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This paper aims to present the first empirical liquidity measurement of China’s agricultural futures markets and study time-varying liquidity dependence across markets.

Based on both high- and low-frequency trading data of soybean and corn, this paper evaluates short-term liquidity adjustment in Chinese agricultural futures market measured by liquidity benchmark and long-term liquidity development measured by liquidity proxies.

By constructing comparisons, the authors identify the seminal paper of Fong, Holden and Trzcinka (2017) as the best low-frequency liquidity proxy in China’s agricultural futures market and capture similar historical patterns of the liquidity in soybean and corn markets. The authors further employ Copula-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity models to investigate liquidity dependence between soybean and corn futures markets. Results show that cross-market liquidity dependence tends to be dynamic and asymmetric (in upper versus lower tails). The liquidity dependence becomes stronger when these markets experience negative shocks than positive shocks, indicating a concern on the contagion effect of liquidity risk under negative financial situations.

The findings of this study provide useful information on the dynamic evolution of liquidity pattern and cross-market dependence of fastest-growing agricultural futures in the largest emerging economy.

The purpose of this paper is to prepare a new modified activated carbon fibers (ACFs) of high specific capacitance used for electrode material of supercapacitor.

In this study, the specific capacitance of ACF was significantly increased by using the phenolic resin microspheres and melamine as modifiers to prepare modified PAN-based activated carbon fibers (MACFs) via electrospinning, pre-oxidation and carbonization. The symmetrical supercapacitor (using MACF as electrode) and hybrid supercapacitor (using MACF and activated carbon as electrodes) were tested in term of electrochemical properties by cyclic voltammetry, AC impedance and cycle stability test.

It was found that the specific capacitance value of the modified fibers were increased to 167 Fg^-1 by adding modifiers (i.e. 20 wt.% microspheres and 15 wt.% melamine) compared to that of unmodified fibers (86.17 Fg^-1). Specific capacitance of modified electrode material had little degradation over 10,000 cycles. This result can be attributed to that the modifiers embedded into the fibers changed the original morphology and enhanced the specific surface area of the fibers.

The modified ACFs in our study had high specific surface area and significantly high specific capacitance, which can be applied as efficient and environmental absorbent, and advanced electrode material of supercapacitor.

This paper aims to straighten out the research progress in the field of maker education, summarize the research hotspots and frontiers of maker education at home and abroad and provide path optimization suggestions for the research and development of this field.

In total, 751 pieces of domestic and the foreign maker education research literature from 2014 to 2021 are retrieved and screened, and literature analysis methods such as keyword analysis and clustering map analysis are used to quantitatively analyze the quantity distribution, published journals, core authors, research institutions and subject keywords of the maker education literature.

It is found that research in this field is still in the development stage, but the pandemic has severely inhibited maker education and related research. Frontiers at home and abroad have begun to pay attention to the impact of humanistic care on maker education. Strengthening the dialog between multidisciplinary theories requires cross-disciplinary research. Regional and cross-field cooperation and fully grasping the actual situation and constraints of the development of maker education are the cornerstones of bold innovation in maker education research.

This paper uses bibliometric analysis to reveal the severe challenges to the development of maker education due to the normalization of the epidemic. By excavating the research hotspots and research frontiers in this field, it fills the gap that the current research in the field of maker education has not yet formed a complete theoretical framework and evaluation system.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and analyze the free vibration response of the spatial curved beams with variable curvature, torsion and cross section, in which all the effects of rotary inertia, shear and axial deformations can be considered.

The governing equations for free vibration response of the spatial curved beams are derived in matrix formats, considering the variable curvature, torsion and cross section. Frobenius’ scheme and the dynamic stiffness method are applied to solve these equations. A computer program is coded in Mathematica according to the proposed method.

To assess the validity of the proposed solution, a convergence study is carried out on a cylindrical helical spring with a variable circular cross section, and a comparison is made with the finite element method (FEM) results in ABAQUS. Further, the present model is used for reciprocal spiral rods with variable circular cross section in different boundary conditions, and the comparison with FEM results shows that only a limited number of terms in the results provide a relatively accurate solution.

The numerical results show that only a limited number of terms are needed in series solutions and in the Taylor expansion series to ensure an accurate solution. In addition, with a simple modification, the present formulation is easy to extend to analyze a more complicated model by combining with finite element solutions or analyze the transient responses and stochastic responses of spatial curved beams by Laplace transformation or Fourier transformation.

The purpose of the study is to propose a normative approach for market segmentation, profile and monitoring using computing and information technology to analyze User-Generated Content (UGC).

The specific steps include performing a structural analysis of the UGC and extracting the base variables and values from it, generating a consumer characteristics matrix for segmenting process, and finally describing the segments' preferences, regional and dynamic characteristics. The authors verify the feasibility of the method with publicly available data. The external validity of the method is also tested through questionnaires and product regional sales data.

The authors apply the proposed methodology to analyze 53,526 UGCs in the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market and classify consumers into four segments: Brand-Value Suitors (32%), Rational Consumers (21%), High-Quality Fanciers (26%) and Utility-driven Consumers (21%). The authors describe four segments' preferences, dynamic changes over the past six years and regional characteristics among China's top five sales cities. Then, the authors verify the external validity of the methodology through a questionnaire survey and actual NEV sales in China.

The proposed method enables companies to utilize computing and information technology to understand the market structure and grasp the dynamic trends of market segments, which assists them in developing R&D and marketing plans.

This study contributes to the research on UGC-based universal market segmentation methods. In addition, the proposed UGC structural analysis algorithm implements a more fine-grained data analysis.

Employees play an essential role in interactive innovation activities in Open Innovation Communities (OICs). Nevertheless, the factors influencing employees' innovation behavior in OICs have not been studied in depth. This study selects personality traits and social network characteristics to explain why and how these two factors affect employees' innovation behavior in OICs.

Three regression models were constructed to test the relationship between personality traits, social network characteristics, and interactive innovation behaviors. The authors examined how employees' personality traits (Big Five personality traits) influence employees' innovative behavior (initiating and supporting innovation) directly in OICs and explored whether social network characteristics (social group) mediate the relationship between employees' personality traits and employees' innovation behavior.

Using empirical data on 162 employees from Salesforce's IdeaExchange, the authors found that extraversion and openness to experience have significant positive effects on employees' interactive innovation behaviors, while conscientiousness has a significant negative effect on employees' interactive innovation behaviors in OICs. Furthermore, the mediation effect test results indicated that social network characteristics have a mediating effect on the relationship between extraversion and innovative behavior, and between openness and innovative behavior.

This study analyzes how personality traits influence innovation behavior in an open innovation environment, thus enriching research related to the factors influencing interactive innovation behavior. Meanwhile, the study integrates personality, social network, and innovative behavior research streams and clearly explains the relationship between the three variables. The research findings assist firms in selecting suitable employees to participate in interactive innovation behaviors in OICs.

Honey peaches are rich in a variety of vitamins and are well known in China as the queen of fruit. However, as highly climacteric fruit, peach is too easy to affect its economic value. In this paper, a new passive modified atmosphere packaging system was proposed to solve the lack of water vapour removal capacity – which is still the technical bottleneck of passive modified atmosphere packaging. This paper aims to address this issue.

Under the conditions of relative humidity 85−90% and temperature 28°C−38°C, the influence of new passive modified atmosphere packaging on the shelf life and quality of 70% ripe peaches was studied in the paper. The effect of the new passive modified atmosphere packaging (PMAP) on fruit appearance, colour, taste, flavour, soluble solids, Vitamin C and titratable acid was investigated.

Regardless of whether 1-Methylcyclopropene is added or not, the research results show that the new PMAP has a significant effect on extending the shelf life and maintaining the quality of peaches. Compared with the control group, the shelf life of peaches treated with modified atmosphere packaging and 1-Methylcyclopropene was prolonged by 7 and 11 days, increasing the retailer's revenue by 44 and 75%.

A new integrated structure, which is composed of two types of films with high oxygen and high water vapour permeability was designed for the retail of peaches at room temperature. The former was mainly responsible for regulating the concentration of O₂ and CO₂, while the latter was for removing water vapour and regulating the relative humidity in PMAP.