Search Results (29)

As global climate change intensifies and the transition to clean energy accelerates, lithium-ion batteries—critical components of electric vehicles—are becoming increasingly vital in international trade networks. This study investigates the structural evolution and determinants of the electric vehicle lithium-ion battery trade network among European Union (EU) member states from 2012 to 2023, employing social network analysis and the multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure method. The findings demonstrate the transformation of the network from a centralized and loosely connected structure, with Germany as the dominant hub, to a more interconnected and decentralized system in which Poland and Hungary emerge as the leading players. Key network metrics, such as the density, clustering coefficients, and average path lengths, reveal increased regional trade connectivity and enhanced supply chain efficiency. The analysis identifies geographic and economic proximity, logistics performance, labor cost differentials, energy resource availability, and venture capital investment as significant drivers of trade flows, highlighting the interaction among spatial, economic, and infrastructural factors in shaping the network. Based on these findings, this study underscores the need for targeted policy measures to support Central and Eastern European countries, including investment in logistics infrastructure, technological innovation, and regional cooperation initiatives, to strengthen their integration into the supply chain and bolster their export capacity. Furthermore, fostering balanced inter-regional collaborations is essential in building a resilient trade network. Continued investment in transportation infrastructure and innovation is recommended to sustain the EU’s competitive advantage in the global electric vehicle lithium-ion battery supply chain. Full article

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) has been classified into four lineages based on the nucleocapsid and fusion genes, with lineage IV strains being the most widely distributed. In Africa, recent epidemiological data revealed that PPRV lineage IV is increasingly displacing other lineages in prevalence, suggesting a competitive advantage in viral transmission and adaptability. Moreover, a lineage IV strain was the only confirmed strain in Europe and Asia. In this study, a one-step Taqman quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay for lineage IV PPRV was established by targeting the hemagglutinin (H) gene. The results indicated that this method could detect approximately six copies of PPRV RNA, indicating high sensitivity. No cross-reactions with related viruses or other lineages of PPRV were observed. The results of a repeatability test indicated that the coefficient of variation values were low in both the inter-assay and intra-assay experimental groups. Detection of field samples indicated that all positive samples could be detected successfully using the developed method. This RT-qPCR assay provides a valuable tool to facilitate targeted surveillance and rapid differential diagnosis in regions with active circulation of PPRV lineage IV, enabling timely epidemiological investigations and strain-specific identification. Full article

The sale of second-hand goods has formed a complete industrial chain, and second-hand product testing is a crucial part of it. Second-hand inspection platforms (SIPs) have achieved remarkable commercial success by providing inspection services that alleviate consumers’ quality concerns. Different SIPs typically adopt various operation modes, such as consignment, resale, or hybrid modes. Appropriate operation modes not only benefit SIPs in maintaining profitability but also contribute to the sustainable development of the sharing economy. In order to realize the sustainable operation of second-hand inspection platforms, we construct a platform-dominated Stackelberg model to explore the motivations behind SIPs’ choices of different operation modes and investigate the impacts of changes in the inspection service level on the platform’s optimal decisions and market performance. System data analysis results show that the cost of guarantee significantly influences SIPs’ choices of operation modes, specifically; SIPs are inclined to adopt consignment mode or resale mode when the cost of guarantee is relatively high or low, respectively, and choose hybrid mode when the cost of guarantee is moderate. Furthermore, in the presence of inter-channel competition, if the inspection failure loss is relatively high, SIPs may lower the prices of used products as the inspection service level increases. Additionally, although inspection service can disclose the true quality of used products, a higher inspection service level may attract more low-quality sellers into the market when the inspection failure loss is substantial. Finally, under the resale mode, consumer surplus and social welfare will decrease with the inspection service level. Conversely, under the consignment or hybrid mode, both consumer surplus and social welfare will increase with the inspection service level when the inspection failure loss is relatively low. Full article

The semiconductor industry is a pivotal hub in the global information sector, in which superpowers compete for technological dominance. As a strategic, leading, and foundational sector, it is vital for advancing China’s manufacturing ambitions through new waves of transformation and upgrades. Therefore, of particular concern is the crisis surrounding China’s semiconductor supply chain insecurity and the intensifying U.S. sanctions on China’s high-tech companies. As such, in this study, we utilize data from China’s semiconductor enterprises, investments, and related statistics from 2002 to 2020; industrial agglomeration indicators; and a social network analysis to examine the spatiotemporal pattern, industrial agglomeration, and investment networks of six key value chain segments: wafer materials, packaging materials, semiconductor equipment, integrated circuit (IC) design, manufacturing, and testing/packaging. The research focuses on how these sectors can contribute to sustainable growth and economic responsibility within China’s semiconductor industry. Accordingly, the core questions explored were as follows: what are the provincial-level spatial production dynamics and evolutionary characteristics within China’s semiconductor industry, and how do the inter-provincial investment patterns manifest? The findings reveal the following: (1) The findings reveal a strong concentration of firms in the Eastern Coastal region, particularly in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Guangdong. Additionally, IC design exhibits the highest clustering, and other segments such as wafer materials, manufacturing, and packaging/testing are relatively concentrated, whereas equipment distribution is more dispersed. (2) The industry expanded steadily from 2002 to 2013, with a rapid expansion from 2014 to 2020, particularly in Guangdong. (3) Investment patterns are characterized by local and regional focus, strongly influenced by geographical proximity. This study aims to reveal the geographic concentration patterns of China’s semiconductor industry and to explore its investment networks. The findings are intended to provide theoretical support for optimizing sustainable industrial layouts, promoting sustainable industrial practices, and guiding policy formulation. Furthermore, in the broader context of de-globalization, this study offers insights and recommendations for strengthening industrial autonomy and sustainability in response to external challenges, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of a more robust domestic semiconductor supply chain. These insights are particularly significant in safeguarding China’s technological independence and future economic stability amid global tensions. Furthermore, by integrating sustainability into its semiconductor industry, China can create a more resilient, self-sufficient, and environmentally responsible industrial sector, capable of meeting both domestic and global demands. As China continues to expand its semiconductor industry, incorporating sustainable development principles will be essential for long-term success. The sustainable practices not only ensures compliance with environmental regulations but also enhances industrial competitiveness, promotes green techniques and contributes to broader societal goals. This aligns with China’s broader ambitions for sustainable development and positions the country as a key player in the global green technology revolution. Full article

In the context of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, inter-regional international cooperation is facing fierce competition and sustainable development pressure in domestic, geopolitical, and global industrial chains and that a rational division of labor and coordination of cooperative innovation subjects, key technology nodes, and technology subgroups are of great importance to improve and upgrade the industrial and supply chain cooperation of China–Japan–ROK, as well as to enhance the efficiency of cooperation and innovation. This study uses the patented technical cooperation and innovation dual network structure analysis model and social network analysis (SNA) to analyze the dual network relationship and evolution characteristics of patent technology cooperation and innovation at different stages, based on data from 5912 invention patents applied by China, Japan, and ROK. We find that the China–Japan–ROK patent technology collaboration network is unmatched in size, and the areas of cooperation are expanding on a daily basis. However, the network’s innovation activities have not yet stabilized, and there is still room for collaborative innovation among enterprises to grow and evolve. Multinational corporations in Japan and South Korea have occupied the network’s core position at various times, forming seven key innovation groups with high-tech enterprises such as Samsung Display, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, NEC, and LEKIN as core nodes. Patents such as H01L, G02F, H04N, H01M, and G02B dominate the key technology nodes and technology subgroups, indicating that high-tech patents such as electronic information technology, semiconductors, displays, and automobile manufacturing are the primary areas of cooperation and innovation between China, Japan, and South Korea. Full article

The progress in polymer science and nanotechnology yields new colloidal and macromolecular objects and their combinations, which can be defined as complex polymer materials. The complexity may include a complicated composition and architecture of macromolecular chains, specific intermolecular interactions, an unusual phase behavior, and a structure of a multi-component polymer-containing material. Determination of a relation between the structure of a complex material, the structure and properties of its constituent elements, and the rheological properties of the material as a whole is the subject of structural rheology—a valuable tool for the development and study of novel materials. This work summarizes the author’s structural–rheological studies of complex polymer materials for determining the conditions and rheo-manifestations of their micro- and nanostructuring. The complicated chemical composition of macromolecular chains and its role in polymer structuring via block segregation and cooperative hydrogen bonds in melt and solutions is considered using tri- and multiblock styrene/isoprene and vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol copolymers. Specific molecular interactions are analyzed in solutions of cellulose; its acetate butyrate; a gelatin/carrageenan combination; and different acrylonitrile, oxadiazole, and benzimidazole copolymers. A homogeneous structuring may result from a conformational transition, a mesophase formation, or a macromolecular association caused by a complex chain composition or specific inter- and supramolecular interactions, which, however, may be masked by macromolecular entanglements when determining a rheological behavior. A heterogeneous structure formation implies a microscopic phase separation upon non-solvent addition, temperature change, or intense shear up to a macroscopic decomposition. Specific polymer/particle interactions have been examined using polyethylene oxide solutions, polyisobutylene melts, and cellulose gels containing solid particles of different nature, demonstrating the competition of macromolecular entanglements, interparticle interactions, and adsorption polymer/particle bonds in governing the rheological properties. Complex chain architecture has been considered using long-chain branched polybutylene-adipate-terephthalate and polyethylene melts, cross-linked sodium hyaluronate hydrogels, asphaltene solutions, and linear/highly-branched polydimethylsiloxane blends, showing that branching raises the viscosity and elasticity and can result in limited miscibility with linear isomonomer chains. Finally, some examples of composite adhesives, membranes, and greases as structured polymeric functional materials have been presented with the demonstration of the relation between their rheological and performance properties. Full article

Spatial competition considerations are important in hotel location selection. This study proposes and demonstrates a method of colocation network analysis to quantify the potential encroaching effect of spatial inter- and intra-competition between units of business brands that seek expansion. The environmental context of the study is a network of the top five budget hotel brands in the Beijing hotel market. The results reveal that brands implement different strategies in their hotel placement, which are subject to different levels of the encroaching effect. However, the method is applicable in a variety of hospitality settings, specifically in those that involve the development strategies of chain brands. The simulation capability of the method can assist hospitality brands in assessing the outcomes of a proposed development and, thus, aid hoteliers in the spatial allocation of new units with the least adverse effects on their existing business networks. Full article

Companies have strengthened their long-term inter-organizational partnerships throughout the supply chain to neutralize competitive pressures and risks in uncertain environments. On this basis, this research aims to propose and test a model of partners’ behavior aimed at the maintenance of long-term collaboration. By using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and rival model testing, the theoretical model proposed attempts to identify, from a seller’s perspective, the critical variables of partners’ behavior. It also seeks to understand the effect of satisfaction between trust and commitment (as antecedents associated with relationship quality) and sales formalization, sales opportunism, and sales-specific assets (as postcendents linked to relationship efficiency). Our findings verify the nomological framework and demonstrate that the partnership quality variables affect relationship efficiency, through sales satisfaction. However, the results of our research cannot confirm the relationship between satisfaction and specific assets. This research is relevant as it deals with inter-organizational partnerships from a seller-oriented approach, and it is based on a combination of Relationship Marketing Theory and Transaction Cost Theory to demonstrate that the inter-organizational partnership quality variables exert a direct effect on the partnership efficiency variables. Full article

In this paper, an output dynamic game model of intertwined supply chains operating in two different countries is established. The Nash equilibrium point of the model and its stable region are obtained using nonlinear dynamic principles. The complex properties of the system, such as stability, period-doubling bifurcations, and chaos, are investigated using numerical simulations. Our results suggest that the level of output and the system’s profits undergo bifurcation and chaos with an increase in the output adjustment speed. An interesting phenomenon occurs in that higher tariffs lead to the expansion of the stable range of the supply chain in the product-exporting country. The chaotic behavior of the system is sensitive to the value of the initial level of output. In supply chain competition, each supply chain firm should make suitable adjustments to the speed of output. To maintain the stability of domestic markets, excessive tariffs should be avoided. It is essential that each supply chain firm evaluates the potential impacts of different initial output values when making initial decisions. Using the method of delayed feedback control, the chaotic behavior of the system can effectively be controlled. These findings offer valuable and novel insight into inter-chain competition in supply chain networks. Full article

Anticancer peptides are short and structurally heterogeneous aminoacidic chains, which display selective cytotoxicity mostly against tumor cells, but not healthy cells, based on their different cell surface properties. Their anti-tumoral activity is carried out through interference with intracellular homeostasis, such as plasmalemma integrity, cell cycle control, enzymatic activities and mitochondrial functions, ultimately acting as angiogenesis-, drug resistance- and metastasis-inhibiting agents, immune stimulators, differentiation inducers and necrosis or extrinsic/intrinsic apoptosis promoters. The marine environment features an ever-growing level of biodiversity, and seas and oceans are poorly exploited mines in terms of natural products of biomedical interest. Adaptation processes to extreme and competitive environmental conditions led marine species to produce unique metabolites as a chemical strategy to allow inter-individual signalization and ensure survival against predators, infectious agents or UV radiation. These natural metabolites have found broad use in various applications in healthcare management, due to their anticancer, anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and regeneration abilities. The aim of this review is to pick selected studies that report on the isolation of marine animal-derived peptides and the identification of their anticancer activity in in vitro cultures of cancer cells, and list them with respect to the taxonomical hierarchy of the source organism. Full article

Saturation transfer difference (STD), inter-ligand NOEs (INPHARMA NMR), and docking calculations are reported for investigating specific binding sites of the high-affinity synthetic 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazoyl-4-C₁₂ fatty acid (NBD-C₁₂ FA) with non-labeled human serum albumin (HSA) and in competition with the drugs warfarin and ibuprofen. A limited number of negative interligand NOEs between NBD-C₁₂ FA and warfarin were interpreted in terms of a short-range allosteric competitive binding in the wide Sudlow’s binding site II (FA7) of NBD-C₁₂ FA with Ser-202, Lys-199, and Trp-214 and warfarin with Arg-218 and Arg-222. In contrast, the significant number of interligand NOEs between NBD-C₁₂ FA and ibuprofen were interpreted in terms of a competitive binding mode in Sudlow’s binding site I (FA3 and FA4) with Ser-342, Arg-348, Arg-485, Arg-410, and Tyr-411. NBD-C₁₂ FA has the unique structural properties, compared to short-, medium-, and long-chain saturated and unsaturated natural free fatty acids, of interacting with well-defined structures with amino acids of both the internal and external polar anchor sites in Sudlow’s binding site I and with amino acids in both FA3 and FA4 in Sudlow’s binding site II. The NBD-C₁₂ FA, therefore, interacts with novel structural characteristics in the drug binding sites I and II and can be regarded as a prototype molecule for drug development. Full article

This study aims to systematically examine the developmental attributes and trends within China’s forestry sector through the lens of a global value chain (GVC) framework. To this end, this research analyzes the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Inter-Country Input–Output (OECD-ICIO) database, using a cohesive set of GVC methods, including the forward decomposition of industry value-added, an assessment of industry upstream and downstream positions, the decomposition of export values, and analysis of trade competitiveness indicators. The trajectory of China’s forestry industry hinges upon the interplay between foreign demand and domestic demand. The results reveal a transition in China’s forestry sector development model from export-focused to a domestically driven approach. The proportion of value-added that is devoted to meeting domestic demands within the wood processing and papermaking industries has surged to 76% and 82%, respectively. Among the major economies, China has the highest output upstream index and input downstream index in the forestry industry, playing a vital role in propelling and pulling other industries into the global value chain system. The proportion of domestic added-value in China’s forestry industry exports ranks among the top, reflecting strong self-sufficiency in export production. Although China’s forestry industry possesses a high world market share, its overall international competitiveness is weak, especially with clear signs of weakening comparative advantages in the wood processing industry. Full article

Green supply chain innovation has gained significant attention from academics and practitioners due to its ability to mitigate chain liability risks, meet consumer environmental demands, and create sustainable competitive advantages. Digital technology, a valuable tool for enhancing organizational information processing capabilities, plays a crucial role in promoting successful green supply chain innovation. However, existing research has a limited understanding of how digital capability advantage influences green supply chain innovation. Therefore, based on an inter-organizational learning perspective, this study aims to explore the impact of digital capability advantage on green supply chain innovation and examine the mediating role of green supply chain learning (green supplier learning and green customer learning). The survey results from 221 Chinese manufacturing firms indicate that digital capability advantages contribute directly and positively to green supply chain innovation and also indirectly enhance it through green supplier learning and green customer learning. This study establishes the positive relationship between digital capability advantages and green supply chain innovation and highlights the mediating role of green supplier learning and green customer learning. The research conclusions not only enhance our understanding of the factors and key success paths of green supply chain innovation from a digital perspective but also provide theoretical guidance for its effective implementation in manufacturing firms. Full article

The spatial structure of urban-related industries and agri-food value chains is important for promoting sustainable linkages. Using an interregional input-output framework, this study explores the geography of inter-industry linkages between financial business services and the Chilean agri-food related industries from a subnational perspective. This framework allows adding evidence on rural-related economic activities and financial business services, covering Chilean internal geography, which has a regional concentration of both the business services supply and the agriculturally engaged regions, potentially blocking territorial competitiveness. Our findings indicate that the relationship between value-added and trade is consistent with the vertical fragmentation of domestic production associated with returns to scale. Consequently, while the value-added financial services are more intense in trade for global value chains, this occurs in regions specialized in agri-food industries and services. Our findings also show that Southern Chilean regions engaged in primary agricultural production have lower levels of financial services directly and indirectly embedded in both domestic and global value chains trade, thus highlighting an uneven geography of vertical integration within the country. Full article

The current sales model combining online and offline channels meets the diverse requirements of consumers. However, consumers’ inter-channel switching behavior and strategic behavior also pose significant challenges to pricing decisions in the hybrid channel. Using game theory and consumer utility theory, a retailer-driven pricing model is developed to study the optimal pricing problem for each channel in a mixed-channel supply chain considering the characteristics of channel competition and the waiting behavior of strategic consumers. Study results show there is a negative correlation between the proportion of strategic consumers and the optimal pricing and profit of each channel, and as the proportion of strategic consumers rises, the optimal pricing and profit of manufacturers and retailers all trend downward. Incorporating strategic consumers into the pricing model will assist the supply chain in elucidating the behavior of consumer heterogeneity during various decision-making periods and in making reasonable pricing decisions. Effective guiding strategies, such as pre-discount and purchase restrictions, can reduce the profit loss caused by strategic consumer behavior. The optimal combination of pre-announcement discount and strategic consumer ratio can generate the greatest profit for retailers and the supply chain. Full article