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City reputation is a valuable asset for the local economy and firms in the contemporary society. However, the impact of city reputation on micro-level firms has been largely overlooked by the literature. This paper uses the National Civilized City (NCC) policy in China as a quasi-natural experiment to enhance city reputation. We employ the DID approach to investigate the relationship between city reputation and corporate risk-taking. The result shows that corporate risk-taking significantly increases following the NCC policy adoption. Moreover, information asymmetry can strengthen the positive impact of city reputation on corporate risk-taking. Channel tests show that city reputation improves financial condition and decreases default risk, leading to improved risk-taking tolerance. Overall, our paper indicates that city reputation is an important mechanism to improve corporate financial performance, providing empirical evidence for local governments to pursue the NCC title. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the development of China's digital economy and the level of urban disaster reduction and governance is of great significance for accelerating the improvement of China's urban resilience and promoting the coordinated development of regional cities. This paper analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and driving paths of urban resilience in 31 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government and proposed relevant measures to promote urban resilience. First, the urban resilience evaluation system was constructed and the entropy value method was applied to calculate the urban resilience index of each region. Second, the spatial distribution of urban resilience was explored based on the urban resilience index of each region. Finally, a qualitative comparative analysis method was used to explore the driving paths of urban resilience enhancement. The study showed that there were large regional differences in the urban resilience index, with an overall spatial pattern of "good in the east, middle in the center, and low in the west" and an overall trend of gradual increase. There are five configuration paths to generate a high urban resilience index, which can be specifically digital industry-driven path, technology factor-driven path, government input- and talent pool-driven path under market factors, technology factor- and government factor-driven path, and government investment- and infrastructure-driven path under market factors, and it is found that the digital industry-driven path is a more common path of digital economy-driven urban resilience improvement in China. The finding of this study reveals the nature of complex interactions among drivers in the process of urban resilience enhancement in China, which breaks through the limitations of traditional statistical analysis methods and provides a new perspective for the study of urban resilience issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, Huadian oil shale from China was treated by hydrothermal pretreatment at 200 °C with 1.0–2.5 h in order to investigate the effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on pyrolysis product distribution and characteristics of oil. The differences in the elemental composition and thermal behavior between the untreated and treated oil shale were analyzed and compared. The hydrothermal treatment process could decompose oxygen functional groups and remove some water soluble inorganics in oil shale, which decreased the formation of gas and water during the pyrolysis. However, hydrothermal pretreatment was conducive to increasing shale oil yield. The maximum of oil yield was obtained at the pretreatment time of 2.0 h. The enhancement of the free-radical reactions during the pyrolysis and the reduction of the secondary cracking reactions of the generated oil vapors were considered as the main reasons. The oil obtained by the treated oil shale had a higher H/C ratio, indicating it had high energy content. The analysis results of chemical compositions in oils showed that the relative content of aliphatic hydrocarbons significantly increased after hydrothermal pretreatment. The further analysis demonstrated that the increase in the pretreatment time caused the generated long chain hydrocarbons tended to be directly released from oil shale particles, and were condensed into the oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is widely available in China; but, high rates of illicit opiate use and dropout are problematic. The aim of this study was to test whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with MMT can improve treatment retention and reduce opiate use. Method: A total of 240 opiate-dependent patients in community-based MMT clinics were randomly assigned to either weekly CBT plus standard MMT (CBT group, n=120) or standard MMT (control group, n=120) for 26 weeks. The primary outcomes were treatment retention and opiate-negative urine test results at 12 weeks and 26 weeks. The secondary outcomes were composite scores on the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and total scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at 12 weeks and 26 weeks. Results: Compared to the control group in standard MMT, the CBT group had higher proportion of opiate-negative urine tests at both 12 weeks (59% vs. 69%, p<0.05) and 26 weeks (63% vs. 73%, p<0.05); however, the retention rates at 12 weeks (73.3% vs. 74.2%, p=0.88) and 26 weeks were not different (55.8% vs. 64.2%, p=0.19) between the two groups. At both 12 and 26 weeks, all of the ASI component scores and PSS total scores in the CBT group and control group decreased from baseline; but the CBT group exhibited more decreases in ASI employment scores at week 26 and more decrease in the PSS total score at week 12 and week 26. Conclusions: CBT counselling is effective in reducing opiate use and improving employment function and in decreasing stress level for opiate-dependent patients in MMT in China. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Take the Liu Jiao Ting MMT clinic as an example, the clinic is located in central area of the COVID-19 epidemic (close to the Hua Nan Seafood Market) in Wuhan, serving 300 MMT patients living in the surrounding communities. 14 participants reported it was difficulty to go to the clinic for medication, and 2 participants reported having been exposed to COVID-19 patients, while luckily no patients have been infected so far. (3) In order to prevent the client from COVID-19 infection, clinics in epidemic areas could carry out "Take-home dosing plan" based on special provisions for high- and low-risk patients and patients with disabilities ([3]). [Extracted from the article]

• iTBS reduced cue-induced craving in patients with severe methamphetamine use disorder. • iTBS improved cognitive function in patients with severe methamphetamine use disorder. • iTBS improved sleep quality in patients with severe methamphetamine use disorder. Methamphetamine is the most commonly used illicit drug in China. We previously demonstrated that 10 Hz rTMS over the DLPFC reduces craving in methamphetamine users. Here, we applied intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a new form of rTMS, in a large sample at four clinical centers. 126 participants (age 31.64 ± 6.33; 106 men) with severe methamphetamine use disorder according to DSM-5 were randomized to receive either iTBS or sham over the DLPFC for four weeks (20 daily sessions, 900 pulses per day). Cue-induced craving and cognitive function were assessed before and after rTMS intervention. Relapse was followed up by urine test after discharge from the rehabilitation center. iTBS significantly reduced craving and improved cognition and sleep quality. This study suggests that rTMS may be a useful and safe treatment option for methamphetamine use disorder, warranting future large scale trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the individual and combined effects of salinity and alkalinity on gill Na+/K+-ATPase enzyme activity, plasma ion concentration, and osmotic pressure in Luciobarbus capito. Increasing salinity concentrations (5, 8, 11, and 14 g/L) were associated with an initial increase and then decrease in L. capito gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity. Activity was affected by the difference between internal and external Na+ ion concentrations and osmotic pressure (P<0.05). Both plasma ion (Na+, K+, and Cl−) concentration and osmotic pressure increased significantly (P<0.05). An increase in alkalinity (15, 30, 45, and 60 mM) caused a significant increase in plasma K+ and urea nitrogen concentrations (P<0.05) but had no effect on either plasma osmotic pressure or gill filament ATPase activity. In the two-factor experiment, the saline-alkaline interaction caused a significant increase in plasma ion (Na+, Cl−, and urea nitrogen) and osmotic pressure (P<0.05). Variance analysis revealed that salinity, alkalinity, and their interaction significantly affected osmotic pressure, with salinity being most affected, followed by alkalinity, and their interaction. Gill filament ATPase activity increased at first and then decreased; peak values were observed in the orthogonal experiment group at a salinity of 8 g/L and alkalinity of 30 mM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aims Methadone maintenance treatment has been made available in China in response to the rapid spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but high rates of dropout and relapse are problematic. The aim of this study was to apply and test if a contingency management (or motivational incentives) intervention can improve treatment retention and reduce drug use. Design Random assignment to usual care with ( n = 160) or without ( n = 159) incentives during a 12-week trial. Incentives participants earned draws for a chance to win prizes on two separate tracks targeting opiate-negative urine sample or consecutive attendance; the number of draws increased with continuous abstinence or attendance. Setting Community-based methadone maintenance clinics in Shanghai and Kunming. Participants The sample was 23.8% female, mean age was 38, mean years of drug use was 9.4 and 57.8% had injected drugs in the past 30 days. Measurements Treatment retention and negative drug urine. Findings Relative to the treatment-as-usual (control) group, better retention was observed among the incentive group in Kunming (75% versus 44%), but no difference was found in Shanghai (90% versus 86%). Submission of negative urine samples was more common among the incentive group than the usual care (74% versus 68% in Shanghai, 27% versus 18% in Kunming), as was the longest duration of sustained abstinence (7.7 weeks versus 6.5 in Shanghai, 2.5 versus 1.6 in Kunming). The average total prize amount was 371 Yuan (or $55) per participant (527 for Shanghai versus 216 in Kunming). Conclusions Contingency management improves treatment retention and drug abstinence in methadone maintenance treatment clinics in China, although there can be considerable site differences in magnitude of effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual tablets for the treatment of opioid dependence in Chinese adults. Methods: This multicenter, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study included four periods: induction (3‐5 days), stabilization (7‐21 days), randomization/treatment (6 weeks), and postmedication follow‐up (1 week). A total of 442 participants with opioid dependence were enrolled; 260 were randomized to buprenorphine/naloxone or placebo. The primary outcome was retention in treatment, defined as the time from randomization to treatment completion or treatment failure. Secondary outcomes included maximum consecutive days of abstinence from opioids, self‐reported craving and opioid withdrawal symptoms, and urine drug screen results. Safety assessments included adverse event reporting, electrocardiograms, clinical laboratory tests, vital signs, and prior/concomitant medications. Results: The median treatment retention time (95% confidence internal) with buprenorphine/naloxone was 32 days (26‐38) versus 6 days (5‐8) for placebo, with a Cox hazard ratio of 0.28 (95% confidence interval, 0.21‐0.38; P < 0.0001). The median maximum consecutive days of abstinence (95% confidence interval) was: buprenorphine/naloxone, 21 days (26‐38); placebo, 5 days (5‐8) with a Cox hazard ratio of 0.38 (95% confidence interval, 0.25‐0.60; P < 0.0001). Withdrawal and craving symptoms were significantly milder with buprenorphine/naloxone versus placebo (P < 0.001). Urine drug screen results indicated significantly lower opioid usage in the buprenorphine/naloxone group compared with placebo (P < 0.001). The most commonly reported adverse events in the buprenorphine/naloxone group during treatment were aspartate aminotransferase increased and nasopharyngitis. Discussion: Efficacy and safety results from this clinical trial support a positive benefit‐risk ratio for buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual tablet use in the treatment of an opioid‐dependent Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objectives: Injection drug use is a major route of HIV transmission in China, yet relatively little is known about why so few injection drug users utilize free HIV testing services. This study aimed to examine barriers to HIV testing and voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) service utilization among injection drug users in Shanghai, China. Methods: Utilizing mixed methods, we analyzed data from a survey of 540 compulsory drug abuse treatment patients and data from focus groups with 70 service providers and patients. Results: Only 24.4% of patients expressed willingness to be tested for HIV. Willingness to be tested was associated with younger age and more positive attitudes towards condom use. Patients reported several barriers to utilization of voluntary HIV testing services, including lack of information about these services, perceptions of no risk or low-risk for HIV infection, fear of positive results, and the stigma or discrimination that may be experienced by the patient or their family. Having limited skills related to HIV counseling was reported by service providers as the primary barrier to encouraging patients to utilize HIV testing/VCT services. Conclusions: Special intervention programs targeting injection drug users, their family members, and service providers may increase HIV testing in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]