Residents' Willingness to Pay for Water Pollution Treatment and Its Influencing Factors: a Case Study of Taihu Lake Basin.

This study designs a double-bounded dichotomous questionnaire, and uses the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to estimate residents' willingness to pay(WTP) for water pollution control along the Taihu Lake Basin. The results of the returned questionnaire show that 82.76% of the residents are willing to pay. CVM estimation results show that the average WTP of residents for water pollution control is 138.86 yuan/year. In addition, the influencing factors of WTP are explored using a Logistic regression model, and the heterogeneity of WTP among residents of different genders is analyzed. The study found that: (1) The younger the residents, the higher their WTP; (2) The higher the income, the higher the residents' WTP for water pollution control; (3) Residents with higher educational level are more willing to pay; (4) The higher the degree of residents' understanding of water pollution control policies, the higher the WTP; (5) The higher the degree of residents' recognition of pro-environmental behavior, the higher the WTP; (6) Male residents' WTP is mainly affected by cognitive factors such as their understanding of governance policies and their approval of pro-environmental behaviors, while female residents' WTP is mainly affected by personal attributes, such as age, income, and the number of household laborers. Furthermore, this study proposes targeted measures to improve residents' WTP from three aspects: the government enriches the channels for residents to participate in water pollution control, the social media enriches the popularization of water environment knowledge, and the school strengthens the education of environmental protection knowledge, considering the differences in residents' characteristics. Therefore, this study can provide a theoretical reference and decision-making basis for encouraging residents to participate in water pollution control, promote the construction of a beautiful watershed, and provide a reference for other basins.

Policy evaluation of economic - environmental tradeoffs in regulating industrial water use: An agent-based model.

Water resource shortage and water pollution are prominent and urgent resource and environment problems. Industrial water consumption and sewage discharges account for a large proportion of the total sewage discharge of China. Therefore, scientifically regulating the water consumption and sewage discharge of industrial enterprises can effectively alleviate water scarcity and pollution problems. By establishing a multi-agent model, this study simulates the water use behavior of industrial enterprises, exploring the responses of industrial enterprises to a different type of scenarios for water management that can coordinate economic and environmental benefits. The purpose is to reduce the water consumption and pollutant emissions of industrial enterprises while achieving economic benefits, so as to provide policy references for water authorities. The results show that: 1) The three policies of water price, water resource tax and emission reduction subsidy can effectively regulate the water consumption and sewage discharge of enterprises. 2) Water price and water resource tax rate need to be controlled within a reasonable range. Appropriate water price and water resource tax rate can encourage enterprises to increase R&D investment. On this basis, it is suggested to emphasize the two-way influence of the government and enterprises, continue to implement water resources management policies such as water resources tax, so as to promote the balance between ecology and economy.

Formation mechanism of residents' intention to purchase commercial health insurance: the moderating effect of environmental pollution perception.

Aim: With the development of the social economy, commercial health insurance in China has gradually been recognized by residents, but it is still in the initial stage of the market. To identify influencing factors of residents' intention to purchase commercial health insurance and to explore the influencing mechanism and heterogeneity of intention, this study aimed to reveal the formation mechanism of intention to purchase commercial health insurance. Methods: This study introduced water and air pollution perceptions as moderating variables and, constructed a theoretical framework combining the stimulus-organism-response model and the theory of reasoned action models. The structural equation model was developed, and multigroup analysis and moderating effect analysis were carried out. Results: The results show that advertising marketing and the behavior of relatives and friends positively influence cognition. Cognition, as well as advertising marketing and behavior of relatives and friends, has a positive impact on attitude. Furthermore, purchase intention is positively affected by cognition and attitude. Both gender and residence play a significant moderating role in influencing purchase intention. Air pollution perceptions positively moderate the path from  attitude to purchase intention. Conclusion: The validity of the constructed model was verified and could be used to predict the willingness of residents to purchase commercial health insurance. Furthermore, policy recommendations to promote the further development of commercial health insurance were proposed. This study provides a valuable reference for insurance companies to expand the market and for the government to improve commercial insurance policies.

An investigation on the role of electric vehicles in alleviating environmental pollution: evidence from five leading economies.

The relationship between battery electric vehicles (BEV) and carbon dioxide emission (CO2) has significant environmental outcomes. Notwithstanding, battery electric vehicles have not been extensively explored through econometric approach. For countries to meet their net zero targets, it is crucial to consider the role of battery electric vehicles, renewable energy consumption, and CO2. As a result, it is critical to scrutinize a variety of variables that contribute to a sustainable future. This study therefore examines the dynamic correlation between BEV, gross domestic product (GDP), urbanization (URB), renewable energy consumption (REC), population (POP), and CO2 in five leading countries (the United States of America (USA), China, France, Germany, and Norway) using panel data from 2010 to 2020. The study adopted the Westerlund cointegration method to ascertain the long-term nexus among the series. The cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag CS-ARDL technique is adopted to evaluate the variables long-run elasticity. The study applied the common correlated effect mean group (CCEMG) and augmented mean group (AMG) approach to ascertain the robustness of the long-run relationships among the variables. Dumitrescu and Hurlin's panel causality analysis determines the extent of the significant causality linkage. The results demonstrate that increased economic growth, urbanization, and population growth accelerate carbon emissions and environmental depletion. However, BEVs were found to be more energy efficient and the adoption of renewable energy through the manufacturing and battery production process would reduce CO2 emission especially in China and the USA. Finally, the research proposed several policy implications for policy and decision-makers in the five leading countries for combating climate change and increasing productivity in the electric vehicle market and renewable energy consumption.

Appraising the spillover effect of water use efficiency indicators in sub- Saharan Africa: A spatial econometric approach.

The aim of this research is to examine the trend of water use efficiency (WUE) and the spillover effect of its determinants in 28 sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries over the period 2007 to 2018 using the directional distance function (DDF) and the spatial Durbin model. Results of the DDF revealed that the most efficient countries include Botswana, and Liberia whereas countries with poor performance include Niger and South Africa. Also, the average efficiency scores over the study period improved steadily from 0.582 in 2007 to 0.698 in 2018. The study showed that under economic distance weight in the spatial Durbin model, the values of the spatial lag coefficients of urbanisation (URB), export (EX), and education (EDU) depict positive and statistically significant effects on WUE, while industrial activities (IND), foreign direct investment (FDI), and government interference (COR) had an adverse influence on WUE in SSA. Results of the spatial decomposition effect of URB demonstrated a major impact on WUE in both the local and adjacent countries. However, a significant decline of WUE through the direct and indirect impacts of FDI, EX, and COR in the local and neighboring countries was recorded which indicate the presence of a negative spatial dependency on WUE in SSA. The outcome of this study implies that policymakers in SSA countries must strengthen sustainable water resources management decisions with neighbouring countries to achieve sustainable development goal 6 by 2030 and beyond.

Decomposition and decoupling analysis of carbon emissions from agricultural economic growth in China's Yangtze River economic belt.

In this study, carbon emissions from agricultural energy consumption (CEAEC) are fully analyzed using data from the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB) between 2000 and 2017. First, generalized LMDI is adopted to decompose the drivers of CEAEC into five components. Then, the decoupling indicator and the decoupling effort indicator are constructed to quantify the decoupling degrees and examine the government's emission reduction efforts, respectively. The results show that (1) CEAEC in the YEB has shown a phased increase, reaching a peak at 1732.25104t in 2012. Except for some decreases found in Shanghai, Chongqing, and Guizhou, it is shown that all provinces' CEAEC have risen to varying degrees. In contrast, the intensity of CEAEC in the YEB has been declining since 2005. (2) The economic output effect acts as the major contributor to the growth of CEAEC, followed by the population effect. In contrast, both the energy intensity effect and the energy structure effect are the primary reasons for reductions in CEAEC. The spatial difference in CEAEC in the YEB increased significantly from 2000 to 2017. (3) There was an alternating change from decoupling to coupling and then to negative decoupling from 2000 to 2017. Based on the conclusions mentioned above, it is proposed that the formulation of low-carbon agricultural development strategies should consider the structural adjustment of agricultural energy consumption and the advancements of agricultural technology.

Examining the determinants of water resources availability in sub-Sahara Africa: a panel-based econometrics analysis.

With the rapid development of economies, the problem of water resources availability particularly in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) has increased significantly. Specifically, in recent times, addressing the challenge of access to water resources has become a global issue of which countries in SSA are not exceptional since the adequate supply of potable water is as relevant as economic development. Consequently, this current paper seeks to estimate the determinants of water resources availability in sub-Sahara Africa. For this purpose, a panel-based regression model, which represents the availability of water resources, is specified based on the period 2000 to 2016 to examine a panel of 41 SSA countries sub-sectioned into low, lower-middle, and upper-middle-income nations. Considering the existence of residual cross-sectional reliance, outcomes based on the CIP and CADF unit root tests showed that the variables were not integrated at the same order. This thus leads to the employment of the PMG/ARDL estimation approach which unveiled that (i) agriculture production has a significant negative influence on H2O in the lower-middle and low-income panel of SSA countries whereas in the upper-middle-income panel, an insignificant impact is witnessed; (ii) CO2 emissions affect H2O palpably in the upper-middle-income SSA panel while for lower-middle and low-income panels, an adverse effect is identified; (iii) economic growth adversely influenced H2O resources in the lower-middle-income panel whereas in the case of the low-income panel, a significant positive liaison is evidenced; (iv) excluding low-income panel, industrial development concerning H2O has a significant negative influence in upper-middle and lower-middle-income panels; (v) urbanization homogeneously showed a positive relationship with H2O resources across all panels. The results are reconfirmed by the CCEPMG/CS-ARDL and MG employed as robust methods. Causality checks by Dumitrescu-Hurlin test finally revealed a mixture of results regarding the causal paths amid variables among the country panels. Policy recommendations have therefore been proposed based on the study findings.

PUF60 accelerates the progression of breast cancer through downregulation of PTEN expression.

BACKGROUND: PUF60 is a splicing variant of far upstream element binding protein 1-interacting repressor, which is abnormally expressed in a variety of tumors and is closely involved in their progression. However, whether PUF60 participates in the occurrence and development of breast cancer remains unknown. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to explore the effects and mechanism of PUF60 in the progression of breast cancer. METHODS: PUF60 expression patterns in breast cancer tissues and cells were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The relationship between PUF60 expression and patients' clinical features and outcome was evaluated to assess the potential of PUF60 as a marker for progression and prognosis prediction. CCK-8, flow cytometry, transwell and in vivo tumor formation assays were used to detect cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and tumorigenesis. The effects of PUF60 on the activation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT were also evaluated by Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays. RESULTS: The expression of PUF60 was elevated in breast cancer tissue samples and cell lines, and its high expression was closely associated with the high incidence of lymph node metastasis and advanced TNM stage. Besides, upregulation of PUF60 with lentivirus infection significantly increased the growth, migration, and invasion and repressed the apoptosis of breast cancer HCC1937 and MDA-MB-231 cells, while silencing of PUF60 with shRNA showed the opposite results. Moreover, PUF60 upregulation promoted the expression of p-AKT, PI3K, and mTOR, while decreased PTEN expression through inhibiting its stability and enhancing its ubiquitination. Furthermore, upregulation of PUF60 promoted the tumorigenesis in vivo, whereas this effect was impaired when PTEN expression was upregulated in MDA-MB-231 and HCC1937 cells. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that PUF60 is highly expressed in breast cancer; upregulation of PUF60 accelerates the progression of breast cancer through PTEN inhibition.

Molecular epidemiology is becoming complex under the dynamic HIV prevalence: The perspective from Harbin, China.

Unlike most areas of China, HIV transmission via men who have sex with men (MSM) is increasing rapidly, and has become the main route of HIV transmission in Harbin city. The purpose of the current study was to elaborate the molecular epidemiologic characteristics of the new HIV epidemic. Eighty-one HIV-1 gag gene sequences (HXB2:806-1861) from local HIV infections were isolated; CRF01_AE predominated among HIV infections (71.6%), followed by subtype B (16.5%), CRF07_BC (6.2%), and unique recombinant strains (URFs; 6.2%). URFs were most often identified in the MSM population, which consisted of a recombination of CRF01_AE with subtype B or CRF07_BC. Six clusters were formed in this analysis; clusters I and II mainly circulated in southwest China. Clusters III and IV mainly circulated in southwest, southeast, and central China. Clusters V and VI mainly circulated in north and northeast China. Clusters III and IV may facilitate the transmission of the CRF01_AE strain from the southwest to the north and northeast regions of China. HIV subtypes are becoming diverse with the persistent epidemic in this geographic region. In brief, our results indicate that the molecular epidemiology of HIV is trending to be more complex. Thus, timely molecular epidemiologic supervision of HIV is necessary, especially for the MSM population.

[Pre-diabetes mellitus influenced by hyperuricemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship and the influence between pre-diabetes mellitus (PDM) and hyperuricemia (HUA). METHODS: 157 PDM patients, aged 20 to 75 years old were selected from the Second Clinical Medical College of Harbin Medical University, from 2009 February to 2010 February and were divided into HUA group (76 cases) and NUA group (81 cases). All the patients had not been on thiazide drugs. T-test and Pearson correlation analysis were used to calculate the differences and correlation between uric acid and biochemical indicators. RESULTS: In the HUA group,BMI was (27.74±2.88 ) kg/m(2), waist to height ratio (WSR) was(0.55 ± 0.41), TC was (6.61 ± 0.73) mmol/L, TG was(3.94 ± 1.97) mmol/L, LDL-C was (3.60 ± 0.45) mmol/L and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was (3.09 ± 1.20). There were significant differences noticed in BMI, TG, TC, LDL-C, HOMA-IR at higher level in the HUA group than those in the NUA group. Pre-diabetes uric acid levels were positively correlated with TG, TC, LDL-C while HOMA-IR(TG:r = 0.29, TC:r = 0.33,LDL-C:r = 0.49, HOMA-IR:r = 0.51, P < 0.05) was negatively correlated (r = -0.30, P < 0.05)with the HbA1c. CONCLUSION: The levels of PDM uric acid might both be related with TC, TG, LDL-C and HOMA-IR. The High level of uric acid status in vivo appeared closely related to HOMA-IR, which could further promote the progress of pre-diabetic patients to diabetes and causing dyslipidemia. Our findings suggested that the levels of pre-diabetes uric acid levels should be under concern.