Search

The impact of an actor's status on corporate ethical issues has been debated in strategy management. Drawing on upper echelons theory and status theory, our study aims to address this theoretical puzzle by examining how an entrepreneur's socioeconomic status affects a firm's engagement in positive environmental conduct and negative environmental misconduct, as well as the moderating effects of family ownership in China's emerging economy. Our analysis of 3281 private firms from a national survey in China reveals that an entrepreneur's socioeconomic status not only promotes corporate environmental conduct but also stimulates environmental misconduct. These effects are more pronounced in firms with higher levels of family ownership. By uncovering the complex impact of an entrepreneur's socioeconomic status on corporate environmental actions, our study contributes novel insights to the environmental management literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital transformation offers incredible opportunities for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the lack of resources is a major constraint for SMEs’ digital transformation, which requires entrepreneurs to play a role in seizing opportunities. Building upon the status theory, this study explored how two types of entrepreneur status, namely, socioeconomic and political statuses, can differently affect SMEs’ digital transformation in China. The regression analysis of a national survey of 4566 Chinese SMEs suggests that entrepreneurs’ socioeconomic status has a positive effect, whereas their political status has a U-shaped effect on SMEs’ digital transformation. We also find that the effect of entrepreneurs’ socioeconomic status is more positive for new ventures, whereas the U-shaped effect of entrepreneurs’ political status is more profound for firms with stronger resource endowments. These findings in the context of emerging economies shed light on drivers of SMEs’ digital transformation from the multiple status perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) moire method was used to study the surface structure of three kinds of butterfly wings: Papilio maackii Menetries, Euploea midamus (Linnaeus), and Stichophthalma howqua (Westwood). Gratings composed of curves with different orientations were found on scales. The planar characteristics of gratings and some other planar features of the surface structure of these wings were revealed, respectively, in terms of virtual strain. Experimental results demonstrate that SEM moire method is a simple, nonlocal, economical, effective technique for determining which grating exists on one whole scale, measuring the dimension and the whole planar structural character of the grating on each scale, as well as characterizing the relationship between gratings on different scales of each butterfly wing. Thus, the SEM moire method is a useful tool to assist with characterizing the structure of butterfly wings and explaining their excellent properties. OCIS codes: 000.1430, 050.2770, 120.4120.

Perthite is a special type of skeleton mineral in tight oil sandstone which cannot be ignored. However, few attention was paid to the secondary pores in perthite and their contributions in tight oil reservoir. This study reveals the perthite's significance in unconventional oil flow characterizes comprehensively and quantitativel by combining the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) with high resolution, Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) analysis, high precision image processing, comprehensive parameters construction and calculation. Typical perthite samples of Chang 7 tight oil reservoir of Ordos basin were selected for this study. Our results demonstrate that the growth of K-feldspar and Na-feldspar in perthite is complementary. The mixing process of the two types of stripes promotes each other rather than inhibiting each other. As to the development of secondary pores of perthite, there are clear differences in the area and number of pores, medium differences in the porosity, radius and perimeter, and small differences in other parameters. The more regular and uniform growth of Na-feldspar, the more likely the perthite is to form regular and normalized secondary pore. At least 56.7% of the secondary pore of perthite contributes to oil flow in the process of oil migration or development, and its scientific significance cannot be ignored. The conclusion could provide the geological basis for the effective development of the unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. • The more regular and uniform growth of Na-feldspar, the more likely the perthite is to form regular and normalized secondary pore. • At least 56.7% of the secondary pore of perthite contributes to the oil and gas flow in the process of oil and gas migration or development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Management & Organization Review is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Con A-induced fulminant hepatitis is a well-known animal model for acute liver failure. However, the role of T cells in this model is undefined. In this report, using TCR -/- mice, we demonstrated a protective role of T cells in Con A-induced hepatitis model. TCR -/- mice showed significantly decreased levels of IL-17A and IL-17F in the Con A-treated liver tissue, and reconstitution of TCR -/- mice with wild-type (Wt), but not IL-17A-/-, T cells significantly reduced hepatitis, strongly suggesting a critical role of IL-17A in mediating the protective effect of T cells. Interestingly, only V4, but not V1, T cells exerted such a protective effect. Furthermore, depletion of NKT cells in TCR -/- mice completely abolished hepatitis, and NKT cells from Con A-challenged liver tissues of TCR -/- mice expressed significantly higher amounts of proinflammatory cytokine IFN- than those from Wt mice, indicating that T cells protected hepatitis through targeting NKT cells. Finally, abnormal capacity of IFN- production by NKT cells of TCR -/- mice could only be downregulated by transferring Wt, but not IL-17-/-, V4 T cells, confirming an essential role of V4-derived IL-17A in regulating the function of NKT cells. In summary, our report thus demonstrated a novel function of V4 T cells in mediating a protective effect against Con A-induced fulminant hepatitis through negatively regulating function of NKT cells in an IL-17A-dependent manner, and transferring V4 T cells may provide a novel therapeutic approach for this devastating liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD8(+) T cells play an important role in immune regulation and effective immune responses against tumor cells, viral infection, and intracellular pathogens. In this report, using tiger or 10BiT mice, we defined a population of IL-10-producing CD8(+) T cells that were induced by IL-4. These IL-10(+)CD8(+) T cells possessed a strong inhibitory effect on the CD4(+) T cell proliferation in an IL-10-dependent and cell contact-dependent fashion. In comparison with IL-10(-)CD8(+) T cells, IL-10(+)CD8(+) T cells expressed an array of Th2-like cytokines (IL-4, IL-5), perforin, and granzymes, as well as the cell cycle regulatory protein Cdkn2a. Interestingly, knockdown of cdkn2a using siRNA reduced IL-4-induced IL-10 production significantly. Furthermore, CD8(+) T cells from Cdkn2a(-/-) mice produced a significantly lower amount of IL-10, and the effect was limited to CD8(+) T cells but not observed in CD4(+) T cells and APCs. Finally, IL-10(+)CD8(+) T cells played a protective role in the TNBS-induced murine colitis model, indicating a critical role of this population of CD8(+) T cells in regulatory immune responses. Taken together, we have defined a population of IL-10-producing CD8(+) Tregs induced by IL-4 and mediated by Cdkn2a.

We present an approach for measuring the water flow rate through individual ultralong carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using field effect transistors array defined on individual tubes. Our work exhibits a rate enhancement of 882-51 and a slip length of 53-8 nm for CNTs with diameters of 0.81-1.59 nm. We also found that the enhancement factor does not increase monotonically with shrinking tube diameter and there exists a discontinuous region around 0.98-1.10 nm. We believe that these single-tube level results would help understand the intrinsic nanofluidics of water in CNTs.