China has implemented an emission trading system (ETS) to reduce its ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining rapid economic growth. With low carbon prices and infrequent allowance ...trading, whether China's ETS is an effective approach for climate mitigation has entered the center of the policy and research debate. Utilizing China's regional ETS pilots as a quasi-natural experiment, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of ETS on firm carbon emissions and economic outcomes by means of a matched difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The empirical analysis is based on a unique panel dataset of firm tax records in the manufacturing and public utility sectors during 2009 to 2015. We show unambiguous evidence that the regional ETS pilots are effective in reducing firm emissions, leading to a 16.7% reduction in total emissions and a 9.7% reduction in emission intensity. Regulated firms achieve emission abatement through conserving energy consumption and switching to low-carbon fuels. The economic consequences of the ETS are mixed. On one hand, the ETS has a negative impact on employment and capital input; on the other hand, the ETS incentivizes regulated firms to improve productivity. In the aggregate, the ETS does not exhibit statistically significant effects on output and export. We also find that the ETS displays notable heterogeneity across pilots. Mass-based allowance allocation rules, higher carbon prices, and active allowance trading contribute to more pronounced effects in emission abatement.
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•PET and PC-based microplastics were detected in indoor dust from 12 countries.•High concentrations (38–120,000 µg/g) of PET-based MPs were found.•Positive correlations were found ...between monomers and corresponding MPs in dust.•The daily intake of MPs via indoor dust ingestion in infants was on the order of µg/kg bw.
Global marine pollution by microplastics (MPs) has received considerable attention in recent years. Nevertheless, little is known about the occurrence of MPs in indoor environments. A novel analytical method was used to quantitatively determine polyethylene terephthalate (PET)- and polycarbonate (PC)- based MPs in 286 indoor dust samples collected from 12 countries. PET-based MPs were detected in all dust samples at concentrations of 38–120,000 µg/g (median: 5900 µg/g), whereas PC-based MPs were measured at <0.11–1700 µg/g (median: 8.8 µg/g). Significant positive correlations were found between the concentrations of terephthalic acid (a PET monomer) and PET as well as between bisphenol A (a PC monomer) and PC. Based on the concentrations of MPs measured in indoor dust, the median daily intake of PET-based MPs calculated for infants was in the range of 4000–150,000 ng/kg-bw/day.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The safe utilization of solid wastes containing heavy metals plays a crucial role in environmental preservation. As an efficient technology to achieve this goal, the preparation of glass ceramic ...foams from solid wastes can produce an excellent solidification effect on heavy metals. At present, there have been plenty of efforts made to achieve an excellent combination of such characteristics as mechanical strength, bulk density, thermal conductivity and so on, with the purpose to ensure the application in various high value-added fields. Due to the concentration on their application in the construction sector such as the use of thermal and acoustic insulation materials, some researchers seek to expand the scope of their applications. In this paper, a review is conducted into the methods used to prepare solid waste-based glass ceramic foams. Depending on the exact processing route, these methods can be categorized into two classes, which are powder sintering and inorganic gel casting. Not only heavy metals hinder the application of solid waste, they can also cause irreversible pollution to the wider environment. Solidification and volatilization represent the two routes associated with heavy-metal migration during the preparation of glass ceramic foams. Both traditional and innovative applications are indicated in this review. Furthermore, a discussion is conducted about the prospects and challenges facing different processing strategies, heavy-metal migration and applications.
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•Waste-derived glass ceramic foams can reduce pollution caused by solid waste.•Influence of factors on synthesizing glass ceramic foams by solid waste are commented.•Solidification and volatilization of heavy metals are reviewed.•Solidification can prevent heavy metals entering the environment.•Traditional and innovative applications for glass ceramic foams are reviewed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Dose recovery tests were performed on potassium feldspar using the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) multi-elevated-temperature post-IR IRSL (MET-pIRIR) dating protocol with a large number of ...samples from various backgrounds. The dose recovery ratios were always smaller than unity for the 50 °C IRSL signal, but the ratios increased with signals from elevated temperatures. For the pIRIR signal at 250 °C, the recovery ratios were within the range of 1.0 ± 0.1. Underestimations of the recovery ratios for low-temperature IRSL signals resulted from the increase of the electron trapping probability during the first preheat treatment.
The electron trapping probability can be reset by solar bleaching. The modified SAR protocol with solar bleaching behind each cycle or the MAR protocol is recommended if the low-temperature IRSL signals are applied to obtain ages. Solar simulator with the xenon arc lamp is more efficient in reducing the electron trapping probability compared to the sunlight. Bleaching duration with the solar simulator should be chosen with caution.
•Electron trapping probabilities of low-temperature IRSL signals can change.•De underestimation of 50 °C IRSL still exists after fading correction.•De of the MET-pIRIR signal at 250 °C is reliable.•Solar bleaching can reset the electron trapping probability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Aiming to solve the challenges of low detection accuracy, poor anti‐interference ability, and slow detection speed in the traditional tunnel lining defect detection methods, a novel deep ...learning‐based model, named You Only Look Once network v4 enhanced by EfficientNet and depthwise separable convolution (DSC; YOLOv4‐ED), is proposed. In the YOLOv4‐ED, EfficientNet is used as the backbone to improve the identification accuracy of indistinguishable defect targets in complex tunnel background and light conditions. Furthermore, DSC block is introduced to reduce the storage space of the model and thereby enhance the detection efficiency. The experimental results indicate that the mean average precision, F1 score, Model Size, and FPS of YOLOv4‐ED are 81.84%, 81.99%, 49.3 MB, and 43.5 f/s, respectively, which is superior to the comparison models in both detection accuracy and efficiency. Based on robust and cost‐effective YOLOv4‐ED, a tunnel lining defect detection platform (TLDDP) with the capacity of automated inspection of various lining defects (i.e., water leakage, crack, rebar‐exposed) is built. The established TLDDP can realize the high‐precision and automatic detection of multiple tunnel lining defects under different lighting and complex background conditions of the practical in‐service tunnel.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Growing evidence has illustrated critical roles of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network in human cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we aimed to find promising ...diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Three novel unfavorable prognosis-associated genes (CELSR3, GPSM2, and CHEK1) was first identified. We also demonstrated that these genes were significantly upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and tissues. Next, 154 potential miRNAs of CELSR3, GPSM2, and CHEK1 were predicted. CHEK1-hsa-mir-195-5p/hsa-mir-497-5p and GPSM2-hsa-mir-122-5p axes were defined as two key pathways in carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma by combination of
analysis and experimental validation. Subsequently, lncRNAs binding to hsa-mir-195-5p, hsa-mir-497-5p, and hsa-mir-122-5p were predicted via starBase and miRNet databases. After performing expression analysis and survival analysis for these predicted lncRNAs, we showed that nine lncRNAs (SNHG1, SNHG12, LINC00511, HCG18, FGD5-AS1, CERS6-AS1, NUTM2A-AS1, SNHG16, and ASB16-AS1) were markedly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma and their upregulation indicated poor prognosis. Moreover, a similar mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA analysis for six "known" genes (CLEC3B, DNASE1L3, PTTG1, KIF2C, XPO5, and UBE2S) was performed. Subsequently, a comprehensive mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA triple ceRNA network linked to prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was established. Moreover, all RNAs in this network exhibited significantly diagnostic values for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. In summary, the current study constructed a mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA ceRNA network associated with diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dust events in northern China, particularly in the springtime, affect millions of people in the source and downwind regions. We investigate the population affected by various dust levels in China in ...the springtime from 2003 to 2020 using satellite retrievals of dust optical depth (DOD). We select three DOD thresholds, namely DOD > 0.2, DOD > 0.3, and DOD > 0.4, to estimate the population affected and find that each year the population affected can differ by one order of magnitude. The population exposed to DOD > 0.2 ranged from 16 million (2019) to over 200 million (2006). The population exposed to DOD > 0.3 ranged from 10 million (2015) to 70 million (2006). The population exposed to DOD > 0.4 ranged from 4 million (2017) to 36 million (2006). In years when dust events are frequent, people in the source and downwind regions are both affected, whereas, in years when dust events are less frequent, people affected are mainly in the source regions. Furthermore, we use the relative index of inequality to assess whether dust hazards impose unequal pollution burdens on different socioeconomic groups. We find that low-income communities have been more likely affected by dust pollution since 2013.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In strongly correlated materials, lattice, charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom interact with each other, leading to emergent physical properties such as superconductivity, colossal magnetic ...resistance and metal-insulator transition. Quasi-2D square planar nickelates, R
n
+1
Ni
n
O
2
n
+2
(R = rare earth,
n
= 2, 3...∞), are of significant interest and long sought for cuprate analogues due to the 3d
9
electronic configuration of Ni
+
, the same as the active ion Cu
2+
in the high-
T
c
superconducting cuprates. The field has attracted intense attention since 2019 due to the discovery of superconductivity in thin films of Nd
0.8
Sr
0.2
NiO
2
, although no superconductivity has been reported in bulk polycrystalline powders. Herein, we review the synthesis of polycrystalline powders of quasi-2D square planar nickelates through topotactic reduction of parent compounds that are synthesized
via
solid state reaction, precursor method, high pressure floating zone method and high-pressure flux method. We emphasize single crystal preparation using the high-pressure floating zone techniques. We discuss their crystal structure and physical properties including resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity. We highlight the cuprate-like physics, including charge/spin stripes and large orbital polarization, identified in single crystals of R
4
Ni
3
O
8
(R = La and Pr) combining synchrotron X-ray/neutron single crystal diffraction and density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, the challenges and possible research directions of this fast-moving field in the future are briefly discussed.
Quasi-2D square planar nickelates exhibit key ingredients of high-
T
c
superconducting cuprates. Whether bulk samples are superconducting remains an open question, single crystals are ideal platforms for addressing such fundamental questions.
Dust is a fate of many contaminants and may be an important medium for the human exposure to these contaminants. Microplastics (MPs) have been observed in dust in previous studies. However, the mass ...concentrations of dominant MPs in dust and the exposure risk to human remain unclear. In this study, indoor and outdoor dust samples were collected from 39 major cities of China. The mass concentrations of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polycarbonate (PC) MPs were determined through alkali-assisted thermal depolymerization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and the shape and component distribution of MPs were analyzed by optical microscopy and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. PET MPs were detected in all the samples at high concentrations of 1550–120,000 mg/kg (indoor) and 212–9020 mg/kg (outdoor) and PC MPs were detected in approximately 70% of the samples, with median concentrations of 4.6 mg/kg (indoor) and 2.0 mg/kg (outdoor). Fiber was the main shape of suspected MPs, and polyester (including PET) was identified as an important component in MPs from dust. Indoor dust is a non-negligible source of human exposure to MPs, accounting for a geomean daily intake of 17,300 ng/kg-bw of PET MPs in children.
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•PET and PC microplastics (MPs) are widespread in dust.•PET MPs ranged from 1550 to 120,000 mg/kg in indoor dust.•μ-FTIR analysis indicated that polyester was an important type of MPs in dust.•Positive correlation was found between fiber abundance and PET concentrations in dust.•High daily intake of MPs through indoor dust was estimated.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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