Beyond ANT and Sociomateriality: Explore Symbolic Power to Information System Adoption

IS adoption is inherently a social practice shaped by the immediate social context but capital power does not have a stronger presence in ANT and sociomateriality. The paper describes Bourdieu’s practice theory and suggests that by this lens we can better understand IS adoption (e.g., implementation of MRP II/ERP/ERP II) as symbolic capital changing power relations in an adopted organization. Such shift of power relations is viewed as accepting relation thinking mode and critical realism in IS adoption. From symbolic power perspective, character status and role prestige is ascribed to IS. Implementation of an IS are configuration of power relation designed by IS software vendors. By exploring IS as social inclusion and distinction, we review Ivy University’s Oracle ERP case beyond ANT and Social-materiality theory. We also applied symbolic capital of Bourdieu’s theory to explain“ERP adoption means find dying”by Liu Chuanzhi in Chinese Legend Company

Risk and contributing factors of ecosystem shifts over naturally vegetated land under climate change in China.

Identifying the areas at risk of ecosystem transformation and the main contributing factors to the risk is essential to assist ecological adaptation to climate change. We assessed the risk of ecosystem shifts in China using the projections of four global gridded vegetation models (GGVMs) and an aggregate metric. The results show that half of naturally vegetated land surface could be under moderate or severe risk at the end of the 21st century under the middle and high emission scenarios. The areas with high risk are the Tibetan Plateau region and an area extended northeastward from the Tibetan Plateau to northeast China. With the three major factors considered, the change in carbon stocks is the main contributing factor to the high risk of ecosystem shifts. The change in carbon fluxes is another important contributing factor under the high emission scenario. The change in water fluxes is a less dominant factor except for the Tibetan Plateau region under the high emission scenario. Although there is considerable uncertainty in the risk assessment, the geographic patterns of the risk are generally consistent across different scenarios. The results could help develop regional strategies for ecosystem conservation to cope with climate change

How Does Enterprise Social Software Impact on Employees’ Innovation Behavior? The Role of Symbolic Capital

Organizations are increasingly adopting new technologies, such as enterprise social software (ESS), which afford employees a repertoire of uses. They not simply focused on work but also on socialization and entertainment. Previous research suggested that the implementation of ESS in an organization had an impact on their employee’s creative behavior. However, how does it impact on is still not clear. In the present study, the generative mechanism of the impact on their employee’s innovation behavior is investigated. Based on the practice theory of Bourdieu and theory of critical realism, a large number of interviews within four small medium enterprises was conducted by the grounded theory methodology. The results indicated that the impact on their employee’s creative behavior was accomplished by four steps, i.e., ESS usage, capitals reproduced, being recognized and practice of creation. The managerial implications from our study are discussed finally. Keywords: ESS, Symbolic capital, Innovation behavior, Generative mechanis

Effect of Bushen Qudu Decoction on TGF-β1/Smads signal transduction pathway in rats with chronic renal failure

Purpose: To study the impact of Bushen Qudu Decoction on renal function, renal tissue morphology and TGF-β1/Smads signal transduction pathway in adenine-induced chronic renal failure rats.Methods: 76 rats were assigned to normal group, model group, uremic clearance group, benazepil group, Bushen Qudu decoction gunshan A group and Bushen Qudu decoction Guiza group. Renal failure was induced in rats using intragastric administration of adenine for 30 days. The expressions of TGF-β1, Smad2, Smad3 and Smad6 were determined with immunohistochemistry. Real-time quantitative PCR was employed to assay the mRNA expression of TGF-β1 in each group, while protein expressions of Smad2, Smad3 and Smad6 were determined with western blot. The scores of glomerular and tubulointerstitial lesions in each group were obtained by histopathological examination.Results: Bushen Qudu decoction significantly reduced BUN and creatinine in rats with chronic renal failure; furthermore, it also lowered the protein expressions of TGF-β1 and SMAD2/3, but Smad6 protein, relative to control (p < 0.05). The TGF-β1mRNA expression was down-regulated (p < 0.05), relative to control group.Conclusion: Bushen Qudu decoction reduces renal interstitial fibrosis in rats and delays the progression of chronic renal failure by regulating TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. These findings provide some insight that should facilitate the development of new drugs that would delay the onset of chronic renal failure

Understanding the Water–Food–Energy Nexus for Supporting Sustainable Food Production and Conserving Hydropower Potential in China

Optimizing water–food–energy (WFE) relations has been widely discussed in recent years as an effective approach for formulating pathways toward sustainable agricultural production and energy supply. However, knowledge regarding the WFE nexus is still largely lacking, particularly beyond the conceptual description. In this study, we combined a grid-based crop model (Python-based Environmental Policy Integrated Climate—PEPIC) with a hydropower scheme based on the Distributed Biosphere Hydrological (DBH) model to investigate the WFE interplays in China concerning irrigated agricultural production and hydropower potential. The PEPIC model was used to estimate crop yields and irrigation water requirements under various irrigated cropland scenarios, while the DBH model was applied to simulate hydrological processes and associated hydropower potential. Four major crops, i.e., maize, rice, soybean, and wheat, were included for the analyses. Results show that irrigation water requirements present high values (average about 400 mm yr−1) in many regions of northern China, where crop yields are much higher on irrigated land than on rainfed land. However, agricultural irrigation has largely reduced hydropower potential up to 50% in some regions due to the substantial withdrawal of water from streams. The Yellow River basin, the Hai River basin, and the Liao River basin were identified as the hotspot regions concerning the WFE interactions and tradeoffs. Further expansion the irrigated cropland would increase the tradeoffs between supporting sustainable food production and conserving hydropower potential in many parts of China. The results provide some insights into the WFE nexus and the information derived is useful for supporting sustainable water management, food production while conserving the potential for hydropower generation in China