Shanghai University

About: Shanghai University is a education organization based out in Shanghai, Shanghai, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Microstructure & Graphene. The organization has 59583 authors who have published 56840 publications receiving 753549 citations. The organization is also known as: Shànghǎi Dàxué.

Green Process Innovation and Financial Performance in Emerging Economies: Moderating Effects of Absorptive Capacity and Green Subsidies

Abstract: Being “green” is socially, desirable, yet whether it pays to be “green” is unclear. This question has become more important to manufacturing industries as environmental concerns are escalating, particularly in emerging economies. We examine the effects of green process innovation on the financial performance of manufacturing industries with a focus on the moderating effects of government subsidies versus industries' own absorptive capability. Using sulfur dioxide emissions as an environmental index, we establish a dynamic model using ten years panel data from 28 industries in China where environmental concerns have been severe and government subsidies have been commonly believed to be instrumental. The results show that clean technologies and end-of-pipe technologies are positively related to financial performance at the industry level, thus it pays to be “green.” Furthermore, strong absorptive capacity tends to enhance this relationship, but surprisingly green subsidies turn out to weaken this relationship. We also find the effects are different between clean technologies and end-of-pile technologies, which leads to finer grained insights into these two types of technologies and their adoption. We conclude that manufacturing industries can benefit more from green process innovation by leveraging their internal absorptive capability, as opposed to replying on external government subsidies as commonly believed. Our findings provide finer grained insights on the benefits of green process innovation, and shed light on the study of green process innovation in other emerging economies.

Molecular Design Strategy to Construct the Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Selectively Sensing Human Cytochrome P450 2J2

Abstract: Cytochrome P450 2J2 (CYP2J2), a key enzyme responsible for oxidative metabolism of various xenobiotics and endogenous compounds, participates in a diverse array of physiological and pathological processes in humans. Its biological role in tumorigenesis and cancer diagnosis remains poorly understood, owing to the lack of molecular tools suitable for real-time monitoring CYP2J2 in complex biological systems. Using molecular design principles, we were able to modify the distance between the catalytic unit and metabolic recognition moiety, allowing us to develop a CYP2J2 selective fluorescent probe using a near-infrared fluorophore ( E)-2-(2-(6-hydroxy-2, 3-dihydro-1 H-xanthen-4-yl)vinyl)-3,3-dimethyl-1-propyl-3 H-indol-1-ium iodide (HXPI). To improve the reactivity and isoform specificity, a self-immolative linker was introduced to the HXPI derivatives in order to better fit the narrow substrate channel of CYP2J2, the modification effectively shortened the spatial distance between the metabolic moiety ( O-alkyl group) and catalytic center of CYP2J2. After screening a panel of O-alkylated HXPI derivatives, BnXPI displayed the best combination of specificity, sensitivity and applicability for detecting CYP2J2 in vitro and in vivo. Upon O-demethylation by CYP2J2, a self-immolative reaction occurred spontaneously via 1,6-elimination of p-hydroxybenzyl resulting in the release of HXPI. Allowing BnXPI to be successfully used to monitor CYP2J2 activity in real-time for various living systems including cells, tumor tissues, and tumor-bearing animals. In summary, our practical strategy could help the development of a highly specific and broadly applicable tool for monitoring CYP2J2, which offers great promise for exploring the biological functions of CYP2J2 in tumorigenesis.