Pan-Yangtze River Delta Research Articles

Clinical features and genetic spectrum of a multicenter Chinese cohort with myotonic dystrophy type 1

BackgroundAs the most common subtype of adult muscular dystrophy worldwide, large cohort reports on myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1) in China are still lacking. This study aims to analyze the genetic and clinical characteristics of Chinese Han DM1 patients.MethodsBased on the multicenter collaborating effort of the Pan-Yangtze River Delta Alliance for Neuromuscular Disorders, patients with suspected clinical diagnoses of DM1 were genetically confirmed from January 2020 to April 2023. Peak CTG repeats in the DMPK gene were analyzed using triplet repeat-primed PCR (TP-PCR) and flanking PCR. Time-to-event analysis of onset age in females and males was performed. Additionally, detailed clinical features and longitudinal changes from the disease onset in 64 DM1 patients were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Fatigue Severity Scale were used to quantify the severity of daytime sleepiness and fatigue.ResultsAmong the 211 genetically confirmed DM1 patients, the mean age at diagnosis was 40.9 ± 12.2 (range: 12–74) with a male-to-female ratio of 124:87. The average size of CTG repeats was 511.3 (range: 92–1945). Among the DM1 patients with comprehensive clinical data (n = 64, mean age 41.0 ± 12.0), the age at onset was significantly earlier in males than in females (4.8 years earlier, p = 0.026). Muscle weakness (92.2%), myotonia (85.9%), and fatigue (73.4%) were the most prevalent clinical features. The predominant involved muscles at onset are hands (weakness or myotonia) (52.6%) and legs (walking disability) (42.1%). Of them, 70.3% of patients had daytime sleepiness, 14.1% had cataract surgery, 7.8% used wheelchairs, 4.7% required ventilatory support, and 1.6% required gastric tubes. Regarding the comorbidities, 4.7% of patients had tumors, 17.2% had diabetes, 23.4% had dyspnea, 28.1% had intermittent insomnia, 43.8% experienced dysphagia, and 25% exhibited cognitive impairment. Chinese patients exhibited smaller size of CTG repeats (468 ± 139) than those reported in Italy (613 ± 623), the US (629 ± 386), and Japan (625 [302, 1047]), and milder phenotypes with less multisystem involvement.ConclusionThe Chinese Han DM1 patients presented milder phenotypes compared to their Caucasian and Japanese counterparts. A male predominance and an early age of onset were identified in male Chinese Han DM1 patients.

Causal Nexus between Sci-Tech Talent and Economic Growth in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta of China

Spatial coupling analysis, cointegration, and the Granger causality test model were adapted from a geographical perspective to analyse the relationship between sci-tech talent and economic growth, as well as their spatial differences in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta from 1998 to 2019. The results demonstrate that the sci-tech talent centre of gravity and economic centre of gravity are close to each other, showing as two parallel chains, and there is higher spatial overlap and variation consistency between centres of gravity. Sci-tech talent and economic growth are in a long-term relationship of equilibrium, showing a better fitting cointegration equation, in which the latter affects the former. Shanghai has the greatest elasticity, with a 2.119 coefficient of sci-tech talent, while Zhejiang has the smallest elasticity with a coefficient of 0.859. There are differences in the causal nexus between sci-tech talent and economic growth. Economic growth has a unidirectional effect on sci-tech talent in Shanghai and Jiangsu while sci-tech talent has a unidirectional effect on economic growth in Zhejiang. There is a bidirectional effect between sci-tech talent and economic growth in Anhui. There is also a unidirectional effect from economic growth to sci-tech talent in the entire Pan-Yangtze River Delta.

Inter-regional economic spillover and carbon productivity embodied in trade: empirical study from the Pan-Yangtze River Delta Region.

How to promote the carbon productivity embodied in trade and regional balanced development has become the focus of attention to combat climate change and improve regional management. Taking the Pan-Yangtze River Delta region for example and based on the input-output model, thispaper exploredthe relationship between inter-industry economic spillover and embodied carbon productivity in trade from 2007 to 2012. Results indicated that the intra-regional multiplier effect presented a slow downward trend during the studied period, while the trend in the inter-regional integration was intensifying. Moreover, the multiplier effect of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River was relatively lower than that of the middle reaches. Owing to the geographical location and industrial structure, the industries in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were strongly correlated. In addition, the regional multiplier effect was mostly concentrated in industries with high carbon emission intensity. The economic spillovers between regions showed a growing trend from 2007 to 2012, indicating that regional economic integration was further strengthened, and the economic spillovers in the Yangtze River Delta region were significantly higher than those in the middle reaches. Furthermore, from the perspective of embodied carbon productivity in trade, most of Shanghai's carbon productivity to other regions was mostly less than 10,000 Yuan per ton, which means Shanghai had little demand for intermediate products of other regions, and inter-regionaltrade between Shanghai and other regions brought less total output and more environmental pollution to other regions, while Shanghai obtained more total output through trade. As embodied carbon productivity in trade in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was more than 10,000 Yuan per ton, Jiangsu and Zhejiang had played an important role in realizing the coordinated development of low carbon in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta. In particular, for Anhui and Jiangxi, embodied carbon productivity in the Yangtze River Delta region was relativelylow. Therefore, in order to achieve green, coordinated, and high-quality economic development in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta region, Anhui and Jiangxi should not only strengthen regional cooperation with Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu, but also they should avoid regional zero-sum game competition in regional climate policy. In other words, for policy-makers in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta, promoting the deep integration of industrial chain and regional coordinated development, and thus, improving carbon productivity during the regional development process, should receive more attention.

Change, mechanism, and response of pollutant discharge pattern resulting from manufacturing industrial transfer: A case study of the Pan-Yangtze River Delta, China

Abstract Manufacturing industrial transfer is an important approach to promote the optimization and upgrading of industry, as well as leads to the spatial response of environmental pollution. In this paper, we applied the gravity centre model to measure the changes in pollutant discharge patterns from 2005 to 2015 in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta, and then investigated the drivers of pollutant discharge patterns changes with an improved econometric model which integrated the push–pull theory and STIRPAT random regression model. The results revealed great changes in pollutant discharge patterns due to manufacturing industrial transfer, with the pollution gravity centre and total discharge transferring from east to west. We also found indications of a delayed response between the movement of industry and a corresponding reduction in pollutant emissions. The modelling results suggested that differences in regional economy, technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and environmental regulation influenced observed changes in pollutant discharge patterns. Specifically, regional economic conditions and more stringent environmental regulations can push pollution-intensive industry out of developed areas into developing areas. Meanwhile improved innovation milieu and industrial optimization provided resistance for pollution-intensive industries to stay in developed areas as well as encouraging movement into developing areas.

How do urban spatial structures evolution in the high-speed rail era? Case study of Yangtze River Delta, China

The construction of high-speed rail (HSR) networks is of great significance to researchers in the fields of regional development, regional structure, and regional integration. Whilst a large number of studies have estimated the impacts of HSR networks on regional economic development, accessibility, and commuting behavior, how urban spatial structures evolution in the HSR era remain largely unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore how the urban structures (urban hierarchical structure and urban physical structure) of cities in the Yangtze River Delta evolution by employing a reverse gravity model and a gravity deviation model in the HSR era. Our findings indicate that in the HSR network, the traffic attractiveness of cities in Pan-Yangtze River Delta showed an obvious hierarchical distribution (taking on a spindle shape), and that the first-tier cities comprised of Shanghai and Nanjing. We further found that the impacts of introducing a HSR network on urban land growth were greater in non-HSR cities than in cities with HSR. In addition, the growth rate of urban land was found to be higher in areas surrounding HSR stations than in the city at large. This shows that the introduction of HSR significantly stimulated the development of the cities making up the study area. More importantly, after the opening of the HSR network, the center of gravity of the urban areas of 75% cities that were connected to the HSR network was found to deviate towards the HSR station. Differences in the pattern and degree of deviation were identified, thus indicating the presence of individual differences in the effects of HSR on urban growth in different cities.

Spatiotemporal Variability and Influencing Factors of Aerosol Optical Depth over the Pan Yangtze River Delta during the 2014-2017 Period.

Large amounts of aerosol particles suspended in the atmosphere pose a serious challenge to the climate and human health. In this study, we produced a dataset through merging the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometers (MODIS) Collection 6.1 3-km resolution Dark Target aerosol optical depth (DT AOD) with the 10-km resolution Deep Blue aerosol optical depth (DB AOD) data by linear regression and made use of it to unravel the spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosols over the Pan Yangtze River Delta (PYRD) region from 2014 to 2017. Then, the geographical detector method and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to investigate the contributions of influencing factors. Results indicate that: (1) compared to the original Terra DT and Aqua DT AOD data, the average daily spatial coverage of the merged AOD data increased by 94% and 132%, respectively; (2) the values of four-year average AOD were high in the north-east and low in the south-west of the PYRD; (3) the annual average AOD showed a decreasing trend from 2014 to 2017 while the seasonal average AOD reached its maximum in spring; and that (4) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and slope contributed most to the spatial distribution of AOD, followed by precipitation and population density. Our study highlights the spatiotemporal variability of aerosol optical depth and the contributions of different factors over this large geographical area in the four-year period, and can, therefore, provide useful insights into the air pollution control for decision makers.

Does Environmental Regulation Repress the International R&D Spillover Effect? Evidence from China

The inconsistent direction between environmental regulation and technological progress is receiving increasing attention, but scholars have neglected the relationship between the two in the open economy. Against this background and based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2015, we examined the effect of environmental regulation on the international research and development (R&D) spillover effect and its regional differences in three economic regions: The Bohai Rim, Pan-Yangtze River Delta, and Pan-Pearl River Delta economic regions. The results show that (1) at China’s macro level, and at that of the three economic regions, the level of environmental regulation and international R&D spillover from import trade or foreign direct investment channels show an inverted N relationship; that is, in all provinces the weak environmental regulation initially inhibited the international technology spillover. However, as the intensity of environmental regulation increased, the level of international R&D spillovers continually rose, but overly harsh environmental regulation was not conducive to the overflow of international technology; (2) the adoption of different environmental regulations will affect the international R&D spillover effect and the inverted N relationship of environmental regulation, thus changing the inflection point of environmental regulation; and (3) currently, the level of environmental regulation is relatively low, as most provinces have not yet broken through the first turning point of the inverted N, and only a few provinces are within the rising stage of the inverted N curve. This paper provides corresponding policy suggestions according to the above conclusions.

Study on the Competitiveness Evaluation of Urban Cultural Tourism Creative Industry in Pan-Yangtze River Delta

Study on the Competitiveness Evaluation of Urban Cultural Tourism Creative Industry in Pan-Yangtze River Delta

The spatial characteristics of coupling relationship between urbanization and eco-environment in the Pan Yangtze River Delta

The spatial characteristics of the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between urbanization and eco-environment in the Pan Yangtze River Delta (PYRD) during 2004-2016 are analyzed by using the CCD model and spatial autocorrelation method. Research shows the CCD maintained an upward trend, and presented a spatial distribution trend that higher values in central and western parts and lower values in southern and north-eastern areas. Spatial distribution characteristics are also significant, formed with a hotspot with Shanghai and Southern Jiangsu as the centre and a coldspot with Northern Anhui as the centre. The results of this study hold important implications for efforts to achieve the coordinated development of urbanization and eco-environment.

Examining the impacts of land use on cancer incidence through structural equation modeling: A case of the Pan-Yangtze River Delta, China

• An increasing trend of cancer incidence can be observed in the PYRD from 2000 to 2012. • SEM analysis reveals that urbanization and land use pattern affect cancer incidence through environmental factors. • Urbanization has a positive correlation with the incidence of certain types of cancer. • Higher landscape shape index contributes to higher incidence of certain types of cancer.

Interurban house price gradient

This paper applies a general spatial equilibrium model to investigate the effect that distance within urban hierarchy can have on interurban house prices. Our spatial model predicts a negative price gradient towards higher-tier cities, which can be decomposed into a ’productivity component’ and an ’amenity component’, representing respectively the effect of wage differences and households’ valuation of access to higher-order services. The theoretical findings are tested on data for the hierarchical urban system of the Pan-Yangtze River Delta in China. Both central and subcentral cities are shown to impose statistically significant distance penalties on interurban house prices, even after we control for amenities and characteristics that are generally considered to be the determinants of house prices. According to the empirical decomposition, the negative house price gradients are largely accounted for by the productivity component.

Operating Efficiency Evaluation of High-Tech Zones in the Pan Yangtze River Delta Based on the SUP-DEA Model

The number of the High-tech Zone in the Pan Yangtze River Delta is growing constantly in recent years. However, the quality of their development is unknown. This paper use the SUP-BCC model of DEA and the data of 2014 to evaluate the operating efficiency of the 23 High-tech Zones in this region. The result shows: half of the High-tech Zones’ operating efficiency is very low, 60% of the High-tech Zones is in the decreasing return to scale. The High-tech Zones in different province present a large gap in operating efficiency. In the view of the results, this paper make some suggestions for the developing of the High-tech Zones.

Vehicular emission trends in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta in China between 1999 and 2013

Emission factors from the COPERT IV model were used to determine emission inventories of CO, NMVOCs, NOx, BC, OC, PM2.5 and PM10 for Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui between 1999 and 2013. A GIS was used to analyze the spatial distributions of vehicular pollution in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta. Vehicular pollutants (CO, NMVOCs, NOx, BC, OC, PM2.5, and PM10) emissions in all four provinces increased between 1999 and 2012. Emissions increased more slowly after 2011, and total emissions were lower in 2013 than in 2012. Emissions increased less in Shanghai than in the other provinces, and emissions in Shanghai decreased, following the enforcement of new vehicular emission standards. Emissions of NOx increased more than those of other pollutants, rising from 39,000 t in 1999 to 148,000 t in 2013. Passenger cars and motorcycles were found to be the main sources of CO and NMVOCs, and heavy duty trucks and buses were found to be the main sources of NOx, BC, PM2.5, and PM10. Emissions were found to be higher in coastal areas than in inland areas, and were found to be particularly high along the Yangtze River, Hangzhou Bay, and the area around Tai Lake.

Interurban house price gradient: Effect of urban hierarchy distance on house prices

This paper applies a general spatial equilibrium model to investigate the effect that distance within the urban hierarchy can have on interurban house prices. Our spatial model predicts a negative price gradient towards higher-tier cities, which can be decomposed into a ‘productivity component’ and an ‘amenity component’, representing respectively the effect of wage differences and households’ valuation of access to higher-order services. The theoretical findings are tested on data for the hierarchical urban system of the Pan-Yangtze River Delta in China. Both central and subcentral cities are shown to impose statistically significant distance penalties on interurban house prices, even after we control for amenities and characteristics that are generally considered to be the determinants of house prices. According to the empirical decomposition, the negative house price gradients are largely accounted for by the productivity component.

Evolution of urban spatial structure in the Pan Yangtze River Delta

Evolution of urban spatial structure in the Pan Yangtze River Delta

Spatial-Temporal Hotspot Pattern Analysis of Provincial Environmental Pollution Incidents and Related Regional Sustainable Management in China in the Period 1995–2012

Spatial-temporal hotspot pattern analysis of environmental pollution incidents provides an indispensable source of information for the further development of incident prevention measures. In this study, the spatial-temporal patterns of environmental pollution incidents in China in the period of 1995–2012 were analyzed, using the Spatial Getis-Ord statistic and an Improved Prediction Accuracy Index (IAPI). The results show that, in this period, the occurrence of environmental incidents exhibited a dynamic growth pattern but then dropped and continued to drop after the year 2006, which was considered a crucial turning point. Not coincidentally, this corresponds to the year when the State Council issued its National Environmental Emergency Plan, and following the examination of major incidents, special actions were taken to strengthen the control of incidents and emergency responses. The results from Getis-Ord General G statistical analysis show that the spatial agglomeration phenomenon was statistically significant after 1999 and that the level of spatial agglomeration was rising, while the Getis-Ord Gi* statistical analysis reveals that environmental pollution incidents were mainly agglomerated in the Pan Yangtze River Delta and Pan Pearl River Delta regions. Accordingly, the spatial-temporal hotspot pattern based on the IAPI values at the provincial scale could be categorized into: stable hotspots, unstable hotspots, and cold-spot areas. The stable hotspots category was further divided into three subtypes: industrial distribution type, industrial transfer type, and extensive economic growth type. Finally, the corresponding measures for sustainable management were proposed: stable hotspots were classified as essential regions requiring the immediate prevention and control of environmental pollution incidents; unstable hotspots were characterized by their need for ongoing and continual prevention measures, and cold-spots were those areas that required strengthened environmental monitoring. Meanwhile, it was identified that a multi-level environmental pollution incident emergency response and regional (incident) joint control plan needed to be well prepared and carried out effectively. To prevent environmental pollution and the regional transfer of pollution from incidents, measures towards achieving regional environmental planning, environmental risk prevention, environmental emergency monitoring and adequate emergency responses must be efficiently implemented.

Spatial and Temporal Changes of Industrial Carbon Emissions under Regional Industrial Transfer: The Case of Pan-Yangtze River Delta

Spatial and Temporal Changes of Industrial Carbon Emissions under Regional Industrial Transfer: The Case of Pan-Yangtze River Delta

Impact of Administrative Division Adjustment on Location and Accessibility of Heifei, China

The location may appear to be extremely important due to changes of some factors. Administrative division expansion of Hefei in August 2011 will affect its location advantage and accessibility. In this paper, updated data of the study area were collected including administrative division, transportation network and economic data, by using GIS spatial analysis methods and establishing the economic potential model, quantitatively evaluated the location advantage and accessibility of Hefei before and after the administrative area adjustment, and analyzed the economic relationship change between Wanjiang urban belt cities and Nanjing based on the gravity model. The results show that Hefei occupies the highest accessibility while Maanshan, Chuzhou and Wuhu comparatively rank behind before the administrative division adjustment, and the descending order is Maanshan, Hefei, Chuzhou and Wuhu after the administrative division adjustment. Although the location advantages of Hefei relatively reduced, the economic relationship have been further enhanced on the regional level, which played an important role in formation of the industrial cluster in Wanjiang urban belt and enhancing regional competitiveness, for easy integration into the Pan-Yangtze River Delta city group and promoting regional economic development in Anhui Province.

SWOT analysis of Shanghai medical resources serving the Pan-Yangtze River Delta

From the aspects of advantages, barriers, opportunities and challenges, this paper analyzed the environmental factors of Shanghai medical resources serving people in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta. As envisaged by the author, such services will provide medical resources information to patients from outside Shanghai, probe into feasible ways to medical insurance based on experiences drawn from serving such patients, help with the resources integration of medical systems in Shanghai, and probe into the potentials of telemedicine and distant medical e-learning, as well as improve hospital management levels and service functionality. Key words: Shanghai; Medical resources; Service; Pan-Yangtze River Delta; SWOT analysis