A Mechanism for Digital Finance to Drive Green and Low-Carbon Development

Given the global focus on green and low-carbon development and the increasing prominence of digital finance,it is particularly important to explore how to leverage digital finance to achieve these environmental goals.This study,through mechanism analysis,deeply examines how China’s digital finance promotes green and low-carbon development and elucidates the positive interaction between digital finance and the green industry.The study found that digital finance,through more flexible and efficient financial functions,alters the cost structure of carbon emissions,and reduces the risks and costs of green investments,thereby creating a cooperative green mechanism benefiting all parties,and guiding social groups toward a green and low-carbon transformation.Additionally,the rapid development of digital finance has strengthened the implementation of environmental protection policies,effectively promoted the expansion of the environmental protection industry,and established the green ethos as a mainstream concept in financial development.This study aims to provide reference perspectives and suggestions,assist policymakers in promoting the green and lowcarbon development of digital finance,and offer insights into the integrated development of digital finance and the green environmental protection industry.

Research on low-carbon development of electric power industry:from the perspectives of public policy

It is a fundamental way to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth that China takes the low-carbon development path.And low-carbon development is an effective way to respond to many threats,including global climate anomalies,environmental degradation,and energy shortage.Low-carbon economy is policy economy to a large extent.Although the external environment demands low-carbon development of electric power industry,enterprises lack intrinsic motivation.Electric power industry is the pillar industry of China,and is one of the key industries for China's low-carbon development.The government needs to ensure its dominant position in the low-carbon development of electric power industry,and reform the government performance management system and promote the planning and management of electric power industry through appropriate public policy,in order to adjust the structure of the electric power industry and take a low-carbon development road with Chinese characteristics.

Industry Linkage and Low-carbon Development--Based on Logistics Industry & Manufacturing Industry

Key project of " manufacturing industry and logistics industry linkage"was proposed in the Logistics Adjustment and Revitalization Plan by the state council in 2009. However the consumption and pollution generated by manufacturing industry and logistics industry linkage in China are also large at present. How to conduct manufacturing industry and logistics industry linkage by the low-carbon manner is one of most important issues under current low-carbon economy background. In this paper,the issue is studied and analyzed by constructing system dynamics model,which could propose suggestions for low-carbon linkage development of manufacturing industry and logistics industry.

Safety and effective developing nuclear power to realize green and low-carbon development

This paper analyzes the role of nuclear power of China's energy structure and industry system. Comparing with other renewable energy the nuclear power chain has very low greenhouse gas emission, so it will play more important role in China's low-carbon economy. The paper also discussed the necessity of nuclear power development to achieve emission reduction, energy structure adjustment, nuclear power safety,environmental protection, enhancement of nuclear power technology, nuclear waste treatment, and disposal, as well as nuclear power plant decommissioning. Based on the safety record and situation of the existing power plants in China, the current status of the development of world nuclear power technology, and the features of the independently designed advanced power plants in China, this paper aims to demonstrate the safety of nuclear power. A nuclear power plant will not cause harm either to the environment and nor to the public according to the real data of radioactivity release, which are obtained from an operational nuclear plant. The development of nuclear power technology can enhance the safety of nuclear power. Further, this paper discusses issues related to the nuclear fuel cycle, the treatment, and disposal strategies of nuclear waste, and the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant, all of which are issues of public concern.

China's Voluntary Mitigation Target and Road of Low-carbon Development

China is going through a rapid development stage of industrialization and urbanization.Although tremendous achievements have been made in the aspects of energy conservation,improvement of energy effectiveness and development of new and renewable energies,because of the rapid development of economy,it is difficult to change the huge total amount and fast increase of CO2 emission in the near future.China has to confront the tough challenge to address global climate change.China plans to reduce carbon intensity,that is,CO2 emissions per unit GDP,by 40 to 45% by 2020 compared with the 2005 level.It is a strategic option to coordinate domestic sustainable development with coping with global climate change on the basis of China's national circumstances,representing the core content and key measures for transforming development pattern and realizing low-carbon development.To achieve the target,more capital and technology inputs are required for energy conservation and low-carbon development during the twelfth and Thirteenth Five Year Plan period than in the Eleventh Five Year Plan period.In addition,energy conservation achieved by structural adjustment,industrial upgrading and product value-added improvement is also expected to play a greater role.Therefore,China should strengthen technological innovation,make greater efforts to transform the development pattern,take advantage of the synergistic effect of policies and measures while coping with global climate change and building a domestic tow-oriented society.China should also establish an industrial system characterized by low-carbon emission.Then China will ultimately achieve a win-win situation in both domestic sustainable development and coping with global climate change.

Thinking on Circular Agriculture in the Low-carbon Development Situation

The concept of low-carbon economy was introduced firstly, and then patterns and principles of circular agriculture were analyzed, finally noticeable problems during circular agricultural development were put forward, such as increasing the output of circular agriculture and farmers＇ in- come, improving the market system of agricultural products, and making an effort to improve the ability of circular agriculture to adapt to climate change.

Green and Low-carbon Development Strategy for Large Energy Enterprises

Green and low-carbon development is the critical countermeasure to cope with climate change and to promote energy production and consumption revolution.China National Offshore Oil Corporation(“CNOOC”)has thoroughly implemented the requirements of the country’s ecological civilisation construction,highlighting the mission and responsibility of large central energy enterprises.Combined with the characteristics of its industry,CNOOC put forward a green low-carbon development strategy.CNOOC has put into practice the concept and practice of green and lowcarbon development by optimising the design of management systems,innovating energy conservation and emission reduction management and practice,promoting the construction of a green manufacturing system,and strengthening the supply of low-carbon clean energy.The main path and direction of the follow-up of the sustainable development are clearly defined.These practices provide a useful reference for promoting the transformation of China’s economic development mode to being more green and low-carbon,constructing an ecological civilization and development that is sustainable.

Building a Low-carbon Development Policy System towards Carbon Neutrality

China has proposed that it will strive to achieve the carbon neutrality target by 2060,providing strategic guidance for China to accelerate the transformation of its development mode and economic restructuring.But it is very challenging to achieve the target.It requires systematic top design as well as scientific formulation of long-term planning,while multiple institutional policies and institutional mechanism reforms need to be strengthened,such as rule of law,administration and economy,to form a systematic and effective incentive and constraint mechanism.Through the exploration and improvement of its three five-year plans,China has formed a low-carbon policy guarantee system led by binding targets,highlighting key industries and regions,and comprising planning,laws,administrative orders,pilot projects,markets,finance and taxation,and other aspects.However,there are still many problems,including the lack of clear policy paths in the near,medium and long term,the absence of key systems such as total carbon emission control system and climate legislation,poor inter-departmental communication and coordination mechanisms,and inadequate systems such as carbon markets and climate investment and financing.Finally,taking into account the current opportunities and challenges,we propose a low-carbon development policy guarantee system for China to move towards carbon neutrality.

New aspects of a small GTPase RAB35 in brain development and function

In eukaryotic cells,organelles in the secretory,lysosomal,and endocytic pathways actively exchange biological materials with each other through intracellular membrane trafficking,which is the process of transporting the cargo of proteins,lipids,and other molecules to appropriate compartments via transport vesicles or intermediates.These processes are strictly regulated by various small GTPases such as the RAS-like in rat brain(RAB)protein family,which is the largest subfamily of the RAS superfamily.Dysfunction of membrane trafficking affects tissue homeostasis and leads to a wide range of diseases,including neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.Therefore,it is important to understand the physiological and pathological roles of RAB proteins in brain function.RAB35,a member of the RAB family,is an evolutionarily conserved protein in metazoans.A wide range of studies using cultured mammalian cells and model organisms have revealed that RAB35 mediates various processes such as cytokinesis,endocytic recycling,actin bundling,and cell migration.RAB35 is also involved in neurite outgrowth and turnover of synaptic vesicles.We generated brain-specific Rab35 knockout mice to study the physiological roles of RAB35 in brain development and function.These mice exhibited defects in anxiety-related behaviors and spatial memory.Strikingly,RAB35 is required for the precise positioning of pyramidal neurons during hippocampal development,and thereby for normal hippocampal lamination.In contrast,layer formation in the cerebral cortex occurred superficially,even in the absence of RAB35,suggesting a predominant role for RAB35 in hippocampal development rather than in cerebral cortex development.Recent studies have suggested an association between RAB35 and neurodegenerative diseases,including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.In this review,we provide an overview of the current understanding of subcellular functions of RAB35.We also provide insights into the physiological role of RAB35 in mammalian brain development and function,and discuss the involvement of RAB35 dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases.

Establishment of human cerebral organoid systems to model early neural development and assess the central neurotoxicity of environmental toxins

Human brain development is a complex process,and animal models often have significant limitations.To address this,researchers have developed pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional structures,known as brain-like organoids,to more accurately model early human brain development and disease.To enable more consistent and intuitive reproduction of early brain development,in this study,we incorporated forebrain organoid culture technology into the traditional unguided method of brain organoid culture.This involved embedding organoids in matrigel for only 7 days during the rapid expansion phase of the neural epithelium and then removing them from the matrigel for further cultivation,resulting in a new type of human brain organoid system.This cerebral organoid system replicated the temporospatial characteristics of early human brain development,including neuroepithelium derivation,neural progenitor cell production and maintenance,neuron differentiation and migration,and cortical layer patterning and formation,providing more consistent and reproducible organoids for developmental modeling and toxicology testing.As a proof of concept,we applied the heavy metal cadmium to this newly improved organoid system to test whether it could be used to evaluate the neurotoxicity of environmental toxins.Brain organoids exposed to cadmium for 7 or 14 days manifested severe damage and abnormalities in their neurodevelopmental patterns,including bursts of cortical cell death and premature differentiation.Cadmium exposure caused progressive depletion of neural progenitor cells and loss of organoid integrity,accompanied by compensatory cell proliferation at ectopic locations.The convenience,flexibility,and controllability of this newly developed organoid platform make it a powerful and affordable alternative to animal models for use in neurodevelopmental,neurological,and neurotoxicological studies.

Postnatal development of rat retina:a continuous observation and comparison between the organotypic retinal explant model and in vivo development

The organotypic retinal explant culture has been established for more than a decade and offers a range of unique advantages compared with in vivo experiments and cell cultures.However,the lack of systematic and continuous comparison between in vivo retinal development and the organotypic retinal explant culture makes this model controversial in postnatal retinal development studies.Thus,we aimed to verify the feasibility of using this model for postnatal retinal development studies by comparing it with the in vivo retina.In this study,we showed that postnatal retinal explants undergo normal development,and exhibit a consistent structure and timeline with retinas in vivo.Initially,we used SOX2 and PAX6 immunostaining to identify retinal progenitor cells.We then examined cell proliferation and migration by immunostaining with Ki-67 and doublecortin,respectively.Ki-67-and doublecortin-positive cells decreased in both in vivo and explants during postnatal retinogenesis,and exhibited a high degree of similarity in abundance and distribution between groups.Additionally,we used Ceh-10 homeodomain-containing homolog,glutamate-ammonia ligase(glutamine synthetase),neuronal nuclei,and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 immunostaining to examine the emergence of bipolar cells,Müller glia,mature neurons,and microglia,respectively.The timing and spatial patterns of the emergence of these cell types were remarkably consistent between in vivo and explant retinas.Our study showed that the organotypic retinal explant culture model had a high degree of consistency with the progression of in vivo early postnatal retina development.The findings confirm the accuracy and credibility of this model and support its use for long-term,systematic,and continuous observation.

Influences of Financial Development and Energy Price on Renewable Energy:An Italian Case

Global climate change has created substantial difficulties in the areas of sustainability,development,and environmental conservation due to the widespread dependence on fossil fuels for energy production.Nevertheless,the promotion of renewable energy programs has the potential to significantly expedite endeavors aimed at tackling climate change.Thus,it is essential to conduct a thorough analysis that considers the financial aspects to fully understand the main hurdles that are preventing the advancement of renewable energy initiatives.Italy is a leading country in the worldwide deployment of renewable energy.The objective of this research is to assess the impact of financial growth,economic progress,and energy expenses on Italy’s adoption of renewable energy sources.By employing the Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag(ARDL)technique,we analyzed annual data spanning from1990 to 2022.Findings revealed that a 1%increase in financial and economic development would boost renewable energy consumption in the long run by 0.29%and 0.48%,respectively.Instead,a 1%increase in energy prices might reduce consumption of renewable energy by 0.05%in the long run.This study’s primary significance lies in furnishing actionable strategies for Italy to augment green finance for renewable energy,fostering sustained social and economic progress.Moreover,the analytical insights gleaned from this research offer valuable insights for energy-importing nations worldwide.

Exploring the dynamics of creative tourism:A tourist-centric perspective to achieve economic sustainable development

Creative tourism is a dynamic and innovative approach to tourism,which points out the importance of people's active participation and their immersion in such experiences.In a vernacular context,it should attract people(local and tourists)attention to accomplish its main goals.Despite its rich cultural and natural assets,Kurdistan province faces several challenges that impact its tourism potential.To achieve that,the study uses quantitative approach to thoroughly analyze and evaluate the components of creative tourism in this province.The research focuses on tourists who visited the province's ten towns during the spring and summer of 2023.Data collection utilized a Likert-scale questionnaire ranging from"very good"to"very poor".The study employed a semistructured questionnaire developed through qualitative interviews alongside a researcher-made questionnaire validated by experts from the University of Kurdistan.The qualitative questionnaire achieved a high-reliability score of 93%using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.In-depth interviews and literary research were conducted to identify creative tourism components and indicators,informing the development of a quantitative questionnaire.Data analysis was performed using SPSS 20 and AMOS software to scrutinize the survey findings,providing insights into enhancing creative tourism strategies in Kurdistan province.The results reveal the varying significance of these dimensions,with the cultural dimension identified as the most crucial(factor loading:0.95),followed by the social(0.92),economic(0.88),and managerial/political dimensions(0.83).The study highlights the importance of cultural planning,community engagement,and infrastructural support in fostering creative tourism.Furthermore,it explores the impact of creative industries,such as music and arts rooted in Kurdish culture,on tourism development.Economic diversification and spatialphysical considerations are critical factors in enhancing Kurdistan's appeal as a creative tourism destination,emphasizing sustainable growth and cultural preservation.

Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein Family Regulates Stress Tolerance and Development in Plants

The leucine-rich repeat(LRR)protein family is involved in a variety of fundamental metabolic and signaling processes in plants,including growth and defense responses.LRR proteins can be divided into two categories:those containing LRR domains along with other structural elements,which are further subdivided into five groups,LRR receptor-like kinases,LRR receptor-like proteins,nucleotide-binding site LRR proteins,LRR-extensin proteins,and polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins,and those containing only LRR domains.Functionally,various LRR proteins are primarily involved in plant development and responses to environmental stress.Notably,the LRR protein family plays a central role in signal transduction pathways related to stress adaptation.In this review,we classify and analyze the functions of LRR proteins in plants.While extensive research has been conducted on the roles of LRR proteins in disease resistance signaling,these proteins also play important roles in abiotic stress responses.This review highlights recent advances in understanding how LRR proteins mediate responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.Building upon these insights,further exploration of the roles of LRR proteins in abiotic stress resistance may aid efforts to develop rice varieties with enhanced stress and disease tolerance.

Low-carbon development policies and achievements in the context of the livestock sector in China

Rapid growth and a vast transition of Chinese livestock industry driven by economic incentives make it become an important contributor on climate change over the last four decades.This study first analyzes the evolving lowcarbon livestock development policies and regulations,then an assessment and explanations of the achievements and non-achievements are provided.The findings reveal that China began to pay attention to low-carbon development policy starting in the early 1990s.However,only after the cyclic and green concept became the main sustainable development policy,China began to move seriously toward low-carbon livestock development.Several policy instruments were introduced,including moderate scale,feed optimization,manure resource utilization,facility and equipment allocation rate,energy conservation and substitution.Overall,achievements were made in introducing such policies.However,due to the large share of standard agriculture and regional resources,and environmental diversity,such policies may have little effect in practice.The divergence between the policies and actual practices are explained,and important policies applicable to all developing countries are also recommended.

Development path of Chinese low-carbon cities based on index evaluation

This work takes the 36 cities from China＇s low-carbon pilot project as the research object and uses the carbon emission per capita and GDP per capita to categorize the 36 cities into four types to reveal their low-carbon development status; these four types are leading cities, developing cities, latecomer cities, and exploring cities. On the basis of an index system that quantitatively describes low-carbon development, this research analyzes the characteristics, development trends, and low-carbon development pathways of the four types of cities. According to the present situation and objectives of national emissions and considering the differences in development stages, challenges, and opportunities for each type of the city, this research presents recommendations for the low-carbon roadmap and the medium- and long-term （by 2030） emission trend routes of different types of regions in China.

Scenario analysis of energy-based low-carbon development in China

China＇s increasing energy consumption and coal-dominant energy structure have contributed not only to severe environmental pollution,but also to global climate change. This article begins with a brief review of China＇s primary energy use and associated environmental problems and health risks. To analyze the potential of China＇s transition to low-carbon development,three scenarios are constructed to simulate energy demand and CO2 emission trends in China up to 2050 by using the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System（LEAP） model. Simulation results show that with the assumption of an average annual Gross Domestic Product（GDP） growth rate of 6.45%,total primary energy demand is expected to increase by 63.4%,48.8% and 12.2% under the Business as Usual（BaU）,Carbon Reduction（CR）and Integrated Low Carbon Economy（ILCE） scenarios in 2050 from the 2009 levels. Total energy-related CO2 emissions will increase from 6.7 billion tons in 2009 to 9.5,11,11.6 and11.2 billion tons; 8.2,9.2,9.6 and 9 billion tons; 7.1,7.4,7.2 and 6.4 billion tons in 2020,2030,2040 and 2050 under the BaU,CR and ILCE scenarios,respectively. Total CO2 emission will drop by 19.6% and 42.9% under the CR and ILCE scenarios in 2050,compared with the BaU scenario.To realize a substantial cut in energy consumption and carbon emissions,China needs to make a long-term low-carbon development strategy targeting further improvement of energy efficiency,optimization of energy structure,deployment of clean coal technology and use of market-based economic instruments like energy/carbon taxation.

An integrated approach to evaluating the coupling coordination degree between low-carbon development and air quality in Chinese cities

Collaborative governance between ecological environment and climate change is a novel signature in China's policy agenda. However, such coordination remains understudied, especially at the local level. Using the principal component analysis, entropy evaluation methods, and the Coupling Coordination Degree Model (CCDM), we evaluated the level of coordination between carbon and air quality mitigation from 34 low-carbon pilot cities in China. We also illustrated the mechanism and policy formation that leads to different coupling patterns at the local level using three case studies. We found that most pilot cities perform a medium level of coupling coordination between low carbon development and air quality. The result reveals that most low-carbon pilot cities score relatively well in low-carbon development. Further, there is a significant cleavage in air quality between cities in the North and those in the South, indicating pilot cities in the South coordinate better than those in the North. In particular, pilot programs in the Southwest and Southeast coastal region perform well in collaborative governance, while the Beijing−Tianjin−Hebei region is rated poorly because of the gap between air quality and low carbon development. Also, we found that the same low-carbon policy might have heterogeneous effects on different air pollutants and across different regions. The local government should adopt low-carbon development policies that address local level specific environmental and economic conditions to maximize their air pollution mitigation benefits.

Evaluation of Smart Low-carbon Development in Major Chinese Cities

This study chose major Chinese cities and used the creative model of Smart Low-carbon Strength Quo- tient （SLSQ） to investigate the level and state of urban smart low-carbon development. The results show that： （1） three main categories of smart low-carbon cities are found; namely, leaders with high SLSQ, steady ones with av- erage SLSQ and lagging ones with low SLSQ; （2） the SLSQ level shows a spatial change trend of diminishing from the southeast to the northwest and differing within regions; （3） the SLSQ level indicates an urban scale change trend of decreasing from the big to the small and differing within each scale; （4） the SLSQ level suggests an ad- ministrative hierarchy change trend of descending from the high to the low and differing within each class; （5） based on the SLSQ, three dynamic patterns were identified： leading mode, steady mode and preparing mode, among which the steady mode accounts for the vast majority of smart low-carbon development in major Chinese cities.

Transitional Road of Resources-exhausted Cities to Low-carbon Economy:Tourism Resources Development——A Case Study of Gejiu City

Tourism is of vital practical significance to low-carbon economic transition of resources-exhausted cities.By taking Gejiu City of Yunnan Province for example,the paper discussed that Gejiu City as the resources-exhausted city should positively develop tourism,particularly industrial heritage tourism,treating tourism development as the breakthrough and motive power of low-carbon economic transition of resources-exhausted cities,so as to walk out a unique road of tourism promoting low-carbon economic development.