bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing the public understanding of democracy through conjoint analysis
Authors: Seki Katsunori
Published: January 2023

Global support for democracy is puzzling in the time of alleged backlash toward democracy. Building on recent studies on democratic support that take into consideration heterogeneity in the subjective perceptions of democracy, I conducted a conjoint analysis and examined the trade-offs among various democratic values that the citizens might face when they think of democracy. Using an original dataset of 2,206 respondents, sampled from Japanese adult population, I found that the procedural view of democracy played the most important role when Japanese people evaluated a country's democracy level. In their view, a lack of free and fair elections and disenfranchisement of certain groups were more detrimental to democracy than a shortage of checks and balances, economic growth, and social welfare. In addition, the analysis shows that factors representing the minoritarian view and the substantive view of democracy play an undeniable role in citizens' democracy evaluations, which confirms the discrepancies between how students of democratization conceptualize and how ordinary people think of democracy today.
Understanding employee creativity from the perspectives of grit, work engagement, person organization fit, and feedback
Authors: Gonlepa Miapeh Kous , Dilawar Sana , Amosun Tunde Simeon
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Drawing on the growing emphasis in the literature on the importance of creativity in the workplace, the present study examines the effect of personal and organizational level factors that influences employee creativity. Precisely, we examine how grit, work engagement, person-organization fit, and feedback influence creativity in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

We sampled data from 422 research assistants who are professional workers at top-notch Universities in China. They were recruited to participate in the survey through an online medium known as WeChat. We empirically tested the effect of grit, work engagement, person-organization fit, and feedback on employee creativity. These hypotheses were supported by confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, and path analysis.

Findings

The results show that work engagement strengthens the relationship between grit and creativity. In addition, the results proved that person-organization fit positively moderates the link between grit and work engagement. Feedback also had a positive mediating effect on the link between work engagement and creativity.

Practical implications

Based on the appropriateness of an individual work environment, a gritty person will likely become engaged and creative with task execution. Consequently, a person’s organizational fit will strongly interact with grit, work engagement, and creativity.

Originality/value

We shed light on the blended value of personal and organizational-level factors that positively affect creativity in the workplace. Specifically, grit being both a personal and organizational factor influences employee creativity via work engagement. This research explored the effect of work engagement as a mechanism that serves as a motivational feature enhancing creativity. We also simultaneously identify the moderation conditions of person-organization fit and feedback. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed in detail. The study makes a theoretical contribution through its assessment of the impact of grit on employee creativity. The trait activation theory portrays how grit can be expressed through feedback and person-organization fit. In terms of practice, grit can be an important consideration in hiring decisions, and feedback should be given to make the workplace more creative.
Intimate partner violence, substance use, and health comorbidities among women: A narrative review
Authors: Mehr Jacqueline B. , Bennett Esther R. , Price Julianne L. , de Souza Nicola L. , Buckman Jennifer F. , Wilde Elisabeth A. , Tate David F. , Marshall Amy D. , Dams-O'Connor Kristen , Esopenko Carrie
Published: January 2023

Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), including physical, sexual, and psychological violence, aggression, and/or stalking, impacts overall health and can have lasting mental and physical health consequences. Substance misuse is common among individuals exposed to IPV, and IPV-exposed women (IPV-EW) are at-risk for transitioning from substance misuse to substance use disorder (SUD) and demonstrate greater SUD symptom severity; this too can have lasting mental and physical health consequences. Moreover, brain injury is highly prevalent in IPV-EW and is also associated with risk of substance misuse and SUD. Substance misuse, mental health diagnoses, and brain injury, which are highly comorbid, can increase risk of revictimization. Determining the interaction between these factors on the health outcomes and quality of life of IPV-EW remains a critical need. This narrative review uses a multidisciplinary perspective to foster further discussion and research in this area by examining how substance use patterns can cloud identification of and treatment for brain injury and IPV. We draw on past research and the knowledge of our multidisciplinary team of researchers to provide recommendations to facilitate access to resources and treatment strategies and highlight intervention strategies capable of addressing the varied and complex needs of IPV-EW.
Personal well-being and financial threats in Peruvian adults: The mediating role of financial well-being
Authors: Estela-Delgado Bertha , Montenegro Gilmer , Paan Jimmy , Morales-García Wilter C. , Castillo-Blanco Ronald , Sairitupa-Sanchez Liset , Saintila Jacksaint
Published: January 2023

Crises negatively affect the economy of a country, increasing financial risk, as they affect work activities and the well-being of the population. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of financial well-being in the relationship between personal well-being and financial threats. A predictive cross-sectional study was conducted. The variables analyzed were personal well-being, financial threats, and financial well-being. A total of 416 Peruvian adults from the three regions of Peru participated. The mean age was M = 35.36, SD = 8.84, with a range of 19–62 years. To represent the statistical mediation model, a structural equation model (SEM) was used. The analysis showed that the variables were significantly related (p < 0.001). The theoretical model indicated a perfect mediation, also obtaining a good fit, χ2(168) = 394.3, CFI = 0.931, RMSEA = 0.057, SRMR = 0.062. The study showed that personal well-being serves as a basis for promoting financial well-being and this contributes to the reduction of financial threats.
Relationships among students’ reading habits, study skills, and academic achievement in English at the secondary level
Authors: Abid Nisar , Aslam Sarfraz , Alghamdi Abdulelah A. , Kumar Tribhuwan
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Reading is an attempt to comprehend the writer’s message for personal growth and success in the relevant fields. Thus, psychologists consider it a multifaceted cognitive process of constructing meanings from texts. The present study was conducted to determine the relationships among students’ reading habits, study skills, and academic achievement in English at the secondary level in Punjab, Pakistan.

Methods

The (n = 1614) students enrolled in the science section for the academic year 2019–2020 participated in this descriptive correlational survey, selected from 40 high schools in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, through a non-proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The Reading Habits Questionnaire (RHQ) and the Study Skills Scale (SSS) were used to collect data about students’ reading habits and study skills. At the same time, academic achievement was the students’ grades obtained in the ninth class in the subject of English that were determined by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore in 2019. Students’ responses were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

The results indicated that students have competent reading habits and study skills. The correlational findings showed a strong positive relationship among reading habits, study skills, and academic achievement in English, while moderate positive relationships between reading habits and academic achievement in English. However, regression analysis results were significant, while reading habits and study skills moderately predicted academic achievement.

Discussion

It is implicated that teachers should plan such assignments and tasks based on reflective thinking by considering the role of study skills in academic achievement. Moreover, teachers and school administrators could mutually create timetables for library lessons to build reading habits and study skills among learners.
Neighborhood conditions in a Swedish context-Two studies of reliability and validity of virtual systematic social observation using Google Street View
Authors: Clausén Gull Ingela , Kapetanovic Sabina , Norman Åsa , Ferrer-Wreder Laura , Olsson Tina M. , Eninger Lilianne
Published: January 2023

Introduction

The goal of these studies was to investigate the reliability and validity of virtual systematic social observation (virtual SSO) using Google Street View in a Swedish neighborhood context.

Methods

This was accomplished in two studies. Study 1 focused on interrater reliability and construct validity, comparing ratings conducted in-person to those done using Google Street View, across 24 study sites within four postal code areas. Study 2 focused on criterion validity of virtual SSO in terms of neighborhoods with low versus high income levels, including 133 study sites within 22 postal code areas in a large Swedish city. In both studies, assessment of the neighborhood context was conducted at each study site, using a protocol adapted to a Swedish context.

Results

Scales for Physical Decay, Neighborhood Dangerousness, and Physical Disorder were found to be reliable, with adequate interrater reliability, high consistency across methods, and high internal consistency. In Study 2, significantly higher levels of observed Physical Decay, Neighborhood Dangerousness, and signs of garbage or litter were observed in postal codes areas (site data was aggregated to postal code level) with lower as compared to higher income levels.

Discussion

We concluded that the scales within the virtual SSO with Google Street View protocol that were developed in this series of studies represents a reliable and valid measure of several key neighborhood contextual features. Implications for understanding the complex person-context interactions central to many theories of positive development among youth were discussed in relation to the study findings.
Investigating the modulation of active preparation and passive dissipation on inhibitory control processes in the language switching paradigm
Authors: Shen Qinfang
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Previous language-switching studies have received scholastic attention and the observed switching cost patterns have provided empirical evidence for bilingual language control. However, results are inconsistent as the size of and (a)symmetry in switching costs differ across studies. In addition, there are various methodological differences that go beyond stimulus differences, such as the language proficiency of the participants (the participant-level factor) and the preparation time (a task-related level factor), which might be responsible for these inconsistent results.

Methods

With a focus on task-related factors, the present study was designed to examine whether and how preparation time modulates the size and (a)symmetry in switching costs by using the language-switching paradigm with cue-to-stimulus and response-to-cue intervals manipulated.

Results

Replicating previous literature on language switching and task switching, a clear preparation effect was observed in all trials (stay and switch trials) for both L1 and L2. The switching costs were modulated by the cue-to-stimulus intervals, and specifically, switching costs decreased when the preparation time increased. Another intriguing finding was that even when participants were offered enough time to fully prepare for selecting the target language at the cue window, the switching costs were not completely eliminated. In terms of the passive preparation at the response-to-cue interval, switching costs could be modulated by the response-to-cue interval – the time for passive dissipation of inhibitory control applied in previous trials. The size of switching costs was clearly modulated by manipulating response-to-cue intervals and switching costs decreased as the waiting time after a naming response increased.

Discussion

This study provides empirical evidence for the modulation of preparation effects on switching costs and inhibitory control mechanisms in bilingual language production.
The relationship between sleep quality and occupational well-being in employees: The mediating role of occupational self-efficacy
Authors: Peng Jiaxi , Zhang Jiaxi , Wang Bingbing , He Yanchen , Lin Qiuying , Fang Peng , Wu Shengjun
Published: January 2023

Objective

This study aimed to examine the impact of sleep quality on occupational well-being in employees by primarily focusing on the mediating role of occupational self-efficacy.

Methods

A total of 487 junior staff completed a set of questionnaires comprised Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale, Occupational Self-efficacy Scale, and occupational well-being measurements.

Results

The results revealed that both sleep quality and occupational self-efficacy were significantly correlated with occupational well-being. The structural equation modeling analysis and the bootstrap test indicated that occupational self-efficacy partially mediated the effect of poor sleep quality on occupational well-being.

Discussion

These findings expand upon existing research on the relationship between sleep quality and well-being among occupational workers, shed light on the correlation of poor sleep quality with occupational well-being, and are valuable in promoting the occupational well-being of employees.
Changes in behavior patterns or demographic structure? Re-estimating the impact of higher education on the average age of the first marriage
Authors: Lai Ting , Huang Yiheng , Xiong Jinwu
Published: January 2023

During the last few decades, China implemented college enrollment expansion to accelerate the process of urbanization. However, most existing papers blaming that receiving higher education may delay people choosing to enter the age of first marriage, which in turn results in the age of the population. In this paper, we argued that the previous papers confused the total impact of higher education on the average age of the first marriage with the influence on individual’s behavior change, and thus led to overestimating the delayed effect of higher education on the age choosing behavior of first marriage. The present paper re-estimated the impact of higher education on the average age of the first marriage in China with both extensive and intensive margins using the duration model and qualified the pure effect on the behavior patterns change after removing macroeconomic factors. The results show that: (1) changes in either the demographic structure or behavior patterns due to higher education explain 63.41% or 36.59%, respectively, of the average marriage age delay; (2) the macro factors would delay the age of first marriage; (3) after controlling for demographic structure and macro factors, 3 years or more of higher education would only delay the choosing behavior of entering the first marriage by 0.84 years. Thus, we concluded that higher education does not completely squeeze the time of marriage, and the expansion of college enrollment could improve social and economic benefits.
Mediating role of wellbeing among organizational virtuousness, emotional intelligence and job performance in post-pandemic COVID-19
Authors: Arshad Muhammad Ali , Arshad Darwina , Zakaria Nazlina
Published: January 2023

It is devastating to people’s mental and emotional health to be exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the multifaceted response strategies are required to curb it. As a result of social distancing and self-isolation, people have faced many challenges in their lives. The suffering is even greater at the workplace where the employees are working with the fear of getting exposed to the virus and its new variants which is adversely affecting their wellbeing. This study explores and tests a model that extends the wellbeing research across organizational settings and targets the crucial factors that lead to job performance improvement even in the post pandemic COVID-19 situation. To improve both in-role performance and extra-role performance behaviors in the Pakistan banking sector, organizational virtue (also known as organizational virtuousness) and internal virtue (also known as emotional intelligence) are examined. Data were collected from the 416 bank employees using disproportionate stratified sampling technique. In the bank sector of Pakistan, wellbeing was identified as the key psychological factor that relates the in-role performance and extra-role performance to internal and organizational factors. Research findings also determined that conceptualizing subjective wellbeing in the context of work is more meaningful in understanding its relationship with the workplace variables than the general or global subjective wellbeing.
How does short video use generate political identity? Intermediate mechanisms with evidence from China’s small-town youth
Authors: Qin Jing , Du Quanqingqing , Deng Yuanbing , Zhang Bowen , Sun Xiaohui
Published: January 2023

Introduction

China’s Small-town Youth is an important social class connecting urban and rural development. Its ideological status is closely related to social stability and development so that the study of political identity of small town youth in China has become an important topic.

Methods

Based on survey and in-depth interviews, this paper investigates the intermediate mechanism of short videos use on political identity of China’s Small-town Youth.

Results and discussion

The study found that the use of short videos by China’s Small-town Youth has a significant positive impact on political identity, and media trust and political trust play a complete mediating role between the use of short videos and political identity. Cultural identity as the main content of China’s political ideology propaganda, cannot affect political trust. This research provides theoretical basis and practical enlightenment for the systematic understanding of the spiritual world and political beliefs of China’s Small-town Youth, and for exploring how to enhance their political identity through short videos use.
Humor experience facilitates ongoing cognitive tasks: Evidence from pun comprehension
Authors: Zheng Wei , Wang Xiaolu
Published: January 2023

Empirical findings on embodied cognition have shown that bodily states (e.g., bodily postures and affective states) can influence how people appreciate humor. A case in point is that participants were reported to read pleasant sentences faster than the unpleasant controls when their muscles responsible for smiling were activated. However, little research has examined whether the feeling of amusement derived from humor processing like pun comprehension can exert a backward influence on ongoing cognitive tasks. In the present study, the participants’ eye movements were tracked while they rated the comprehensibility of humorous sentences (homophone puns) and two types of unfunny control sentences (congruent and incongruent). Fixation measures showed an advantage in the critical homophone region for the congruent controls relative to the homophone puns; however, this pattern was reversed in terms of total sentence reading time. In addition, the humor rating scores acquired after the eye-tracking experiment were found negatively correlated to the overall sentence reading time, suggesting that the greater amusement the participant experienced the faster they would finish the rating task. Taken together, the current results indicate that the positive affect derived from humor can in turn provide immediate feedback to the cognitive system, which enhances text comprehension. As a result, the current finding provides more empirical evidence for the exploration of the interaction between the body and cognition.
Perceived overqualification and deviant innovation behavior: The roles of creative self-efficacy and perceived organizational support
Authors: Lu Lu , Luo Tanghong , Zhang Yajun
Published: January 2023

Employees’ perceived overqualification (POQ) is prevalent in organizations and has drawn increasing attention from both researchers and practitioners. Drawing from social cognitive theory, the purpose of this study is to extend existing understanding of the consequences of POQ by examining how and when POQ leads to deviant innovation behavior. This study hypothesizes that employees’ POQ indirectly impacts deviant innovation through enhanced creative self-efficacy (CSE), and that perceived organizational support (POS) strengthens this indirect relationship. Using data collected from 286 employees in China at two time points, this study found support for our hypotheses that POQ is positively related to CSE, and that CSE mediates the relationship between POQ and deviant innovation behavior. In addition, this study found that POS moderates the relationship between POQ and CSE, as well as the indirect effect of POQ on deviant innovation behavior via CSE. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings and future research directions are discussed.
Childhood adversity and educational attainment: Evidence from Zambia on the role of personality
Authors: Rockers Peter C. , Zuilkowski Stephanie Simmons , Fink Günther
Published: January 2023

Introduction

We examine whether personality traits mediate the association between childhood adversity and educational attainment using longitudinal data from a cohort in Zambia.

Methods

We fit a structural equation model using data on three forms of childhood adversity—household poverty, stunting as a measure of chronic malnutrition, and death of a parent—and data on the “Big Five” personality traits and educational attainment assessed at 15 years of age.

Results

We find that childhood poverty and death of a parent are associated with lower openness to experience. Furthermore, openness to experience mediates 93% of the negative association between death of a parent and school enrollment and 19% of the negative association between childhood poverty and enrollment.

Discussion

Our findings reinforce a diverse and growing body of evidence linking childhood adversity to educational attainment while also placing it in a new light. Future work should continue to examine the biological and psychosocial pathways that determine openness to experience and other personality traits, as well as their role in shaping important life outcomes.
Evaluating the impact of loneliness and social isolation on health literacy and health-related factors in young adults
Authors: Vasan Shradha , Eikelis Nina , Lim Michelle H. , Lambert Elisabeth
Published: January 2023

Objectives

In current study, we aim to extend previous research by investigating the unique impact of loneliness on health literacy and health-related factors of young adults, after controlling for social isolation, depressive symptomology, and social anxiety, as well as evaluate how social isolation and loneliness differ in their impact on health literacy, and health-related factors among young adults, after accounting for abovementioned concomitant variables.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional study design, 521 young adults completed an online survey in 2020, where they self-reported their loneliness, social isolation, health-related factors, and health literacy data.

Results

Increased loneliness was associated with decrease in several health literacy domains (e.g., poorer social support for health, lower appraisal of health information, among others) and increase in some health-related factors (e.g., higher perceived stress, higher negative affect), among young adults, even after controlling for social anxiety, depressive symptomology, and social isolation. Contrastingly, increase in social isolation was associated with changes in some health-related factors - more somatic health complaints, higher alcohol use, poorer cognitive and physical functioning, and lower scores for only one health literacy domain (i.e., social support for health) among young adults, after adjusting for the influence of social anxiety, depressive symptomology, and loneliness.

Conclusion

Even after accounting for the influence of several co-occurring social and mental health symptoms, higher loneliness was associated poorer health literacy and health-related factors in young adults. We also found loneliness and social isolation may differ in the mechanisms through which they impact health literacy and health-related factors in young adults.
Exploring risk transfer of human brucellosis in the context of livestock agriculture transition: A case study in Shaanxi, China
Authors: An Cuihong , Shen Li , Sun Minghao , Sun Yangxin , Fan Suoping , Zhao Chenxi , Nie Shoumin , Luo Boyan , Fu Ting , Liu Kun , Shao Zhongjun , Chang WenHui
Published: January 2023

With the booming of worldwide agriculture intensification, brucellosis, one of the most neglected zoonotic diseases, has become an increasing challenge for global public health. Although the transmission patterns of human brucellosis (HB) have been studied in many regions, the dynamic transfer processes of risk and its driving factors remain poorly understood, especially in the context of agricultural intensification. This study attempted to explore the risk transfer of HB between the exact epidemic areas and the neighboring or distant low-risk areas to explain the impact of livestock agriculture intensification and foodborne infections on the transmission of HB in Shaanxi Province as a case study. We adopted multiple approaches, including test-based methods, model-based methods, and a geographical detector to detect the spatial-temporal dynamic changes of high-risk epidemic areas of HB at the county scale. We also quantitatively estimated how the related factors drove the risk transfer of the disease. Results confirmed the risk transfer pattern of HB with an expansion from north to south in Shaanxi Province and identified two primary transfer routes. In particular, in the traditional epidemic areas of the Shaanbei plateau, the farm agglomeration effect can significantly increase the risk of HB. Meanwhile, retail outlets for milk and dairy products were partially responsible for the foodborne infections of HB in the emerging epidemic areas of Xi'an. This study not only contributed helpful insights to support HB control and prevention in the rapid transition of livestock agriculture but also provided possible directions for further research on foodborne HB infections in urbanized areas.
Impact of comorbidity on patients with COVID-19 in India: A nationwide analysis
Authors: Singh Priya , Bhaskar Yogendra , Verma Pulkit , Rana Shweta , Goel Prabudh , Kumar Sujeet , Gouda Krushna Chandra , Singh Harpreet
Published: January 2023

Background

The emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a global pandemic has resulted in the loss of many lives and a significant decline in global economic losses. Thus, for a large country like India, there is a need to comprehend the dynamics of COVID-19 in a clustered way.

Objective

To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 according to age, gender, and preexisting comorbidity. Patients with COVID-19 were categorized according to comorbidity, and the data over a 2-year period (1 January 2020 to 31 January 2022) were considered to analyze the impact of comorbidity on severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Methods

For different age/gender groups, the distribution of COVID-19 positive, hospitalized, and mortality cases was estimated. The impact of comorbidity was assessed by computing incidence rate (IR), odds ratio (OR), and proportion analysis.

Results

The results indicated that COVID-19 caused an exponential growth in mortality. In patients over the age of 50, the mortality rate was found to be very high, ~80%. Moreover, based on the estimation of OR, it can be inferred that age and various preexisting comorbidities were found to be predictors of severe COVID-19 outcomes. The strongest risk factors for COVID-19 mortality were preexisting comorbidities like diabetes (OR: 2.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.31–2.47; p < 0.0001), hypertension (OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 2.23–2.39; p < 0.0001), and heart disease (OR: 2.19; 95% CI: 2.08–2.30; p < 0.0001). The proportion of fatal cases among patients positive for COVID-19 increased with the number of comorbidities.

Conclusion

This study concluded that elderly patients with preexisting comorbidities were at an increased risk of COVID-19 mortality. Patients in the elderly age group with underlying medical conditions are recommended for preventive medical care or medical resources and vaccination against COVID-19.
Residential mobility predicts COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccination behaviors in the United States
Authors: Zhang Ning , Jiang Tao , Zhang Ying , Zhao Gang
Published: January 2023

Aim

Vaccination is one of the most effective strategies to contain the transmission of infectious diseases; however, people's intentions and behavior for vaccination vary across different regions and countries around the world. It is not clear how socioecological factors such as residential mobility influence people's vaccination behaviors for infectious diseases.

Methods

We analyzed public data on residential mobility and vaccination rates for COVID-19 and seasonal flu in the United States and explored how residential mobility in the previous year influenced vaccination rates for COVID-19 and seasonal flu (2011–2018) across 50 states of the US. The data were accessed and analyzed in 2021.

Results

Study 1 demonstrated that collective-level residential mobility predicted COVID-19 vaccination rates across the United States (B = −168.162, 95% CI [−307.097, −29.227], adjusted R2 = 0.091, p = 0.019). Study 2 corroborated this finding by documenting that collective-level residential mobility predicted vaccination rates for seasonal flu from 2011 to 2018 across the United States (B = −0.789, 95% CI = [−1.018, −0.56], adjusted R2 = 0.222, p < 0.001). The link between residential mobility and vaccination behavior was robust after controlling relevant variables, including collectivism, cultural tightness–looseness, and sociodemographic variables.

Conclusions

Our research demonstrated that residential mobility is an important socioecological factor that influences people's vaccination behaviors for COVID-19 and seasonal flu. The results enrich our understanding of the socioecological factors that influence vaccination behaviors and have implications for developing tailored interventions to promote vaccination during pandemics of infectious diseases.
Cost-benefit analysis for health project evaluation (example of a Russian outpatient clinics' project in the Novosibirsk region)
Authors: Novikova Tatyana , Kaneva Maria , Zafarjonova Mokhidilkhon
Published: January 2023

Introduction

The development of social infrastructure projects in medicine corresponds to transforming public priorities toward social development in general and health care in particular. Therefore, there is a need to develop comprehensive quantitative methods for evaluating such projects.

Methods

This paper uses a combination of two approaches: first, cost-benefit analysis taking into account the relationship between financial and economic efficiency; second, the study of the efficiency of participation in a public-private partnership concerning project efficiency. The model's financial bloc is focused on analyzing the return on investment in fixed and working capital, considering the terminal value. The economic bloc includes social and tax effects (along with environmental, price, indirect, and other specific public effects). We apply fixed effects regression models to calculate multipliers used to estimate the social effects. Multipliers are based on: public health expenditure, human development index, and life expectancy. The proposed methodology has been adapted for evaluating the Seven Polyclinics' project as a flagship project for developing social infrastructure in the Novosibirsk Region.

Results and discussion

The evaluation results revealed a deficient level of financial efficiency of the project characterized by negative net present value and low internal rate of return. Simultaneously, the efficiency of participation in the project for private investors using the public-private partnership mechanism is characterized by high rates of return on private investment. In the transition to the economic analysis, the results fundamentally change, taking into account social and tax effects and detecting an exceptionally high level of all economic indicators of the project. As the project's primary beneficiaries, the economic analysis identified polyclinic patients who received the opportunity to acquire new medical services. At the same time, within the financial analysis framework, the mechanisms for implementing the project were determined, ensuring the consistency of interests. The distribution of effects among the project participants was compared for various funding methods, including the public-private partnerships mechanism. It is shown that the project implementation leads to significant social effects and provides a noticeable improvement in population health. The proposed methodology can be used for decision making on the implementation of similar projects.
Outbreak of diarrheal diseases causes mortality in different geographical locations of Bangladesh during the 2021 COVID-19 era
Authors: Khan Ashraful Islam , Islam Md. Taufiqul , Amin Mohammad Ashraful , Khan Zahid Hasan , Qadri Firdausi
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Diarrhea is a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh. Of the different spectrums of diarrheal diseases, cholera occurs every year, causing outbreaks and epidemics following a biannual seasonal pattern. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalization for diarrheal diseases decreased in 2020 compared to the previous years. However, in 2021, massive outbreaks occurred in different geographical locations of the country. We described that an outbreak of diarrheal diseases causes mortality in different geographical locations in Bangladesh.

Method

In this study, we present a report of diarrhea outbreaks that were reported in 2018–2021 in different parts of Bangladesh, and data have been captured from different sources such as print and electronic media as well as from a nationwide surveillance system.

Results

Among these locations, districts of Barisal Division, Kishorganj, Noakhali, Gopalganj, Bandarban, and Chattogram were the major hotspots of the outbreaks where high morbidity due to acute watery diarrhea and even mortality, which is usually low in Bangladesh, were recorded.

Conclusion

Early detection and prevention and strengthening of the surveillance system are needed to combat the diarrheal upsurge, take immediate control, and adopt preventive strategies.
Understanding the differences in cultivated land protection behaviors between smallholders and professional farmers in Hainan Province, China
Authors: Xu Tao , Chen Haojie , Ji Yifan , Qiao Dan , Wang Fang
Published: January 2023

Cultivated land protection and quality improvement have become inevitable requirements for alleviating ecological and environmental pressure and sustainable agricultural development. It is of practical significance to explore the differences and causes of cultivated land protection behaviors (CLPB) between smallholders and professional farmers for formulating targeted protection policies and improving their effectiveness. Based on 422 mango farmers' survey data in Hainan Province, this paper explored the internal and external characteristics between smallholders and professional farmers, and used the Fairlie decomposition method to compare and analyze the sources of differences in farmers' CLPB. The results showed that: (1) the CLPB of smallholders and professional farmers differ significantly; (2) the sources of differences in CLPB between smallholders and professional farmers are different, including differences in internal characteristics and differences in external characteristics; (3) differences in internal characteristics are the main cause of the differences in farmer's CLPB, and the contribution of differences in external characteristics was smaller, of which planting years, annual household income and planting scale are the top three factors. It is suggested that differential protection policies should be designed for smallholders and professional farmers, such as guiding smallholders to carry out large-scale operations and improve their organizational level, encouraging and guiding professional farmers to sign long-term contracts to stabilize the land tenure, and formulating subsidy policies for cultivated land protection.
Landscape composition and configuration relatively affect invasive pest and its associator across multiple spatial scales
Authors: Wen Zhi , Yang Quanfeng , Huang Binbin , Zhang Lu , Zheng Hua , Shen Yusheng , Yang Yanzheng , Ouyang Zhiyun , Li Ruonan
Published: January 2023

Landscape structures affect pests, depending on compositional heterogeneity (the number and proportions of different habitats), configurational heterogeneity (spatial arrangement of habitats), and spatial scales. However, there is limited information on the relative effects of compositional and configurational heterogeneity on invasive pests and their associates (species that can benefit from invasive pests), and how they vary across spatial scales. In this study, we assayed the invasive pest Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and its associated fly Drosophila melanogaster in 15 landscapes centered on mango orchards. We calculated landscape composition (forest percentage, mango percentage, and Shannon's diversity) and configuration (edge density) using two methods: spatial distance scales and combined scales. Spatial distance scales included buffer rings with radii of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 km, and combined scales referred to cutting or not cutting a smaller ring from larger ones. Our results shown that compositional heterogeneity positively affected B. dorsalis and D. melanogaster due to forest cover percentage, whereas configurational heterogeneity with high edge density negative effect on B. dorsalis. Forest cover had less of an effect on B. dorsalis than configurational heterogeneity, but the opposite effect was observed for D. melanogaster. Importantly, the direction and strength of forest cover and configurational heterogeneity to species did not vary with spatial distance scales or spatial combined scales. Thus, compositional and configurational heterogeneity exhibit differential effects on this invasive pest and its associator, and revealed that the relative effects of landscape structures are consistent across multiple scales. These results provide new insights into landscape effects on interconnected species using a diverse spatial-scale approach.
Isolation and characterization of the mink interferon-epsilon gene and its antiviral activity
Authors: Zhang Hailing , Zhang Dongliang , Zhang Shasha , Liu Hao , Wang Han , Wang Cong , Zou Deying , Hu Bo , Lian Shizhen , Lu Shiying , Bai Xue
Published: January 2023

The interferon (IFN) response is the first line of defense against viral invasion and thus plays a central role in the regulation of the immune response. IFN-epsilon (IFN-ε) is a newly discovered type I IFN that does not require viral induction, unlike other type I IFNs. IFN-ε is constitutively expressed in epithelial cells and plays an important role in mucosal immunity. In this study, we evaluated the biological activity of the mink-IFN (MiIFN)-ε gene in prokaryotic cells. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate IFN-ε expression in different mink tissues. MiIFN-ε was highly expressed in brain, lung, tracheal, kidney, intestinal, bladder, ovarian, and testis tissues. There was no significant difference in MiIFN-ε expression between female and male minks, except in the reproductive system. Expression of the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO3)-MiIFN-ε fusion gene was induced by isopropylβ-d-thiogalactoside, and MiIFN-ε was collected after SUMO-specific protease digestion. We tested the antiviral activity of MiIFN-ε against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in epithelial cells of feline kidney 81 (F81). We used qRT-PCR to analyze the expression of several IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), including ISG15, 2′-5′ oligoadenylate synthetase (2′-5′OAS1), and myxovirus resistance protein 1 (Mx1). Recombinant IFN-ε induced high ISG expression in F81 cells. Compared with those in the cell control group, expressions of ISG15, Mx1, and 2′-5′ OAS1 in the VSV-GFP control, IFN-ε, and MiIFN-ε-inhibited VSV-GFP groups were significantly increased. Compared with those in the VSV-GFP control group, expressions of ISG15 and 2′-5′ OAS1 in the IFN-ε and MiIFN-ε-inhibited VSV-GFP groups were significantly increased, and the differences were highly significant (p < 0.0001). IFN-ε played an indirect antiviral role. These findings lay the foundation for detailed investigation of IFN-ε in the future.
Tributyrin and anise mixture supplementation improves growth performance, nutrient digestibility, jejunal villus height, and fecal microbiota in weaned pigs
Authors: Dang De Xin , Lee Haeun , Lee Seung Jae , Song Jun Ho , Mun Seyoung , Lee Kang Yeon , Han Kyudong , Kim In Ho
Published: January 2023

Introduction

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of tributyrin and anise mixture (TA) on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, fecal noxious gas emission, fecal score, jejunal villus height, hematology parameters, and fecal microbiota of weaned pigs.

Methods

A total of 150 21-day-old crossbred weaned pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] were used in a randomized complete block design experiment. All pigs were randomly assigned to 3 groups based on the initial body weight (6.19 ± 0.29 kg). Each group had 10 replicate pens with 5 pigs (three barrows and two gilts) per pen. The experimental period was 42 days and consisted of 3 phases (phase 1, days 1–7; phase 2, days 8–21; phase 3, days 22–42). Dietary treatments were based on a corn-soybean meal-basal diet and supplemented with 0.000, 0.075, or 0.150% TA.

Results and discussion

We found that dietary supplementation of graded levels of TA linearly improved body weight, body weight gain, average daily feed intake, and feed efficiency (P < 0.05). TA supplementation also had positive effects on apparent dry matter, crude protein, and energy digestibility (P < 0.05) and jejunal villus height (P < 0.05). The emission of ammonia from feces decreased linearly with the dose of TA increased (P < 0.05). Moreover, TA supplementation was capable to regulate the fecal microbiota diversity, manifesting in a linearly increased Chao1 index and observed species and a linearly decreased Pielou's index (P < 0.05). The abundance of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus amylovorus, Clostridium butyricum were increased, while the abundance of Prevotella copri was decreased, by treatment (P < 0.05). Therefore, we speculated that TA supplementation would improve growth performance and reduce fecal ammonia emission through improving nutrient digestibility, which was attributed to the increase of jejunal villus height and the regulation of fecal microbiota.
Biogenic Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Ameliorate the Effect of Salinity Stress in Wheat Crop
Authors: Badshah Imran , Mustafa Nilofar , Khan Riaz , Mashwani Zia-ur-Rehman , Raja Naveed Iqbal , Almutairi Mikhlid H. , Aleya Lotfi , Sayed Amany A. , Zaman Shah , Sawati Laraib , Sohail Sohail
Published: January 2023

Crop productivity worldwide is being hampered by salt stress. Nanotechnology and its applications in agriculture are noteworthy and fruitful. The current work investigates the potential significance of TiO2 NPs in alleviating salt stress in wheat cultivars. TiO2 NPs were prepared by green synthesis; their characterizations were carried out by UV–visible spectroscopy, SEM, and EDX. In the greenhouse control condition, different concentrations of salt (NaCl) with and without TiO2 NPs were administered to wheat crops. Plants treated with TiO2 NPs showed an enhanced germination rate, morphological, and metabolic profiling with and without salt stress. Different concentrations of TiO2 NPs (25, 50, 75, and 100 µg/mL) and salt solutions (NaCl 50, 100, and 150 mM) were used. TiO2 NP concentrations of 25 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL improved the germination attributes, physio-morphic parameters: plant length, the fresh and dry weight of plants, the number of leaves, the leaf area, the RWC, the MSI, and different chlorophyll contents at all saline conditions. These two concentrations also enhanced the biochemical attributes: free amino acids, soluble sugar content, proline content, SOD, and POD, of wheat varieties at all salinity levels. Wheat subjected to salt stress responded best to the application of TiO2 NPs at a concentration of 50 µg/mL. However, the highest concentrations (75 and 100 µg/mL) of TiO2 NPs showed detrimental effects on germination, agronomic, physiological, and biochemical attributes, and caused stress in both wheat varieties (Pirsabak-05 and NARC-09) under control and saline conditions. The outcomes of the current research work are notable, and NPs with such capabilities may be a useful supply of fertilizer in the agricultural industry.
Extraction of Information on the Flooding Extent of Agricultural Land in Henan Province Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Images and Google Earth Engine
Authors: Cui Jiaqi , Guo Yulong , Xu Qiang , Li Donghao , Chen Weiqiang , Shi Lingfei , Ji Guangxing , Li Ling
Published: January 2023

Sudden flood disasters cause serious damage to agricultural production. Rapidly extracting information such as the flooding extent of agricultural land and capturing the influence of flooding on crops provides important guidelines for estimating the flood-affected area, promoting post-disaster farmland restoration, and providing an auxiliary decision-making basis for flood prevention and disaster relief departments. Taking the flood event in Henan and Shanxi Provinces as example, based on the characteristics of the variations in radar data and optical data before and after the disaster, we propose an extent information extraction method for the flood inundation area and the flood-affected area of agricultural land. This method consists of change detection, threshold extraction, and superposition analysis, which weakens the negative impact of the radar data speckle noise and cloud contamination of the optical data on the extraction of the agricultural land flooding to a certain extent. The method was developed based on a flood event in Henan Province and validated in Shanxi Province. The results show that the production of this method have a clear boundary and accurate extent, and the overall precisions of the flood inundation area and flood-affected area extraction are 0.87 and 0.92, respectively. The proposed method combines the advantages of both radar and optical remote sensing data in extracting the specific extents of the flood inundation area and the flood-affected area in large spatial scale. Finally, the impact of time window size to the performance of the method is further analyzed. In the application of the proposed method, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform provides a low-cost, fast, and convenient way to extract flood information from remote sensing data. The proposed scheme provides a scientific data basis for restoring production of agricultural land after a flood disaster, as well as for national post-disaster damage assessment and disaster relief decision making.