A Remote Patient-Monitoring System for Intensive Care Medicine: Mixed Methods Human-Centered Design and Usability Evaluation

Background

Continuous monitoring of vital signs is critical for ensuring patient safety in intensive care units (ICUs) and is becoming increasingly relevant in general wards. The effectiveness of health information technologies such as patient-monitoring systems is highly determined by usability, the lack of which can ultimately compromise patient safety. Usability problems can be identified and prevented by involving users (ie, clinicians).

Objective

In this study, we aim to apply a human-centered design approach to evaluate the usability of a remote patient-monitoring system user interface (UI) in the ICU context and conceptualize and evaluate design changes.

Methods

Following institutional review board approval (EA1/031/18), a formative evaluation of the monitoring UI was performed. Simulated use tests with think-aloud protocols were conducted with ICU staff (n=5), and the resulting qualitative data were analyzed using a deductive analytic approach. On the basis of the identified usability problems, we conceptualized informed design changes and applied them to develop an improved prototype of the monitoring UI. Comparing the UIs, we evaluated perceived usability using the System Usability Scale, performance efficiency with the normative path deviation, and effectiveness by measuring the task completion rate (n=5). Measures were tested for statistical significance using a 2-sample t test, Poisson regression with a generalized linear mixed-effects model, and the N-1 chi-square test. P<.05 were considered significant.

Results

We found 37 individual usability problems specific to monitoring UI, which could be assigned to six subcodes: usefulness of the system, response time, responsiveness, meaning of labels, function of UI elements, and navigation. Among user ideas and requirements for the UI were high usability, customizability, and the provision of audible alarm notifications. Changes in graphics and design were proposed to allow for better navigation, information retrieval, and spatial orientation. The UI was revised by creating a prototype with a more responsive design and changes regarding labeling and UI elements. Statistical analysis showed that perceived usability improved significantly (System Usability Scale design A: mean 68.5, SD 11.26, n=5; design B: mean 89, SD 4.87, n=5; P=.003), as did performance efficiency (normative path deviation design A: mean 8.8, SD 5.26, n=5; design B: mean 3.2, SD 3.03, n=5; P=.001), and effectiveness (design A: 18 trials, failed 7, 39% times, passed 11, 61% times; design B: 20 trials, failed 0 times, passed 20 times; P=.002).

Conclusions

Usability testing with think-aloud protocols led to a patient-monitoring UI with significantly improved usability, performance, and effectiveness. In the ICU work environment, difficult-to-use technology may result in detrimental outcomes for staff and patients. Technical devices should be designed to support efficient and effective work processes. Our results suggest that this can be achieved by applying basic human-centered design methods and principles.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03514173; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03514173

How Does Environmental Regulation Affect the Green Growth of China's Citrus Industry? The Mediating Role of Technological Innovation

Exploring suitable types and intensities of environmental regulations to promote technological innovation and guide industrial green growth is an essential goal for China. This paper uses the SBM super-efficiency model with the GML index to measure the level of green growth in China's citrus industry from 2008 to 2019, and examines the impact generated by heterogeneous environmental regulations and the mediating effect of technological innovation using a panel Tobit model. The study found that: (1) From 2008 to 2019, the green growth level of the citrus industry has gradually improved, with an average annual growth rate of 2.7%, and the contribution of technical efficiency is more significant than technological progress. (2) The green growth of the citrus industry is closely related to the intensity and type of environmental regulation. The impact of market-incentive environmental regulation has an inverted U-shape, the impact of guidance-based environmental regulation is U-shaped, and the command-and-control environmental regulation has no significant effect. (3) The mediating effect suggests that guidance-based environmental regulation promotes green growth in the citrus industry by stimulating technological innovation. In contrast, market-incentive environmental regulation inhibits technological innovation and thus discourages green growth in the citrus industry. According to the study results, the government should strive to ensure the effective implementation of environmental laws and regulations, optimize the channels and amounts of investment in environmental governance, strengthen environmental protection-related media campaigns, and guide the citrus industry to break through technological bottlenecks to promote green growth.

Spatial Pattern of Technological Innovation in the Yangtze River Delta Region and Its Impact on Water Pollution

The impact of technological innovation on water pollution is an important parameter to determine and monitor while promoting and furthering a region's economic development. Here, exploratory spatial data analysis was used to analyze: the spatial patterns of technological innovation and water pollution in the Yangtze River, the changes in technical innovation and the resulting changes in water pollution, and the impact of technological innovation on water pollution. The following major inferences were drawn from the obtained results: (1) The spatial pattern of innovation input has a single-center structure that tends to spread. The patent innovation output has evolved, from a single spatial pattern with Shanghai as the core to a diffusion structure with three cores-Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Nanjing. (2) The aggregation mode of water pollution has evolved from the original "Z" mode to a new mode of core agglomeration, and water pollution is constantly being reduced. (3) The trends of change in patent innovation output and innovation input are roughly the same, while the trends of both and that of water pollution are contrary to each other. (4) The correlations between innovation input, patented innovation output, and water pollution are relatively low. From the perspective of spatial distribution, the number of cities with medium and high levels of gray correlation with water pollution is the same.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Regional Green Development under China's Environmental Decentralization System-Based on Spatial Durbin Model and Threshold Effect

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the core technology of digital economy, which leads the transition to a sustainable economic growth approach under the Chinese-style environmentally decentralized system. In this paper, we first measured the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2020 using the super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model, analyzed the mechanism of the effect of AI on GTFP under the environmental decentralization regime, and secondly, empirically investigated the spatial evolution characteristics and the constraining effect of the impact of AI on GTFP using the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and the threshold regression model. The findings reveal: a U shape of the correlation of AI with GTFP; environmental decentralization acts as a positive moderator linking AI and GTFP; the Moran index demonstrates the spatial correlation of GTFP; under the constraint of technological innovation and regional absorptive capacity as threshold variables, the effect of AI over GTFP is U-shaped. This paper provides a useful reference for China to accelerate the formation of a digital-driven green economy development model.

Towards Sustainable Development: How Digitalization, Technological Innovation, and Green Economic Development Interact with Each Other

Green technological innovation is one of the endogenous drivers of green economic growth, and digitalization can promote green economic development in the form of industrial empowerment. The interactive relationship and the degree of influence between digitalization, technological innovation, and green economic development is thus an urgent issue to be addressed. Based on the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2019, we measured digitalization, technological innovation, and green economic development for the first time using the entropy method and included them in the same analytical framework by constructing a PVAR model to empirically test their interrelationship and degree of influence. Our findings suggest that: (1) There is an inertial development and self-reinforcing mechanism among the three variables. (2) The impact of digitalization on green economic development has a positive promotion effect, while the impact of technological innovation on green economic development is not significant. (3) The impact of green economic development on technological innovation has a positive promotion effect in the short term, but this effect gradually declines and tends to zero in the long term. Finally, based on the findings, several practical suggestions are made.

Would Financial Development Help China Achieve Carbon Peak Emissions?

China has committed to reaching carbon peak before 2030. To realize the carbon peak goal, financial development plays an essential role in developing a green economy. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper explores the impact of financial development on carbon intensity both theoretically and empirically. A financial development index system is constructed and computed using the entropy method. A spatial lag panel data model is employed to empirically test the interaction effect of financial development on carbon intensity. Moreover, the mediating effects of industrial upgrading and technological innovation are further investigated. The results show that: first, carbon intensity generates strong spatial spillover effects between provinces in China. Second, financial development significantly reduces carbon intensity, and is most pronounced in central China, followed by western and eastern China. Third, industrial upgrading and technological innovation are important channels to assist financial development in cutting down carbon intensity, and both produce positive spatial spillover effects. These findings suggest that inter-regional cooperation and coordination on financial development, industrial upgrading, and technological innovation are conducive to achieving low-carbon development targets. This research not only has practical significance to China, but also provides global reference value to other countries.

[Study advances of microwave processing technology in traditional Chinese medicine]

The iterative innovation of processing technology is one of the important tasks in studies on processing of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). It is also the prerequisite for modern, refined, automatic and intelligent manufacturing of TCM pieces. Microwave processing is a new fire processing technique developed in the recent 30 years, with a unique thermodynamic form, and energy transfer and transformation laws. Moreover, it owns the advantages of a high processing efficiency, good product properties and low production energy consumption, with great application prospects. This paper introduced the study overview of microwave expansion technology in the food industry, reviewed the origin of microwave processing technology of TCM, and expounded the basic concept, principle and main purpose of microwave processing technology used in TCM. Then, the impacts of drug factors and microwave factors on the microwave processing effect were summarized, the industrial equipment that could be used for microwave processing was listed, and the impacts of microwave heating on starch, polysaccharide, protein and other components in Chinese herbal medicines were analyzed. Furthermore, the study advance of microwave processing of 14 herbs was investigated, including Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparaia, Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum and Asini Corii Colla; and the appearance and components of herbs processed by traditional processing method and microwave processing method were compared, so as to reveal the opportunities and challenges of microwave processing technology in the industrial transformation. We hoped that the systematic study of microwave processing technology could provide new ideas and techniques for the high-quality and high-level development of the TCM pieces industry in the new era, and promote its inheritance, innovation and transformation.

Understanding the Role of Technology in Asian Economies: The Environmental Impact of Remittances and Economic Complexity

In recent years, scholars have determined various determinants of environmental degradation using the panel and time-series studies. However, technological innovations (TI) and remittances, among the financial system's essential components, are relatively ignored. In addition, nations' economic progress and environmental performance also depend upon the nature of their economic structure. This empirical research investigates the effects of TI, remittances and economic complexity (EC) on CO2 controlling economic growth and trade openness (TR) in the selected 15 Asian nations. The study collected panel data of 15 Asian countries from 1990 to 2019 and employed the panel quantile regression and augmented mean group methods to unveil the impacts of variables on CO2 emissions. The empirical findings established that remittances are negatively linked with CO2 emissions. Similarly, EC reduces CO2 emissions in the context of Asian countries. In addition, EC and remittances Granger cause CO2 emissions. These findings indicate that remittances and EC positively contribute to environmental quality in Asian countries. Conversely, TI, economic growth, and TR intensify CO2 emissions in Asian countries. Finally, the study recommended policies to enhance remittances and EC in Asian countries to curb environmental degradation.

[Intensive care and new technologies]

New technologies have a major impact on innovation in intensive care. They are accompanied by a greater openness of the units and challenging evolutions for paramedical professions, particularly concerning their practices. The consequence is an overall, higher quality care focused both on patients and families.

The impact of technological innovation on transport carbon emission efficiency in China: Spillover effect or siphon effect?

It is currently unknown whether technological innovation will have spillover or siphon effects on transport carbon emission efficiency (TCEE). Therefore, this paper creates a spatial econometric model to explore the spatial effect of technological innovation on TCEE. Taking 30 provinces in China as examples, we find that the TCEE and the technical innovation index have similar evolution characteristics (numerical value grows, the gap widens), and that both have a spatial distribution that decreases from the eastern coast to the western inland. Further research reveals that TCEE has a considerable siphon effects in China. The siphon effect gets stronger the higher the TCEE. Although technology innovation has the potential to improve TCEE in local province, the siphon effect hinders TCEE improvement in surrounding provinces. Furthermore, heterogeneity research reveals that excessive government intervention will inhibit the promotion of technological innovation on TCEE. Greater levels of government intervention in the middle and western regions than in the eastern region have more obvious inhibitory impacts. The results demonstrate that economic growth and transport structure have played a mediating role in the process of technological innovation promoting TCEE. Regional collaboration and less local protectionism can help the government achieve the dual goals of technological innovation development and TCEE promotion.

Neuro Receptor Signal Detecting and Monitoring Smart Devices for Biological Changes in Cognitive Health Conditions

Background

Currently, wearable sensors significantly impact health care through continuous monitoring and event prediction. The types and clinical applications of wearable technology for the prevention of mental illnesses, as well as associated health authority rules, are covered in the current review.

Summary

The technologies behind wearable ECG monitors, biosensors, electronic skin patches, neural interfaces, retinal prosthesis, and smart contact lenses were discussed. We described how sensors will examine neuronal impulses using verified machine-learning algorithms running in real-time. These sensors will closely monitor body signals and demonstrate continuous sensing with wireless functionality. The wearable applications in the following medical fields were covered in our review: sleep, neurology, mental health, anxiety, depression, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, seizures, and schizophrenia. These mental health conditions can cause serious issues, even death. Inflammation brought on by mental health problems can worsen hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction and interfere with certain neuroregulatory systems such as the neural peptide Y, serotonergic, and cholinergic systems. Severe depressive disorder symptoms are correlated with elevated Interleukin (IL-6) levels. On the basis of previous and present data collected utilizing a variety of sensory modalities, researchers are currently investigating ways to identify or detect the current mental state.

Key message

This review explores the potential of various mental health monitoring technologies. The types and clinical uses of wearable technology, such as ECG monitors, biosensors, electronic skin patches, brain interfaces, retinal prostheses, and smart contact lenses, were covered in the current review will be beneficial for patients with mental health problems like Alzheimer, epilepsy, dementia. The sensors will closely monitor bodily signals with wireless functionality while using machine learning algorithms to analyse neural impulses in real time.

Current Status of Korea's Industry-Academia Cooperation in Materials and Future Policy Directions

The current status and policy directions of Republic of Korea's industry-academia cooperation in materials research are introduced. Industry-academia cooperation has various forms, such as contract research, joint research, technology transfer, technology assistance, as well as talent development between universities and industry. The actual characteristics of industry-academia cooperation are differentiated, depending on research models such as curiosity-driven research, market-driven research, and scenario-driven research. In addition, there are diverse forms of cooperation, ranging from attaining one-off cooperation goals, to implementing a series of cooperation, to forging sustainable partnership through sharing of values. The efforts and tasks supporting industry-academia cooperation, and the diverse industry-academia cooperative activities, are considered herein from the perspective of the Korean government's policy. Policy recommendations for the industry-academia cooperation, based on the current state and tasks of materials field, are also suggested.

Pharmaceutical innovation and advanced biotechnology in the biotech-pharmaceutical industry for antibody-drug conjugate development

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), from prototypes in the 1980s to first- and second-generation products in the 2000s, and now in their multiformats, have progressed tremendously to meet oncological challenges. Currently, 13 ADCs have been approved for medical practice, with over 200 candidates in clinical trials. Moreover, ADCs have evolved into different formats, including bispecific ADCs, probody-drug conjugates, pH-responsive ADCs, target-degrading ADCs, and immunostimulating ADCs. Technologies from biopharmaceutical industries have a crucial role in the clinical transition of these novel biotherapeutics. In this review, we highlight several features contributing to the prosperity of bioindustrial ADC development. Various proprietary technologies from biopharmaceutical companies are discussed. Such advances in biopharmaceutical industries are the backbone for the success of ADCs in development and clinical application.

Designing Innovative Assistive Technology Devices for Tourism

Active tourism improves human health and well-being regardless of age or disabilities. The paper analyses and describes current issues concerning the tourism of people with disabilities. The starting point is the currently insufficient availability of tourist offers for individuals with considerable motor dysfunctions. One of the causes for these limitations stems from deficiencies in transport means for people with disabilities. It was found that for a disabled passenger using public transport, it is crucial to consider its accessibility in the context of the entire transport system. Another cause is the limited popularity of innovative, atypical assistive equipment for people with disabilities. Those insights point out that novel assistive technologies need to be developed, as it is necessary to more effectively support the activity of people with disabilities in all areas of life, including tourism, as this enhances their social rehabilitation. This paper indicates the needs and describes and analyses examples of own original, innovative devices supporting the areas mentioned above of activity for people with disabilities. These analyses resulted in developing an algorithm to design innovative equipment, considerably expanding the tourism potential of people with motor disabilities. This design process focuses on the needs of people with disabilities and facilitates the development of novel classes of assistive technologies, thus promoting new areas of activity for all.

Reflection on the transdisciplinary approach involving students in educating communities about COVID-19

Introduction

The disruption brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic to higher education teaching and learning, as well as to the community engagement opportunities, has also brought about some new learning opportunities. The purpose of the research was to explore the views and to describe their thoughts of the School of Healthcare Sciences (SoHCS) and the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) undergraduate students' on the use of robotics and technology in educating the communities about COVID-19.

Methods

Participatory Action Research (PAR) was used for this study since the students from SoHCS and EBIT were invited to be active participants as future professionals. A total of 27 students volunteered and participated in in-depth interviews. The responses were analysed using ATLAS.ti from nine data sets for qualitative content. Data reduction, coding, and decoding analytic processes were used to analyse and interpret each of these qualitative data forms. Ethical approval was obtained from the research ethics committees in the Faculty of Health Sciences as well as the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology.

Results

Five themes that emerged from this study are namely: COVID-19 and community challenges and behaviour; COVID-19 communication; COVID-19 knowledge and understanding; COVID-19 myths and COVID-19 robotics and technology education.

Conclusion

COVID-19 has proven to be a driver of technology innovation and can create new high-touch and high-quality services. Using information technology and robotics in health sciences or in community engagement projects would minimizes the exposure of health care workers and members of the communities to possible infections. These findings also reflect on the importance of engaging the students when interventions are planned because they play an important role as members of the community within the university and outside the university.

Research on the efficiency evaluation of the integration of technology and finance in China's strategic emerging industries

The combination of technology and finance has a great potential impact on regional social and economic development, and strategic emerging industries are the convergence of technological innovation and financial support, the development of which have great significance for industrial structure adjustment and industrial quality improvement. The geographical distribution of emerging strategic industries in China is uneven. We selected 18 provinces with relatively concentrated emerging industries. 206 STI board enterprises in 2020 were collected. A three-stage DEA model was used to measure the input-output efficiency of the integrated development of science and technology finance. Also, we used a regression model to examine the path of integrated development of science and technology innovation and financial support. The research finds that the development of strategic emerging industries has a large demand for financial support and obvious regional differences, and the government plays a strong guiding role in their development as well. At the end of the research, countermeasures and suggestions for the development of strategic emerging industries are given.

Spatio-temporal effect of provincial technological innovation on environmental pollution in China

The relationship between technological innovation (TL) and environmental pollution (EP) and its action mechanisms are complex and controversial aspects of discussion. Using the spatial autocorrelation analysis, standard deviation ellipse analysis, kernel density function, spatial econometric model, this study analyzed the spatial distribution, evolution characteristics, and influencing factors of the EP and TL from 2000 to 2020 in China. Results found there was a significant spatial autocorrelation between the EP and TL in 2000-2020. The standard deviation ellipse of EP was broadly distributed in the "southwest-northeast" direction, indicating that EP presented a trend of concentration in the direction of "southwest-northeast." The moving trajectory of the center of gravity for the EP in 2000-2020 was essentially moved from the northeast to southwest. Overall, the national level of TL exhibited a "north-south change, high in the east, and low in the west" trend. Regional differences were gradually expanding, and the polarization was evident. Regardless of using least squares method (OLS) or quantile regression (QR) models, TL, human capital (HC), and industrial structure (IS) all had an inhibitory effect on the EP at the effective significance level. Total population (TP), foreign direct investment (FDI), and local fiscal expenditure (LFE) were positively related to the EP.

Do Human Capital Investment and Technological Innovation Have a Permanent Effect on Population Health? An Asymmetric Analysis of BRICS Economies

This study examines the asymmetric impact of human capital investment, and technological innovation on population health from the years spanning from 1991 to 2019, by using a panel of the BRICS countries. For this purpose, we have employed the PMG panel NARDL approach, which captures the long-run and short-run dynamics of the concerned variables. The empirical results show that human capital investment and technological innovation indeed happen to exert asymmetric effects on the dynamics of health in BRICS countries. Findings also reveal that increased human capital investment and technological innovation have positive effects on health, while the deceased human capital investment and technological innovation tend to have negative effects on population health in the long run. Based on these revelations, some policy recommendations have been proposed for BRICS economies.

The synergistic effect of carbon performance and technological innovation on corporate financial performance

In order to further implement the goal of "dual carbon" proposed by China's government, and promote energy enterprises to carry out low-carbon economic transformation, this paper takes listed companies in China's A-share energy industry from 2014 to 2019 as samples to conduct descriptive statistics, correlation test and regression analysis, and empirically studies the impact of carbon performance and technological innovation on financial performance of China's energy industry as well as their roles under different property rights. At the same time, the variables were delayed for one period to investigate the sustainability of carbon performance and technological innovation on financial performance and to weaken the endogeneity of the reverse causality between financial performance, carbon performance and technological innovation. The results show that good carbon performance and technological innovation in the energy industry can positively affect the financial performance of enterprises. During the research of interactive relationship, we find that carbon performance and technological innovation have synergistic effect on energy firm's financial performance, which means technology innovation can significantly positive to adjust the action of carbon performance on financial performance,and carbon performance at the same time can also be positive to adjust the action of technology innovation on financial performance. They mutually promote energy enterprise's financial performance. Further experimental research among different property- rights-owned enterprises, we found that the synergistic effects of carbon performance and technological innovation on corporate financial performance is much more significant in non-state-owned enterprises, possibly due to private firms' capital profit-seeking nature. The results will guide and inspire China's energy enterprises' low carbon development strategy formulation and implementation under the background of "dual carbon" goal.

Mutual Influence of Innovation and Human Capital on Regional Growth in Neighboring Countries: The Case of Russia and Kazakhstan

The aim is to assess the impact on regional growth of spending on R&D, technological innovation, healthcare, education, and socioeconomic conditions, their spillovers between the country regions, and, primarily, from the neighboring country regions. In existing studies, the authors examined other regions’ impact on regional growth. However, this approach does not reveal the effect the neighboring country’s regions had on the regions’ economic growth. Our approach novelty is that we assessed the impact of regional growth factors from the country and the neighboring country separately. The panel data analysis method applied to the endogenous growth model made it possible to assess these effects on regional economic growth and identify regional convergence. Our results are consistent with other studies regarding regional drivers and their spillovers to other regions within each country. Moreover, our results confirmed the technological innovation cost stream hypothesis in the Russian regions from Kazakhstan regions. And they confirmed the hypothesis that R&D costs flow to the Kazakhstan regions from the Russian regions. Thus, the study revealed a synergistic effect from the regional growth in spending on R&D and technological innovation between Russia and Kazakhstan, which is asymmetric. The proposed approach to analyzing interregional mutual influence is also applicable to three or more countries.

Quantitative Analysis of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 1997 to 2017, China

Economic development is responsible for excessive sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions, environmental pressure increases, and human and environmental risks. This study used spatial autocorrelation, the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), and the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model to study the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and influencing factors of SO₂ emissions in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 1997 to 2017. Our results show that the total SO₂ emissions in the YREB rose from 513.14 × 10⁴ t to 974.00 × 10⁴ t before dropping to 321.97 × 10⁴ t. The SO₂ emissions from 11 provinces first increased and then decreased, each with different turning points. For example, the emission trends changed in Yunnan in 2011 and in Anhui in 2015, while the other nine provinces saw their emission trends change during 2005-2006. Furthermore, the SO₂ emissions in the YREB showed a significant agglomeration phenomenon, with a Moran index of approximately 0.233-0.987. Moreover, the EKC of SO₂ emissions and per capita GDP in the YREB was N-shaped. The EKCs of eight of the 11 provinces were N-shaped (Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, and Chongqing) and those of the other three were inverted U-shaped (Jiangsu, Yunnan, and Hubei). Thus, economic development can both promote and inhibit the emission of SO₂. Finally, during the study period, the technical effect (approximately -1387.97 × 10⁴-130.24 × 10⁴ t) contributed the most, followed by the economic (approximately 27.81 × 10⁴-1255.59 × 10⁴ t), structural (approximately -56.45 × 10⁴-343.90 × 10⁴ t), and population effects (approximately 4.25 × 10⁴-39.70 × 10⁴ t). Technology was the dominant factor in SO₂ emissions reduction, while economic growth played a major role in promoting SO₂ emissions. Therefore, to promote SO₂ emission reduction, technological innovations and advances should be the primary point of focus.

Impact of technological innovation on corporate leverage in China: The moderating role of policy incentives and market competition

Due to its capital-related nature, corporate leverage is highly exposed to financial risk, and optimizing corporate leverage is an effective method of mitigating financial risk to maximize corporate value. We use a two-way fixed effects model to examine the impact of technological innovation on corporate leverage using panel data of A-share listed companies in the Chinese manufacturing sector from 2012 to 2020. The results show that technological innovation and corporate leverage exhibit significant heterogeneity in cross-sectional, spatial and temporal dimensions. By further distinguishing between the effects of policy incentives and market competition, we find that the former exerts an "investment crowding out" effect and the latter an "innovation spillover" effect. These factors mitigate the negative relationship between technological innovation and corporate leverage. In general, this study provides empirical evidence for the rational allocation of resources by the Chinese government, the development of innovation capabilities, and the adjustment of leverage by firms from various regions.

Technological Innovations and Data-Driven Support for Older Adults

Entering a new digital era where novel devices and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are playing an incredible role with significant impact on health and health care delivery, JMIR Aging commits to supporting the community of patients and families, clinicians, and scientists to improve the efficiency, equity, and effectiveness of older adult care through the dissemination of cutting-edge evidence.