Unpacking the relationship between outward direct investment and innovation performance: Evidence from Chinese firms

This study investigates the impact of outward direct investment (ODI) by Chinese MNEs on innovation performance and the conditions under which such an impact is moderated, based on a sample of Chinese firms. The empirical evidence suggests that undertaking ODI leads to an increase in the innovation performance of these Chinese firms. The impact of ODI on innovation is contingent on firm characteristics such as in-house R&D, strategic orientation and international experiences as well as contextual factors associated with investment destinations and industry contexts. We also find that learning through ODI is a complex process. There is a substitution between ODI and in-house R&D in Chinese MNEs. Our findings suggest that conducting ODI in developed countries serves as an effective channel for latecomer firms to overcome internal resource constraints and leapfrog towards the technology frontier

The sustainability of rice‐crayfish coculture systems: a mini review of evidence from Jianghan plain in China

BACKGROUND Rice‐crayfish coculture (RC) uses 10% of the paddy field area for crayfish ditches, with rice cultivated in the remaining area, providing staple carbohydrates alongside fish rich in protein and essential oils. These systems rely on complex interactions, involving nutrient cycling, fish feeding, soil physicochemical modification, and insect‐pest predation, and have important socio‐economic effects. Past studies have considered only one or a few of these aspects pertinent to food system sustainability, and there remains a need for an integrated assessment of RC systems. In this mini‐review, we collate data from two field experiments and three field surveys published across eight papers to synthesize the overall sustainability of RC systems in Jianghan Plain in China. RESULTS In deep groundwater fields, the RC rice yield was 30–55% lower than for typical rice‐rapeseed (RR) rotations, while CH4 emission and pesticide use were 41–96% and 50% lower, respectively. In shallow groundwater fields, RC rice yield was similar to typical rice monoculture (RM) cultivation, while CH4 emission and pesticide use were 28–41% and 17% lower for RC cultivation. Field survey data indicated that RC can improve soil nutrient and organic matter content significantly compared with RM cultivation, and also increase the diversity of fauna and flora in the paddy field whilst reducing the incidence of chilo suppressalis (a major rice pest). Feed inputs to RC systems increased crayfish yield by 31–71% and reduced the fraction of N inputs lost to the environment from 71% to 41%. CONCLUSION We conclude that RC systems with feed inputs in areas with shallow groundwater can deliver improved food security, sustainability, and resilience through ecological intensification

Combining Heterojunction Engineering with Surface Cocatalyst Modification To Synergistically Enhance the Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Performance of Cadmium Sulfide Nanorods

Photocatalytic decomposition of water to hydrogen is an energy conversion process just like photosynthesis. Herein, for the first time, CoP-modified CdS/g-C₃N₄ composite nanorods were synthesized on the basis of the concept of combining heterojunction engineering with cocatalyst modification. The obtained CoP-CdS/g-C₃N₄ composites exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity and good photostability when applied as a photocatalyst for water reduction. The H₂ production rate reaches up to 23 536 μmol g^–1 h^–1, which was about 14 times higher than that of pure CdS. Furthermore, the stability of the composite was obviously improved. The outstanding performance of the CoP-CdS/g-C₃N₄ composites can be attributed to the following reasons: (1) Intimate contact between CdS and g-C₃N₄ can effectively promote the electron–hole pair spacial separation. (2) The introduction of CoP as cocatalyst on the CdS/g-C₃N₄ nanorods can further extract photogenerated electrons from CdS/g-C₃N₄ and lower the overpotential of H⁺ reduction

Table_1_Localized nitrogen supply facilitates rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency by enabling root-zone nitrogen distribution and root growth.DOCX

IntroductionLocalized nitrogen (N) supply affects rice N uptake by influencing N release, and few studies have examined the effects of root zone N distribution and root growth on rice yield under localized N supply (LNS).MethodsA two-year field experiment was conducted with six treatments: no N application, farmers’ fertilizer practice (FFP), and four LNS treatments, including two types of N fertilizer with urea (U) and controlled release urea (CRU) were mechanically side deep fertilized (SDF) or root zone fertilized (RZF) at 10  cm soil depth (US, UR, CRUS and CRUR treatments, respectively).ResultsCompared with FFP, the dry matter accumulation, N uptake, and yield of LNS increased by 27%, 21%, and 17%, respectively. For N fertilizer type, compared with U, the NH4+-N concentration, total root surface area, volume, average diameter, and root biomass of CRU were significantly increased by 50%, 43%, 53%, and 23%, respectively, which resulted in a significant increase in yield by 12%. Regarding the N application methods, the total surface area, volume, average diameter, and root biomass of SDF were significantly increased by 32%, 24%, 10%, and 25% compared with RZF, respectively. However, the NH4+-N under RZF was more stable and lasted longer, with a significant increase in NH4+-N concentration of 21% compared to the SDF. Moreover, CRUR increased yield, N agronomic use efficiency, and gross return by 3.15%, 5.62%, and 2.81%, respectively, compared to CRUS.ConclusionCRU should be selected as the recommended N fertilizer types, and the combination of CRU and RZF was the most effective choice for rice production.</p

Additional file 1: of Metabolic characterization of the natural progression of chronic hepatitis B

Supplementary methods. (DOCX 33 kb

Additional file 2: of Metabolic characterization of the natural progression of chronic hepatitis B

Supplementary Figures S1 and S2 and Tables S1 and S3. (DOCX 397 kb

Modeling the Effects of Hydrodynamic Regimes on Microbial Communities within Fluvial Biofilms: Combining Deterministic and Stochastic Processes

To fully understand the effects of hydrodynamics on a microbial community, the roles of niche-based and neutral processes must be considered in a mathematical model. To this end, a two-dimensional model combining mechanisms of immigration, dispersal, and niche differentiation was first established to describe the effects of hydrodynamics on bacterial communities within fluvial biofilms. Deterministic factors of the model were identified via the calculation of Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between parameters of hydrodynamics and the bacterial community. It was found that turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent intensity were considered as a set of reasonable predictors of community composition, whereas flow velocity and turbulent intensity can be combined together to predict biofilm bacterial biomass. According to the modeling result, the bacterial community could get its favorable assembly condition with a flow velocity ranging from 0.041 to 0.061 m/s. However, the driving force for biofilm community assembly changed with the local hydrodynamics. Individuals reproduction within the biofilm was the main driving force with flow velocity less than 0.05 m/s, while cell migration played a much more important role with velocity larger than 0.05 m/s. The developed model could be considered as a useful tool for improving the technologies of water environment protection and remediation

Cell Density- and Quorum Sensing-Dependent Expression of Type VI Secretion System 2 in <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i>

<div><p>Background</p><p><i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> AphA and OpaR are the two master quorum sensing (QS) regulators that are abundantly expressed at low cell density (LCD) and high cell density (HCD), respectively, with a feature of reciprocally gradient production of them with transition between LCD and HCD. The type VI secretion system 2 (T6SS2) gene cluster can be assigned into three putative operons, namely VPA1027-1024, VPA1043-1028, and VPA1044-1046. T6SS2 contributes to adhesion of <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> to host cells.</p> <p>Methodology/Principal Findings</p><p>OpaR box-like sequences were found within the upstream promoter regions of all the above three operons, while none of AphA box-like elements could be identified for them. The subsequent primer extension, LacZ fusion, electrophoretic mobility shift, and DNase I footprinting assays disclosed that OpaR bound to the promoter regions of these three operons to stimulate their transcription, while AphA negatively regulated their transcription most likely through acting on OpaR. This regulation led to a gradient increase of T6SS2 transcription with transition from LCD to HCD.</p> <p>Conclusions/Significance</p><p><i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> OpaR and AphA positively and negatively regulate T6SS2 expression, respectively, leading to a gradient elevation of T6SS2 expression with transition from LCD to HCD. T6SS2 genes are thus assigned as the QS regulon members in <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>.</p> </div

The Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis for the factors assocaited with Fibrogenesis.

<p>Note: Adjusted the factors including Sex, Age, ALT, total bilirubin, albumin, and platelet.</p

Serum GP73 concentration was related with levels of different biochemical marker.

<p>A and B: serum GP73 concentration was correlated with ALT in patients with ALT ≥ 80 U/L, but nearly normal ALT was not. Although different HBV DNA levels had their different GP73 concentration (C), the correlation was not significant (D). Sample number may be one of most important causes. GP73 were also correlated with total bilirubin (F), especially, significantly correlated with serum ALB negatively (E).</p