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The objective of the study is to determine the causal relationship and potential mechanisms between Parkinson's disease (PD) and neuroinflammatory and neurotoxic mediators. We conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization (2SMR) study and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) analysis to investigate the causality between PD and neuroinflammatory and neurotoxic mediators. The mediation analysis with MR was also conducted to determine the potential mediating effect of neuroinflammatory and neurotoxic mediators between asthma and PD. Genetically predicted levels of nine neuroinflammation were associated with changes in PD risk. The associations of PD with CCL24, galectin-3 levels, haptoglobin, and Holo-Transcobalamin-2 remained significant in multivariable analyses. The mediation analysis with MR revealed that asthma affects PD through CCL24 and galectin-3. The results showed neuroinflammation could affect the pathogenesis of PD. In the combined analysis of these nine variables, CCL24, galectin-3 levels, HP, and Holo-Transcobalamin-2 alone were found to be significant. Asthma plays an intermediary role through CCL24 and galectin-3 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination intentions among Chinese residents over the age of 60, with a focus on the mediating roles of Health Beliefs and Cues to Vaccination Action in the relationship between vaccine knowledge and vaccination intentions. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey involving 1,305 participants from Southwest China. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified potential determinants of vaccination intention, including socioeconomic characteristics, knowledge, health beliefs, and cues to vaccination action. Furthermore, mediation analysis using the causal mediation analysis method explored the mediating effects within the knowledge-to-intention pathway. Vaccination intention and its related factors: among the 1212 elderly people included in the study, 92.9% expressed willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Main factors influencing their vaccination willingness included Residency (urban vs. rural, OR = 0.47, p < 0.01), Age (75 + vs. others, OR = 0.41, p < 0.05), Marital status (OR = 0.36, p < 0.01), Occupation (business/service vs. others, OR = 0.33, p < 0.05), Awareness of vaccine effectiveness (OR = 1.23, p < 0.01), Cues to vaccination action (OR = 1.31, p < 0.01) and COVID-19 related knowledge (OR = 1.06, p < 0.01). The analysis revealed two significant mediators—Health Beliefs and Cues to Vaccination Action. These mediators (p<0.05 for both natural indirect effect and natural direct effect) acted along two key pathways: (1) From Knowledge of COVID-19 to Health Beliefs to Vaccination Intention: Natural Direct Effects (NDE) ranged from 0.012 to 0.016, with Natural Indirect Effects (NIE) from 0.001 to 0.003, indicating that mediators accounted for 4% to 18% of the total effect. (2) From Knowledge of COVID-19 to Cues of Vaccination Action to Vaccination Intention: NDE ranged from 0.012 to 0.016 and NIE from 0.002 to 0.003, with mediators accounting for 9% to 20% of the effect. The intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 among older adults varies significantly based on socioeconomic and health belief factors. The study identifies health beliefs and cues to action not only as direct contributors but also as crucial mediators in the pathway from knowledge to vaccination intention among older individuals. These findings can extend our understanding of the impact of sociodemographic factors and health beliefs on the COVID-19 vaccination willingness among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study examines the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination intentions among Chinese residents over the age of 60, with a focus on the mediating roles of Health Beliefs and Cues to Vaccination Action in the relationship between vaccine knowledge and vaccination intentions. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey involving 1,305 participants from Southwest China. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified potential determinants of vaccination intention, including socioeconomic characteristics, knowledge, health beliefs, and cues to vaccination action. Furthermore, mediation analysis using the causal mediation analysis method explored the mediating effects within the knowledge-to-intention pathway. Vaccination intention and its related factors: among the 1212 elderly people included in the study, 92.9% expressed willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Main factors influencing their vaccination willingness included Residency (urban vs. rural, OR = 0.47, p

Abstract Background Malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty are age-related conditions that are associated with multiple health-related negative outcomes. However, the complex associations between them remain to be elucidated. The aims of the study were to explore: (1) whether the risk of sarcopenia has a mediator effect on the association between risks of malnutrition and frailty; and (2) whether physical activity (PA) level modulates this mediator effect in community-dwelling older adults. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 593 older adults (62.73% female; mean age = 71.35 ± 5.86 years). The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), the SARC-F Questionnaire, and the FRAIL Questionnaire were used to assess the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty, respectively. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was employed to assess PA level. Using the Hayes PROCESS macro (Models 4 and 7), mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed. Results The mediation analysis demonstrated that the MNA-SF had a significant effect on the SARC-F (B=-0.325; p

Background: Malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty are age-related conditions that are associated with multiple health-related negative outcomes. However, the complex associations between them remain to be elucidated. The aims of the study were to explore: (1) whether the risk of sarcopenia has a mediator effect on the association between risks of malnutrition and frailty; and (2) whether physical activity (PA) level modulates this mediator effect in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 593 older adults (62.73% female; mean age = 71.35 ± 5.86 years). The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), the SARC-F Questionnaire, and the FRAIL Questionnaire were used to assess the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty, respectively. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was employed to assess PA level. Using the Hayes PROCESS macro (Models 4 and 7), mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed. Results: The mediation analysis demonstrated that the MNA-SF had a significant effect on the SARC-F (B=-0.325; p < 0.001) and the SARC-F, in turn, had a significant effect on the FRAIL (B = 0.341; p < 0.001). The total (B=-0.171; p < 0.001), direct (B=-0.061; p = 0.001), and indirect (B=-0.111; bootstrap CI did not include zero, which indicates a significant effect) effects of MNA-SF on FRAIL were significant, showing that 65% of the association between the MNA-SF and FRAIL was explained by the SARC-F acting as a mediator. The moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the association between MNA and SARC-F was moderated by the PA level (B = 0.253; p = 0.016). The SARC-F mediated and relatively enhanced the association between MNA-SF and FRAIL only in older adults with a moderate PA level (B=-0.120; CI: -0.154 to -0.085). Conclusions: The SARC-F partially mediates the association between the MNA-SF and the FRAIL, indicating that malnutrition affects frailty through an indirect path via sarcopenia. Furthermore, the PA level moderates this mediator effect, with sarcopenia serving as a mediator in older adults with moderate a PA level but not in those with a low PA level. These findings reveal that it may be beneficial to consider PA level in combination with malnutrition and sarcopenia in the management and prevention of frailty in community-dwelling older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) is an effective way to reduce the fertilizer use and non-point source pollution in agriculture production in China. Existing research related to fertilizer use efficiency ignores the impact of famers' social networks, which can significantly affect the fertilizer use and its efficiency. This paper analyzed the impact of social networks on fertilizer use efficiency and the mediator effect of green fertilization technology adoption, based on the calculation of fertilizer use efficiency of 569 kiwifruit farmers in Shaanxi province of China surveyed in 2021 by using stochastic frontier method. The results show that the FUE of kiwifruit production ranged within 0.1027–0.9945, with an average value of 0.333, which showed great variability, and fertilizer input had an average 66.7% reduction potential without reducing output. Social networks and its four dimensions all had a significant positive impact on FUE, in which network trust and network learning had a greater impact on FUE. Farmers' adoption of green fertilization technology played a positive mediator effect in the process of social networks influencing their fertilizer use efficiency, which was mainly promoted by network trust and learning. Farmers' experience in agricultural production, joining the cooperative, the quantity of village agricultural supply points had a significant positive impact on fertilizer use efficiency, while age and gentle of the head of household had a significant negative impact of fertilizer use efficiency. Planting scale had a U-shape impact on FUE. Policies aimed at improving FUE and reducing non-point source pollution should, therefore, focus on improving the social networks of farmers, especially young farmers, strengthening network trust, promoting network learning, network reciprocity and network interaction, strengthening the research and development and extension of green fertilization technology, encouraging farmers to join agricultural cooperative, improving village production conditions, guiding sustainable agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is based on the conservation of resources theory. It aims to examine the mediator role of relational energy in the effect of supervisor's crab syndrome on employee work effort. This research, focusing on the crab syndrome and relational energy, a new phenomenon in the literature, differs from other research in terms of the concepts it deals with. The design of the empirically designed research has been formed through the scanning model. The research sample consists of 221 private security employees reached by employing the convenient sampling method. The SmartPLS software has carried out the research's measurement and structural model tests. Reliability and validity tests have been performed in the measurement model, while research hypotheses have been tested to reveal causal relations in the structural model. According to the research results, it has been determined that relational energy has a mediator role in the effect of supervisor's crab syndrome on employee work effort. The contributions and limitations of the research have been discussed, and suggestions for future research are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Studying the influence and mechanism between environmental regulation, environmental protection investment, and enterprise green technology innovation is crucial to realize ecological civilization construction and sustainable economic growth.Methods: Based on the green patent data and the corresponding enterprise data of A-share heavily polluting industry enterprises from 2010 to 2020, a comprehensive index of environmental regulation is constructed, and the system GMM estimation method, threshold effect test, and intermediary effect model are used. The impact and mechanism of environmental regulation on enterprise green technology innovation are studied, and the heterogeneity of property rights is analyzed.Results: The following conclusions are drawn: 1) Environmental regulation presents a “U”-shaped relationship of first suppressing and then promoting enterprise green technology innovation, and there is only a single threshold effect, and the “inflection point” is 2.756. 2) There is an intermediary effect of environmental investment in the impact of environmental regulation on enterprise green technology creation; that is, environmental regulation affects enterprise green technology innovation by affecting the environmental protection investment behavior of enterprises. 3) State-owned enterprises are more sensitive to environmental regulation, and environmental regulation has a greater impact on enterprise green technology innovation.Discussion: These conclusions play an important role in the formulation of environmental policies by governments and in the green development of enterprises.

The development of self-report instruments assessing the different facets of compassion adapted for different age groups is crucial for research and clinical practice. This study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the adaptation to adolescents of the Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales (CEAS-A) in a sample of 674 Portuguese adolescents. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the factor structure of the CEAS-A was similar to the one found in the adults' version, with higher-order factor models encompassing two first/s-order factors in each scale (Engagement and Actions). The CEAS-A revealed good construct validity, reliability, and temporal stability. Gender differences were found in Self-compassion and Compassion for Other scales. Path analysis results indicated that self-criticism had a direct negative impact on adolescents' life satisfaction, whereas the impact of self-reassurance on life satisfaction was partially mediated by self-compassion and compassion from others. The CEAS-A is the first self-report instrument that allows for the assessment of the three different flows of compassion in adolescents and may be an important and useful tool for research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to explore the inner relationship between targeted poverty alleviation and financing constraints of listed companies, and further reveal the underlying impact mechanism. Based on the data of listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share main board participating in targeted poverty alleviation from 2017 to 2020, graded response models and mediation models are conducted. From the perspective of resource motivation, the study examined the relationship between the investment in targeted poverty alleviation and financing constraints of listed companies and introduces policy resources as mediator variable to reveal the underlying mechanism. The study found that the participation of listed companies in targeted poverty alleviation can significantly ease financing constraints, and policy resources can play an intermediary effect in the process. For enterprises with different equity nature, in state-owned enterprises, policy resources play a small intermediary role between poverty alleviation inputs and financing constraints. Meanwhile, in non-state-owned enterprises, government subsidies play a significant intermediary role, and tax incentives play a small intermediary role. In response to this, policy suggestions such as improving the disclosure of poverty alleviation information, expanding policy preferences, and increasing poverty alleviation subsidies have been suggested.

Objective In this study, we examined the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between social support and work–life balance. Method Questionnaires administered face-to-face were completed by 434 volunteer participants working in the service sector in the Kocaeli province of Turkey who were recruited through convenience sampling. Structural Equation Model was performed on the collected data. Analyses were performed using IBM SPSS 21 and AMOS 22. Results Findings showed that resilience had a mediating role in the relationship between social support and work–life balance, and the three variables were positively related to each other. Conclusions Social support primarily affects the resilience levels of individuals, which, in turn, affects work–life balance. The increase in the level of social support of individuals also increases their resilience, and this positive change in the level of resilience positively affects work-life balance. The findings of the study are discussed on the basis of the relevant literature.KEY POINTSWhat is already known about this topic: (1) Recent changes in organisations and employee demographics have made work–life balance more important. (2) Ensuring work–life balance is important for both organisations and individuals. (3) Both personal and social determinants play an important role in ensuring work–life balance. What this topic adds: (1) There are few studies showing the effect of resilience on the relationship between social support and work–life balance. (2) Social support is considered one of the protective factors of resilience. (3) Resilience is considered a personality trait that is effective in maintaining work–life balance.

Environmental regulation has attracted a great deal of attention between air pollution and innovation, but rarely individual perspective. This study attempts to reveal the impact of air pollution on regional innovation through individual health. The methodology applies dynamic panel model and system GMM estimation dealing with endogeneity issue and using China's provincial panel data from 1998 to 2018. Empirical analysis shows that air pollution has significant negative effects on regional innovation. With every 1% increase in PM2.5 concentration, patent applications decrease by 0.186%. Correction and replacement of the dependent variable, classifying samples, and using subsamples all show that the results are robust. Parallel multiple mediator model is adopted to analyze the influence mechanism. It can be found that the physical and mental health of R&D personnel plays a significant mediator role. It can be constructive to regional innovation to reduce air pollution while maintaining innovation capital investment; and improve R&D personnel health while reducing their work pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Virtual meetings have been widely utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of organizational commitment on the perceived effectiveness of virtual meeting by Filipino professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A total of 513 Filipino professionals answered an online questionnaire which covered four latent variables: organizational commitment to virtual meetings, attitude toward virtual meetings, perceived effectiveness of virtual meeting as collaboration tool, and perceived effectiveness of virtual meeting as a social tool. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the causal relationships between the latent variables construct. RESULTS: SEM showed that organizational commitment to virtual meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the positive attitude of the employees which subsequently led to the perceived effectiveness of virtual meeting as a collaboration and social tool. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first study that analyzed the influence of organizational commitment on the perceived effectiveness of virtual meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Our SEM construct can be applied and extended further, particularly in analyzing factors influencing the perceived effectiveness of virtual meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the impact of climate change, Taiwan, an island state, has faced the challenges of extreme weather events in recent years. Based on previous studies on climate change and vulnerability in Taipei, Taiwan, this study explores the correlations between place attachment and individual attributes of residents in different vulnerable areas in Taipei. First, this study investigates the integrated vulnerability (IV) of 12 districts of Taipei by overlaying natural vulnerability (NV) and social vulnerability (SV). This study selects four districts with high IV and low IV in Taipei, and with a large proportion of flooded areas, as the study sites. Second, a questionnaire survey (600 respondents) is conducted to examine the correlations between place attachment and the individual attributes of the respondents (age, residence duration, disaster experience, and education) in the four districts. Third, factor analyses are carried out to categorize place attachment into four factors: "security," "familiarity," "belongingness," and "rootedness." Finally, whether different factors have different relationships with place attachment are elucidated. The results show no consistent correlations between place attachment and individual attributes in areas with different vulnerabilities. Furthermore, by comparing the correlations before and after factor analyses of place attachment, among the four factors of place attachment (security, familiarity, belongingness, rootedness), there are no factors significantly relating to overall place attachment. This study further examines the mediator effect between risk experience and place attachment. The results show no mediator effects in the relationships of "perception → place attachment → coping behavior" and "attitude → place attachment → coping behavior." Follow-up studies can elucidate factor analyses of place attachment and examine the effect of geographical scale (neighborhood, district, and city) on place attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between social support and work–life balance. Questionnaires administered face-to-face were completed by 434 volunteer participants working in the service sector in the Kocaeli province of Turkey who were recruited through convenience sampling. Structural Equation Model was performed on the collected data. Analyses were performed using IBM SPSS 21 and AMOS 22. Findings showed that resilience had a mediating role in the relationship between social support and work–life balance, and the three variables were positively related to each other. Social support primarily affects the resilience levels of individuals, which, in turn, affects work–life balance. The increase in the level of social support of individuals also increases their resilience, and this positive change in the level of resilience positively affects work-life balance. The findings of the study are discussed on the basis of the relevant literature.KEY POINTSWhat is already known about this topic: (1) Recent changes in organisations and employee demographics have made work–life balance more important. (2) Ensuring work–life balance is important for both organisations and individuals. (3) Both personal and social determinants play an important role in ensuring work–life balance. What this topic adds: (1) There are few studies showing the effect of resilience on the relationship between social support and work–life balance. (2) Social support is considered one of the protective factors of resilience. (3) Resilience is considered a personality trait that is effective in maintaining work–life balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Education Technology & Scientific Researches is the property of Ayse Burcu Ulusoy 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.)

As a primary symptom defining Internet gaming disorder (IGD), preoccupation indicates a mind state in which gamers think about a gaming activity so much that other things appear less important and/or interesting to them. Previous studies have examined the negative impacts of IGD on both cognitive and affective functions, yet no study has investigated the influence of IGD on daily mind state changes that interfere with ongoing tasks. The current study hypothesized that more IGD symptoms lead to a higher frequency of mind state shift in terms of mind-wandering. As social anxiety is related to both IGD and mind-wandering, we further hypothesized that social anxiety would partially contribute to the relationship. Survey data were collected from 632 young adults who were divided into two groups based on whether they reported playing games or not. In the player group, the number of IGD symptoms present was positively related to mind-wandering (r = 0.269, p < 0.001) and social anxiety (r = 0.235, p < 0.001), with the latter two showing a positive correlation in both players (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) and non-players (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). A mediation analysis for the players showed a partial mediation effect of social anxiety on the relationship between IGD and mind-wandering (mediation effect: PM = 0.292, p < 0.001), and the model was replicated in an independent sample. This study suggests that excessive gaming behavior may increase mind-wandering and a shift towards such a non-productive mind state could exert long-term detrimental effects in adolescents and young adults.

Introduction: Previous studies have found that schizotypy can predict suicide, and that meaningfulness has influential effects on suicidality in the general population. However, it is still not clear whether meaningfulness is associated with suicidality in individuals with schizotypy. The aim of this study was to assess the mediating effects of meaningfulness in the relationship between schizotypy and suicidality.Method: We recruited 2,615 university students (including undergraduates and postgraduates; mean age = 18.35, SD = 0.81; males, 39%) to participate in our study, and used the Meaningful Life Measure (Chinese, revised) to assess their experiences of meaningfulness, the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire (Chinese version) to evaluate participants' suicidal thoughts and attempts, and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire to examine their personal schizotypal traits.Results: Meaningfulness was found to be inversely related to the other two factors, and schizotypy was positively associated with suicidality. The correlation between schizotypy and suicidality was reduced when meaningfulness was included, which may suggest that meaningfulness can partly mediate this relationship, accounting for 55.47% of the association.Conclusions: Prior research has suggested that assessing meaningfulness could provide more detailed information about suicide risk in individuals with schizotypy. Our study found that improving perceptions of meaningfulness can be an effective intervention in reducing suicide risk among people with schizotypy.

As a primary symptom defining Internet gaming disorder (IGD), preoccupation indicates a mind state in which gamers think about a gaming activity so much that other things appear less important and/or interesting to them. Previous studies have examined the negative impacts of IGD on both cognitive and affective functions, yet no study has investigated the influence of IGD on daily mind state changes that interfere with ongoing tasks. The current study hypothesized that more IGD symptoms lead to a higher frequency of mind state shift in terms of mind-wandering. As social anxiety is related to both IGD and mind-wandering, we further hypothesized that social anxiety would partially contribute to the relationship. Survey data were collected from 632 young adults who were divided into two groups based on whether they reported playing games or not. In the player group, the number of IGD symptoms present was positively related to mind-wandering (r = 0.269, p < 0.001) and social anxiety (r = 0.235, p < 0.001), with the latter two showing a positive correlation in both players (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) and non-players (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). A mediation analysis for the players showed a partial mediation effect of social anxiety on the relationship between IGD and mind-wandering (mediation effect: PM = 0.292, p < 0.001), and the model was replicated in an independent sample. This study suggests that excessive gaming behavior may increase mind-wandering and a shift towards such a non-productive mind state could exert long-term detrimental effects in adolescents and young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nursing of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine is the property of Journal of Clinical Nursing in Practice (Editorial Board, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press) 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.)

Copyright of Cuadernos de Psicología del Deporte is the property of Cuadernos de Psicologia del Deporte 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 recent years, China's financial sector has gradually been alienated from the real sector, allowing financial innovation and regulatory arbitrage add their own value to finance. High interest rates in the financial industry have led to changes in the real sector, revealing a trend toward "financialization" and "quasi-financialization"; a typical example of this includes nonfinancial enterprises' shadow banking activities. In this article, we use annual data from 2004 to 2015 of A share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, to examine the influence of nonfinancial enterprises' shadow banking activities on business performance. The results show that, overall, enterprises' shadow banking activity improve operating performance. In addition, from the perspective of earning structure, nonfinancial enterprises' shadow banking business increases financial benefits, but has a significantly negative effect on operating income. Further tests show that enterprises engaged in shadow banking activities will impact operating income through the two intermediary variables of investment scale and investment efficiency. However, the negative effect of investment in crowding out operating income is greater than that of the efficiency-improving effect on operating income. This article provides policy guidance in terms of recognizing diverse aspects of shadow banking system that divorce the real economy from the financial economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the aim of the current study is a) to determine the effect of students' word-of-mouth communication and their role models on their course-selection decisions, b) to determine the mediation effect of word-of-mouth in role modeling and students' intention to select a course, and c) to reveal which kind of role model is more effective in physical education and sports (PES) course selection. A total of 1445 students (Xage=14,43±1,42), of whom 813 (56.3%) were male and 632 (43.7%) were female, were enrolled in four different districts (Osmangazi, Yildirim, Nilufer and Inegol) were obtained. In the data analysis, IBM SPSS and AMOS 20 package programs were performed to determine the structural relations (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation), explanatory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to determine structural relationships among variables. The reference groups which are effective in the selection of courses related to PES are as follows; fathers, peers, PES teachers and sports celebrities. In the structural equation model, role model and word-of-mouth communication explained the change in the intention of course selection in the range of 67% to 77%. Additionally, there was a mediating effect of word-of-mouth communication between role modeling and course selection decision. Findings of this study were discussed in context of the literature by making some recommendations for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationship among index of difficulty (ID) and parallax on eye movement time (EMT), fixation duration (FD), time to first fixation (TFF), number of fixation (NF), and eye gaze accuracy (AC) simultaneously. EMT, FD, TFF, NF, and AC were measured in the projection-based stereoscopic display by utilizing Tobii eye tracker system. SEM proved that ID had significant direct effects on EMT, NF, and FD also a significant indirect effect on NF. However, ID was found not a strong predictor for AC. SEM also proved that parallax had significant direct effects on EMT, NF, FD, TFF, and AC. Apart from the direct effect, parallax also had significant indirect effects on NF and AC. Regarding the interrelationship among dependent variables, there were significant indirect effects of FD and TFF on AC. Our results concluded that higher AC was achieved by lowering parallax (at the screen), longer EMT, higher NF, longer FD, and longer TF,

Logistics sector is recognized as one of most important element of an advanced economies. Many studies tried to understand the relationship among the logistic sector and the prosperity of a country. We start to understand what is the meaning in the academic literature of logistic so as to better understand the Logistic Performance Index (LPI), published by the World Bank in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014. This research through the use of explanatory linear regression model was aimed to analyze the mediator role of Logistic Performance Index (LPI) on the relation between the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2007 to 2014 in Europe (EU 28).

Aims To investigate the relationship between body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio, as well as the mediating factors through which they might exert their risk for cardiovascular disease/coronary heart disease and mortality events in the older Iranian population during a median follow up of 9.5 years. Methods The study population included participants, aged ≥65 years, free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. The confounder-adjusted hazard ratio was calculated for a 1-SD change in each anthropometric measure with and without adjustment for hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and hypertension. Results During the study follow up, 193 participants developed their first cardiovascular disease event and 183 deaths occurred. No association was found between cardiovascular disease/coronary heart disease and body mass index, even in the confounder-adjusted models. Central adiposity measures showed a significant risk for cardiovascular disease events in the confounder-adjusted model ranging from hazard ratio 1.16 (95% confidence interval 1.02-1.33) for waist-to-hip ratio to 1.21 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.42) for waist-to-height ratio. Adjustment for hypertension alone or in combination with other metabolic mediators attenuated the hazard ratio to null. Although hypercholesterolemia did not show any mediating effect of central adiposity measures for cardiovascular disease/coronary heart disease, hypertension was the most powerful mediator, accounting for 30-45% of the excess risk. Conclusions Central rather than general adiposity showed a significant role in determining cardiovascular disease/coronary heart disease risk. The harmful effect of central adiposity was completely attributable to mediators, especially hypertension. Clinical interventions for control of mediators focusing on hypertension should be emphasized. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2017-2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing evidence of the association between shame experiences and eating psychopathology, the specific effect of body image-focused shame memories on binge eating remains largely unexplored. The current study examined this association and considered current body image shame and self-criticism as mediators. A multi-group path analysis was conducted to examine gender differences in these relationships. The sample included 222 women and 109 men from the Portuguese general and college student populations who recalled an early body image-focused shame experience and completed measures of the centrality of the shame memory, current body image shame, binge eating symptoms, depressive symptoms, and self-criticism. For both men and women, the effect of the centrality of shame memories related to body image on binge eating symptoms was fully mediated by body image shame and self-criticism. In women, these effects were further mediated by self-criticism focused on a sense of inadequacy and also on self-hatred. In men, only the form of self-criticism focused on a sense of inadequacy mediated these associations. The present study has important implications for the conceptualization and treatment of binge eating symptoms. Findings suggest that, in both genders, body image-focused shame experiences are associated with binge eating symptoms via their effect on current body image shame and self-criticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The potential influence of dietary factors on inflammation is important for cancer prevention. Utilizing data from control participants (312 men, 911 women) in 2 nested case-control studies of cancer within the Multiethnic Cohort, we examined the associations of red and processed meat intake with serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 and the mediator effect of body mass index (BMI) on the above associations (if present).Methods: Multivariable linear models were applied to assess the association between red and processed meat intake at cohort entry and serum biomarker levels measured 9.1 years later after adjusting for covariates and to determine the mediator effect of BMI.Results: Overall red and processed meat intake was positively associated with serum leptin levels in men (β = 0.180, p = 0.0004) and women (β = 0.167, p < 0.0001). In women, higher red and processed meat consumption was significantly associated with higher CRP (β = 0.069, p = 0.03) and lower adiponectin levels (β = -0.082, p = 0.005). In mediation analyses with red and processed meat intake and BMI as predictors, the associations of red and processed meat with biomarkers decreased substantially (as indicated by percentage change in effect: leptin in men, 13.4%; leptin in women, 13.7%; adiponectin in women, -4.7%; CRP in women, 7.4%) and were no longer significant (p > 0.05), whereas BMI remained significantly associated with serum leptin (men: β = 3.209, p < 0.0001; women: β = 2.891, p < 0.0001), adiponectin (women: β = -1.085, p < 0.0001), and CRP (women: β = 1.581, p < 0.0001).Conclusion: The current data suggest that the amount of excess body weight or the degree of adiposity may mediate the relations between dietary red and processed meat intake and serum biomarkers associated with obesity and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Film production involves numerous imaginative tasks. These tasks are closely associated to seeing the film-that-is-to-come through what is currently completed and what can be creatively added. The present study was aimed at examining the effects of both creative personality and psychological variables on the imagination of film majors. The mediator effects ofinspiration through actionandintrinsic motivationwere also tested. A survey (N = 865) was administered at eight universities across different regions of Taiwan. The results of this study verified factor structures of both imaginative capabilities and psychological influences. The hypothesis of the study – that the variables of bothinspiration through actionandintrinsic motivationfunction mediator roles on imagination – was partially supported. The structural model also showed that creative personality and psychological variables had both direct and indirect effects on imagination. Limitations of the study were acknowledged, and future inquiries were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Shame has been highlighted as a key component of eating psychopathology. However, the specific impact of body image shame on binge eating and the mechanisms through which it operates remained unexplored. The current study tests a model examining the role that body image shame plays in binge eating and the mediator effect of self-criticism on this association, while controlling for the effect of depressive symptoms, in 329 women from the general population and college students. Correlation analyses showed that binge eating is positively associated with depressive symptoms, body image shame, and self-criticism, namely with a more severe form of self-criticism characterized by self-disgust, hating and wanting to hurt the self – hated self. Furthermore, results indicated that the path model explained 32% of binge eating behaviours and confirmed that body image shame has a significant direct effect on binge eating, and that this effect is partially mediated by increased hated self. These findings suggest that binge eating may emerge as a maladaptive way to cope with the threat of being negatively viewed by others because of one's physical appearance and the consequent engagement in a severe critical self-relating style marked by hatred, disgust and contempt towards the self. This study contributes therefore for the understanding of the processes underlying binge eating. Also, these findings have important research and clinical implications, supporting the relevance of developing eating disorder treatments that specifically target shame and self-criticism, through the development of self-compassionate skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the use of instrumental variables (IV) analysis with a multisite randomized trial to estimate the effect of a mediating variable on an outcome in cases where it can be assumed that the observed mediator is the only mechanism linking treatment assignment to outcomes, an assumption known in the IV literature as the exclusion restriction. We use a random-coefficient IV model that allows both the impact of program assignment on the mediator (compliance with assignment) and the impact of the mediator on the outcome (the mediator effect) to vary across sites and to covary with one another. This extension of conventional fixed-coefficient IV analysis illuminates a potential bias in IV analysis which Reardon and Raudenbush refer to as “compliance-effect covariance bias.” We first derive an expression for this bias and then use simulations to investigate the sampling variance of the conventional fixed-coefficient two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimator in the presence of varying (and covarying) compliance and treatment effects. We next develop two alternate IV estimators that are less susceptible to compliance-effect covariance bias. We compare the bias, sampling variance, and root mean squared error of these “bias-corrected IV estimators” to those of 2SLS and ordinary least squares (OLS). We find that, when the first-stage F-statistic exceeds 10 (a commonly used threshold for instrument strength), the bias-corrected estimators typically perform better than 2SLS or OLS. In the last part of the article, we use both the new estimators and 2SLS to reanalyze data from two large multisite studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longitudinal studies reported that some elderly people with normal cognition (NC) converted to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and some remained normal state (NC_S). The underlying factor for this difference conversion of NC is worthy of exploration Eighty-three NC participants were tracked for eight years. Thirty participants transitioned from NC to MCI (NC_MCI). The remaining 53 participants retained an NC_S. The structural brain features and genetic expression of the 83 NC participants were obtained. We applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to inquire into the co-expression network of those. Mediator effect analysis of regulatory roles was conducted to inquire into the associations between brain measures, expression values, and clinical scores. The main results are: 1) 20 brain features and 740 gene expression had significant differences between the two groups, 2) one module including 187 genes had the most correlation with cortical thickness of left superior temporal sulcus (L.STS), 3) NFKBIA and RARA genes were the top two genes that made the greatest contribution to L.STS thickness, and 4) mediating effect was found between the L.STS thickness, the NFKBIA and RARA expression levels, and clinical scores. Our results provide a theoretical foundation based on gene expression and brain imaging for the factors of NC with different outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Little research has been done to determine whether psychological factors and personality traits make independent contributions to creativity or whether they interact with one another to affect an individual's creative behavior. The present study thus aimed at analyzing the effects of both personality and psychological factors on student imagination as one main characteristic of creative behavior. A survey (N =891) was administered at nine universities across different regions of Taiwan. The hypothesis of the study—that the variable of intrinsic motivation mediates the effects of personality/psychological variables and both types of imagination—was partially supported. The structural model also showed that most personality traits had direct effects on imagination, while most psychological variables had indirect effects. In addition, the trait of openness was identified as the most influential variable on both types of imagination, while conscientiousness had a distinctive role in evoking reproductive imagination. Furthermore, this study also sheds light on the variables of inspiration through action and self-efficacy which can greatly trigger student imagination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Growing evidence supports the association between early memories of shame and lack of safeness and current shame and depression. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether shame serves as a mediator between such early memories and depressive symptoms. Aims: This study aimed at testing whether the impact of shame traumatic memory, centrality of shame memory, early memories of warmth and safeness (predictors), on depressive symptoms (outcome) would be mediated by current external and internal shame. Method: Student participants (N = 178) recalled an early shame experience and completed self-report instruments measuring centrality and traumatic characteristics of the shame memory, early memories of warmth and safeness, external and internal shame and depressive symptoms. Results: Path analysis' results revealed that internal shame fully mediated the relationship between shame traumatic memory, centrality of shame memory, and early memories of warmth and safeness, and depression. However, current feelings of external shame, highly linked to internal shame, did not significantly predict depression. Conclusion: These findings shed light on the role of internalizing early shame and lack of safeness memories into a sense of self as globally self-condemning in the vulnerability to experience depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]