How does digitalization alter the paradox of supply base concentration? The effects of digitalization intensity and breadth

Purpose – The highly uncertain and turbulent environments nowadays intensify the paradoxical effects of supply base concentration (SBC) on improving cost efficiency while increasing idiosyncratic risk (IR). Digitalization is regarded as a remedy for this paradox, yet digitization’s potentially curative effect has not been empirically tested. Leveraging the lenses of paradox theory and information processing theory (IPT), this study explores how two distinct dimensions of digitalization, i.e. digitalization intensity (DI) and digitalization breadth (DB), reconcile the paradoxical effects of SBC. Design/methodology/approach – Using a panel dataset of 1,238 Chinese manufacturing firms in the period of 2012–2020, this study utilizes fixed-effects regression models to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – The authors discover that SBC enhances a firm’s cost efficiency but induces greater IR. More importantly, there is evidence that DI restrains the amplifying effect of SBC on IR. However, DB weakens the enhancing effect of SBC on cost efficiency and aggravates the SBC’s exacerbating effect on IR. Originality/value – This study advances the understanding of the paradoxical effects of SBC on cost efficiency and IR from a paradox theory perspective. More importantly, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the authors’ study is the first to untangle the differential roles of DI and DB in reconciling the paradox of SBC. This study also provides practitioners with nuanced insights into how the practitioners should use appropriate tactics to deploy digital technologies effectively

Sino-Himalayan mountains act as cradles of diversity and immigration centres in the diversification of parrotbills (Paradoxornithidae)

Aim: Montane regions like the Sino-Himalayas constitute global diversity hotspots. Various mechanisms such as in situ adaptive divergence, speciation following immigration or allopatric diversification in complex landscapes have been proposed to account for the exceptional diversity found in a particular clade in a montane setting. We investigated macroevolutionary patterns to test these different hypotheses in the continental radiation of a Sino-Himalayan bird group, the parrotbills (Paradoxornithidae).Location: Sino-Himalayan region, Indo-Burma.Methods: We used phylogenetic comparative methods based on a multilocus, time-calibrated phylogeny to reconstruct patterns of lineage diversification, biogeographical history, morphological evolution as well as of climate niche history using ecological niche modelling.Results: The radiation of parrotbills started c. 12 Ma, diversifying at an apparent constant rate over time. The biogeographical history appears to be complex, within-region speciation in mountains was restricted to China. Size evolution was concentrated in the early phase of parrotbill radiation, whereas morphological shape evolution did not differ from Brownian motion. We found no indication for niche conservatism, with climate niche evolution occurring throughout the radiation of parrotbills.Conclusions: Parrotbills diversified within a time span of increased regional orogenesis and associated strong climate change. While the south-west and central Chinese mountains were revealed to be a species pump, with in situ allopatric diversification triggered by complex topography and high habitat turnover, the diversity in the Himalayas was chiefly the result of immigration. Evidence for continuous ecological specialization and for the absence of climate niche conservatism could be interpreted as the consequence of ongoing climate- and habitat-induced ecological opportunities. The radiation of parrotbills demonstrates the influence of multiple drivers of diversification in a single group due to the dynamic geological and palaeoclimatic history of the Sino-Himalayan region and illustrates the complex nature of continental radiations

Light anti-nuclei production in pp collisions at s\sqrt{s}=7 and 14 TeV

A dynamically constrained coalescence model based on the phase space quantization and classical limit method was proposed to investigate the production of light nuclei (anti-nuclei) in non-single diffractive (NSD) pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=7 and 14 TeV. This calculation was based on the final hadronic state in the PYTHIA and PACIAE model simulations, the event sample consisted of 1.2$\times 10^8$ events in both simulations. The PACIAE model calculated $\bar D$ yield of 6.247$\times 10^{-5}$ in NSD pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=7 TeV is well comparing with the ALICE rough datum of 5.456$\times 10^{-5}$. It indicated the reliability of proposed method in some extent. The yield, transverse momentum distribution, and rapidity distribution of the $\bar D$, $^3{\bar{He}}$, and $_{\bar\Lambda} ^3{\bar H}$ in NSD pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=7 and 14 TeV were predicted by PACIAE and PYTHIA model simulations. The yield resulted from PACIAE model simulations is larger than the one from PYTHIA model. This might reflect the role played by the parton and hadron rescatterings.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Crashworthiness analysis of the structure of metro vehicles constructed from typical materials and the lumped parameter model of frontal impact

This paper establishes a Finite Element (FE) model of a rigid barrier impact of a single vehicle constructed from carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum alloy, which are three typical materials used in metro vehicle car body structures. The different responses of the three materials during the collision are compared. According to the energy absorption, velocity, deformation and collision force flow characteristics of each vehicle, the relationship between the energy absorption ratio of the vehicle body and the energy absorption ratio of its key components is proposed. Based on the collision force flow distribution proportion of each component, the causes of the key components’ deformation are analysed in detail. The internal relationship between the deformation, energy absorption and impact force of the key components involved in a car body collision is elucidated. By determining the characteristic parameters describing the vehicle’s dynamic stiffness, a metro vehicle frontal impact model using lumped parameters is established that provides a simple and efficient conceptual design method for railway train safety design. These research results can be used to guide the design of railway trains for structural crashworthiness

miR-590-3p protects against ischaemia/reperfusion injury in an oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation cellular model by regulating HMGB1/TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling

miR-590-3p has been reported to be reduced in myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, but its specific role in cerebral I/R injury is still uncertain. Thus, we explored the function and mechanism of miR590-3p in cerebral I/R injury using a cellular model. miR-590-3p, high mobility group Box 1 (HMGB1), and signalling-related factor levels were assessed using qPCR or a western blot analysis. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Inflammatory factors were detected by ELISA. The target of miR-590-3p was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis. We found that miR-590-3p was decreased and HMGB1 was increased in the OGD/R model. Upregulation of miR-590-3p reduced cell apoptosis and inflammation in the OGD/R model, and the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling pathway was suppressed. However, inhibition of miR-590-3p showed the opposite effects. Moreover, HMGB1 was verified as a target gene of miR-590-3p. HMGB1 reversed the decrease in apoptosis and inflammation caused by overexpression of miR590-3p, and the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling pathway was activated. Our results suggest that miR-590-3p regulates the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway by interacting with HMGB1 to protect against OGD/R-induced I/R injury. Thus, miR-590-3p may serve as a potential therapeutic target in cerebral I/R repair

Relation between surface solitons and bulk solitons in nonlocal nonlinear media

We find that a surface soliton in nonlocal nonlinear media can be regarded as a half of a bulk soliton with an antisymmetric amplitude distribution. The analytical solutions for the surface solitons and breathers in strongly nonlocal media are obtained, and the critical power and breather period are gotten analytically and confirmed by numerical simulations. In addition, the oscillating propagation of nonlocal surface solitons launched away from the stationary position is considered as the interaction between the soliton and its out-of-phase image beam. Its trajectory and oscillating period obtained by our model are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 39 reference, Accepted by Opt. Expres

Levy Stability Index from Multifractal Spectrum

A method for extracting the Levy stability index $\mu$ from the multi-fractal spectrum $f(\alpha)$ in high energy multiparticle production is proposed. This index is an important parameter, characterizing the non-linear behaviour of dynamical fluctuations in high energy collisions. Using the random cascading $\alpha$ model as example, the validity of this method is tested. It is shown that this method, basing on a linear fit, is consistent with and more accurate than the usual method of fitting the ratio of $q$th to 2nd order multi-fractal (R\'enyi) dimensions to the Peschanski formula.Comment: 7 pages 4 PS figures Record-No: HZPP-980

Xiaochaihutang Inhibits the Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cell Line T6 Through the Nrf2 Pathway

Xiaochaihutang (XCHT) is one of classic prescriptions in Treatise on Febrile Diseases in China which was reported to have the effect of anti-hepatic fibrosis in vivo. Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is now well established as a central driver of fibrosis in liver injury. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an important element for anti-oxidative damage which is one of the key factors responsible for occurrence. This study was to investigate the effect of XCHT compound serum on HSCs activation and focus on the Nrf2 pathway. Rats in treatment groups were given the appropriate doses of XCHT granules (5 g/kg) and Silybin (50 mg/kg) for 6 days, and the serum were obtained. The compound serum was used to intervene HSCs. The results found that XCHT compound serum significantly inhibited the proliferation of HSCT6 cells. The number of α-SMA positive stained cells in HSCT6 cells and the content of Collagen type I (collagen-I) in supernatant were significantly decreased indicating suppression of activated HSCs. Compared with the control group, the nuclear transcription of Nrf2 and the expressions of Nqo1, GCLC, and GCLM were significantly increased in XCHT group. However, the effects of XCHT were inhibited in Nrf2-siRNA transfected HSCT6 cells. These studies demonstrated that XCHT could inhibit HSCT6 cell proliferation and activation. The mechanism might be related to up-regulation of the Nrf2 pathway against oxidative stress

Cosmic Rays during BBN as Origin of Lithium Problem

There may be non-thermal cosmic rays during big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) epoch (dubbed as BBNCRs). This paper investigated whether such BBNCRs can be the origin of Lithium problem or not. It can be expected that BBNCRs flux will be small in order to keep the success of standard BBN (SBBN). With favorable assumptions on the BBNCR spectrum between 0.09 -- 4 MeV, our numerical calculation showed that extra contributions from BBNCRs can account for the $^7$Li abundance successfully. However $^6$Li abundance is only lifted an order of magnitude, which is still much lower than the observed value. As the deuteron abundance is very sensitive to the spectrum choice of BBNCRs, the allowed parameter space for the spectrum is strictly constrained. We should emphasize that the acceleration mechanism for BBNCRs in the early universe is still an open question. For example, strong turbulent magnetic field is probably the solution to the problem. Whether such a mechanism can provide the required spectrum deserves further studies.Comment: 34 pages, 21 figures, published versio