2,544 research outputs found
What explains the performance of Chinese exporting firms?
Drawing on the entry mode literature and the strategic tripod framework, we examine whether firm performance is influenced by its outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) mode, controlling other firm-, industry- and institution-specific factors. It is found that employing OFDI does not improve an exporting firm’s performance. This is not surprising as anecdotal evidence shows that many Chinese firms with OFDI have been making loss in the host country. This may indicate exporting firms employ OFDI to seek complementary and strategic resources/assets, not to improve immediate firm performance. Furthermore, firm performance is influenced by strategic assets, including technology-based capabilities (TBCs) and brands, at the firm level, industry entry barriers at the industry level and the home and host country institutional support at the country level
Two-photon excited hemoglobin fluorescence
We discovered that hemoglobin emits high energy Soret fluorescence when two-photon excited by the visible femtosecond light sources. The unique spectral and temporal characteristics of hemoglobin fluorescence were measured by using a time-resolved spectroscopic detection system. The high energy Soret fluorescence of hemoglobin shows the spectral peak at 438 nm with extremely short lifetime. This discovery enables two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy to become a potentially powerful tool for in vivo label-free imaging of blood cells and vessels
Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Dependency in Shanghai
The use of alcohol for social and ceremonial occasions was recorded in Chinese history as early as 1760 B.C. during the Yin Dynasty (Ci-Hai Encyclopedia, 1979:936). The cultural tradition of ancient China placed alcoholic beverages at the center of social occasions, which presumably was the origin of the adage: Without wine, there is no li (or etiquette). Thus, the use of alcoholic beverages has always been accompanied by the concept of propriety and the discharging of one\u27s role obligations m social functions, rather than that of personal indulgence
Genomic Inference of the Metabolism and Evolution of the Archaeal Phylum Aigarchaeota
Microbes of the phylum Aigarchaeota are widely distributed in geothermal environments, but their physiological and ecological roles are poorly understood. Here we analyze six Aigarchaeota metagenomic bins from two circumneutral hot springs in Tengchong, China, to reveal that they are either strict or facultative anaerobes, and most are chemolithotrophs that can perform sulfide oxidation. Applying comparative genomics to the Thaumarchaeota and Aigarchaeota, we find that they both originated from thermal habitats, sharing 1154 genes with their common ancestor. Horizontal gene transfer played a crucial role in shaping genetic diversity of Aigarchaeota and led to functional partitioning and ecological divergence among sympatric microbes, as several key functional innovations were endowed by Bacteria, including dissimilatory sulfite reduction and possibly carbon monoxide oxidation. Our study expands our knowledge of the possible ecological roles of the Aigarchaeota and clarifies their evolutionary relationship to their sister lineage Thaumarchaeota
CCL5 promotes LFA-1 expression in Th17 cells and induces LCK and ZAP70 activation in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease
BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD), which is associated to autoimmune disorders, is characterized by the pathological deposition of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) and loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Th17 cells are thought to be responsible for the direct loss of DA neurons. C-C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) specifically induces Th17 cell infiltration into the SN. However, the specific effect of CCL5 on Th17 cells in PD and the relationship between CCL5 and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) expression in Th17 cells are unknown.MethodsWe evaluated the effects of CCL5 on LFA-1 expression in Th17 cells in mice treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and examined Th17 cell differentiation upon CCL5 stimulation in vitro. Furthermore, we assessed the effects of CCL5 on tyrosine kinase zeta-chain-associated protein kinase 70 (ZAP70) and lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (LCK) activity in CCL5-stimulated Th17 cells in vivo and in vitro.ResultsCCL5 increased the proportion of peripheral Th17 cells in MPTP-treated mice, LFA-1 expression on Th17 cells, and Th17 cell levels in the SN of MPTP-treated mice. CCL5 promoted Th17 cell differentiation and LFA-1 expression in naive T cells in vitro. Moreover, CCL5 increased Th17 cell differentiation and LFA-1 expression by stimulating LCK and ZAP70 activation in naive CD4+ T cells. Inhibiting LCK and ZAP70 activation reduced the proportion of peripheral Th17 cells and LFA-1 surface expression in MPTP-treated mice, and Th17 cell levels in the SN also significantly decreased.ConclusionCCL5, which increased Th17 cell differentiation and LFA-1 protein expression by activating LCK and ZAP70, could increase the Th17 cell number in the SN, induce DA neuron death and aggravate PD
Phase evolution and superconductivity enhancement in Se-substituted MoTe thin films
The strong spinorbit coupling (SOC) and numerous crystal phases in
fewlayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) MX (MW, Mo, and
XTe, Se, S) has led to a variety of novel physics, such as Ising
superconductivity and quantum spin Hall effect realized in monolayer 2H and
TdMX, respectively. Consecutive tailoring of the MX structure from
2H to Td phase may realize the longsought topological superconductivity in
one material system by incorporating superconductivity and quantum spin Hall
effect together. In this work, by combing Raman spectrum, X-ray photoelectron
spectrum (XPS), scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging (STEM) as
well as electrical transport measurements, we demonstrate that a consecutively
structural phase transitions from Td to 1T to 2H polytype can be realized as
the Se-substitution concentration increases. More importantly, the
Sesubstitution has been found to notably enhance the superconductivity of
the MoTe thin film, which is interpreted as the introduction of the
twoband superconductivity. The chemical constituent induced phase transition
offers a new strategy to study the s superconductivity and the possible
topological superconductivity as well as to develop phasesensitive devices
based on MX materials.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figure
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