The effect exerted by environment regulation on industrial structure optimization: Evidence of 286 China's cities on the prefecture level.

Promoting industrial structure optimization and improvement on the basis of environment regulation based on "China's carbon peak and carbon neutralization" turns out to be a requirement that cannot be avoided for achieving China's economic growth with high quality. In this study, a dynamic game model for enterprises and governments in local areas with two phases, covering a polluting production sector and a clean production sector, is built for analyzing the influence mechanism of environment regulation of local governments on industrial structure optimization. Panel data of 286 cities on the prefecture level and above from 2003 to 2018 served as samples. The direct and dynamic impacts of environment regulation on industrial structure optimization are empirically tested, and the threshold model is adopted to test whether industrial structures and resource endowment will affect the effect of environment regulation on industrial structure optimization. Lastly, the effect exerted by environment regulation on industrial structure optimization is tested by region. The empirical results show that there is a nonlinear correlation of environment regulation and industrial structure optimization. Once the environment regulation intensity reaches a certain inflection point, it will hinder industrial structure optimization. When regional resource endowment and the secondary industry's ratio are used as threshold variables, environment regulation has a threshold effect on industrial structure optimization. The effect exerted by environment regulation on industrial structure optimization has regional heterogeneity.

Global transfer of salinization on irrigated land: Complex network and endogenous structure.

Increasing globalization intensifies land redistribution via global supply chains. Interregional trade not only transfers embodied land but also displaces the negative environmental impact of land degradation from one region to another. This study sheds light on land degradation transfer by focusing on salinization directly whereas previous studies have extensively assessed the land resource embodied in trade. To analyze the relationships among economies under interwoven embodied flows, this study integrates complex network analysis and input-output method to observe the endogenous structure of the transfer system. By focusing on irrigated land with higher crop yields than dryland farming, we make policy recommendations on food safety and proper irrigation. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the total amount of saline and sodic irrigated land embodied in global final demand are 260978.23 and 424291.05 square kilometers respectively. Salt-affected area of irrigated land is imported by not only developed countries but also large developing countries such as Mainland China and India. Exports of embodied salt-affected land in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan are pressing issues, accounting for nearly 60% of total exports from net exporters worldwide. It is also demonstrated that embodied transfer network has a basic community structure of three groups due to regional preference in agricultural products trade.

Identification of QTLs for Heat Tolerance at the Flowering Stage Using Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines in Rice.

High temperature is a major stress in rice production. Although considerable progress has been made in investigating heat tolerance (HT) in rice, the genetic basis of HT at the heading stage remains largely unknown. In this study, a novel set of chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) consisting of 113 lines derived from a heat-resistant indica variety N22 and a heat-sensitive indica variety 9311 was developed and used for the analysis of the genetic basis of HT. The heat sensitivity index (HSI) calculated based on seed-setting rates under natural and high-temperature environments was used to evaluate the influence of HT at the rice heading stage. In total, five quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with HT were detected based on seed-setting rate (SSR) evaluation; these were named qSSR6-1, qSSR7-1, qSSR8-1, qSSR9-1 and qSSR11-1 located on chromosomes 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11, respectively. Heat-tolerant alleles of the QTLs were all derived from N22. Among them, qSSR9-1 overlapped with QTLs identified previously, while the remaining QTLs were found novel. In particular, qSSR7-1 explained a high phenotypic variation of 26.35% with a LOD score of 10.75, thus deserved to be further validated. These findings will increase our understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying HT and facilitate the breeding of heat-tolerant rice varieties.

Contralateral Tongue Deviation Due to Paramedian Pontine Infarction: A Brief Review of Cortico-Hypoglossal Projections.

BACKGROUND Motor function of the tongue is controlled by the hypoglossal nucleus (the lower motor neuron) and its supranuclear innervation (the upper motor neuron). Tongue deviation due to muscle weakness on one side is common in brain stem stroke and is usually associated with dysarthria and dysphagia that decrease the patient's quality of life. This case report presents a typical but rarely discussed case of tongue deviation secondary to a brain stem stroke. In addition, it also offers a concise review of both the ipsilateral and the contralateral cortico-hypoglossal fibers that innervate the hypoglossal nucleus. Even though the direction of the tongue deviation offers essential clues to localizing the brain lesion, many providers lack experience and knowledge in this area. CASE REPORT We report the case of an 81-year-old right-handed male patient with right-sided hemiparesis, right lower facial droop, dysarthria, and tongue deviated to the right side without fasciculation or atrophy. The Babinski sign was positive on the right. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an infarct in the left paramedian pontine. Since both the tongue deviation and the hemiparesis were right-sided, contralateral to the side of the lesion, we concluded that the lesion affected the cortico-hypoglossal fibers and the corticospinal fibers prior to their decussations. CONCLUSIONS The case report reviews the projections of the corticospinal fibers. Each hypoglossal nucleus receives input from both hemispheres, with the contralateral descending fibers passing through the medial part of the ventral pons and the ipsilateral descending fibers passing through the more lateral aspect of the pons. The decussation is generally located at the pontomedullary junction, with exceptions due to individual variance.

A Mysterious Fever and Retropharyngeal Edema on a Previously Healthy 10-Year-Old Boy Without Known Exposure to COVID-19.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is considered a late manifestation of COVID-19 infection, and it is a diagnosis of exclusion after ruling out other causes of systemic inflammations. We present a case of MIS-C to highlight the importance of cardiac workup in MIS-C due to frequent cardiac involvement and discuss the possible association between retropharyngeal edema and MIS-C. The case patient is a 10-year-old previously healthy boy who presented with persistent fever, right-side neck pain, and a new rash. The rash was attributed to recent amoxicillin use by his parents. Pertinent workups included elevated inflammatory markers, a benign electrocardiogram test, a negative urine analysis, blood culture, and retropharyngeal edema by computerized tomography. On day four of hospitalization, the patient failed to improve with broad-spectrum antibiotics and became tachycardic. A repeat echocardiogram revealed a decreased ejection fraction with mitral valve regurgitation. The cardiac finding, the skin finding, the persistent fever, and the initial negative workups fulfilled the case criteria for MIS-C. A positive test for anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain antibodies confirmed the diagnosis, and the patient improved with intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) and steroids. The retropharyngeal edema was thought to be coincidental; however, there seem to be frequent associations between MIS-C and retropharyngeal edema, suggesting that the retropharyngeal edema could be one of the initial manifestations of MIS-C. More study is needed to study the association between retropharyngeal edema and MIS-C and shed light on the diagnosis and medical management of MIS-C.

A complex network perspective on embodiment of air pollutants from global oil refining industry.

The air pollutants emitted from oil refining industry could be transferred across borders through the increasingly complex global trade network. However, the specific structural features of the network remain unclear. Based on the Multi-regional Input-output method and complex network theory, we make a first attempt to trace six oil refining air pollutants embodied in the international trade. The results show that the overall character of the global oil refining air pollutants flow network exhibits small-world behavior, and each node of the network is strongly connected. Therefore, the refining emissions mitigation measures of one node could efficiently radiate to the other nodes connected to it, which provides essential opportunities for collaborative emissions reduction among countries. Besides, the individual characteristics of each node are distinguished, several key nodes dominate the embodied emissions throughout the global oil refining air-pollutants flow network. For specific countries, the United States, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom are the hub economics in importing embodied pollutants in the network, while Russia and Canada are the key exporters. Similarly, the critical paths with large flow still come from the trade between these key nodes. Our estimated results have great policy implications for reducing air pollutants emitted from oil refining industry and also have profound implications for environmental regulation and protection in the world.

d-Allulose Ameliorates Skeletal Muscle Insulin Resistance in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rats.

BACKGROUND: d-Allulose is a rare sugar with antiobesity and antidiabetic activities. However, its direct effect on insulin sensitivity and the underlying mechanism involved are unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of d-allulose on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic (HE)-clamp method and intramuscular signaling analysis. METHODS: Wistar rats were randomly divided into three dietary groups: chow diet, HFD with 5% cellulose (HFC), and HFD with 5% d-allulose (HFA). After four weeks of feeding, the insulin tolerance test (ITT), intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), and HE-clamp study were performed. The levels of plasma leptin, adiponectin, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We analyzed the levels of cell signaling pathway components in the skeletal muscle using Western blotting. RESULTS: d-allulose alleviated the increase in HFD-induced body weight and visceral fat and reduced the area under the curve as per ITT and IPGTT. d-Allulose increased the glucose infusion rate in the two-step HE-clamp test. Consistently, the insulin-induced phosphorylation of serine 307 in the insulin receptor substrate-1 and Akt and expression of glucose transporter 4 (Glut-4) in the muscle were higher in the HFA group than HFC group. Furthermore, d-allulose decreased plasma TNF-α concentration and insulin-induced phosphorylation of stress-activated protein kinase/Jun N-terminal kinase in the muscle and inhibited adiponectin secretion in HFD-fed rats. CONCLUSIONS: d-allulose improved HFD-induced insulin resistance in Wistar rats. The reduction of the proinflammatory cytokine production, amelioration of adiponectin secretion, and increase in insulin signaling and Glut-4 expression in the muscle contributed to this effect.