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ESG has gradually become a key indicator to measure the corporate sustainable development performance in various countries. More and more business managements are integrating sustainable development goals into corporate strategies. The board of directors is the strategy and decision maker of the enterprise and has the primary responsibility for ESG governance. The green governance of the board of directors is an important guaranteed mechanism to promote ESG performance. We use text analysis to identify environmental background directors (EBDs) and analyze the impact and mechanisms of EBDs on ESG performance, drawing on data from Chinese-listed companies between 2010 and 2022. The results indicate that EBDs significantly enhance overall corporate ESG performance at the 1% level. Specifically, EBDs significantly improve social (S) performance at the 1% level and environmental (E) and governance (G) performance at the 5% level. Mechanism analysis finds that EBDs enhance ESG performance by fostering management's green awareness and promoting the enterprise's green innovation. Heterogeneity analysis shows that EBDs have a greater impact on green governance in regions with weak environmental regulation, cleaning industries, and after the implementation of the New Environmental Protection Law. Our findings contribute to the literature on factors influencing ESG performance and green governance. They also provide novel empirical evidence supporting the selection and cultivation of directors with environmental backgrounds, enhancing board diversity and fostering corporate sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We delve into whether the equalization of basic public services can mitigate regional disparities in China's economic resilience. Our analysis reveals that COVID-19 has diminished economic resilience and exacerbated regional differences. Notably, these regional disparities constitute the primary cause of spatial variations in economic resilience. Despite the initially low level of basic public services in Chinese cities, there is a discernible upward trend, indicating a gradual narrowing of regional disparities. Furthermore, we uncover a substantial positive correlation between the equalization of public services and variations in regional economic resilience, thereby offering fresh empirical evidence that the equalization of public services can help bridge the gap in regional economic resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable corporate governance increasingly influences corporate strategy considerations. Effective governance ensures organizational sustainability, with ESG being a crucial component. Large shareholders, as direct stakeholders, have a key role in developing and implementing corporate ESG strategies. Using data on Chinese listed firms over the 2011–2022 period, we find that multiple large shareholders (MLS) depress company ESG performance, suggesting that MLS may lead to friction and high coordination costs. Interestingly, stronger controlling shareholders mitigate this negative impact, particularly when they are state-owned. Our analysis shows that relatively equal power among MLS exacerbates friction, resulting in unstable executive teams and higher internal pay gaps, which lower governance (G) and social (S) scores. However, the presence of foreign and institutional investors among the large shareholders can alleviate these issues. The negative effect of MLS on ESG is significant in firms operating in clean industries, those with low analyst attention, or those not part of the "Stock Connect Scheme". This study highlights the drawbacks of MLS in sustainable corporate governance from an ESG perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a new reason for Bertrand‐Cournot profit reversal. In a symmetric oligopoly, we show that firms get higher profits under Bertrand competition compared to Cournot competition under non‐commitment process innovation if the products are sufficiently differentiated and there is positive knowledge spillover. As the number of firms increases, the degree of product differentiation over which the profits are higher under Bertrand competition can increase. Higher outputs under Bertrand competition compared to Cournot competition generate higher R&D investments under the former than the latter, which is responsible for our result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBy utilizing artificial intelligence and advanced sensors, smart Blood Glucose Management (smart-BGM) technology may offer dynamic glucose monitoring and personalized diet and exercise recommendations for diabetic patients. Patient’s acceptance and compliance intention to this technology are critical to achieve the expected benefit. To identify influencing factors, a theoretical model was proposed and validated through questionnaire. A total of 510 valid responses were collected regarding their diabetic related information and responses to factors influencing acceptance and compliance intention. Findings suggest that initial trust emerged as a key factor, mediating cognitive beliefs’ impact on attitudes toward smart-BGM technology. Compliance intention is primarily influenced by perceived behavior control, with positive contributions from compliance attitude and subjective norm. Attitudes toward smart-BGM technology indirectly shape compliance intention through compliance attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. The findings provide some implications for the design, application, and promotion of smart-BGM systems and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we set up a mixed duopoly competition model between state-owned and private firms in order to compare specific and ad valorem taxes. Assuming that the total output under specific and ad valorem taxation remains unchanged, we find that if the public firm is completely privatised, the output of the private firm under the two tax schemes will be the same. If the public firm is not completely privatised, the output of the the private firm under specific taxation will be greater than that under ad valorem taxation. If the private firm is a pure local one, the social benefits will be the same under the two tax schemes. However, if the private firm is a joint venture that involves domestic and foreign entities, social welfare under ad valorem taxation will be greater than that under specific taxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefabricated panel-assembled wall systems, comprising a confining frame and infill lightweight panels of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), are widely employed in framed structures. Different from studies on a main frame with infill walls, this study aimed to explore the seismic performance of partition walls, which were fabricated with AAC panel-assembled walls and located outside of the main frames. Two full-scale specimens, one with a door opening and the other without, were constructed and cyclic loading tests were executed to examine the failure modes, hysteresis characteristics, envelope curves, ductility, strength and stiffness degradation, as well as energy dissipation capacity of the AAC panel-assembled walls. Additionally, a restoring-force model for the panel-assembled walls was developed and a method for predicting the lateral load-bearing capacity of the AAC panel-assembled walls was proposed. The findings indicated that the panels enhanced the system's lateral resistance, energy dissipation capacity, and deformation capability. The door frame increased the initial stiffness, peak lateral load and energy dissipation capacity of the AAC panel-assembled wall compared to the wall without a door frame. Compared to the specimen without a door frame, the peak lateral load of the specimen with a door frame increased by 19.7–30.1%. The deformation capacity of the panel-assembled walls aligned with the requirements for concrete framed structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-Synuclein (α-syn) can form oligomers, protofibrils, and fibrils, which are associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies. Both the lipid peroxidation product 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE) and agitation can induce aggregation of α-syn and phosphorylated α-syn. Thus, clarification of the characteristics of different α-syn species could help to select suitable aggregates for diagnosis and elucidate the pathogenesis of diseases. Here, we characterized ONE-induced wild-type (WT) α-syn aggregates (OW), ONE-induced phosphorylated α-syn (p-α-syn) aggregates (OP), agitation-induced α-syn preformed fibrils (PFF), and agitation-induced p-α-syn preformed fibrils (pPFF). Thioflavin T (ThT) dying demonstrated that OW and OP had fewer fibrils than the PFF and pPFF. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the lengths of PFF and pPFF were similar, but the diameters differed. OW and OP had more compact structures than PFF and pPFF. Aggregation of p-α-syn was significantly faster than WT α-syn. Furthermore, OW and OP were more sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable and proteinase K-resistant, suggesting greater stability and compactness, while aggregates of PFF and pPFF were more sensitive to proteinase K treatment. Both ONE- and agitation-induced aggregates were cytotoxic when added exogenously to SH-SY5Y cells with increasing incubation times, but the agitation-induced aggregates caused cell toxicity in a shorter time and more p-α-syn inclusions. Similarly, p-proteins were more cytotoxic than non-p-proteins. Finally, all four aggregates were used as standard antigens to establish sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that the recognition efficiency of OW and OP was more sensitive than that of PFF and pPFF. The OW- and OP-specific ELISA for detection of p-α-syn and α-syn in plasma samples of Thy1-α-syn transgenic mice showed that the content of aggregates could reflect the extent of disease. ONE and agitation induced the formation of α-syn aggregates with distinct biophysical properties and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Y‐box binding protein 1 (YBX1) plays a variety of roles in progression of multiple tumors. However, the role of YBX1 in prognostic value and immune regulation for liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) remains unclear. The present study aimed to examine the effect of YBX1 on the regulation of tumor immunity and survival prediction in LIHC patients. Methods: YBX1‐related expression profiles and single‐cell and bulk sequencing analysis were performed using online databases. YBX1 expression was validated by a quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Univariate/multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of overall survival (OS). The ESTIMATE (i.e., Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues using Expression data) algorithm and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) analysis were used to assess the relationships between YBX1 and LIHC immunity. Results: YBX1 was over‐expressed in LIHC tissues and cell lines. High YBX1 expression was significantly associated with poor OS. Univariate/multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that YBX1 was an independent prognostic factor for LIHC. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that YBX1 was associated with multiple signaling pathways correlated to LIHC. Additionally, YBX1 was expressed in multiple immune cells and was significantly correlated with immune cells, immune checkpoint markers and tumor immune microenvironment. The TIDE analysis demonstrated that LIHC patients with high YBX1 expression showed a higher T‐cell dysfunction score and a higher exclusion score, as well as poorer immunotherapy response. Conclusions: YBX1 plays crucial oncogenic roles in LIHC and is closely associated with the immune defense system. YBX1 inhibition may serve as a potential treatment for LIHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Obesity, a global chronic disease, has been recognized as a severe risk to health. In our study, a novel polysaccharide named ARS was isolated and purified from aerial part of salviae miltiorrhizae radix. Our aim is to investigate the weight‐reducing effect of a polysaccharide from salviae miltiorrhizae radix on mice fed a high‐fat diet. RESULTS: The novel polysaccharide ARS mainly consisted of glucose and galactose with a molar ratio of 0.59:1.00. We found that treatment with ARS could inhibit weight gain of mice fed a high‐fat diet via modulating the intestinal bacteria. Moreover, we surveyed its mechanism in mice, and the gut microbiota sequencing results demonstrated that ARS can reverse or resist high‐fat‐diet‐induced significant weight gain or obesity by increasing the diversity of gut microbiota and optimizing the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Phylum and species analysis of gut microbiota demonstrated that obesity caused by a high‐fat diet was accompanied by significant changes in the microbial communities, but ARS could reverse the disturbance of gut microbiota induced by the high‐fat diet to maintain homeostasis. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings suggested a new function of ARS in regulating gut microbiota, which provides a theoretical basis for the development of high‐quality ARS functional foods and the application of dietary supplements. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable assessments of the impact of information infrastructure construction on entrepreneurship will support the development of the digital economy in China. Using nationwide data from 2005 to 2017, this paper analyzes the causal effect of the "Broadband China" pilot policy on entrepreneurship based on a difference-in-differences approach. We find that information infrastructure construction significantly enhances entrepreneurship, which is robust under different settings. A mechanism exploration suggests that constructing information infrastructure benefits information acquisition, knowledge spillovers, and risk-taking behavior, which illustrate the internal mechanism of promoting entrepreneurship. Taken together, this paper supports the positive role of the digital economy in the promotion of entrepreneurship in addition to providing new insights into the construction of information infrastructure to support entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]