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Article
Publication date: 2 October 2019

Huailing Wang, Jie Liu, Xiaoyu Liu and Zhigang Liu

Blueberry contains bioactive compounds which are beneficial to organisms, such as phenolics and flavonoids. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potential protective…

188

Abstract

Purpose

Blueberry contains bioactive compounds which are beneficial to organisms, such as phenolics and flavonoids. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potential protective effects of blueberry extracts (BE) on H2O2-induced HepG2 cells.

Design/methodology/approach

Cell protection was evaluated via the survivals of the cell. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, antioxidant enzyme and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected. Western blot was carried out to analysis protein which was related to the cell apoptosis pathway. Changes in morphology including: cell total apoptosis/necrosis and G0/G1 cycle arresting were also concomitant.

Findings

The levels of ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) reduced after the BE treatment while the contents of superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) increased in HepG2 cells induced by H2O2. Furthermore, mechanistic studies indicated that BE regulated the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis signal-regulating (Bcl-2, Bax). Qu was used as a positive control group. All these results demonstrated that the BE have a potential against oxidative stress in vitro.

Originality/value

Few studies have focused on the bioactivities of blueberry on oxidative stress. Taken together, the results confirm that polyphenol-enriched BE have the ability to protect against oxidative stress in cells. It has a great potential as a functional food ingredient to health benefits. Furthermore, this work showed the value of using simple biological models to screen for compounds that are of interest for food and pharmacological industry.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 121 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Book part
Publication date: 2 September 2009

Yusheng Peng

Using the 1995 Third Industrial Census data in China, I explore the impact of inward FDI on the productivity performance of domestic SOEs. Multilevel analyses of city- and…

Abstract

Using the 1995 Third Industrial Census data in China, I explore the impact of inward FDI on the productivity performance of domestic SOEs. Multilevel analyses of city- and firm-level data show that presence of FDI-related firms (sanzi qiye) in a city significantly improves the total factor productivity of SOEs that are located in the same city but not affiliated with FDI. I interpret the effects as not only technology spillovers but also as FDI-induced institutional innovations and reforms.

Details

Work and Organizationsin China Afterthirty Years of Transition
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-730-7

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Article
Publication date: 16 January 2024

Amin Reihani, Fatemeh Shaki and Ala Azari

Acrylamide (AA) is predominantly used as a synthetic substance within various industries. However, AA is also recognized as a carcinogen. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are…

75

Abstract

Purpose

Acrylamide (AA) is predominantly used as a synthetic substance within various industries. However, AA is also recognized as a carcinogen. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are becoming increasingly attractive as medical agents. However, to the knowledge, the effects of ZnO-NPs on preventing cytotoxicity with AA have not been reported. Therefore, this study aims to determine the protective effects of ZnO-NPs against the cytotoxicity caused by AA.

Design/methodology/approach

MTT assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, carbonyl protein, malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were measured and analyzed statistically.

Findings

The findings observed that the presence of 200 µM AA led to a substantial reduction in cell viability (p < 0.001). However, ZnO-NPs restored cell viability at 50 and 100 µM concentrations (p = 0.0121 and p = 0.0011, respectively). The levels of ROS were significantly reduced (p = 0.001 and p = < 0.001) to 518 ± 47.57 and 364 ± 47.79, respectively, compared to the AA group. The levels of GSH were significantly increased (p = 0.004 and p = 0.002) to 16.9 ± 1.3 and 17.6 ± 0.5, respectively, compared to the AA group. The levels of MDA were significantly decreased (p = 0.005, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001) when compared to the AA group, as were the levels of carbonyl protein (p = 0.009 and p < 0.002) in comparison to the AA group.

Originality/value

In summary, the outcomes of this research indicate that ZnO-NPs played a role in inhibiting AA-induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

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Article
Publication date: 19 October 2023

Lingyun Huang, Jiankun Liu and Zhigang Huang

The operational framework of external financing in the correlation between the gender of entrepreneurs and firm performance remains to be resolved. This study aims to investigate…

327

Abstract

Purpose

The operational framework of external financing in the correlation between the gender of entrepreneurs and firm performance remains to be resolved. This study aims to investigate the mediating effect of external financing on gender-based disparities in private firm performance and to explore its heterogeneity within the Chinese context.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on national data from the 10th to 13th Chinese Private Enterprise Survey, this study used a bootstrap-based mediation effect model to analyze the role of external financing as a mediator in the relationship between entrepreneur gender and firm performance.

Findings

This study found that external financing is a constructive mediator between entrepreneur gender and firm performance. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that external financing plays a complementary mediation role in the impact of entrepreneur gender on performance in West China. In the tertiary industry, external financing acts as the sole mediator for the impact of gender on firm performance. Notably, this mediating effect is present in non-startups but not in startups.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that external financing can improve the firm performance of female entrepreneurs. Governments and policymakers should strengthen financial support for female entrepreneurs in West China, tertiary industry and non-startup enterprises.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on gender and corporate governance by shedding light on the mediating role of external financing in the relationship between the gender of business owners and firm performance.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 39 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2018

Xuyuan Zheng, Weiping Liu, Zhigang Xu, Ruiyao Ying and Chunhui Ye

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the heterogeneity of regional grain production distribution in China, by examining the regional heterogeneity of absolute and relative…

328

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the heterogeneity of regional grain production distribution in China, by examining the regional heterogeneity of absolute and relative changes in grain planting acreage, and explain it in terms of increasing labor costs and difficulties in agricultural inputs adjustment.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses data from official statistical yearbooks and the satellite remote sensing image data of Landsat TM 30 m. Multivariate analysis is conducted to examine the effect of labor cost, difficulty in replacing agricultural input factors and other factors underpinning changes in grain acreage and grain structure adjustment.

Findings

The heterogeneity of changes in grain acreage and proportion of arable area for grain production are mainly determined using the labor cost and difficulties in the replacement of agricultural input factors.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to systematically analyze the heterogeneity in restructuring grain production at provincial level and its causes. The results not only provide evidence of grain production restructuring at regional level, but also contribute to the understanding of the law of structural change in agricultural production.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

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Article
Publication date: 4 July 2018

Qiang He, Zhigang Wang, Anling Li, Yachen Guo and Songfeng Liu

Nanoparticles as the grease additives play an important role in anti-wear and friction-reducing property during the mechanical operation. To improve the lubrication action of…

228

Abstract

Purpose

Nanoparticles as the grease additives play an important role in anti-wear and friction-reducing property during the mechanical operation. To improve the lubrication action of grease, the tribological behavior of lithium-based greases with single (nanometer Al2O3 or nanometer ZnO) and composite additives (Al2O3–ZnO nanoparticles) were investigated in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The morphology and microstructure of nanoparticles were characterized by means of transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. Tribological properties of different nanoparticles as additives in lithium-based greases were evaluated using a universal friction and wear testing machine. In addition, the friction coefficient (COF) and wear scar diameter were analyzed. The surface morphology and element overlay of the worn steel surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), respectively.

Findings

The results show that the greases with nanometer Al2O3 or nanometer ZnO and the composite nanoparticles additives both exhibit lower COFs and wear scar diameters than those of base grease. And the grease with Al2O3–ZnO composite nanoparticles possesses much lower COF and shows much better wear resistance than greases with single additives. When the additives contents are 0.4 Wt.% Al2O3 and 0.6 Wt.% ZnO, the composite nanoparticles-based grease exhibits the lowest mean COF (0.04) and wear scar diameter (0.65 mm), which is about 160% and 28% lower than those of base grease, respectively.

Originality/value

The main innovative thought of this work lies in dealing with the grease using single or composite nanoparticles. And through a serial contrast experiments, the anti-wear and friction-reducing property with different nanoparticles additives in lithium grease are evaluated.

Details

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 70 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

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Article
Publication date: 28 November 2019

Zhigang Li, Shining He, Jing Ning, Zhen Liu, Jingwei Zhang and Xin Du

Starting from corporate entrepreneurship, spin-off entrepreneurship and business model theory, this paper aims to examine the key influential factors and inherent mechanism in the…

445

Abstract

Purpose

Starting from corporate entrepreneurship, spin-off entrepreneurship and business model theory, this paper aims to examine the key influential factors and inherent mechanism in the process of business model transfer from parent enterprise to spin-off start-ups.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded theory method is fit for constructing theoretical models, which can discover and interpret phenomenon and activities. According to the guidance of theoretical sampling and other core principles in grounded theory, this study extracts two parent enterprises named Haier and Phnix and lots of spin-offs derived from them.

Findings

This paper presents the theoretical framework that business models transfer from parents to spin-offs and probes into the embedding logic and connection relationship between factors and categories in this process, such as preconditions, incubation veins, business model elements, stripping mechanism and independent operations.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study is focused on the manufacturing industry, the main characteristics, comparative advantages, governance rules summarized from transfer activities of business model in spin-off entrepreneurship can also bring inspirations to both parent enterprises and spin-off start-ups.

Originality/value

Excavates process and mechanism of business model transfer from internal to external, extends the theoretical perspectives about existing related theories such as corporate entrepreneurship, spin-off entrepreneurship and business model theory and reveals new approaches and methods on business model design, which is different from the past way.

Details

Nankai Business Review International, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8749

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Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Zhichao Fang, Xinhui Guo, Yang Yang, Zhongkai Yang, Qingchun Li, Zhigang Hu and Xianwen Wang

This study aims to analyse the geographical distribution of global research activities and to investigate the knowledge diffusion embodied in scientific papers.

595

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the geographical distribution of global research activities and to investigate the knowledge diffusion embodied in scientific papers.

Design/methodology/approach

The geographical summary of Frontiers articles displays the number of visits and categorizes where the visitors hail from. This study uses the records of 23,798 articles published in 16 Frontiers journals from 2007 to 2015 to analyse the geographical distribution of article visits at both country and city levels. The process of knowledge diffusion is investigated on the basis of the different visiting patterns of new and old papers.

Findings

Most article visits are concentrated around major metropolitan areas and some high-tech clusters. The top “visiting countries” include both developed countries and developing countries, and the USA and China are two major players. Publishing cities dominate article visits for new papers; as time passes, there is diffusion from the publishing cities to a broader area.

Research limitations/implications

The data on visiting for open access articles may be generated from various repositories besides the publishers’ websites; these data are ignored, as they are not significant enough to have much influence. There is also a lack of a basic theory in the data processing of outliers in the data set. In addition, only static results are given in this paper, as the data were collected on one day, for one time. A longer time period is necessary to track the dynamic diffusion process of the observations.

Practical implications

Introduction of usage data will propose a novel way to analyse research activities and track knowledge diffusion.

Social implications

The visiting data of articles offer a new way to investigate research activities at the city level in a detailed and timely manner, for the geographical distribution of research activities and the research resource allocation of a specific country to be explored.

Originality/value

This study measured the research activities of scientific papers by examining the usage data. Compared with previous studies that focused on the geographical distribution of scientific activities using publication data, citation data and even altmetrics data, usage data are at the forefront of this research. Therefore, usage data offer a fresh perspective on methodology, providing more detailed and real-time information.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 35 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

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Article
Publication date: 14 December 2023

Junan Ji, Zhigang Zhao, Shi Zhang and Tianyuan Chen

This paper aims to propose an energetic model parameter calculation method for predicting the materials’ symmetrical static hysteresis loop and asymmetrical minor loop to improve…

67

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose an energetic model parameter calculation method for predicting the materials’ symmetrical static hysteresis loop and asymmetrical minor loop to improve the accuracy of electromagnetic analysis of equipment.

Design/methodology/approach

For predicting the symmetrical static hysteresis loop, this paper deduces the functional relationship between magnetic flux density and energetic model parameters based on the materials’ magnetization mechanism. It realizes the efficient and accurate symmetrical static hysteresis loop prediction under different magnetizations. For predicting the asymmetrical minor loop, a new algorithm is proposed that updates the energetic model parameters of the asymmetrical minor loop to consider the return-point memory effect.

Findings

The comparison of simulation and experimental results verifies that the proposed parameters calculation method has high accuracy and strong universality.

Originality/value

The proposed parameter calculation method improves the existing parameter calculation method’s problem of relying on too much experimental data and inaccuracy. Consequently, the presented work facilitates the application of the finite element electromagnetic field analysis method coupling the hysteresis model.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering , vol. 43 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

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Article
Publication date: 11 April 2023

Chang Mo Jung and Won-Moo Hur

Customer co-creation behaviors significantly affect a firm's performance and sustainable growth. This study tested the mediating role of corporate reputation in the relationship…

864

Abstract

Purpose

Customer co-creation behaviors significantly affect a firm's performance and sustainable growth. This study tested the mediating role of corporate reputation in the relationship between corporate hypocrisy and two types of customer co-creation behaviors: customer citizenship behavior and customer participation behavior. The study also investigated the moderating effect of self-corporate brand connection on the corporate hypocrisy–corporate reputation relationship and the indirect relationship between corporate hypocrisy and customer co-creation behavior through corporate reputation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a two-wave research survey with 346 Korean bank customers and tested our hypotheses using PROCESS Macro.

Findings

Corporate reputation mediated the relationship between corporate hypocrisy and customer citizenship/participant behavior. The negative effect of corporate hypocrisy on corporate reputation was more pronounced when self-corporate brand connection was high. Self-corporate brand connection further moderated the indirect effect of corporate hypocrisy on customer citizenship/participant behavior through corporate reputation.

Originality/value

The results clearly explain how corporate hypocrisy affects customer co-creation behavior. This study advances corporate hypocrisy and corporate reputation research by proposing and verifying a moderated mediation model.

Details

International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 42 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-2323

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