apoptotic analysis method is integrated into this microfluidic system for studying apoptosis of HeLa cells under the influence of anticancer drug, etoposide, with various concentrations in parallel; it measures the yellow fluorescent protein∕cyan fluorescent protein fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signal that responds to the activation of caspase-3, an indicator of cell apoptosis. Sets of microfluidic valves on the chip generate stepwise concentration gradient of etoposide in various cell-culture microchambers. The FRET signals from multiple chambers are simultaneously monitored under a fluorescent microscope for long-time observation and the on-chip results are compared with those from 96-well plate study and the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The microfluidic platform shows several advantages including high-throughput capacity, low drug consumption, and high sensitivity

Efficient Removal of Antimony(III) in Aqueous Phase by Nano-Fe3O4 Modified High-Iron Red Mud: Study on Its Performance and Mechanism

The resource utilization of excess red mud produced from aluminum production is a current research focus. In this study, novel nano-Fe3O4 modified high-iron red mud material (HRM@nFe3O4) was fabricated using the method of co-precipitation to remove Sb(III) from the aqueous phase. The HRM@nFe3O4 at a nFe3O4:HRM mass ratio of 1:1 had optimal adsorbing performance on Sb(III) in water. Compared with others, the synthetic HRM@nFe3O4 sorbent had a superior maximum Sb(III) adsorption capacity of 98.03 mg·g−1, as calculated by the Langmuir model, and a higher specific surface area of 171.63 m2·g−1, measured using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement. The adsorption process was stable at an ambient pH range, and negligibly limited by temperature the coexisting anions, except for silicate and phosphate, suggesting the high selectivity toward Sb(III). HRM@nFe3O4 retained more than 60% of the initial adsorption efficiency after the fifth adsorption-desorption cycle. The kinetic data fitted by the pseudo-second-order model illustrated the existence of a chemical adsorption process in the adsorption of Sb(III). Further mechanism analysis results indicated that the complexation reaction played a major role in Sb(III) adsorption by HRM@nFe3O4. This HRM@nFe3O4 adsorbent provides an effective method for the removal of Sb(III) in wastewater treatment and is valuable in the reclamation of red mud

Comprehensive analysis of copper-metabolism-related genes about prognosis and immune microenvironment in osteosarcoma

Abstract Despite being significant in various diseases, including cancers, the impact of copper metabolism on osteosarcoma (OS) remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to use bioinformatics analyses to identify a reliable copper metabolism signature that could improve OS patient prognosis prediction, immune landscape understanding, and drug sensitivity. Through nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) clustering, we revealed distinct prognosis-associated clusters of OS patients based on copper metabolism-related genes (CMRGs), showing differential gene expression linked to immune processes. The risk model, comprising 13 prognostic CMRGs, was established using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression, closely associated with the OS microenvironment's immune situation and drug sensitivity. Furthermore, we developed an integrated nomogram, combining the risk score and clinical traits to quantitatively predict OS patient prognosis. The calibration plot, timeROC, and timeROC analyses demonstrated its predictable accuracy and clinical usefulness. Finally, we identified three independent prognostic signatures for OS patients: COX11, AP1B1, and ABCB6. This study confirmed the involvement of CMRGs in OS patient prognosis, immune processes, and drug sensitivity, suggesting their potential as promising prognostic signatures and therapeutic targets for OS

Bio-Inspired Self-Organized Fission–Fusion Control Algorithm for UAV Swarm

Swarm control has become a challenging topic for the current unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm due to its conflicting individual behaviors and high external interference. However, in contrast to static obstacles, limited attention has been paid to the fission–fusion behavior of the swarm against dynamic obstacles. In this paper, inspired by the interaction mechanism and fission–fusion motion of starlings, we propose a Bio-inspired Self-organized Fission–fusion Control (BiSoFC) algorithm for the UAV swarm, where the number of UAVs in the sub-swarm is controllable. It solves the problem of swarm control under dynamic obstacle interference with the tracking function. Firstly, we establish the kinematic equations of the individual UAV and swarm controllers and introduce a fission–fusion control framework to achieve the fission–fusion movement of the UAV swarm with a lower communication load. Afterward, a sub-swarm selection algorithm is built upon the topological interaction structure. When a swarm is faced with different tasks, the swarm that can control the number of agents in a sub-swarm can accomplish the corresponding task with a more reasonable number of agents. Finally, we design a sub-swarm trapping algorithm with a tracking function for the dynamic obstacles. The simulation results show that the UAV swarm can self-organize fission sub-swarms to cope with dynamic obstacles under different disturbance situations, and successfully achieve the goal of protecting the parent swarm from dynamic obstacles. The experimental results prove the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed control algorithm