Search Results (106)

The efficient simultaneous removal of NO_x and CO from sintering flue gas under low-temperature conditions (110–180 °C) in iron and steel enterprises remains a significant challenge in the field of environmental catalysis. In this study, we present an innovative strategy to enhance the performance of CuSmTi catalysts through silver modification, yielding a bifunctional system capable of oxygen structure regulation and demonstrating superior activity for the combined NH₃-SCR and CO oxidation reactions under low-temperature, oxygen-rich conditions. The modified AgCuSmTi catalyst achieves complete NO conversion at 150 °C, representing a 50 °C reduction compared to the unmodified CuSmTi catalyst (T_100% = 200 °C). Moreover, the catalyst exhibits over 90% N₂ selectivity across a broad temperature range of 150–300 °C, while achieving full CO oxidation at 175 °C. A series of characterization techniques, including XRD, Raman spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption, XPS, and O₂-TPD, were employed to elucidate the Ag-Cu interaction. These modifications effectively optimize the surface physical structure, modulate the distribution of acid sites, increase the proportion of Lewis acid sites, and enhance the activity of lattice oxygen species. As a result, they effectively promote the adsorption and activation of reactants, as well as electron transfer between active species, thereby significantly enhancing the low-temperature performance of the catalyst. Furthermore, in situ DRIFTS investigations reveal the reaction mechanisms involved in NH₃-SCR and CO oxidation over the Ag-modified CuSmTi catalyst. The NH₃-SCR process predominantly follows the L-H mechanism, with partial contribution from the E-R mechanism, whereas CO oxidation proceeds via the MvK mechanism. This work demonstrates that Ag modification is an effective approach for enhancing the low-temperature performance of CuSmTi-based catalysts, offering a promising technical solution for the simultaneous control of NO_x and CO emissions in industrial flue gases. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pediatric asthma is a leading cause of emergency department visits, and air pollution is a known primary environmental trigger. Although worldwide air pollutants have been associated with asthma exacerbations, limited data have been reported in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between air pollution and pediatric asthma admissions among children aged 2 to 14 years old at King Fahd Hospital of the University Hospital (KFHU). Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study, over 366 days, including 1750 pediatric asthma-related ER visits and daily concentrations of air pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, SO₂, CO, and O₃) and meteorological factors (temperature and humidity). Various statistical models, such as Poisson regression and ARIMA, were applied to determine the association between pollutants levels and hospital ER visits. The data were visit-based in nature, and it was not possible to follow up with repeat visits or for admission status for individual patients. Results: Elevated levels of PM_2.5, NO₂, and CO were significantly associated with more pediatric asthma ER visits, mainly on the same day and with short lags. PM_2.5 displayed the strongest association, consistent with its deeper pulmonary penetration and greater toxicity. Also, PM₁₀ levels were inversely associated with ER visits, possibly due to particle size and deposition location differences. Significantly correlated with increased ER visits are lower ambient temperature and higher humidity. Conclusions: This study offers strong evidence on the relationship between air pollution and pediatric asthma events, in turn highlighting the vital importance of air quality regulation, public health policies, and clinical vigilance for environmental exposures. Full article

The international seabed area (“the Area”) harbors abundant metal mineral resources that are critical to address global metal supply–demand and sustainable development. However, exploitation of mineral resources in the Area faces complex risks spanning politics, economy, technology, science, environment, society, industry, and law. No commercial-scale deep-sea mining operations have been conducted to date. Systematic risk identification and prioritization can inform strategic planning for stakeholders. This study employs literature analysis and an 80-expert questionnaire to identify key risk factors affecting mineral exploitation in the Area. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we quantitatively assess the relative importance and weightings of these risks. Our results indicate that Level 1 risk groups prioritize (1) policy and public opinion risk, (2) extended continental shelf (ECS) delineation risk, (3) high sea marine protected areas (HSMPAs) establishment risk, and (4) mining area economic value risk. The five most critical Level 2 risk factors are (i) policy changes in contractor states, (ii) ECS-mining area boundary conflicts, (iii) environmental provisions in exploitation regulations at the international seabed (ER), (iv) ER implementation delays, and (v) mineral resource uncertainty. These findings provide actionable insights for contractors, policymakers, and stakeholders to optimize decision making in deep-sea mining projects. Full article

This study focuses on the green economic growth of marine fisheries and explores the relationship among environmental regulations (ERs), industrial structure (INS), and the green total factor productivity of marine fisheries (MGTFP). Against the backdrop of global climate change and increasing pressure on resources and the environment, a green fisheries economy has become key to achieving sustainable development. This study selects panel data from 11 coastal provinces and municipalities in China spanning from 2014 to 2023 and, through quantitative analysis, evaluates the implementation effects of ER policies on marine fisheries’ production methods, INS, and MGTFP. When measuring the MGTFP, this study innovatively incorporates fishery disaster economic losses as an undesirable output and employs the super-efficiency SBM-GML model for precise calculation. The results of the study showed that ERs was able to promote the increase in MGTFP, and the effect of REC was stronger. The mediating effect model suggests that industry structure mediates this process. The results of threshold effect analysis show that both ERC and ERM exhibit significant single-threshold effects. This study aims to provide empirical support and policy recommendations for the government to formulate more effective environmental protection policies and promote the transformation and upgrading of the marine fisheries sector, thereby fostering the green development of China’s marine fisheries. Full article

Developed countries with animal husbandry are confronted with the pressing issues of ensuring stable livestock product supplies while maintaining ecological sustainability. Additional research is required to ascertain whether environmental regulation can effectively facilitate the green transformation of animal husbandry and establish a harmonious equilibrium between environmental protection and economic growth. It is essential for the empirical development of environmental policies in animal husbandry, as it evaluates the impact of regulatory measures on this sector’s ecological efficiency and precisely investigates the underlying mechanisms of these effects. This paper evaluates the nonlinear impact of environmental regulation policies on the ecological efficiency of animal husbandry using the super-efficiency EBM model, spatial Durbin model, and panel threshold model, which are based on panel data from 31 Chinese provinces (2010–2022). The findings indicated that: (1) The ecological efficiency and environmental regulation intensity of animal husbandry in China exhibited a fluctuating upward trend. The environmental regulation is ranked from high to low in the following order: Northeast, West, Central, and Eastern regions. Conversely, the regions with high ecological efficiency are concentrated in the Northeast and Western regions. (2) The impacts of environmental regulation on the ecological efficiency of animal husbandry were N-type nonlinear, with the extreme points being 6.322 and 9.456. Environmental regulation also produced an “inverted N” type spatial spillover effect on the ecological efficiency of animal husbandry in adjacent areas, with extreme values of 5.330 and 7.670. (3) Environmental regulation considerably enhanced the ecological efficiency of animal husbandry in the Eastern and Central regions in terms of location characteristics. The influence on the Western and Northeastern regions exhibited N-type nonlinear characteristics. (4) From 2017 to 2022, ER had an N-type nonlinear effect on animal husbandry ecological efficiency in terms of temporal heterogeneity. However, the effect was not significant from 2010 to 2016. Full article

Renewable energy technology innovation (RETI) is an effective means of reducing emissions without sacrificing productivity, making it a key driver of carbon productivity (CP) improvement. This study employs a dataset covering 30 Chinese provinces from 2010 to 2021 to empirically examine the impact of RETI on CP. Additionally, it explores the non-linear effects of environmental regulation (ER) and R&D investment (RD) in this relationship. The findings indicate that RETI significantly enhances CP, a result that remain robust across multiple robustness and endogeneity tests. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that RETI has the strongest impact on CP in the eastern region, followed by the central region, but has a negligible effect in the western region. Among the different types of RETI, the positive effects of solar, wind, and energy storage technology innovations on CP are more evident. Moreover, the impact of RETI on CP is stronger in economically developed provinces than in less developed ones. The mechanism analysis shows that RETI indirectly enhances CP by optimizing industrial structure, increasing renewable energy generation, and improving energy efficiency. The threshold effect analysis suggests that as ER intensifies, the positive effect of RETI on CP follows a non-linear relationship that strengthens initially but then diminishes. In contrast, as RD rises, the marginal benefits of RETI on CP are continually strengthened. Full article

Agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) is vital to sustainable agricultural development (SAD), which plays a pivotal role in achieving high-quality economic growth in China. The current research quantified China’s AGTFP from 2007 to 2019 with the Super-SBM model and the GML index. Subsequently, it examined the impact of environmental regulation (ER) on AGTFP and its heterogeneity. Finally, this study developed a mediating effect model and a panel threshold model to investigate the role of technological innovation (TI) in affecting environmental regulation (ER) on AGTFP. The findings indicate that the following: (1) The average annual growth rate of AGTFP is 7.84%, which is mostly driven by green technological innovation progress. (2) ER has a significant positive impact on AGTFP with noticeable regional differences. The eastern and central regions experience a more substantial promotion effect compared to the western region. Additionally, the prominent grain-producing areas and main grain-marketing areas have a more significant promotion effect compared to the grain-balanced areas. The promotion effect of heterogeneous ER on AGTFP varies, with the effects of command-and-control environmental regulation (ERC), market-based incentives for environmental regulation (ERM), and public participation regulation (ERP) decreasing in magnitude. (3) The mechanism analysis reveals that promoting TI is a crucial way to enhance AGTFP through ER. There exists a notable dual threshold for TI in ER, encompassing both ERC and ERM. Moreover, AGTFP becomes increasingly pronounced. This study presents a novel perspective for promoting SAD, with a focus on the rise in AGTFP and the path to achieving it. Full article

Excessive alcohol consumption significantly impacts human health, particularly the brain, due to its susceptibility to oxidative stress, which contributes to neurodegenerative conditions. Alcohol metabolism in the brain occurs primarily via catalase, followed by CYP2E1 pathways. Excess alcohol metabolized by CYP2E1 generates reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), leading to cell injury via altering many different pathways. Elevated oxidative stress impairs autophagic processes, increasing post-translational modifications and further exacerbating mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress, leading to cell death. The literature highlights that alcohol-induced oxidative stress disrupts autophagy and mitophagy, contributing to neuronal damage. Key mechanisms include mitochondrial dysfunction, ER stress, epigenetics, and the accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins, which lead to neuroinflammation and impaired cellular quality control. These processes are exacerbated by chronic alcohol exposure, resulting in the suppression of protective pathways like NRF2-mediated antioxidant responses and increased susceptibility to neurodegenerative changes in the brain. Alcohol-mediated neurotoxicity involves complex interactions between alcohol metabolism, oxidative stress, and autophagy regulation, which are influenced by various factors such as drinking patterns, nutritional status, and genetic/environmental factors, highlighting the need for further molecular studies to unravel these mechanisms and develop targeted interventions. Full article

Amid the pressing challenges of global warming, carbon trading policies have gained increasing importance in advancing green development. This study employs Double Machine Learning (DML) to effectively process high-dimensional data and nonlinear relationships, integrating methods such as Difference-in-Differences (DID) to systematically address endogeneity issues. Using an indicator system for High-Quality Agricultural Development (HQAD) covering 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, this study aims to evaluate the impact of the pilot carbon emissions trading (CET) policy on HQAD. The findings are as follows: (1) The pilot CET policy significantly enhances HQAD. Though the positive effect has diminished, multi-dimensional robustness checks confirm the results’ credibility and stability. (2) Mechanism analysis shows that the policy promotes HQAD through two key pathways: strengthening environmental regulation (ER) and improving agricultural energy total factor productivity (AETFP). (3) Regional heterogeneity is evident, with the eastern region showing the most substantial policy effects, followed by the western region, while the central region shows minimal impact. Regarding grain functional zones, the policy effect is significant in the main sales and balance areas but weaker in the main producing area. Based on these findings, this study provides three policy recommendations to inform policymaking, facilitate the green transition, and promote High-Quality Agricultural Development. Full article

Recently, many environmental regulations (ER) have been enacted to achieve the agricultural green development goal. After the introduction of the “Zero Growth Policy (ZGP)”, compound fertilizers kept increasing, albeit three fertilizers—N fertilizer, P fertilizer, and K fertilizer—decreased after the launch of the ZGP. In this case, whether the amounts of N, P, and K actually reduced is uncertain and ambiguous, and the effects of the ZGP are difficult to identify. This paper aims to measure environmental productivity and examine the specific effects of the ZGP on China’s wheat production. Based on the province-level data of 14 provinces from 2010 to 2022, environmental efficiency and environmental productivity of wheat production are measured and decomposed. The empirical results indicate that the nutrient-oriented efficiency is low (0.50), and 40% of the current nutrients can be reduced to become environmentally efficient after being technically efficient. Besides, the ZGP can significantly affect nutrient-oriented productivity change (NTFPC). Only when the growth rates of both fertilizer application and total nutrients contained in different types of fertilizers are decreased can the NTFPC be improved and agricultural pollution be reduced. Additionally, improving the environment quality and enhancing the social well-being of farmers are beneficial to increasing NTFPC. Full article

This study examines how environmental regulation (ER), green intellectual capital (GIC), green human resource management (GHRM), and green ambidextrous innovation (GAI) contribute to enhancing the sustainable performance (SP) of manufacturing firms. Using a quantitative approach, data from 472 managers of green garment manufacturing firms in Bangladesh were analyzed with SmartPLS4 software. The results indicate that GHRM and GIC positively impact SP, with GIC exerting a stronger influence on GAI—encompassing green exploitative innovation (EIGI) and green exploratory innovation (ERGI)—compared to GHRM. Additionally, GAI positively affects SP and serves as a partial mediator in the GIC-SP relationship but not in the GHRM-SP relationship. ER negatively moderates the GHRM-SP and GHRM-GAI links, while it positively moderates the GIC-GAI relationship, albeit weakly in the GIC-SP connection. This study highlights GAI’s mediating roles in the GHRM-SP (specifically, GHRM-EIGI-SP and GHRM-ERGI-SP) and GIC-SP (specifically, GIC-EIGI-SP and GIC-ERGI-SP) relationships within a regulatory context. By introducing fresh perspectives, this research advances green management studies, offering valuable insights for academics and industry professionals. It provides a strategic framework for firms to navigate regulations, foster innovation, optimize human and intangible resources, and enhance sustainable performance, thereby positioning themselves as leaders in the global market. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with a high variability of age at onset, disease severity, and progression. This suggests that other factors, including genetic, environmental, or biological factors, are at play in PD. The loss of PINK1 causes a recessive form of PD and is typically fully penetrant; however, it features a wide range in disease onset, further supporting the existence of protective factors, endogenous or exogenous, to play a role. The loss of Pink1 in Drosophila melanogaster results in locomotion deficits, also observed in PINK1-related PD in humans. In flies, Pink1 deficiency induces defects in the ability to fly; nonetheless, around ten percent of the mutant flies are still capable of flying, indicating that advantageous factors affecting penetrance also exist in flies. Here, we aimed to identify the mechanisms underlying this reduced penetrance in Pink1-deficient flies. We performed genetic screening in pink1-mutant flies to identify RNA expression alterations affecting the flying ability. The most important biological processes involved were transcriptional and translational activities, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) regulation, and flagellated movement and microtubule organization. We validated two ER-related proteins, zonda and windbeutel, to positively affect the flying ability of Pink1-deficient flies. Thus, our data suggest that these processes are involved in the reduced penetrance and that influencing them may be beneficial for Pink1 deficiency. Full article

Expanding a high level of openness and attracting high-quality foreign direct investment (FDI) while preventing foreign-invested enterprises from relocating to host countries to reduce costs and circumvent environmental regulation (ER) in their home countries, which can transform host countries into “pollution heaven”, present a significant challenge for emerging markets such as China. Based on a theoretical analysis that integrates various frameworks, this study constructs a panel regression model to empirically investigate the relationship between ER and the quality of FDI. This analysis is conducted from the perspectives of administrative means and market mechanisms, utilizing panel data from 267 prefectural-level cities in China spanning the years 2005 to 2021. This study reveals the following conclusions: (1) The implementation of ER significantly enhances the quality of FDI within cities, a conclusion that remains robust across various tests. (2) ER improves the quality of FDI through two key pathways: enhancing green competitiveness and fostering green technological innovation. (3) In comparison to the isolated effects of administrative and market mechanism policies, the synergistic effect of these two approaches proves to be more pronounced in elevating the quality of FDI. (4) ER exerts a significant impact on the quality of FDI, particularly within sub-samples of cities characterized by higher levels of environmental protection and a focus on non-resource-oriented activities. (5) ER has a negative spatial spillover effect on FDI quality. This study serves as a valuable guide for emerging markets to enhance environmental policy effectiveness and assess the potential for a new open economic system. Full article

The male reproductive impairment caused by environmental estrogens (EEs) stands as a pivotal research area in environmental toxicology. Alpha2-macroglobulin (A2M) emerges as a promising molecule capable of counteracting oxidative stress induced by EEs. This study conducted exposure experiments spanning PND1 to PND56 employing ICR mice, aiming to delve into the expression patterns of A2M and its modulated IL-6 in the testicular tissue of mice subsequent to diethylstilbestrol (DES) and benzophenone (BP) exposure, while elucidating the pivotal role of ERs in this intricate process. Our findings revealed that upon DES exposure (10 and 100 nM), there was a pronounced upregulation of A2M (mRNA and in situ protein levels) in mouse testicular tissue. Similarly, exposure to BPs (BP-1, BP-2, and BP-3, each at 10 and 1000 nM) exhibited comparable effects and increasing A2M levels in serum. Notably, BP exposure also caused an elevation in IL-6 levels (which could be directly regulated by A2M) within testicular tissue (mRNA and in situ protein). Remarkably, the specific estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182780 (0.5 mg/kg/day) was effective in reversing the upregulation of both A2M and IL-6 induced by BP exposure. Significantly, the results of theoretical prediction of the potential ERE site in the A2m gene promoter region and ChIP-qPCR experiment provide essential and strong evidence for the key conclusion that A2m is the target gene of ER. Taken together, our study highlights EEs’ ability to regulate A2M expression in the male reproductive system via the ER signaling pathway. This vital insight deepens our understanding of molecular mechanisms protecting against oxidative stress caused by EEs. Full article

Water scarcity is a growing global challenge, requiring effective management strategies to ensure sustainable water use, particularly in regions like West Dorset, U.K., where rising prices and environmental pressures make sustainable consumption practices essential. This study develops and empirically tests an integrated theoretical framework combining Prospect Theory (PT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to examine the mechanisms driving household water conservation. Using structural equation modelling on data from 429 residents in West Dorset (response rate 78.3%), we investigated how water pricing (WP) and perceived water risk (PWR) influence sustainable water consumption through individual innovativeness (II) and community engagement (CE), with environmental regulations (ERs) as a moderator. The results revealed significant positive effects of WP and PWR on individual innovativeness, which, in turn, strongly predicted community engagement. The relationship between these factors and sustainable water consumption was significantly moderated by ERs. This study makes three key contributions: Firstly, it empirically validates an integrated PT-SCT framework in water conservation behavior. Secondly, it identifies the crucial mediating role of II in translating price and risk perceptions into community action; and lastly, it demonstrates how regulatory frameworks can enhance or inhibit conservation outcomes. These findings inform policy recommendations for tiered pricing structures, community-based conservation initiatives, and adaptive regulatory frameworks. This study provides a comprehensive model for understanding and promoting sustainable water consumption in water-stressed regions worldwide. Full article