Based on the institutional theory, this article attempts to examine two consecutive questions regarding the impact of various factors on corporate decision in environmental information disclosure (EID): (1) whether or not to disclose; and (2) the level of disclosure. The relevance of these factors is empirically tested using data collected from publicly listed manufacturing companies from 2006 to 2008 in China. Some interesting findings appear. We find that firms that are state-owned, those that operate in environmentally sensitive industries, those having more industrial peers engaged in EID, and those with better reputation are more likely to disclose environmental information. When it comes to the content of EID, variables that attempt to capture external institutional pressures exhibit either no or weak explanatory power. Only the variable of organizational image and reputation is demonstrated to have a significant impact on both the act and the content of EID. This study provides a snapshot of the dialogues between constituencies in the organizational field and EID development.

Institutional theories and resource-based views have suggested that, although they appear similar externally, standardized management systems may be implemented very differently in different organizations. This variability in implementation may be responsible for the heterogeneous performance of these standardized management systems. The current literature on the environmental impacts of ISO 14001 certifi cation has largely neglected this phenomenon. Drawing on our survey of all US 14001 certifi cate holders, this study fi nds that great variability does exist in facilities' implementation of ISO 14001 standards. This heterogeneity has a signifi cant impact on the linkage between ISO 14001 certifi cation and facilities' environmental performance. In particular, we fi nd that facilities that integrate ISO 14001 standards into their daily operations are more likely to report improvements in environmental performance. Environmental improvements are also more likely to occur in facilities that include performance management elements in their ISO 14001 standards. Furthermore, both types of facility are more likely to report that ISO certifi cation contributes to this improvement. Neglecting the heterogeneity in facilities' implementation of ISO 14001 standards may explain the instability of fi ndings from the empirical literature investigating the impacts of ISO 14001 certifi cation. Theoretically, this paper informs the understanding of heterogeneous organizational behavior under isomorphic pressures. Copyright

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Background: One of the major challenges in currently chemotherapeutic theme is lacking effective biomarkers for drug response and sensitivity. Our current study focus on two promising biomarkers, ERCC1 (excision repair cross-complementing group 1) and BRCA1 (breast cancer susceptibility gene 1). To investigate their potential role in serving as biomarkers for drug sensitivity in cancer patients with metastases, we statistically measure the mRNA expression level of ERCC1 and BRCA1 in tumor cells isolated from malignant effusions and correlate them with cisplatin and/ or docetaxel chemosensitivity.

Paclitaxel (Ptx) has demonstrated encouraging activity in the treatment of gastric cancer. Development of drug-containing biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (np) becomes one of the solutions to relieve side effects of Ptx. However, Ptx-loaded nanoparticles prepared by the nanoprecipitation method are unstable in the aqueous phase. Here we report that tetrandrine (Tet) effectively increases the stability of Ptx-loaded nanoparticles when Tet is coencapsulated with Ptx into mPEG-PCL nanoparticles. The current study demonstrates the synergistic antitumor effect of Tet and Ptx against gastric cancer cells, which provides the basis of coadministration of Tet and Ptx by nanoparticles. It is reported that the cellular chemoresistance to Ptx correlates with intracellular antioxidant capacity and the depletion of cellular antioxidant capacity could enhance the cytotoxicity of Ptx. Tet effectively induces intracellular ROS production. Therefore, the present study provides a promising novel therapeutic strategy basing on "oxidation therapy" that it could amplify the antitumor effect of paclitaxel by employing Tet as a pro-oxidant. More intracellular Tet accumulation by endocytosis of Ptx/Tet-np than equivalent doses of free drug leads to more intracellular ROS induction, which could efficiently enhance the cytotoxicity of Ptx by sequential inhibition of ROS-dependent Akt pathway and activation of apoptotic pathways, all of which would mediate the superior cytotoxicity of Ptx/Tet-np over free drug. The present results suggest that the codelivery of Ptx and Tet by nanoparticles provides a novel therapeutic strategy basing on "oxidation therapy" against gastric cancer.

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This study examines the impact of China's green credit policy on the environment. In particular, we consider an initiative that requires all banks to base their loan decisions on corporate environmental performance. This is an important issue since it is globally gaining popularity to leverage bank loans as an avenue to enforce corporate environmental responsibility. Moreover, there are only a handful of empirical investigations in relation to the impacts of credit constraint on corporate environmental behaviors and strategies. This research also provides useful insights on how to enhance environmental regulation enforcement, using the Environmental Protection Bureau in partnership with local banks to exert a creditable threat of financial constraint on unfavorable environmental outcomes. Using the synthetic control method and difference‐in‐differences analysis, we find that this policy has significantly motivated firms, particularly those firms with a higher dependence on external financing, to reduce water pollution. We further discover that the policy compels firms to favor pollution prevention at the source instead of end‐of‐pipe treatments, since the policy imposes a long‐term credit constraint on pollution.