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In recent years, the increasing trend of financialization of non‐financial enterprises and the improvement of total factor productivity (TFP) have attracted extensive attention. The research sample for this study covers non‐financial firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2008 to 2020. Then an econometric regression model is built to examine the impact of financialization of non‐financial enterprises on enterprises' TFP. The mediation effect model is used to investigate the mechanisms of non‐financial enterprises' financialization (NFEF) on TFP. The heterogeneity in investment efficiency, property rights and political affiliation is further discussed. The findings show that the NFEF has a considerable negative influence on enterprises' TFP, which still stands after endogenous treatment and a series of robustness tests. Moreover, NFEF significantly inhibits TFP by crowding out R&D investment and significantly promotes TFP by alleviating financing restrictions. Both the 'crowding‐out effect' and 'reservoir effect' of financialization of non‐financial enterprises are verified, and the former is greater. The influence of NFEF on TFP has the heterogeneity in investment efficiency and political affiliation, but the heterogeneity in property rights is insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bacterial community performs an essential ecological role in maintaining agriculture systems. The roles of bacteria in the forest, marine, and agricultural systems have been studied extensively and intensively. However, similar studies in the areas irrigated by the Yellow River remain limited. In this study, we used Illumina sequencing analysis with the 16S rRNA method to analyze the bacterial diversity, community structure, and influencing factors in soil samples from eight regions of the Yellow River irrigation area in northwestern China. The bacterial community structure and diversity varied among samples from the eight regions. The samples differed significantly in terms of the bacterial community composition. Proteobacteria (approximately 12.4%-55.7%) accounted for the largest proportion and was the dominant bacteria, followed by Actinobacteria (approximately 9.2%-39.7%), Bacteroidetes (approximately 1.8%-21.5%), and Chloroflexi (approximately 2.7%-12.6%). Among the physicochemical variables, the soil pH in the eight regions was mildly alkaline, and the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium contents in the soils differed significantly. However, the trend in the variations of the above variables was essentially similar. Soil bacteria in Yongning county had greater Chao1, Shannon-Wiener, and Simpson indices than those in the other regions. Notably, soil moisture, organic matter, and total nitrogen were recognized as the primary factors influencing the bacterial community in the Yellow River irrigation area. Our results revealed the laws of variation in soil bacterial diversity and community composition in the Yellow River irrigation area. Our findings could be beneficial for maintaining sustainable ecological practices in the Yellow River irrigation area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marselan is a red wine grape variety with great brewing prospects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of postharvest indoor dehydration on the quality of Marselan grapes. For two consecutive years, the harvested grapes were dehydrated naturally indoors (24–28°C). Fresh grapes were used as a control, and dehydrated samples were taken every 7 days during the period of dehydration until ending at day 28. Dehydration treatment increased degrees Brix, reducing sugars, glycerol, and malic acid. On day 7, there was an increase in protocatechuic acid, p‐coumaric acid, and total tannin of 26.00%–27.73%, 11.43%–52.52%, and 39.74%–70.45%, respectively. With increasing dehydration time, total phenols, total flavonoids and total flavanols in the skins were decreased by 17.05%–38.13%, 24.32%–57.38%, and 17.05%–59.48%, respectively, with an increase in pH, citric acid, and ascorbic acid contents of grape juice by 7.66%–21.43%, 100%–137.50%, and 61.29%–258.82%, respectively. On day 21, the esters were increased by 1.10–1.75 factors. Partial least square–discriminant analysis result of volatile compounds showed that ethyl acetate, 1‐propanol, 1‐propanol, 2‐methyl‐, 1‐hexanol, and 1‐butanol, 3‐methyl‐ were the predominant characteristic flavor compounds during dehydration of Marselan grapes. The effect of indoor dehydration on Marselan grape quality offered application value for China's later dehydration wine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global environmental issues are becoming increasingly prominent, and green finance may play a key role in achieving sustainable development. This study takes the "Green Financial Reform and Innovation Pilot Zone" policy as a quasi‐natural experiment. The Difference‐in‐Difference model and Propensity Score Matching‐Difference in Difference model are applied to examine the direct effect of green finance policy on the green development of enterprises. A mechanism test model is used to investigate its indirect transmission mechanism. Then several heterogeneity analyses are performed from five perspectives. The results show that green finance policy considerably promotes enterprise green development and the conclusion is supported by a series of robustness tests. The mechanism analyses show that financing constraints and green innovation are the two transmission channels for green finance policy affecting enterprise green development. The heterogeneity analyses indicate that the policy effect is more significant among enterprises those are non‐state‐owned, have managers with a financial background, operate in regions with high marketization, belong to industries with low monopoly, and locate in poilt zones of Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Guizhou. Based on the above findings, policy suggestions are made to establish a win‐win scenario for the economy and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SMAD family member 2 (SMAD2) is a member of the TGFβ signaling pathway and functions as an essential regulator in the processes of development, cell proliferation, and bone formation. A previous observation reported that a 12-bp deletion of this gene affected the litter size in goats. However, according to our knowledge, no study has reported an association between this polymorphism and goat body measurement traits. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of the insertion/deletion (indel) within the SMAD2 gene with the growth traits of goats. The indel polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with chest width and bust (p < 0.05), while cannon circumference was significantly the strongest compared to other traits (p < 0.01) and individuals with the DD genotypes were more dominant genotypes than other genotypes. In summary, we found evidence that the 12-bp indel within the SMAD2 gene could improve goat body measurement traits, paving the way for marker-assisted selection in the field of goat genetics and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calsyntenin-2 (CLSTN2) is involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, cell death, tumorigenesis, and follicular expression. Although CLSTN2 has been identified as a potential candidate gene for sheep prolificacy, no studies have been done on its effect on goat prolificacy. The purpose of this study was to identify mRNA expression and genetic variation within goat CLSTN2, and its association with prolificacy. Herein, we uncovered significant differences in mRNA levels of the CLSTN2 gene in different tissues in female goats (p < 0.01), including ovary tissue. Nine putative indels were designed to investigate their correlation to litter size, but only one 16-bp deletion was discovered in female Shaanbei white cashmere goats (n = 902). We discovered that a 16-bp deletion within the CLSTN2 gene was significantly correlated with first-born litter size (p = 0.0001). As shown by the chi-squared test, the genotypic II of single-lambs and multi-lambs was dramatically higher than with genotype ID (p = 0.005). Our findings suggest that indel within the CLSTN2 gene is a candidate gene affecting prolificacy in goats and may be used for Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SMAD family member 2 (SMAD2), a member of the TGF-beta superfamily, executes a significant part in the oogenesis and ovulation process. A genome-wide selective sweep analysis also found SMAD2 was different in the fertility groups of Laoshan dairy goats; whether this gene was linked to litter size was unknown. Therefore, SMAD2 was chosen to study its effects on Shaanbei white cashmere goat reproduction and mRNA expression profile. Herein, the mRNA expression level of SMAD2 was firstly determined in female goat tissues, revealing significant differences in mRNA levels of different tissues (p < 0.05), including ovary tissue, indicating a potential role for SMAD2 in goat prolificacy. Then, using six pairs of primers, only one indel locus (P3-Del-12-bp) was found to be polymorphic in goat SMAD2 (n = 501). ANOVA also revealed that a P3-Del-12-bp deletion was significantly related to first-born litter size (p = 0.037). The Chi-square (χ2) test revealed that the ID genotype was significantly more prevalent in mothers with multiple lambs (p = 0.01), indicating that heterozygous individuals (ID) are more likely to produce multiple lambs. Our findings suggest that the SMAD2 gene's P3-Del-12-bp deletion could be used to improve goat breeds by assisting with litter size selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2O3 is a theoretically high capacitive anode material; however, its low conductivity and deficient surface‐active sites lead to reduced practical capability compared to the theoretical one. Herein, a facile and environmentally benign strategy is developed to simultaneously tailor the morphology and create oxygen vacancies in Bi2O3 by adding trace water in a solvothermal procedure. Here trace water serves as an intermediary agent to change the growth mechanism of Bi2O3 and form a hierarchical structure with increased crystallinity. Electrochemical experiments reveal that the optimal tremella‐shaped Bi2O3 delivers a higher specific capacity, approximately reaching 65 % of the theoretical one. Such satisfactory electrochemical performance is due to the regulated tremella shape and the created oxygen vacancies, which can expose more electrochemical active‐sites and promote ion diffusion. Moreover, the massive oxygen vacancies and increased crystallinity are also beneficial for electron transfer, thus enhancing the capacity. Eventually, a Bi2O3‐6//AC asymmetric device is constructed and a superior energy density (40.8 Wh kg−1) is realized than the others Bi2O3‐based peers. This study paves a facile way for exploring advanced Bi2O3‐based alkaline battery anode materials through an environmentally benign method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]