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We examine the impact on bond credit ratings of reduced information processing costs from two investor interactive platforms in China, i.e. 'Easy Interaction' and 'e-Interaction'. These online platforms provide investors with a channel to directly communicate with listed companies and learn much of corporate operations. Replies and explanations from management assist investors in integrating disclosed information and reducing information processing costs. The reduced costs likely impose reputational concerns on credit rating agencies (CRAs), leading to more stringent rating standards and less rating inflation. We find that more interactions result in lower credit ratings of corporate bonds. This effect is more pronounced for bonds rated by global-partnered CRAs and bonds whose issuers have higher information complexity, and less pronounced for bonds whose issuers have official consultation websites. Further analyses show that reduced information processing costs are associated with more information contents in rating downgrades and timelier ratings. Our findings provide evidence for the disciplinary effect of reduced processing costs on CRA behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting student teachers’ acceptance intention of a gamified classroom response system (CRS) named Bodoudou. Combining the attributes of innovation (AOI) theory with the well-known technology acceptance model (TAM), we raised 19 hypotheses that explain the relationships among eight factors. The proposed model was tested with survey data collected from 240 English-as-a-second-language (ESL) student teachers in China. We first conducted a scale evaluation, which removed eight items measuring a technology’s compatibility and observability, then ran a structural equation modeling (SEM) test to explore the relationships among other factors. Findings revealed that student teachers’ intention to use CRS is mainly determined by the technology’s perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEoU), relative advantages (ADV), complexity (CPL), and trialability (TRI). Moreover, complexity is not a precise antonym to perceived ease of use in the current context, and trialability is not statistically related to perceived ease of use. The underlying reasons need further exploration. Future studies need to validate the scale measuring the five attributes of innovation, as well as the rationale of adding the AOI theory to the TAM model when investigating users’ technology acceptance intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractLive streaming has been increasingly popular worldwide, with gift-giving emerging as a pivotal revenue stream for many streamers. While prior research has delved into the influence of streamers’ emotions and viewer-streamer interaction on viewers’ gift-giving behaviors, we suggest that peer viewers also play an essential role. In line with the principles of social influence and herding theory, the behaviors of peer viewers and the size of the viewing group are integral factors shaping individual behaviors. Hence, in the context of lives streaming, we focus on examining the impact of peer viewers’ gift-giving behaviors and the audience size on the gift-giving behaviors of individual viewers, respectively. Additionally, we examine the moderating role of viewers’ identities. We collected data from a popular live streaming platform in China and employed a panel regression model based on a sample of 651,678 viewers. This study contributes to the gift-giving literature by revealing the influence of peer viewers on focal viewers’ likelihood of gifting, gifting frequency and gifting value, and the moderating effect of viewers’ identities. Overall, these results have significant implications for both the theoretical understanding of social influence and herding in online setting, as well as the practical implications for future live streaming management. Future research could delve deeper into understanding the impact of various types of live streaming content and cultural differences on individual’s gift-giving behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstruction and governance in rural China have been a recurring theme for the last century. This article presents case studies based on Art-Oriented Rural Reconstruction Movement (ARRM) projects in Guangdong Province to analyze their modes of reconstruction, the themes they chose to engage with and their social impact, and the various social actors that dominated these projects. This study aims to answer whether ARRM provides a better mechanism as a creative mode of rural governance and whether other desired benefits, such as attracting economic resources toward the preservation of local culture or invigorating the local community, are better achieved. The cases help shed light on the question of the performativity of ruralism in connection with China’s contemporary urban practices in Shenzhen and a series of government-led art events of rural revitalization in the countryside. In doing so, they help identify what ARRM means to the ‘self-governed’ and the imagined ‘harmonious’ rural society, as well as what both mean to China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-city population mobility, a critical phenomenon in the modern urbanisation process, is closely related to urban industrial structure and socioeconomic development. This paper aims to investigate the dynamics of population flows and their intricate ties to industrial structure, so we employ the graph neural networks (GNNs) method to simulate inter-city population flows in China, which efficiently integrates demographic and socioeconomic data with Tencent migration big data while accounts for geographical relationships between cities. The results show that the model's predictive accuracy using the CPC index was high for road and rail traffic and moderate for air transportation. A comparison with real-world data verified the model's effectiveness in predicting the urban hierarchy and regional aggregation of flows. Using GNNExplainer, the results indicated that population size positively influenced population flow, while developed manufacturing reduced population mobility for road and rail traffic but increased it for air transportation. By conducting scenario simulations in Northeast China, we found that enhancing the region's industry and consumer service industry could mitigate negative population outflows. The conclusions drawn from this study offer valuable perspectives to policymakers and urban planners, enabling them to make well-informed and judicious choices concerning urban planning, transportation, and resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) in basic education, i.e. K12 education, have often been constrained by sociocultural context and limited to pedagogical aspects, and these innovations have not yet catalyzed curriculum reform as expected. To address this research gap, this study adopted a key-competence-based subject knowledge learning tool, i.e. Smart Learning Partner (SLP), and conducted a quasi-experimental study to evaluate its effects among middle school students. A total of 400 participants in Grade 7 from four schools were followed for a period of two and a half years. The results on online learning engagement indicated that the manipulation generally succeeded in promoting students' use of SLP in the experimental schools. Furthermore, the results on academic performance showed that SLP could not only directly benefit students' learning in the first academic year but also continued to have an effect within the following one and a half years. This study contributes to the existing knowledge in two aspects: first, it extends the use of an adaptive learning cognitive map and shows positive effects in supporting the implementation of the whole curriculum; second, it presents a long-term and large-scale example of successfully integrating ICTs into the key-competence-based curriculum reform in the Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bay areas have experienced a rapid development in their city integration and tourism industry over the past decade. However, city integration has rarely been studied in the tourism literature along with its dimensions and impact on tourism development. Therefore, this study examines city integration and its effects on tourism development from the perspective of residents in the Greater Bay Area, China. Through a qualitative research method with 73 semi-structured interviews, this study identified five dimensions of the effects of city integration on tourism development were also determined, including resource, community, product, marketing and economic dimensions. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013, China launched her targeted poverty alleviation, and a large amount of fiscal anti-poverty funds have been invested. However, whether the enormous fiscal anti-poverty funds have had a positive impact on the local economy has been ambiguous. This study investigates the impact of fiscal anti-poverty funds on local economic growth, drawing on Chinese fiscal data at the county level. Our results indicate that fiscal anti-poverty funds are not conducive to local economic growth. Further analysis reveals that anti-poverty funds reduce fiscal support for the service industry, manufacturing industry, enterprise development, and technical innovation. This is because impoverished counties are forced to supply extra fiscal anti-poverty funds, which leads to compression of fiscal expenditures in other areas due to local deficient finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate clinical uncertainties by characterizing the accuracy and utility of commercially available antibodies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the diagnostic assessment of suspected tuberculosis in high-burden countries. We conducted a retrospective, descriptive, cohort study among participants aged ≥ 18 years with suspected tuberculosis in Nanning, Guangxi, and China. Participants were tested for M. tuberculosis infection using commercially available antibodies against Mycobacterum tuberculosis. Specificity, sensitivity, negative and positive predictive values, and negative and positive likelihood ratios of the tests were determined. Sputum specimens and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were sent for mycobacterial culture, Xpert MTB/RIF assay, and cell-free M. tuberculosis DNA or RNA assay. Blood samples were used for IGRAs, T-cell counts (CD3 + CD4+ and CD3 + CD8+), and antibodies to tuberculosis test. Of the 1857 participants enrolled in this study, 1772 were included in the analyses, among which, 1311 were diagnosed with active tuberculosis. The specificity of antibody against 16kD for active tuberculosis was 92.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 89.3–95.4) with a positive likelihood ratio for active tuberculosis cases of 3.1 (95% CI: 2.1–4.7), which was higher than that of antibody to Rv1636 (90.5% [95% CI: 86.6–93.5]), antibody to 38kD (89.5% [95% CI: 85.5–92.7]), antibody against CFP-10 (82.6% [95% CI: 77.9–86.7]), and antibody against LAM (79.3% [95% CI: 74.3–83.7]). Sensitivity ranged from 15.8% (95% CI: 13.9–17.9) for antibody against Rv1636 to 32.9% (95% CI: 30.4–35.6) for antibody to LAM. Commercially available antibodies against to Mycobacterium tuberculosis do not have sufficient sensitivity for the diagnostic evaluation of active tuberculosis. However, antibody against Rv1636 and 16kD may have sufficiently high specificities, high positive likelihood ratios, and correspondingly high positive predictive values to facilitate the rule-in of active tuberculosis. Existing M. tuberculosis antigens do achieve a limited sensitivity and negative predictive value to rule out a diagnosis of tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis antigens may help to rule in a diagnosis of active or latent tuberculosis in clinical setting among the high burden tuberculosis countries. This study is the largest retrospective, descriptive, cohort study to evaluate the clinical utilization of existing M. tuberculosis antigens integrating M. tuberculosis immunogens in patients with suspected active tuberculosis in high-burden country. Existing antibodies against M. tuberculosis antigens exhibit limited sensitivity for ruling out TB. Multiple TB antibodies against M. tuberculosis antigens may aid in identifying cases of active or latent tuberculosis. The biggest cohort for investigating clinical applications of TB antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in maintaining or increasing soil fertility and quality in paddy field, but there is limited information about how SOC mineralization responds to different fertilizer managements under the double-cropping rice system in southern China. Therefore, this study was designed to explore changes in SOC content, soil enzyme activities, SOC mineralization at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers, and its relationship with long-term fertilizer managements in a double-cropping rice system of southern China. The experiment included four fertilizer treatments: chemical fertilizer alone (CF), rice straw and chemical fertilizer (RS+F), 30% organic manure and 70% chemical fertilizer (OM+F), and without fertilizer input as a control (Con). These results showed that SOC and labile organic carbon contents at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in paddy field with RS+F and OM+F treatments were increased, compared to CF and Con treatments. Compared with Con treatment, SOC mineralization rate and accumulation with CF, RS+F, and OM+F treatments were increased. SOC accumulation and potential mineralization at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers with RS+F and OM+F treatments were increased, compared with CF and Con treatments. SOC mineralization rate and accumulation at 0–10 cm layer with CF, RS+F, OM+F, and Con treatments were higher than that of 10–20 cm layer. These results indicated that soil invertase, cellulose and urease activities in paddy field with RS+F and OM+F treatments were significantly higher than that of CF and Con treatments. There was a significant positive relationship between SOC accumulation and SOC content, soil invertase, cellulose, urease activities but were significant negative correlated with soil pH, bulk density. As a result, these were beneficial practices for improving SOC content and SOC mineralization in a double-cropping rice field of southern China by combined application of rice residue or organic matter with chemical fertilizer managements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aims to investigate whether and how the development of the digital economy can reduce air pollutant emissions in China. Specifically, using a fixed effect model and an empirical test that exploits pollutant emissions in 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2020, we explore the impact of digital economy development on air pollution through three mechanisms: public attention to environmental pollution, production efficiency, and environmental governance efficiency. Additionally, we provide heterogeneity analysis based on regions, industrial structure, and years of schooling. Findings are crucial for policymakers and environmentalists concerned about economic development's effects on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of different long-term (36 years) fertilizer treatments on soil pH, exchangeable acids, exchangeable base cation and cation exchange capacity (CEC) at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers in a double-cropping rice field. The following fertilizer treatments were included: chemical fertilizer (MF), rice straw and chemical fertilizer (RF), 30% organic manure and 70% chemical fertilizer (OM), and without any fertilizer input as a control (CK). This result indicated that soil pH at 0–10 cm layer with RF and OM treatments was higher than that of MF and CK treatments. Soil exchangeable acidity content at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers with RF and OM treatments were decreased by 48.4%, 51.6% and 49.2%, 54.2%, compared with CK treatment, respectively. Soil exchangeable calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and potassium (K+) contents at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in paddy field with OM and RF treatments were higher than that of CK treatment. Moreover, compared with CK treatment, soil exchangeable base ion content at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in paddy field with OM treatment were increased by 54.1% and 42.6%, respectively. Soil CEC and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers with OM and RF treatments were significantly higher than that of MF and CK treatments. In conclusion, our results indicated that long-term application of crop residue or organic manure can improve soil exchangeable base ion and exchangeable capacity contents, alleviate soil acidity in a double-cropping paddy field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to policy changes in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching has become the main form of class in many Chinese universities. Flipped classroom has been widely used in other disciplines, but there is a dearth of evidence available about the use in online teaching of emergency medicine. This study aimed to develop a flipped classroom for online emergency medicine teaching and evaluate its effectiveness by comparing it with traditional lecture-based online teaching. A total of 62 clinical medical undergraduates from Jinan University participated in this study from September to December in 2022. An online flipped classroom approach was developed (FC group, n = 31). Traditional lecture-based online teaching was applied as a contrast (LBT group, n = 31). The undergraduates completed examinations and questionnaires at the end of the course. A course experience questionnaire and course examination score were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach. Regarding the five dimensions of the course experience questionnaire, the scores for good teaching (3.47 ± 0.50 vs. 2.34 ± 0.48, p <.001), appropriate assessment (3.31 ± 0.68 vs. 2.95 ± 0.71, p =.043) and generic skills (3.16 ± 0.60 vs. 2.72 ± 0.39, p <.001) were higher for the FC group than for the LBT group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in clear goals and standards, and appropriate workload. The undergraduates in the FC group showed significantly higher overall satisfaction than those in the LBT group (3.52 ± 0.1.03 vs. 2.87 ± 0.92, p =.012). The examination scores (77.936 ± 11.573 vs. 70.484 ± 7.434, p <.001), especially the scores for questions related to case analysis (33.032 ± 5.363 vs. 26.968 ± 7.657, p <.001), were significantly higher in the FC group than in the LBT group. The flipped classroom for online teaching was efficient in improving undergraduates' emergency medical academic performance and promoting the development of clinical case analysis ability. These findings provide an alternative flipped classroom approach for online teaching of emergency medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocotyle vulgaris is a perennial wetland clonal plant in the Araliaceae family, which was introduced to China as an ornamental plant in the 1990s. Although H. vulgaris is now considered a potential invasiveness species in China, it also plays a significant role in the remediation of water pollution. Here, we reported its complete chloroplast genome and analyzed the basic characteristics. The chloroplast genome was 153,165 bp in length, including a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,072 bp separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,291 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,730 bp. The H. vulgaris chloroplast genome contained 132 predicted genes, and its overall GC content was 37.60%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that H. vulgaris was closely related to H. verticillata. The H. vulgaris chloroplast genome presented in this study will lay a foundation for further genetic and genomic studies of the genus Hydrocotyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the literature shows that stricter environmental regulations deter exports and inward foreign direct investment (FDI), few studies examine the impacts on outward FDI, especially for developing countries. In this paper, we analyse this issue in the context of China, which is the largest developing country in terms of FDI. We collect the transaction-level data of all the overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by Chinese firms from 2000 to 2019. For the identification of the causal effect, we exploit the implementation of the Environmental Protection Law in 2015 as a quasi-natural experiment and carry out the difference-in-difference-in-differences analysis (DDD). The results show significant impacts of stricter environmental regulations on outward FDI. When the provincial emission reduction target increases by 10% points, the number of overseas M&A transactions in the high-polluting industries has increased by 32 every year since 2015. Moreover, the investments are more likely towards countries with better environmental protection. This suggests that firms aim at gaining cleaner technologies via M&As rather than transferring pollution abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have focused on snakebites in adults, but very few have described snakebites in children. We reviewed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of children with venomous snakebites aged less than 15 years who presented to a regional medical centre in South China from January 2013 to December 2022. A total of 69 envenomed patients were analyzed in our study; 42 (60.9 per cent) patients were male, and 59 (85.5 per cent) reported lower limb bites. Most bites (89.8 per cent) occurred between April and October. Twenty-seven patients received first aid management, and 47 required admission to the general ward. Antivenom was administered to 58 patients, glucocorticoids to 43 patients, antibiotics to 48 patients, and tetanus antitoxin to 40 patients. No fatalities were reported. The most common snake identified was Trimeresurus albolabris. Four were classified as dry bites, 15 as mild, 43 as moderate, and seven as severe. The most common local signs were pain and swelling, while the most common systemic effects were haematological complications. Patients with high severity scores had significantly higher lactate dehydrogenase activities, creatine kinase isoenzyme activities, aspartate aminotransferase activities, D-dimer concentrations, prothrombin times and lower fibrinogen concentrations. In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the values with the highest Youden index, the following cut-offs proved significant: lactate dehydrogenase activity > 248.1 U/L, creatine kinase isoenzyme activities > 17.5 U/L, fibrinogen concentration < 1,455 mg/L, D-dimer concentration > 437.0 µg/L, aspartate aminotransferase activity > 26.1 U/L, and prothrombin time > 15.2 seconds. This study provides insight into the epidemiology, clinical profile, and management of snakebites in children. Data from the present study were compared with those from our previous adult study. Limitations include that 50.7 per cent of our snakebites were attributed to Trimeresurus albolabris. Therefore, the results of our study may not be generalizable to all snakebites. The clinical symptoms were more severe in children than in adults in our previous study. Even though there were no fatalities, close monitoring should be performed to detect haematological and other potentially fatal complications promptly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the advantages of the steel fiber reinforced concrete pavement structure, which includes high strength, high stiffness, and high stability, a large number of steel fiber concrete pavements will be used for highway construction in China. As a result, numerous cracks develop, which significantly reduces the life of the road; therefore, the study of the jointing problem is vital. As concrete research on the influence of the load transfer capacity and service life of prefabricated steel fiber reinforced concrete joints on the structural design and use function of the whole and pavement panels, the paper proposes two joint forms, tongue-and-groove and overlap. Using experiments and software, the stress and reflection of prefabricated road panels of the two joint forms are analyzed for different axial loads. The analysis reveals that the maximum tensile stress, shear stress, and deflection of the precast panels of both joint forms increase linearly as the axle load of the vehicle increases, while the service life decreases relatively. The load transfer capacity is independent of the axle load magnitude, and the load transfer capacity difference between the two types of joints is minimal and excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental governance in China is a hybrid of mandatory and voluntary regulations in both implementation and enforcement. This paper aims to explore how voluntary environmental regulations (VERs) affect corporate green innovation (CGI) and the role of mandatory environmental regulations (MERs). The study uses panel data of 1,232 Chinese-listed manufacturing firms from 2004 to 2016 and the main findings are: first, VERs have a significant positive effect on CGI. Second, no significant effect has been found of MERs on firms' CGI. Third, in areas where mandatory environmental regulations are weak, voluntary environmental regulation can better serve as a supplement to promote firms' green innovation. The results are robust to a series of sensitivity checks. This study provides evidence that voluntary environmental regulation is more effective in encouraging enterprises to engage in green innovation activities, and it is an important supplement to mandatory environmental regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of Tesla's entry on China's electric vehicle (EV) market. We find that Tesla's entry has substantially increased the demand for EVs in China, and therefore has benefited Chinese EV producers. However, we also find that this positive impact was nullified for local EV producers that compete with Tesla in a more head-to-head manner, and those that compete in markets that host Tesla Galleries and have a higher annual income per capita. Moreover, local manufacturers lowered their EV prices when faced with competition from domestically produced Tesla vehicles, and the magnitude of such price reductions was larger for battery electric vehicle (BEV) models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empathy, the ability to understand and respond to the experiences of others, is an important skill for maintaining good relationships throughout one's life. Previous research indicated that emotional empathy remained stable or even increased in older adults compared to younger adults, while cognitive empathy showed age-related deficits. Based on the selective engagement hypothesis, this deficit was not caused by a decline in cognitive functioning, but by a lack of willingness to judge the target person's emotions more precisely, that is, by a lack of interaction motivation. In order to provide more evidence on the causes of empathic aging in older adults, the current study investigated the influence of interaction motivation on empathy in older adults in an Eastern cultural context (China) based on the selective engagement hypothesis. This study used older adults and younger adults as subjects. Through two experiments, empathy was measured by the multiple empathy test (Experiment 1) and film tasks (Experiment 2); at the same time, use accountability instructions (Experiment 1), the age-related events (Experiment 2) to manipulate interaction motivation. The results showed that emotional empathy was significantly higher in older adults than in younger adults, regardless of whether interaction motivation was elicited. In terms of cognitive empathy, when there is no motivation, the cognitive empathy of older adults is significantly lower than that of younger adults. When the interaction motivation is stimulated, the cognitive empathy of older adults is no less than that of younger adults. This suggested that empathic aging in older adults was not a permanent decline in cognitive empathy, but rather a decline in interaction motivation, supporting the selective engagement hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of accounting information determines whether such information can serve as an effective basis for rational macroeconomic regulation and investment decisions. Studying accounting conservatism is crucial because it plays a pivotal role in shaping the macroeconomic landscape. This study examines the impact of accounting conservatism on the speed and quality of macroeconomic growth in emerging markets. Our findings indicate that regional accounting conservatism can hinder the speed of macroeconomic growth but enhance its overall quality. This effect is channelled primarily through aggregate corporate profits, total factor productivity level, and dispersion. Further analysis reveals that this relationship is more pronounced in regions characterised by high financial marketisation, weak government intervention, and well-developed intermediary markets. This study significantly enriches our understanding of the macroeconomic consequences of accounting conservatism in emerging markets and provides valuable insights into future macroeconomic trends at both the quantitative and qualitative levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the impact of digital transformation on a firm's ESG performance using data from listed firms in China. Leveraging the recent advances in textual analysis, we quantify the extent of a firm's digital transformation. The results show that digital transformation enhances a firm's ESG performance. Moreover, results remain robust after addressing endogeneity problems and several robustness tests. In addition, we validate potential mechanisms that the digital transformation mainly improves the ESG performance of firms by improving the level of environmental performance, corporate social responsibility, and corporate governance. To examine the economic consequence, we find that digital transformation gains more government subsidies and analysts' attention increasing the management's positive tone at the earnings communication conferences by improving the firm's ESG performance. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that the effect of digital transformation on ESG performance is stronger for firms in severely polluting industries and executives with information technology experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism live streaming (TLS) has experienced a surge in popularity; however, impulsive travel intention in this context has received limited scholarly attention. Based on the stimulus – organism–response (SOR) framework and presence, this research explores impulsive travel intention in TLS. Adopting WeChat to spread our survey, we analyzed 348 valid questionnaires from TLS viewers in China. Our research reveals that TLS features positively impact physical and social presence, subsequently affecting flow experience and trust, and ultimately boosting impulsive travel intentions. The findings provide theoretical insights and practical implications for online travel agencies, scenic area managers, and travel streamers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the mainstay of healthcare, the job satisfaction of medical staff deserves attention. This study aimed to explore the correlation between the perception of the high-performance work system (P-HPWS) and job satisfaction of medical staff in public hospitals and to further investigate the mediating effect of self-efficacy. From November 2019 to January 2020, a cross-sectional survey on working doctors and nurses was conducted in five tertiary public hospitals in China. A total of 520 participants were surveyed. The P-HPWS, job satisfaction, and self-efficacy were assessed using the 25-item self-administered scale, six-item job satisfaction questionnaire, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale, respectively. Linear regression and mediation effects models were used to identify the associations between primary variables. The results showed a significant positive correlation between P-HPWS and job satisfaction (P < 0.01), while self-efficacy played a mediating role between P-HPWS and job satisfaction. This finding reveals the benefits of improving employees' P-HPWS and self-efficacy on their job satisfaction, and that hospitals can improve their management systems by implementing and refining HPWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the new wave of the scientific and technological revolution, clean production and digital transformation are the primary directions of development for energy-intensive industries. In this study, we examined the impact of the 2016 Chinese Environmental Protection Tax Law (EPTL2016) on energy-intensive firms' financial performance and explored the role of digital transformation using panel data from Chinese A-share-listed companies. Using the difference-in-differences method, we found that the EPTL2016 has significantly improved energy-intensive firms' financial performance by incentivizing their digital transformation but has at the same time moderated the economic benefits of digital transformation. Moreover, state-owned enterprises have been more effective at improving their financial performance through digital transformation under the pressure of the EPTL2016. From a regional perspective, the EPTL2016 has enhanced energy-intensive firms' financial performance primarily through digital transformation in regions with better digital infrastructure, and through green transformation in regions highly dependent on resource and in regions with stricter environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article documents the determinants of local government size corresponding with the work experience of political leader. Utilizing the city level data on the size of government and political officials in China, government size is found to be negatively associated with local political leaders' work experience in business. This relationship holds more firmly in poor cities or those with stronger fiscal decentralization. Moreover, we find evidence supporting that both fiscal decentralization and the size of public funded system contribute to the expansion of government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cylindrocladium parasiticum Crous, Wingfield & Alfenas, the causal agent of Cylindrocladium black rot of peanut, has led to economic losses in China. However, the response of peanut plant to C. parasiticum is poorly understood. Here, two contrasting peanut cultivars, T09 (C. parasiticum-moderately resistant) and P562 (C. parasiticum-susceptible) were used for comparative analysis of protein profiles in root segment of plant tissues in responses to C. parasiticum infection. Proteomic profiling identified 1647 and 391 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) in P562 and T09 relative to uninoculated control, respectively. A total of 350 and 1095 DAPs were identified between P562 and T09 after 9 day(s) post infection (dpi), respectively. Functional categorization showed that C. parasiticum-responsive proteins were mainly involved in catalytic activity and binding functions. KEGG pathway analysis indicated both moderately resistant and susceptible peanut cultivars can regulate gene expression in the phenylpropanoid pathway, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, SA, and JA pathways to induce defensive genes and protein expression which enhances plant defence or susceptibility capacity. However, MAPK signal pathway was more pronounced in moderately resistant peanut cultivar T09. We also observed an increase of CYP73A100 involved in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways in susceptible peanut ecotype P562, while decrease in moderately resistant interaction. Additionally, there was a marked activation of brassinosteroid biosynthesis in T09, which indicated a possible involvement of activation of plant immune response in moderately resistant responses of peanut to C. parasiticum. This study provides some insights into molecular networks involved in cellular and physiological responses to C. parasiticum in peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life satisfaction (LS) exhibited gender differences and was associated with age, income, and negative emotions. There is no research on the relationship between professional values and LS, although professional values are essential for medical staff and correlate with negative emotions. This study aimed to explore the relationship between professional values and LS, the action mechanism of influencing factors of LS, and gender differences among medical staff of rehabilitation departments in China. A total of 284 participants (108 men and 176 women) completed the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS19.0 and Amos21.0. Age, length of service, and anxiety differed significantly between genders. Professional values had a direct effect on LS and an indirect effect on LS via anxiety and depression. Therefore, enhancing professional values and reducing anxiety and depression could increase the medical staff's LS. Moreover, the LS of female medical staff improved with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how tax enforcement contributes to the improvement of air quality. We leverage the implementation of the Golden Tax Project III in China as a quasi-natural experiment and employ a difference-in-differences framework to establish causality. The findings indicate that the average SO2 concentration in pilot cities decreased by 2.8%, and the average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 3.2%. Further analysis reveals that curbing the expansion of tax-evading firms and ensuring the government's provision of environmental public goods are mechanisms through which stricter tax enforcement reduces air pollution. These effects are more prominent in cities characterized by a higher proportion of heavy-polluting industries, greater fiscal pressure, and a stronger preference for environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of FinTech development on the credit supply of China's commercial banks to individuals and enterprises. We first evaluate the development status and prospects of FinTech in China and construct theoretical influencing hypotheses. A 'supply-side' FinTech development index is constructed using principal component analysis. We employ panel data models and use financial data from 22 listed China's commercial banks between the year 2013 and 2020 to empirically test the hypothesized relationships. Multiple approaches are used to deal with endogenous problems. We also estimate the impact in a difference-in-difference model specification. The results show that FinTech development effectively facilitates the expansion of bank credit and the relationship continues to hold after remedying endogeneity issues. We further find that the impact is heterogeneous across banks in terms of bank type and bank size, with the impact on state-owned commercial banks being the least significant and the impact on small banks being the most significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) is recommended to reduce the likelihood of HIV infection after potential exposure. However, little is known about this practice among Chinese gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM). GBM were enrolled from both centers for disease prevention and control (CDCs) and community health centers in six cities in China. Multivariable logistics regression was used to assess factors associated with awareness of and willingness to use nPEP. A total of 516 eligible GBM were included, 67.2% of whom were aware of nPEP, 76.0% were willing to use nPEP, and 2.3% had ever used nPEP. GBM who had college or higher education, had disclosed sexual orientation, had increased number of male sex partners in the last 6 months, and had ever tested for HIV were more likely to be aware of nPEP. Willingness to use nPEP was significantly associated with college or higher education, STI history, gay app use, and awareness of nPEP prior to study. Uptake of nPEP is still low among MSM in China. Efforts are needed to improve awareness of and access to nPEP among GBM, especially those at higher risk of HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have attracted extensive attention worldwide for their huge potential to revolutionize urban cities. The diffusion of AVs in cities will largely depend on public acceptance of AVs. But many studies revealed that people hold a high level of concern about AVs. This study aims to enrich our understanding of public acceptance of AVs in China, both at the explicit level and at the implicit level. We also attempt to enhance people's positive attitudes toward AVs by Evaluative Conditioning (EC). Study 1 found that participants recognized the benefits of AVs, but were also concerned about them. Moreover, participants showed only moderate trust in AVs. In Study 2, it was observed that participants mainly showed positive implicit attitudes toward AVs and there was no significant correlation between implicit and explicit attitudes toward AVs. In Study 3, EC offered an alternative way to change implicit attitudes. Specifically, implicit attitudes toward AVs were positively increased through EC, whereas explicit attitudes did not change significantly. This research provides several theoretical and practical implications. The findings support the notion that explicit and implicit attitudes involve independent psychological processes, and that implicit attitude can be changed through EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychotraumatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In responding to global ecosystem conservation and sustainable social development, numerous ecological restoration projects have been performed in ecologically vulnerable areas around the world, especially in semi-arid areas. Affected by local hydrothermal conditions, whether ecological restoration projects can achieve goals of balanced water-carbon enhancement as well as sustainable development in semi-arid areas is controversial. It is uncertain that to what extent the land use change caused by ecological restoration projects will affect the water-carbon imbalance. This research takes the Bashang Plateau Protection Zone (BPZ), a typical semi-arid area in Hebei Province of China, as a porotype to discover the spatial water-carbon changes and their contributing factors under ecological projects during 2000 to 2020 through root mean square deviation and random forest analysis. Results show: (1) In the past two decades, carbon sequestration in BPZ continued to improve while water conservation decreased significantly. The water-carbon imbalance regions in BPZ increased nearly 6.80 folds, from 338.60 km2 to 2642.38 km2. (2) Precipitation and temperature exerted the most significant impact on the formation of water-carbon imbalance regions, whereas the contribution of land use change could reach 40%, demonstrating that human activities were also strongly responsible for water-carbon imbalance. (3) Ecological restoration pattern of limiting afforestation and agricultural land expansion with priority restoration of grassland is beneficial to achieving water-carbon balance and sustainable goals of ecological restoration in semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 91 countries from 2009 to 2019, we apply difference-in-difference (DID) method and decoupling analysis to examine the effects on environmental quality and economic growth from a dual perspective. This study found that: (1) the Belt and Road Initiative improves the environmental quality of BRI countries. (2) The initiative has more significantly improved environment of the carbon peaking achieved countries, non-tropical regions rather than their counterparts; It has a beneficial effect in both landlocked and coastal countries. No matter the countries are industrialized or not, participating in China's high-speed rail projects or not, their environments have been improved. But the improvement is more pronounced for industrialized countries and countries not involved in China's high-speed rail projects. Meanwhile, the more complete citizens' voice and accountability, and the higher financial expenses, the more significant improvement there is for them. (3) The initiative can improve environment through investment, employment structure and clean energy. (4) The initiative also significantly boosts the economic growth of BRI countries. Furthermore, decoupling relationship between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and carbon emission levels shows that the number of BRI countries in strong decoupling state gradually decreases in 2015–2017, while increasing in 2018–2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about whether preventative practices for post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) recommended in guidelines have been adopted in clinical practice and translated into a lower incidence of PC-AKI. The aim of this study was to examine the yearly trends in the incidence of PC-AKI, and comorbidities and care practices associated with PC-AKI in hospitalized patients who received intravenous administration of iodinated contrast medium (ICM). Adult patients receiving intravenous ICM at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in China between 2015 and 2021 were included. Temporal trends in the incidence and risk factors for PC-AKI were evaluated using logistic regression analyses with adjustments for relevant variables. The incidence of PC-AKI has declined significantly from 5.3% in 2015 to 4.1% in 2021 (p < 0.001). This decreasing trend persisted after extensive multivariable adjustments. Of the comorbidities associated with PC-AKI, the proportion of patients with congestive heart failure or hypertension increased, while the proportion of patients older than 75 years, or with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2, diabetic nephropathy, or renal stone disease decreased. Among the care practices associated with PC-AKI, the proportion of patients using nephrotoxic drugs decreased, whereas the proportion of patients receiving intravenous fluids > 1000 mL on the day of ICM administration or using iso-osmolar ICM increased. In conclusion, a declining trend in PC-AKI incidence was observed in patients receiving intravenous ICM between 2015 and 2021, which may be related to increased awareness and efforts to prevent PC-AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum of China is founded upon the historical remnants of Jiangnan Gongyuan (Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall) and the enduring heritage of the Chinese Imperial Examination System. This system, prevalent for over a millennium, interwove state interests with individual aspirations through Confucian education. Within this context, Jiangnan Gongyuan served as a state agency that projected dreams of order and authority. The dreams continued in the contemporary Chinese Dream discourse of national rejuvenation, seamlessly integrated into the logistical narrative structure of the Nanjing Imperial Examination Museum of China. This article draws on primary sources from archival materials, interviews, visitors' reviews, and fieldwork data to illustrate the ongoing logistical manifestation, complemented by current curation and spatial strategies of the museum. Beyond the logistical framework, this paper proposes an alternative approach to viewing the intricate roles of museum curators within Chinese national/provincial museums. These roles include three-dimensional functionalities: logistical agents displaying diffusive state authority, cultural institutions balancing ideological propaganda with commercial profits, and public spaces encouraging widespread engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial equity of high-speed rail (HSR) accessibility in China has been a research topic for years. Most of current researches do not consider the impact of HSR operation frequency on accessibility. This study proposes an improved accessibility measurement taking frequency as an important factor and then analyzes the HSR accessibility and its spatial equity in China for the years of 2015, 2018, and 2021. Having defined spatial equity as the disparity of accessibility distribution, this study applies the Theil index to explore spatial equity and its changes over the three stages, as well as the regional difference among city groups based on geographical locations and administrative levels. The results demonstrated that the spatial distribution of HSR services accessibility in China was high in the East and low in the West. Only a few cities have the highest level of IAS (Improved Accessibility Score) which leads to a strong polarization in frequency-based accessibility. Spatial equity of accessibility has improved from 2015 to 2021, but HSR services developed more equally than HSR infrastructure networks from 2018 to 2021. When grouped by geographical locations, the West region has the worst spatial equity regarding IAS; however, the Northeast region has the worst spatial equity of OAS (Original Accessibility Score) in 2021. When grouped by cities’ administrative levels, the group of provincial capitals has better spatial equity regarding IAS but did not have better spatial equity of OAS until 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thalassaemia is a typically monogenic disease caused by mutations or deletions in the globin gene and has a high prevalence in southern China. Prenatal screening for thalassaemia can be effective in reducing the incidence of thalassaemia. Haematologic parameters of pregnant thalassaemia carriers are diverse and potentially valuable for identifying different types of genotypes. By comparing and evaluating haematological parameters, formulas in the literature, we tried to reveal differences between pregnant women carrying different types of thalassaemia genes. The Mentzer formula (MCV/RBC) showed a strong ability to differentiate thalassaemia genotypes in pregnant women. In addition, combined with haemoglobin electrophoresis HbA2 can further distinguish the –α/αα, αTα/αα, –/αα, β+/N and β0/N groups. HbA2 divides them into two groups. Based on the Mentzer formula, we can further decide which type of thalassaemia to screen (α/β and the subgroups) for genotyping. Therefore, this simpler and more cost-effective workflow has great potential for application in screening pregnant women for thalassaemia carriers. What is already known on this subject? Currently, it is known that thalassaemia gene carriers have abnormal blood indicators. Many findings describe their important values in distinguishing thalassaemia and other blood diseases. They combined different metrics as an algorithm to distinguish thalassaemia and iron deficiency anaemia. Prenatal screening is an effective method to reduce the incidence of thalassaemia. The current main method is PCR. Due to technical and financial constraints, many backward places cannot use this technology. The necessity for prenatal screening for thalassaemia has been overlooked. Whatthe results of this study add? Among these algorithms, Mentzer formula revealed differences in haematological parameters during pregnancy between normal individuals and thalassaemia carriers. Combining the HbA2, thalassaemia carriers can be distinguished from normal individuals, including –α/αα, αTα/αα, –/αα, β0/N and β+/N. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? We provide another tool for these hospitals that donot have Hb electrophoresis test and PCR. Then the clinical doctor can get some evidence and suggest women go to another big hospital for essential tests. It is an excellent suggestion. In the future, we will collect more specific gene types and further investigate their potential relationship using these formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangifera indica L. cv. Keitt is a cold-stress fruit plant native to China's drought river valley. Chilling stress affects productivity. Understanding the mechanisms of chilling stress is important to increasing chilling resistance in mango. Leaves of Keitti were subjected to 4 °C for 0, 3, 6, and 9 h for RNA-Seq-based transcriptome analysis, respectively. The chlorophyll content, carotenoid content, catalase, and peroxidase activities significantly increased during 9 h. The leaves responded to the stress by enhancing photosynthetic pigment content and antioxidant enzyme activity. After 3 h of chilling, 410 genes were differentially expressed. WRKY70 and PLD1 were significantly up-regulated after 9 h. Compared to 9 and 0 h, there were 1123 DEG. The DEGs are enriched in hormonal signal transduction, secondary metabolites, and the abiotic stress response. Similarly, the transcriptional factor families including NCED2, MYB73, and HLH162 up-regulated. The study will promote research on the development of chill-resistant mangoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent literature, energy efficiency got the attention of scholars due to its discouraging impact on CO2 emissions, which is considered the most prevalent greenhouse gas that human activities produce. Data reports that China is the leading CO2 emitting country across the globe, and still the environmental degradation is in progress. Thus, the current paper empirically investigates the impact of energy efficiency (ENEF), financial inclusion (FD), GDP, export diversification (EXD), and human capital index (HCI) on the environmental degradation of China over the period from 1988 to 2018. This study uses various time-series tests to empirically investigate the determinant of CO2 emissions, including normality tests, unit root tests, and combined cointegration tests. Besides, the long-run coefficients are analyzed via the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), dynamic OLS (DOLS), and the Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR) estimators. The empirical findings reveal that all the variables are cointegrated in the long run. However, the coefficient estimate shows that ENEF and HCI significantly promote environmental sustainability. While GDP, FD, and EXD significantly promote environmental degradation by enhancing the CO2 level in the atmosphere. This study recommends practical policy implications based on the empirical findings: energy-efficient products and energy sources could be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the molecular diagnosis of hemoglobin variants in Z region by Capillary electrophoresis in Central Guangxi, Southern China, and analyze their distribution and phenotypic characteristics, to provide a reference for clinical consultation and prenatal diagnosis for couples. A total of 23,709 subjects were collected for blood routine analysis, hemoglobin analysis, and common α- and β-globin gene loci in Chinese population. The hemoglobin electrophoresis components were divided into Zone 1-Zone 15 (Z1-Z15) by Capillary zone electrophoresis (CE). For samples not clearly detected by the conventional technology, Sanger sequencing, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) were used. Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology was used to analyze rare-type genes in a sample with a structural variation. Ten rare hemoglobin variants distributed in Z region were detected in 23,709 samples, including Hb Cibeles, which was reported for the first time in Asia; Hb J-Broussais, Hb G-Honolulu and J-Wenchang-Wuming, they were first reported in Guangxi; 1 case of Hb Anti-Lepore Liuzhou, which was a newly discovered hemoglobin variant; hemoglobin variants Hb G-Siriraj, Hb Handsworth, Hb Q-Thailand, Hb Ube-2, Hb NewYork were also detected. There are a few studies on rare hemoglobin variants in Z region in Southern China. Ten rare hemoglobin variants were found in this study. The hematological phenotype and component content of hemoglobin variants are related to the occurrence of thalassemia. This study enriched the data of rare hemoglobin variants in Southern China and provided a comprehensive data basis for prenatal diagnosis of hemoglobin variants in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urinary calculi are frequently encountered in urology. Traditionally, the lack of a perfect water injection and drainage system means the observation field is affected during ureteroscopy. Here, we explored the effect and clinical value of a new integrated suctioning semi-rigid ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) for treating ureteral calculi. A total of 180 patients were successfully enrolled in this study (60 in each group). Group A included patients who underwent a traditional semi-rigid URSL, group B included patients who underwent a suctioning semi-rigid URSL with a sheath being connected to a vacuum device, and group C included patients who underwent a new type of suctioning integrated rigid URSL with a novel designed ureteroscope. In total, 164 cases of URSL were completed in one stage. Compared with group A, group C had a higher stone-clearance rate at 30 days postoperatively, shorter operation time, and fewer hospitalization days (p <.05); compared with group B, group C had a higher one-stage operation success rate, shorter operation time, and fewer hospitalization days (p <.05). Comparatively, the new suctioning integrated semi-rigid URSL is advantageous for treating upper urinary calculi, considering the reduced operation time, length of hospital stay, and low invasiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) have been widely reported to have promising application potential; nonetheless, platelet isolation from peripheral blood is an important but neglected step in TEPs research for platelet-based liquid biopsy. In this article, we discussed some common influence factors for platelet isolation. To investigate the factors involved in platelet isolation, a prospective multicenter study was conducted on healthy Han Chinese adults (18 to 79 years of age). A total of 208 individuals were included in the final statistical analysis out of the 226 healthy volunteers who were prospectively enrolled from four hospitals. The primary study metric was the platelet recovery rate (PRR). The similar pattern was observed in the four hospitals, The PRR at room temperature (23°C±2°C) was slightly higher than the PRR at cold temperature (4°C±2°C). Moreover, the PRR gradually decreased as the storage time increased. The PRR for samples within 2 hours of storage is significantly higher than for samples beyond 2 hours (p < .05). Additionally, PRR was also affected by the equipment used in different centers. This study confirmed several factors that influence platelet isolation. In our study, we indicated that platelet isolation should be performed within two hours of peripheral blood draw and held at room temperature until isolation, and that centrifuge models should be fixed during the extraction process, which will further improve the research progress of platelet-based liquid biopsy in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented urbanization in China has dramatically changed the urban spatial structure of cities. With the proliferation of individual-level geospatial big data, previous studies have widely used the network abstraction model to reveal the underlying urban spatial structure. However, the construction of network abstraction models primarily focuses on the topology of the road network without considering individual travel flows along with the road networks. Individual travel flows reflect the urban dynamics, which can further help understand the underlying spatial structure. This study therefore aims to reveal the intra-urban hierarchical spatial structure by integrating the road network abstraction model and individual travel flows. To achieve this goal, we 1) quantify the spatial interaction relatedness of road segments based on the Word2Vec model using large volumes of taxi trip data, then 2) characterize the road abstraction network model according to the identified spatial interaction relatedness, and 3) implement a community detection algorithm to reveal sub-regions of a city. Our results reveal three levels of hierarchical spatial structures in the Wuhan metropolitan area. This study provides a data-driven approach to the investigation of urban spatial structure via identifying traffic interaction patterns on the road network, offering insights to urban planning practice and transportation management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the performance of pairs trading strategies based on Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process with jump-diffusion and regime-switching using minute-level data for five Chinese energy futures from 2 January 2020 to 30 November 2021 and compare them with traditional pairs trading strategies. Our results indicate that OU models can obtain an average return of 50.62% per annum and a Sharpe ratio of 2.63, which significantly exceed those of traditional pairs trading strategies. However, none of them could 'win' in every subperiod with diverse market conditions. Meanwhile, we find that introducing jump-diffusion indeed improves the performance (additional 25.37% annualized return and 1.12 Sharpe ratio). In contrast, considering more regimes does not always bring additional benefits. Robustness checks show that the superior performance of three-regime switching OU model (3RS-OUM) persists even under harsh trading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is associated with the endocrine and reproductive systems. We aimed to investigate the role of SHBG in the reproductive process. Therefore, we conducted a secondary analysis of the PCOSAct (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Acupuncture Clinical Trial) study, which involved 21 sites in China and a total of 1000 women with PCOS. Out of these, 954 women with SHBG were included in the analysis. Through multivariate analysis of ovulation predictors, we found that age, BMI, estradiol, testosterone, and SHBG all showed a positive predictive value for ovulation (p = 0.0211, 0.0011, 0.0211, 0.0029, 0.0434, respectively). However, the LH to FSH ratio had a negative predictive value (p = 0.0539). Higher quartiles of SHBG were associated with a higher rate of ovulation, and per quartile increased was statistically significant (HR = 1.138, 95%CI [1.054,1.229]). The association remained significant even after adjusting for testosterone (HR = 1.263, 95%CI [1.059, 1.507]). On the other hand, quartiles of testosterone and estradiol did not exhibit any significant tendency toward ovulation. SHBG demonstrated predictive ability for ovulation, conception, pregnancy, and live birth (p < 0.05), and this correlation remained significant after adjusting intervention. Kaplan-Meier curves illustrated that increased levels of SHBG were a factor in high rates of ovulation, conception, and pregnancy. In comparison to other sexual hormones, a higher baseline level of SHBG was related to increased ovulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living arrangements and health behaviors are considered to be associated with mental health, but their relationship has been less investigated by national survey data in China. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship of living arrangements and health behaviors with anxiety among Chinese older people and to compare the results between urban and rural areas. The study was based on the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey conducted in 2018, and a total of 12 726 old-aged respondents were included. Ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the associations between living arrangements, health behaviors and anxiety. This study found that people living in nursing institutions are likely to be more anxious than their dwelling counterparts. Although we found no significant relationships of health behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol and exercise with anxiety, older adults with greater dietary diversity were less likely to experience anxiety. Furthermore, different trends between living arrangements and anxiety, smoking and anxiety were also found among urban versus rural respondents. The findings of this study help to better understand anxiety among Chinese older people and shed light on health policy on older people protection and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Techno-invasion refers to constant connectivity of being "always exposed" that blurs desired boundaries between work and personal life and represents an emerging phenomenon of scholarly investigation. As work-related use of information technology (IT) during non-work time leads to techno-invasion, a minimal amount is known about whether techno-invasion may engender employees' deviant behaviors, a behavior that violates organizational norms and may be intended to harm the organization, its members, or both. Drawn upon the self-regulation theory, this study examines this relationship by focusing on psychological processes. Based on time-lagged survey data collected from customer service teams from two financial service companies in China, our results show that (1) techno-invasion is associated with self-regulation impairment (i.e., the reduction of one's self-regulatory resources needed to control undesirable impulses), which in turn provokes employee's deviant behavior; (2) perceived team bottom-line mentality (i.e., mindset to prioritize the team bottom-line outcomes) reinforces the relationship between techno-invasion and self-regulation impairment; and (3) IT mindfulness (i.e., employees' focus in being creative using IT, and learning and discovering new and more efficient ways of using IT) negatively moderates the relationship between techno-invasion and self-regulation impairment, thus serving as a remedy to alleviate or prevent self-regulation impairment and employee's deviant behavior. We explain theoretically and test empirically the impact of techno-invasion on employees' deviant behavior, emphasizing the intermediate psychological processes and the boundary conditions that affect this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)