Objective: To examine the association between hourly spikes in air pollutant exposure and the risk of acute aortic dissection (AAD) onset. Methods: This time-stratified case-crossover study analyzed a national Chinese registry of 3125 AAD cases across 162 cities. Piecewise conditional logistic regression and distributed lag nonlinear models were used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Increases in PM10 (RR = 1.019 per 10 & micro;g/m(3)) and CO (RR =1.184 per 1 mg/m3) were associated with higher AAD risk. Exposure above thresholds yielded increased risks for PM2.5 > 200 & micro;g/m(3 )(RR =1.074 per 10 & micro;g/m(3)) and NO2 > 100 & micro;g/m(3) (RR =1.065 per & micro;g/m(3)). Effects showed lagged patterns for CO and PM10. Males, older adults, hypertensive patients, smokers, and overweight individuals showed greater susceptibility. Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence that hourly air pollution spikes significantly increase AAD risk, supporting targeted public health measures.

As China transitions from regional carbon trading pilots to a unified national Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), understanding spillover effects between China's national and pilot ETSs and accurately predicting national carbon price becomes vital. However, existing studies often overlook multi-scale spillover effects, and rarely embed causal information into prediction models. To address these gaps, this study proposes a causality-guided multi-scale forecasting framework that integrates pilot markets' data, applies Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition (MEMD), and incorporates machine learning models to analyze spillover dynamics and predict national carbon price. The results show that: (1) at the raw data level, no Granger causality relationship is observed between national and pilot ETSs; (2) markets appear uncorrelated at short time scales (2-4 days), exhibit strong bidirectional spillover effects at intermediate scales (approximately one week to one year) likely driven by major events and policy changes, and demonstrate a clear linear trend relationship at long-term scales; (3) incorporating pilot market information significantly improves prediction accuracy, reducing Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) by approximately 0.10%-37.98%. Overall, pilot ETSs offer valuable signals, and the causality-guided multi-scale forecasting framework helps manage the complexity of carbon price prediction. The findings offer insights into the development and improvement of China's national ETS and enhance the effectiveness of carbon price forecasting.

In response to the global challenge of climate change mitigation, Japan has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, Japan’s rapidly aging population and persistently low birthrate may influence its future carbon emissions. Here we examine the evolution of age-based household carbon footprints in Japan between 2005 and 2020, combining a large-scale household survey with multiregional input-output tables. We then estimate future household carbon footprints under different demographic scenarios between 2020 and 2040, exploring the impacts of demographic changes on household carbon footprints. We find that older people in Japan have gradually surpassed younger generations as the highest per capita carbon emitters. Therefore, scenarios that slow aging trends, such as increased fertility rates, could mitigate future per capita carbon footprints. These findings suggest that demographic structure plays an important role in shaping household carbon footprints, and that policies affecting demographic structure, such as fertility policy, may influence future emissions. Older people in Japan have gradually surpassed younger generations as the group with the highest per-capita household carbon footprints, according to a study using historical surveys and multiregional input–output analysis

China has introduced multiple market-oriented policies to achieve its carbon peak and neutrality targets, notably the emission trading scheme (ETS) and energy consumption permit trading scheme (ECPTS), which partly overlap in coverage and mitigation mechanisms. While the individual effects of each policy on emission reduction have been well documented, their joint impact remains unclear. Here, using a difference-in-difference approach combined with propensity score matching, we assess the joint effects of ETS and ECPTS on carbon emissions and intensities based on a city-level emission inventory spanning from 2008 to 2020. We find that although both ETS and ECPTS independently contribute to emission reductions, their concurrent implementation does not yield a significant improvement over the no-policy baseline, suggesting policy crowding-out. Mechanism analysis indicates that this conflict stems from the policies’ mutual crowding-out effects on green technology innovation and energy efficiency improvements. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that policy conflict emerges mainly in third-tier, non-key environmental protection and low fiscal constraint cities, whereas synergy appears in second-tier, key, and high-constraint cities, resulting in significant reductions in carbon intensities. Our findings highlight the importance of establishing a coordinated framework to align carbon and energy trading systems, thereby maximizing their joint contribution to China’s emission mitigation goals.

Secondhand e-commerce (a new form of circular economy) has boomed in digital society. China accounts for 30–44% of global traders, where 46–62 million pieces of used and/or unwanted clothes were exchanged online during 2018–2020. This digital exchange reduces clothing waste and concomitant environmental impacts, which remains unexplored. Here we use individual data for online clothing shopping to explore the life-cycle environmental benefits of Chinese secondhand e-commerce. During 2018–2020, 22–29 kt of secondhand clothes were exchanged online annually in China, avoiding 254–323 kt CO2-equivalent (CO2e) of GHG emissions (2 times the total output from Liechtenstein meanwhile, for example) and 4–6E6 GJ of energy consumption. Most abatements were attributable to avoided production of otherwise new clothes (96%) and from young users (71%) and eastern cities (65%). Our analyses reveal substantial environmental benefits of secondhand e-commerce and detail policies for its ongoing boom to promote carbon neutrality and synergy with nature.

Green finance and the digital economy are now widely acknowledged as crucial catalysts for urban low-carbon transition. However, most studies ignore the synergistic between these two factors, as well as the related mechanisms and the spatial influence. Leveraging panel data from 293 Chinese cities over the period 2014-2022, this paper explores how green finance and the digital economy affect urban low-carbon transition from a synergistic perspective. The results indicate that both factors play substantial roles in facilitating urban low-carbon transition and also exert a synergistic effect. Such synergy is achieved primarily through fostering green technology innovation, advancing industrial upgrading, and improving energy efficiency. Moreover, the synergistic effect generates positive spatial spillovers, promoting low-carbon transition in neighboring areas. Notably, the mitigation effect of these synergies is particularly pronounced in eastern, non-resource-based and lower-carbonintensity cities. These findings offer empirical experience and theoretical insights for promoting the integrated development of urban greening and digitalization.

Public complaints, as an emerging form of informal regulation, have become a critical component of environmental security and sustainable development. However, their effectiveness on sustainable corporate development remains insufficiently understood. This study examines the role of public complaints in promoting sustainable corporate development within China’s industrial sector, with a primary focus on its environmental performance proxied by reductions in air pollutant emissions. Utilizing a unique firm-day panel dataset that integrates real-time monitoring from the Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) with public complaint records, our analysis demonstrates that substantiated public complaints significantly reduce firms’ pollution, with more substantial effects observed in high-innovation firms, confirming the moderating role of technological innovation. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the reduction effects of substantiated complaints vary significantly by firm and industry characteristics, with greater efficacy among larger, younger, state-controlled firms and non-emission-intensive industries. These findings provide novel micro-level evidence that integrating informal regulation into environmental governance can optimize policy strategies, strengthen environmental security, and enhance sustainable development.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance efficiency and reduce emissions, yet also intensifies energy demand through computation and infrastructure. This paradox raises a key question: whether AI policy instrument can reduce urban carbon emission intensity (CI)? Using the quasi-natural experiment of "National New Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation Development Pilot Zone" (AIPZ), this paper investigates the policy's local and spillover impacts on urban CI. Results show that AIPZ reduces CI in pilot cities and neighboring regions. Mechanism analysis reveals that the improvements in labor productivity and green technology innovation serve as main mitigation pathways across local and neighboring areas, while rising computing power demand increases emissions. Energy efficiency gains, though effective in reducing local CI, generate no significant spatial spillovers. Together, the mitigation effects dominate, yielding a net carbon-mitigating outcome especially in eastern, resource-based, and high digital-infrastructure cities. These findings offer insights for fostering AI development via coordinated regional strategies.

The structural integrity of myofibrillar proteins (MP) plays a crucial role in determining the quality of fish meat, whereas reactive oxygen species (ROS) can induce structural alterations and damage to MP. This study investigated whether hydroxytyrosol (HT), a potent polyphenol from olive oil, could improve MP integrity and flesh quality in sub-adult grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), with tea polyphenols as a positive control. Fish were fed one of six diets: a basal diet, four HT-supplemented diets (70, 140, 210, 280 mg/kg), and a TPs-supplemented diet (103 mg/kg) for 50 days. Optimal HT supplementation (140 mg/kg) enhanced sub-adult grass carp growth performance (P < 0.05) and improved muscle composition by increasing crude protein and reducing fat and moisture content (P < 0.05). It also enhanced physicochemical properties, including water-holding capacity, hardness, springiness (P < 0.05), and reduced cooking loss (P < 0.05). These improvements might be associated with preserved MP integrity, evidenced by reduced myofibrillar spacing, higher solubility, and lower surface hydrophobicity (P < 0.05). HT may exert these effects by modulating ROS homeostasis via dual mechanisms: activating the Nrf2 pathway to enhance antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; heme oxygenase-1, HO-1) and reducing oxidative markers (protein carbonyl, PC; malondialdehyde, MDA) (P < 0.05), while simultaneously inhibiting ROS generation via suppression of nox2/4/duox expression and p47phox phosphorylation (P < 0.05). Mitochondrial function was also improved, with elevated complex I/III expression and ATP production (P < 0.05). Quadratic regression analysis indicated optimal HT supplements were 141.17 and 143.34 mg/kg, based on percent weight gain (PWG) and hardness, respectively.

The coking industry represents a significant source of air pollution and carbon emissions, due to its energy-intensive production processes. As the world’s largest producer of coke, China introduced stringent ultralow emission (ULE) standards in 2024 to mitigate emissions from this critical industry. Leveraging hourly, source-level national continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) high-resolution, real-time monitoring data from 2021 to 2023, this study established the first nationwide, source-level emission database for the coking industry to conduct an ex ante assessment of the new national ULE standards and estimate the emission abatement potential. The results revealed that 47.7% of coke plants had met the ULE standards by 2023, with the highest compliance observed in the central and southern regions and the lowest in the northeastern region. Additionally, smaller facilities and the coke oven chimney had the lowest compliance rates. Scenario analysis indicated that the phase-out of small-scale coking facilities would reduce particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions by 12.07%, 12.41%, and 15.92%, respectively; installing emission control equipment would cut volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by 53.43%, and deep decarbonization would lower carbon dioxide (CO2) by 44.99%. These results provide valuable insight for future policies, technologies, and emission management strategies to achieve pollutant and CO2 emissions mitigation in China’s coking industry.

Animal intestines are extremely susceptible to the adverse effects of feed and external conditions within intensive production systems. 4-Methylesculetin (4-ME) is a natural coumarin with a catechol structure and has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study was investigating the effects of 4-ME as a functional substance added to the diet on the growth performance, intestine growth, and intestinal integrity of juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). A total of 1080 healthy grass carp (11.40 ± 0.01 g) were randomly assigned to 18 net cages. The experiment was divided into 6 treatment groups with 3 replicates in each group and 60 fish in each replicate. Different levels of 4-ME (0.00, 2.46, 5.14, 10.14, 19.88, and 39.86 mg/kg) were added to the basal diet. The experimental period of 60 days. Dietary supplementation with 10.14 mg/kg 4-ME increased specific growth rate (SGR), feed efficiency (FE), and whole body composition (crude protein and crude fat) (P < 0.05), but there is no significant effect on crude ash (P > 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 10.14 mg/kg 4-ME increased the content of UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes in hepatopancreas (P < 0.001), and digestive and absorptive enzyme activity in the intestine (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 10.14 mg/kg 4-ME promoted intestine somatic index and fold height by increasing intestinal proliferation in intestine (P < 0.05), possibly through the WNT/β-catenin pathway. Dietary supplementation with 10.14 mg/kg 4-ME improved the structural integrity of intestinal apical junctional complex (AJC), including mRNA expression levels of zo-2b, claudin (-b, c, f, 3c, 11, 12) and increased the protein expression levels of ZO-1, occludin and β-catenin (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 10.14 mg/kg 4-ME were decreased mRNA expression levels of claudin-15a, claudin-15b, ROCK, RhoA, MLCK and the protein expression levels of MLCK and ROCK1 (P < 0.05), and its mechanism may have been mediated through the RhoA/ROCK pathway. In addition, according to SGR, diamine oxidase (DAO) and UGT, the appropriate addition of 4-ME in juvenile grass carp were determined to be 9.62, 9.25, and 10.65 mg/kg, respectively. In this experiment, 4-ME was incorporated into the diet as a functional substance to investigate its effects on the growth performance and intestinal health of fish, indicating that 4-ME has potential for development as a functional feed additive in aquaculture production.

OBJECTIVE:To examine the association between hourly spikes in air pollutant exposure and the risk of acute aortic dissection (AAD) onset. METHODS:This time-stratified case-crossover study analyzed a national Chinese registry of 3125 AAD cases across 162 cities. Piecewise conditional logistic regression and distributed lag nonlinear models were used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS:Increases in PM 10 (RR = 1.019 per 10 μg/m 3 ) and CO (RR = 1.184 per 1 mg/m 3 ) were associated with higher AAD risk. Exposure above thresholds yielded increased risks for PM 2.5 > 200 μg/m 3 (RR = 1.074 per 10 μg/m 3 ) and NO 2 > 100 μg/m 3 (RR = 1.065 per μg/m 3 ). Effects showed lagged patterns for CO and PM 10 . Males, older adults, hypertensive patients, smokers, and overweight individuals showed greater susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS:This study provides the first evidence that hourly air pollution spikes significantly increase AAD risk, supporting targeted public health measures.

Isoleucine (Ile), as an essential amino acid, which can regulate nutrient and energy metabolism in animals and the balance between branched-chain amino acids is essential for animal growth. The objective of this experiment was to explore the impacts of diet Ile on muscle nutrients, sensory quality and Extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The experiment involved 450 healthy fish, each initially weighing 615.69 +/- 0.03 g, which were allocated into 6 treatment groups with 3 replicates. Ile was added to the basal diet with different concentrations: 0.00, 3.00, 6.00, 9.00, 12.00, and 15.00 g/kg, and fed the fish for 9 weeks. The experiment results showed that Ile improved the growth performance and muscle quality of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). For the first time, our research discovered that Ile rose the muscle ECM components including collagen, fibronectin and laminin. Our further research has been shown that Ile increased the mRNA and protein levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta 1), small mother against decapentaplegic (Smad), mammalianse20-like kinases (MST), large tumor suppressor (LATS) and yes-associated protein (YAP), which are key factors of the ECM synthesis pathway, suggested that Ile promoted ECM synthesis. We also found that Ile decreased the protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 while enhanced the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) protein level, which are the main factors of the ECM degradation pathway, indicated that Ile inhibited the degradation of muscle ECM. Overall, the results demonstrated that dietary supplementation with appropriate Ile (10.81 g/kg) enhanced the growth performance and muscle nutrient content, sensory quality and ECM synthesis, while inhibited ECM degradation of adult grass carp.

Choline is an essential nutrient for fish, and its metabolites are components of all membrane systems. Membrane phospholipids play an important role in maintaining the morphology and function of mitochondria, which could affect the growth and development of myofiber. To evaluate the effects of choline on growth performance, muscle fiber development, and mitochondrial morphology and function in grass carp, six diets containing graded choline levels [154.0 (basal diet), 321.8, 672.2, 1024.9, 1373.2, and 1722.8 mg/kg] were fed to 450 sub-adult grass carp (583.44 ± 1.65 g) for 56 d. The fish were divided into six groups with three replicates of 25 fish each. The results showed as follows: 1) compared with the control group, choline increased the growth performance, muscle protein content and choline deposition in sub-adult grass carp (P < 0.05), while decreased adhesive force (P < 0.001) and cooking loss (P = 0.037), thus improving fish flesh quality. 2) Dietary choline levels of 1024.9 to 1373.2 mg/kg significantly increased the frequency of myofibers with diameter >100 μm (P = 0.002) and fusion coefficient (P < 0.001). The mRNA expression of MyoG (P < 0.001), MyoD (P < 0.001), Myf5 (P = 0.005), MRF4 (P = 0.028), MYHC (P = 0.005), and myomaker (P < 0.001) increased quadratically with dietary choline, whereas MSTN expression was non-significantly lower than controls at 1024.9 to 1373.2 mg/kg (P = 0.078). Furthermore, choline increased the mRNA expression of IGF1, PI3K, AKT, and TOR (P < 0.05) and decreased the mRNA expression of FoxO3a and MuRF1 (P < 0.05). 3) Muscle adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content (P < 0.001), protein levels of NDUFV1 (P = 0.004) and ATP5A1 (P = 0.046), and the mRNA levels of NRF1 (P = 0.017), TFAM (P = 0.014), and OPA1 (P < 0.001) were increased quadratically. Conversely, the mRNA levels of DRP1 (P < 0.001), PINK (P < 0.001), and PARKIN (P = 0.002) were decreased quadratically. 4) According to the quadratic regression analysis of percent weight gain (PWG) and muscle ATP content, the choline requirement of sub-adult grass carp was 951.2 and 1084.9 mg/kg diet, respectively. In summary, optimal levels of dietary choline improved the myofiber hypertrophy in grass carp, which was associated with upregulation of myogenesis regulator and the activation of the IGF1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and maintained mitochondrial stability probably via regulating mitochondrial quality control.

The thermal power industry is a major anthropogenic source of emissions in China, significantly contributing to the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and air pollutants. This study evaluated emission reduction potential under various scenarios by establishing the latest, real-monitored, and unit-level emissions database of particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and CO2 for Chinese thermal power industry during 2021-2023. The results indicate that, during 2022-2023, the concentrations of PM, SO2, NOx, and CO2 decreased by 1.40 %, 0.83 %, 0.94 %, and 36.93 %, respectively. However, these reductions were insufficient to offset the impact of increased fuel consumption, leading to a rise in emissions of PM, SO2, NOx, and CO2 by 21.42 %, 13.43 %, 17.49 %, and 5.28 %, respectively. In 2023, the national average Synergy Indices for CO2-PM, CO2-SO2, and CO2-NOx were only 0.02, 0.01, and 0.01, indicating weak synergistic effects between CO2 and air pollutant. This low coordination level is mainly caused by the continued implementation of separate and uncoordinated management frameworks for carbon and air pollutants in most provinces. Furthermore, clean energy substitution was identified as the most effective measure for emission reduction, with potential decreases of 66.45 %, 70.16 %, 70.43 %, and 9.80 % for PM, SO2, NOx, and CO2, respectively. This study provides a practical roadmap for the development of synergistic mitigation policies and offers valuable insights for other countries, such as India, in addressing climate change challenges within the energy sector.

Alpha-lipoic acid (LA) is a vitamin-like compound that plays an important role in regulating lipid metabolism. Fatty acids are important precursors of muscle flavor. However, whether LA can affect the flavor of flesh has not been reported. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to study the effects of LA on muscle flavor, nucleotide and fatty acid metabolism of sub-adult grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). A total of 600 sub-adult grass carp with an average weight of 651.08 +/- 1.18 g were randomly divided into 6 treatment groups with 4 replicates per treatment and fed different levels of LA (8.25, 159.33, 306.27, 459.56, 608.89 and 756.65 mg/kg) for 60 days. The results showed that LA improved the overall taste of fish, changed the fatty acid composition, increased the content of inosine monophosphate (IMP) and its metabolites and the content of flavor amino acids in the muscle of sub-adult grass carp. Further study found that the changes in fatty acid composition was closely related to the enhancement of fatty acid uptake, de novo synthesis and fat catabolism in muscle induced by LA. And LA changed the composition of fatty acids by affecting the SREBP-1/PPAR gamma signaling pathway and AMPK. Meanwhile, LA altered nucleotide metabolism by regulating adenosine monophosphate deaminase 1 (AMPD1) and 5 ' nucleotidase (5'-NT). In conclusion, optimal level of dietary LA can promote sub-adult grass carp growth performance and improve fish flesh flavor. According to percent weight gain (PWG) and K value, the supplemental amounts of LA for sub-adult grass carp were 335.42 mg/kg and 308.55 mg/kg, respectively.

As the world's largest producer of crude steel, China's iron and steel industry (ISI) is one of the major sources of both air pollutant and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the country. To better track emission patterns and assess the synergistic reduction potential under various policies during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, a high-frequency, smokestack-level and national emission database was developed that covers both air pollutants (i.e., particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)) and CO2 emissions in the ISI from 2021 to 2023. The results demonstrated a consistent downward trend in air pollutant concentrations, with average annual reductions of 17.36 %, 12.96 %, 11.38 % and 0.02 % for PM, SO2, NOx and CO2, respectively. Notable reductions in air pollutant and CO2 emissions were also observed, indicating the effectiveness of existing control measures. Moreover, scenario analysis indicated that ultra-low emission (ULE) compliance and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) are the most effective methods for mitigating air pollutant and CO2 emissions, respectively, whereas structural adjustment through increased adoption of electric arc furnaces (EAF) provided the greatest synergistic emission reductions. These findings provide critical insights for designing synergistic control strategies targeting the ISI in China and other developing economies (e.g., India), aiming to address air pollution and climate change.