Survival of the Misfittest - Stakeholder Enactment as Performance Buffer for Contingency Misfits

This study explores how contingency misfit can possibly be compensated. The paper particularly focuses on stakeholder enactment as a dynamic adaptation mechanism to overcome configurational misfit. By analyzing data from 238 firms located in eight countries, our study shows that stakeholder enactment can indeed buffer for contingency misfit. Enactment of internal stakeholders buffers the structure-strategy misfit, while enactment of external stakeholders buffers both the environment-organization misfit and structure-strategy misfit

Efficient and Accurate Calibration to FX Market Skew with Fully Parameterized Local Volatility Model

When trading American and Asian options in the FX derivatives market, banks must calculate prices using a complex mathematical model. It is often observed that different models produce varying prices for the same exotic option, which violates the non-arbitrage requirement of derivative risk management. To address this issue, we have studied a fully parameterized local volatility model for pricing American/Asian options. This model, when implemented using a grid or Monte-Carlo numerical method, can be efficiently and accurately calibrated to FX market skew volatilities. As a result, the model can provide reliable prices for exotic options during daily trading activities

Surface Modification of Silicone Rubber by Ion Implantation to Improve Biocompatibility

Silicone Rubber (SR) and SR-based materials have been used as medical tissue implants in the field of plastic surgery for many years, but there are still some reports of adverse reactions to long-term implants. In our study, three types of carbon ion silicone rubber were obtained by implanting three doses of carbon ions. Then, the surface characteristics, the antibacterial adhesion properties and in vivo host responses were evaluated. These study shown that ion implantation change the surface roughness and zeta potential of virgin SR; it also inhibit bacterial adhesion. At the same time, ion implantation enhance the cell proliferation, adhesion and tissue compatibility. These data indicate that carbon ion implanted silicone rubber exhibits good antibacterial adhesion properties, cytocompatibility and triggers thinner and weaker tissue capsules. In addition, according to the surface characteristics, we speculate that high surface roughness and high zeta potential may be the main factors that induce the unique biocompatibility of carbon ion implanted silicone rubber. In this chapter, we will review these results above and propose that ion implantation should be considered for further investigation and application, and carbon ion silicone rubber could be a better biomaterial to decrease silicone rubber–initiated complications

Ambidextrous Strategy and Firm Performance: The Moderating Effects of Organizational Slack and Organizational Life Cycle

The relationship between ambidexterity and firm performance holds a prominent place in the literature. However, studies that examine the conditions under which ambidexterity leads to success are relatively scarce. Based on a sample of 226 firms in China, this study examines the moderating effects of organizational slack and organizational life cycle on the relationship between balance dimension of ambidexterity and combined dimension of ambidexterity and firm performance. The empirical results reveal that pursuing a high level of combined dimension of organizational ambidexterity is only beneficial to firms with a high level of organizational slack or firms in maturity stage, while pursuing a high level of balance dimension of organizational ambidexterity is only beneficial to firms in growth stage, but not to firms in maturity stage

Preparation, Characterization, and Preliminary Biocompatibility Evaluation of Carbon Ion-Implanted Silicone Rubber

Silicone rubber (SR) is a common soft tissue filler material used in plastic surgery. However, it suffers from poor biocompatibility. Previous studies have found that the ion implantation technology can be used to improve the biocompatibility of metal materials. However, it is not clear whether it can improve the biocompatibility of polymer materials. In this study, carbon ion SR was prepared by carbon ion implantation. After that, the characteristics of ion implanted SR were investigated. Then, Escherichia coli was utilized to test the antibacterial ability of the carbon ion implanted SR. Besides, the dermal fibroblasts were used to evaluate the cytocompatibility. From the results, carbon ion implantation had no significant effect on the hardness, tensile strength and elongation at break of SR. At the same time, there was no significant change in the surface morphology of SR. But the results show that the surface nano-morphology, surface element composition, hydrophobic and ζ potential of the surface of SR changed significantly. The changes further mediated the lower adhesion of bacteria and enhanced biocompatibility. In conclusion, the carbon ion implantation technology can improve the surface properties of silicone rubber, and further improve its biocompatibility

3-D Modeling of Shear-Wave Velocity for Numerical Green’s Function in Near-Field Ground Motion Simulation

Numerical Green’s function is effective for simulating low-frequency ground motions in the near field, in which the whole computing region is divided into a homogenous zone including the source and an inhomogeneous zone (named overburden layer) from the ground surface to a certain depth. In this paper, a procedure to build a 3-D model that properly describes the shear-wave velocity structure of overburden layer and the topography of ground surface was presented. In this procedure, the overburden layer is discretized into finite elements based on the topography of ground surface and buried rock surface; shear-wave velocity data from inversion, surveying line and borehole are assigned to elements according to their locations in the overburden layer. For elements without available velocity data, a Kriging interpolation method based on the spherical variation function model was employed, and dummy borehole is also used to improve the validity of the interpolation based on sparse data. Particularly, block interpolation and interface smooth was suggested for computing region that contains several different geological conditions, such like a sedimentary basin and its vicinity. As an example, the 3-D shear-wave velocity of the Lanzhou sedimentary basin and its vicinity in Gansu, China was modeled using the procedure. Low-frequency ground motions at 10854 surface points in this region was simulated by Numerical Green’s function based on this velocity model, among which ground motions at 7 representative points were compared with those simulated based on horizontal layered velocity model

Epigenetic regulation of CD271, a potential cancer stem cell marker associated with chemoresistance and metastatic capacity.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to be the cause of tumor initiation, metastasis and recurrence. Additionally, CSCs are responsible for the failure of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The isolation and identification of CSCs is crucial for facilitating the monitoring, therapy or prevention of cancer. We aimed to identify esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) stem-like cells, the epigenetic mechanism and identify novel biomarkers for targeting ESCC CSCs. Sixty-three paired ESCC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were included in this study. CD271, which was identified as the CSC marker for melanoma, was assessed using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Using flow cytometry, we isolated CD271+ cells comprising 7.5% of cancer cells from the KYSE70 cell line. Sphere formation and anchorage-independent growth were analyzed in CD271+ and CD271- cancer cells, respectively. qPCR was used to detect stem-related genes and CCK-8 was performed to analyze the sensitivity to chemotherapy in the two groups. Bisulfite genomic sequencing was used to analyze the methylation status. CD271 expression was significantly higher in ESCC tissues than in adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Compared with CD271- cancer cells, CD271+ cancer cells showed a higher ability of sphere and colony formation, a high level expression of stem-related gene, and resistance to chemotherapy. The expression of CD271 was induced by a demethylation agent. In conclusion, CD271+ ESCC cells possess stem-like properties. CD271 can potentially act as a prognostic marker for ESCC, whose expression is regulated epigenetically

The moderating effects of slack on the relationship between ambidextrous strategy and performance: evidence from high-tech firms in China

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of ambidexterity of exploration/exploitation on long-term performance and the moderating effects of slack resources. The methodology adopted is panel data analysis of a sample dataset of 125 high technology firms in China. The finding of this study shows that a moderating role of organizational slack between ambidexterity and long-term performance is strongly supported. The research and practical implications of this paper are: (1) Exploration and exploitation can be mutually enhancing instead of being fundamentally contradictory; (2) Slack resources moderate the relationship between ambidexterity and performance. The originality and value of the paper is that it is one of the earliest studies that empirically examine the moderating effects of slack resources on ambidexterity-performance relationship

Neutralization of IL- 10 produced by B cells promotes protective immunity during persistent HCV infection in humanized mice

Chronic HCV infection can lead to cirrhosis and is associated with increased mortality. Interleukin (IL)- 10- producing B cells (B10 cells) are regulatory cells that suppress cellular immune responses. Here, we aimed to determine whether HCV induces B10 cells and assess the roles of the B10 cells during HCV infection. HCV- induced B10 cells were enriched in CD19hi and CD1dhiCD5+ cell populations. HCV predominantly triggered the TLR2- MyD88- NF- κB and AP- 1 signaling pathways to drive IL- 10 production by B cells. In a humanized murine model of persistent HCV infection, to neutralize IL- 10 produced by B10 cells, mice were treated with pcCD19scFv- IL- 10R, which contains the genes coding the anti- CD19 single- chain variable fragment (CD19scFv) and the extracellular domain of IL- 10 receptor alpha chain (sIL- 10Ra). This treatment resulted in significant reduction of B10 cells in spleen and liver, increase of cytotoxic CD8+ T- cell responses against HCV, and low viral loads in infected humanized mice. Our results indicate that targeting B10 cells via neutralization of IL- 10 may offer a novel strategy to enhance anti- HCV immunotherapy.HCV predominantly triggers the TLR2- MyD88- NF- κB and AP- 1 signaling pathways to drive IL- 10 production by B cells. Neutralization of IL- 10 produced by B10 cells promotes anti- HCV immunity in a humanized murine model of persistent HCV infection. These results provide insight into a novel immunotherapy strategy for HCV treatment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162732/2/eji4736.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162732/1/eji4736_am.pd