Research on the Impact of China’s Foreign Trade Technology Spillover on Green Total Factor Productivity of Countries Along the“Belt and Road”:Based on the Institutional Quality Threshold Effect

China’s growing trade with countries along the“Belt and Road”Initiative is accompanied by a focus on green development.Based on the panel data from 2007 to 2018,this paper establishes a threshold regression model to empirically analyze the institutional quality threshold effect of China’s foreign trade technology spillover on the GTFP of countries along the“Belt and Road.”The results show that China’s foreign trade technology spillover has a significant institutional quality double threshold effect on the green total factor productivity of the countries along the“Belt and Road.”As the institutional quality of the countries along the“Belt and Road”crosses a specific threshold value,the impact of China’s foreign trade technology spillover on the green total factor productivity of the countries along the“Belt and Road”has a significant positive promoting effect,and corresponding suggestions are put forward.

Farm Production Growth in the Upper and Middle Parts of the Yellow River Basin,China,During 1980-1999

The impact of inputs on farm production growth was evaluated by analyzing the economic data of the upper and middle parts of the Yellow River basin, China for the period of 1980-1999. Descriptive statistics were employed to characterize the temporal trends and spatial patterns in farm production and five pertinent inputs of cultivated cropland, irrigation ratio, agricultural labor, machinery power and chemical fertilizer. Stochastic frontier production function was applied to quantify the dependence of the farm production on these inputs. The growth of farm production was decomposed to reflect the contributions by input growths and change in total factor productivity.. The change in total factor productivity was further decomposed into the changes in technology and in technical efficiency. The gross value of farm production in the region of study increased by 1.6 fold during 1980-1999. Among the five selected farm inputs, machinery power and chemical fertilizer increased by 1.8 and 2.8 fold, respectively. The increases in cultivated cropland, irrigated cropland, and agricultural labor were all less than 0.16 fold. The growth in the farm production was primarily contributed by the increase in the total factor productivity during 1980-1985, and by input growths after 1985. More than 80% of the contributions by input growths were attributed to the increased application of fertilizer and machinery. In the change of total factor productivity, the technology change dominated over the technical efficiency change in the study period except in the period of 1985-1990, implying that institution and investment played important roles in farm production growth. There was a decreasing trend in the technical efficiency in the region of study, indicating a potential to increase farm production by improving the technical efficiency in farm activities. Given the limited natural resources in the basin, the results of this study suggested that, for a sustainable growth of farm production in the area, efforts should be directed to technology progress and improvement in technical efficiency in the use of available resources.

The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α activates ectopic production of fibroblast growth factor 23 in tumor-induced osteomalacia

Tumor-induced osteomalacia （TIO） is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome in which ectopic production of fibroblast growth factor 23 （FGF23） by non-malignant mesenchymal tumors causes phosphate wasting and bone fractures. Recent studies have implicated the hypoxia-inducible factor-la （HIF-la） in other phosphate wasting disorders caused by elevated FGF23, including X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets and autosomal dominant hypophosphatemia. Here we provide evidence that HIF-la mediates aberrant FGF23 in TIO by transcriptionally activating its promoter. Immunohistochemical studies in phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors resected from patients with documented TIO showed that HIF-la and FGF23 were co-localized in spindle- shaped cells adjacent to blood vessels. Cultured tumor tissue produced high levels of intact FGF23 and demonstrated increased expression of HIF-la protein. Transfection of MC3T3-E1 and Saos-2 cells with a HIF-la expression construct induced the activity of a FGF23 reporter construct. Prior treatment of tumor organ cultures with HIF-la inhibitors decreased HIF-la and FGF23 protein accumulation and inhibited HIF-la-induced luciferase reporter activity in transfected cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed binding to a HIF-la consensus sequence within the proximal FGF23 promoter, which was eliminated by treatment with a HIF-la inhibitor. These results show for the first time that HIF-la is a direct transcriptional activator of FGF23 and suggest that upregulation of HIF-la activity in TIO contributes to the aberrant FGF23 production in these patients.

Erosion and Sediment Production in Small Watershed in Purple Hilly Areas and Prevention Techniques

Purple Soil distributes extensively and mainly in China. Because of abundant easily weatherable parent rocks/ materials and unstable soil structure, and also influenced by parent materials, usage systems, and slope gradients, erosion and sediment production of purple soils are very severe with main fashions of water erosion and gravitational erosion. Basing on observed data in small watersheds, rainfall erosivity, vegetation coverage, previous soil water content, flow and relating factors such as climate, topograph of small watershed, land usage, and soil kinds are all the influence factors of erosion and erodibility of purple soil as well as sediment production and transport in small watershed of purple hilly areas. The effective technological countermeasures of ecosystem restoration, agricultural tillage for water conservation and erosion prevention, agriculture project, and soil changing for fertility and anti-erosion were provided.

A stock assessment for Illex argentinus in Southwest Atlantic using an environmentally dependent surplus production model

The southern Patagonian stock（SPS） of Argentinian shortfin squid, Illex argentinus, is an economically important squid fishery in the Southwest Atlantic. Environmental conditions in the region play an important role in regulating the population dynamics of the I. argentinus population. This study develops an environmentally dependent surplus production（EDSP） model to evaluate the stock abundance of I. argentines during the period of 2000 to 2010. The environmental factors（favorable spawning habitat areas with sea surface temperature of 16–18°C） were assumed to be closely associated with carrying capacity（K） in the EDSP model. Deviance Information Criterion（DIC） values suggest that the estimated EDSP model with environmental factors fits the data better than a Schaefer surplus model without environmental factors under uniform and normal scenarios.The EDSP model estimated a maximum sustainable yield（MSY） from 351 600 t to 685 100 t and a biomass from 1 322 400 t to1 803 000 t. The fishing mortality coefficient of I. argentinus from 2000 to 2010 was smaller than the values of F（0.1） and F（MSY）. Furthermore, the time series biomass plot of I. argentinus from 2000 to 2010 shows that the biomass of I.argentinus and this fishery were in a good state and not presently experiencing overfishing. This study suggests that the environmental conditions of the habitat should be considered within squid stock assessment and management.

Geological characteristics and high production control factors of shale gas reservoirs in Silurian Longmaxi Formation, southern Sichuan Basin, SW China

Marine shale gas resources have great potential in the south of the Sichuan Basin in China.At present,the high-quality shale gas resources at depth of 2000–3500 m are under effective development,and strategic breakthroughs have been made in deeper shale gas resources at depth of 3500–4500 m.To promote the effective production of shale gas in this area,this study examines key factors controlling high shale gas production and presents the next exploration direction in the southern Sichuan Basin based on summarizing the geological understandings from the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation shale gas exploration combined with the latest results of geological evaluation.The results show that:(1)The relative sea depth in marine shelf sedimentary environment controls the development and distribution of reservoirs.In the relatively deep water area in deep-water shelf,grade-I reservoirs with a larger continuous thickness develop.The relative depth of sea in marine shelf sedimentary environment can be determined by redox conditions.The research shows that the uranium to thorium mass ratio greater than 1.25 indicates relatively deep water in anoxic reduction environment,and the uranium to thorium mass ratio of 0.75–1.25 indicates semi-deep water in weak reduction and weak oxidation environment,and the uranium to thorium mass ratio less than 0.75 indicates relatively shallow water in strong oxidation environment.(2)The propped fractures in shale reservoirs subject to fracturing treatment are generally 10–12 m high,if grade-I reservoirs are more than 10 m in continuous thickness,then all the propped section would be high-quality reserves;in this case,the longer the continuous thickness of penetrated grade-I reservoirs,the higher the production will be.(3)The shale gas reservoirs at 3500–4500 m depth in southern Sichuan are characterized by high formation pressure,high pressure coefficient,well preserved pores,good pore structure and high proportion of free gas,making them the most favorable new field for shale gas exploration;and the pressure coefficient greater than 1.2 is a necessary condition for shale gas wells to obtain high production.(4)High production wells in the deep shale gas reservoirs are those in areas where Long11-Long13 sub-beds are more than 10 m thick,with 1500 m long horizontal section,grade-I reservoirs penetration rate of over 90%,and fractured by dense cutting+high intensity sand injection+large displacement+large liquid volume.(5)The relatively deep-water area in the deep-water shelf and the area at depth of 3500–4500 m well overlap in the southern Sichuan,and the overlapping area is the most favorable shale gas exploration and development zones in the southern Sichuan in the future.With advancement in theory and technology,annual shale gas production in the southern Sichuan is expected to reach 450×108 m3.

Measurement and Analysis of Production Performance of Rural Households in Jinzhai County, Anhui Province

Using a multi-input multi-output production technology and survey data from Jinzhai County, western Anhui Province, China, the author first measured the production performance of rural households their efficiency, economy of scale, and productivity during 19781997, and then related the measured production performance with institutional change, market access, and other factors. Preliminary results show that: 1) performance differs a great deal across households and over time; 2) institutional changes and market accessibility have played a major role in improving performance; 3) depending on the specific resources, their effects are variable.

Methodological factors affecting gas and methane production during in vitro rumen fermentation evaluated by meta-analysis approach

Effects of some methodological factors on in vitro measures of gas production（GP, mL/g DM）, CH4production（mL/g DM） and proportion（% CH4 on total GP） were investigated by meta-analysis. These factors were considered：pressure in the GP equipment（0 = constant; 1 = increasing）, incubation time（0 = 24; 1 = ≥ 48 h）, time of rumen fluid collection（0 = before feeding; 1 = after feeding of donor animals）, donor species of rumen fluid（0 = sheep; 1 =bovine）, presence of N in the buffer solution（0 = presence; 1 = absence）, and ratio between amount of buffered rumen fluid and feed sample（BRF/FS; 0 = ≤ 130 mL/g DM; 1 = 130–140 mL/g DM; 2 = ≥ 140 mL/g DM）. The NDF content of feed sample incubated（NDF） was considered as a continuous variable. From an initial database of 105 papers, 58 were discarded because one of the above-mentioned factors was not stated. After discarding 17 papers,the final dataset comprised 30 papers（339 observations）. A preliminary mixed model analysis was carried out on experimental data considering the study as random factor. Variables adjusted for study effect were analyzed using a backward stepwise analysis including the above-mentioned variables. The analysis showed that the extension of incubation time and reduction of NDF increased GP and CH4 values. Values of GP and CH4 also increased when rumen fluid was collected after feeding compared to before feeding（＋26.4 and ＋9.0 mL/g DM, for GP and CH4）,from bovine compared to sheep（＋32.8 and ＋5.2 mL/g DM, for GP and CH4）, and when the buffer solution did not contain N（＋24.7 and ＋6.7 mL/g DM for GP and CH4）. The increase of BRF/FS ratio enhanced GP and CH4production（＋7.7 and ＋3.3 mL/g DM per each class of increase, respectively）. In vitro techniques for measuring GP and CH4 production are mostly used as screening methods, thus a full standardization of such techniques is not feasible. However, a greater harmonization of analytical procedures（i.e., a reduction in the number of available protocols） would be useful to facilitate comparison between results of different experiments.

An Empirical Study on the Influence of Agricultural Public Infrastructure on Total Factor Productivity of China’s Grain Production

A critical method of ensuring grain production is to increase the total factor productivity(TFP),and the key measure to increase the TFP of grain production lies in the construction of agricultural public infrastructure.For this topic,existing literature lacks systematic and empirical analysis.Therefore,research on the influence of agricultural public infrastructure on the TFP of China’s grain production has relatively strong policy implications and theoretical value.For this study,we collected panel data for grain inputs and outputs as well as for agricultural public infrastructure in China’s provinces(autonomous regions/municipalities)from 1990 to 2017,and adopted the stochastic frontier function(SFF)approach to measure the TFP of provincial-level grain production.Through this empirical study,we analyzed the influence of agricultural public infrastructures,such as irrigation,roads,and electric power facilities on the TFP of China’s agriculture.We found that such facilities have a positive influence on the TFP of grain production.Specifically,when the input for irrigation facilities is increased by 1 percent,the TFP of grain production will rise by 5.74 percent.Based on this finding,policy recommendations are proposed for enhancing grain TFP through agricultural public infrastructure construction.

EFFECTS OF PHYTOLACCA ACINOSA POLYSACCHARIDES I ON CYTOTOXICITY OF MACROPHAGES AND ITS PRODUCTION OF TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR AND INTERLEUKIN 1

The in vivo effects of Phytolacca acinosa poly-saccharides I (PEP-I) on immunologic cytotoxicity of mouse peritoneal macrophages and its production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) were studied. PEP-I 80 or 160 mg kg was given ip twice every 4 day. Both doses were found to have significant enhancing activity on macrophages cytotoxicity against S180 sarcoma cells and malignant transformed fibroblast L929 cells. Peritoneal activated macrophages were incubated with LPS for 2 and 24 hrs to induce TNF and IL-1, respectively. The TNF and IL-1 activities were tested from cytotoxicity against L929 cells in an absorbence assay of enzymatic reaction and proliferation of thymocytes co-stimulated assay separately. The optimal time for TNF production was found on day 8. Significant increases in TNF and IL-1 were observed. In comparison of the effect of PEP-I on TNF with that of known priming agent BCG, there was no difference between them, but PEP-I had a high effect on IL-1. These results suggest that cytotoxicity of macrophages primed by PEP-I is closely related to its TNF and IL-1 production.

Does innovative city pilot policy promote urban green growth in China?An analysis of green total factor productivity,2005-2020

The innovative city pilot policy(ICPP)is an essential manifestation of China’s construction of an innovative and green-driven development country.We incorporated urban green total factor productivity(GTFP)growth into the evaluation of ICPP.Based on the panel data of 223 cities in China from 2005 to 2020,we used the difference-in-differences model to empirically assess the influence and mechanism of the ICPP on urban GTFP growth.The main results show that(i)The ICPP has maintained an effectively fluctuating promotion on urban GTFP growth,mainly manifested in the urban green technological progress improvement.(ii)The ICPP has urban heterogeneity in promoting GTFP growth in pilot cities,mainly affecting key cities such as provincial capitals.(iii)The interaction between the agglomeration of producer services and the ICPP inhibits GTFP growth in pilot cities.

The Impact of the Establishment of National High-tech Zones on Total Factor Productivity of Chinese Enterprises

The National High-tech Zone(NHTZs)is an important strategic platform for cultivating high-tech industries and realizing high-quality economic development in China.Based on the combined data from 2006 to 2014 of the industrial enterprise database,the customs database,and the China Development Zones Audit and Announcement Catalogue(abbreviated asthe Catalogue),this paper systematically investigates the influence of the construction of NHTZs on enterprise’s total factor productivity(TFP).Results show that NHTZs have a positive impact on the TFP of enterprises in the zone,and this conclusion is still valid after considering endogeneity problems.Furthermore,the above productivity effects of NHTZs are heterogeneous in terms of enterprise ownership,external environment and establishment time,and NHTZs have greater stimulation effects on enterprise productivity after comparing with other types of functional zones.An investigation of the specific mechanisms at play shows that NHTZs promote the TFP of enterprises in the zone through the release of preferential policies,strengthening the“technology spillover effects”of imported intermediate goods,enhancing enterprise’s innovation ability and attracting talent.In addition,based on the decomposition of industry productivity,this paper also investigates the impact of NHTZs on changes in industry productivity and finds that NHTZs promote the overall productivity of specific industries mainly by stimulating the productivity improvement of incumbent enterprises and expanding the market share of high-productivity enterprises.Moreover,the preferential policies of NHTZs do not significantly stimulate high-productivity enterprises to enter the zones,nor do they cause low-productivity enterprises to exit.This research is helpful in objectively evaluating the economic effects of the NHTZs in China and in providing a theoretical basis for its further adjustment.

Research on the Industrial Transfer and Restructuring Path of the Energy-Intensive Manufacturing Industry in Western China

The orderly transfer of the manufacturing industry is a major action in China’s industrial restructuring.From the perspective of industrial transfer,we used the concentration ratio to depict the trend of the industrial transfer of energy-intensive manufacturing in the eastern,central,and western regions since the policy of large-scale development of western China was implemented.We measured the total factor productivity(TFP)of western China using the DEAMalmquist index method.We conducted a regression analysis to measure the effect of western China’s undertaking of the transfer of the energy-intensive manufacturing industry.The findings of this study show that during 2000–2019,eleven provinces(as well as autonomous regions and municipalities)in western China undertook the transfer of the energy-intensive manufacturing industry from the eastern and central regions to varying degrees,exhibiting significant phase features regarding the rate and scale of transfers.Further investigation also demonstrated that the transfer of energy-intensive manufacturing industries has a U-shaped enabling effect on TFP in western China with the scale effect greater than the technology effect.Therefore,it is necessary to transition from“extensive industrial transfer”at the cost of the labor force,land,and resources to“modern industrial transfer”featured by technology and efficiency improvements to contribute to industrial restructuring in western China effectively.

Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Green Finance and Technological Progress on Total Factor Productivity in China’s Industrial Sector

The enhancement of industrial green total factor productivity is pivotal for achieving high-quality and sustainable economic development.This study assesses China’s performance using the SBM-GML model,employing province-level panel data spanning from 2004 to 2020.Furthermore,we examine the influence of green finance and technological progress on industrial green total factor productivity using a spatial econometric model.The findings uncover that the relationship between the level of green financial development and industrial green total factor productivity follows a U-shaped curve.Initially,low levels of green financial development exert a suppressive effect on industrial green total factor productivity,proving ineffective in the short term.However,with the progression of green finance development,a positive and significant long-term impact on industrial green total factor productivity emerges.Moreover,technological progress demonstrates a noteworthy promotional effect on industrial green total factor productivity.The analysis delves deeper into revealing that industrial structure and environmental regulation intensity exhibit a significant negative relationship with industrial green total factor productivity.In contrast,both energy structure and education level showcase a substantial positive relationship with industrial green total factor productivity.

Agricultural Policy, Climate Factors and Grain Output: Evidence From Household Survey Data in Rural China

This paper estimates a stochastic frontier function using a panel data set that includes 4 961 farmer households for the period of 2005-2009 to decompose the growth of grain production and the total factor productivity （TFP） growth at the farmer level. The empirical results show that the major contributor to the grain output growth for farmers is input growth and that its average contribution accounts for 60.92% of farmer’s grain production growth in the period of 2006-2009, whereas the average contributions sourced from TFP growth and residuals are only 17.30 and 21.78%, respectively. The growth of intermediate inputs is a top contributor with an average contribution of 44.46%, followed by the planted area （18.16%）, investment in fixed assets （1.05%）, and labor input （-2.75%）, indicating that the contribution from the farmer’s input growth is mainly due to the growth of intermediate inputs and that the decline in labor inputs has become an obstacle for farmers in seeking grain output growth. Among the elements consisting of TFP growth, the contribution of technical progress is the largest （32.04%）, followed by grain subsidies （8.55%）, the average monthly temperature （4.26%）, the average monthly precipitation （-0.88%）, the adjusted scale effect （-5.66%）, and growth in technical efficiency （-21.01%）. In general, the contribution of climate factors and agricultural policy factor are positive and significant.

Effects of deep vertical rotary tillage on the grain yield and resource use efficiency of winter wheat in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China

Tillage represents an important practice that is used to dynamically regulate soil properties,and affects the grain production process and resource use efficiency of crops.The objectives of this 3-year field study carried out in the Huang-Huai-Hai(HHH) Plain of China were to compare the effects of a new deep vertical rotary tillage (DVRT) with the conventional shallow rotary tillage (CT) on soil properties,winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency at different productivity levels,and to identify a comprehensive management that optimizes both grain yield and resource use efficiency in the HHH Plain.A split-plot design was adopted in field experiments in the winter wheat growing seasons of 2016–2017 (S1),2017–2018 (S2) and 2018–2019 (S3),with DVRT (conducted once in June 2016) and CT performed in the main plots.Subplots were treated with one of four targeted productivity level treatments (SH,the super high productivity level;HH,the high productivity and high efficiency productivity level;FP,the farmer productivity level;ISP,the inherent soil productivity level).The results showed that the soil bulk density was reduced and the soil water content at the anthesis stage was increased in all three years,which were due to the significant effects of DVRT.Compared with CT,grain yields,partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFP_(N)),and water use efficiency (WUE) under DVRT were increased by 22.0,14.5 and 19.0%.Path analysis and direct correlation decomposition uncovered that grain yield variation of winter wheat was mostly contributed by the spike numbers per area under different tillage modes.General line model analysis revealed that tillage mode played a significant role on grain yield,PFP_(N) and WUE not only as a single factor,but also along with other factors(year and productivity level) in interaction manners.In addition,PFP_(N) and WUE were the highest in HH under DVRT in all three growth seasons.These results provided a theoretical basis and technical support for coordinating the high yield with high resource use efficiency of winter wheat in the resource-restricted region in the HHH Plain of China.

Technological innovation paths toward green industry in China

With the environmental carrying capacity reaching its limits and the decreasing margin benefits of traditional production factors, the green transformation and green development through technological innovations has been a major direction for the future development of Chinese industries. However, the characteristics and heterogeneities of various types of industries call for different approaches regarding technological innovations. How to choose the most effective mode of technological innovation according to the characteristics of a certain industry has been a key issue. This paper measures the green total factor productivity of 32 industrial trades using the Slacks Based Measure(SBM)-DDF method. The effects of three innovation modes in the green transformation of industrial industry, including the independent innovation(Ⅱ), the technology introduction(TI), and the government support(GS), are empirically analyzed based on industry heterogeneity. Results indicate that the green total factor productivities of different industries show significant differences if taking into account the energy input and the undesirable output of pollutant emissions. The green total factor productivities of traditional high input,high pollution, and high energy consumption industrial trades were significantly lower than those with obvious green features. The year of 2009 is a leap year for the industrial green transformation in China. For resource-intensive industries, the II and the GS are the important ways to achieve green transformation. For labor-intensive industries, the TI is the best path to achieve green transformation, while for technology-intensive industries, the II is the primary driving force for the promotion of green developments. In addition, the innovation-compensating effect of the current Chinese environmental regulations to the resource-intensive industries has been revealed. Improving the overall scale and the industrial concentration of the industries is also beneficial for the green transformation of the industries.

基于DEA-Malmquist模型的养老机构供给效率研究

目的 评价国内养老机构服务供给效率,了解国内养老机构服务供给现状。方法 应用数据包络分析法对2016—2020年的国内养老机构相关数据进行分析,评估国内养老机构服务供给效率。结果 2016年国内养老机构服务供给的综合技术效率、纯技术效率和规模效率分别为0.872、0.891和0.976,2020年分别为0.940、0.959和0.980。2016—2020年全要素生产率指数均值为0.988,综合技术效率上升2.2%,纯技术效率上升2.0%,技术进步均值下降3.3%。结论 养老机构的整体管理和技术水平是影响服务供给综合技术效率的主要因素。服务供给效率省际发展不均衡,区域间服务供给效率差距有所减小。技术进步是影响养老机构服务供给效率的主要因素。建议提高对养老机构管理水平的重视程度,合理配置养老机构资源,通过加强技术研发、加强养老人才队伍建设等方式提高国内养老机构服务供给效率。

Productivity Growth in China's Agriculture During 1985-2010

This paper made an empirical analysis of China＇s agricultural growth path and influential factors using the province-level panel data of agricultural inputs and outputs during 1985-2010.The findings indicate that the increase in agricultural inputs and TFP contributed 40.6 and 55.2% to the agricultural output growth,respectively;China＇s agriculture had jumped out of the pattern which output growth was mainly driven by increasing input.Of the total inputs,chemical fertilizer had the most important contribution to the output growth,followed by mechanical inputs.The contribution of land and labor was negative.China＇s agricultural output growth belonged to the type of induced technology innovation.China＇s agricultural TFP growth had characteristics of fluctuations over time and unbalanced between regions,but the gap between the eastern,the middle,and the western regions has been narrowed.

The role of R&D and economic policy uncertainty in Sri Lanka’s economic growth

In this paper,we assess the role of investment in research and development(R&D)and economic policy uncertainty(EPU)in Sri Lanka’s economic growth experience.We do this by first determining which endogenous growth theories best explain the evolution of total factor productivity(TFP)in the country.Using historical time series data(1980–2018),we find that semi-endogenous growth theories best explain the evolution of TFP in Sri Lanka.This evidence suggests that R&D is critical to the country’s TFP expansion.We find that,through R&D,EPU has a crucial detrimental impact on TFP growth,although it is short-lived.Our findings are robust and have important implications for R&D investment and for moderating EPU.