Peter Ping Li

Programmed cell death in bovine mammary tissue during lactation and involution

Cessation of milk removal causes mammary tissue involution, which in rodents is characterized by extensive tissue degeneration and loss of the majority of luminal epithelial cells by apoptosis. In contrast, bovine mammary tissue shows little histological evidence of tissue remodelling between lactations. In this study, we combined histology with molecular biology to examine the cellular and molecular changes in bovine mammary tissue on cessation of milking. Oligonucleosomal laddering of genomic DNA extracted from lactating tissue indicated that a proportion of cells were dying by apoptosis. This was confirmed by terminal deoxynucleotide transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine nick end‐labelling of apoptotic cells in lactating tissue sections (TUNEL). One week after cessation of milking, alpha‐lactalbumin and alpha S1‐casein messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance had decreased by 99 and 85%, respectively, whereas lactoferrin mRNA had increased 20‐fold. Drying off was also accompanied by an increase in oligonucleosomal laddering of genomic DNA, and by an increase in the proportion of TUNEL‐positive cells, which were localized preferentially in regions where alveolar structure had deteriorated. Therefore, termination of lactation was associated with partial loss of the mammary cell population and dedifferentiation of the remainder.

Toward a Geocentric Framework of Trust: An Application to Organizational Trust

Integrating the typologies of trust dimensions and trust ideal-types with the new typologies of trust forms and trust bases, I propose a geocentric framework of trust in general and of organizational trust in particular. The typology of trust forms is built on the dimension of spatial strength to address the content of trust building from weak trust to strong trust and on the dimension of temporal stage to address the process of trust building from initial trust to mature trust. The typology of trust bases is built on the dimension of trust sources to address the bases of trust building from depersonalized sources to personalized sources and on the dimension of trust domains to address the bases of trust building from dyad domains to network domains. Together with its three pillars (trust-building mechanisms, leadership and trust-as-choice), the central theme of trust building connects all four trust typologies toward a geocentric framework that integrates and transcends the cultural values of the East and the West. This framework bears a special implication for theorizing about transaction cost and transaction value as a duality for interorganizational alliance.

Toward a Geocentric Theory of Multinational Evolution: The Implications from the Asian MNEs as Latecomers

Despite their growing proliferation and importance, the multinational enterprises (MNEs) from the developing countries have not received adequate attention. Further, there is a growing concern with the validity of the extant MNE theories in the context of globalization and network. This paper seeks to address two questions: (1) how much can we apply the extant MNE theories (which are built on the evidence from the developed countries) to the MNEs from the developing countries as latecomers; and (2) how much can the evidence of the MNEs from the developing countries as latecomers offer to modify and enhance the extant MNE theories. The evidence of one longitudinal embedded case study shows that the extant MNE theories need modifications (so as to apply to the MNEs from the developing countries as latecomers) and enhancements (so as to better explain all MNEs). Also discussed are the significant implications for further theory building with regard to MNEs in the context of globalization and network.

Modulation of mammary development and programmed cell death by the frequency of milk removal in lactating goats

1 Unilateral changes in mammary cell number are elicited when one gland is milked more or less frequently than the contralateral gland in lactating goats. These changes were investigated using histochemical and immunocytochemical markers of mammary cell types, and the degree of mammary apoptosis was determined by end‐labelling of fragmented DNA. 2 Histological analysis confirmed that unilateral cessation of milking initiated involution and cell loss preferentially in the unmilked gland. The presence of fragmented DNA and morphological characteristics consistent with apoptosis demonstrated that these changes in mammary cell number in unmilked glands were, in part, the result of programmed alveolar cell death. 3 De‐differentiation of the remaining secretory cells to ductal epithelial cells occurred with an increase in staining of cytokeratin markers and decreased staining by peanut lectin and casein antisera. 4 Differential once‐ and thrice‐daily milking of lactating goats was also associated with unilateral changes in mammary cell number and milk yield. Milk yield and alveolar size were reduced after 4 weeks of infrequent milking. The latter was due to the increased loss of secretory cells by apoptosis, as indicated by a higher degree of fragmented DNA laddering. 5 After 10 weeks of differential milking, a homogeneous secretory morphology, albeit with smaller alveoli, was maintained in thrice‐daily milked glands. Once‐daily milked glands possessed a heterogeneous composition of terminal structures, resulting in the simultaneous presence of secretory and involuting alveoli as well as resting ductules. 6 The differences in programmed cell death and mammary morphology between unmilked and twice‐daily milked glands, and between once‐ and thrice‐daily milked glands, suggests that mammary apoptosis is subject to modulation by intra‐mammary mechanisms sensitive to the frequency of milk removal.

Global implications of the indigenous epistemological system from the east

Purpose – The author argues and explains that the indigenous Eastern epistemological system of Yin-Yang balancing should be taken as a novel system or frame of thinking, which is deeply rooted in the indigenous Eastern culture traditions, but it has significant global implications, especially in the domain of paradox management. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to provide a detailed elaboration of the indigenous Eastern epistemological system of Yin-Yang balancing in contrast to the Western logic systems; and second, to provide a roadmap for applying the system of Yin-Yang balancing to complex issues in the area of management, in general, and paradoxical issues, in particular. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper with a focus on theory-building. Findings – The author elaborates on the indigenous features of Yin-Yang balancing, in contrast to Aristotle’s formal logic and Hegel’s dialectical logic in the West, to further explore the former’s global implications for the increa...

When trust matters the most: The imperatives for contextualising trust research

(1) What benefits could we gain from the emerging trend of institutionalising trust research, as represented by the formalisation of FINT as a research community and the launch of Journal of Trust Research, a designated journal on trust? (2) Do we deserve the academic status we seek to achieve as compared to other related areas of research, such as leadership and ethics? (3) What research milestones would demonstrate the value of trust research to the wider academic community?

Identification of Cell Types in the Developing Goat Mammary Gland

The goat was chosen as the model system for investigating mammary gland development in the ruminant. Histological and immunocytochemical staining of goat mammary tissue at key stages of development was performed to characterize the histogenesis of the ruminant mammary gland. The mammary gland of the virgin adult goat consisted of a ductal system terminating in lobules of ductules. Lobuloalveolar development of ductules occurred during pregnancy and lactation which was followed by the regression of secretory alveoli at involution. The ductal system was separated from the surrounding stroma by a basement membrane which was defined by antisera raised against laminin and Type IV collagen. Vimentin, smooth-muscle actin and myosin monoclonal antisera as well as antisera to cytokeratin 18 and multiple cytokeratins stained a layer of myoepithelial cells which surround the ductal epithelium. Staining of luminal epithelial cells by monoclonal antibodies to cytokeratins was dependent on their location along the ductal system, from intense staining in ducts to variable staining in ductules. The staining of epithelial cells by monoclonals to cytokeratins also varied according to the developmental status of the goat, being maximal in virgin and involuting glands, lowest at lactation and intermediate during gestation. In addition, cuboidal cells, situated perpendicular to myoepithelial cells and adjacent to alveolar cells in secretory alveoli, were also stained by cytokeratin monoclonal antibodies and antisera to the receptor protein, erbB-2, in similar fashion to luminal epithelial cells. These results demonstrate that caprine mammary epithelial cell differentiation along the alveolar pathway is associated with the loss of certain types of cytokeratins and that undifferentiated and secretory alveolar epithelial cells are present within lactating goat mammary alveoli.

A Holistic Framework of E-Business Strategy: The Case of Haier in China

This paper proposes a conceptual framework of e-business strategy. It argues that such a framework must be holistic, dynamic and dialectical. This framework will assist both researchers and practitioners regarding the key issues of e-business strategy. Further, a case study of Haier from China reveals that all firms need to learn how to design effective e-business strategies, which should be built on a sound organizational form or business model. The case of Haier also suggests that the local firms from the developing countries need to be creative in formulating e-business strategies so as to operate effectively in the under-developed e-business environment. Strategic alliance is especially critical for the local firms with regard to their e-business success.

The Contextual Antecedents of Organizational Trust: A Multidimensional Cross‐Level Analysis

In this article we seek to explore the contextual antecedents of organizational trust. In light of the complex links between organizational contexts and organizational behaviours, we focus on the effects of the three most critical contextual antecedents, i.e., leadership role, structural rule, and cultural norm at the organizational level, on organizational trust directly, and their behavioural outcomes at the individual level indirectly, using organizational trust as a cross‐level mediator. The empirical results, based on a hierarchical linear model with a sample of 444 employees from 82 firms in China, lent support for our multidimensional cross‐level model of context–trust–behaviour link. We extend the research on organizational trust by treating it as a cross‐level phenomenon and by specifying its core contextual antecedents and behavioural consequences.

Exploring the unique roles of trust and play in private creativity: From the complexity-ambiguity-metaphor link to the trust-play-creativity link

Abstract I explore the Eastern philosophy of wisdom to balance with the orthodox Western philosophy of science toward a geocentric integration of both the West and the East at the most fundamental level. In particular, the unique Eastern epistemological frame of Yin-Yang Balancing has the unique potential to reframe ambiguity from a problem (inconsistency) to a solution (completeness). Built upon the Eastern philosophy of wisdom, I propose a process model for the link between trust and creativity, especially in a private context rather than the typical public context. This model highlights the essence of trust as a leap of faith to bridge the unknown with the known, uncertainty with certainty, and ambiguity with clarity via the mechanisms of psychological relaxation and cognitive improvisation to mediate between trust, play and creativity. The tentative sketch of the Eastern philosophy of wisdom and its application to the trust-play-creativity link are the two contributions of this study. The central theme is that the Eastern philosophy of wisdom is primarily concerned with the creation of novel knowledge as open-ended and open-minded exploration via trust and play, while the Western philosophy of science is primarily concerned with the evaluation of the extant knowledge as close-ended and close-minded exploitation via control and routine.