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BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common metabolic disorder. According to some epidemiological studies and different meta-analysis, it is not clear that whether the relevance of the occurrence and progression of NAFLD and coffee consumption is very close. So we conducted the present article to make it clear. METHODS The PubMed, Cochrane library and Embase were searched up to December 1, 2022. We performed the meta-analysis of not regular coffee vs. regular coffee drinking and coffee drinking vs. the progression of NAFLD, and conducted subgroup analysis of participants, kinds of coffee, methods of diagnosis to verify that relationship. The pooled odds ratio (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) IV. Random and 95% CIs were calculated by random-effects model. RESULTS Eleven articles were included, including 7093 cases and 20625 non-cases. Whether regular coffee drinking or not was not significantly associated with NAFLD occurrence, and OR were 0.84 (95% CI: 0.43–1.62). Moreover, the pooled SMD IV. Random. from the comparison of coffee drinking vs. the progression of NAFLD was − 0.12(95%CI :-0.31-0.07), showing not statistical significance. What’s more, subgroup analysis of people being obese or not, methods of diagnosis of NAFLD, types of coffee, suggested non beneficial efficacy of coffee drinking on NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS The existing evidence showed coffee drinking did not significantly decrease the occurrence and progression of NAFLD. In addition, different kinds of coffee failed to show any beneficial efficacy on NAFLD. Thus, coffee is not recommended for people to decrease the occurrence and slow the progression of NAFLD. As we were unable to assess the components of coffee on NAFLD, the results of this meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution. Further study is needed to assess the influence of main ingredient of coffee, caffeine, on NAFLD.

The green credit is one of the effective tools to save energy and reduce pollution, which mainly applies in industry. Thus, this paper explores the impact of green credit on the upgrading of China's industrial structure from the perspective of industrial sectors, by means of a dynamic panel model with the dada from 2005 to 2016. The upgrading of industrial structure is divided into three dimensions to be analyzed-rationalization of industrial structure (RIS), advancement of industrial structure (AIS), and greenization of industrial structure (GIS). The empirical results are also explained by four influence mechanisms-resource allocation, technological innovation, credit catalysis, and policy guidance mechanism. This paper finds that on the national level, green credit has a positive impact on the upgrading of China's industrial structure and plays a significant role in promoting the greenization and advancement of industrial structure. However, on the regional level, the effect of green credit is more complex. First, green credit has a significant positive effect on the GIS in the eastern, central, and western regions of China, which suggests that green credit is conductive to the cleaner production of industry across the country. Second, green credit also has a positive impact on the AIS in these three regions, but the effect is only significant in the eastern region. Third, in terms of the RIS, the effect of green credit is positive but not significant in the eastern and central regions. However, it is negative, not significant as well, in the western region, which can be explained from the perspective of the resource allocation and technological innovation mechanism. In addition, there is a significant positive correlation between the previous period and the current value of RIS, AIS, and GIS, which indicates that there is a significant positive inertia dynamic feature in the upgrading of China's industrial structure.

Human brain is anatomically and functionally asymmetric. How brain asymmetry is initiated and established during fetal development is poorly understood. Accumulating evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in brain development and function. In this study, we investigate miRNA expression profiles in left and right hemispheres of human fetal brains at 12 weeks post conception (PC), and identify 42 miRNAs showing differential expression between two hemispheres using Affymetrix microarray analyses. Target genes for left- and right-biased miRNAs are largely involved in developmental and functional regulations in the cortex such as axon guidance, GABAergic synapse and dopaminergic synapse pathways. Moreover, we find that predicted targets associated with canonical and non-canonical WNT signaling pathway show variations and differential expression between two hemispheres in response to left- and right-biased miRNAs. Our results highlight a potential role of miRNAs in regulating asymmetric development of human fetal brains.

In the context of global warming and environmental deterioration, the environment impact assessment is a crucial institutional guaranty to assure less or no pollution during the process of the economic growth and rapid social development. This paper selected the environmental regulation system in China as a research target and assesses the effectiveness of green tax on the environment through an empirical analysis. The panel data from 2005 to 2015 in different cities in China are employed to analyze with a two-way fixed regression model; it analyzes the impact of environmental instruments like resource tax, excise tax, vehicle purchase tax, and pollutant discharge fees on environmental pollution and finds that the modeling conditions with green tax reform can lead to higher effect on environmental pollutant constrain but is distributed differently among east, central, and west based on the empirical analysis in China. Moreover, resource tax has a significant effect in the east and midwest of China. The effectiveness of excise tax on integrated pollution is not statistically significant. Compared with the midwest, eastern China's green tax had a much better performance on reducing environmental pollution. Pollutant discharge fees indicates a significant negative correlation to integrated pollution. The consumption of the other goods (like meat consumption) plays a mediating effect between vehicle purchase tax and integrated environmental pollution. In addition, the relevant policy recommendations are proposed against different tax types.

WRKY protein is one of the largest plant-specific transcription factors that plays critical roles in plant stress responses, but few WRKY transcription factors have been functionally analyzed in strawberry. In this study, a Botrytis cinerea response WRKY gene, FvWRKY50, was isolated from the woodland strawberry. Expression analysis indicated that the transcript of FvWRKY50 was gradually decreased with fruit ripening, but was significantly induced by B. cinerea infection in mature strawberry fruit. Subcellular localization assay revealed that FvWRKY50 was localized in the nucleus. Several cis-elements related to pathogen responses were observed in the promoter region of FvWRKY50. Pathogen infection assay indicated that overexpression of FvWRKY50 in strawberry fruit significantly enhanced their resistance against B. cinerea, while the silencing of FvWRKY50 dramatically compromised their disease-resistant ability. The expression levels of several genes involved in jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis, signaling transduction, and antimicrobial protein biosynthesis were regulated to diverse extents in FvWRKY50 overexpressed and silenced fruit. Collectively, our study inferred that FvWRKY50 is a positive regulator that mediates resistance against B. cinerea through regulating some JA pathway and defense-related genes.

Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is a leading cause of cancer deaths, and the outcome of the patients remains dismal for the lack of effective biomarkers of early detection. Recent studies have elucidated the landscape of genomic alterations of gastric cancer and reveal some biomarkers of advanced-stage gastric cancer, however, information about early-stage biomarkers is limited. Here, we adopt Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to screen potential biomarkers for early-stage STAD using RNA-Seq and clinical data from TCGA database. We find six gene clusters (or modules) are significantly correlated with the stage-I STADs. Among these, five hub genes, i.e., MS4A1, THBS2, VCAN, PDGFRB, and KCNA3 are identified and significantly de-regulated in the stage-I STADs compared with the normal stomach gland tissues, which suggests they can serve as potential early diagnostic biomarkers. Moreover, we show that high expression of VCAN and PDGFRB is associated with poor prognosis of STAD. VCAN encodes a large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan that is the main component of the extracellular matrix, and PDGFRB encodes a cell surface tyrosine kinase receptor for members of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family. Consistently, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of differentially expressed genes in the STADs indicates terms associated with extracellular matrix and receptor ligand activity are significantly enriched. Protein-protein network interaction analysis (PPI) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) further support the core role of VCAN and PDGFRB in the tumorigenesis. Collectively, our study identifies the potential biomarkers for early detection and prognosis of STAD.

Climate change calls for worldwide public concern and effort to cut down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and globally realize sustainable development. As one of the largest energy consumers, the construction industry plays a crucial role in achieving the national carbon emission reduction goal. This paper, by employing an improved Kaya model, explored the relationships and trends among carbon emission, energy consumption, and GDP growth rate and carbon emission intensity of the Chinese construction industry. Results showed that the carbon emission of the construction industry is mainly affected by GDP growth of construction scale. The energy consumption was the main driver to the increase of carbon emissions. The carbon emissions of unit area and carbon intensity showed a decreased trend with the development of economy and the increase of construction scale. The dependence of construction activities on the fossil fuel remained despite noticeable decrease. Energy intensity helps to reduce construction carbon emissions. Low carbon economy development of construction industry calls for technological innovation, alternative energy and new technical support for further breakthrough. These findings provide scientific evidence of carbon emissions in the Chinese construction industry and useful inputs for industry-specific emission regulations.

The validity of performance evaluation is determined by, and therefore greatly influenced by, the accuracy of data set. To address such imprecise and negative data problems widely spread in the real world, this paper proposes a second-order cone based robust data envelopment analysis (SOCPR-DEA) model, which is more robust to data variety. Further, this new computational tractable model is applied to analyze 13 new-energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturers from China. The findings support that the SOCPR-DEA model could well mitigate the deficiency caused by data variety, and the evidence from Chinese NEV industry shows that a focus strategy is more likely to enhance a firm’s efficiency especially at its emerging stage, and the efficiency is more sensitive with production cost than other factors such as research and development, sales income, earnings per share, and predicted income. In addition, this paper also gives some industrial implications and policy suggestions based on these interesting findings.

In this study, we explore the effect of cojumps within the agricultural futures market, and cojumps between the agricultural futures market and the stock market, on stock volatility forecasting. Also, we take into account large and small components of cojumps. We have several noteworthy findings. First, large jumps may lead to more substantial fluctuations and are more powerful than small jumps. The effect of cojumps and their decompositions on future volatility are mixed. Second, a model including large and small cojumps between the agricultural futures market and the stock market can achieve a higher forecasting accuracy, implying that large and small cojumps contain more useful predictive information than cojumps themselves. Third, our conclusions are robust based on various robustness tests such as the realized kernel, expanding forecasts, different forecasting windows, different jump tests, and different threshold values.

As the natural resources are becoming exhausted, energy consumption by metro systems dominates internal transportation resources in urban areas. The comprehensive exploration of energy improvements in lighting system energy is necessary. To evaluate the energy-saving potential and identify the efficiency improvement opportunities for lighting operations in metro systems, an intelligent energy management system for metro stations is examined through a case study in Nanchang city of China. First, the study explores the main factors influencing the lighting energy consumption of metro systems and analyses the lighting distribution in different station regions. Second, DIALux software is employed to optimize and monitor the best illuminating effect for hall lighting in the selected station. Third, an intelligent model is proposed for the lighting system based on the energy-saving scheme and solution using BECH energy analysis software combined with DIALux software. A thermal model is proposed to verify the energy and load performances. Results show that (1) the proper layout by means of DIALux software, can not only meet the functional demands of lighting but also reduce energy consumption; (2) intelligent lighting control system can improve the lighting energy-saving design, and the lighting control framework is capable of refined control; and (3) based on the performance analyses, the solution with the adopted DALI digital light adjustment is helpful for increasing passengers' comfort and realizing the goals reduction.The novelty is to integrate the lighting energy saving solution with software within an intelligent management and verified its valuable application, it is practical for construction emission control. Keywords: Lighting system, Influence factors, Artificial intelligent control technology, Energy management system

This chapter aims to help researchers and practitioners understand what issues or subjects have been addressed in green and low-carbon technology innovation and initiate a journey for the next generation of sustainable-oriented research. Thus, the researchers examined the literature enlisted in the database of Web of Science on topics regarding green technology and low-carbon technology innovations from 1994 to 2018. Based on the literature review, the critical discussion and conclusions are that: (1) the research of Western Europe and North America is highly advanced compared with other developing countries, especially in terms of new resources and renewable energy technology innovations. The positive journey of green and low-carbon technology innovations is outstanding. (2) Empirical research such as sample surveys and field studies with primary data are prevalent and outweigh other methods (conceptual, qualitative, and formal models research). (3) The research subjects are multiperspective and multidisciplinary, covering environment science, management, energy and fuels, economics, and social behavior. So far, research fields mainly focus on technology adoption, diffusion, transfer, policy-making or implementation, and advanced technology development. New vibrancy of advanced theoretical and methodological research is needed, especially for the trajectory of low-carbon technology innovations, performance evaluation, government policy instruments, and multilevel cooperation among enterprises, governments, and entrepreneurship development. (4) The trend of low-carbon and green technology research appears to be an interdisciplinary research with themes related to environmental subjects, science technology, business economics, engineering, and energy and fuels. (5) Different policy implementations have different effects owing to the diverse cost structures and the levels of maturity of renewable energy. (6) Green and low-carbon technology innovations cannot be isolated from the policy or regulation regime; it is becoming a new underpinning of current sustainable development coupled with social energy systems contributing to eliminate climate change.

In this article, we investigate the impacts of jump intensity on the volatility of futures in the oil futures market using the heterogeneous autoregressive model of realized range-based volatility (HAR-RRV) and its extended model. We present several interesting and notable findings. First, short-term investors have larger influences on oil futures price volatility. In addition, negative returns are significant, but the effects of jumps and their intensity (probability) appear to not be significant during the in-sample period. Second, the out-of-sample results statistically support that our proposed models are able to achieve higher forecast accuracy than that of the benchmark in both the statistical and economic senses, especially when including the combination of significant jumps and jump intensity. Third, our findings are strongly robust in various checks, such as different forecasting windows, sampling frequencies, and volatility measures.

Urban ecosystem has become a critical part of ecological security and draws much attention worldwide. It is both a result of natural ecological system development, and also an inevitable outcome of human ecological system development within a certain stage, with the objective of identifying the possible improvement space for unban ecological security evaluation from complex system perspective. Based on the brittle structure model and set pair theory, this paper firstly explored the main research methods of urban ecological security theory and its characteristics, then conducted a theory of complex system brittleness to analyze the urban ecological security brittle factors, brittle primitives, and brittle structure. Furthermore, it conducted a model of urban ecological system brittleness correlation entropy together with a set pair analysis method to discuss its brittleness. And finally, an ecological safety evaluation has been presented based on the empirical case in Chengdu City of China. The theoretical and empirical analysis shows that the brittle correlation entropy of natural subsystem in urban ecological security is the biggest one. The risks from natural subsystem collapse can easily trigger the brittleness of the entire urban system. The corresponding maximum brittle fluctuation entropy is from economic subsystem; it has a largest impact on the entropy change of urban ecosystem. The way of reducing the uncertainty of urban ecological risks is to lower difference degree coefficient in the system. Relevant decision makers should consider to reduce the increasing degree of entropy and eliminate the fluctuation of the brittle factors. Thus, the threats or risks of urban ecological system can be within the acceptable range and under control. An integrated system management combing with brittleness characters of natural, economics, and social subsystem is necessary. It is helpful for the ecological security construction.

This paper aims to identify the most informative determinant in forecasting crude oil market volatility. We use a new GARCH-class model based on mixed data sampling regression and the dynamic model averaging combination method to examine the predicting power of the determinants. We integrate both the global economic policy uncertainty (GEPU) indices and several national economic policy uncertainty (EPU) indices with traditional determinants, such as global oil demand, supply, and speculation. Our analysis suggests that the EPU indices comprehensively integrate the information contained in other determinants. Specifically, GEPU indices and the U.S.’s EPU index have superior predictive powers for West Texas Intermediate spot oil volatility. This finding highlights the importance of EPU indices, implying that they are key factors to consider when determining crude oil market volatility.

In China, the social risks associated with housing demolition increasingly challenge the success of urban redevelopment projects. In practice, these risks are interacting and are associated with various stakeholders. Previous studies have largely focused on risk identification and evaluation without giving sufficient consideration to stakeholders and their linkages with risks. Therefore, we used social network analysis to investigate social risks related to housing demolition, from a stakeholder perspective. Stakeholder-associated risks and their interrelations were investigated based on a literature analysis and interviews with key stakeholders. Using a network analysis we identified critical risks and their corresponding stakeholders. Social security schemes, efficient financial management, multi-dimensional impact assessments, policy analyses and adherence to laws, and public participation were proposed to mitigate risks. The effectiveness of these solutions was quantified based on a network simulation. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on social risk management via linking social risks with stakeholders.

As a response to climate change, low carbon development has attracted a growing public attention. It is urgent to implement low carbon economy through technological innovation so that carbon emissions can be reduced effectively. The synergy and cooperation amongst the participants is required due to various challenges such as: multi-participants, multi-objectives and multi-technologies. These present significant challenges to the low carbon technology (LCT) innovation development. The objective of this study is to identify the relevant driving forces of LCT innovation and their interaction in the construction industry. This paper firstly analyzes the interrelationships of the participants via a methodology of system dynamics (SD) and questionnaire survey. The main driving forces and related influential factors are highlighted by means of a deductive method. Moreover, a SD model is established to examine the driving forces where government and private firms all play a role. The results show that LCT integration driving forces are significantly influenced by the continuous changes of a particular low carbon project as well as the number of participating enterprises. All the driving forces reflect an increasingly level of effectiveness. According to the model simulation, it will take a long period of time to transform traditional projects to low carbon projects. China needs at least 21 years that the quantity of low carbon buildings exceeds that of traditional ones. As a result, the building and construction industry is facing a significant challenge in terms of carbon emissions reduction. The numbers of enterprises participating in LCT innovation will not always increase with the enhancement of driving forces. Rather, it will keep at a stable level after a certain growth. A particular one single driving force has limited impact on the growth of low carbon projects and participating enterprises. System integration plays a crucial role to achieve the low carbon development.

The Bayan Obo deposit in Inner Mongolia, North China Craton (NCC) is the largest rare-earth element (REE) resource in the world. Due to the complex element and mineral compositions and the activity of several geological events, the ore-forming mechanism is still controversial. Previous models are reviewed here to provide information for further investigation on the Bayan Obo deposit. In this study, we summarize all different types of Fe-REE-Nb mineralization using field observations and microscope work, in which we recognize 9 types of Fe-REE-Nb ores in the Bayan Obo ore district. By compiling and re-evaluating a large number of published geochemical data, this paper provides solid evidence that the Bayan Obo deposit formed through interaction between sedimentary rocks and carbonatite magmatism. From the results of our review, it can be conjectured that the formation of iron ores was originated from sedimentation (Pt1), whereas the formation of REE mineralized dolomite might be related to interaction and reaction between the carbonatite magmas and/or associated fluids with sedimentary carbonate rocks, with the REE-bearing carbonatite magmas having undergone intense fractionation enrichment process. The C-O-S-Fe-Mg isotopes indicate that the REE-Nb mineralization was derived from metasomatism (fenitic alteration) of sedimentary carbonate. A new model is proposed for this unique REE-Nb mineralization, which is related to the subduction of Siberian Craton beneath the North China Craton since Early Paleozoic period. We interpret that the Bayan Obo Fe-REE-Nb ore deposits and their massive barren host, H8 dolomite, were generated as a result of interaction of fluids expelled from a subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM)-derived carbonatite magma with sedimentary carbonates.

Last decades have witnessed growing public concerns on sustainable development in China arguably due to the social and environmental issues associated with the rapid urbanization. As a result, sustainable neighborhood development has attracted an increasing level of attention from both industry and government. A number of factors exist that may impede the development of sustainable neighborhoods. This study aims to explore the inter-relationship amongst various barriers to sustainable neighborhood development with consideration given to the complex nature of the system. A hierarchical structural model is developed via interpretative structural modeling, which is followed by a classification via Matrice d’Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquee a un Classeement (MICMAC) analysis. The complex inter-relationships among various barriers to the sustainable neighborhood developments are examined. The most influential barriers are identified, i.e. unsustainable urbanization mode, lack of supporting policy, lack of national standards and assessment tools, and unsustainable planning. Top priorities can be assigned to deal with these issues properly to facilitate the development of sustainable neighborhoods. This informs the urban policy making process as well as industry practices.

Innovation has been valued as a main driving force of social development, and the need for environmental protection has further raised green innovation development. Previous studies have confirmed that industrial agglomeration has an innovation spillover effect, and furthermore it varies with different agglomeration modes. However, the addition of environmental regulation could exert effects on the innovation spillover of industrial agglomeration. Based on Chinese provincial panel data from 2003 to 2017, this paper tested the effect of different agglomeration modes on green technology innovation (green process innovation and green product innovation) under environmental regulation. Research found that: when industrial agglomeration promotes green technology innovation, environmental regulation will inhibit agglomeration innovation; when industrial agglomeration hinders green technology innovation, environmental planning will promote agglomeration innovation. The regional difference of cluster development are obvious in China, and the effect of agglomeration innovation in different regions is also different. In the implementation of environmental regulation for each region, it is necessary to combine the current situation of cluster development to effectively promote green technology innovation.

The Bayan Obo Fe–REE–Nb deposit is a world-largest REE deposit in Inner Mongolia, North China Craton. It also contains large Fe and Nb reserves. The REE ore body is hosted in H8 dolomite of the Bayan Obo Group. Depositional time and genesis of H8 dolomite are still controversial in addressing the genesis of the REE deposit. In this study, Pb–Pb age and geochemical features of carbonate minerals in H8 dolomite have been studied, providing constraints to genesis of H8 dolomite and the REE deposit. Results of Pb–Pb dating from unmetamorphosed and non-mineralized domains of the H8 dolomite well constrain the depositional age as 1619 ± 150 Ma, which is earlier than both REE ore and carbonatite dykes in the Bayan Obo region. This indicates that REE mineralization has characteristics of epigenetic origin. Geochemical data of carbonate minerals in H8 dolomite have low REE contents, distinctly distinguished from those carbonatitic dykes. However, the fine-grained H8 dolomite whole rocks have high REE contents, similar to those carbonatitic dykes. Mineral analysis suggests a close relationship between REE mineralization and calcite carbonatite dykes and related-derived fluids, which could transport a large amounts of REE. Integrated with these new geochronological and geochemical data, we draw conclusion that the Bayan Obo Group was a Proterozoic depositional succession, REE mineralization is as result of sedimentary carbonate rocks once being metasomatised by fluids derived from regional REE-rich calcite carbonatitic magma at depth.

Sharing economy represents a new business model in which the access to goods, services, spaces, and other assets can be shared or obtained. Sharing economy firms have been able to achieve global levels of success at an unprecedented space. It is acknowledged by the public and enterprises due to intensive utilization of resources. In order to help enterprises understand and clarify the resources efficiency improvement mechanism of environmental impact during the promotion of the sharing economy model in operation, this paper explores the evolutionary history and value chain of different bicycle consumption pattern, then employs a queuing theory to discuss the feasibility of the sharing bicycle company recycle system from the perspective of value chain and analyzes the approach to improve the efficiency of recycling system. It creates a model against current traditional recycling mechanism which contains production, consumption and recycling process with a queuing theory as a base. Related cost and benefit calculation are analyzed based on an example simulation, an empirical application in two sharing bicycle companies are discussed as well. Result shows that, if the ration of operating cost of each recycle station and the average reduction cost each bicycle recycle can meet a range between the average number of bicycles in recycle station and the average number of bicycles waiting to be recycled, the sharing bicycle resource recycle efficiency can be improved, accordingly, it can not only alleviate the urban environmental problems as it allows idle assets to gain more usage but also generate more frequent economic activity, the bicycle companies have a value adding in sharing bicycle operation from the efficiency improvement. The comparison between two major sharing bicycle enterprises (OFO and Mobike) with two different schemes in China indicates that the model with self-source of damaged bicycles recycling are more beneficial than the model with the public help of the damaged bicycles recycling.

The Bayan Obo deposit in the Inner Mongolia, North China Craton, is the largest rare-earth element (REE) resource in the world. The deposit is hosted in Mesoproterozoic sediments of the Bayan Obo Group, the lithological sequence of which has been divided into seventeen units (H1–H17). The REE mineralization is mainly concentrated in the H8 dolomite unit, and therefore the depositional age of this unit is important in addressing the debate over the genesis of the REE–Fe–Nb ore deposit. Here we present U–Pb and Hf model ages of zircons from the adjacent H9 slate. Our data suggest that the H9 slate formed at 1505 ± 12 Ma and the H8 dolomite was deposited during the Mesoproterozoic. We also present Ar–Ar ages of riebeckite in veins cutting the H8 dolomite and biotite in the ore bodies which show 389.5 ± 3.0 Ma and 289.1 ± 1.8 Ma, respectively. The U–Pb measurements from overgrowth zircon in H9 slate give an age of 518.8 ± 7.5 Ma. These new age data indicate that the Bayan Obo deposit was disturbed during thermal events at 520 Ma to 390 Ma, generating a second phase of REE–Nb mineralization. The δ7Li values of the REE mineralized dolomite are similar to those of carbonatite dykes. Combined with ɛNd features, we provide geochemical evidences that REE mineralized dolomite has undergone fluid interaction. Results reveal that the carbonatite magmatism occurred within the Bayan Obo rift at ca. 1.2 Ga, provided the primary source for REE–Nb mineralization or to fertilize the Bayan Obo crust, and the later was remobilized during the Caledonian to generate the second phase of mineralization within a convergent plate margin regime.

Risk measurement has both theoretical and practical significance in risk management. Using daily sample of 10 international stock indices, firstly this paper models the internal structures among different stock markets with C-Vine, D-Vine and R-Vine copula models. Secondly, the Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES) of the international stock markets portfolio are forecasted using Monte Carlo method based on the estimated dependence of different Vine copulas. Finally, the accuracy of VaR and ES measurements obtained from different statistical models are evaluated by UC, IND, CC and Posterior analysis. The empirical results show that the VaR forecasts at the quantile levels of 0.9, 0.95, 0.975 and 0.99 with three kinds of Vine copula models are sufficiently accurate. Several traditional methods, such as historical simulation, mean-variance and DCC-GARCH models, fail to pass the CC backtesting. The Vine copula methods can accurately forecast the ES of the portfolio on the base of VaR measurement, and D-Vine copula model is superior to other Vine copulas.

This article examined the literatures enlisted in the database of SCI and SSCI on the topics with regard to green technology and low carbon technology innovation from 1994 to 2010. It intends the service with the purpose of helping researchers and practitioners understand what issues or subjects have been addressed in green and low carbon technology innovation and initiate a journey for the next generation of sustainable‐oriented research. Some critical discussion and conclusion are as follows: (1) it shows a positive journey of green and low carbon technology innovation. The research of Western Europe and North America is highly advanced compared to other developing countries, especially in terms of new resource and renewable energy technology innovation. (2) The empirical research, such as sample survey and field study with primary data, is prevalent and preponderating over other methods (conceptual, qualitative and formal models research). (3) The research subjects are multi-perspective and multi-disciplinary, covering environment science, management, energy and fuels, economics and social behavior. So far the research fields mainly focus on technology adoption, diffusion, transfer, policy making or implementation, and advanced technology development. New vibrancy of advanced theoretical and methodological research is particularly needed, especially for low carbon technology innovation trajectory, performance evaluation, government policy instrument and multi-level cooperation among enterprises, governments and NGOs. (4) The local governments and NGOs have played a key role on the promotion of low carbon techniques particularly in developing countries such as China. (5) Green and low carbon technology innovation cannot be isolated from the policy or regulation regime, and is becoming a new underpin of current sustainable development coupled with social energy system contributing to control the climate change.

Geochemical characteristics of different dolomites in the Bayan Obo giant REE–Nb–Fe deposit in Inner Mongolia have been studied. Intensively REE-mineralized dolomites (total REE over 800 ppm) show similar geochemical characteristics to associated carbonatite dykes, with Ba, Th, REE enrichments and Sr, Nb, Ti, Cu depletions, which is different from those of dolomites in the deposit with low REE contents (total REE less than 800 ppm). The low REE dolomites display some transitional characteristics between carbonatite dyke and sedimentary carbonate, with La depletion and Nb enrichment. This indicates that the genesis of the REE-mineralized dolomites might be related to both carbonatite magma and sedimentary carbonates. Sulfur isotope data indicates two sulfur sources, a mantle source (δ34S c.a. 0‰) and seawater (δ34S c.a. +25‰). It is proposed that mineralized dolomites in the Bayan Obo giant REE–Nb–Fe deposit are the product of sedimentary carbonate hydrothermally metasomatised by carbonatite magma and/or associated fluids. These dolomites formed the large-scale rare earth mineralization in the unique Bayan Obo REE–Nb–Fe deposit.

miR‑574‑5p has been reported involved in the pathogenesis of numerous human malignancies such as colorectal and lung cancer. In this study, we aimed to explore the roles of REL and miR‑574 in the recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) and to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our literature search found that miR‑574 is regulated in cancer stem cells (CSCs), and next we used the microRNA (miRNA) database (www.mirdb.org) to find REL as a target of miR‑574. Luciferase assay was performed to verify the miRNA/target relationship. Oligo-transfection, real‑time PCR and western blot analysis were used to support the conclusions. We validated REL to be the direct gene via luciferase reporter assay system, and real‑time PCR and western blot analysis were also conducted to study the mRNA and protein expression level of REL between different groups (recurrence and non‑recurrence) or cells treated with scramble control, miR‑574 mimics, REL siRNA and miR‑574 inhibitors, indicating the negative regulatory relationship between miR‑574 and REL. We also investigated the relative viability of prostate CSCs when transfected with scramble control, miR‑574 mimics, REL siRNA and miR‑574 inhibitors to validate miR‑574 to be positively interfering with the viability of prostate CSCs. We then investigated the relative apoptosis of prostate CSCs when transfected with scramble control, miR‑574 mimics, REL siRNA and miR‑574 inhibitors. The results showed miR‑574 inhibited apoptosis. In conclusion, miR‑574 might be a novel prognostic and therapeutic target in the management of PCa recurrence.

The Bayan Obo giant REE–Nb–Fe deposit in Inner Mongolia is the most famous and largest REE deposit in the world. Its genesis has been long disputed. Carbonate rocks of this deposit are divided into four categories based on their texture, mineral assemblage and geological occurrence: (1) Sedimentary limestone and dolostone, (2) Deformed mineralized coarse-grained dolomite marble, (3) Fine-grained dolomite marble, and (4) Carbonatite dykes. In this study, major and trace elements of different dolomite marbles are analyzed by XRF and ICP-AES and mineral compositions are analyzed by EPMA. Results show that major, trace and rare earth elements of coarse-grained dolomite marble samples are comparable to those of sedimentary carbonate rocks. In comparison, geochemical features of the fine-grained dolomite marbles are comparable with those of carbonatites. The SrO and MnO concentrations analyzed by EPMA in carbonate minerals from fine-grained dolomite marble are similar to carbonatite, and where least altered, carbonates from coarse-grained dolomite marble retain SrO signatures of sedimentary carbonates. We find that coarse-grained dolomite marbles are the result of weak mineralization of sedimentary carbonate rocks, and fine-grained dolomite marbles are the product of intensive mineralization by REE-rich fluids derived from carbonatitic magma. Moreover, SrO content in carbonate minerals is a more sensitive indicator than MnO to distinguish carbonatite from sedimentary carbonate rock in the Bayan Obo REE–Nb–Fe deposit.

Quartz from sandstone‐type uranium deposits in the east part of the Ordos Basin contains abundant secondary fluid inclusions hosted along sealed fractures or in overgrowths. These inclusions consist mainly of water with NaCl, KCl, CO2 (135–913 ppm) and trace amounts of CO (0.22–16.8 ppm), CH4 (0.10–1.38 ppm) and [SO4]2− (0.35–111 ppm). Homogenization temperatures of the studied fluid inclusions range from 90 to 210°C, with salinities varying from 0.35 to 12.6 wt‐% (converted to NaCl wt%), implying multiple stages of thermal alteration. Although high U is associated with a high homogenization temperature in one case, overall U mineralization is not correlated with homogenization temperature nor with salinity. The H and O isotopic compositions of fluid inclusions show typical characteristics of formation water, with δ18O ranging from 9.8 to 12.3‰ and δD from 26.9 to −48.6‰, indicating that these fluid inclusions are mixtures of magmatic and meteoric waters. The oxygen isotope ratios of carbonates in cement ...

The distribution of dissolved (D) and acid-dissolvable (AD) Fe, Ni, Cu and Pb in the upper water column (0–300mdepth)was determined in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean (140°E meridian) during three cruises conducted between November 2001 and March 2002. For Ni and Cu, therewas no significant difference in concentration between dissolved and acid-dissolvable species. DNi and DCu showed significant (P = 0.01) positive correlations with silicate, phosphate and nitrate, reflecting their strong nutrient-type behaviour. For Fe and Pb, the acid-dissolvable concentration mostly exceeded the dissolved concentration, reflecting the importance of labile particulate species for these elements. DPb decreased between January and February in the Polar Frontal Zone and in Antarctic continental shelf water. ADPb maxima occurred in the Antarctic Zone, resulting in a maximum AD/D ratio of 7. The mean DFe concentration in the surface mixed layer was 0.3 nM in the sub-Antarctic zone, 0.4 nM in the Polar Frontal Zone, 0.5 nM in the Antarctic Zone and increased southward beyond the Antarctic Divergence and towards the continent. DFe did not show a clear temporal change in its horizontal distribution, which was in contrast to the other nutrients and trace metals. ADFe substantially increased in Antarctic continental shelf water where the AD/D ratio reached 11. The following conclusions can be drawn from these data. (1) Ni and Cu exist exclusively as dissolved species and their distributions are mainly controlled by their biogeochemical cycling, similar to those of the major nutrients. (2) Pb is dominated by particulate species. The distribution of DPb is temporally and spatially variable due to a sporadic source and strong scavenging. (3) DFe is rather a minor fraction of total Fe in Antarctic continental shelf water where shelf sediments and Antarctic sea-ice appear to be strong sources for Fe. There is substantial temporal variation in the supply of Fe to the upper water column. DFe in the mixed layer of the open Southern Ocean is maintained at low concentrations throughout summer due to uptake by phytoplankton and scavenging.

In recent 20 years, the most important advancement of rectal cancer surgery is the total mesorectal excision(TME) and laparoscopic minimal invasive surgery. However, visualization of the distal rectum is still troublesome because of narrow pelvic, bulky tumor, and especially obese male patients. A possible solution for this situation is distal rectal mobilization by transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS), or even pure transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME). When people applaud a new era of rectal cancer surgery is coming, we must also concern about the patients selection, the long-term follow up results and even the operative safety.

Dissolved and acid-dissolvable Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb were measured in the North Pacific Ocean (40–17°N, 151°E–160°W) in June–July 2000. Immediately after the collection, a portion of seawater for dissolved species was filtered with a 0.2-μm filter and acidified to pH 2.2 with HCl. A portion of seawater for acid dissolvable species was acidified to pH 2.2 with HCl without filtration and stored for 3 years at an ambient temperature. In our laboratory, the dissolved and acid dissolvable trace metals were concentrated using a chelating column technique and determined by ICP-MS. Profiles of dissolved and acid dissolvable Fe show a large intra-basin variation. The concentrations are 0.3–1.4 nM for dissolved Fe (D Fe) and 0.7–4.7 nM for acid dissolvable Fe (AD Fe) in deep water. The concentrations are high at stations in the northwestern area and southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. AD Fe increases below 4000 m suggesting resuspension of sedimentary material. For Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd, the concentrations of dissolved and acid dissolved species mostly agree within an experimental error. Deep water distributions of Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd are fairly uniform in the basin. AD Pb is significantly higher than D Pb especially in surface water. Comparison to our previous data on the dissolved trace metals in the subarctic North Pacific in July–September 1997 (Fujishima et al., 2001) indicates non-uniform distributions of the bioactive trace metals in the surface mixed layer in the North Pacific. In the subtropical region, chlorophyll biomass is very low owing to depletion of major nutrients, resulting in surface maxima of D Fe and D Zn. In the subarctic region, D Fe and D Zn are depleted in the surface mixed layer. In contrast, D Co and D Ni are high in the northwestern subarctic area and low in the subtropical gyre.

Green building has achieved a rapid growth as a result of growing public awareness of environmental impacts of the building stock. It is not unusual that governments use policies as a driving force for green building developments. It is well recognized that effective public policies help to overcome barriers to sustainable development. This study proposed a novel approach to evaluate the effectiveness of policies related to green buildings based on the fuzzy impact matrix. This approach was then tested in the Chinese context to assess how effective are those green building policies implemented during the “Eleventh-Five-Year” period. It is found that these green building related policies are heavily environmental sustainability oriented such as building energy efficiency, emission reduction and pollution control. The results showed that some of these policies are effective for promoting green building development in China. However more efforts are required to improve the policy effectiveness on a range of issues such as the fiscal incentive mechanisms; the transformation to integration design model; the development of energy management contracting market; the enhancement of regulatory control during the demolition stage; and increasing the service life of buildings. These findings provide a useful reference to the future policy making process. Refereed/Peer-reviewed