Corporate political acuity and carbon - efficiency synergies.

RESEARCH QUESTION: In the context of global low-carbon emission reduction, how to achieve green and high-quality development has become a major issue for the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government recently. Based on the data of China's listed companies from 2013 to 2020, this paper uses Python to implement text analysis of annual reports, and explores the relationship between political acuity and carbon-efficiency synergies (CES) from the perspective of enterprise initiative. RESEARCH FINDINGS: We found that (1) political acuity positively affects carbon-efficiency synergies. (2) Increased political acuity can reduce carbon emissions, but the effect on economic efficiency is not obvious. That is, low carbon takes the lead in raising the level of carbon-efficiency synergies. (3) Environmental regulations can positively regulate the relationship between political acuity and carbon-efficiency synergies. (4) Political acuity in southern China, carbon neutral and non-state-owned enterprises (NSOEs) will have a more pronounced effect on carbon-efficiency synergies. ACADEMIC IMPLICATIONS: From the perspective of the root causes of political linkages, we find the synergies between formal and informal institutions, and the key factors for policy implementation. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: This paper is helpful for enterprises to improve the synergies of emission reduction and efficiency promotion, and has practical implications for the government to promote green and high-quality development.

Highly Selective Recovery of Lanthanides by Using a Layered Vanadate with Acid and Radiation Resistance.

It is of vital importance to capture lanthanides (nuclear fission products) from waste solutions for radionuclide remediation owing to their hazards. The effective separation of lanthanides are achieved by an acid/base-stable and radiation-resistant vanadate, namely, [Me2 NH2 ]V3 O7 (1). It exhibits high adsorption capacities for lanthanides (qm Eu =161.4 mg g-1 ; qm Sm =139.2 mg g-1 ). And high adsorption capacities are maintained over a pH range of 2.0-6.9 (qm Eu =75.1 mg g-1 at low pH of 2.5). It displays high selectivity for Eu3+ (simulant of An3+ ) against a large excess of interfering ions. It can efficiently separate Eu3+ and Cs+ (or Sr2+ ) with the highest separation factor SFEu/Cs of 156 (SFEu/Sr of 134) to date. The adsorption mechanism is revealed by calculations and XPS, EXAFS, Raman, and elemental analyses. These merits combined with facile synthesis and convenient elution makes the title vanadate a promising lanthanide scavenger for environmental remediation.

Efficient Removal of [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ Ions by Radiation-Resistant Gallium Thioantimonates.

Unconventional ion exchangers can achieve efficient removal of [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ ions from complex aqueous solutions and are of great interest for environmental remediation. We report two new gallium thioantimonates, [Me2NH2]2[Ga2Sb2S7]·H2O (FJSM-GAS-1) and [Et2NH2]2[Ga2Sb2S7]·H2O (FJSM-GAS-2), which present excellent ion exchange properties for [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ ions. They exhibit high ion exchange capacities for [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ ions ( qmU = 196 mg/g, qmCs = 164 mg/g, and qmSr = 80 mg/g for FJSM-GAS-1, qmU = 144 mg/g for FJSM-GAS-2) and short equilibrium times for [UO2]2+ ion exchange (5 min for FJSM-GAS-1 and 15 min for FJSM-GAS-2, respectively). Both compounds display active ion exchange with [UO2]2+ in the pH range of 2.9-10.5. Moreover, the sulfide compounds could maintain high distribution coefficients KdU even in the presence of excess Na+, Ca2+, and HCO3-. The distribution coefficient KdU of 6.06 × 106 mL/g exhibited by FJSM-GAS-1 is the highest among the reported U adsorbents. The [UO2]2+-laden products can be recycled by conveniently eluting the uranium with a low-cost method. These advantages combined with facile synthesis, as well as ß and γ radiation resistance, make FJSM-GAS-1 and FJSM-GAS-2 promising for selective separations in nuclear waste remediation.

Why greenwashing occurs and what happens afterwards? A systematic literature review and future research agenda.

The greenwashing phenomenon, which implies the misalignment between environmental disclosure and performance, has received significant scholarly attention. We review the diverse literature on corporate greenwashing to develop an integrative framework that examines its antecedents and consequences from the perspective of corporate governance. Specifically, we identify theoretical perspectives commonly assumed in the literature on greenwashing, including green marketing, green finance, signaling strategy, and corporate decoupling. We outline why and how greenwashing occurs from the aspects of external governance environments and internal governance mechanisms, and what influences greenwashing exerts on firm performance and stakeholder reactions. The analysis further leads to the identification of a research agenda to continue advancing our understanding of corporate greenwashing. Future studies should re-evaluate whether environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues should be included in greenwashing, address potential trade-offs within an ESG framework, explore internal governance mechanisms that influence greenwashing, and examine the differentiated impacts of corporate greenwashing on various stakeholders.

Does green credit policy affect corporate debt financing? Evidence from China.

Green finance is one of the most important ways to help companies achieve green transformation and development. We construct a quasi-natural experiment with the "Green Credit Guidelines" and establish a difference-in-differences model to empirically test the implementation effect of the green credit policy in China. The results show that after the implementation of China's green credit policy, the debt financing scale of listed companies in heavily polluting industries has decreased significantly, the debt financing cost has increased significantly, and the debt financing maturity has been shortened significantly, indicating that the green credit policy has inhibited the debt financing of heavily polluting enterprises. We further find that this inhibition has also been affected by the nature of controlling shareholders, environmental information disclosure levels, regional environmental regulations and regional financial development levels. China's green credit policy has played a role in guiding listed companies to go green through the redistribution of debt financing.

LRRK2 Deficiency Aggravates Sleep Deprivation-Induced Cognitive Loss by Perturbing Synaptic Pruning in Mice.

Mutations of the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene are associated with pronounced sleep disorders or cognitive dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the effects of LRRK2 deficiency on sleep rhythms and sleep deprivation-related cognitive changes, and the relevant underlying mechanism, remain unrevealed. In this study, Lrrk2-/- and Lrrk2+/+ mice were subjected to normal sleep (S) or sleep deprivation (SD). Sleep recording, behavioral testing, Golgi-cox staining, immunofluorescence, and real-time PCR were employed to evaluate the impacts of LRRK2 deficiency on sleep behaviors and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that after SD, LRRK2-deficient mice displayed lengthened NREM and shortened REM, and reported decreased dendritic spines, increased microglial activation, and synaptic endocytosis in the prefrontal cortex. Meanwhile, after SD, LRRK2 deficiency aggravated cognitive impairments, especially in the recall memory cued by fear conditioning test. Our findings evidence that LRRK2 modulates REM/NREM sleep and its deficiency may exacerbate sleep deprivation-related cognitive disorders by perturbing synaptic plasticity and microglial synaptic pruning in mice.

Highly selective cesium(I) capture under acidic conditions by a layered sulfide.

Radiocesium remediation is desirable for ecological protection, human health and sustainable development of nuclear energy. Effective capture of Cs+ from acidic solutions is still challenging, mainly due to the low stability of the adsorbing materials and the competitive adsorption of protons. Herein, the rapid and highly selective capture of Cs+ from strongly acidic solutions is achieved by a robust K+-directed layered metal sulfide KInSnS4 (InSnS-1) that exhibits excellent acid and radiation resistance. InSnS-1 possesses high adsorption capacity for Cs+ and can serve as the stationary phase in ion exchange columns to effectively remove Cs+ from neutral and acidic solutions. The adsorption of Cs+ and H3O+ is monitored by single-crystal structure analysis, and thus the underlying mechanism of selective Cs+ capture from acidic solutions is elucidated at the molecular level.

Layered Thiostannates with Distinct Arrangements of Mixed Cations for the Selective Capture of Cs+, Sr2+, and Eu3+ Ions.

The selective capture of radioactive cesium, strontium, and lanthanides from liquid nuclear waste is of great significance to environmental remediation and human health. Herein, the rapid and selective removal of Cs+, Sr2+, and Eu3+ ions is achieved by two metal sulfides (FJSM-SnS-2 and FJSM-SnS-3). Both structures feature [Sn3S7]n2n- layers with the mixed cations of [CH3NH3]+ and [Bmmim]+ (1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium) as templates. However, the ratios and arrangements of mixed cations in the interlayered spaces are distinct. It is unprecedented that [CH3NH3]+ and [Bmmim]+ in FJSM-SnS-2 are alternatingly arranged in different interlayered spaces, whereas they in FJSM-SnS-3 are located in the same interlayered spaces. It is the first time that the ionic liquid cation and protonated organic amine have been simultaneously incorporated into metal sulfides. Both compounds show high capacities, rapid kinetics, and a wide pH active range for Cs+, Sr2+, and Eu3+. Even under excess Na+ ions, both show excellent selectivity in capturing trace Sr2+ and Eu3+ ions. FJSM-SnS-3 presents the highest KdEu to date. They still retain high removal efficiency even after intense ß and γ radiation. Moreover, it is first confirmed by the in situ tracking method of mass spectrometry that the large-sized [Bmmim]+ ions are exchangeable. It is found that the arrangement of cations between interlayered spaces is a crucial factor affecting ion exchange performance. This work will likely change the consensus that large-sized organic cations are difficult to be exchanged and thus further highlight the great potential of metal sulfide ion exchangers for radionuclide remediation.

[CH3 NH3 ]4 Ga4 SbS9 S0.28 O0.72 H: A Three-Dimensionally Open-Framework Heterometallic Chalcogenidoantimonate Exhibiting Ni2+ Ion-Exchange Property.

An open-framework chalcogenidoantimonate, namely, [CH3 NH3 ]4 Ga4 SbS9 S0.28 O0.72 H (1), has been solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. Interestingly, 1 showed Ni2+ ion-exchange properties and wide pH resistance, with a maximum exchange capacity of 76.9 mg g-1 . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of amine-directed three-dimensional (3D) heterometallic chalcogenidometalates for highly selective Ni2+ ion capture with a high distribution coefficient (Kd =1.65×105  mL g-1 ).