Covid-19-tested food labels

While the transmission of virus SARS-CoV-2 via food is rare, some Chinese food retailers are considering a Covid-19-tested food label. However, how consumers may support such a label is unknown. We quantify Chinese consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for food carrying a Covid-19-tested label using an online choice experiment. We find that the WTPs for such a label are always positive for all food products considered. The amount of WTP depends on the entities authenticating the labels, country of origin of the food, and consumers’ socio-demographic status. Contrary to expectation, the knowledge on Covid-19 does not affect consumer preferences for the Covid-19-tested food labels. Our benefit and cost analysis suggests a possible large benefit of creating and administering a Covid-19-tested food label. This study provides insights for policymakers, global food manufacturers, and retailers to create marketing strategies to alleviate consumer food safety concerns associated with Covid-19.     

How to fight against southern pine beetle epidemics: An insurance approach

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is among the leading biological agents killing southern pine species in the eastern United States. In light of recognized spatiotemporal autocorrelation in SPB outbreaks, we devise a spatiotemporal block bootstrapping method that can be applied to analyze spatiotemporally dependent infestations. We also identify the relevant risk determinants and evaluate their impacts on the frequency of SPB outbreaks. For example, we find forest type, climate, and natural disasters like storm and forest management are all significantly associated with SPB risks. Using the results of a statistical model, we design a county-level group index insurance plan that generates estimates of actuarially fair premium rates for timber stands containing southern pine species. Given that no government-provided compensation scheme for SPB epidemics currently exists, application of this new insurance product could reduce forest owners losses. Our study offers an approach to analyzing and protecting against risks of other destructive pests affecting the timber sector.     

数字经济下电子商务与物流的发展态势分析

近年来,数字经济实现了快速发展,成为经济发展的重要驱动力.本文从驱动数字经济形成与发展的重要引擎——电子商务和物流的角度出发,讨论了数字经济下电子商务和物流商业环境的变革,以及新变革给电子商务和物流带来的机遇和挑战.在数字经济下,面对全新的发展环境,电子商务和物流业如何把握机遇,应对挑战,成为了新时代赋予电子商务和物流的新要求.最后本文指出数字经济下电子商务与物流的发展趋势.     

设计部门现场管理的建设方案与实施

开展现场管理是提高企业管理水平、提高生产效率、提升产品质量、提升人员素质的有效途径.本文针对设计部门现场管理的建设思路与目标、实施过程进行了研究与实践,取得了良好的效果,为设计部门现场管理与建设提供了参考.     

闭式循环冷却水系统节能优化研究

针对浙江某燃气电厂"二拖一"联合循环机组在"一拖一"工况运行中闭式循环冷却水系统存在能耗过高的问题,对闭式循环冷却水系统进行了节能优化改造,将一台100％容量闭式循环冷却水泵和一台停机冷却水泵更换成一台小容量闭式循环冷却水泵和一台高效停机冷却水泵,实施后证明系统安全可靠,同时节约了厂用电.     

平台经济视阈下社会责任消费行为意向驱动因素研究

平台经济的快速发展使得平台型社会责任消费问题日益被关注。立足平台经济情境下社会责任消费行为的“利他”属性，基于弱关系理论和消费者—企业认同理论，从社会互动视角对计划行为理论进行重塑,在问卷调查基础上通过统计分析方法研究社会责任消费行为意向驱动因素。实证显示：行为态度、社会规范、感知行为控制及平台企业社会责任认同对社会责任消费行为意向的生态消费、善因消费和诚信消费三个维度均有不同程度的正向影响，其中社会规范是最大的影响变量；行为态度在社会规范、感知行为控制、平台企业社会责任认同与社会责任消费行为意向之间起中介作用。修正后的计划行为理论实现了个人与社会、理性逻辑和情感逻辑的有机统一，能对平台经济视阈下社会责任消费行为意向进行有效的解释与预测,从而为平台社会责任生态化治理提供一定启示。     

转变城市发展方式之低碳城市建设——基于德国经验借鉴

首先从产业能源体系、低碳交通网络及生态环境三方面梳理德国低碳城市建设实践,然后总结德国在低碳意识培养、战略目标制定、政策体系建设等方面值得借鉴的经验,最后从“公平-效率-质量”视角为我国低碳城市建设提出建设路径:加快创新驱动,提高建设效率;提供制度支持,注重建设公平;强调以人为本,提升建设质量。     

Local Crowding-Out in China

In China, between 2006 and 2013, local public debt crowded out the investment of private firms by tightening their funding constraints while leaving state-owned firms' investment unaffected. We establish this result using a purpose-built data set for Chinese local public debt. Private firms invest less in cities with more public debt, with the reduction in investment larger for firms located farther from banks in other cities or more dependent on external funding. Moreover, in cities where public debt is high, private firms' investment is more sensitive to internal cash flow.     

FAMILY PLANNING AND WOMEN'S EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT: EVIDENCE FROM THE ONE‐CHILD POLICY

This paper exploits China's one‐child policy (OCP) to study the relationship between fertility and educational attainment of the mothers of China's “sibling‐less generation.” I take two difference‐in‐differences approaches to estimate the OCP's effect on women's education: one compares gender difference among the ethnic majority group and the other compares ethnicity differences between ethnic majority women and ethnic minority women. I also explore the heterogeneity of the policy's effects by parent's status at the Communist Party. I find that the OCP has a positive and significant effect on women's education and explains about half of the increase in educational attainment for women born between 1960 and 1980. Their increased educational attainment associates with delayed entry into first marriage, delayed entry to parenthood and increased labor supply. (JEL I20, J13, J16, J18)     

Perioperative inhaled corticosteroids treatment is associated with decreased length-of-stay and direct medical costs in high-respiratory-risk surgeries

Abstract

Aims: To examine the impact of perioperative inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on length-of-stay (LOS) and costs among patients receiving high-respiratory-risk surgeries.

Methods: Adult patients who underwent high-respiratory-risk surgeries in 2015 were identified in the Tianjin Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance database. Patients were grouped into ICS or non-ICS cohorts according to whether they received ICS during the perioperative period of the index hospitalization. Propensity Score Matching was performed to create matched pairs between two cohorts. The impact of perioperative ICS on LOS and direct medical costs was estimated by negative binomial model and generalized liner model.

Results: Eight hundred and twenty-one hospital stays with high-respiratory-risk were selected in the ICS cohort and another 821 stays in the non-ICS cohort were matched. The mean LOS was 13.0 (±0.3) days in the ICS cohort, which was significantly lower than the matched non-ICS cohort. Patients with thorax and ear-nose-throat surgeries had a significant decrease in LOS in the ICS cohort compared to the non-ICS cohort, with a mean decrease of 5.5 and 1.1?days, respectively. In adjusted analyses, perioperative ICS treatment was associated with shorter LOS, lower total, and respiratory-related costs (reductions of 10.1%, 7%, and 5.3%, respectively) after controlling for demographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics.

Limitations: Some respiratory risk factors such as living behavior and environment were unable to be captured and respiratory-related costs might be underestimated, limited by claim data. Lastly, caution should be taken when generalizing the results to other populations, as only patients with moderate-to-severe surgeries on the thorax and above were selected in this study.

Conclusions: Perioperative ICS treatment was associated with decreased LOS and lower costs for patients undergoing high-respiratory-risk surgeries in China.