Green entrepreneurial orientation, boundary-spanning search and enterprise sustainable performance: The moderating role of environmental dynamism.

As an important strategic decision for enterprise sustainability, the green entrepreneurial orientation can facilitate boundary-spanning search for external knowledge and resources to achieve triadic sustainable economic, environmental, and social performance. Based on organizational search theory and dynamic capability theory, this study introduces environmental dynamism into the model of the relationship between green entrepreneurial orientation, boundary-spanning search and enterprise triadic sustainable performance. By analyzing the questionnaire data from 202 managers of manufacturing SMEs, the study explores the internal and external influences of green entrepreneurial orientation on the enterprise sustainable performance. The results show that: green entrepreneurial orientation has a positive impact on enterprise economic, environmental and social performance; boundary-spanning search plays a fully mediating role between green entrepreneurial orientation and enterprise economic, environmental and social performance; environmental dynamism, as a key external environmental factor, positively regulates the relationship between boundary-spanning search and enterprise economic performance and environmental performance, and negatively regulates the relationship between boundary-spanning search and social performance. This study clearly demonstrates how green entrepreneurial orientation in the environmental era can drive triadic sustainable performance improvement of enterprises. In addition, this study argues that boundary-spanning search is an important tool that enables manufacturing SMEs to achieve a triad of coordinated sustainable development of economic, environmental and social benefits in a dynamic environment.

Surviving uncertainty: A dual-path model of personal initiative affecting graduate employability.

The increasing uncertainty of our world raises important questions for university students on how they should respond to the employment challenges caused by changing environments. One of the central topics is the development of graduate employability. However, most previous research on graduate employability was undertaken in a stable environment, limiting our understanding of how graduate employability develops in a dynamic context. We have advanced the literature by introducing action theory to investigate the process of personal initiative affecting graduate employability in a period of environmental uncertainty. Using a time-lagged research design, we collected data from a sample of 229 Chinese university students and tested the hypothesized relationships. We find that personal initiative positively affects graduate employability through human and psychological capital. We further show that environmental uncertainty plays a contingent role in the above processes. Specifically, when a high level of environmental uncertainty is perceived, the positive indirect effect of personal initiative on graduate employability through either human capital or psychological capital is more likely to be strengthened. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

[Effect of acupuncture on intestinal flora and TLR4 in brain and intestinal tissues in rats with stress gastric ulcer].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Xiajuxu" (ST 39) on intestinal flora and Toll-like receptors-4 (TLR4) in brain and intestinal tissue in rats with stress gastric ulcer (SGU), and to explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture for SGU. METHODS: Thirty-one male SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (n=7), a model group (n=8), an acupuncture group (n=8) and a drug group (n=8). The rats in the model group, acupuncture group and drug group were treated with modified restraint plus water-immersion stress method to establish SGU model. After modeling, the rats in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Xiajuxu" (ST 39), 20 min each time, and the needles were twirled for 30 s every 5 min. The rats in the drug group were treated with intragastric administration of 2 mL omeprazole enteric-coated tablets (20 mg/mL). Both the treatments were given once a day for 5 days. After the intervention, the gastric mucosal damage index was calculated by Guth method; the morphological changes of gastric mucosa were observed by HE staining; the diversity of intestinal flora was detected by 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing; TLR4 contents in brain and intestinal tissues were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the gastric mucosal damage index was significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01); the morphological changes of gastric mucosa were obvious; the Observed Species index and Shannon index of α diversity index of intestinal flora were decreased (P<0.05); the ß diversity showed that the spatial distance between the model group and the blank group was far; the TLR4 contents in the brain and intestinal tissue were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the gastric mucosal damage index was decreased in the acupuncture group and the drug group (P<0.05); the morphology of gastric mucosa was improved; the Observed Species index and Shannon index of α diversity index of intestinal flora in the acupuncture group was increased (P<0.05), and the Shannon index in the drug group was increased (P<0.05); the ß diversity showed that the spatial distance between the acupuncture group and the blank group was close; the TLR4 contents in the brain and intestinal tissues of the acupuncture group were decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the drug group, the contents of TLR4 in the intestinal tissue of the acupuncture group were decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Xiajuxu" (ST 39) could alleviate SGU in rats, and its mechanism may be related to increasing the diversity of intestinal flora, promoting the disorder of intestinal flora to normal, and reducing the overexpression of TLR4 in brain and intestinal tissues.

[Effect of acupuncture on intestinal flora in rats with stress gastric ulcer].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36) on intestinal flora in rats with stress gastric ulcer (SGU) , and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture promoting SGU recovery. METHODS: Thirty-one SPF SD rats were randomly divided into a control group (7 rats), a model control group (8 rats), an acupuncture group (8 rats) and a medication group (8 rats). The rats in the model group, acupuncture group and medication group were selected to applied the improved restraint water-immersion stress method to establish the SGU model. After modeling, the rats in the control group and model group were fixed and restrained for 20 min every day for a total of 5 days; the rats in the acupuncture group were intervented with acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36), once a day, 20 min each time, and twisting needle for 30 s every 5 min for a total of 5 days; the rats in the medication group were gavaged by solution of omeprazole enteric-coated tablet (200 mg/mL), 2 mL for each rat, once a day. Guth method was used to calculate the gastric mucosal damage index (GMDI), HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of gastric mucosa, and 16SrDNA identification was used to detect the structural abundance of intestinal flora. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the GMDI of rats in the model group was increased (P<0.01), the gastric mucosal pathological changes were significant, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all decreased (P<0.05), the diversity index Simpson was increased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group and medication group was reduced (P<0.01, P<0.05), the gastric mucosal damage degree was reduced, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all increased (P<0.05) and the diversity index Simpson decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the medication group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group was reduced (P<0.01), the recovery of gastric mucosal injury was better than that of the medication group. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture can effectively improve gastric mucosal injury of SGU, and the mechanism may be related to increasing the diversity of intestinal flora and promoting the correction of the disordered intestinal flora.

[Effect of acupuncture on serum inflammatory cytokines and intestinal flora in rats with stress-induced gastric ulcer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of acupuncture on serum inflammatory cytokines and intestinal flora in rats with stress-induced gastric ulcer (SGU), and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of SGU. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into blank, model, acupuncture, and medication groups, with 7 rats in each group. Restraint water-immersion stress was used to establish the model of SGU. The rats in the acupuncture group were given acupuncture at "Zhongwan"(CV12) and bilateral "Zusanli"(ST36) for 20 min, once a day for 5 days, and those in the medication group were given 2 mL solution of Omeprazole enteric-coated tablets (0.2 mg/kg) by gavage, once a day for 5 days. The Guth method was used to calculate the gastric mucosa damage index, HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the gastric mucosa, ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and 16S rDNA sequencing method was used to observe the change in intestinal flora. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the model group had a significant increase in gastric mucosa damage index (P<0.01), markedly pathological changes of the gastric mucosa shown by HE staining, a significant reduction in the content of serum IL-4 (P<0.01), and a significant increase in the content of serum IL-6 (P<0.01), as well as a significant reduction in Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes at the phylum level. Compared with the model group, the acupuncture group and the medication group had a significant reduction in gastric mucosa damage index (P<0.01, P<0.05). HE staining showed reduced pathological changes of the gastric mucosa, as well as a significant increase in the content of serum IL-4 (P<0.01, P<0.05) and a significant reduction in the content of serum IL-6 (P<0.01, P<0.05). As for the intestinal flora, there was a significant increase in Bacteroidetes. Compared with the medication group, the gastric mucosa damage index was decreased （P<0.05），the content of serum IL-4 was significantly increased （P<0.05）, while the content of serum IL-6 significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at CV12 and ST36 can down-regulate the content of serum IL-6, up-regulate the content of serum IL-4, maintain the relative homeostasis of inflammatory cytokines, and regulate the community structure of intestinal flora, and thus help to repair the damage of gastric mucosa.

[Moxibustion improved gastric ulcer by reducing contents of corticotrophin-releasing hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone in serum and hypothalamus-pituitary tissues in rats with stress-induced gastric ulcer].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of moxibustion of "Zhongwan" (CV12) and "Zusanli" (ST36) on histopathological changes of the gastric mucosa and contents of corticotropin-releasing hormone(CRH) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone(ACTH) in the serum, hypothalamus and pituitary tissues in rats with stress-induced gastric ulcer(SGU), so as to reveal its mechanisms underlying improvement of SGU. METHODS: A total of 28 male SD rats were randomly divided into blank control, model, moxibustion, and medication groups, with 7 rats in each group. The SGU model was established by water immersion restraint stress for 3 h. Moxibustion was applied to "Zhongwan"(CV12) and bilateral "Zusanli" (ST36) for 20 min, once a day for 5 days, and rats of the medication group were treated by gavage of Omeprazole enteric-coated tablets (0.2 mg/kg) once a day for 5 days. The gastric mucosal damage index (ulcer index, UI) was measured to assess the injury severity according to Guth's me-thods. Histopathological changes of the gastric mucosa were determined by H．E. staining. The contents of CRH in serum and hypothalamus and ACTH in serum and pituitary gland tissue were assayed by using ELISA. RESULTS: Outcomes of H．E. staining showed gastric mucosal epithelia defect, disordered arrangement of glands, obvious mucosal hyperemia and edema, exudation of a large number of red blood cells, swelling of mucosal cells with necrosis of nuclei in the model group. These situations were relatively milder in the moxibustion and medication groups. After modeling, the UI, and the contents of CRH in the serum and hypotha-lamus, and ACTH in the serum and pituitary tissue were significantly increased in comparison with the blank control group (P<0.01). Following the intervention, the UI, and contents of CRH in the serum and hypothalamus, and ACTH in the serum and pituitary were all down-regulated in both medication and moxibustion groups relevant to the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The therapeutic effect of moxibustion was notably superior to that of medication in down-regulating serum CRH and ACTH (P<0.05). No significant differences were found between the medication and moxibustin interventions in lowering the UI, hypothalamic CRH and pituitary ACTH levels (P>0.05)．. CONCLUSION: Moxibustion can relieve gastric mucosal injury induced by stress in water immersion restraint stress rats, which may be associated with its effects in down-regulating the levels of CRH and ACTH in se-rum, hypothalamus and pituitary tissues (inhibition of activities of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis)．.