Search Results (335)

Against the backdrop of widening regional disparities and the rapid expansion of digital connectivity, understanding the relationship between new quality productive forces (NQPF) and urban–rural integration requires a systemic and network-based perspective. This study approaches urban–rural integration from a complex adaptive system perspective embedded in dynamic interregional networks. Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces from 2014 to 2024, we construct composite indices for NQPF and urban–rural integration and combine two-way fixed-effects models, static Spatial Durbin Models (SDM), and dynamic-network two-way fixed-effects spatial-lag specifications. This framework helps examine local associations, network-based spillover patterns, and heterogeneous system responses. The results show that: (1) urban–rural integration exhibits significant spatial clustering, with Moran’s I becoming positive and statistically significant after 2016, reflecting persistent structural imbalances within the regional system; (2) the static SDM results show that NQPF is positively associated with urban–rural integration both locally and through spatial indirect linkages; (3) compared with conventional static geographic matrices, the dynamic network-based spatial weights provide additional information on evolving interregional linkages shaped by economic proximity, digital capability similarity, and factor mobility; and (4) under the dynamic network-based specification, NQPF remains positively associated with network exposure in connected provinces, with heterogeneous patterns across regions. More stable local associations are observed in high-connectivity and eastern regions, while the low-connectivity group and central–western regions appear to benefit more from network-based linkages. These findings suggest that the relationship between NQPF and urban–rural integration is embedded in a spatially connected and network-conditioned regional system. By integrating spatial econometrics with a complex systems perspective, this study provides a complementary framework for understanding regional transformation in the digital era. Full article

The integration of the digital and real economies is a pivotal engine driving the development of new, quality productive forces. Tourism ecological governance is the concrete manifestation of the green dimension of new-quality productive forces in the cultural and tourism sector, as well as being a path for converting ecological value to drive regional sustainable development. The relationship and mechanisms between digital–real integration and tourism ecological governance are critical issues requiring urgent breakthroughs. However, existing research primarily explores the economic factors influencing tourism ecology and has yet to systematically reveal the intrinsic mechanisms through which digital–real integration affects tourism ecological efficiency from the perspective of typical ecological functional zones. Based on data from 78 counties (municipalities, districts) in China’s Taihang Mountains from 2011 to 2023, this study examines the impact of digital–real integration on tourism ecological efficiency and its operational pathways. The findings are as follows: Firstly, from a temporal evolution perspective, tourism ecological efficiency in the Taihang Mountains underwent a phase of dynamic adjustment and gradual improvement between 2011 and 2023, while the level of digital–real integration experienced a phase of general enhancement and phased advancement. From a spatial evolution perspective, neighboring sub-regions within the Taihang Mountains exhibit positive spatial correlations in terms of both digital–real integration and tourism ecological efficiency. From the perspective of spatiotemporal transfer characteristics, changes in tourism ecological efficiency and the level of integration of the digital and real economies in the Taihang Mountains are influenced by neighboring regions. The development processes of tourism ecology and digital–real integration exhibit a relatively stable and gradually improving pattern, driving the agglomeration of regions toward higher levels. Secondly, digital–real integration has a positive impact on improving tourism ecological efficiency by releasing ecological pressure, promoting industrial synergy agglomeration, and driving green innovation development. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive effect of this integration on tourism ecological efficiency is more pronounced in national e-commerce demonstration cities. Digital–real integration has had a positive impact on improving tourism ecological efficiency in the Southern and Western Taihang Mountain regions, while its impact on the Eastern Taihang Mountain region was not statistically significant. This study incorporates digital–real integration with tourism ecological efficiency, as well as environmental, structural, and capacity factors, into a unified analytical framework, providing theoretical references and practical insights for exploring pathways of digital transformation and innovative tourism ecological governance in ecologically sensitive functional zones. Full article

New quality productive forces (NQPF), characterized by innovation-driven growth, high operational efficiency, resource conservation and inherent green attributes, share an inherent coupling and coordinated development logic with vocational skill formation systems. Based on panel data covering 31 provincial-level administrative regions in the Chinese mainland from 2010 to 2022, this study measures the coupling coordination degree between NQPF and vocational skill formation systems, and systematically explores its driving factors and spatial evolution patterns. The main empirical findings are as follows: (1) The overall coupling coordination degree across the full sample presents a steady upward trend. At the regional subgroup level, the eastern sample maintains the highest coordination level, followed by the central sample, while the western sample remains relatively lower. (2) The spatial agglomeration intensity of the coupling coordination degree follows an inverted U-shaped trajectory, rising first and then weakening over the study period. (3) Core driving factors show remarkable regional heterogeneity. For the eastern and central subgroups, improving workforce quality and production efficiency are the key pathways to boost coupling coordination; by contrast, the western subgroup relies more on workforce quality upgrading and increased investment in material labor resources. (4) Estimation results of the Spatial Durbin Model indicate that educational foundation, educational investment and educational operation process are the core drivers of coupling coordination. Educational foundation exerts a significant positive spatial spillover effect; the ecological environment not only promotes local coordination but also generates positive spillovers to adjacent regions; while material labor resources benefit local development but produce negative spatial spillovers to neighboring areas. This study provides empirical evidence and practical references for advancing the coordinated development of NQPF and vocational skill formation systems in multi-regional transitional economies. Full article

As the direct biosynthetic precursor of creatine, guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) exerts a pivotal regulatory role in energy homeostasis and protein metabolism. Rabbit meat has garnered increasing global recognition as a healthy food source, characterized by its outstanding high-protein and low-fat nutritional profile. Accordingly, the optimization of rabbit meat quality has attracted growing attention from both consumers and animal production practitioners. In the present study, we evaluated the impacts of dietary GAA supplementation on meat quality traits, in vivo antioxidant capacity, muscle fiber characteristics, and fatty acid metabolism in New Zealand white rabbits. A total of 960 male New Zealand white rabbits were assigned to two age groups: 40-day-old group and 60-day-old group (40 ± 2 days, 1.19 ± 0.09 kg; 60 ± 2 days, 1.82 ± 0.15 kg). Within each age group, rabbits were randomly allocated to a control diet or a diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg GAA (CON-40, GAA-40, CON-60, GAA-60). After a 45-day feeding period, two-way ANOVA revealed that GAA supplementation significantly reduced shear force (p < 0.01, diet main effect) and muscle fiber density (p < 0.01, diet main effect), with an age-dependent effect on shear force (age × diet interaction, p < 0.05). Moreover, GAA enhanced systemic antioxidant capacity, as indicated by increased serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (p < 0.01) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (p < 0.05), while no significant effect on malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected under the current experimental conditions. GAA also regulated the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes (FAS, HSL, ACC) in intramuscular and perirenal fat, indicating its regulatory effect on fatty acid metabolism. In conclusion, dietary GAA supplementation improves rabbit meat tenderness and antioxidant capacity, with no negative effects on growth performance. These findings confirm that GAA has the potential to serve as a nutritional strategy to improve rabbit meat quality, supporting the development of rabbit meat as a functional food for human consumption. Full article

Against the backdrop of deep digital economic integration, the synergistic agglomeration of new quality productive forces (NQPFs) and digital transformation (DT) has become a key engine for regional high-quality development. Based on data from 31 Chinese provinces during 2011–2023, this study measured the synergistic level of NQPF and DT. Using a modified gravity model, we convert attribute data into relational data and analyze driving mechanisms via social network analysis and quadratic assignment procedures. The results show that the synergistic agglomeration network presents club convergence rather than homogeneous dispersion, forming a structure comprising “polar-core absorption, hub transmission, hinterland integration, and peripheral marginalization.” Eastern regions act as net beneficiaries; Guangdong, Fujian, and other hubs become net-spillover brokers; central and western regions achieve element equilibrium, yet traditional industrial bases face a widening digital divide. Targeted policy implications are proposed. This study provides references for breaking regional digital barriers and optimizing the spatial layout of high-quality development. Full article

Intelligent manufacturing has become a new driving force for the comprehensive green transformation and development of the lithium industry, representing both an intrinsic requirement and a strategic direction for promoting high-quality development in the sector. This study examines whether intelligent manufacturing can effectively enhance the green total factor productivity of the lithium industry from the dual perspectives of internal motivation and external pressure, based on relevant data from Chinese A-share listed lithium companies between 2010 and 2023. The study finds that: (1) Intelligent manufacturing can significantly enhance the green total factor productivity of the lithium industry. (2) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the level of regional environmental regulations and the intensity of green competition within the industry are positively correlated with the extent of improvement in the lithium industry’s green total factor productivity. (3) Mechanism analysis reveals that intelligent manufacturing influences green total factor productivity through two pathways: green technological innovation and ESG disclosure. Furthermore, the intrinsic incentive effect of green technological innovation is stronger than the extrinsic pressure driven by ESG disclosure. (4) Further analysis reveals that the “Intelligent Manufacturing Pilot Project” policy and the “Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development” policy provide strong support and driving force for the intelligent manufacturing and green development of the lithium industry. Full article

Promoting the high-quality development of farmers’ specialized cooperatives and narrowing regional development gaps is critical for advancing China’s rural revitalization strategy. Based on provincial panel data covering 30 Chinese regions from 2015 to 2023, this paper constructs a five-dimensional evaluation index system including standardized operation, operational performance, service scope, driving effect, and industrial upgrading, and adopts the entropy weight method to quantify the comprehensive development level of cooperatives. By combining spatial autocorrelation, kernel density estimation, the Dagum Gini coefficient and the Geodetector model, this paper explores the spatio-temporal evolution, regional disparities and multi-factor coupled driving mechanism of cooperative development. The main findings are as follows: (1) While the total quantity of cooperatives keeps expanding nationwide, their overall development level presents an evolutionary feature of declining first and then rising; industrial upgrading gradually becomes a new growth engine, whereas operational performance and driving effect slip downward. (2) The spatial layout of cooperatives maintains a typical pyramid structure; high-value agglomeration shifts from the Yangtze River Delta to southeast coastal regions, and low-value clusters are persistently concentrated in Northeast China. (3) The overall Dagum Gini coefficient reflects widening-then-shrinking regional gaps, and intra-eastern provincial differences constitute the primary source of nationwide spatial divergence. (4) Household consumption and rural labor force stock serve as core driving factors; regional economic development, agricultural production efficiency, rural human capital and land resource allocation form a coupled driving system, and all explanatory variables show mutual enhancement effects without offsetting interactions. Targeted policy suggestions are put forward to realize balanced and high-quality development of farmers’ specialized cooperatives across China. Full article

Achieving net-zero emissions requires balancing decarbonization with sustained enterprise development. Using panel data on China’s A-share listed firms from 2011 to 2023, this study examines whether regional carbon emission trading rights (CETR) pilots promote enterprise upgrading, proxied by the New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF) index. A staggered multi-period difference-in-differences framework shows that the CETR policy significantly increases enterprise NQPF (coefficient 0.059, p < 0.05). This finding remains robust after parallel trend tests, placebo simulations, propensity score matching, controlling for overlapping environmental policies, and using alternative outcome measures. Channel analyses indicate that CETR affects NQPF through two pathways: easing financing constraints (coefficient −0.019, p < 0.01) and accelerating digital transformation (coefficient 0.102, p < 0.01). The positive policy effect is stronger among non-state-owned enterprises and among firms whose senior managers lack financial backgrounds or do not hold concurrent positions in shareholder units. These results demonstrate that carbon trading drives systemic enterprise upgrading via resource and technology channels, with important heterogeneity across ownership and governance structures. Full article

This study proposes a new method for rolling steel balls using spiral discs. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the proposed method could be used to produce balls with a diameter of 63 mm, as well as to determine the effect of tool geometry and the number of billets on process stability, force, and the energy parameters of the rolling process. Numerical simulations were performed using Forge^® NxT v.4.0. The billet for rolling was made of C60 steel and preheated to 1050 °C. The following cases of ball rolling were simulated: Ball rolling using flat discs with single, double, and triple spiral impressions made on their working surface, and ball rolling using tapered discs for two different configurations of the working system. The rolling process was examined in terms of ball shape, internal defect formation, temperature distribution, as well as force and energy parameters. The results showed that the rolling process conducted using tapered discs and by flat discs with single and double impressions produced correctly shaped balls without internal cracks. It was also found that discs with double impressions were more advantageous than the single-impression ones in terms of energy consumption, while the use of discs with triple spiral impressions led to higher tool load and reduced product quality despite the high efficiency of these discs. The system comprising one disc with an external conical working surface and one disc with an internal conical working surface yielded the best results with the lowest energy consumption and power demand. The findings of this study demonstrate that ball rolling using spiral discs is a promising alternative to standard skew rolling methods. Full article

Cultivating and strengthening agricultural new quality productive forces (ANQPF) has become a key pathway for driving high-quality agricultural development (HQAD), ensuring food security, and advancing agricultural modernization. To investigate the spatiotemporal evolution and underlying mechanisms linking ANQPF and HQAD in the Tuojiang River Basin, this study employs panel data from 37 counties in the Tuojiang River Basin over the period 2011–2020. The entropy method and the DEA-BCC model are used to measure the levels of ANQPF and HQAD, while the fixed effects model, the mediating effect model, and the spatial econometric model are applied to examine the mechanisms through which ANQPF affect HQAD. The findings indicate the following: (1) The level of ANQPF is relatively low but has shown continuous growth, whereas the level of HQAD is relatively high but exhibits considerable fluctuation. Moreover, both dimensions display uneven development across regions. (2) ANQPF significantly promote HQAD at the 1% level, with agricultural technology development and green development serving as mediating mechanisms. However, a suppression effect is identified in agricultural technology development, and ANQPF exhibit a short-term inhibitory effect on agricultural green development. (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the promoting effect of ANQPF is statistically significant in upstream and downstream regions but is not yet significant in the midstream region. (4) Further analysis reveals that ANQPF have a significant positive effect on HQAD within local regions. However, the spatial spillover effect across regions has not been fully realized. Therefore, to better leverage ANQPF in advancing HQAD, efforts should focus on addressing the challenges of agricultural technology extension and implementation, and on fostering new agricultural business entities. A special subsidy mechanism should be established with green transition as the guiding orientation to alleviate ecological protection pressure in the early stages of agricultural development. With regional coordination as the overarching goal, differentiated support policies should be implemented to promote overall basin development. Full article

This paper addresses issues such as nonlinearity, model uncertainty, and multiple policy constraints within the dynamic evolution of new quality productive forces systems. It proposes a research framework integrating data-driven modelling with adaptive tracking control. By merging control theory with economic dynamics, a closed-loop analytical system of ‘theory-data-control’ is constructed, providing a methodologically rigorous yet operationally feasible pathway for the precise regulation of complex economic systems. First, utilising provincial panel data, a discrete-time system model integrating linear inertia, policy effects, and nonlinear compensation is established. System parameter identification is achieved through a dual machine learning approach employing partial linear regression. Subsequently, a tracking controller integrating data-driven initial identification with online parameter adaptation is designed, incorporating a projection mechanism to strictly ensure policy variables remain within feasible adjustment ranges. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, we demonstrate that the tracking error of the closed-loop system exhibits ultimate convergence with boundedness. Simulation experiments confirm that the proposed method significantly enhances the system’s tracking performance towards the target trajectory, reducing the mean absolute error by approximately 30.8% while producing smoother control signals. Comparative studies indicate that the parameter adaptation mechanism and nonlinear compensation module play crucial roles in improving control effectiveness. This research not only expands the theoretical toolkit for analysing the dynamics of new quality productive forces but also provides an interdisciplinary methodological reference for the closed-loop management of complex socioeconomic systems under data-driven conditions. Full article

New-quality productive forces (NQPFs) represent advanced productive forces centered on technological innovation. They may be viewed as relevant to specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative (SRDI) enterprises’ efforts to overcome growth bottlenecks and pursue leapfrog development, and they are also positively associated with high-quality development. This paper uses China’s listed SRDI enterprises from 2015 to 2024 as samples to examine the association between NQPFs and enterprise growth. The results indicate that NQPFs are significantly and positively associated with enterprise growth, with technological innovation playing a partial mediating role: NQPFs are related to growth through technological innovation, while digital transformation positively moderates their moderating effect on innovation. Additionally, this study decomposes NQPFs into labor and production tools. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that labor has a stronger positive association with the growth of SRDI enterprises in the current period, whereas a positive association with production tools becomes more apparent after two periods. Further categorizing SRDI enterprises into three types—technology innovation-oriented, green transformation-oriented, and traditional efficiency-oriented—the results are consistent with the positive association between NQPFs and growth being strongest for technology innovation-oriented enterprises. Full article

Against the background of green transformation and sustainable urban development, improving urban eco-environmental resilience (UER) is essential for enhancing ecological security and long-term urban sustainability. Using panel data from 260 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2023, this study constructs a new quality productive forces (NQPF) index based on new-quality laborers, new-quality means of labor, and new-quality labor objects, and measures UER from the dimensions of resistance, recovery, and adaptation. The results show that: (1) NQPF has a significant U-shaped effect on UER, indicating that it may inhibit UER in the early stage due to transformation costs and insufficient institutional adaptation but promotes UER after crossing a certain development level; (2) NQPF improves both green innovation level (GIL) and green innovation efficiency (GIE), while GIL faces short-term transformation constraints and GIE more directly enhances UER; (3) threshold, heterogeneity, and spatial analyses show that the positive effect of NQPF is stronger in cities with higher economic development levels and in the eastern region, and both NQPF and UER exhibit spatial clustering. This study provides empirical evidence for promoting productivity upgrading, ecological resilience, and sustainable urban transition. Full article

Against the backdrop of concurrent economic transformation, deepening digitalization, and green upgrading, this study aims to uncover the mechanisms through which the system of new quality productive forces drives high-quality economic development. Drawing on a six-element framework comprising new-quality labor, new means of production, new labor objects, new technology, production organization, and data elements, the study uses panel data from 30 Chinese provinces covering the period 2014–2023 and applies dynamic qualitative comparative analysis (dynamic QCA) to examine the relevant configurational pathways and their cross-temporal evolution. The results show that no single condition constitutes a temporally and regionally stable necessary condition for high-quality economic development. Instead, high-quality economic development is primarily realized through three pathways: a technology–organization–tool-dominated pathway, a talent–data–carrier-led pathway, and a technology–organization–carrier-compensation pathway. The explanatory power of these pathways also varies across stages. The findings indicate that high-quality economic development arises from the synergistic configuration and dynamic recombination of multiple elements of new quality productive forces. Full article

Against the backdrop of the coordinated development of the digital economy and green transformation, the mechanism through which enterprises’ digital transformation affects new quality productive forces deserves systematic examination. Using panel data of Chinese A-share manufacturing listed firms from 2015 to 2023, this paper constructs a two-way fixed effects model and employs an instrumental variable approach to empirically examine the nonlinear impact of digital transformation on new quality productive forces and its underlying mechanisms. From the perspectives of three aspects—nonlinear effects, dual mediation mechanisms, and heterogeneity analysis—this paper systematically uncovers the internal logic through which digital transformation drives new quality productive forces, providing theoretical foundations and policy implications for promoting the coordinated digital and green transformation of the manufacturing sector. It should be noted that this paper has certain limitations. First, the sample is confined to Chinese A-share manufacturing listed firms, and the applicability of the findings to small and medium-sized enterprises and other industries requires further verification. Second, this paper does not fully capture the dynamic evolution of the impact of digital transformation on new quality productive forces. Future research may further deepen the analysis by expanding the sample scope, refining variable measurement, and incorporating dynamic modeling approaches. Full article