The impact of spherical nanoparticles (NPs) on the segmental dynamics of polymer melts is investigated. The addition of NPs broadens the segmental dynamics with effects of both particle size and loading. Interfacial bound layer thickness is calculated by the difference in magnitude of the segmental dynamics of pure polymer and nanocomposites. These theoretical models suggest that the bound layer thickness in the case of strongly adsorbing polymer matrices may increase with particle size.

Using a survey of 324 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the Yangtze River Delta in China, this study discusses the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, absorptive capacity, environmental dynamism, and corporate technological innovation performance. The results based on a moderated moderation model show that the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and innovation performance is significantly positive. The absorptive capacity can positively moderate this relationship. When the external environment is in high dynamism, the moderating effect of absorptive capacity will be stronger than when the environment is in low dynamism.

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Sediment microorganisms help create and maintain mangrove ecosystems. Although the changes in vegetation during mangrove forest succession have been well studied, the changes in the sediment microbial community during mangrove succession are poorly understood. To investigate the changes in the sediment microbial community during succession of mangroves at Zhanjiang, South China, we used phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and the following chronosequence from primary to climax community: unvegetated shoal; Avicennia marina community; Aegiceras corniculatum community; and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza + Rhizophora stylosa community. The PLFA concentrations of all sediment microbial groups (total microorganisms, fungi, gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and actinomycetes) increased significantly with each stage of mangrove succession. Microbial PLFA concentrations in the sediment were significantly lower in the wet season than in the dry season. Regression and ordination analyses indicated that the changes in the microbial community with mangrove succession were mainly associated with properties of the aboveground vegetation (mainly plant height) and the sediment (mainly sediment organic matter and total nitrogen). The changes in the sediment microbial community can probably be explained by increases in nutrients and microhabitat heterogeneity during mangrove succession.

Green suppliers form an active and independent green production management system that complies with green manufacturing regulations, eliminates bottlenecks and difficulties encountered by enterprises related to the requirements of green products, and enhances enterprises' green competitiveness. Previous studies on competitive indices and strategies of green suppliers have generally had two limitations. First, most studies have assumed that competitive indices are independent of one another and are not causally related. Second, several studies have assumed that the weights of the evaluation indices are identical. To overcome these two limitations, this study integrated simultaneous importanceperformance analysis and decision-making trial-and-evaluation laboratory methods and proposed a simultaneous importance-performance analysis-decision-making trial-and-evaluation laboratory model. In this study, simultaneous importance-performance analysis was used to explore the green performance and competitive situations of a case company and its competitors. Subsequently, decision-making trial-and-evaluation laboratory was used to calculate the degrees of influence that the competitive indices of green supplier regarding green performance exhibited on each other and to investigate the causal relationships among the competitive indices. Finally, competitive green supplier strategies for the case company were proposed. The results indicated that the method developed in this study not only provides theoretical contributions but also can be applied to businesses.

Using a sample consisting of China's listed manufacturing companies which issue A-shares on the Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges from 2008-2014, this study empirically tests the relationship between board chairman's political connections and the amount of energy conservation and emission reduction investment. The results show that the existence of politically-connected board chairmen positively affects green investment. In addition, marketization degrees negatively moderate the relationship between political connection and green investment, which supports an institutional logic perspective. The amount of redundant resources also has the same moderating effect, which is consistent with the resource exchange perspective.

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