Purpose This paper aims to explore the intermediary role of marketing dynamic capability (MDC) in the relationship between customer knowledge management (CKM) and product innovation performance (PIP). Design/methodology A conceptual model is proposed and a survey instrument is developed. The model is tested empirically in an organizational buyer/seller setting using a survey among middle and top management of firms engaged in business-to-business relationships within high-tech industries in China. Findings Results show that MDC fully mediates the relationship between CKM and PIP. Empirical findings thus demonstrate that CKM is related to improved firm PIP through the deployment of firm-specific MDCs. Research implications/limitations The study provides clarification for a unique distinction between organizational learning and dynamic capabilities. Findings suggest that knowledge creation occurs within the scope of CKM, while the analytical and perceptual processes that lead to insights and redeployment of firm resources fall under the umbrella of MDCs. Practical implications Dynamic capabilities play an essential role in transforming the firm’s knowledge resources to create new configurations in response to market needs. Hence, this study reinforces the role of marketing decision-makers with appropriate decision-making power who, in an ongoing cooperation with other functional areas, are able to adapt and redeploy resources to reflect environmental changes and implement marketing strategy decisions. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by addressing simultaneously the relationship between CKM, MDC and PIP. Specifically, the study demonstrates the mediating influence of MDCs on the relationship between CKM and firm PIP. The study also clarifies a key distinction between organizational learning and dynamic capabilities, demonstrating that knowledge serves an antecedent role to the deployment of dynamic capabilities.

Seed germination, an important developmental stage in the life cycle of seed plants, is regulated by complex signals. Melatonin is a signaling molecule associated with seed germination under stressful conditions, although the underlying regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we showed that a low concentration (10 µM or 100 µM) of melatonin had no effect on seed germination, but when the concentration of melatonin increased to 500 µM or 1000 µM, seed germination was significantly inhibited in Arabidopsis. RNA sequencing analysis showed that melatonin regulated seed germination correlated to phytohormones abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA), and auxin. Further investigation revealed that ABA and melatonin synergistically inhibited seed germination, while GA and auxin antagonized the inhibitory effect of seed germination by melatonin. Disruption of the melatonin biosynthesis enzyme gene serotonin N‐acetyltransferase (SNAT) or N‐acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) promoted seed germination, while overexpression of ASMT inhibited seed germination. Taken together, our study sheds new light on the function and mechanism of melatonin in modulating seed germination in Arabidopsis.

No abstract

Literature investigating social capital theory and Chinese family culture suggests that social capital exists in virtual brand communities, bringing convenience to members, contributing to the cultivation of pan-family consciousness, and affecting consumer knowledge-sharing. In this study, we considered members of virtual brand communities as the research subjects, then analyzed the data using SPSS19.0 and AMOS21.0. We showed that network density, shared language, and shared vision of social capital have a positive impact on pan-family consciousness. This, in turn, had a positive influence on knowledge-sharing, thus playing an intermediary role between cognitive capital and consumer knowledge-sharing.

Objective: To explore the correlation between the plasma renalase level of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and the degree of coronary artery stenosis. Methods: A total of 180 patients who received coronary angiography in our hospitals from August 2013 to October 2013 were selected as the CAD group, of which 164 were finally diagnosed as CAD. Another 140 healthy subjects were selected as the control group. The plasma renalase levels of the two groups were detected by ELISA to analyze CA-induced changes and to clarify the correlations with the number of branches with coronary artery stenosis and Syntax scores. Results: The plasma renalase level of the CAD group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The plasma renalase levels of the multi-branch and two-branch stenosis subgroups were significantly lower than that of the subgroup with normal coronary angiography outcomes (P<0.05), while the levels of the single-branch stenosis and normal subgroups were similar (P>0.05). Besides, the plasma renalase level of the low-risk subgroup was significantly higher than those of the medium-risk and high-risk subgroups (P<0.05), and the level of the medium-risk subgroup was significantly higher than that of the high-risk subgroup (P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that renalase level was the risk factor of CAD (OR=1.12, 95%CI: 1.03-3.34). Conclusion: Plasma renalase level was correlated with CAD, the changes of which may reflect the degree of coronary artery stenosis. Therefore, plasma renalase level can be used to indicate the progression of CAD.