Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induced Effect of Environmental Regulation on Green Innovation: Evidence from the Increasing-Block Pricing Scheme

With increasing constraints on resources and the environment, it is of great practical importance to discover and utilize the induced effect of green technology through market-based tools, in order to simultaneously realize economic development and ecological sustainability. Based on unique patent data from 1999 to 2013, this paper examines the induced effect of China’s increasing-block electricity pricing scheme (IBP) on energy-efficient patents and checks whether the effect is neutral or biased. Furthermore, the quality of the induced patents is identified. The results reveal that increased green innovation is strongly related to the IBP scheme. In addition, the induced effect is biased towards green technology such that, apart from autonomous technological advances, the biased effect of IBP induced two more energy-efficient patents per hundred technological patents. However, the quality of the induced innovation is relatively low: compared to high-quality inventions, low-quality utility models showed greater and more significant growth due to the IBP. Our paper provides quantitative insight into the impact of the IBP and indicates that a reasonable pricing scheme can benefit both the environment and the economy.
The Relationship between Social Anxiety, Smartphone Use, Dispositional Trust, and Problematic Smartphone Use: A Moderated Mediation Model

Background: The pervasiveness of smartphones has raised concerns about an increase in the prevalence of problematic smartphone use (PSU), which depends on a set of psychological and behavioral risk factors. Previous research has yielded mixed results on factors predicting PSU, including social anxiety and trust. In particular, the role of trust remained largely unexplored. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between social anxiety and PSU, via the mediating role of time spent on the phone, and to explore the moderating role of dispositional trust toward others, by using a moderated mediation model with PSU as the outcome. Methods: A total of 240 young adults (Mage = 23.33, SD = 3.90, 50% male) answered an online questionnaire, which included the 12-item Social Anxiety Scale, a question on the daily duration of smartphone use, a single-item measure of dispositional trust, and the 10-item Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version. Gender and occupational status were included as covariates. Results: Social anxiety was significantly and positively related to PSU; however, smartphone use did not mediate this relationship. Although the relationship between smartphone use and PSU was significant and positive, the link between social anxiety and smartphone use was not. Dispositional trust moderated and strengthened the direct relationships between social anxiety and PSU as well as smartphone use and PSU. Conclusions. Heavy smartphone users as well as socially anxious individuals, with the tendency of trusting others, are more at risk of PSU, which can be explained by their preference and search for online connections.
Job Stress and Mental Well-Being among Working Men and Women in Europe: The Mediating Role of Social Support

Job stress is one of the most common health issues in many organizations, particularly among women. Moreover, an increase in job stress with low social support may have an adverse effect on mental well-being. This study investigated the mediating role of social support in the relationship between job stress and mental well-being among working men and women in Europe. A cross sectional data set from the 2015 6th European Working Conditions Survey on 14,603 men and 15,486 women from 35 countries in Europe was analyzed. The study applied Hayes process macro 4 modelling technique to estimate the direct, indirect, and total effects of job stress on mental well-being among working adults. The study further used the Hayes process macro 59 model to estimate the gender difference in the mediating effect. The results showed that job stress had a direct negative effect on mental well-being among workers in Europe (β=−0.2352,p<0.05). However, there were significant gender differences in the relationship (β=−0.3729,p<0.05), with women having higher effect size than men (men: β=−3.9129,p<0.05 vs. women: β=−4.2858,p<0.05). Furthermore, the indirect effect showed that social support mediated the relationship of job stress on mental well-being (β=−0.0181, CI: −0.0212−0.0153). Nevertheless, the mediating effect of social support did not differ among men and women. This study provides evidence that job stress has a negative impact on mental well-being among working adults, and social support mediates this relationship. The results highlight the importance of the role of support from colleagues and supervisors at the work place, which may help reduce job stress, and improve mental well-being. Sociological and occupational health researchers should not ignore the role of gender when studying work environment and jobs in general.
Evaluation of the Relationship Between Pulmonary Artery Hypertension and Esophageal Varices Bleeding in Transplantation Candidates

Introduction: Esophageal varices bleeding (EVB) in liver cirrhosis is an important cause of mortality and morbidity. We aimed to study the relationship between systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) and EV grade and EVB. Methods: A total of 229 patients, 183 male and 46 female, who were determined to have EV in the upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy and who had a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) were included in this study. Results: The frequency of pulmonary hypertension (PHT) and EVB was determined to be 16% and 45%, respectively, in our study, and 20% of those who had bleeding had PHT; 70.3% of the cases with PHT were determined to have grade III varices while this rate was lower at 52.9% in cirrhosis without PHT. A significant correlation was determined between Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, platelet, albumin, and sPAP in those without a history of bleeding (p<0.05). Conclusion: An increase in the rate of grade III varices has been noted along with the prevalence of PHT in patients with portal hypertension. It has been determined that the increase in PAP is associated with an increase in the MELD score, which is closely associated with mortality and morbidity. Therefore, this positive relationship between the MELD score and PHT may lead to an increase in the frequency of advanced-stage EV.
Global warming and global dioxide emission : An empirical study

In this paper, the dynamic relationship between global surface temperature (global warming) and global carbon dioxide emission (CO{sub 2}) is modelled and analyzed by causality and spectral analysis in the time domain and frequency domain, respectively. Historical data of global CO{sub 2} emission and global surface temperature anomalies over 129 years from 1860-1988 are used in this study. The causal relationship between the two phenomena is first examined using the Sim and Granger causality test in the time domain after the data series are filtered by ARIMA models. The Granger causal relationship is further scrutinized and confirmed by cross-spectral and multichannel spectral analysis in the frequency domain. The evidence found from both analyses proves that there is a positive causal relationship between the two variables. The time domain analysis suggests that Granger causality exists between global surface temperature and global CO{sub 2} emission. Further, CO{sub 2} emission causes the change in temperature. The conclusions are further confirmed by the frequency domain analysis, which indicates that the increase in CO{sub 2} emission causes climate warming because a high coherence exists between the two variables. Furthermore, it is proved that climate changes happen after an increase in CO{sub 2} emission, which confirmsmore » that the increase in CO{sub 2} emission does cause global warming. 27 refs., 10 figs., 5 tabs. « less
A Meta-Analytical Comparison of the Effects of Small-Sided Games vs. Running-Based High-Intensity Interval Training on Soccer Players’ Repeated-Sprint Ability

This systematic review with a meta-analysis was conducted to compare the effects of small-sided games (SSGs)-based interventions with the effects of running-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT) interventions on soccer players’ repeated sprint ability (RSA). The data sources utilized were Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and PubMed. The study eligibility criteria were: (i) parallel studies (SSG-based programs vs. running-based HIIT) conducted in soccer players with no restrictions on age, sex, or competitive level; (ii) isolated intervention programs (i.e., only SSG vs. only running-based HIIT as individual forms) with no restrictions on duration; (iii) a pre–post outcome for RSA; (iv) original, full-text, peer-reviewed articles written in English. An electronic search yielded 513 articles, four of which were included in the present study. There was no significant difference between the effects of SSG-based and HIIT-based training interventions on RSA (effect size (ES) = 0.30; p = 0.181). The within-group analysis revealed no significant effect of SSG-based training interventions (ES = −0.23; p = 0.697) or HIIT-based training interventions (ES = 0.08; p = 0.899) on RSA. The meta-comparison revealed that neither SSGs nor HIIT-based interventions were effective in improving RSA in soccer players, and no differences were found between the two types of training. This suggests that complementary training may be performed to improve the effects of SSGs and HIIT. It also suggests that different forms of HIIT can be used because of the range of opportunities that such training affords.
Oleanolic acid inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing the SOX9/Wnt1 signaling pathway

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy in children and adolescents. Inhibition of SOX9/Wnt1-mediated signaling might suppress osteosarcoma metastasis, and oleanolic acid (OA) might decrease the activity of the SOX9/Wnt1 signaling pathway. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of OA in osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion. Osteosarcoma cell lines (KHOS and U2OS) and an osteoblastic cell line (hFOB1.19) were used for cell viability, proliferation and invasion analysis. The data suggested that OA significantly inhibited cell viability on days 3, 4 and 5 compared with the control (Ctrl) group in both U2OS and KHOS cells. Cell proliferation in the OA-treated group was significantly decreased compared with the Ctrl group in the osteosarcoma cell lines. Analysis of the cell cycle indicated that OA significantly reduced the percentage of U2OS and KHOS cells in the S phase compared with the Ctrl group. The wound healing assay results indicated that the OA group displayed significantly decreased cell re-colonization of the wound at 48 h compared with the Ctrl group. The Transwell chamber assay results also indicated that cell invasion was significantly inhibited by OA compared with the Ctrl group. Furthermore, OA significantly increased osteosarcoma cell apoptosis compared with the Ctrl group. Similarly, the protein expression levels of SOX9 and Wnt1 were significantly decreased in OA-treated U2OS and KHOS cells compared with Ctrl cells. OA-mediated downregulation of Wnt1 expression was reversed following SOX9 small interfering RNA transfection. Collectively, the results indicated that OA inhibited SOX9/Wnt1-associated osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion.
Perception of Attitudes of the General Population toward Homosexuality in Taiwan: Roles of Demographic Factors, Mental Health, and Social Debates on Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

The aims of this online survey study were to examine the associations of demographic characteristics (gender, age, and sexual orientation), mental health status, and point in time of the survey (i.e., the beginning of the social debates on legalizing same-sex marriage vs. the end of the social debates) with people’s perception of the attitudes of the general population in Taiwan toward homosexuality. A two-wave internet survey was conducted using Facebook to gather information regarding people’s perception of the population’s attitudes toward homosexuality among 4562 participants. The five-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale was used for assessing mental health status. The results indicated that participants perceived the population as having a lower acceptance at the end of the social debates on legalizing same-sex marriage than at the beginning of the social debates; gender moderated the decline in perceived acceptance. The results also indicated that poor mental health and heterosexual orientation were significantly associated with a lower perception of the population’s homosexuality acceptance in both waves of the survey. The factors related to perceived homosexuality acceptance need to be considered in developing programs to increase the population’s homosexuality acceptance.
The Role of Adequate Resources, Community and Supportive Leadership in Creating Engaged Academics

The vast majority of research in academia focuses on the adverse working conditions and poor wellbeing. The present paper presents a positive view on the factors that may promote work engagement in academia. Based on conservation of resources theory, we suggest that academic resources may be related to a social community at work, which in turn creates work engagement among academics. Having positive leadership in the form of fair leadership may be an important contextual factor ensuring that resources are shared fairly and openly. In a study of 1499 academics in Norwegian universities, we found that sufficient administrative resources to support teaching duties were positively related with work engagement, and that a sense of community mediated the relationship between academic resources for teaching and work engagement. These results propose that building academics’ social resources by providing them with the necessary resources to perform their jobs will buffer the impact of a leadership that is perceived to be unfair and help them to perform their work in a positive way. Our results carry important implications for how positive psychology may be used to support engaged workers in academia.
Adipokine signatures of subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat in normal-weight and obese women with different metabolic profiles

Introduction Metabolic syndrome arises from abnormal adipose function accompanied by insulin resistance. As early factors reflecting/impacting lipid storage dysfunction of adipose tissues, we sought to determine adipokine levels in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues (SAT and VAT). Material and methods Gene and protein expression levels of leptin, adiponectin, and resistin were analysed in SAT and VAT of normal-weight and overweight/obese women, subclassified according to insulin resistance index, triglyceride, total, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels into metabolically healthy and “at risk” groups. Results Compared with normal-weight women, obese women had higher serum leptin levels (p < 0.05), as well as increased leptin gene and protein expression in VAT. Conversely, expression levels of leptin were lower in SAT of obese women, and minor in the SAT of “at risk” groups of women, compared with weight-matched healthy groups. In addition, lower adiponectin levels were detected in SAT of metabolically healthy obese women (p < 0.01), and lower in SAT and VAT (p < 0.05) of “at risk” obese women compared to healthy, obese women. Significant differences in resistin levels were only observed in obese women; resistin gene expression was higher in VAT and SAT of obese, compared to normal-weight women. However, higher gene expression was not consistent with protein expression of resistin. Conclusions Low adiponectin in both examined adipose tissues and inappropriate leptin expression levels in SAT appear to be important characteristics of obesity-related metabolic syndrome. Intriguingly, this adipokine dysregulation is primary seen in SAT, suggesting that endocrine dysfunction in this abdominal depot may be an early risk sign of metabolic syndrome.
Why Exercise at Work: Development of the Office Exercise Behavior Determinants Scale

The constant increase in work pressure and the penetration of labor-saving technologies have significantly reduced physical activity in office-based work routines, threatening employees’ physical and mental well-being. Encouraging physical exercises at the office seems a potential solution. However, while there is a wealth of research into occupational health and workplace exercise promotion, little is known about which factors can influence the engagement of physical exercises in the office context. It is crucial to understand these determinants, in order to support the design of office exercise promoting intervention. This study explored the determinants of office workers’ exercise behavior by proposing and developing the Office Exercise Behavior Determinants (OEBD) scale based on existing behavioral and environmental research. The OEBD scale was assessed through an online questionnaire study involving 479 office workers. The results indicated that four factors (Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, Social Environment, and Work Environment) contribute to office workers’ exercise behavior. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis of our obtained data provided evidence for the internal validity of the OEBD scale. Thereby, this research can support increased office exercise with valid measurements for behavioral determinants.
Assessment of Hygienic Practices in Beef Cattle Slaughterhouses and Retail Shops in Bishoftu, Ethiopia: Implications for Public Health

Understanding the potential drivers of microbial meat contamination along the entire meat supply chain is needed to identify targets for interventions to reduce the number of meatborne bacterial outbreaks. We assessed the hygienic practices in cattle slaughterhouses (28 employees) and retail shops (127 employees) through face-to-face interviews and direct personal observations. At the slaughterhouses, stunning, de-hiding and evisceration in vertical position, carcass washing and separate storage of offal were the identified good practices. Lack of hot water baths, absence of a chilling room, infrequent hand washing, insufficiently trained staff and irregular medical check-up were practices that lead to unhygienic handling of carcasses. At the retail shops, cleaning equipment using soap and hot water (81%), storing unsold meat in refrigerators (92%), concrete floors and white painted walls and ceilings were good practices. Adjacently displaying offal and meat (39%), lack of a cold chain, wrapping meat with plastic bags and newspapers, using a plastic or wooden cutting board (57%), infrequent washing of equipment and floors, and inadequately trained employees were practices that could result in unhygienic handling of beef. Our study identified unhygienic practices both at the slaughterhouses and retail shops that can predispose the public to meatborne infections, which could be improved through training and implementation of quality control systems.
The Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Pathological, and Behavioural Effects of Medicago sativa L. (Alfalfa) Extract on Brain Injury Caused by Nicotine in Male Rats

Nicotine is one of the most important compounds in cigarette which can cause changes in the concentration of neurotransmitters and damage to the nervous system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of Medicago Sativa L. (alfalfa) on controlling nicotine-induced brain damage and anxiety behaviour in rats. Forty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six equal groups and treated daily as follows: a control group, T1 and T2 groups where animals were subcutaneously injected 250 and 500 mg/kg alfalfa extract, respectively, T3 and T4 groups where animals were injected subcutaneously 0.2 mg/kg nicotine and 250 and 500 mg/kg alfalfa extract, and T5 group in which only nicotine at the dose of 0.2 mg/kg was injected. At the end of the period after weighing, the elevated plus-maze test was taken from the animals. Serum assay was conducted to measure TCA, IL-1, and TNFα, and half of the brain tissue was used to measure oxidative stress parameters (GPx, SOD, TAC, and MDA) and the other parts were used for histopathological studies. Body weight in the T5 group was significantly different from that of the other groups. The time and number of open arms reduced in the T5 group. The duration and number of times in the open arm significantly decreased in the treated groups in a dose-depended manner. Malondialdehyde concentration was the highest in the nicotine group and the lowest in T2. The concentration of GPx and SOD was significantly increased in the presence of alfalfa extract in nicotine groups. TNFα and IL-1 in the T5 group showed a significant increase compared to the other groups. Moreover, the number of neurons and the level of necrotic neurons and gliosis significantly decreased and increased in the nicotine group, respectively, while these histopathological damages improved by treatment with alfalfa extract in T3 and T4 groups. Alfalfa extract can have a significant dose-dependent therapeutic effect on inducing oxidative damage and inflammatory responses of nicotine in the brain and reducing anxiety behaviours.
The Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Male Adolescents: The Moderating Roles of the Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA) Gene and the Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Gene

(1) Background: Numerous studies suggest strong associations between childhood maltreatment and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI); this is also true for the roles of dopaminergic genes in the etiology of some psychopathologies related to NSSI. Investigating the interactions of environments and genes is important in order to better understand the etiology of NSSI. (2) Methods: Within a sample of 269 Chinese male adolescents (Mage = 14.72, SD = 0.92), childhood maltreatment and NSSI were evaluated, and saliva samples were collected for MAOA T941G and COMT Val158Met polymorphism analyses. (3) Results: The results revealed no primary effects attributable to MAOA T941G and COMT Val158Met polymorphism on NSSI. However, there was a significant three-way interaction between MAOA, COMT, and child abuse (β = −0.34, p < 0.01) in adolescent NSSI. Except for carriers of the T allele of MAOA and the Met allele of COMT, all studied male adolescents displayed higher NSSI scores when exposed to a higher level of child abuse. A similar three-way interaction was not observed in the case of child neglect. (4) Conclusions: The results indicate that the MAOA gene and COMT gene play moderating roles in the association between child abuse and NSSI of male adolescents and suggest the polygenic underpinnings of NSSI.