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Background: Adolescent Internet gaming addiction (IGA) is an pincreasing global concern. Drawing on self-control theory, social support theory, and problem behavior theory, this study aimed to examine the relationships between low selfcontrol, perceived social support, and IGA among Chinese Yi and Non-Yi adolescents, with a focus on the moderating role of perceived social support and ethnic differences. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,997 adolescents (53.78% female, mean age 14.70 years) in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, using a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. Participants completed questionnaires assessing IGA (Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form), low self-control (Low Self-Control Scale), and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ttests, OLS regression, and the seemingly unrelated estimator (SUE). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,997 adolescents (53.78% female, mean age 14.70 years) in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, using a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. Participants completed questionnaires assessing IGA (Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form), low self-control (Low Self-Control Scale), and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ttests, OLS regression, and the seemingly unrelated estimator (SUE). Conclusions: This study highlights the protective role of perceived social support, especially from family and significant others, in buffering the risk of low self-control on IGA. The findings extend self-control theory and social support theory, and provide empirical support for problem behavior theory in a cross-cultural context. The results underscore the importance of considering cultural contexts in understanding IGA and developing targeted interventions for ethnic minority adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By utilizing a mixed-method approach that combines a quantitative analysis of 10,183 retrieved records of non-uploaded cases, and a qualitative in-depth interview of ten judges and five judge assistants, the current study investigated the pattern of selective uploading, and explored the possible reasons for non-disclosure. We found that the estimated upload rate based on the number of the uploaded and the non-uploaded cases for criminal cases is higher than that reported by previous studies. In addition, there are considerable variations across the type of crimes, the location of courts, and the year of adjudication regarding the patterns of non-disclosure. The in-depth interviews revealed that there are four common scenarios where a case can be assigned to the "Other" group for the reason of non-disclosure: (1) circumstances involving unconcluded cases; (2) cases containing sensitive information that can be used for illegal purposes; (3) cases that involve specially granted circumstances that lead to a mitigated punishment; or (4) simple technical difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the complex relationships between personality traits, bullying perpetration, and victimization among Chinese adolescents, emphasizing the moderating role of sex. Data from 2,342 participants across two educational institutions in China were analyzed using Bayesian Gaussian Graphical Model (BGGM) to identify variable-level network structures among specific personality traits, bullying perpetration, and victimization across different sexes. The findings reveal a consistent inhibitory role of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness on both bullying perpetration and victimization. In contrast, the effects of Openness, Neuroticism, and Extraversion on bullying dynamics are inconsistent. Additionally, a significant overlap between bullying perpetration and victimization was observed, with most types of bullying being positively correlated. The network structure also indicates significant sex differences, suggesting that sex not only moderates the relationships between personality traits and bullying behaviors but also between specific types of bullying perpetration and victimization. These results underscore the importance of psychological network analysis in revealing complex patterns within bullying phenomena and advocate for its expanded use to achieve a deeper understanding of the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the complex relationships between personality traits, bullying perpetration, and victimization among Chinese adolescents, emphasizing the moderating role of sex. Data from 2,342 participants across two educational institutions in China were analyzed using Bayesian Gaussian Graphical Model (BGGM) to identify variable-level network structures among specific personality traits, bullying perpetration, and victimization across different sexes. The findings reveal a consistent inhibitory role of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness on both bullying perpetration and victimization. In contrast, the effects of Openness, Neuroticism, and Extraversion on bullying dynamics are inconsistent. Additionally, a significant overlap between bullying perpetration and victimization was observed, with most types of bullying being positively correlated. The network structure also indicates significant sex differences, suggesting that sex not only moderates the relationships between personality traits and bullying behaviors but also between specific types of bullying perpetration and victimization. These results underscore the importance of psychological network analysis in revealing complex patterns within bullying phenomena and advocate for its expanded use to achieve a deeper understanding of the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General Strain Theory (GST) was applied to understand the emergence of cyberbullying during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, how contextual stress and network attributes contributed to cyberbullying perpetration has yet to be explored. Thus, to fill this gap in the literature, this study surveyed 494 young adults from one college of a university in China during the COVID-19 lockdown. The contextual stress was measured by the average stress reported by each individual's self-nominated peer. Logit regression with interactive terms was conducted to investigate whether network attributes moderate the stress-cyberbullying nexus. The results revealed that cyberbullying perpetration was directly triggered by individual stress rather than contextual stress. Further, young adults with increased individual stress had a higher probability of cyberbullying perpetration, if their betweenness was high. Notably, for those with elevated betweenness, the association between contextual stress and cyberbullying perpetration was attenuated. Our findings provide novel insights into understanding cyberbullying phenomenon during the pandemic. Roles of individual stress and contextual stress on trigging cyberbully perpetration varied with one's network position. Both the network analysis and the GST theory had significant potential to be applied in further cyberbullying studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study assesses the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (C-ZTPI-20) in an adolescent population. Methods: The investigation encompasses a sample of 2634 middle school students from China and aims to evaluate the instrument's reliability, structural validity, measurement invariance, criterion validity, and network structure attributes. Results: First, descriptive analysis revealed satisfactory reliabilities for four out of five C-ZTPI-20 dimensions, with Present Fatalistic (PF) exhibiting relatively low reliability. Moreover, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the 5-dimensional structure across all samples and sexes, albeit with a modest Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) for girls. Furthermore, measurement invariance analysis underscores unbiased assessment across sexes. Sex differences emerge in the Present Hedonistic (PH) dimension, where boys showed higher scores. Furthermore, criteria validity analysis revealed that Past Positive (PP) and Future (F) were positively associated with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, grit, and mental health, while they were negatively associated with neuroticism. Past Negative (PN) and PF showed inverse trends, while PH perspective demonstrated complex, varied correlations with these psychological traits, underscoring the multifaceted nature of time perspectives. Finally, network analysis revealed positive inter-correlations within dimensions and significant edge differences between sexes, particularly in inter-dimension connections. Despite differing rankings, the most central and marginal items remained consistent between boys and girls in network models. Conclusion: These findings contribute to understanding the C-ZTPI-20's effectiveness in assessing adolescent time perspectives and inform interventions promoting psychological well-being and coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cerebral pulsatility is thought to reflect arterial stiffness and downstream microvascular resistance. Although previous studies indicated cerebral pulsatility might closely relate to development of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), yet evidence remain controversial and longitudinal data are rare. Objective: We aimed to explore relationships of cerebral pulsatility with severity and progression of various SVD imaging markers among the community-dwelling elderly. Design: A longitudinal cohort study. Methods: As part of the prospective community-based Shanghai Aging Study cohort, dementia- and stroke-free elderly were recruited for baseline assessment of cerebral pulsatility and SVD severity during 2010–2011 and traced for SVD progression during 2016–2017. Cerebral pulsatility was quantified for both anterior and posterior circulation with transcranial Doppler ultrasound. SVD imaging markers were measured with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), enlarged perivascular spaces (ePVS), lacunes, and microbleeds. The cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between cerebral pulsatility and SVD were analyzed by univariable and multivariable regression models. Results: Totally, 188 eligible subjects were included at baseline and out of them, 100 (53.19%) returned for a 7-year follow-up. At baseline, increased pulsatility of posterior circulation was independently associated with more periventricular WMH (PWMH) and ePVS in basal ganglia (BG-ePVS) but not with other SVD markers. Longitudinally, higher posterior pulsatility predicted greater PWMH progression in participants with hypertension (β = 2.694, standard error [SE] = 1.112, p = 0.020), whereas pulsatility of anterior circulation was shown to prevent BG-ePVS progression among followed-up elderly (β = −6.737, SE = 2.685, p = 0.012). However, no significant relationship was found between cerebral pulsatility and burden of lacunes or cerebral microbleeds. Conclusion: Higher pulsatility of posterior circulation could worsen PWMH progression, especially for participants with hypertension. But for development of ePVS, increased cerebral pulsatility could play a compensatory role among several healthy elderly. The distinct relationships between cerebral pulsatility and various SVD markers emphasized the importance of individualized SVD management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using psychological network analysis, this study explored the heterogeneity of the network structure between extracurricular time‐use and delinquency using a nationally representative longitudinal survey of at‐school students in China (N = 10,279, 47.3% female, average age 13.6, 91.2% Han ethnicity). The results are threefold: First, time stimulation of activities occurs on weekdays, while time displacement and stimulation occur on weekends. Second, delinquent behaviors are positively correlated, forming a problem behavior syndrome. Smoking or drinking is the central delinquent behavior. Third, negative consequences of specific time‐use behaviors are more likely to occur on weekends than on weekdays, and time‐use behavior may function differently on weekdays versus weekends. Among them, going to coffeenets or game‐centers serves as the bridge with the highest potential of triggering delinquency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though prior studies have found that optimism and social interactions are negatively associated with psychological distress during the COVID-19 situation, they have not considered the possibility of changes in internal linkages between these variables under different situations, across multiple cohorts. This study aims to explore how psychological resources and coping measures related to social interaction influence psychological wellbeing in various environmental contexts across distinct cohorts. The study conducted descriptive and psychological network analysis on data from four UK population studies: National Child Development Study (NCDS), 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), Next Steps (NS), and Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) at September–October 2020 and February–March 2021 waves of the pandemic. The findings demonstrated that younger participants (MCS cohort) were the most vulnerable while the aging people (NCDS cohort) were the most resilient population despite the severity of the pandemic. Optimism played a key role in buffering psychological wellbeing across all cohorts during the pandemic. The association of coping measures with social interaction and psychological wellbeing changed as lockdown and gathering policies changed. Finally, not all social-interaction-related coping measures were equally useful for every cohort. This study elucidates the role of psychological and social resources in psychological wellbeing during the pandemic, which shed light on practical implications and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the differences in parenting practices and their effects on juvenile delinquency between China and the United States. Its principal goal is to gain a more culturally relevant understanding of the possible ways of preventing delinquency through the improvement of parenting styles. The analyses were based on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents and a probability sample of Chinese adolescents in the same age group. To increase data comparability, the study employed similar measures of parenting practices and delinquency in the two samples. The analysis indicated that the American adolescents perceived a higher level of parental responsiveness but a lower level of parental control than did the Chinese adolescents. While parental responsiveness was inversely related to delinquency in both samples, parental control predicted lower delinquency only in the U.S. sample. Moreover, the negative relationship between parental monitoring and delinquency was stronger among the American adolescents than among the Chinese adolescents. The results underscore the need to consider cultural differences when assessing the impact of parenting practices on delinquency, or when applying the research findings to delinquency prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With widespread internet and social media use among youngsters, cyberbullying has emerged as a novel form of bullying. According to the routine activity and lifestyle theories, cyberbullying and victimization overlap significantly. However, the nature and mechanism of the overlap is not yet adequately understood. This study contributes to extant literature by investigating the role of network structure in cyberbullying-victimization overlap. Participants included 520 residential students from a single department of a Chinese university. This study applied prevalent, bivariate, and social network approach to investigate the overlap. Linear regressions with interactive terms are applied to investigate the moderating effect of network structure. First, the results revealed that the overlap phenomenon is robust against different approaches. Second, the findings demonstrated that indegree significantly moderates the effect of victimization on the perpetration of cyberbullying. Third, for betweenness and closeness, neither direct effect nor moderating effect, is statistically significant. Overall, cyberbullying-victimization overlaps among surveyed Chinese university students and social network may moderate the relationship between cyberbullying and victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bistable systems have seen significant interest in recent years, in applications ranging from energy harvesting, impact mitigation, and aerospace, to precision sensing and metamaterials. However, most investigations of bistable systems consider only continuous external forcing. The literature on the topic of vibroimpact dynamics is vast, but is mostly limited to monostable systems. In this work, we advance the state of knowledge by considering the fundamental problem of a one degree-of-freedom bistable system subjected to vibroimpact forcing by a sinusoidally vibrating shaker. Using computational models, we find that by varying excitation amplitude and frequency, a rich nonlinear dynamic behavior can be observed. Some responses exhibit only intrawell dynamics, while others display interwell motion that may converge to a second equilibrium. Analytical equations are derived to estimate the amplitude threshold that corresponds to the excitation amplitude required to observe interwell motion. The influence of the excitation frequency on the nonlinear dynamics of the system includes the presence of a local minimum in the threshold which is linked to a nonlinear resonance of the system. Further, response types can be differentiated by aperiodic (including chaotic) and periodic responses that include responses of periods one through six. In addition to computational simulations, the existence and stability of periodic orbits are determined using a shooting method based on the response over a single cycle. Experimental work using a magnetic bistable pendulum qualitatively validates the theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the temporal variations in calls for service before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in China using a sample of 37,124 police service calls made from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020 to a 110 command center in a county-level city in Hubei Province. There was a significant temporal effect, and the calls for service peaked between 08:00 and 19:59 throughout the entire period. The busiest hours of the day for calls for police service were between 12:00 and 19:59, and the calls peaked between 12:00 and 15:59 during the lockdown. The distribution of calls by weekday showed no significant pattern, with the exception of traffic-related calls. The results are discussed from the perspective of routine activity theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rampancy of corruption in China has stimulated a wide range of scholarly attention on its etiology. The general strain theory (GST) predicts that the economics-related strain, promotion-related strain, and work-related strain increase white-collar offenses. However, the generalizability of GST's prediction of white-collar offenses in non-Western societies is unclear. Applying a sequential exploratory mixed-method design, this study involved interviews with 23 grassroot public officials, convicted for corruption, and surveyed 687 similar offenders in 60 prisons in China. The qualitative results show that previously mentioned strains are not sufficient to explain the strains that lead to corruption in Chinese public officials. Strains rooted in the unique political system and cultural values of China (resources strain, deviant subcultural strain, and Renqing (personal interests) strain) are also shown to be associated with corruption. The quantitative results indicate that all six types of strains are significantly and positively associated with the frequency of corrupt behavior. The current study not only expands the scope of GST to non-Western societies, but also provides suggestions on further revision and extension of GST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unique feature of flexible cantilevered beams, which is used in a range of applications from energy harvesting to bio-inspired actuation, is their capability to undergo motions of extremely large amplitudes. The well-known third-order nonlinear cantilever model is not capable of capturing such a behaviour, hence requiring the application of geometrically exact models. This study, for the first time, presents a thorough experimental investigation on nonlinear dynamics of a cantilever under base excitation in order to capture extremely large oscillations to validate a geometrically exact model based on the centreline rotation. To this end, a state-of-the-art in vacuo base excitation experimental set-up is utilised to excite the cantilever in the primary resonance region and drive it to extremely large amplitudes, and a high-speed camera is used to capture the motion. A robust image processing code is developed to extract the deformed state of the cantilever at each frame as well as the tip displacements and rotation. For the theoretical part, a geometrically exact model is developed based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and inextensibility condition, while using Kelvin–Voigt material damping. To ensure accurate predictions, the equation of motion is derived for the centreline rotation and all terms are kept geometrically exact throughout the derivation and discretisation procedures. Thorough comparisons are conducted between experimental and theoretical results in the form of frequency response diagrams, time histories, motion snapshots, and motion videos. It is shown that the predictions of the geometrically exact model are in excellent agreement with the experimental results at both relatively large and extremely large oscillation amplitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to investigate the capacity of restorative justice (RJ) to reduce incarceration in China. It utilizes a "top-down" approach to explore how macro transitions in Chinese politics and criminal justice translate into micro implementation of RJ, which ultimately affects incarceration. Interviews with Chinese police, prosecutors, and judges revealed how minor injury cases were diverted by RJ throughout the criminal justice system. In addition, 172,731 judicial judgments were coded to estimate RJ's effect on sentencing lengths and the probability of probation for offenders. The findings suggest that the Chinese approach to implementing RJ does liberate numerous offenders from harsher incarceration. Yet, Chinese RJ reforms remain a thin version without deep roots in civil society, in "bottom-up" social movement excellence, or thorough foundations in restorative Confucianism with roots in ancient Chinese society. RJ is still a marginalized part of a Titanic that resists turning away from the punitive "Strike-Hard" ideology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police service calls have been studied widely in the Western context, but they are rarely discussed in the Chinese context. For the context of this study, it is important to note that the Chinese authorities implemented the strictest lockdown after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Drawing on the data from a county-level city in Hubei province, this study examines changes in the quantity and nature of 110 service calls before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The results indicate that the average weekly call numbers before and after the lockdown were higher than during the lockdown. Meanwhile, different call types produced different patterns, though the weekly call totals decreased during the lockdown. There was a significant decrease in crime, traffic, and dispute calls, but a substantial increase in calls related to domestic violence, public security, and other issues. Changes in the frequency of different call types pose challenges to police departments. These findings will have implications for deploying police forces and allocating resources within the pandemic crisis in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are common in elderly individuals and cause brain network deficits. However, it is still unclear how the global brain network is affected by the focal WMH. We aimed to investigate the diffusion of WMH‐related deficits along the connecting white matters (WM). Brain magnetic resonance imaging data and neuropsychological evaluations of 174 participants (aged 74 ± 5 years) were collected and analyzed. For each participant, WMH lesions were segmented using a deep learning method, and 18 major WM tracts were reconstructed using automated quantitative tractography. The diffusion characteristics of distal WM tracts (with the WMH penumbra excluded) were calculated. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed. We found that a high burden of tract‐specific WMH was related to worse diffusion characteristics of distal WM tracts in a wide range of WM tracts, including the forceps major (FMA), forceps minor (FMI), anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), cingulum cingulate gyrus (CCG), corticospinal tract (CST), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), superior longitudinal fasciculus‐parietal (SLFP), superior longitudinal fasciculus‐temporal (SLFT), and uncinate fasciculus (UNC). Furthermore, a higher mean diffusivity (MD) of distal tracts was linked to worse attention and executive function in the FMI, right CCG, left ILF, SLFP, SLFT, and UNC. The effect of WMH on the microstructural integrity of WM tracts may propagate along tracts to distal regions beyond the penumbra and might eventually affect attention and executive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable poly(ether‐block‐amide) (PEBA) elastomer was grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to prepare PEBA‐GMA, then it was melting blended with poly (lactic acid) (PLA) in an effort to achieve fully bio‐based super‐toughened PLA materials. The notched Izod impact strength of PLA/PEBA‐GMA blend was significantly enhanced when the content of PEBA‐GMA was higher than 20 wt%, and the tensile toughness was also improved. It was found a new copolymer was formed at the interface due to the reaction of the end groups (OH, COOH) of PLA with the epoxide group of PEBA‐GMA. This greatly improves the interfacial adhesion between PLA and PEBA‐GMA component, leading to finer dispersed particles of PEBA‐GMA which were better wetted by the PLA matrix. Therefore, the highly enhanced notched impact strength was ascribed to the effective reactive compatibilization promoted by the interfacial reaction. This provides a new idea for preparing super tough PLA materials with bio‐based elastomer, which will widely extend the application of PLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has showed that Chinese rural-to-urban migrant adolescents are at high risk for discrimination, negative emotions, and aggression. However, little is known about how discrimination, negative emotions, and aggression are interrelated and whether social support addressing the emotional needs of the adolescents would moderate the relationship of discrimination to aggression. This study attempts to fill these gaps. Based on prior research, it is proposed that perceived discrimination relates to reactive aggression by increasing negative emotions that foster aggressive responses to stressful events. Considering the central role that negative emotions may play, it is also hypothesized that socioemotional support provided by family, friends, and community mitigates the impact of perceived discrimination on reactive aggression by reducing negative emotions. The results obtained from the analysis of two-wave survey data collected from a probability sample of 470 migrant students aged 11–17 (46.17% female; mean age = 13.49) in China supported these hypotheses. The findings indicate that perceived discrimination fosters negative emotions, which in turn increase reactive aggression. Additionally, socioemotional support reduces the adverse impact of perceived discrimination on reactive aggression by weakening the link between perceived discrimination and negative emotions. Practical and policy implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysts of discrete data often face the challenge of managing the tendency of inflation on certain values. When treated improperly, such phenomenon may lead to biased estimates and incorrect inferences. This study extends the existing literature on single-value inflated models and develops a general framework to handle variables with more than one inflated value. To assess the performance of the proposed maximum likelihood estimator, we conducted Monte Carlo experiments under several scenarios for different levels of inflated probabilities under multinomial, ordinal, Poisson, and zero-truncated Poisson outcomes with covariates. We found that ignoring the inflations leads to substantial bias and poor inference of the inflations—not only for the intercept(s) of the inflated categories but other coefficients as well. Specifically, higher values of inflated probabilities are associated with larger biases. By contrast, the generalized inflated discrete models (GIDMs) perform well with unbiased estimates and satisfactory coverages even when the number of parameters that need to be estimated is quite large. We showed that model fit criteria, such as Akaike information criterion, could be used in selecting the appropriate specifications of inflated models. Lastly, the GIDM was implemented using large-scale health survey data as a comparison to conventional modeling approaches such as various Poisson and Ordered Logit models. We showed that the GIDM fits the data better in general. The current work provides a practical approach to analyze multimodal data that exists in many fields, such as heaping in self-reported behavioral outcomes, inflated categories of indifference and neutral in attitude surveys, large amounts of zero, and low occurrences of delinquent behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the amplitude-dependent dynamics of a locally resonant metamaterial beam with bistable attachments. The concept that was previously demonstrated for a discrete chain is extended to a continuous system, and the enhancement in vibration attenuation bandwidth is investigated through a cantilever beam under base excitation. The analysis approach combines the harmonic balance method and time-domain numerical integration to capture periodic and aperiodic responses for up-sweep and down-sweep harmonic excitation. The bistable attachments are shown to exhibit linear intrawell, nonlinear intrawell and nonlinear interwell oscillations for low, moderate, and high base acceleration levels. As a result, the metastructure leverages linear locally resonant bandgap under low excitation intensity, and nonlinear wideband attenuation due to chaotic vibrations of the bistable attachments under high excitation intensity. This is first demonstrated through frequency sweep numerical simulations for a broad range of excitation amplitudes. Experimental validations are then presented for a base-excited cantilever beam hosting seven magnetoelastic beam attachments. For moderate-to-high amplitude excitation levels, the interwell oscillations of the attachments produce an attenuation frequency range that is 350% wider than the corresponding linear locally resonant bandgap (observed for low-amplitude excitation levels), yielding the suppression of modes outside the bandgap with increased excitation intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, exposés on the trafficking of women have caught the public's attention in China. However, due to data scarcity, the scope and nature of such criminal activity are not well understood. The authors of this study provide a new angle in the analysis of human trafficking by digitizing and analyzing court sentencing documents on trafficking in China during 2014–2015. Through mapping court data to geographic information and performing network analysis, the study presented a comprehensive picture of intra-provincial, inter-provincial, and international trafficking patterns. The data showed that international trafficking has become the largest category in the trafficking of women, and victims were typically young women in their 20s originating from Vietnam, Myanmar, and North Korea who were sold into central provinces. Domestically, inter-provincial trafficking outnumbers intra-provincial cases. Across provincial borders, women were trafficked from southwest to central provinces. Intra-provincial trafficking was concentrated in four provinces: Henan, Anhui, Shandong, and Hebei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms through which conflicting parental relationship and parenting practices influence adolescent antisocial behavior have not been adequately understood. To bring more understanding to the mechanisms, this study investigates how marital discord interrelates with interparental inconsistency in parenting practices, and how these family conditions influence juvenile delinquency through their spillover effects on mental health problems, parental attachment and delinquent peer association among Chinese adolescents. Findings obtained from a structural equation modeling analysis of survey data collected from a probability sample of 2,496 adolescents (mean age = 15.16 years) are generally consistent with the spillover effect hypothesis. The results demonstrate that mental health problems, parental attachment, and delinquent peer association operate as critical mediators linking marital discord and interparental inconsistency to juvenile delinquency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report amplitude-dependent substantial enhancement of the frequency bandwidth in locally resonant metamaterial-based finite structures (metastructures) via bistable attachments. The bistable magnetoelastic beam attachments of the unit cells exhibit linear intrawell, nonlinear intrawell, and nonlinear interwell oscillations for low, moderate, and sufficiently high intensity excitations, respectively. As a result, the overall metastructure leverages linear locally resonant bandgaps under low amplitudes and nonlinear attenuation due to wideband chaotic vibrations of the bistable attachments under large amplitudes. The concept was first demonstrated through a linear mass-spring chain with bistable attachments in a numerical case study. Experimental results and validations are then presented for a base-excited cantilever beam hosting seven bistable unit cells. Transition from linear locally resonant bandgaps to nonlinear attenuation is observed, and the amplitude-dependent bandwidth enhancement is shown. The bandwidth offered by nonlinear interwell oscillations is substantially wider than the linear locally resonant bandgap that is limited by the added mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful drug intervention policies rely on timely assessment of size of drug users and close monitoring of trend regarding drug abuse. Taking advantage of data collected by the Central Registration System for Drug Abusers of Macau (CRSDAM), this study applied open population capture-recapture models with data augmentation techniques to estimate the size of drug users and to identify influential factors on capture and survival probabilities from 2009 to 2014. In particular, the data augmentation technique was used to address missing data issues. The estimated size of drug users has been slowly declining from 2442 (95% Bayesian credible interval [BCI] 2042-2914) in 2009 to 807 (95% BCI 654-1000) in 2014 with a small fluctuation of 2251 (95% BIC 1950-2599) in 2011, and the estimated cumulative size of drug users is 6199 (95% BCI 5651-6873), which is correspondent to a prevalence rate of 1.20% of the current population aged 15 to 54. Although the estimated sizes of total, narcotic, and other drug users were declining, the size of stimulant users might be increasing. People who used narcotics as their first drug and who were reported by governmental agencies were more likely to stay in the registration system, while those who used needle injection were less likely to stay. Governmental agencies, higher education, and using needle injection were negatively associated with the probability of capture over time, while using narcotics as the first drug was positively associated with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has identified discrimination as a cause of delinquency among migrant children. Few studies, however, have examined how discrimination is related to delinquency. The current research aims at bringing more understanding to this issue. Based on the general strain theory, this study posits that discrimination facilitates delinquent behavior because it reduces social support, generates negative emotions, and erodes social bonds. To test these hypotheses, this study collected survey data from a probability sample of 1,300 migrant children who attended secondary schools in one of the largest cities in China. Structural equation modeling analysis was conducted to test the direct and indirect effects of discrimination on delinquency. The results show that perceived discrimination reported by the students was positively related to delinquency through all three mediating mechanisms. This study suggests that strengthening social support may provide an effective strategy to reduce delinquency among migrant children in a short and intermediate term while ending discrimination represents a more long-term solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, load-bearing exterior sandwich wall boards have been adopted in civil engineering. The exterior walls of structures are often exposed to low velocity impacts such as stones, tools, and windborne debris, etc. The ultimate loading capacity, deformation, and ductility of sandwich walls are weakened by impact loads. In this study, the sandwich wall boards consisted of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) face sheets and a web-foam core. The core of wall boards was not the isotropic material. There was no doubt that the mechanical performance was seriously influenced by the impact locations. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out an investigation on the impact and post-impact performance of exterior wall boards. A comprehensive testing program was conducted to evaluate the effects of impact locations and impact energies on the maximum contact load, deflection, and contact time. Meanwhile, the compression after impact (CAI) performance of wall boards were also studied. The results indicated that the impact location significantly affects the performance of wall boards. Compared with an un-damaged wall board, the residual ultimate loading capacity of damaged wall boards reduced seriously, which were not larger than 50% of the designed ultimate loading capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]