Direct Negative Effect Research Articles

Association of frailty withphysical activity behaviour and well-being in older employees: moderated mediation byfunctional difficulty.

Many studies have highlighted the association between frailty, physical activity behaviour (PAB), and well-being, but no study has investigated a potential moderated mediating role of functional difficulty in this relationship. This association may not be the same between different income levels. This study, therefore, assessed the above moderated mediation between low- and higher-income samples. This research employed a cross-sectional design in accordance with established research-reporting guidelines. The study population comprised two distinct Ghanaian samples, with N = 942 individuals in the low-income group and N = 600 individuals in the higher income group. Data analysis was carried out using Hayes's Process model through structural equation modelling, with additional sensitivity analyses performed through hierarchical linear regression. Frailty had a direct negative effect and an indirect negative effect (through functional difficulty) on well-being in both samples. A partial mediation of functional difficulty was found in the relationship between frailty and well-being in both samples. We also found evidence of a moderated mediation by functional difficulty in both samples; however, this effect was stronger in the higher-income sample. Older employees with frailty are less likely to report lower functional difficulty and well-being at higher PAB. Our results suggest a need for workplace programmes aimed at encouraging PAB. It also reinforces the importance of individuals performing and maintaining PAB.

Quality of life among Indonesian family caregivers caring for dependent older persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the community: A cross-sectional, correlational study.

The global prevalence of older adults with diabetes has increased, and family caregivers in Indonesia play a critical role in managing diabetes and providing personal care. However, caregiving can be complex and challenging, often negatively affecting caregivers' quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to develop and test a hypothesized causal model of QoL among Indonesian family caregivers who care for dependent older persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in 2024. A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with 270 family caregivers recruited from five Community Health Centers. Data were collected using various scales: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Zarit Burden Interview, the Duke University Religion Index, the Perceived Knowledge on T2DM Care Scale, the Family-Carer Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Quality-of-Life Index. Descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were used for analysis. The final model explained 89.1% of the variance in the quality of life (QoL) of family caregivers (R2 = 0.893, Adjusted R2 = 0.891), with 66% predictive relevance. Depression symptoms had the strongest negative direct effect on QoL, followed by caregiver burden. Self-efficacy and perceived knowledge had positive direct effects, while social support showed no significant direct effect. Indirect effects revealed that social support and self-efficacy positively influenced QoL through depression symptoms. The total effect (TE) analysis confirmed that depression symptoms had the strongest negative effect on QoL (TE = -0.744, p <0.001), while social support (TE = 0.443, p <0.001) and self-efficacy (TE = 0.413, p <0.001) had positive effects. Reducing depression symptoms and caregiver burden, strengthening social support, and promoting self-efficacy could significantly improve the QoL of family caregivers who care for older persons with T2DM. Nursing practice should address caregivers' physical and emotional needs, provide education, foster social support, and support caregiver mental health.

Bacterial and fungal diversity and species interactions inversely affect ecosystem functions under drought in a semi-arid grassland.

Extreme climatic events, such as drought, can significantly alter belowground microbial diversity and species interactions, leading to unknown consequences for ecosystem functioning. Here, we simulated a drought gradient by removing 30 %, 50 %, and 70 % of precipitation in a semi-arid grassland over five years. We assessed the effects of drought on bacterial and fungal diversity, as well as on their species interactions. We also evaluated the impact of drought on ecosystem individual functions (e.g., plant biomass and microbial activity), and on multifunctionality (EMF). Finally, we linked the drought-induced changes in microbial communities with the variations in EMF. Drought significantly increased fungal diversity and intensified species interactions, but it decreased bacterial diversity and species interactions. Both plant and microbial biomass significantly decreased with increasing drought severity, while microbial activity showed the opposite trend. Only the -50 % rainfall treatment notably reduced EMF. Bacterial diversity and species interactions positively correlated with most ecosystem functions. However, fungal parameters were negatively associated with these functions. Structural equation modeling indicated that bacterial diversity had a strong direct positive effect on EMF (standardized path coefficient: 0.52), and that bacterial diversity was indirectly suppressed by drought through decreasing soil water content and bacterial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). In contrast, fungal species interactions had a significant direct negative effect on EMF with the highest standardized path coefficient (-0.6) and were directly enhanced by fungal diversity. Drought had indirect positive effects on fungal diversity by decreasing soil water content and stimulating fungal PLFAs. Our results highlight the importance of considering soil microbial species interactions when evaluating the ecological impacts of drought. Furthermore, the divergent regulatory pathways of bacterial and fungal communities to EMF suggest that improving ecosystem functionality may be achieved by enhancing bacterial diversity while mitigating fungal species interactions through reducing fungal diversity.

The relationship between compassion fatigue, engagement and decent work among nurses: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundNurses face significant professional challenges arising from global pandemics, inadequate welfare protection, and declining social status. In this context, the decent working conditions for nurses are not adequately safeguarded. This study examines decent work status among Chinese nurses and its links work engagement, and compassion fatigue.MethodsThis study is a cross-sectional research. Through the method of convenience sampling, five reputable hospitals in Hangzhou, China, were selected, and a total of 838 nurses were surveyed. Data collection was conducted from April to May 2023. We employed a comprehensive set of assessment tools, including an evaluation of demographic characteristics, the Decent Work Perception Scale (DWPS), the Chinese version of the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale (C-CFSS), and the Gallup Q12 survey scale. ResultsThe findings of this study demonstrated that compassion fatigue was significantly negatively correlated with both decent work (r = -0.482, p < 0.001) and engagement (r = -0.461, p < 0.001). Additionally, decent work was significantly positively correlated with engagement (r = 0.811, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed that compassion fatigue had a direct negative effect on decent work (β = -0.05, p < 0.001), while engagement partially mediated the relationship between compassion fatigue and decent work (β = -0.14, p < 0.001).ConclusionThis study found that compassion fatigue and engagement significantly influence nurses’ perception of decent work, with engagement mediating this relationship. Future research should explore these mechanisms further and develop interventions to enhance engagement and reduce compassion fatigue, improving nurses’ perception of decent work.

Impacts of wildfire smoke PM2.5, greenspace and terrain ruggedness on life expectancy in the contiguous United States.

Wildfire smoke PM2.5 has been associated with many adverse health effects. However, little is known about its impact on life expectancy. This study investigated the impact of wildfire smoke PM2.5 and its interaction with greenspace and terrain ruggedness on life expectancy in the contiguous United States. By analyzing life expectancy estimates during the 2010 to 2015 period in 66,263 census tracts with multi-level regression models adjusted for income, age, race, and population density, we found that life expectancy was negatively associated with the concentration of smoke PM2.5 and the number of smoke days. Specifically, the increase of 1μg/m3 in the annual daily average smoke PM2.5 levels is associated with a decrease in life expectancy by 1.10years (regression coefficient β=-1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): [-1.21, -0.99]). For every extra smoke day, life expectancy might decrease by 0.021years (β=-0.021, 95% CI: [-0.024, -0.018]). Additionally, the interaction of greenspace with smoke PM2.5 negatively affected life expectancy (β=-0.29, 95% CI: [-0.38, -0.21]). No significant relationship was observed between life expectancy and terrain ruggedness. The generalized additive model revealed that the impact of smoke PM2.5 on life expectancy varied across concentration levels. The sensitivity analysis confirmed that the results were robust. Our study suggests that wildfires not only have a direct negative effect on life expectancy but also diminish the beneficial impact of greenspace, potentially turning its positive effects detrimental.

Correlation Studies in Early Clonal Generation under Water Logging Condition in Sugarcane for Yield and Its Attributing Traits

An experiment was carried out during 2021-22 at Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. RPCAU, Bihar using 24 clones that were planted in augmented design along with two checks. Data was recorded for the nine characters. There was a positively significant correlation found among cane yield and the following characteristics: cane diameter at harvest, number of millable canes at harvest, germination percentage at 45 days after planting, and number of shoots at 120 days after planting. Whereas, the number of aerial roots per node showed a negative correlation with cane yield. Traits viz., germination % at 45 days after planting, number of shoots at 120 days after planting, cane diameter at harvest, single cane weight, number of millable canes at harvest, HR Brix in November had direct and positive effect on cane yield, among these, number of millable canes at harvest showed highest direct and positive effect followed by single cane weight on cane yield, whereas, plant height at harvest, number of aerial roots per node, HR Brix in December and January showed negative direct effect on cane yield. The characters that showed significant correlation and positive direct effect can be selected further to obtain higher cane yields in sugarcane.

Nonacademic predictors of China medical licensing examination

BackgroundNational Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE) is the entrance exam for medical practice in China, and its general medical knowledge test (GMKT) evaluates abilities of medical students to comprehensively apply medical knowledge to clinical practice. This study aimed to identify nonacademic predictors of GMKT performance, which would benefit medical schools in designing appropriate strategies and techniques to facilitate the transition from medical students to qualified medical practitioners.MethodsIn 1202 medical students, we conducted the deletion-substitution-addition (DSA) and structural equation model (SEM) analyses to identify nonacademic predictors of GMKT performance from 98 candidate variables including early life events, physical conditions, psychological and personality assessments, cognitive abilities, and socioeconomic conditions. The candidate variables were assessed using psychometrically or cognitively validated and accepted instruments.ResultsWe identified seven nonacademic predictors for GMKT performance. Body mass index (BMI) and working memory reaction time showed direct negative effects on GMKT performance. Psychological and personality features (conscientiousness, state anxiety, and openness to experience) indirectly affected GMKT performance via BMI, while socioeconomic conditions (father’s education and mother’s occupation) indirectly affected GMKT performance by influencing psychological and personality features and further BMI.ConclusionThe identified nonacademic predictors for GMKT performance and their pathways may be useful for improving medical education by strengthening favorable and weakening, rectifying, or compensating unfavorable factors that are modifiable.

A Multi- Mediation Analysis on the Impact of Social Media and Internet Addiction on University and High School Students' Mental Health Through Social Capital and Mindfulness.

Social media addiction (SMA) and internet addiction (IA) are increasingly prevalent, impacting mental health (MH) globally. This study investigates the mediating roles of mindfulness and social capital (SC) in the relationship between SMA, IA, and MH among Ethiopian high school and university students, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 of good health and well-being. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1160 university and 1473 high school students in Dessie, Ethiopia. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing SMA, IA, mindfulness, SC, and MH. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with a multi- mediation Model (SMM) was used to examine the hypothesized relationships. SEM revealed that both SMA and IA had a direct negative effect on mindfulness, SC, and MH in in both high school and university students. Notably, mindfulness and SC significantly and positively predicted MH, indicating their protective role against the negative effects of SMA and IA. Furthermore, both mindfulness or SC fully or partially mediated the relationship between SMA, IA, and MH, highlighting their crucial role in explaining the association. This study provides evidence for the crucial roles of mindfulness and SC in buffering the negative effects of SMA and IA on MH among Ethiopian students. The findings highlight the need for educational and health interventions that foster mindfulness and SC to enhance student mental health and promote a healthy digital environment. These results offer valuable insights for educators, health professionals, and policymakers in Ethiopia and other developing countries facing similar challenges.

Understanding Remote Work Experience: Insights Into Well‐Being

ABSTRACTBackgroundAfter the pandemic, software engineers were forced to work remotely, in many cases without prior experience of doing so.ObjectiveThe objective of this work is to analyze the factors that influence engineers' motivation, stress and performance when working remotely after the pandemic, and to what level.MethodsA significant number (around 1000) of Latin‐American software development professionals from different countries who work remotely were surveyed in order to study the factors that affect them and how when they work in this manner. The data collected from the survey were then statistically analyzed using the partial least square‐structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM) method.ConclusionsThe analysis of the data made it possible to conclude that there are direct negative effects of stress on performance and direct positive effects of motivation on performance. In addition, we found that skills, experience, and teamwork behavior, such as trust, communication, and knowledge sharing, play an important role when working remotely.

The impact of unemployment and labor force on poverty: Does economic growth play a role?

This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of unemployment and labor force participation on poverty and economic growth in Aceh Province, Indonesia, from 2013 to 2022. Employing time series data and utilizing path analysis, the research reveals nuanced relationships among the variables. The findings indicate that unemployment directly exerts a negative but insignificant influence on economic growth, whereas labor force participation has a positive and significant direct impact on economic growth. Furthermore, unemployment demonstrates a positive and significant direct effect on poverty, while labor force participation has a negative and significant direct effect on poverty. Economic growth, however, shows a negative but insignificant direct effect on poverty. Indirectly, unemployment significantly exacerbates poverty through its effect on economic growth, whereas labor force participation indirectly reduces poverty through economic growth, albeit insignificantly. These findings underscore the complex interplay between unemployment, labor dynamics, economic growth, and poverty, offering valuable insights for policymakers aiming to alleviate poverty in the region.

다문화청소년의 문화적응스트레스가 학교생활적응에 미치는 영향: 친구의지지와 자아존중감의 이중매개효과

The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors influencing cultural adaptation stress of multicultural adolescents on school life adaptation and to verify the mediating effect of friend support and self-esteem. To this end, the second data of the 2019 Multicultural Youth Panel Survey (MAPS 2019) were used, and a total of 2,271 fourth graders in elementary school were analyzed. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and correlations were conducted with SPSS 26.0, and mediating effect analysis was conducted with the Process Macro 4.0 program. The effect analysis was confirmed that cultural adaptation stress negatively affected the friend's support in the indirect effect analysis of cultural adaptation stress and friend support (b=-.17, P&lt;.001). In the effect of cultural adaptation stress on self-esteem, cultural adaptation stress negatively affected self-esteem (b=-.11, P&lt;.001), and friend support had a positive direct effect on self-esteem (b=.38, P&lt;.001). In the analysis of the effects of cultural adaptation stress, friend support, and self-esteem on school life adaptation, cultural adaptation stress (b=-.13, P&lt;.001), friend support (b=.29, P&lt;.001), self-esteem (b=.19, P&lt;.001) was found to have a significant indirect effect, and adaptation to school life related to cultural adaptation stress had a negative direct effect (b=-.21, P&lt;.001). Based on this, it is necessary to contribute to the development of various education and counseling programs to understand the factors that affect school life adaptation stress.

PREDICTING USE OF ADVANCED DRIVER-ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS IN OLDER DRIVERS THROUGH STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

Abstract Older drivers are an at-risk population when on-road. Normal ageing processes, such as declines in visual, sensorimotor and cognitive processes, impact driving skills and contribute to the increasing crash rate. Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) may provide a solution to keep older drivers safe on the road. This study investigated what technology acceptance and trust factors predict use of ADAS between older drivers who have ADAS in their car and a) use it (n=790) or b) do not use it (n=32). We conducted an online survey to 1330 Australian drivers aged 65 years or older (M=72, SD=6.9, 23% women) in partnership with National Seniors Australia. ADAS acceptance was measured by the Partial Automation Acceptance Scale, measured by the latent factors attitudes towards ADAS, attitudes towards technology, perceived risk and trust. Structural equation modeling examined the structural relationships between use of ADAS, the acceptance scale, locus of control and driver self-efficacy. The results indicated positive attitudes towards ADAS had a significant positive direct effect on use (y =.06, S.E =.02, p =.002 (β =.26)) and trust in ADAS had a significant negative direct effect on use (y = -.03, S.E =.01, p =.024 (β = -.15)). The model tested accounted for 93.4% of the variance in use of ADAS. These findings highlight the importance of older drivers to hold positive attitudes and trust in ADAS in order for them to use it, highlighting potential factors that could be targeted in behavioural change interventions seeing to improve usage rates.

Socioeconomic Legitimacy of Surface Mining: Assessing the Role of Environmental Change, Trust, and Reclamation Satisfaction in Southern Appalachia of Kentucky, USA

Growing public interest in climate-friendly energy sources, combined with abandonment of mining operations in coal communities have resulted in declining social acceptance of mining. This study analyzed whether and how perceived environmental changes, trust in mining operators, and reclamation satisfaction impact the socioeconomic legitimacy of mining in rural Appalachia in Kentucky, USA. Analysis of responses from a survey of residents using structural equation modeling implied interactional and institutionalized trust to have the strongest and most direct impact in shaping socioeconomic legitimacy. While perceived environmental impact and satisfaction with reclamation, respectively, had negative and insignificant direct effects, their indirect effects were mediated through trust, underscoring the importance of trust for mine operators among mining community residents in sustaining the socioeconomic legitimacy of their businesses. While this study focused on mining, its findings offer valuable insights for promoting the social acceptance of other projects in resource extraction facing public opposition.

External Financing, Governance, and Infrastructure Development: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa

Infrastructure development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) requires diversified financing strategies to address a significant funding shortfall that cannot be met by domestic resources alone. This research evaluates the contributions of external financing—namely Official Development Assistance (ODA), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI)—in complementing domestic efforts to advance infrastructure in SSA. It examines their influence, alongside governance, on the development of physical and social infrastructure components. Employing methodologies such as Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) and System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) across 43 SSA economies from 2000 to 2022, the analysis reveals that FDI substantially enhances physical infrastructure development but does not significantly impact social infrastructure. In contrast, ODA is shown to have a negative direct effect on overall infrastructure development, whereas PPI shows no significant direct influence. However, when considering indirect effects mediated by governance, all external financing sources positively affect both types of infrastructure, except for PPI’s influence on social infrastructure. Theoretically, this study reinforces the critical roles of economic growth, institutional quality, and external financing in supporting infrastructure development, as suggested by related theories. The study recommends that SSA authorities should focus on attracting more foreign investment, particularly in physical infrastructure projects, and encourage a broader diversification of external financing sources beyond FDI alone. Moreover, enhancing governance practices is essential for effective resource allocation and utilization. The study also advocates for improved public spending efficiency through enhanced project prioritization and governance reforms to foster sustainable infrastructure development in the region.

Will dependency ratio matter the economic welfare of the geographically isolated and disadvantaged households in the province of Samar, Philippines?

The study employed descriptive-exploratory research methods to examine the dependency ratio and economic welfare of geographically isolated and disadvantaged households in Samar Province, Philippines. It aimed to determine the demographic profiles of the respondents, including age, gender, civil status, highest educational attainment, occupation, family type, number of household members, and dwelling type. The study explored the dependency ratio, economic welfare status (in terms of consumption and expenditures), and the relationship between the dependency ratio and economic welfare. Households (n=88) were systematically sampled from 14 municipalities in Samar, Philippines. The findings revealed that these households had a high dependency ratio, and their economic welfare was below the country's poverty line. It was also found that the number of unproductive members did not significantly affect the households' economic welfare, while the productive population had a direct positive impact. Furthermore, as the household head aged, there was a direct negative effect on the household's economic welfare. Further, as the household head ages, there appears to be a negative impact on the economic welfare of the household. Interestingly, while the dependency ratio did not significantly influence economic welfare, it highlighted the increasing strain on the working population and the broader economy to support and provide necessary social services for the dependent population.

Evaluation of Tomato Landraces for Tolerance to Drought Stress Using Morphological and Physiological Traits

Drought is among the stress factors that, on a global scale, have direct negative effects on plant growth, yield, and quality. Great efforts are directed towards water shortage adaptation. Exploring the genetic diversity of landraces often tolerant to locally occurring stress can represent a valuable source for the development of cultivars with yield stability and improved quality under stress conditions. This study aimed to identify drought-tolerant tomato landraces based on an integrated approach involving morphological traits and physiological parameters. To investigate the effects of water deficit, five landraces and two controls were tested under optimum and 50% reduced irrigation. Yield and yield-related traits, color, firmness, and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were evaluated. The summarized results indicated that the tomato landraces differed in their responses to water deficit. Water deficit decreased the yield by 44% and the average fruit weight by 29%. Physiological parameters were also significantly affected by water scarcity, with a decrease in the ratios Fv/Fm (the maximum quantum yield of PSII) and Fv/Fo (the maximum primary yield of photochemistry) of 8.2% and 35.5%, respectively, at 14 days’ exposure to stress. Landrace 1352, characterized by indeterminate growth habit and large, rounded, and red-colored fruits, showed a significantly lower reduction in yield and physiological parameters under reduced irrigation and could be used in breeding programs to develop new tomato lines combining resistance with quality.

Phenotypic characterization and genetic analysis for identification of trait-specific germplasm in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

An experiment conducted at TNAU, Coimbatore, during the rabi season of 2023-2024, evaluated 105 sunflower germplasm lines using ARBD. The ANOVA indicated significant differences among twelve traits, with high genetic variability observed in oil yield per plant, seed yield per plant, and hundred seed weight. Heritability and genetic advance were notably high for plant height, seed yield per plant, and oil yield per plant. Correlation analysis showed that seed yield per plant was positively correlated with plant height, head diameter, hundred seed weight, oil content, and oil yield per plant but negatively with leaf size. Path analysis revealed that oil yield per plant had the most substantial positive direct effect on seed yield, while oil content had the most significant negative direct effect. Plant height, head diameter, and hundred seed weight positively influenced yield indirectly through oil yield per plant but negatively via oil content. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified four principal components with Eigen values greater than 1, explaining 62.91 % of the variability. Notably, diverse genotypes included CB-GMU1189, CB-GMU-400, and CB-IB-62. Mahalanobis D2 statistics identified seven clusters, with Cluster 1 containing the most genotypes and Clusters 6 and 7 showing the highest inter-cluster distance, indicating significant genetic diversity. Cluster 5 had the highest mean for several traits. The sunflower germplasm accessions exhibited considerable variability in morphological characteristics such as hypocotyl pigmentation, leaf blistering, leaf serration, petiole pigmentation, stem pigmentation, ray floret shape, stigma pigmentation, seed shape, seed stripes, and seed stripe colour. Therefore, the accessions identified for superior traits include 14 genotypes for very high yield (&gt;35 g/plant), five for high seed oil content (40-43 %), and 22 for high 100-seed weight (&gt;6 g) and can be considered as superior trait-specific accessions in sunflower.

Life-course perspective on the causal mechanism of social functioning in schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Due to prior emphasis on clinical recovery in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD), improving social functioning (SF) was oftentimes neglected, with ⩽15% of patients achieving social recovery. Priorly, we and others have shown that life-course factors, including childhood adversities, play a role in the occurrence and severity of postmorbid SF impairments, highlighting the need to understand these factors for effective interventions. This study investigates the mechanisms influencing SF in SSD and examines the causal roles of childhood trauma, premorbid adjustment, perceived stigma, self-esteem, and quality of life. This longitudinal study utilized data of 1,057 SSD patients, with measures at baseline, 3 and 6-year follow-up, from the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis cohort, to unravel the causal mechanism underlying SF utilizing Structural Equation Modeling. Determinants were assessed using validated retrospective and self-report questionnaires. Model development and testing involved a multistage process, encompassing relationships exploration, fit evaluation and model comparison. We developed a probable causal model. Impaired premorbid adjustment emerged as a crucial factor, exerting negative influence on long-term SF, with a direct effect of β = -.252, p < .001 on SF at 3-year follow-up and β = -.056, p = .073 at 6-year follow-up. Childhood trauma exhibited a negative direct effect on SF at 3-year follow-up (β = -.087, p = .039), while demonstrating a substantial carry-over, indirect effect. Elevated perceived stigma negatively affected SF at 3-year follow-up (β = -.112, p = .008). The model explained 9.9% of SF variation at the 3-year follow-up and 54.3% at the 6-year follow-up. While validation is necessary, we found a foundational basis for causal interpretation. Premorbid adjustment, childhood trauma, and perceived stigma are essential life-course factors shaping postmorbid SF in SSD. We recommend interventions covering both prevention and treatment for individuals with established symptoms-addressing childhood trauma, premorbid adjustment, and perceived stigma-to enhance long-term social outcomes and offer actionable insights for clinicians.

Assessing grain yield of quality protein maize under low soil nitrogen through associated agronomic traits

The study was conducted to improve a quality protein maize (QPM) population, ART/98/ILE 1-OB, for tolerance to low soil nitrogen, and to investigate the agronomic characters that are linked to grain yield of QPM in low soil nitrogen environments. S1 lines were selected in the maize population at cycle one (C1) in a recurrent selection programme, for evaluation to move to cycle 2 (C2). Data were collected on agronomic traits, stay-green ability (SGR) and grain yield (GY) and analysed using SAS. SGR rating at 8 weeks after planting (8WAP) was moderate under low nitrogen (3.09). GY was slightly higher under low nitrogen (LN) (2.19 tons/ha) than under high nitrogen (HN) condition (1.98 tons/ha). There were notable negative phenotypic and genotypic correlations between grain yield (GY) and traits such as days to 50% anthesis and silking, stay green rating (SGR), ear aspect (EA), and plant aspect (PA). In contrast, positive correlations were observed with plant height (PH) and number of ears per plant (EPP). In stepwise regression, EPP emerged as the most significant character under LN (R2 = 45%), with EA, SGR at 8WAP (SGR8), and PH following closely. EPP showed the highest positive direct effect on grain yield, followed by SGR8. EA had the highest negative direct effect. PC1 alone, which was mostly linked to PH, accounted for 96.5% of the overall variation. These findings underscore the importance of EPP, EA, SGR8 and PH as selection criteria in enhancing QPM productivity under LN conditions.

The relationship between physical activity and sleep disorders in adolescents: a chain-mediated model of anxiety and mobile phone dependence

BackgroundAdolescent sleep disorders have emerged as a significant global public health issue. This study aims to investigate the relationship between physical activity and sleep disorders in adolescents, and to further analyze the chain mediating effects of anxiety and mobile phone dependence, with the goal of providing empirical evidence for related clinical research.MethodsThis cross-sectional study collected data through an offline questionnaire survey conducted in 2024. The survey assessed physical activity, sleep disorders, anxiety, and mobile phone dependence. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were utilized to construct a chain mediation model.ResultsA total of 495 valid samples were obtained, with 227 girls (45.9%) and 268 boys (54.1%). The average age of the participants was 13.37 years (SD = 1.05). The results indicated significant negative correlations between physical activity and adolescent anxiety, mobile phone dependence, and sleep disorders. Anxiety and mobile phone dependence fully mediated the relationship between physical activity and sleep disorders.ConclusionThis study provides further insight into the underlying mechanisms linking physical activity and sleep disorders in adolescents. Physical activity not only has a direct negative effect on sleep disorders but also indirectly predicts sleep disorders through its impact on anxiety and mobile phone dependence. It is recommended that families and schools encourage increased physical activity among adolescents, as it can reduce anxiety and mobile phone dependence, thereby alleviating sleep disorders.