Trust Relationship with Suppliers, Collaborative Action, and Manufacturer Resilience in the COVID-19 Crisis.

Frequent emergencies highlight the importance of corporate resilience, and relationship governance behaviors have received much attention for improving firms' resilience. This study uses structural equation modeling to test hypotheses based on trust theory and synergy theory. It investigates the impact of the behavioral operations management approach of collaborative action on manufacturers' resilience in Chinese manufacturing firms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental uncertainty is used as a moderating variable to explore its role between the trust relationship with suppliers and collaborative action, which are two types of relationship management behaviors. The results show that collaborative action positively affects each of the three stages of manufacturer resilience. Moreover, collaborative action mediates between the trust relationship with suppliers and the different dimensions of manufacturer resilience. Environmental uncertainty does not moderate the facilitative effect of the trust relationship with suppliers on collaborative action. This study examines the relational governance behavior of firms in the context of a particular Chinese culture to build a bridge between relational governance behavioral science and firm resilience management. This study tries to provide inspiration for managers to improve the risk management ability of manufacturing enterprises by using relationship management theory and behavioral science.

The impact of relationship management on manufacturer resilience in emergencies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of two typical relationship management approaches (trust relationship with suppliers and reciprocity) on manufacturer resilience in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, this paper aims to deepen the understanding of environmental uncertainty's moderating effect on the association between the trust relationship with suppliers (TRS) and reciprocity.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling has been used to test the hypotheses on 361 Chinese manufacturing firms' managers and independent directors during the COVID-19 crisis.FindingsThe results reveal that reciprocity positively enhances three dimensions of manufacturer resilience, namely, preparedness, responsiveness and recovery capability. Reciprocity positively mediates the relationships between TRS and preparedness, responsiveness and recovery capability. Moreover, environmental uncertainty moderates the association between TRS and reciprocity.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the critical role of reciprocity, the relational governance approach, in enhancing manufacturer resilience in practice. This paper suggests that during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, managers should adopt trust and reciprocity in supplier relationship governance to strengthen the resilience of manufacturing companies and adapt effective strategies according to the environment.Originality/valueThis study is unique in developing new scales of manufacturer resilience through interviews and surveys with Chinese manufacturers and theoretical research. Based on the social capital theory and social exchange theory, this study shed light on the role of trust and reciprocity. It also bridges relational governance theory with the literature on manufacturing firm resilience literature to help manufacturers better understand the transdisciplinary links between relationship management and resilient operations in emergencies.

Farmers' cognition of the COVID-19 outbreak, risk perception and willingness of green production.

Existing literature reports that COVID-19 outbreak may affect people's risk perceptions, with disturbances ranging from mild negative emotional reactions to overall mental health. At the same time, the pneumonia pandemic reveals all the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of our ecosystem and makes people reflect on traditional ecologically harmful production practices. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review the existing scientific literature on these variables, through a survey and empirical analysis, in order to present and comment on the effects and mechanisms of influence between them. The results showed that: (1) Increasing farmers'cognition of COVID-19 outbreak could significantly enhance the green production willingness. Specifically, the probability of "Very willing"to participate in green production increased by 29.9% for each unit of increase in cognition. (2) Farmers'cognition of COVID-19 outbreak can significantly enhance the level of risk perception and thus enhance their green production willingness, that is, risk perception is an important transmission medium of this effect. (3)The analysis of inter-generational difference showed that the impact of cognition of COVID-19 outbreak on green production willingness was significant for both the new generation and the old generation. On the basis of this, some policy suggestions are put forward, such as strengthening the propaganda and education of natural ecological environment protection, establishing the propaganda mechanism of green agricultural products market in the later period of epidemic situation, raising farmers'risk perception level through multi-channels and so on.

Global dynamics of a diffusive SIR epidemic model with saturated incidence rate and discontinuous treatments

In this paper, we study a diffusive SIR epidemic model with saturated incidence rate and discontinuous treatments under Neumann boundary conditions. Firstly, the existence and boundedness of the solution of the system are addressed. Then, on the basis of the differential inclusions theory, we analysis the existence of endemic equilibrium. Furthermore, by constructing different appropriate Lyapunov functions, we investigate the global asymptotic stability of the disease free equilibrium(DFE) and the endemic equilibrium(EE), respectively. Additionally, numerical simulations are given to confirm the correctness of theorem. Finally, we give a brief conclusion and discussion in the end of the paper.

Influence of Trust Relationships with Suppliers on Manufacturer Resilience in COVID-19 Era

With the frequent occurrence of emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, resilience has become increasingly important for the stable and sustainable development of the manufacturing companies. Despite growing interest in supply chain resilience, less attention has been paid to manufacturer resilience and how to improve it through supplier relationship governance. Based on resource-based view (RBV) theory, trust theory and the literature on resilience, this study developed new constructs of measuring manufacturer resilience by temporal logic and sheds light on how the trust relationship with suppliers affect manufacturer resilience via the information-sharing level. The data is collected from 351 respondents who are independent directors or managers of manufacturing companies in China. This study adopted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the dimensions of manufacturer resilience and to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that the trust relationship with suppliers has significant positive impacts on three dimensions of manufacturer resilience, that is, preparedness, responsiveness, and recovery capability. In addition, the information-sharing level partially mediates the impact of the trust relationship with suppliers on manufacturer resilience. Specifically, the information-sharing level positively affects preparedness, responsiveness, and recovery capability. Moreover, the trust relationship with suppliers facilitates the information-sharing level. Finally, the study contributes to the manufacturer resilience literature and provides useful guidance for the manufacturing enterprises in enhancing resilience quickly.

SARS-CoV-2 treatment effects induced by ACE2-expressing microparticles are explained by the oxidized cholesterol-increased endosomal pH of alveolar macrophages.

Exploring the cross-talk between the immune system and advanced biomaterials to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection is a promising strategy. Here, we show that ACE2-overexpressing A549 cell-derived microparticles (AO-MPs) are a potential therapeutic agent against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Intranasally administered AO-MPs dexterously navigate the anatomical and biological features of the lungs to enter the alveoli and are taken up by alveolar macrophages (AMs). Then, AO-MPs increase the endosomal pH but decrease the lysosomal pH in AMs, thus escorting bound SARS-CoV-2 from phago-endosomes to lysosomes for degradation. This pH regulation is attributable to oxidized cholesterol, which is enriched in AO-MPs and translocated to endosomal membranes, thus interfering with proton pumps and impairing endosomal acidification. In addition to promoting viral degradation, AO-MPs also inhibit the proinflammatory phenotype of AMs, leading to increased treatment efficacy in a SARS-CoV-2-infected mouse model without side effects. These findings highlight the potential use of AO-MPs to treat SARS-CoV-2-infected patients and showcase the feasibility of MP therapies for combatting emerging respiratory viruses in the future.

Recognizing a MIS-Chievous Cause of Acute Viral Gastroenteritis.

Historically, children evaluated for vomiting and diarrhea secondary to viral enteritis have symptoms lasting 2-4 days and respond to supportive care, including oral rehydration and anti-emetics if required. Recently, within a 14-day timespan, we encountered three children with severe diarrhea who rapidly became dehydrated and went into hypotensive shock. Although SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests were negative by nasopharyngeal swab, all were later found to have MIS-C. This small case series underscores features reported in previous larger studies and emphasizes the rapid clinical evolution of this condition. We highlight the importance of early recognition of cardinal laboratory findings characteristic of MIS-C (i.e., lymphopenia, markedly elevated acute phase reactants, and hypoalbuminemia). We also show serologic evidence that the pathophysiological mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 related diarrhea may differ from other causes of dehydrating vomiting and diarrhea, with no serologic evidence of villus cell injury.

Distinct uptake, amplification, and release of SARS-CoV-2 by M1 and M2 alveolar macrophages.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) invades the alveoli, where abundant alveolar macrophages (AMs) reside. How AMs respond to SARS-CoV-2 invasion remains elusive. Here, we show that classically activated M1 AMs facilitate viral spread; however, alternatively activated M2 AMs limit the spread. M1 AMs utilize cellular softness to efficiently take up SARS-CoV-2. Subsequently, the invaded viruses take over the endo-lysosomal system to escape. M1 AMs have a lower endosomal pH, favoring membrane fusion and allowing the entry of viral RNA from the endosomes into the cytoplasm, where the virus achieves replication and is packaged to be released. In contrast, M2 AMs have a higher endosomal pH but a lower lysosomal pH, thus delivering the virus to lysosomes for degradation. In hACE2 transgenic mouse model, M1 AMs are found to facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection of the lungs. These findings provide insights into the complex roles of AMs during SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with potential therapeutic targets.

Mucus production stimulated by IFN-AhR signaling triggers hypoxia of COVID-19.

Silent hypoxia has emerged as a unique feature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we show that mucins are accumulated in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of COVID-19 patients and are upregulated in the lungs of severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected mice and macaques. We find that induction of either interferon (IFN)-ß or IFN-γ upon SARS-CoV-2 infection results in activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling through an IDO-Kyn-dependent pathway, leading to transcriptional upregulation of the expression of mucins, both the secreted and membrane-bound, in alveolar epithelial cells. Consequently, accumulated alveolar mucus affects the blood-gas barrier, thus inducing hypoxia and diminishing lung capacity, which can be reversed by blocking AhR activity. These findings potentially explain the silent hypoxia formation in COVID-19 patients, and suggest a possible intervention strategy by targeting the AhR pathway.