Identification of an Aux/IAA regulator for flesh firmness using combined GWAS and bulked segregant RNA-Seq analysis in watermelon

Watermelon is a highly cultivated fruit crop renowned for its quality properties of fruit flesh.Among various quality factors,fruit flesh firmness is a crucial quality parameter influencing the fruit texture,shelf life and its commercial value.The auxin/indole-3-acetic acid(Aux/IAA)plays a significant role in fruit development and ripening of non-climacteric fruits.However,the regulatory mechanism of Aux/IAA in controlling fruit flesh firmness and ripening in watermelon remains unknown.In this study,we employed an integrative approach combining genome-wide association study(GWAS)and bulked segregant RNA-Seq analysis(BSR-Seq)to identify an overlapping candidate region between 12776310 and 12968331 bp on chromosome 6,underlying an auxin-responsive gene(Aux/IAA)associated with flesh firmness in watermelon.Transcriptome analysis,followed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR(qRT-PCR),confirmed that the expression of Aux/IAA was consistently higher in fruits with high flesh firmness.The sequence alignment revealed a single base mutation in the coding region of Aux/IAA.Furthermore,the concomitant Kompetitive/Competitive allele-specific PCR(KASP)genotyping data sets for F2 population and germplasm accessions identified Aux/IAA as a strong candidate gene associated with flesh firmness.Aux/IAA was enriched in the plant hormone signal transduction pathway,involving cell enlargement and leading to low flesh firmness.We determined the higher accumulation of abscisic acid(ABA)in fruits with low flesh firmness than hard flesh.Moreover,overexpression of Aux/IAA induced higher flesh firmness with an increased number of fruit flesh cells while reducing ABA content and flesh cell sizes.Additionally,the allelic variation in Aux/IAA for soft flesh firmness was found to exist in Citrullus mucosospermus and gradually fixed into Citrullus lanatus during domestication,indicating that soft flesh firmness was a domesticated trait.These findings significantly enhanced our understanding of watermelon fruit flesh firmness and consequently the watermelon fruit quality.

Multi-Objective Optimization of Multi-Product Parallel Disassembly Line Balancing Problem Considering Multi-Skilled Workers Using a Discrete Chemical Reaction Optimization Algorithm

This work investigates a multi-product parallel disassembly line balancing problem considering multi-skilled workers.A mathematical model for the parallel disassembly line is established to achieve maximized disassembly profit and minimized workstation cycle time.Based on a product’s AND/OR graph,matrices for task-skill,worker-skill,precedence relationships,and disassembly correlations are developed.A multi-objective discrete chemical reaction optimization algorithm is designed.To enhance solution diversity,improvements are made to four reactions:decomposition,synthesis,intermolecular ineffective collision,and wall invalid collision reaction,completing the evolution of molecular individuals.The established model and improved algorithm are applied to ball pen,flashlight,washing machine,and radio combinations,respectively.Introducing a Collaborative Resource Allocation(CRA)strategy based on a Decomposition-Based Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm,the experimental results are compared with four classical algorithms:MOEA/D,MOEAD-CRA,Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Ⅱ(NSGA-Ⅱ),and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Ⅲ(NSGA-Ⅲ).This validates the feasibility and superiority of the proposed algorithm in parallel disassembly production lines.

Innovation and Firm Co-ownership Network in China’s Electric Vehicle Industry

Firms are embedded in complex networks,where diverse ideas combine and generate new ideas.Shareholders of firms are of-ten seen as critical external resources that have significant influence on firm innovation.The current literature tends to focus on the rela-tionship between firms and their shareholders,while paying less attention to the connections between firms with the same shareholders.This article identifies two types of network spillover effects,intra-city network effect and inter-city network effect,by visualizing the co-ownership networks in China’s electric vehicle(EV)industry.We find that firms with the same shareholders,which are defined as co-owned EV firms,are more innovative than non-co-owned ones.Furthermore,there are two dominant types of firm co-ownership ties formed by corporate and financial institution shareholders.While corporate shareholders help exploiting local tacit knowledge,financial institutions are more active in bridging inter-city connections.The conclusion is confirmed at both firm and city levels.This paper theor-izes the firm co-ownership network as a new form of institutional proximity and tested the result empirically.For policy consideration,we have emphasized the importance of building formal or informal inter-firm network,and the government should further enhance the knowledge flow channel by institutional construction.

加权firm阈值奇异值分解及其旋转机械故障诊断

奇异值分解(Singular value decomposition,SVD)作为一种有效的信号降噪方法广泛应用于旋转机械振动信号周期性瞬态冲击提取中。传统SVD以能量为导向,无法提取出能量较弱但含故障信息丰富的奇异分量(Singular Component,SC)。为此,提出加权firm阈值奇异值分解(Weighted Firm Singular Value Decomposition,WFSVD)方法。该方法首先引入平方包络谱峭度(Squared Envelope Spectrum Kurtosis,SESK)作为量化故障敏感度的指标,以评估各个SC所含故障信息的丰富程度;其次,将SESK作为权重因子引入到基于firm阈值的SC去噪中,设计基于SESK的加权firm阈值SC去噪策略;最后,重构信号,实现信号降噪并有效提取故障特征。对于仿真信号与试验数据的分析验证了所提方法在周期性微弱瞬态冲击提取及旋转机械故障诊断中的有效性。

SLAF marker based QTL mapping of fruit-related traits reveals a major-effect candidate locus ff2.1 for flesh firmness in melon

Flesh firmness(FF) is an important and complex trait for melon breeders and consumers. However, the genetic mechanism underlying FF is unclear. Here, a soft fruit melon(P5) and a hard fruit melon(P10) were crossed to generate F2, and the FF and fruit-related traits were recorded for two years. By performing quantitative trait locus(QTL) specificlocus amplified fragment(SLAF)(QTL-SLAF) sequencing and molecular marker-linkage analysis, 112 844 SLAF markers were identified, and 5 919 SNPs were used to construct a genetic linkage map with a total genetic distance of1 356.49 cM. Ten FF-and fruit-related QTLs were identified. Consistent QTLs were detected for fruit length(FL) and fruit diameter(FD) in both years, and QTLs for single fruit weight(SFW) were detected on two separate chromosomes in both years. For FF, the consistent major locus(ff2.1) was located in a 0.17-Mb candidate region on chromosome 2. Using 429 F2individuals derived from a cross between P5 and P10, we refined the ff2.1 locus to a 28.3-kb region harboring three functional genes. These results provide not only a new candidate QTL for melon FF breeding but also a theoretical foundation for research on the mechanism underlying melon gene function.

Resource constraints and firm innovation:When less is more?

This paper explores the relationship between resource constraints and innovation of new firms.Drawing upon the relevant literature,we incorporate resource constraints as the antecedent to the bricolage-innovation link.Compared to prior studies that treated resource constraints as a one-dimensional variable,we operationalize it along two dimensions:knowledge constraints and financial constraints.Our argument posits that knowledge constraints and financial constraints act as catalysts for innovation in new firms,with bricolage serving as a mediating role.To test our hypotheses,we conducted a survey involving 183 entrepreneurs in the United States.The data analysis demonstrates that bricolage fully mediates the relationship between knowledge con‐straints and innovation and partially mediates the relationship between financial constraints and innovation.Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The impact of political connections on firm pollution: New evidence based on heterogeneous environmental regulation

Increasing attention has been focused on the extent to which corporate political connections influence the growing pollution due to the rapid growth in the popularity of firm pollution in developing countries.We adopt a static threshold regression model to investigate the effects of heterogeneous environmental regulation on political connections and firm pollution based on the panel data from China’s A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2019.The empirical results show a non-linear relationship between the degree of political connection of listed company executives and the level of firm pollution.And the relationship between the two roughly presents a U-shaped relationship under the action of the marketincentive environmental regulation threshold.However,it roughly presents an inverted N-shaped relationship under the action of the command-control environmental regulation threshold.Additionally,the group test results show that the existence of regional and ownership heterogeneity causes certain differences in the environmental behaviour of politically connected enterprises.These findings indicate that diverse environmental regulations are needed to promote sustainable green development and to further expand the theoretical and practical exploration of political connections on firm pollution.

Identifying Spatial Heterogeneity in the Effects of High-Tech Firm Density on Housing Prices:Evidence from Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,China

Innovation capitalization is a new concept in innovation geography research.Extant research on a city scale has proven that innovation is an important factor affecting housing prices and verified that innovation has a capitalization effect.However,few studies investigate the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization.Thus,case verification at the urban agglomeration scale is needed.Therefore,this study proposes a theoretical framework for the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization at the urban agglomeration scale.Examining the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area(GHMGBA),China as a case study,the study investigated the spatial heterogeneity of the influence of high-tech firms,representing innovation,on housing prices.This work verified the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization.The study constructed a data set influencing housing prices,comprising 11 factors in 5 categories(high-tech firms,convenience of living facilities,built environment,the natural environment,and the fundamentals of the districts)for 419 subdistricts in the GHMGBA.On the global scale,the study finds that high-tech firms have a significant and positive influence on housing prices,with the housing price increasing by 0.0156%when high-tech firm density increases by 1%.Furthermore,a semi-geographically weighted regression(SGWR)analysis shows that the influence of high-tech firms on housing prices has spatial heterogeneity.The areas where high-tech firms have a significant and positive influence on housing prices are mainly in the GuangzhouFoshan metropolitan area,western Shenzhen-Dongguan,north-central Zhongshan-Nansha district,and Guangzhou—all areas with densely distributed high-tech firms.These results confirm the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization and the need for further discussion of its scale and spatial limitations.The study offers implications for relevant GHMGBA administrative authorities for spatially differentiated development strategies and housing policies that consider the role of innovation in successful urban development.

创新对企业MD&A叙述性信息披露策略的影响

研发和创新具有投入高、周期长和不确定性高的特征,这使得高创新企业面临较低的透明度和较高的专有成本。一方面为了满足投资者决策需要,防止信息不对称所导致的价值低估,企业有动机提供更多信息;另一方面创新所伴有的专有成本,又使得企业存在专有信息被现有和潜在竞争对手获取的顾虑,从而选择提供模糊信息的披露策略。本文利用2001—2019年A股上市公司数据,检验了企业创新对MD&A叙述性信息披露策略的影响。研究结果表明,随着企业创新的增加,企业叙述性信息披露的信息含量上升(文本相似度显著下降),但是披露的信息质量下降(文本可读性显著降低)。该结果说明管理层既希望向投资者传递更多信息,又担心来自竞争对手的威胁,即管理层会选择释放更多的叙述性信息并模糊表达。上述结果存在于行业竞争更激烈、融资约束程度较高和高管持股比例较高的情况下。本文结论对知识产权信息披露与管理层披露策略选择具有一定的借鉴意义。

区域贸易政策不确定性、策略选择与中国多产品企业出口产品种类——基于中国-东盟《框架协议》的准自然实验

多产品企业产品种类调整有助于实现企业内资源优化配置。文章匹配2001—2013年中国工业企业数据、海关进出口产品数据与WITS关税数据,以中国-东盟《框架协议》签署作为准自然实验,通过双重差分的方法探究区域贸易政策不确定性对中国多产品企业出口产品种类的影响。实证结果表明,《框架协议》签署带来的区域贸易政策不确定性下降促使中国多产品企业显著增加出口产品种类,与Bernard et al.(2011)基于美加自由贸易区的研究结果形成了鲜明对比,主要原因在于东盟市场与北美市场的规模、产品结构等方面存在显著差异。此外,区域贸易政策不确定性下降对采取不同竞争策略的多产品企业出口种类的影响存在显著差异,采取质量竞争策略的多产品企业比采取数量竞争策略的多产品企业在《框架协议》签署的外生冲击下,增加更多的出口产品种类。此外,《框架协议》签署对区域贸易政策不确定性下降幅度更大的多产品企业出口产品种类的促进作用更加明显。进一步,《框架协议》签署带来的区域贸易政策不确定性下降对多产品企业出口产品种类增加的影响主要通过创新效应发生作用,而学习效应没有显著的作用。以上结论在稳健性检验中仍然成立。该研究为中国实施FTA战略、评估RCEP政策,以及理解中国制造业企业的出口多样化和企业内产品组合决策提供了新的视角。

客户资产减值与供应商企业投资

高效投资是产业链安全的重要保证,供应链信息溢出效应会导致客户信息对供应商企业投资产生影响。本文运用中国上市公司的供应商企业—客户关系数据,考察了客户资产减值如何影响供应商企业投资。研究发现,客户资产减值会降低供应商企业的投资水平,这验证了客户资产减值在供应链上存在溢出效应。进一步研究发现,客户资产减值通过使供应商企业的管理层产生悲观预期,以及加剧供应商企业的经营风险,进而降低供应商企业的投资水平,但未通过减少信贷资源供给影响供应商企业的投资。此外,对于非国有控股、较弱议价能力、较低行业资产流动性及较高客户媒体关注度的供应商企业,客户资产减值对其投资水平的负向影响更为明显。本文研究结论不仅为客户信息影响上游供应商企业投资提供了经验证据,而且还为监管层规范企业计提资产减值行为,进而提升供应链整体投资效率提供了政策启示。

家族企业更重视员工利益吗?——基于劳动力成本粘性的考察视角

家族企业追求“基业长青”,其在对待员工这一重要利益相关者时,是否会表现出显著的行为偏好和特征?本文切入劳动力成本粘性的研究视角,以2003年—2019年民营上市公司为对象,考察了家族企业劳动力成本的决策行为表现及其机理.研究结果表明,与非家族企业相比,家族企业进行劳动力成本调整时会表现出更强的粘性特征,且随着家族持股水平提升、进入代际传承阶段以及董事会中家族成员占比提高,劳动力成本粘性现象会更加突出.进一步研究发现:维护员工关系和保持良好声誉是造成这一现象的主要原因;家族企业中的劳动力成本粘性具体表现为用工粘性,而非薪酬粘性;行业竞争程度和非劳动密集性都会加剧家族企业的劳动力成本粘性;家族企业承担适当的劳动力成本粘性还有助于促进生产效率,实现劳资“互惠”.本文既丰富了家族企业行为特征和成本粘性影响因素的相关研究,也为处理劳资关系和实现共同富裕提供了一定的现实启示.

金融科技赋能下供应链金融对企业价值的影响

发展供应链金融对于深化金融供给侧结构性改革,增强金融服务实体经济具有不容忽视的重要战略意义.本文通过对2007年-2019年中国A股上市公司全部320.8万篇公告的文本数据信息进行收集整理,实证检验了上市公司发展供应链金融业务对企业价值的影响.研究结果表明:发展供应链金融在短期可以促进企业股价的上涨,在长期可以促进企业价值的提升,并且上市公司采用的供应链金融业务越多,公告中提到供应链金融词汇越频繁,这种提升效果越显著.发展供应链金融业务可以通过信号传递效应、风险承担效应、系统管理效应促进企业价值提高.在供应链金融相关公告中提到金融科技词汇的词频越高,上市公司获得的企业价值提升效果越强.金融科技可以为股票流动性较低、风险承担较弱的企业发展供应链金融业务起到更强的赋能效果.在进行一系列稳健性检验之后,上述结论依然成立.本文不仅为中国公司发展供应链金融业务提高企业价值,提供了基于公开市场数据大样本的实证证据,也对国家和地方政府支持供应链金融的发展具有现实启示。

税收激励、ESG绩效与企业价值——基于内外部互动视角

增强ESG(Environment,Social and Governance,环境、社会和企业治理)绩效已成为提升企业价值的新方式,而内外部良性互动是企业可持续发展的重要途径。使用2009—2022年中国上市公司数据,探究税收激励政策对企业ESG绩效的影响及其与外部市场监管、内部财务冗余的互动效应。实证结果表明:税收激励总体上能显著促进企业ESG绩效,经多种稳健性检验后结论仍然成立。考虑到企业内外部环境因素,资本市场监管程度较高或企业财务冗余较丰富时,税收激励对企业ESG绩效的提升作用更强,其中市场监督与税收激励的互动效应尤为显著。进一步研究表明,税收激励政策对制造业企业绿色转型的影响更明显。经济后果研究表明,税收激励能进一步促进ESG绩效对企业价值提升的作用。

双元学习、组织韧性对企业技术创新的影响

技术创新是突破关键“卡脖子”技术的主要途径,然而目前鲜有探究双元学习和组织韧性对企业技术创新的影响。为厘清双元学习对制造企业技术创新的作用机制,拓展组织韧性和技术创新相关研究,运用组织学习理论和动态能力理论,将双元学习划分为利用性学习和探索性学习、将组织韧性划分为前瞻韧性和即兴韧性,构建理论模型探讨二者对制造企业技术创新的影响,并分析组织韧性的中介作用和大数据分析能力的调节作用。以中国制造企业为研究对象,采用来自制造企业的工商管理硕士(MBA)和工程管理硕士(MEM)学员线下发放问卷、通过社会网络向制造企业有关人员线上发放问卷和实地调研部分制造企业等3种方式收集相关数据,运用回归分析和中介效应检验等方法进行实证检验。结果发现:利用性学习和探索性学习不仅对技术创新具有显著正向影响,而且对前瞻韧性和即兴韧性也具有显著正向影响;前瞻韧性和即兴韧性对技术创新具有显著正向影响,且分别在利用性学习、探索性学习与技术创新之间起部分中介作用;此外,大数据分析能力正向调节利用性学习、探索性学习与技术创新之间的关系。从而得出对企业的相关管理启示:加强双元学习,提升自身组织韧性,以及提升大数据分析能力。

信息技术与企业绩效:知识管理能力与商业模式创新的链式中介作用

信息化时代背景下,企业可以通过先进的信息技术提高管理能力与组织绩效。基于资源基础观和动态能力理论,依循“资源—能力—绩效”的逻辑,以知识管理能力和商业模式创新为中介,探讨信息技术对企业绩效的影响机理。以创新型企业为研究对象,采用问卷调查法收集297份样本数据,并运用偏最小二乘结构方程模型和模糊集定性比较分析方法进行实证检验。结果表明,信息技术对知识管理能力和企业绩效的正向直接效应均显著,知识管理能力对商业模式创新、商业模式创新对企业绩效的正向直接效应均显著,且商业模式创新与知识管理能力在信息技术对企业绩效的正向影响中发挥链式中介作用;企业实现高水平绩效存在3种组态,也间接证实知识管理能力与商业模式创新在信息技术与企业绩效之间存在链式中介效应。研究有助于增进对信息技术与企业绩效间作用关系的理解,丰富资源基础观与动态能力理论,进而为创新型企业可持续成长提供路径指引。

数字化转型、服务化融合与制造业企业绩效提升——兼论经济政策不确定性的调节效应

引入经济政策不确定性作为调节变量,从嵌入式服务化和混入式服务化的双重融合视角,研究数字化转型提升制造业企业绩效的理论机制和作用路径。在此基础上,采用2008—2020年制造业A股上市公司数据对理论机制进行实证检验。研究结果显示:数字化转型能够提升企业绩效,嵌入式服务化发挥了正向中介作用,但在区域分布、所有制结构和技术水平等方面具有明显的异质性;数字化转型能够抑制混入式服务化中制造业企业的“脱实向虚”行为;经济政策的不确定性会增强数字化转型对嵌入式服务化的推动作用和对混入式服务化的抑制作用。

民营企业混合所有制与可持续发展——基于企业ESG绩效评价视角的研究

以2011—2021年沪深A股民营上市公司为样本,从企业ESG绩效的视角切入,深入考察民营企业混合所有制与可持续发展之间的关系。研究发现,国有资本参股民营企业显著提升了企业ESG绩效,该结论在经过Heckman两阶段模型、双重差分模型、倾向得分匹配法、Oster检验以及更换关键变量的度量方法等稳健性测试后仍然成立。作用机制检验结果表明,国有资本参股主要通过强化中小股东治理参与以及增强企业资源获取能力提升了民营企业ESG绩效。异质性分析显示,对于机构投资者持股比例较高、媒体关注度较高的民营企业,以及在经济政策不确定性较强时期,国有资本参股对企业ESG绩效的提升效应更明显。

大数据驱动的企业与用户互动创新:理论框架与前沿课题

大数据驱动的企业与用户互动创新已成为企业洞察市场和用户动态、提升创新敏捷性和适应性的重要模式,其关键因素和作用机制日益成为创新、营销和信息系统等领域的热点议题。结合系统性综述设计和关键词共现分析,梳理大数据情境下企业与用户互动创新的研究洞见。针对情境和工具如何影响领先用户与普通用户关系及二者的相互作用机制两个研究缺口,提出大数据驱动的企业与用户互动创新“条件—路径—绩效”理论框架。依据该理论框架,结合文献和案例证据,重点阐述在什么情境和工具条件下企业与领先用户、普通用户以何种互动创新路径影响创新产品和大数据合作资产,由此形成理论创新。分析结果表明,互动创新路径选择本质是在异质性情境和工具条件下,企业在创新新颖性—泛用性以及数据分析成本—收益之间的动态权衡;两类创新路径的动态变化由互动创新工具成熟度、创新主导权的变更所触发。最后,进一步提炼出大数据驱动的企业与用户互动创新理论研究的三类前沿课题,并讨论其理论和实践意义。

头部企业市场扩张与行业劳动收入份额变动关系研究

为研究头部企业市场份额变化对行业劳动收入份额的影响,基于1998—2007年的中国工业企业数据,测算制造业头部企业市场份额和制造业劳动收入份额,并建立计量模型进行实证分析。研究结果表明:头部企业市场份额的提高显著降低了行业劳动收入份额,且上述影响在资本密集型行业更为明显;企业间再分配效应和企业内效应是劳动收入份额变动的主要来源,企业进入效应和退出效应的影响相对较小;头部企业市场份额变化主要通过企业间再分配效应影响行业劳动收入份额。