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Teaching is often regarded as a profession with a high probability of job burnout. Research has shown a close relationship between teachers' motivation and their burnout, but it has not been closely explored among EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers in Chinese contexts. Considering the large number of college English teachers in Chinese universities and recent changes in their role, the study explores the relationship between their motivation and burnout, as well as the factors that affect teacher burnout among Chinese college English teachers. For this purpose, a total of 261 college English teachers from ten Chinese universities participated in the survey. Among them, 68 teachers submitted their narratives on teacher burnout using the narrative frame. The results showed that high mastery and relational goals and a low level of work avoidance goals contributed to higher motivation and less teacher burnout. The demand for research, lack of autonomy, and guanxi-based practices influenced Chinese teachers' burnout. The results show that teacher burnout is highly context-dependent and affected by the organizational structure and cultural practices. An organizational support needs to be provided for teachers to maintain their mastery goal orientations and increase their autonomy as professional teachers.

This study investigated student engagement by conceptualizing learning engagement and examining the inner mechanism that operates in the university English learning context. This study administered a questionnaire to 376 college students, and data analysis was conducted with SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0. The findings revealed that student engagement can be conceptualized into behavioral, cognitive, affective, and interactive engagement. The results confirmed that cognitive engagement positively affected behavioral engagement, whereas affective engagement did not. Affective engagement had positive effects on both cognitive engagement and interactive engagement. Interactive engagement positively affected cognitive engagement but did not affect behavioral engagement. Further, the results showed that cognitive engagement acted as a full mediator between affective engagement and behavioral engagement, as well as between interactional engagement and behavioral engagement. The findings of this study propose implications for optimizing English teaching to facilitate student engagement and ultimately enhancing their learning satisfaction along with improving academic outcomes.

Moving beyond the direct support all alone by a human teacher or an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, optimizing the complementary strengths of the two has aroused great expectations and educational innovation potential. Yet, the conceptual guidance of how best to structure and implement teacher-AI collaboration (TAC) while ensuring teachers' instructional roles to support students learning remains limited. This study, therefore, aims what (1) curriculum, (2) teacher-AI interaction, (3) learning environment would be required as well as how TAC would evolve by reflecting teachers' views. Through in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese leading teachers in AI in Education (AIED), the study found that teachers aimed to improve students' subject-matter knowledge and build their capacity as the desired goals for TAC and these can be carried out by data-driven problem-based learning and case-based reasoning in tandem with growth-focused and reflective assessment. While teachers highlighted that developing teachers' data literacy and collegiality with AI are essential, they expected AI to be equipped with Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) knowledge and conflict resolution skills. In addition, teachers expressed that Internet of Things (IoT)-based classrooms, systematic AIED curriculum, school-based continuing professional development, research-practice-policy partnerships as well as creating a continuous learning and AI-ready culture are significant. Furthermore, teachers envision TAC would develop into three stages: (1) teachers as passive AI recipients, (2) teachers as active AI users (3) teachers-AI as constructive partners. These findings build a more holistic and in-depth understanding of the AIED and offer implications for the educational AI design and teachers' education.

Online project-based learning (PjBL) is an increasingly popular teaching approach in higher education, especially in teacher education. Implementing online PjBL differs across subjects, bringing many benefits while posing challenges for educators and pre-service teachers. This systematic review aims to investigate the implementation, effectiveness and challenges of adopting PjBL in teacher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review provided a thorough overview of research on PjBL in teacher education during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was carried out using the systematic review methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Several relevant articles from five different databases (Google Scholar, Mendeley, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Taylor & Francis Online) were collected using the keywords "project-based learning" and "teacher education" along with their synonyms. A final list of 26 included articles to be reviewed in this study is produced after the titles and abstracts screening and full texts evaluation using inclusion and exclusion criteria. This systematic review reveals that PjBL has been applied in teaching various subjects in teacher education with different types of projects and assessment methods. More importantly, integrating PjBL in teaching has been proven to positively impact the development of pre-service teachers' knowledge, professional skills and learning attitudes. In addition, applying PjBL poses certain challenges for educators due to the requirements on teachers' and students' knowledge and skills as well as equipment and technology facilities. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic, if viewed positively, contributes to boosting educators' motivation and facilitating the implementation of online PjBL. The study findings can be used as a reference for future PjBL research and contribute to the literature on PjBL in the context of teacher education.

This study explored the role of written languaging (WL) in response to automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) in L2 accuracy improvement in English classrooms at a university in China. A total of 254 freshmen enrolled in intermediate composition classes participated, and they wrote 4 essays and received AWCF. A half of them engaged in WL after receiving correction, while the other half did not. To measure whether WL could contribute to L2 accuracy improvement, error correction tests were conducted three times. AWCF targeted all types of errors, but the study focused on investigating six language features (nouns, conjunctions, subject-verb agreement, sentence constituents, articles, and prepositions) known as the most frequent errors intermediate students make. The results proved that WL had a positive effect on accuracy improvement overall. However, when individual language features were considered separately, the effects were not the same. The inherent complexity of the features along with L1 influence appeared to affect the effects of WL for accuracy improvement.

The internationalization of teacher education has impacted the curriculum and contexts of teacher preparation in the United States (U.S.). While an increasing number of studies explore the effectiveness of international practicums where teacher candidates from U.S.-based teacher education programs immerse into different cultural and linguistic experiences, studies investigating teacher educators' perspectives in the context of preparing international teacher candidates (ITCs) in U.S.-based teacher education programs are scarce. This self-study research explores how a teacher educator negotiates and responds to the internationalization of teacher education, particularly to the learning-to-teach process of ITCs. This qualitative research uses a self-study methodology to explore challenges and culturally responsive practices while working with ITCs' diverse backgrounds, knowledge, and motivation. Data were collected over three academic semesters, including memos and notes, teaching journals, and lesson plans. Findings emphasize the importance of shifting perspectives and practices to meet ITCs' academic, cultural, and linguistic needs. Implications for self-study research and teacher education programs promoting the internationalization of teacher education are discussed.

The internationalisation of higher education (HE) worldwide has led to an expansion of courses using English-as-a-medium-of-instruction (EMI) in non-native-English-speaking countries. Research has identified complex challenges facing EMI educators in implementing EMI policies and suggested separately the significant roles educators' agency and perceptions of EMI play on their EMI practice. However, little is known about how individual educators exercise agency in response to the perceived demands of EMI teaching and the role of their interpretations and perceptions of EMI in the process. Adopting a cultural-historical theory perspective, this study explores how Chinese educators exercise agency to respond to perceived demands of EMI practice. Data included questionnaires and written interviews with ten academics teaching in EMI courses at three Chinese universities. Manifest in their engagement and commitment, deliberate actions and responsibilities towards themselves and students, their agency is unfolded in acts to improve their pedagogy and student learning of academic content, but no/t necessarily to develop students' English proficiency. Educators' perceptions of EMI appear to play a vital role in orienting their agency as they respond to demands from EMI practice when enacting EMI policies.

The major analytical research question addressed in this paper is: What are Thailand's strengths and weaknesses as an international education hub for students from the Asian region? The key descriptive research question is: What is the nature of the educational experience of Asian students in Thailand? The two major research methodologies of the study are mixed research methods and comparative case studies, with the use of in-depth interviews of influential experts, surveys, and an autoethnography. In terms of major findings, there has been a dramatic growth of Asian students at Thai universities during the past two decades. Thailand's major advantages relate to low costs, location, quality campus facilities, and a welcoming attitude toward outsiders, while major disadvantages are the quality of many of Thailand's international programs often related to low English language capabilities. The paper concludes by presenting a creative new architecture for thinking about Asian study abroad in Thailand.

Recently, there has been growing educational interest in competency. Global organizations, such as the United Nations (UN) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which are leading the discourse on education reform, are undertaking the lead in spreading awareness regarding competency education. Since 2015, the number of published articles on competency education has been rapidly increasing. This paper aims to provide significant implications for creating a sustainable future of competency education. A topic modeling method was used to empirically analyze latent topics and international research trends in 26,532 articles published on competency-based education (CBE). As a result of the analysis, 15 topics were derived, including "approach to competency development." In addition, five topics including "learning skills" and "teacher training" were found to be hot topics with the increasing article publication. The rapidly changing modern society is calling for a transformation in education. We hope that the results of this study paves the way for further research exploring new directions for education, such as competency education.

The global pandemic in Spring 2010 catapulted hundreds of universities worldwide into the realm of online education. Technological advancements over the last two decades had made online education viable but it was still a relatively small part of higher education. For most students the move to online education was not a choice or an option but a necessity and their reactions will play an important part in strategic decisions made in higher education for years to come. It is important to understand their perception's and attitudes towards online education. The implications for Western universities with campuses in China are significant due to the vast differences in delivering US accredited course content online vs in person in China. Sino-foreign cooperative universities deliver Western curriculum courses in English thereby providing students with a different academic experience than typical Chinese universities. An exploration of whether the attitude of Sino-foreign cooperative university students and Chinese university students towards distance education is different is relevant at this time. Data was collected by an online survey completed by both students of typical Chinese universities and of Sino-foreign universities. The results suggest that students had a generally positive attitude towards distance education and that there were no significant differences in students' attitudes towards distance education as a function of the type of university they attend. The findings are of interest because if Chinese students prove receptive to online education in general, the type of opportunities for Sino-Chinese Universities are significantly changed.

Studying online has currently evolved into a global 'new normal' trend in education. However, students' intention to adopt online interactive behaviors is still relatively low, and few studies have attempted to obtain an in-depth understanding of students' online interactive behaviors. This study aims to explain and predict students' intention to adopt online interactions by synthesizing the theory of planned behavior (TPB) with cognitive and motivational factors. The proposed model was validated by surveying 368 junior high school students in China who had experienced formal online education for one semester. The results showed that perceived behavioral control was the strongest predictor of students' adoption of online interactions, followed by subjective norms and attitudes, while cognitive and motivational factors were significant antecedents of the three core constructs of TPB. These findings of the study provide valuable insights to understand secondary school students' learning behaviors in an online context and improve their adoption of online interactive behaviors.

With the ubiquity of the internet in every domain of life, university websites are considered an effective tool to create institutional image and communicate with internal and external constituents. Focusing on websites of four universities in China and South Korea who seek to become World-class universities, this study examined how these universities portray themselves using texts and visual images on their websites. Utilizing Fairclough's three-dimensional critical discourse analysis, we found that all universities similarly used texts presenting their world-class status, and pictures showing their international engagement and research accomplishments. In spite of the different institutional and national settings and languages used (national versus English-language websites), little differences in the texts and visual images were found. Implications for the current discussion on WCUs and future research are elaborated.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore recent national human resource development (NHRD) practices in China through a literature review focusing on programs and activities that represent the roles and interactions among the government, industry and universities. Design/methodology/approach: To effectively consolidate previous work and conceptualize the recent development of the NHRD practices in China, a semi-narrative literature review was used to explore and analyze NHRD-related functions and activities. Findings: Findings from the literature review showed that although the central government still plays a predominant role in China, universities and corporations are increasingly playing a critical role in developing an innovative and skilled workforce. At the regional level, NHRD initiatives in China have been increasingly undertaken by universities, industry and government-industry-university collaborations. The authors also found a disparity between developed and underdeveloped regions in terms of NHRD in China. Research limitations/implications: This study used the triple helix model as a framework that provides an insightful lens for researchers to examine how various social entities interact with each other and jointly contribute to NHRD. Further case studies are needed to generate evidence-based knowledge to the NHRD literature. Practical implications: A more systematic NHRD leadership structure at both the national and local level is desired to unleash the potential of bottom-up development and active government-industry-university collaboration. To counter regional divergence in NHRD in China, intra- and cross-regional collaborations are helpful in improving resources distribution and workforce development. Originality/value: Based on open system theory, this study focused on programs and activities that represent the roles and interactions among the government, industry and university in Chinese NHRD through the lens of the triple helix model. In addition, this study offers a conceptual model of Chinese NHRD to help scholars and practitioners understand the transitional efforts in NHRD.

With the increasing popularity of computer-assisted language learning in the past decades, how to teach English reading in the new educational landscape created has become a challenge. Abundant literature has contributed to reading strategy instruction worldwide, however, empirical studies on computer-aided schema strategy training for Chinese university students in the EFL context have been relatively uncommon. This research aimed to find out whether there was a significant improvement in Chinese university students' reading comprehension after schema strategy instruction (SSI) using digital mind mapping (DMM) or not. This research also aimed to demonstrate students' perceptions regarding the positive and negative influencing factors of SSI using DMM. A mixed case study approach was applied due to its complexity and the small number of participants. The data were collected by using semi-structured group interview and reading comprehension tests. The interview data were analyzed quantitatively by using simple percentage analysis and described qualitatively as well. The reading comprehension test data were analyzed quantitatively by using descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistics. It was found that SSI using DMM effectively promoted participants' awareness of schema strategy in reading, however, no significant improvement in reading comprehension scores was found. Furthermore, visualization of DMM, cooperation among participants, and personalized schemata were perceived as positive influencing factors while imbalanced time arrangement, difficulty in cooperative work, and problems with DMM use were considered negative influencing factors of SSI using DMM. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of concentrated strategy intervention with DMM to enhance EFL learners' reading literacy.

The Facial Emotion Recognizer (FER) detection technology in the education field is in the early stage. Objective, to investigate the classroom emotion and the effectiveness of the Microsoft cloud-based FER interpretations The randomly selected 29 international students who enrolled the fundamental Chinese language course were investigated during five study weeks using the paper-based Student Outcome Survey which measured teaching, assessment, generic skill and learning experience. For FER, the 784 students' facial images were extracted and uploaded into the cloud-based APIs. The students with GPA = 80% showed higher significantly in Assessment components. No significant difference in FER emotion detection was found among five study weeks; however, natural and happiness emotion scores showed symmetric significantly in the opposite direction with r = - 0.82, P < 0.1. The students' overall outcomes were over average. FER indicated that the neutral emotion was the highest detected score. The APIs Reliability was still considerably questioned. Using updated quality and technology of photo and video recording were recommended in the further research.

Given the contextual conditions in each country, the United States, Korea, and China all have their own unique history of special education, which leads to different special education and service systems for students with special needs. The purpose of this paper is to compare the development and current status of special education in all three countries. The researchers did a comprehensive literature review primarily using the database of Academic Search Complete, in addition to national journals, published governmental reports, and official documents from Korea and China. The results of this review provide a better understanding of special education and trends in special education across all three countries.

The purpose of study was to investigate university students' attitudes towards English language learning apps and examine whether there is any significant difference in their attitudes depending on their personal variables such as their gender, major, grade, nationality, and so on. This study also explored students' perceptions of English language learning apps that they have used. Participants were college students living in Korea and China. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and an interview. Results showed that both Korean and Chinese students generally held positive attitudes towards English language learning apps, although Chinese students showed more positive attitudes than Koreans. The main reasons that they liked to use English language learning apps were their convenience, ubiquity, and rich resources. On the other hands, it was revealed that the lack of communication and feedback was the main problem of using such apps. Both Korean and Chinese students stated that it was an effective way to use English language learning apps to practice pronunciation, vocabulary, listening, and reading skills. Findings of this research suggest that English language learning apps should be developed to inspire users/students' learning interest and foster learner autonomy.

This study explores how preschool educators could assess dual language learners' (DLLs) English language abilities using formative instruments in school settings. It specifically examines (1) DLLs' receptive and expressive language proficiencies measured using the instruments and (2) educators' perceived usefulness of them for informing instruction. Participants were 139 preschool DLLs (M = 4;9) and 37 preschool educators from four countries (Argentina, Chile, China, and US). DLLs' families completed a questionnaire on the child's language background, indicating the child's home language and English abilities. Educators measured DLLs' English proficiency using adult-child co-play activities and language observations. Afterwards, educators completed a survey regarding the usefulness of these instruments. Findings show that DLLs' receptive English language ability was higher than and significantly correlated with their expressive ability in their home language and English. Also, parents' estimate of their children's English language ability was similar to that of educators. The correlation between DLLs' home language and English proficiencies was statistically significant, but low, indicating that the two languages do not necessarily develop together. Educators found the formative instruments helpful in understanding DLLs' language proficiency and believed that such an understanding could inform their instruction. Results provide implications for assessing DLLs' English language ability using age appropriate instruments.

Xinjiang has witnessed constant state attempts to reinforce the status of Mandarin Chinese as 'the Common Language' and to make local Turkic languages -- mainly Uyghur and Kazak -- more 'suitable' to the modern world. Official efforts to transform the linguistic landscape of Xinjiang have engaged in a complex interplay with Turkic speakers' own understandings of speaking, writing, and modernity across China and Central Asia. While tacitly subscribing to the dominant language ideology that Chinese is more useful, practical, and suitable for the modern world, Turkic speakers in Xinjiang also take pride in their languages. Especially since the government-initiated script reform in the early 1980s, the Arabic scripts' indexical association with literacy and Islamic identity has become stronger than ever for people in Xinjiang. Today, the Arabic script is not only an index of ethno-religious identity, but also an artistic expression. Thus, to many Turkic speakers in Xinjiang, Chinese is "merely" a language of mundane concern, whereas Turkic languages are the medium of aesthetic elaboration such as oral poetry and epic stories. This paper demonstrates that attention to such historical particularities helps us better understand how certain language ideologies can remain unchallenged while others are easily contested.

Through literature study of researches on critical thinking, this paper gives an analysis of the present situation and existing problems of critical thinking cultivation in Chinese college English classes, probes into the rationale for critical thinking cultivation and discusses how to cultivate students' critical thinking in Chinese college English class context through constructing constructive learning environment, designing flexible instructional strategies, and adopting formative, seamless assessment.

Bullying is a peer relational problem that can inflict psychological harm onto both those who are victimized and those who witness it occur. Fostering a positive classroom environment is an important protective factor in preventing bullying. Authoritative classroom climates may protect victimized and bystander youth from negative mental health outcomes associated with bullying involvement. The current study examined how dimensions of authoritative classrooms -- disciplinary structure and teacher support -- moderate the relationship between bullying involvement (e.g., victimization, witnessing) and students' psychological functioning (e.g., psychosocial wellbeing, emotional problems). We explored how authoritative classroom climate may protect victimized and bystander youth across different cultural contexts. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted on two separate samples of youth, from China (2,395 students in grades 5-9, from 58 classrooms across 5 schools), and Canada (538 students in grades 5-8, from 31 classrooms across 5 schools). Findings indicated that both victimization and witnessing were associated with lower psychosocial wellbeing and higher levels of emotional problems among Chinese and Canadian youth. For Chinese youth, witnessing was less strongly associated with lower psychosocial wellbeing in classrooms with higher disciplinary structure. In contrast, witnessing was more strongly related to emotional problems and lower psychosocial wellbeing in Chinese classrooms with higher teacher support. Collectively, these findings suggest that bullying negatively affects the mental health of the broader school community across both Chinese and Canadian contexts. In more collectivist cultures, promoting classroom climates that regulate student's behaviors by enforcing discipline fairly and consistently may help lower distress among students who witness bullying.

Despite scholarly consensus on the positive influence of peers' parental education on students' academic achievement, less is known about whether marginalized students reap similar benefits as their nonmarginalized counterparts. Using data from the China Educational Panel Survey and a quasi-experimental design, we show that the impact of classmates' parental education on test scores is significantly stronger for local students than for migrant students in urban schools. These differential effects are largely driven by rural-to-urban migrants and not by urban-to-urban migrants. Additionally, we find that rural migrant students benefit less from the positive effects of peer parental education than their local counterparts, especially when their local peers hold higher levels of discriminative attitudes toward rural migrant students in their classes.

The author describes her two-year experience of living in China and how this molded her attitudes about English language learners in Texas. Examples drawn from the Nanjing International School show how one school worked to meet the needs of a diverse group of students, with more than 70% learning English as a second language. The practical foundations behind these examples are supported by research, and readers are encouraged to consider how these examples could be applied with ELLs in our classrooms.

Thanks to urbanization, some developing countries have a large migrant population. Academic performance of migrant children is usually far from satisfactory, much to the concern of educators and legislators. Meanwhile, research has attested to the importance of reading skill development by the end of third grade for later academic achievement. Against this background, we evaluated the effects of providing self-selected, developmentally appropriate books on the reading performance and summer reading amount of students in migrant schools in China, employing a randomized controlled trial. The intervention program improved rising second-graders' word reading scores and summer reading amount. It proved particularly beneficial to low-performing children and children from disadvantaged families. The findings have implications for improving the academic achievement of migrant children in migrant schools in China and similar developing countries, especially where parental support may not be expected for the academic development of children.

Adopting a motivational perspective on creativity, we theorized when and how perceived cognitive diversity in teams was associated with creativity by focusing on the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and the moderating role of learning orientation. We further expanded our contribution by examining these relationships at both the individual and team levels. We used a sample of 382 Chinese employee-supervisor pairs nested within 106 teams to test our hypotheses. The results revealed that, at both the individual and team levels, learning goal orientation significantly moderated the positive association between perceived cognitive diversity and intrinsic motivation such that the latter relationship became stronger as learning goal orientation increased. Furthermore, our findings confirmed that learning goal orientation enhanced the indirect positive relationship between perceived cognitive diversity and creativity through intrinsic motivation.

Transnational research involves research in one country that benefits that country, and where the findings are compared to the extant studies in the larger field. It also involves the search for common effects and situational influences (i.e., country and culture-specific) toward a particular research topic. In this study we examine the transnational collaboration among 11 (5 female and 6 male) researchers located in five countries conducting research in seven countries for the past 18 years. Our purpose is to elucidate relationships among the team members. First, we use social network analysis to examine our publishing and presentation productivity. Second, we use a community of practice framework to understand our collaboration and scholarly relationships. Social network analysis showed that we are a strong decentralized social network with work shared across all members. Our community of practice analysis highlighted shared values, our shared impact, professional and personal rewards and challenges.

Asian culture has been test-centric for over 1,400 years. U.S. education has been since the 1990s. Based on Kim's creative Climates, Attitudes, and Thinking skills (CATs), creativity indicators were developed using the 2015 PISA questionnaires. Study I examined: (1) relationships between students' PISA science scores and CATs; (2) differences between Asian and U.S. students in PISA scores and CATs; and (3) relationships between teachers' years of teaching and nurturing CATs. Study I found: (1) negative relationships between students' PISA scores and CATs; (2) Asian students demonstrating higher PISA scores but lower CATs than U.S. students; and (3) U.S. teachers decreasingly nurture CATs. Study II examined how U.S. CATs changed from 1990 through 2017 by analyzing TTCT norming data (N = 273,441) and found continued declines in CATs, especially in imagination and in young children.

The sand bubbler crab, Scopimera longidactyla Shen, 1932 (Arthropoda: Malacostraca: Decapoda: Thoracotremata: Dotillidae), is commonly found along tropical and subtropical sandy shores of China, Korea, and Taiwan. Ecologically, it plays an important role in the productivity of sandy shores through their feeding and burrowing activities. In this study, the first complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of S. longidactyla was analyzed using next-generation sequencer. Its mitogenome, circular in structure, spans 15,965 bp with a GC content of 29.97%, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and one putative control region. Its mitogenome arrangement and composition are identical to its two congeners, S. globosa and S. intermedia. Phylogenetic analysis fully supports for the monophyly of the genus Scopimera and the sister relationship between S. longidactyla and S. globosa. The complete mitogenome of S. longidactyla and its phylogenetic implications will provide valuable insights for further studies in phylogenetic and evolutionary biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root extracts of Ancistrocladus tectorius (AT), a shrub native to China, have been shown to have antiviral and antitumor activities, but the anti-obesity effects of AT aerial parts, mainly the leaves and stems, have not been investigated. This study is the first to investigate the anti-obesity effects and molecular mechanism of AT 70% ethanol extract in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6J mice. Treatment with AT extract inhibited lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells and decreased the expression of adipogenesis-related genes. AT extract also upregulated the mRNA expression of genes related to mitochondrial dynamics in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. AT administration for 12 weeks reduced body weight and organ weights, including liver, pancreas, and white and brown adipose tissue, and improved plasma profiles such as glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol in HFD-fed mice. AT extract reduced HFD-induced hepatic steatosis with levels of liver TG and lipogenesis-related genes. AT extract upregulated thermogenesis-related genes such as Cidea, Pgc1α, Ucp1, Prdm16, Adrb1, and Adrb3 and mitochondrial dynamics-related genes such as Mff, Opa1, and Mfn2 in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Therefore, AT extract effectively reduced obesity by promoting thermogenesis and the mitochondrial dynamics of BAT in HFD-fed mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does China signal foreign policy intentions to domestic and international audiences during territorial conflicts? While China can signal its resolve by provoking nationalism at home, doing so may risk appearing threatening to neighbouring countries in the region. We argue that China resolves the dilemma by sending different types of messages to domestic and international audiences. Focusing on China’s maritime conflicts in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, we examine China’s narratives regarding the maritime disputes through the analysis of state-run media. Our findings from text mining and topic analyses of more than 31,000 state media reports from 2002 to 2021 suggest that China signals to the international audience on international cooperation emphasising diplomatic and peaceful resolutions while relatively less so in domestic media. The analyses have implications for how China signals foreign policy intentions amidst rising nationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Due to the widespread use of social media by young adults, the alcohol industry has been increasingly using social media marketing (SMM) to target potential customers. This study examines the prevalence and factors associated with past‐month exposure to alcohol SMM among young Chinese adults, a group with rapidly increasing uptake of alcohol consumption. Methods: An anonymous, random telephone survey was conducted between June and August 2021 on Hong Kong Chinese residents between 18 and 34 years old (n = 675). Results: Of respondents, 52.3% reported past‐month exposure to alcohol SMM (68.6% of past‐month drinkers and 48.0% of non‐past‐month drinkers, p < 0.05) while 71.6% reported exposure to non‐SMM alcohol marketing. Direct alcohol SMM exposure was reported by 40.9% (e.g., business‐to‐consumer postings, alcohol banner ads) while 27.4% of respondents reported exposure to indirect alcohol SMM marketing (e.g., shared/'liked' alcohol brand posts). Of those exposed to alcohol SMM, 13.7–15.5% reported that the various forms indirect alcohol SMM influenced them to drink more (vs. 6.2–8.9% for direct alcohol SMM). Being male, lower‐income, university educated and spirits/cocktail drinker were independently associated with exposure to direct alcohol SMM (ORmv 1.71–3.14). Past‐month exposure to indirect alcohol SMM was independently associated with lower income, not working full‐time and drinking any type of alcohol (ORmv 1.59–4.44). Discussion and Conclusion: The comparative effectiveness of indirect SMM on influencing young adults drinking intentions may be a form of peer endorsement of drinking. The pervasiveness of alcohol SMM and lack of alcohol SMM policies may indicate the need for greater alcohol marketing regulation in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the influence of entrepreneurs' religious beliefs on entrepreneurial career persistence, with altruism as a mediating mechanism at the psychological level. Based on the theory of role boundary permeability, we propose that the moral values contained in entrepreneurs' religious beliefs permeate into their entrepreneurial domain, making them more altruistic. Using a unique longitudinal, multilevel dataset derived from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we tested our hypotheses on 4,848 observations of entrepreneurs' career persistence spanning three consecutive two-year periods (2012−2014, 2014−2016, and 2016−2018) using multilevel logistic regression. Our findings show that religious beliefs enhance entrepreneurial altruism and subsequently increase the probability of entrepreneurial career persistence. More broadly, our study provides new insights into the psychological-level mechanisms at work in the entrepreneurial practice of religious entrepreneurs, adding an important new explanation to the limited research on how religion matters for entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the rapidly aging population in China, there is an urgent need to understand and address the community care needs of older adults. This study sought to examine these unmet community care needs of older adults in China and the factors influencing them, with the goal of providing essential groundwork for the development of community care health policies. Methods: This study used data from the 2018 China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey of 8,870 adults aged 65 years and older. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to unmet community care needs. Results: The results showed that lower number of children, increased years of schooling, poorer self-perceived economic and health status, residing in an institution rather than living with household members, not having public old-age pensions, and not having activity due to daily living impairments were associated with a higher likelihood of unmet community care needs among older adults. Conclusions: These findings indicate the necessity for crafting policies that consider the factors affecting unmet community care needs of older adults, including their health vulnerabilities and individual needs. Implementing national initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of services delivered to older adults is crucial, along with establishing programmes to proactively address their vulnerabilities and individual needs. This study can contribute to the formulation of policy measures aimed at enhancing community care services of older adults in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The accessibility of social media data has allowed researchers to measure official–public interactions during COVID-19. However, previous work analyzing official posts or public comments has failed to explore the link between the two. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between the communication strategies of public health agencies (PHAs) on TikTok and public emotional/sentiment tendencies in COVID-19 normalization. Subject and methods: This study uses the 2022 Shanghai city closure event as a public health communication case study in the context of COVID-19 normalization, using TikTok as a data source. We first analyze the communication strategies adopted by the PHA based on the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model. Then, we classify the sentiment of public comments using the Large-Scale Knowledge Enhanced Pre-Training for Language Understanding and Generation (ERNIE) pre-training model. Finally, we explore the connection between PHA communication strategies and public sentiment tendencies. Results: First, the public's sentiment tendencies differ at different stages. Therefore, appropriate communication strategies should be developed stage-by-stage. Second, the public's emotional disposition to different communication strategies varies: government statements, vaccines, and prevention and control programs are more likely to produce a friendly comment environment, while policy and new cases per day are more likely to produce unfavorable comment content. However, this does not mean that policy and new cases per day should be avoided; the judicious use of these two strategies can help PHAs understand the current issues causing public dissatisfaction. Third, videos with celebrity appearances can significantly increase positive public sentiment and, thereby, public participation. Conclusion: We propose an improved CERC guideline for China based on the Shanghai lockdown case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews a large number of scholarly articles in the housing field spanning the last thirty years, from 1993 to 2022 by implementing bibliometric analysis method. We examine scientific outputs, identify influential articles, journals, international collaboration and evolution of research trends. Keywords such as "Housing price," "Housing policy," "Affordable housing," "Homeownership," "Housing market," "Urban planning," and "Neighborhood" have been identified as the most prevalently cited terms during this period. Furthermore, the prominence of terms such as "China," "Gentrification," "Public housing," "Social housing," "Homelessness," "Migration," "Urbanization," "Energy," "Inequality," "Land use," "Gender," and "Foreclosure" have grown in importance, pointing to future research trends. The analysis also reveals that articles pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic predominantly address the comprehensive effects of the virus on aspects of mental and physical health, consumer behavior, and economic and societal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of hikers' choosing a destination, searching for information is one of the important elements, playing a decisive role in decision-making. Based on the Baidu Index for "hiking," this paper analyzes the spatial and temporal characteristics of and factors that influenced network attention to hiking in China from 2016 to 2021. The study found that (1) Network attention to hiking in China was generally relatively stable across the period studied, with highly uneven distribution between different months. The search volume was higher on weekends, and mobile searches increased year by year, far exceeding computer searches. (2) Different regions in China experienced different levels of network attention, with the highest levels in the east, followed by the center, and the lowest in the west. Except for East China, network attention to hiking was highly unevenly distributed within each region. (3) The COVID-19 pandemic increased the geographical concentration index and coefficient of variation but reduced the primacy index. A region's level of economic development, degree of network development, population size, and population age structure are proposed as factors that affect network attention to hiking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) by numerous countries, aimed at promoting trade among member nations, is widely acknowledged. Nonetheless, policymakers often voice concerns regarding the potentially short-lived nature of PTAs' trade-promoting effects. In light of this concern, we present empirical evidence that substantiates the transient nature of the trade-enhancing impacts associated with PTAs. We identify the expanding economic influence of China in the global trade sphere as a primary driver for this trend. These findings are reinforced by a compelling illustration within the context of the PTAs involving Korea and Japan with Latin American countries. Our case study suggests that the attenuation of the export-promoting effects of Korea and Japan's PTAs with their Latin American counterparts can be attributed to the penetration of Chinese goods, the sustained reduction of Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariffs, and the proliferation of comprehensive PTAs within regional contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure, mineral composition, total organic carbon content, etc., of gas shale are crucial parameters for shale reservoirs, which can directly/indirectly affect shale brittleness, fracturing effect, adsorption ability and production efficiency. The study proposed a workflow to characterize the physical and mechanical parameters of Lower Silurian Longmaxi shale outcrop samples extracted from the favorable block in Changning, Sichuan, southwest China. This study elaborated on the influence of these physical and mechanical characteristics and proposed a corresponding brittleness index on shale extraction. In addition, it put forward corresponding suggestions for development and risk control. For a better understanding the mechanisms of shale gas storage and production, XRD, XRF, SEM, low temperature Nitrogen adsorption method, nuclear magnetic resonance and other measurements were employed to analyze and study the mineral composition, microstructure, and adsorption performance of shale. The results demonstrated that the pores of shale are mainly slit pores; there are diverse pore types in shale, mainly including intergranular pores, mineral particle dissolution pores, and internal pores of organic matter; The samples with relatively low porosity also noticeably exhibit ultra-low permeability, and the nanopore structure is remarkably significant, with distribution primarily in range of 5-237 nm. Finally, a brittleness index considering the influence of water content and the mechanical properties was proposed, and the coupling interaction of various minerals components and mechanical properties on the brittleness index can more objectively reflect the brittleness characteristics of deep shale formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cardiometabolic risk (CMR) is associated with cognitive health, but the association can be affected by broader social, economic, and medical contexts. The United States and China have very different developmental and epidemiological histories, and thus CMR among older people could be linked to cognitive function differently in the 2 countries. Methods Cross-sectional and longitudinal ordinary least squares regression models were estimated for each country using nationally representative samples of populations over age 50: 7 430/4 474 Americans and 6 108/3 655 Chinese in the cross-sectional/longitudinal samples. Results In the United States, higher CMR is associated with worse cognitive function (b  = −0.08, p  < .016). Longitudinally, CMR increase is associated with worse cognitive function at a marginally significant level (b  = −0.10, p  = .055). No relationship between CMR level or change and cognitive function is observed in China. Higher education levels are linked to better cognitive function and slower cognitive decline in both countries. Unlike older Americans, relative to those with very low education levels, among older Chinese with the highest education level, a higher CMR links to better cognitive function (b  = 0.63, p  = .013) and slower cognitive decline (b  = 0.35, p  = .062); Nevertheless, a rapid increase in CMR is additionally harmful (b  = −0.54, p  = .050) for cognitive function and may lead to faster cognitive decline (b  = −0.35, p  = .079). Conclusions The significant relationship between CMR and cognitive function in the United States suggests the importance of monitoring and controlling CMR factors at older ages. The insignificant relationship in China may be explained by the high CMR among those with high education levels, highlighting the need for improving cardiometabolic health through education and promoting healthy lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the role of personal and cultural values in the authentication of tourist 6 attractions. An attitudinal value that an individual ascribes to attractions being genuine (indexically authentic) versus being staged (iconically authentic) is operationalized as primarily realist, constructivist, and postmodernist. Two dimensions of the Inglehart‐Welzel Cultural Map represent cultural values: secular‐traditional and self‐expression‐survival. We compared authentication outcomes of two indexical and two iconic attractions in five cultural contexts: China, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, and the U.S. Authenticity orientation affects authentication outcomes, especially in the context of recreated attractions. The effect of culture goes beyond the influence of demographics, familiarity, and personal attitudes toward authenticity. Tourists from cultures that are higher on self‐expression are more likely to accept staged attractions as authentic and express a higher propensity to visit. The relationship between personal values toward authenticity and authentication outcomes demonstrated cultural invariance in several national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the qualities of Chinese university professors as perceived by their students and the effects of those qualities on student learning and motivation. Specifically, what qualities and personal characteristics do Chinese university students attribute to their favorite and least favorite professors, and how do those qualities and characteristics affect Chinese university students? Out of 280 students surveyed from three different universities, 226 surveys were completed, returned and included in the final analysis (response rate of 80.7%). The research found that Chinese students favored professors who are entertaining, who help them learn more and who provide them with helpful feedback on their assignments. Students disfavor professors who are boring, arrogant and do not provide helpful feedback or help them learn more. Linear regressions revealed a connection between high quality professors and student learning and motivation. Along with other studies, this research provides evidence that effective university professors are those who not only possess expertise in their fields, but in addition are engaging, student-focused and able to build rapport with their students.

Morphological awareness, or the knowledge and awareness of morphemes and morphological structures in a language, has been shown to be important to reading. The authors investigated multiple pathways by which compounding morphological awareness is related to reading comprehension: indirect pathways via vocabulary, word reading, and listening comprehension, as well as a direct relation. This question was addressed using data from 325 Chinese (Mandarin)-speaking second graders. The authors tested alternative structural equation models that compared variations of direct and indirect relations. Results revealed that the two predictors according to the simple view of reading, word reading and listening comprehension, explained 80% of the variance in reading comprehension. Importantly, compounding morphological awareness was directly related to reading comprehension, as well as indirectly via vocabulary, word reading, and listening comprehension. Together, they explained 87% of the total variance in reading comprehension. Moreover, the total effect of compounding morphological awareness on reading comprehension, after accounting for the direct effect (0.18) and indirect effects (0.32) via multiple pathways, was substantial (0.49 standardized regression weight). These results add to growing evidence on the important role of morphological awareness in reading comprehension and highlight the multiple ways that morphological awareness makes a contribution to reading comprehension in Chinese.