Threshold Effect Research Articles

Investigating the non-linear impacts of low-carbon development in tourism on economic growth: insights from the “Belt and Road” countries

ABSTRACT Against the backdrop of conflicts between global environment and economic development, low-carbon development has received widespread attention. Pursuing low-carbon economic transformation from an industry perspective has become a hot topic. Based on this, this study selects 42 countries [Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Belarus, Chile, China, Czekh, Egypt, Estonia, Georgia, Croatia, Hungary, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Morocco, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Serbia, Slovakia, Norway, Thailand, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay] along the “Belt and Road” as research objects, and adopts fixed effect models and threshold effect models to study the non-linear relationship between low-carbon development in the tourism industry (LCDT) and economic growth from environmental regulations (ER) and energy intensity (EI). Research has shown that: (1) LCDT, ER, and EI can foster economic growth. (2) With the increase in ER and EI, the effect of LCDT on economic growth exhibits a significant “N” shape. (3) During LCDT promotes economic growth, threshold effects of ER and EI display distinct heterogeneous characteristics. In the current global consensus on low-carbon development, this study provides valuable insights for policy makers seeking environmental protection and sustainable growth.

Does digital innovation improve carbon productivity? A new perspective based on industrial upgrading

ABSTRACT In the era of digital economy, digital innovation is an important path to promote the improvement of carbon productivity in developing countries. Based on China’s experience, this paper systematically constructs a digital innovation measurement system, and takes the heterogeneity threshold of industrial transformation upgrading as an entry point, and adopts a non-linear dynamic panel measurement model to empirically explore the mechanism of industrial transformation upgrading threshold of digital innovation on regional carbon productivity. The results show that the current development level of China’s digital innovation is relatively low, with significant regional heterogeneity. In particular, the impact of digital innovation on regional carbon productivity is subject to the heterogeneous threshold effect of industrial transformation upgrading: the low degree of industrial transformation upgrading hinders the role of digital innovation in improving carbon productivity to some extent, and with the further improvement of industrial transformation upgrading, the enabling effect of digital innovation can be effectively brought into play to improve carbon productivity. That is, digital innovation and regional carbon productivity present ‘U-shaped’ relationship. This paper has clarified the differential‘new phenomena’ in the process of promoting carbon productivity, providing new insights for achieving ‘carbon reduction and economic promotion’ in developing countries.

Association between metabolic score for visceral fat index and BMI-adjusted skeletal muscle mass index in American adults

BackgroundThe metabolic score for visceral fat (METS-VF) is a recently identified index for evaluating visceral fat, also referred to as abdominal obesity. The skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) serves as a critical measure for assessing muscle mass and sarcopenia. Both obesity and the reduction of muscle mass can significantly affect human health. However, research exploring the relationship between METS-VF and SMI remains limited. This study aims to investigate whether a association exists between these two indices, and if so, to elucidate the nature of their interactions.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the NHANES database, focusing on U.S. adults aged 20 years and older from 2013 to 2018. Controlling for relevant covariables, we primarily investigated the association between METS-VF and SMI values utilizing weighted multivariable linear regression models. Additionally, we assessed the diagnostic efficacy of METS-VF for sarcopenia.ResultsA total of 3,594 participants were included in this study for analysis. The final adjusted model from the weighted multivariable linear regression indicated that METS-VF was negatively associated with SMI, with a coefficient of β = -0.13 (95% CI: -0.14, -0.12; P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses further demonstrated that this negative association was consistent across different populations. Notably, the negative association varied significantly between diabetic and nondiabetic population, as well as among populations classified by different BMI categories. Additionally, threshold effect analysis identified a significant inflection knot at 6.33. The characteristic curves of the subjects’ work illustrated that, compared to other indicators, METS-VF exhibited excellent diagnostic efficacy for sarcopenia, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.825.ConclusionOur results indicate that METS-VF is negatively correlated with SMI among adults in the United States, suggesting that visceral obesity exerts a detrimental effect on muscle mass. Furthermore, METS-VF shows potential as a valuable indicator for assessing SMI and sarcopenia. These findings underscore the importance of considering lipid metabolism disorders in the context of muscle health and highlight the potential for developing prevention strategies for sarcopenia.

Nonlinear association between liver fat content and lumbar bone mineral density in overweight and obese individuals: evidence from a large-scale health screening data in China.

The impact of fatty liver disease on lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) represents an intriguing area of study, particularly in light of established research linking obesity to bone metabolism. However, there remains limited investigation into the correlation between quantifying liver fat content (LFC) and lumbar BMD among overweight and obese populations, particularly within the Chinese demographic. This study aims to accurately quantify LFC and investigate its association with lumbar BMD in overweight or obese individuals. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Health Management Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2019 to February 2023, involving 6996 participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 24 kg/m² or higher. LFC and lumbar BMD were assessed using computed tomography. The study utilized one-way ANOVA, subgroup analysis, multifactor regression analysis, smooth curve fitting, and threshold and saturation effect analysis to explore the relationship between LFC and lumbar BMD. Furthermore, inflammatory cell analysis was included to investigate the potential mediating role of inflammatory cells in the association between LFC and lumbar BMD. After adjusting for confounding variables, multivariate regression analysis revealed a significant negative association between LFC and lumbar BMD (β = -0.323, 95% CI: -0.464 to -0.183, P < 0.001). Particularly, participants in the highest baseline LFC quartile (Q4 group) exhibited a more pronounced negative impact on lumbar BMD compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1 group) (β = -5.026, 95% CI: -7.040 to -3.012, P < 0.001). Threshold saturation effect analysis identified a turning point in the LFC-BMD relationship (K = 5.4). Below this point, LFC showed a positive correlation with lumbar BMD (β = 0.962, 95% CI: 0.016-1.907, P < 0.05), whereas above it, LFC was significantly negatively correlated with lumbar BMD (β = -0.405, 95% CI: -0.558 to -0.253, P < 0.001). Additionally, mediation analysis indicated that leukocytes and monocytes potentially mediated the association between LFC and lumbar BMD, with mediation ratios of -5.78 and -6.68%, respectively. Among individuals categorized as overweight or obese, elevated levels of LFC were associated with reduced lumbar BMD, particularly noticeable above a threshold of 5.4%. Additionally, various types of inflammatory cells are presumed to exert a substantial mediating influence on the correlation between LFC and lumbar BMD.

Inflation Threshold Effects on Stock Prices: Evidence from the Plantation Sector in Malaysia

This study aims to examine the threshold effect of inflation on stock prices in the Malaysian plantation sector. This study used earnings per share (EPS) and return on equity (ROE) as proxies for microeconomic variables, and inflation (INF which proxies for the consumer price index) as a proxy for macroeconomic variables. A panel dataset covering 32 listed companies in the plantation sector from 2008Q3 to 2023Q3 is used. The results of threshold analysis show that inflation has a nonlinear effect, with a threshold value of 4.6128%. This implies that when inflation crosses this value, it significantly alters the outcome of stock prices. Inflation consistently has a negative effect on stock prices across both regimes, although the impact slightly decreases under higher inflation. Higher inflation will increase the detrimental effects of ROE and reverses the significance effect of EPS and DTE to insignificant, while enhancing the positive contributions of revenue and operating cash flow.

Threshold Expectile Regressions With an Unknown Threshold for Dependent Data

ABSTRACTThis article introduces a threshold expectile regression model with an unknown threshold for dependent data, which enables simple characterization of nonlinearity and heteroscedasticity in economic and financial applications. Profile estimation is proposed for the unknown parameters, and a sup‐Wald test is developed to test the existence of the threshold effect at a fixed expectile level. Inference issues across multiple expectile levels are further considered, with a likelihood‐ratio‐type test designed to check for the presence of a common threshold value. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the nice finite sample performance of the proposed inference procedures. Finally, an empirical application demonstrates that the debt‐to‐GDP ratio has a heterogeneous threshold effect on the U.S. growth rate across the growth distribution.

Evaluating the effect of biochar rate and combination with fertilizer on the dynamics of soil nitrogen supply in tea plantation

Tea plantations commonly receive substantial quantities of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, with potential for considerable N loss to occur. This study assessed N retention in acidic tea plantation soil and examined how different biochar application rates and fertilizer combinations affect N dynamics, highlighting the importance of innovative technologies to monitor and enhance N supply management. This research adopted a modified 2-week aerobic incubation and ion-exchange membrane (IEM) techniques to evaluate the soil N supply in tea plantations following early-summer top-dressing as influenced by various biochar rates and fertilizer combinations. We quantified the amount of mineralized N in acidic tea plantation soils during the summer. Our results show that biochar enhances soil N supply not by increasing N mineralization directly but by improving soil mineral N retention. Notably, a threshold effect was identified at biochar application rates of 20–30 tonnes ha−1. The window for maximizing the effectiveness of inorganic fertilizers applied during the summer months in tea plantations could only be 2–4 weeks. The use of biochar-based organic fertilizers can enhance this period by enhancing N retention and availability in the soil. Measuring N mineralization potential via aerobic incubations and N exposure using IEM technology effectively elucidated soil N dynamics during summer period.

Identifying time patterns in Huntington’s disease trajectories using dynamic time warping-based clustering on multi-modal data

One of the principal goals of Precision Medicine is to stratify patients by accounting for individual variability. However, extracting meaningful information from Real-World Data, such as Electronic Health Records, still remains challenging due to methodological and computational issues. A Dynamic Time Warping-based unsupervised-clustering methodology is presented in this paper for the clustering of patient trajectories of multi-modal health data on the basis of shared temporal characteristics. Building on an earlier methodology, a new dimension of time-varying clinical and imaging features is incorporated, through an adapted cost-minimization algorithm for clustering on different, possibly overlapping, feature subsets. The model disease chosen is Huntington’s disease (HD), characterized by progressive neurodegeneration. From a wide range of examined user-defined parameters, four case examples are highlighted to demonstrate the identified temporal patterns in multi-modal HD trajectories and to study how these differ due to the combined effects of feature weights and granularity threshold. For each identified cluster, polynomial fits that describe the time behavior of the assessed features are provided for an informative comparison, together with their averaged values. The proposed data-mining methodology permits the stratification of distinct time patterns of multi-modal health data in individuals that share a diagnosis, by employing user-customized criteria beyond the current clinical practice. Overall, this work bears implications for better analysis of individual variability in disease progression, opening doors to personalized preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Health economics assessment of statin therapy initiation thresholds for atherosclerosis prevention in China: a cost-effectiveness analysis

BackgroundRecent updates to the Chinese guidelines for dyslipidemia management have reduced the 10-year risk threshold for starting statins in the primary prevention of atherosclerotic heart disease. This study aims to evaluate the potential negative effects of different statin initiation thresholds on diabetes risk in the Chinese population, while also analyzing their health economic implications.MethodsI We developed a microsimulation model based on event probabilities to assess the cost-effectiveness of statin therapy. The model utilized the China-PAR prediction tool for ASCVD risk and incorporated data from a nationally representative survey and published meta-analyses of middle-aged and elderly Chinese populations. Four strategies were evaluated: a 7.5% 10-year risk threshold, the current guideline strategy, and a 15% threshold. For each strategy, we calculated the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) to gain insights into the economic impact of each approach.ResultThe incremental cost per QALY for the 10% 10-year risk threshold strategy, compared to the untreated, was $52,218.75. The incremental cost per QALY for the guideline strategy, compared to the 7.5% 10-year risk threshold strategy, was $464,614.36. These results were robust in most sensitivity analyses.ConclusionMaintaining the recommended thresholds outlined in the current guidelines for the management of dyslipidemia may represent a cost-effective option for China at present. Variations in statin prices and the risk of statin-induced diabetes have significant impacts on the cost-effectiveness outcomes.

Non-linear relationship between urinary creatinine and diabetic kidney disease: implications for clinical practice

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the relationship between urinary creatinine (UCr) and the risk and severity of Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The goal is to establish UCr as a potential biomarker for early DKD detection and severity assessment.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using medical records of T2DM patients. Patients were classified into groups with and without DKD, and relevant clinical data, including demographic, blood, and urine parameters, were collected. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated the association between UCr levels and DKD. Curve fitting and threshold effect model were used to further evaluate the relationship between UCr and the incidence and severity of DKD.ResultsA total of 302 T2DM patients were analyzed, with 137 diagnosed with DKD. Significant differences in clinical parameters were observed between the DKD and non-DKD groups, particularly in UCr, urine albumin levels, and eGFR. UCr levels demonstrated a strong association with DKD. Moreover, a non-linear relationship was identified, with specific inflection points indicating different correlation patterns of UCr with DKD occurrence and progression.ConclusionThe findings of this study highlight the potential of UCr as a valuable biomarker for early detection and assessment of DKD in T2DM patients. Incorporating UCr measurements into routine clinical practice could enhance early identification of patients at risk for kidney complications, leading to timely intervention and improved patient outcomes.

The Threshold Effects of Exchange Rates on Agricultural Exports: A Flow from South Africa to the Southern African Development Community

The impact of exchange rates is a significant concern affecting trade in the SADC region. This study’s purpose is to assess the threshold effects of exchange rates on agricultural exports from SA to SADC from 2010 to 2022. A panel threshold estimation technique is applied to assess the exchange rates effects in different regimes that can be below or above the threshold value. This can reveal non-linear relationships that are often overlooked in traditional linear models. In this analysis, exchange rates are disaggregated into appreciation and depreciation, as it is critical to determine how these changes affect agricultural exports, which has not been achieved in previous studies. The findings of this study confirm the existence of a non-linear relationship between several key variables (depreciation, South Africa’s GDP, the GDP of the SADC, and South Africa’s population and agricultural exports). This contributes new insights to the existing literature on the SADC economies. The policymakers could implement an exchange rate stabilisation mechanism and promote the diversification of both market destinations and agricultural export products. The SADC economies could consider adopting flexible exchange rate regimes that respond to market forces, while taking into account external shocks and economic indicators to mitigate the effects of depreciation shocks. Furthermore, the findings from this study can aid policymakers in formulating effective strategies for managing exchange rates fluctuations and promoting agricultural export growth. The findings show that different segments of agricultural exports can inform targeted interventions aimed at supporting exporters, and relevant industries within the SADC region. These results can aid policymakers to develop strategies to support sustainable agricultural practises, and ensure that the sector can meet the growing demands of a larger population.

Global Value Chain Embedding and Total Factor Productivity in Carbon Emission Reduction: A Multi-Country Analysis of the Paper Industry

Against the backdrop of carbon reduction and low-carbon economic development, this study takes the global paper industry chain as its research subject and employs the SBM-GML model and input–output model to measure the low-carbon TFP and value chain embedding levels of 42 major global economies from 2001 to 2021. Using fixed-effects and threshold effect models, the study examines both the overall and stage-specific impacts of value chain embedding on low-carbon TFP. The results reveal that between 2001 and 2021, while the low-carbon TFP of major countries in the global paper industry chain steadily increased, significant disparities persisted among them. Most countries experienced low-carbon TFP growth driven by technological progress, whereas only a few high low-carbon TFP nations also demonstrated upward trends in technical efficiency. The division of labour position in the value chain significantly promoted low-carbon TFP at a ratio of 1:0.26. In contrast, the low-carbon TFP effects of participation displayed a nonlinear impact with a threshold of 0.21: it exerted an insignificant inhibitory effect in the initial stage but, upon crossing the threshold, resulted in a significant positive effect with a ratio of 1:0.13. These findings highlight the importance of optimizing GVC strategies to achieve sustainable industrial transformation and growth.

Associations of the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with mortality among patients in osteopenia or osteoporosis.

The correlation between serum vitamin D and mortality in patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis remains unclear. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [(25(OH)D] and mortality in patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis. This prospective cohort study included patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2018. Multivariate Cox regression models examined the correlation between serum 25(OH) D and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality (CVD), and cancer mortality. The cohort included 9282 adult participants with a median follow-up period of 97.01 months, including 1394 all-cause deaths, 413 CVD-related deaths, and 322 cancer deaths. In fully adjusted models, higher serum 25(OH) D levels (≥75.0 nmol/L) were associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.54, 95 % confidence interval 0.41 to 0.73) and cardiovascular death (0.47, 0.29 to 0.76), using participants with low 25(OH) D levels (<25 nmol/L) as the reference. In addition, we found an L-shaped non-linear dose-response relationship between serum 25(OH) D and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with inflection points of 38.8 nmol/L and 53.6 nmol/L, respectively. Higher serum 25(OH) D concentrations are strongly associated with a diminished risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis, this association has a threshold effect. More in-depth intervention studies are needed to clarify underlying mechanisms.

Impact of board gender diversity on anti-corruption disclosure: analysis in the context of the Sapin II law in France

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influence of board gender diversity on corporate anti-corruption disclosure (ACD) and the role of the Sapin II Law. Design/methodology/approach The authors used panel data regressions on a sample of French listed firms from 2010–2020. Keywords-based content analysis is used to measure ACD. Additionally, the Difference-in-Differences (DID) model investigate whether the ACD levels with high and low female directors’ changes before and after the Sapin II Law. Findings There is a positive relationship between female directors and corporate ACD. This relation is particularly significant in firms who applies the Sapin II Law. Research limitations/implications The authors focus solely on larger French listed companies, which may not reflect small and medium-sized businesses. Due to data limitations, the authors could not include demographic factors like age, education and experience that could influence company behavior. Furthermore, self-reported data may not adequately reveal illicit practices within these companies. Practical implications The relationship between board gender diversity and corruption disclosure informs policymakers on reforms for female directors. The findings also aid investors and suggest that managers should view gender diversity as a governance tool to reduce corruption. Originality/value This paper is original in focusing on ACD and using a DID methodology to assess the impact of the Sapin II Law. It uniquely investigates threshold effects between board gender diversity and ACD and examines the French context, including the Copé-Zimmermann Law’s gender diversity mandate.

Are the poor getting poorer by connecting to the core? Exploring the impact of high-speed rail on the growth of small and medium-sized cities

ABSTRACT We use China’s HSR development as a ‘quasi-natural experiment’ to show that the economic growth of small and medium-sized cities accelerates when connected to major metropolises. Current studies mainly focus on exploring the generative effects of HSR on urban spatial development; the effects of the HSR on small/medium-sized cities’ growth remain unexplored, especially from the perspective of interconnection with the central cities. By strengthening the links between cities, HSR promotes a positive spillover effect reflected in the industrial transfer and labor mobility from central cities to small and medium-sized cities. In addition, the threshold effect analysis suggests that the spillover effect is significant when the small and medium-sized cities are allocated within 300 km radius of the core city.

The predictive value of triglyceride-glucose-high density lipoprotein-body mass index (TGH-BMI) for different degrees of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) and triglyceride-glucose body mass index (TyG-BMI) have been identified as potential predictive factors for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, they do not include high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), which is closely related to lipid metabolism. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive and longitudinal data to determine the cut-off points for different degrees of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in MASLD. This study aimed to investigate the predictive capability of triglyceride-glucose-high density lipoprotein-body mass index (TGH-BMI) in determining hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in MASLD, as well as to establish the predictive cut-off points. We analyzed the relationships of TGH-BMI (TGH-BMI=ln [TG (mg/dL) *FBG (mg/dL)/HDL-C (mg/dL)] * BMI (kg/m2)) with different degrees of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in 35,114 participants who underwent health check-ups. A total of 2262 subjects without MASLD were selected for the analysis of cumulative hazard of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in TGH-BMI dichotomous groups over a follow-up period of 1001 days. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) demonstrated a consistent upward trend as TGH-BMI increased across quartile groups, as determined by One-way analysis of variance(P<0.001). TGH-BMI and CAP, LSM exhibit distinct curve-like relationships between males and females when utilizing smoothing functions and conducting threshold effect analysis(P<0.05). In males, prior to the inflection point at TGH-BMI =177.733, there was a significant increase of 0.807 in CAP for every 1 unit increase in TGH-BMI (P<0.05), after the inflection point, there was still an increase of 0.417 in CAP for every 1 unit increase in TGH-BMI (P<0.05); There was no significant correlation between LSM and TGH-BMI before the first inflection point at TGH-BMI=131.689 (P>0.05) and after the second inflection point at TGH-BMI=253.268 (P>0.05). Between the first and the second inflection, LSM showed an increase of 0.015 for every 1 unit increase in TGH-BMI (P<0.05). In females, before the inflection point at TGH-BMI =94.686, there was a significant increase of 0.272 in CAP for every 1 unit increase in TGH-BMI (P<0.05), after the inflection point, there was a notable change as CAP increased by 0.806 for every 1 unit increase in TGH-BMI (P<0.05). There was no significant correlation between LSM and TGH-BMI before the inflection point at TGH-BMI=118.098 (P>0.05), after the inflection point, LSM showed an increase of 0.017 for every 1 unit increase in TGH-BMI (P<0.05). Notably, TGH-BMI has been shown to be a strong predictor for the severity of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in MASLD. The Area Under Curves (AUCs) for hepatic steatosis, moderate or above hepatic steatosis, severe hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in males were 0.845, 0.846, 0.882 and 0.668 respectively, the AUCs for hepatic steatosis, moderate or above hepatic steatosis, severe hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in females were 0.855, 0.895, 0.939 and 0.705 respectively (P<0.05). In individuals without MASLD, the cumulative hazard of hepatic steatosis was found to be strongly associated with the dichotomy of increased TGH-BMI (TGH-BMID2: Hazard Ratio (HR) =2.412, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 2.0164-2.9071, P<0.0001), while the same is true in liver fibrosis (TGH-BMID2: HR=1.454, 95% CI: 1.0633-1.9883, P=0.0191). The TGH-BMI demonstrates a strong predictive value for hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis, with significantly different cut-off points for men and women. Therefore, it is important to consider the potential need for gender-specific cut-off points for triglyceride, glucose, high density lipoprotein and body mass index in clinical practice. In individuals without MASLD, a higher TGH-BMI is associated with an increased risk of developing MASLD in the future.

A study on the carbon emission reduction pathways of China’s digital economy from multiple perspectives

As the share of the digital economy’s output continues to rise each year, the emergence of new industries such as e-commerce, mobile payments, and cloud computing has opened new avenues for carbon emission reduction (CER). Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China, this article systematically analyzes the CER pathways of China’s digital economy (DE) from the perspectives of direct effects, indirect effects, threshold effects, and heterogeneity analysis. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) China’s DE has a significant CER effect. (2) The DE can indirectly reduce regional carbon emissions (CE) by industrial structures and technological innovation, with the mediating effect of technological innovation being more significant than that of industrial structure. (3) Urbanization has threshold effects on the CER effect of China’s DE. Under the influence of urbanization, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between DE and CE. (4) Heterogeneity analysis finds that, compared to other types of provinces, the CER effect of DE is stronger in non-resource-based and economically developed provinces. (5) We propose five tailored recommendations for CER: fostering the synergistic development of the DE and industrial structure, strengthening the role of technological innovation, advancing urbanization and carbon reduction in a differentiated manner, formulating distinct policies for resource-based and non-resource-based provinces, and enhancing the construction of digital infrastructure in less-developed regions. This article not only establishes a more comprehensive connection between the DE and CER, but also reveals the differences in the role of technological innovation, industrial structure optimization, urbanization and other factors in the carbon reduction effect of the DE through the comparison of different paths and mechanisms.

Association of anxiety status and anxiety duration with constipation in adult Americans: a cross-sectional study using data from the NHANES 2007–2010

BackgroundConstipated patients may exhibit anxious behaviors, but the relationship between the two remains unclear. This population-based study aims to investigate the relationships of anxiety status and anxiety duration with constipation among U.S. adults.MethodsUsing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database spanning from 2007 to 2010, a cross-sectional study included 8945 participants was performed to assess the relationships of anxiety status and anxiety duration with constipation. Participants’ characteristics were presented using mean or proportion. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using multivariable logistic regression models. The analysis accounted for potential confounding factors, including gender, age, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status, PIR, BMI, smoking status, drinking status, chronic diseases, and dietary intake. Subgroup analyses were conducted to ensure the stability of the results. Smoothed curve fitting was applied to investigate both linear and nonlinear associations between anxiety duration and constipation risk. Threshold effects were assessed using two-piecewise linear regression models.ResultsOf the 8945 participants, 922 reported constipation, with a prevalence of 10.3%. After adjusting for confounding factors, individuals with anxiety status exhibited an increased risk of constipation (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.28–1.73). Stratified analyses indicated that the association between anxiety status and constipation remained relatively stable across different stratification levels. Smoothed curve fitting and threshold effect analyses revealed a linear association between anxiety duration and constipation among adults aged 20–60, while a nonlinear inverted U-shaped relationship was observed in those aged 60 and older, with an inflection point at 10 days. The two variables correlated positively on the left side of the inflection point but not on the right.ConclusionThis study showed that a significant association between anxiety status and constipation among U.S. adults. Additionally, an age-dependent association between anxiety duration and constipation was observed, particularly among individuals aged 60 and older.

A Threshold Analysis of the Effect of House Prices on U.S. Local Labor Markets

This paper uses a threshold regression model to examine whether the effect on total employment of an exogenous change in tradable sector employment differs in systematic ways depending on the average house price. The results based on data from 321 U.S. metropolitan areas suggest the presence of a threshold effect. The local employment multiplier increases with the average house price until some house price threshold level beyond it decreases, suggesting that affordable local housing markets not only help attract companies but also allow local economies to maximize the benefits from location-based development policies aimed at creating more jobs.

The impact of political, financial, and economic risks on energy transition: the role of natural resource rents

The global emphasis on energy transition arises from the recognition of fossil fuel reliance exacerbating environmental degradation. The transition to cleaner, renewable energy sources stands central in mitigating climate change and promoting sustainability. This paper explores the influence of country risks, particularly political, financial, and economic, on energy transition while considering the role of natural resource rents. Using data spanning 88 countries from 2006 to 2020, categorized by income levels, the analysis reveals distinct patterns. Low political and financial risks exhibit a negative correlation with energy transition, while low economic risks display a positive association. The study identifies threshold effects: higher resource rents worsen the negative impact of low political and financial risks and weaken the positive effects of low economic risk on energy transition. These relationships differ among countries with different income levels. These insights highlight the nuanced interplay between country risks, natural resource rents, and the trajectory of the energy transition, crucial for steering societies toward sustainable development pathways.