Developing Routinized Information Processing Capabilities for Operational Agility: Insights from China

Operational agility, which reflects the agile practices at business process level, is increasingly deemed as a significant determinant of business success in a turbulent business environment. Despite its importance, how operational agility can be attained is not answered by existing research. Drawing on the classic organization theory—information processing view of firms, the main contribution of this study is that it provides a process model of developing routinized information processing capabilities for operational agility in a turbulent business environment which fulfills this theoretical gap. It indicates the significant roles played by IT-enabled information processing networks and organizational controls during the process. It also identifies three routinized information processing capabilities including information sensitivity, information fluidity, and information decomposability. This is achieved by conducting a case study of Haier, one of the largest producers of household appliances in China. This paper concludes with a discussion of potential theoretical and practical contributions

A Fuzzy Multiobjective Model for Supplier Selection under Considering Stochastic Demand in a Supply Chain

With the development of market competition, company faces more and more pressures. Meanwhile, procurement has a vital effect on achieving competitive advantages in a supply chain. Selecting the appropriate suppliers is one of the most important sections in purchase management. However, in real situation, supplier selection is a multiple objective problem about different items with vagueness and randomness of the data. It is very complex. Hence, research about supplier selection is relatively scarce under considering multiple items, discount price, and fuzzy and stochastic information. In our paper, we develop a fuzzy multiobjective supplier selection model for overcoming uncertainty and multiple items. Stochastic demand, fuzzy objectives, and weights are simultaneously applied to help the managers to select the suitable suppliers about different items. For illustration purpose, a numerical example is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model

RNA sequencing analysis to capture the transcriptome landscape during skin ulceration syndrome progression in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

Complement and coagulation cascades pathways (tif). Red boxes represent up-regulated genes, and green boxes represent down-regulated genes. (TIF 627 kb

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing of the mu opioid receptor gene, OPRM1: Insight into complex mu opioid actions

Most opioid analgesics used clinically, including morphine and fentanyl, as well as the recreational drug heroin, act primarily through the mu opioid receptor, a class A Rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). The single-copy mu opioid receptor gene

Efficacy of adjunctive azithromycin versus single-dose cephalosporin prophylaxis for caesarean scar defect : Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

CD24-p53 axis suppresses diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinogenesis by sustaining intrahepatic macrophages

It is generally assumed that inflammation following diethylnitrosamine (DEN) treatment promotes development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through the activity of intrahepatic macrophages. However, the tumor-promoting function of macrophages in the model has not been confirmed by either macrophage depletion or selective gene depletion in macrophages. Here we show that targeted mutation of Cd24 dramatically increased HCC burden while reducing intrahepatic macrophages and DEN-induced hepatocyte apoptosis. Depletion of macrophages also increased HCC burden and reduced hepatocyte apoptosis, thus establishing macrophages as an innate effector recognizing DEN-induced damaged hepatocytes. Mechanistically, Cd24 deficiency increased the levels of p53 in macrophages, resulting in their depletion in Cd24 -/- mice following DEN treatment. These data demonstrate that the Cd24-p53 axis maintains intrahepatic macrophages, which can remove hepatocytes with DNA damage. Our data establish a critical role for macrophages in suppressing HCC development and call for an appraisal of the current dogma that intrahepatic macrophages promote HCC development

Validity and Reproducibility of a Revised Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SQFFQ) for Women of Age-group 12-44 Years in Chengdu

To find a credible nutritional screening tool for evaluating relationship between nutritional status and diseases in Chengdu female residents, the reliability and validity of a revised semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) were tested. The validity was assessed by comparing the SQFFQ with the \u2018standard\u2019 method of 3 days\u2019 dietary recall, and the reliability was assessed by comparing the first SQFFQ with the second SQFFQ at 4 weeks interval. Correlation analysis showed that, for reliability, the average correlation coefficient (CC) of 22 kinds of nutrients was 0.66 and reduced to 0.60 after adjusting for energy; the average of intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) was 0.65. For validity, the average CC was 0.35 and remained stable after adjusting for CC of energy or nutrients. Validity of 17 nutrients in SQFFQ survey had correlation with result of 3 days\u2019 dietary recall. The results showed that the revised SQFFQ can be used for investigating the role of nutrients in development of disease in Chengdu female residents

IS26-Flanked Composite Transposon Tn6539 Carrying the tet(M) Gene in IncHI2-Type Conjugative Plasmids From Escherichia coli Isolated From Ducks in China

Tet(M)-type proteins confer resistance to tetracycline and related antibiotics by interacting with the ribosome. Genes encoding Tet(M) have been found in a range of bacteria, including Escherichia coli. In the current study, conjugation experiments were performed between seven different tetracycline-resistant, azide-susceptible E. coli strains isolated from ducks and tetracycline-sensitive, azide-resistant E.coli J53. Transconjugants were obtained from two of the strains at a frequency of 1.2 × 10−8. PCR, southern blotting and sequencing demonstrated that tet(M) in the transconjugants was located on a ~50 kb IncHI2-type plasmid and was part of a composite transposon, designated Tn6539. This transposon is flanked by two IS26 elements in opposite orientation and contains the Tn3ΔtnpA+Δorf13-lp-tet(M)+gamma delta+tnpX+ΔtnpR sequences. The Δorf13-lp-tet(M) sequence was a highly conserved genetic fragment in E. coli harboring tet(M) and mainly located in the composite transposons flanked by IS6-family elements. In summary, Tn6539 is a new composite transposon capable of horizontal transfer of tet(M) among E. coli isolates

Gate-Compatible Circuit QED in a Three-Dimensional Cavity Architecture

Semiconductor-based superconducting qubits offer a versatile platform for studying hybrid quantum devices in circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) architecture. Most of these cQED experiments utilize coplanar waveguides, where the incorporation of DC gate lines is straightforward. Here, we present a technique for probing gate-tunable hybrid devices using a three-dimensional (3D) microwave cavity. A recess is machined inside the cavity wall for the placement of devices and gate lines. We validate this design using a hybrid device based on an InAs-Al nanowire Josephson junction. The coupling between the device and the cavity is facilitated by a long superconducting strip, the antenna. The Josephson junction and the antenna together form a gatemon qubit. We further demonstrate the gate-tunable cavity shift and two-tone qubit spectroscopy. This technique could be used to probe various quantum devices and materials in a 3D cQED architecture that requires DC gate voltages

Investigation of the Transient Behavior of a Cantilever Beam Using PVDF Sensors

In this paper, a PVDF film sensor was used to measure the transient responses of a cantilever beam subjected to an impact loading. The measurement capability of a PVDF sensor is affected by the area of the PVDF film sensor and the signal conditioner (charge amplifier). The influences of these effects on the experimental measurements were investigated. The transient responses for the dynamic strain of the beam were measured simultaneously by the PVDF sensor and a conventional strain gauge. The resonant frequencies of the beam were determined by applying the Fast Fourier Transform on transient results in the time domain of the PVDF sensor and the strain gauge. The experimentally measured resonant frequencies from the PVDF sensor and the strain gauge were compared with those predicted from theoretical and FEM numerical calculations. Based on the comparison of the results measured for these two sensors, the PVDF film sensor proved capable of measuring transient responses for dynamic strain, and its sensitivity is better than that of the strain gauge. Furthermore, almost all the resonant frequencies can be obtained from the results of transient responses for PVDF film