The Effect of Green Transformation on the Operating Efficiency of Green M&A Enterprises: Evidence from China

Lingling ZHOU,Wenqi LI,Brian Sheng-Xian TEO,Siti Khalidah Md YUSOFF 한국유통과학회 2022 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.9 No.1

Environmental protection has been infused into the development of numerous fields by the Chinese government. The government’s implementation of green development has also shifted its focus to green transformation and governance of highpolluting companies. In the context of green and sustainable development, this study employs DEA data envelopment analysis to compare the operating efficiency of listed firms that implemented Green Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in China in 2018. The conclusions of this study are as follows: First, China’s green M&A enterprises are unevenly dispersed among the country’s east, middle, and western regions. Second, compared to before the implementation of Green M&A, operational efficiency has improved in most industries. Third, the difference in Green M&A across industries is generally favorable, showing that most organizations have improved their operational performance as a result of Green M&A implementation. In 2018, however, the gap in operating efficiency is more negative. Fourth, whereas the eastern and western areas’ operational efficiency has improved as a result of Green M&A, the central region’s has not. Based on this conclusion, this study makes recommendations for China’s future sustainable development of heavily polluted firms.

Catalpol Inhibits Tregs-to-Th17 Cell Transdifferentiation by Up-Regulating Let-7g-5p to Reduce STAT3 Protein Levels

Lingling Zhou,Yuxi Di,Mingfei Zhang,Yichang Chen,Ruonan Sun,Meiyu Shen,Fengxiang Tian,Pei Yang,Feiya Qian 연세대학교의과대학 2022 Yonsei medical journal Vol.63 No.1

Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, and Th17 cells are key factors in the pathogenesis of human inflammatory conditions, such as RA. Catalpol (CAT), a component in Rehmanniae Radix (RR), has been found to regulate human immunity. However, the effects of CAT on Th17 cell differentiation and improvement of RA are not clear. Materials and Methods: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice were constructed to detect the effects of CAT on arthritis and Th17 cells. The effect of CAT on Th17 differentiation was evaluated with let-7g-5p transfection experiments. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of Th17 cells after CAT treatment. Levels of interleukin-17 and RORγt were assessed by qRT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Results: We found that the proportion of Th17 cells was negatively associated with let-7g-5p expression in CIA mice. In in vitro experiments, CAT suppressed traditional differentiation of Th17 cells. Simultaneously, CAT significantly decreased Tregs-to-Th17 cells transdifferentiation. Our results demonstrated that CAT inhibited Tregs-to-Th17 cells transdifferentiation by up-regulating let-7g-5p and that the suppressive effect of CAT on traditional differentiation of Th17 cells is not related with let-7-5p. Conclusion: Our data indicate that CAT may be a potential modulator of Tregs-to-Th17 cells transdifferentiation by up-regulating let-7g-5p to reduce the expression of STAT3. These results provide new directions for research into RA treatment.

A New Model of Information Content Based on Concept’s Topology for Measuring Semantic Similarity in WordNet1

Lingling Meng,Junzhong Gu,Zili Zhou 보안공학연구지원센터(IJGDC) 2012 International Journal of Grid and Distributed Comp Vol.5 No.3

Reduction in SBPase Activity by Antisense RNA in Transgenic Rice Plants: Effect on Photosynthesis, Growth, and Biomass Allocation at Different Nitrogen Levels

Lingling Feng,Hui Li,Jingmei Jiao,Ding Li,Li Zhou,Jian Wan,Yangsheng Li 한국식물학회 2009 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.52 No.5

Rice cultivar zhonghua11 (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) plants with decreased sedoheptulose-1, 7- bisphosphatase (SBPase) were obtained by transformation with the rice SBPase antisense gene under the control of the maize ubiquitin promoter. The transgenic and wild-type plants were grown at different nitrogen levels (0.1, 1, or 10 mM NH4NO3). Growth rates of the seedlings were measured by the changes in dry weight, and the photosynthetic carbon reduction activities and the potential efficiency of photosystem II were measured by CO2 assimilation and Fv/Fm, respectively. At low N, there are strong effects on growth and photosynthesis when SBPase was reduced by genetic manipulation. Decreased SBPase activity led to a decrease in the amount of starch accumulated in the leaves at all N levels and the decrease was much more prominent in low N than that in high N, but the starch allocation between shoot and root was unaltered. The analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence and SBPase activity indicated that the decrease of growth and photosynthesis at different N levels were not related to the function of PSII but to the activity of SBPase. Western blot analysis showed the content of SBPase in thylakoid membranes was much more than in the stroma fractions in transgenic plants at low N. Results suggested that low N in addition to a 34% decrease in SBPase activity is sufficient to diminish photosynthesis and limit biomass production. Decreased SBPase activity may reduce the N use efficiency of photosynthesis and growth and alter biomass allocation.

Changes in element accumulation, phenolic metabolism, and antioxidative enzyme activities in the red-skin roots of Panax ginseng

Zhou, Ying,Yang, Zhenming,Gao, Lingling,Liu, Wen,Liu, Rongkun,Zhao, Junting,You, Jiangfeng The Korean Society of Ginseng 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.3

Background: Red-skin root disease has seriously decreased the quality and production of Panax ginseng (ginseng). Methods: To explore the disease's origin, comparative analysis was performed in different parts of the plant, particularly the epidermis, cortex, and/or fibrous roots of 5-yr-old healthy and diseased red-skin ginseng. The inorganic element composition, phenolic compound concentration, reactive oxidation system, antioxidant concentrations such as ascorbate and glutathione, activities of enzymes related to phenolic metabolism and oxidation, and antioxidative system particularly the ascorbate-glutathione cycle were examined using conventional methods. Results: Aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), magnesium, and phosphorus were increased, whereas manganese was unchanged and calcium was decreased in the epidermis and fibrous root of red-skin ginseng, which also contained higher levels of phenolic compounds, higher activities of the phenolic compound-synthesizing enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and the phenolic compound oxidation-related enzymes guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase. As the substrate of guaiacol peroxidase, higher levels of $H_2O_2$ and correspondingly higher activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were found in red-skin ginseng. Increased levels of ascorbate and glutathione; increased activities of $\text\tiny L$-galactose 1-dehydrogenase, ascorbate peroxidase, ascorbic acid oxidase, and glutathione reductase; and lower activities of dehydroascorbate reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione peroxidase were found in red-skin ginseng. Glutathione-S-transferase activity remained constant. Conclusion: Hence, higher element accumulation, particularly Al and Fe, activated multiple enzymes related to accumulation of phenolic compounds and their oxidation. This might contribute to red-skin symptoms in ginseng. It is proposed that antioxidant and antioxidative enzymes, especially those involved in ascorbate-glutathione cycles, are activated to protect against phenolic compound oxidation.

Changes in element accumulation, phenolic metabolism, and antioxidative enzyme activities in the red-skin roots of Panax ginseng

Ying Zhou,Zhenming Yang,Lingling Gao,Wen Liu,Rongkun Liu,Junting Zhao,Jiangfeng You 고려인삼학회 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.3

Background: Red-skin root disease has seriously decreased the quality and production of Panax ginseng (ginseng). Methods: To explore the disease’s origin, comparative analysis was performed in different parts of the plant, particularly the epidermis, cortex, and/or fibrous roots of 5-yr-old healthy and diseased red-skin ginseng. The inorganic element composition, phenolic compound concentration, reactive oxidation system, antioxidant concentrations such as ascorbate and glutathione, activities of enzymes related to phenolic metabolism and oxidation, and antioxidative system particularly the ascorbateeglutathione cycle were examined using conventional methods. Results: Aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), magnesium, and phosphorus were increased, whereas manganese was unchanged and calcium was decreased in the epidermis and fibrous root of red-skin ginseng, which also contained higher levels of phenolic compounds, higher activities of the phenolic compound-synthesizing enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and the phenolic compound oxidation-related enzymes guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase. As the substrate of guaiacol peroxidase, higher levels of H2O2 and correspondingly higher activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were found in red-skin ginseng. Increased levels of ascorbate and glutathione; increased activities of L-galactose 1-dehydrogenase, ascorbate peroxidase, ascorbic acid oxidase, and glutathione reductase; and lower activities of dehydroascorbate reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione peroxidase were found in red-skin ginseng. Glutathione-S-transferase activity remained constant. Conclusion: Hence, higher element accumulation, particularly Al and Fe, activated multiple enzymes related to accumulation of phenolic compounds and their oxidation. This might contribute to red-skin symptoms in ginseng. It is proposed that antioxidant and antioxidative enzymes, especially those involved in ascorbateeglutathione cycles, are activated to protect against phenolic compound oxidation.

A High Precision Compound Control Scheme Based on Non-singular Terminal Sliding Mode and Extended State Observer for an Aerial Inertially Stabilized Platform

Xiangyang Zhou,Yanjun Shi,Lingling Li,Rui-fang Yu,Libo Zhao 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2020 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.18 No.6

This paper presents a high precision compound control scheme based on non-singular terminal sliding mode and extended state observer (ESO) for an aerial inertially stabilized platform (ISP) to suppress the effects of multi-source disturbances on the control performance of the ISP. Firstly, a non-singular terminal sliding mode controller is proposed to achieve high disturbance rejection ability, by which the multi-source disturbances are integrally suppressed as an aggregate disturbance. And then, to restrain the chattering effect of the sliding mode control, a disturbance compensation scheme based on the extended state observer is proposed. By the ESO, the disturbances are observed and compensated in real time and hence the chattering effect is significantly alleviated. Meanwhile, a parameter configuration method is proposed to simplify the ESO design. To verify the method, simulations and experiments are conducted. The results show that the proposed compound control scheme has excellent ability in both disturbance rejection and chattering reduction, by which the stabilization precision of the ISP is improved significantly.

Metabolic Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Improve Glucan Biosynthesis

( Xing Zhou ),( Jing He ),( Lingling Wang ),( Yang Wang ),( Guocheng Du ),( Zhen Kang ) 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2019 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.29 No.5

β-Glucan is a chief structural polymer in the cell wall of yeast. β-Glucan has attracted intensive attention because of its wide applications in health protection and cosmetic areas. In the present study, the β-glucan biosynthesis pathway in S. Cerevisiae was engineered to enhance β-glucan accumulation. A newly identified bacterial β-1, 6-glucan synthase GsmA from Mycoplasma agalactiae was expressed, and increased β-glucan content by 43%. In addition, other pathway enzymes were investigated to direct more metabolic flux towards the building of β-glucan chains. We found that overexpression of Pgm2 (phosphoglucomutase) and Rho1 (a GTPase for activating glucan synthesis) significantly increased β-glucan accumulation. After further optimization of culture conditions, the β-glucan content was increased by 53.1%. This study provides a new approach to enhance β-glucan biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Synthesis and Properties of Arylacetylene Resins with Siloxane Units

Fei Gao,Lingling Zhang,Lemin Tang,Jian Zhang,Yan Zhou,Farong Huang,Lei Du 대한화학회 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.4

A series of arylacetylene resins with siloxane units were synthesized by the condensation reactions of m-diethynylbenzene magnesium reagents with various α,ω-bis(chloro)dimethylsiloxanes. These resins are liquids and are miscible with common organic solvents at room temperature. The structures of the resins were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR,13C NMR, 29Si NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The thermal behaviors of the resins were examined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These resins have good processability. They can be thermally crosslinked through the ethynyl groups to produce cured resins. The thermal and thermooxidative stabilities of the cured resins were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The cured resins possess high thermal and thermooxidative stability. Their decomposition occurs at above 500 oC in both N2 and air. With increasing the length of siloxane units in the resins, the thermal stability of the cured resins decreases in N2. When the cured resins were sintered above 1450 oC under argon, hard and glassy SiOC ceramics were obtained. These SiOC ceramics have the decomposition temperatures at 5% weight loss above 800 oC in air.

Synthesis and Properties of Arylacetylene Resins with Siloxane Units

Gao, Fei,Zhang, Lingling,Tang, Lemin,Zhang, Jian,Zhou, Yan,Huang, Farong,Du, Lei Korean Chemical Society 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.4

A series of arylacetylene resins with siloxane units were synthesized by the condensation reactions of m-diethynylbenzene magnesium reagents with various $\alpha,\omega$-bis(chloro)dimethylsiloxanes. These resins are liquids and are miscible with common organic solvents at room temperature. The structures of the resins were characterized by FT-IR, $^1H$ NMR, $^{13}C$ NMR, $^{29}Si$ NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The thermal behaviors of the resins were examined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These resins have good processability. They can be thermally cross-linked through the ethynyl groups to produce cured resins. The thermal and thermooxidative stabilities of the cured resins were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The cured resins possess high thermal and thermooxidative stability. Their decomposition occurs at above $500^{\circ}C$ in both $N_2$ and air. With increasing the length of siloxane units in the resins, the thermal stability of the cured resins decreases in $N_2$. When the cured resins were sintered above $1450^{\circ}C$ under argon, hard and glassy SiOC ceramics were obtained. These SiOC ceramics have the decomposition temperatures at 5% weight loss above $800^{\circ}C$ in air.