Soybean supply chain management and sustainability : a systematic literature review

As a globally consumed agricultural product, soybeans have long been one of the most important commodities in the current international market. In this regard, the governance of the global soybean supply chain has become one of the central themes in both industry and academia. However, existing scholarly works focusing on sustainability issues and mechanisms for better governance in the soybean chain are rare. Moreover, the relationship among soybean supply chain governance mechanisms remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of the existing literature to identify key themes or topics and to develop a conceptual framework to guide future research. Based on our inclusion criteria and by considering the Scopus database, we identified and reviewed 55 articles published between 2000 and 2019. In our analysis, four themes were identified in soybean supply chain management: drivers (e.g., land-use conflict), global value chain governance (e.g., REDD+), consequences (e.g., reduced CO2 emissions) and potential barriers (e.g., low market demand). Finally, a conceptual model was proposed that elaborates the linkage of the themes, and a research agenda was proposed to direct studies in the future

The Operational Efficiency of Non-governmental Organisations in China: An Extended Resource-based View

Today, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are among the most important stakeholders in terms of global governance and business operations. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the external and internal influential factors of the operational efficiency of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in China. By introducing the extended resource-based view (ERBV) into the context of NGO operations, a proposed conceptual model with 14 indicators is tested. In this study, based on the panel data collected on the Chinese Research Data Services Platform (CNRDS) and ERBV, a multiple regression analysis is performed to test the 14 influential factors identified in the dataset. By adopting ERBV, it is concluded that both intra- and inter-organisational resources are interacted and make a significant and positive association with NGOs’ operational efficiency. In particular, it is found that the availability of financial resources, political connections and NGO professionalism are all crucial factors to improve NGO operational efficiency in China. In addition, this thesis also made several contributions. First, in terms of the theoretical contribution, it may be the first study introducing the ERBV into the context of NGO, which extended several concepts (e.g. professionalisation, and interactions between internal and external resources) into the NGO context; Second, this study contributes to practitioners, such as managers in NGOs and corporates (e.g. the different roles of volunteers and paid staff in fundraising); Also, this study makes social contributions, including implications for policymakers in China. By the end of this research, several limitations and research directions are presented for studies in the future

The role of NGOs in sustainable supply chain management: a social movement perspective

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the academic literature on non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) role in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) to develop a conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach-This paper conducts a systematic literature review through an analysis of 47 papers identified from peer-reviewed academic journals published from 2002 to 2020. Findings-Adopting social movement theory and based on thematic findings, this paper proposes four steps and six propositions in the process of NGOs fostering SSCM. These include relative deprivation, political opportunities, resource mobilization and collective action, based on which we developed a conceptual framework regarding the role of NGOs in improving sustainability in supply chains. The proposed conceptual model opens a new avenue of research in NGO literature and several directions for further research. Originality/value-This study may be the first to provide a systematic review of NGOs' role in improving sustainability in supply chains. Moreover, by borrowing the social movement theory from sociology, this paper able to propose a new conceptual framework with a research agenda so as to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon and provide directions for future research

Evaluation of the Operational Efficiency and Energy Efficiency of Rail Transit in China’s Megacities Using a DEA Model

To date, along with the rapid development of urban rail transit (URT) in China, the evaluation of operational efficiency and energy efficiency has become one of the most important topics. However, the extant literature regarding the efficiency of URT at the line level and considering carbon emissions is limited. To fill the gap, an evaluation model based on slacks-based measure (SBM) data envelopment analysis (DEA) is proposed to measure the efficiencies, which is applied to 61 URT lines in China’s four megacities. The findings are summarized as follows: (1) The average operational efficiency and energy efficiency of URT lines are low, and both have great room for improvement. (2) There are significant disparities in the efficiency of URT lines in the case cities. For instance, the average operational efficiency of URT lines in Guangzhou is higher than that of other cities, while the average energy efficiency of URT lines in Shanghai is higher than that of other cities. (3) The URT lines operated by state-owned enterprises have higher average operational efficiency, while the lines operated by joint ventures have higher average energy efficiency. Finally, some suggestions are provided to improve the efficiencies

Evaluation of the Operational Efficiency and Energy Efficiency of Rail Transit in China’s Megacities Using a DEA Model

To date, along with the rapid development of urban rail transit (URT) in China, the evaluation of operational efficiency and energy efficiency has become one of the most important topics. However, the extant literature regarding the efficiency of URT at the line level and considering carbon emissions is limited. To fill the gap, an evaluation model based on slacks-based measure (SBM) data envelopment analysis (DEA) is proposed to measure the efficiencies, which is applied to 61 URT lines in China’s four megacities. The findings are summarized as follows: (1) The average operational efficiency and energy efficiency of URT lines are low, and both have great room for improvement. (2) There are significant disparities in the efficiency of URT lines in the case cities. For instance, the average operational efficiency of URT lines in Guangzhou is higher than that of other cities, while the average energy efficiency of URT lines in Shanghai is higher than that of other cities. (3) The URT lines operated by state-owned enterprises have higher average operational efficiency, while the lines operated by joint ventures have higher average energy efficiency. Finally, some suggestions are provided to improve the efficiencies

APOA5 rs651821 confers increased risk for hypertension in Tongdao Dong population

Hypertension is a complex disease that partially influenced by genetic factors. Up till now, the association between the rs651821 in apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene and hypertension remains unknown. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between the APOA5 rs651821 and hypertension in Tongdao Dong population. A total of 274 participants were involved in this study (135 hypertensive patients and 139 nonhypertensive adults). The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was genotyped by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The results showed that the genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs651821 were significantly different between the normotensives and hypertensive subjects (P = 0.009, P = 0.003 respectively). TC/CC genotypes of rs651821 were associated with an elevated risk of hypertension (TC/CC vs. TT: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.791, 95%CI = 1.067–3.006, P = 0.009). Besides, the TC/CC genotypes were related to an increased plasma triglyceride (TG) level (TC/CC vs. TT: 2.47 ± 1.91 vs. 1.82 ± 1.07, P = 0.001).The results suggest that the C carriers of APOA5 rs651821 are associated with an increased serum TG concentration and may cause the increased susceptibility of the individual to hypertension in Chinese Dong population

Quantitative proteomics reveals the protective effects of Yinchenzhufu decoction against cholestatic liver fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the PDGFRβ/PI3K/AKT pathway

Introduction: Yinchenzhufu decoction (YCZFD) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula with hepatoprotective effects. In this study, the protective effects of YCZFD against cholestatic liver fibrosis (CLF) and its underlying mechanisms were evaluated.Methods: A 3, 5-diethoxycarbonyl-1, 4-dihydro-collidine (DDC)-induced cholestatic mouse model was used to investigate the amelioration of YCZFD on CLF. Data-independent acquisition-based mass spectrometry was performed to investigate proteomic changes in the livers of mice in three groups: control, model, and model treated with high-dose YCZFD. The effects of YCZFD on the expression of key proteins were confirmed in mice and cell models.Results: YCZFD significantly decreased the levels of serum biochemical, liver injury, and fibrosis indicators of cholestatic mice. The proteomics indicated that 460 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified among control, model, and model treated with high-dose YCZFD groups. Enrichment analyses of these DEPs revealed that YCZFD influenced multiple pathways, including PI3K-Akt, focal adhesion, ECM–receptor interaction, glutathione metabolism, and steroid biosynthesis pathways. The expression of platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ), a receptor associated with the PI3K/AKT and focal adhesion pathways, was upregulated in the livers of cholestatic mice but downregulated by YCZFD. The effects of YCZFD on the expression of key proteins in the PDGFRβ/PI3K/AKT pathway were further confirmed in mice and transforming growth factor-β-induced hepatic stellate cells. We uncovered seven plant metabolites (chlorogenic acid, scoparone, isoliquiritigenin, glycyrrhetinic acid, formononetin, atractylenolide I, and benzoylaconitine) of YCZFD that may regulate PDGFRβ expression.Conclusion: YCZFD substantially protects against DDC-induced CLF mainly through regulating the PDGFRβ/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Cloning and Disease Resistance Analysis of the Maize <i>ZmBON3</i> Gene

(1) Corn is the most widely planted food crop, feed crop, and economic crop in the world, and plays an important role in agricultural production and national economy development. The copine gene, also known as the BONZAI gene, encodes a Ca2+-dependent phospholipid membrane binding protein that is widely present in eukaryotes. It has been found that the copine protein is a negative regulator of disease resistance regulation and plays a key role in plants’ disease resistance response. In this study, the Agrobacterium-tumefacien-mediated method was used to successfully obtain T2 generation ZmBON3-gene-overexpressing plants and gene-edited plants. Related phenotypes and molecular identification showed that the disease resistance of overexpression plants was significantly reduced, and the disease resistance of gene-edited plants was significantly increased, which verified that the ZmBON3 gene was a negative regulatory gene. By detecting the physiological indexes related to defense, it was found that the content of H2O2 and the enzyme active water of CAT, POD, SOD, and PAL in ZmBON3-gene-edited plants was higher than those in the control plants and ZmBON3-gene-overexpressing plants, and the content of H2O2 and CAT, POD, and SOD in ZmBON3-gene-overexpressing plants was significantly higher than that in the control plants and ZmBON3-gene-overexpressing plants. The enzyme activity of PAL was the lowest. By detecting the expression of key genes of defense-related signaling pathways, it was found that ZmBON3 may be involved in the related defense processes mediated by the R gene, SA pathway, JA pathway, and ABA pathway. In addition, ZmBON3-geneedited plants showed obvious dwarf phenomenon at the seedling stage, but this did not affect the ear length, axis diameter, ear row number, and grain color