11 research outputs found
An Empirical Study on the Influencing Factors of China's Green Bond Issuance Interest Rate
No full textExploring the Relationship Between Green Bond Issuance and Energy-related SDGs in Emerging Market and Developing Economies
No full textIn emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), funds available for enabling the net-zero carbon transition are far below the level of investment required for a successful accomplishment. Nevertheless, a lot of EMDEs are making serious endeavours to deploy green financial instruments to support the transition. Among the internationally available financial instruments, green bonds (GBs) are especially significant due to their internationally regulated taxonomy, principles and classification of use of proceeds. The effectiveness of GB issuance is hard to measure but its relatedness to sustainable development goals (SDGs) has been proposed by the literature. This paper investigates the relationship between GB issuance and energy-related SDGs on the basis of a sample of 75 EMDEs in the period between 2000 and 2022. Besides renewable energy use and energy intensity, achievement of the ultimate goal of sustainable finances, carbon dioxide emission reduction, is also evaluated based on country-level statistics. We find only a few countries where all indicators have moved in the desired direction since the first issue of green bonds, and even fewer where this positive trend has persisted afterwards. Even when the short time series available for analysis is taken into account, the findings suggest that the dominance of renewable energy investment among the uses of GB proceeds does not necessarily entail any progress towards the net-zero emission targets. Overall, this highlights the necessity of stronger policy commitment and control
Performance and environmental impacts of deep foundation excavation in soft soils: A field and modeling-based case study in Nanjing, China
No full textThis paper focuses on the performance of a braced deep excavation in soft soil based on field monitoring and numerical modeling. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the soil parameters used in the modified Cam–Clay (MCC) model. Intelligent field monitoring means were adopted and a three-dimensional model was established. Spatial and temporal effects induced by the excavation are investigated for the deep-large foundation pit in soft soil. Deformation characteristics of the enclosure structure and the surrounding environment throughout the excavation process are presented. The behaviors of diaphragm walls, columns, the maximum wall deflection rate, ground surface settlement, and utility pipelines were focused on and investigated during the whole excavation process. Besides, the axial forces of the internal supports are analyzed. Based on the measured and simulated data, the following main conclusions were obtained: the numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the measured values, which proves the accuracy of the model parameters; the wall and the ground surface showed the maximum displacement increment at stage 9, which was a coupled product of the “creep effect” of the soft soil in Nanjing, China and the “depth effect” of the excavation; as the excavation progressed, the ground settlement changed from a “rising” to a “spoon-shaped” trend, δvm was measured between δvm = 0.0686%H and δvm = 0.1488%H; the rebound deformation curve of the pit bottom was corrugated, and the depth of disturbance of the pit bottom after the completion of soil unloading was 2–3 times the excavation depth; the closer the pipeline is to the corner of the pit, the less the excavation process will affect the settlement of the pipeline and the less the obvious pit corner effect will occur; the support strength of the buttress and the longest corner brace should be strengthened during the actual construction process to ensure the stability of the foundation deformation
Ground Deformation Associated with Deep Excavations in Beijing, China
No full textA performance study is considered to be reliable method for comprehending deformations associated with deep excavation. To gain insight into the laws governing ground deformations that are associated with deep excavation, details of 88 cases were collected and analyzed in Beijing. The results were compared with worldwide case histories. Field data were selected to survey the ground behavior and to examine the correlation between deformation and excavation. The position and magnitude of the final ground deformation (δv), as well as the maximum deformation (δvm), the correlations between δvm and excavation depth (H), the length–width ratio, embedded depth ratio (EDR), and the stiffness of the support system, were assessed. The clear evolution process, influence zone, and final deformation pattern are illustrated. Our study revealed the following: (1) the groove pattern is detected in the final deformation of the ground surface, δvm occurred when positioned approximately 0.42H~0.62H off the wall, when the 1st~2nd supports on the bottom were removed; (2) δvm increases with an increase in H, and it ranges from 0.04% to 0.12% when H has an average value of approximately 0.089%; (3) EDR has an observable effect on reducing the δvm, as there a slight impact was observed until the ratios exceeded 0.4; (4) the deformation value of the 75% monitoring points ranged from −25 mm to 0 mm; (5) excavation could cause minor upheaval in some areas, but the upheaval reduces with increasing levels of excavation, so both deformation magnitude and the number of points are low; (6) deformation exhibits clear temporal–spatial characteristics, the settlement rate gradually increased over time, especially after drainage started or consolidation appeared, and when the internal structure is completed, δvm decreases with the rise in support system stiffness, ranging from 7000 to 11,000, and deformation becomes stable; and (7) transverse sections near the excavation center experienced larger deformations than others and the smallest deformations were near the corners, a significant increase occurs with the removal of the lowest 1–2 struts, particularly on the long side where ∆δv reaches 2.8 ± 0.75 mm, and the influence zones extend from approximately 2.5H to 3H beyond the excavated face. These findings have valuable implications for designing and constructing similar projects in Beijing and other regions, as they can help prevent accidents and minimize resource wastage
Communication problems and solutions faced by Chinese college students entering the workplace
No full textCommunication skills are one of the key competences for employability in the 21st century that contribute freshly graduates’ successful career at the workplace. Furthermore, effective communication is one of the necessary competences for interpersonal communication and modern business management. For college students initially entering the workplace, the skills how to convey information and how to achieve actionable results at work are part of the key competences for communication and cooperation with colleagues and superiors at the workplace. It is a prerequisite and basis for decision making, a tool for unifying thoughts and actions, the key to establishing good interpersonal relationships and an important cornerstone for achieving harmonious development of the enterprise. This paper focuses on Chinese graduates entering the workplace as the research object and explores the communication barriers that hinder effective communication when entering the labor market. The quantitative research revealed that besides the problems resulted from the lack of communication awareness, ineffective and poor communication between fresh graduates and superiors at workplace might be the consequence of the inconsistency of thoughts with the communication targets and of poor communication skills. By detecting the above communication problems, this paper proposes communication management actions to mitigate the impacts at the workplace and improve Chinese students’ communication competences for employability
Influence of Deep Foundation Pit Excavation on Adjacent Pipelines: A Case Study in Nanjing, China
No full textTo investigate the pipeline deformation pattern caused by the excavation of deep foundation pits in composite soil–rock strata, a comprehensive study integrating on-site monitoring and numerical simulation was conducted. This study centered on a deep foundation excavation project in the soft soil in Nanjing’s floodplain region. The analyses of pipeline settlement and deformation were performed based on field-measured data. This study investigated the impact of excavation on the mechanical properties of the surrounding soil that resulted in the progressive deformation of adjacent pipelines. Furthermore, numerical simulations were conducted using Plaxis 3D CONNECT Edition v22 finite element analysis software. This study elucidated the influence of factors such as pipeline–pit distance and burial depth on pipeline deformation, conducting a quantitative analysis of their effects. The results indicated that deformation primarily occurs unevenly near pit corners and is less pronounced in soil–rock strata than in single-type soil layers. This study established correlations between pipeline displacements and various factors, offering valuable insights for future excavation projects conducted under similar conditions
Experimental and numerical investigation of the load-bearing capacity of bolt-fastened wedge active joints for prestressed internal bracing in subway excavations
No full textThe present study develops a novel type of active joint node-bolt fasten wedge (BFW) active joints, aiming to investigate the load-bearing capacity of a BFW joint in a quantitative way and put forward precise formulas for its yield load and compression rigidity. To achieve this, indoor axial loading tests were conducted on two BFW joints, accompanied by a set of numerical simulations with the finite element approach implemented in ABAQUS. Parametric research was then conducted to assess the impact of various factors on the yield load and initial compression rigidity of BFW joints, leading to the derivation of precise calculation formulas for accurate prediction of these parameters. The key findings indicate that enhancing the bolt strength from 10.9 to 12.9 significantly improves mechanical performance. Under axial compression, the final bearing force, yield load, and initial compression rigidity increase by 0.86, 1.06, and 0.15 times, respectively. Numerical models accurately predict joint behavior under axial force, confirming their reliability. Parameter studies reveal that increasing web and eaves thickness, bolt strength, and diameter improves bearing capacity, while splint thickness has little effect. The fitting formulas introduced can precisely estimate yield load and rigidity, providing practical value for engineering applications
Change in the intestinal bacterial community structure associated with environmental microorganisms during the growth of Eriocheir sinensis
No full textAbstract As an important organ to maintain the host's homeostasis, intestinal microbes play an important role in development of the organism. In contrast to those of terrestrial animals, the intestinal microbes of aquatic organisms are affected by environmental microorganisms (including water microorganisms and sediment microorganisms). In the present study, the compositional differences of intestinal microbes in three representative developmental stages of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) were studied. Meanwhile, network association analysis, and visualization of the water microorganisms of the crabs’ habitat, the environment microorganisms in the pond, and the intestinal microbes, was carried out. The results showed that the gut microbiota diversity index decreased continuously with age, and the four bacteria of Aeromonas (Proteobacteria), Defluviitaleaceae (Firmicutes), Candidatus Bacilloplasma (Tenericutes), and Dysgonomonas (Bacteroidetes) were the “indigenous” flora of the crab. In the network‐related analysis with the environment, we found that as the culture time increased, the effect of environmental microorganisms on the intestinal microbes of crabs gradually decreased, and the four “indigenous” bacteria were always unaffected by the environmental microorganisms. The results of this study identified the core bacteria of the crab and, for the first time, studied the relationship between intestinal environmental microorganisms, which will aid the practical production of crabs and will promote research into the relationship between specific bacteria and the physiological metabolism of crabs
Immunological characteristics of a recombinant alphaherpesvirus with an envelope-embedded Cap protein of circovirus
No full textIntroductionVariant pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a newly emerged zoonotic pathogen that can cause human blindness. PRV can take advantage of its large genome and multiple non-essential genes to construct recombinant attenuated vaccines carrying foreign genes. However, a major problem is that the foreign genes in recombinant PRV are only integrated into the genome for independent expression, rather than assembled on the surface of virion.MethodsWe reported a recombinant PRV with deleted gE/TK genes and an inserted porcine circovirus virus 2 (PCV2) Cap gene into the extracellular domain of the PRV gE gene using the Cre-loxP recombinant system combined with the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system. This recombinant PRV (PRV-Cap), with the envelope-embedded Cap protein, exhibits a similar replication ability to its parental virus.ResultsAn immunogenicity assay revealed that PRV-Cap immunized mice have 100% resistance to lethal PRV and PCV2 attacks. Neutralization antibody and ELISPOT detections indicated that PRV-Cap can enhance neutralizing antibodies to PRV and produce IFN-γ secreting T cells specific for both PRV and PCV2. Immunological mechanistic investigation revealed that initial immunization with PRV-Cap stimulates significantly early activation and expansion of CD69+ T cells, promoting the activation of CD4 Tfh cell dependent germinal B cells and producing effectively specific effector memory T and B cells. Booster immunization with PRV-Cap recalled the activation of PRV-specific IFN-γ+IL-2+CD4+ T cells and IFN-γ+TNF-α+CD8+ T cells, as well as PCV2-specific IFN-γ+TNF-α+CD8+ T cells.ConclusionCollectively, our data suggested an immunological mechanism in that the recombinant PRV with envelope-assembled PCV2 Cap protein can serve as an excellent vaccine candidate for combined immunity against PRV and PCV2, and provided a cost-effective method for the production of PRV- PCV2 vaccine
