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Spatial and temporal evolution of carbon stocks in Yulin City under changing environments
Socio-demographic determinants of electricity consumption across vietnamese households
Reducing household energy consumption is generally considered a key force in limiting the adverse effects of human beings on climate change. As such, understanding the socio-demographic determinants of household electricity consumption across Vietnamese households plays an important role. However, this understanding has largely been neglected in the existing literature, particularly for Vietnam. This study focuses on understanding the role of socio-demographic factors electricity consumption across Vietnamese households using two waves of the Vietnamese Household Living Standards Surveys (VHLSS) in 2012 and 2020. The three-stage least squares estimation has been used to address the endogeneity problem and examines the reverse causality between income and electricity consumption of the households. The results show that household income and the educational level of the household head are the two factors with the most significant impacts on household electricity consumption. Electricity consumption expenditure also significantly and positively impacts household income. The economies of scale are confirmed between the number of household members and electricity consumption, meaning that larger families consume more electricity. In addition, our findings show that the differences in electricity consumption between the richest and poorest household groups increased sharply in 2020. These key findings call for policies to support disadvantaged households in Vietnam and that the current structure of the electricity tariff has failed to capture the disproportional level of electricity consumption between the richest and poorest groups of Vietnamese households.
Research on seismic activity and seismic structural characteristics of the Shandong region
Measuring financial sector efficiency in China: A study based on an enhanced neoclassical production function
This paper develops an approach for quantitatively assessing financial sector efficiency of a nation (hereinafter referred to as financial efficiency). Drawing upon the principles of general equilibrium theory, we establish a direct and strong association between the financial sector and the real sector by improving the neoclassical production function, indirectly unveiling insights into financial efficiency through the allocation structure of marginal capital output. We use a two-stage semiparametric estimation method to determine the structural parameters of the production function in the calculation of financial efficiency. The values of financial efficiency for China, spanning the years 1997–2018, exhibit a distinct pattern of initially increasing, followed by a decline, and subsequent resurgence, culminating in the highest recorded value in 2008. Prior to 2015, the financial efficiency closely mirrored the trajectories of total factor productivity (TFP) and GDP growth rate. However, post-2015, we observe a discernible deviation in the trend of financial efficiency from these two economic indicators. These results can be verified by external empirical facts and evidence.
Role of alpha-1 antitrypsin in Bruch’s membrane integrity
Cannabis studies were informing fundamental neuroscience in the 1970s
The short-term economic influence analysis of government regulation on railway freight transport in continuous time
Regulatory impact analysis, a crucial aspect of the development of railway transportation in China, has faced increasing challenges due to the complex nature of the transportation system and various influencing factors. This study proposes an improved comparative static model (ICSM) that intelligently integrates recursive principles and the Laplace transform to estimate the impact of macroeconomic policy reforms on the economic variables of China Railway Corporation (CRC). The ICSM integrates recursive principles and Laplace transform to solve complex conditions of eigenvalues as multiple roots and a coefficient matrix unable to diagonalize in the ICSM. Additionally, the paper discusses the government’s potential impact on variables such as freight and labor after reform and highlights the sensitivity of tax policy compared to investment subsidies in the short term. The findings provide theoretical and methodological support for optimizing railway freight management during the reform process and can serve as a reference for temporary economic policy adjustments.
A secure and efficient deep learning-based intrusion detection framework for the internet of vehicles
Holt-Laury as a gumball machine
The Holt and Laury [1] task is arguably the most widely employed method for eliciting individual risk attitudes in economics. However, although around 15% of standard experimental subjects fail to complete the task consistently, this fraction increases to an alarming 60-70% in the case of children, teenagers, and other non-standard subject pools. This paper explores extensively a visual version of the Holt and Laury task, where subjects choose six times between two gumball machines. Using a sample of 4,972 adolescents, we find that the Gumball Machine task decreases the presence of inconsistencies substantially to 20%. Cognitive skills appear to be a strong predictor of consistency and risk preferences, but gender differences are not found.
Dual band polarization insensitive metamaterial absorber for EMI shielding from GSM and 5G communication systems
‘Now is not the time for despair’ — how scientists can take a stand against political interference
Prevalence of HIV and willingness to uptake preventive services among female sex workers in Kano State, Nigeria
Background HIV remains a critical global health issue, significantly affecting key populations, particularly female sex workers who face socio-economic hardships amidst limited healthcare access and high partner turnover. This study aimed to determine the HIV prevalence and to understand FSWs’ willingness to use HIV services in Kano State, Nigeria, to inform effective intervention strategies. Method This cross-sectional survey was conducted in May 2023 among FSWs in three Local Government Areas of Kano State (Gwale, Fagge, and Tarauni), Nigeria. The participants were recruited from nightclubs and brothels across the selected communities using the snowball sampling technique. The analysis of data included descriptive statistics and logistics binary regression. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 650 FSWs, all of whom were tested for HIV. Participants scoring 75% or higher on willingness to use HIV services were deemed willing. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS Version 28.0. Results The study involved 650 FSWs across three LGAs in Kano State, with an HIV prevalence of 8.5% and 65.8% reporting willingness to access HIV services. Willingness to take HIV Self-Testing (96.0%) and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (66.8%) services was high, primarily driven by the desire to know and confirm HIV status (87.5%). Barriers included stigma and harassment (35.4%) and lack of free, accessible services (29.2%). FSWs in Fagge and Gwale were significantly less willing to access services compared to those in Tarauni (AOR: 0.068 and 0.180, P < 0.05). Those with a sexual debut at 18 years or above were less willing (COR: 0.569, P = 0.013), while having more than one sexual partner (COR: 1.574, P = 0.038), recent vaginal sex (AOR: 5.182, P = 0.039), and engagement in transactional sex (e.g., paid for sex, COR: 2.304, P = 0.005) were associated with higher willingness. Conclusion This study highlights the role of socio-economic challenges and stigma in shaping HIV prevalence and service uptake among female sex workers in Kano. Holistic interventions and innovative approaches are essential to address barriers, improve accessibility, and ensure sustainable outcomes.
Serum Klotho levels and epilepsy among U.S. adults in the NHANES 2013–2016: a cross-sectional study
Effects of hydroxypropyl starch on intestinal health and transcriptome of geese
Abstract In recent years, gout resulting from uric acid metabolism disorders has led to significant economic losses in goose production. The intestine is a vital organ crucial for uric acid metabolism. Hydroxypropyl starch (HPS) is a resistant starch modified from natural starch, which can enhance intestinal health as a dietary ingredient fiber. In this study, 240 30-day-old Yangzhou geese with similar body weights were divided into three groups: The control group (CG) received a basal diet + 5% corn starch; the hydroxypropyl starch group (HPS) and the sodium urate group (SU) were given a basal diet + 5% hydroxypropyl starch. The experiment lasted for 21 days, and the SU group was administered 30 mg of sodium urate per day during the last 4 days of the study. The results indicated that the level of uric acid in the HPS group was 56.6 µmol/L, significantly lower than that in the CG group (70.8 µmol/L) and the SU group (129.7 µmol/L). The morphological findings revealed that the ileum of the CG group and the SU group exhibited varying degrees of damage, while the HPS group maintained complete structure. The villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the HPS group were significantly higher compared to those in the CG and SU groups, while the crypt depth was significantly lower than that in the SU group. A total of 1462 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at the transcriptome level. GO and KEGG functional enrichment analyses indicated that the DEGs were significantly enriched in the Brush border membrane, Brush border, PPAR signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and other related processes. Subsequent analysis revealed that HPS up-regulated the expression of genes associated with intestinal function (such as SLC5A12 and SLC5A8), structure (including NR5A2, IPMK), and uric acid metabolism (PDZK1). The accuracy and reliability of transcriptome sequencing data were confirmed by RT-qPCR. In this study, we systematically demonstrated that HPS can improve intestinal morphology and reduce serum uric acid levels, emphasizing its potential as a dietary supplement for geese.