Large Positive Effect Research Articles

Mobile Broadband, Poverty, and Labor Outcomes in Tanzania

AbstractWhat are the impacts of expanding mobile broadband coverage on poverty, household consumption, and labor-market outcomes in developing countries? Who benefits from improved coverage of mobile internet? To respond to these questions, this paper applies a difference-in-differences estimation using panel household survey data combined with geospatial information on the rollout of mobile broadband coverage in Tanzania. The results reveal that being covered by 3G networks has a large positive effect on total household consumption and poverty reduction, driven by positive impacts on labor-market outcomes. Working-age individuals living in areas covered by mobile internet witnessed an increase in labor-force participation, wage employment, and non-farm self-employment, and a decline in farm employment. These effects vary by age, gender, and skill level. Younger and more skilled men benefit the most through higher labor-force participation and wage employment, while high-skilled women benefit from transitions from self-employed farm work into non-farm employment.

Mining the Influencing Factors and Their Asymmetrical Effects of mHealth Sleep App User Satisfaction From Real-world User-Generated Reviews: Content Analysis and Topic Modeling.

Sleep disorders are a global challenge, affecting a quarter of the global population. Mobile health (mHealth) sleep apps are a potential solution, but 25% of users stop using them after a single use. User satisfaction had a significant impact on continued use intention. This China-US comparison study aimed to mine the topics discussed in user-generated reviews of mHealth sleep apps, assess the effects of the topics on user satisfaction and dissatisfaction with these apps, and provide suggestions for improving users' intentions to continue using mHealth sleep apps. An unsupervised clustering technique was used to identify the topics discussed in user reviews of mHealth sleep apps. On the basis of the two-factor theory, the Tobit model was used to explore the effect of each topic on user satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and differences in the effects were analyzed using the Wald test. A total of 488,071 user reviews of 10 mainstream sleep apps were collected, including 267,589 (54.8%) American user reviews and 220,482 (45.2%) Chinese user reviews. The user satisfaction rates of sleep apps were poor (China: 56.58% vs the United States: 45.87%). We identified 14 topics in the user-generated reviews for each country. In the Chinese data, 13 topics had a significant effect on the positive deviation (PD) and negative deviation (ND) of user satisfaction. The 2 variables (PD and ND) were defined by the difference between the user rating and the overall rating of the app in the app store. Among these topics, the app's sound recording function (β=1.026; P=.004) had the largest positive effect on the PD of user satisfaction, and the topic with the largest positive effect on the ND of user satisfaction was the sleep improvement effect of the app (β=1.185; P<.001). In the American data, all 14 topics had a significant effect on the PD and ND of user satisfaction. Among these, the topic with the largest positive effect on the ND of user satisfaction was the app's sleep promotion effect (β=1.389; P<.001), whereas the app's sleep improvement effect (β=1.168; P<.001) had the largest positive effect on the PD of user satisfaction. The Wald test showed that there were significant differences in the PD and ND models of user satisfaction in both countries (all P<.05), indicating that the influencing factors of user satisfaction with mHealth sleep apps were asymmetrical. Using the China-US comparison, hygiene factors (ie, stability, compatibility, cost, and sleep monitoring function) and 2 motivation factors (ie, sleep suggestion function and sleep promotion effects) of sleep apps were identified. By distinguishing between the hygiene and motivation factors, the use of sleep apps in the real world can be effectively promoted.

Multiple pressures and vegetation conditions shape the spatiotemporal variations of ecosystem services in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Human activities and environmental change can impact the supply of ecosystem services (ESs) as pressures. Understanding the mechanisms of these impacts is crucial to support ecological conservation and restoration policy and applications. In this study, we highlighted the contribution of vegetation to mitigating these impacts on ESs in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) of China. First, we identified hot and cold spots of pressures from human activities and environmental factors and mapped the cumulative provision of five ESs (i.e., water yield, soil retention, carbon sequestration, habitat quality, and landscape aesthetics). Then, we clustered these ESs into five bundles based on their supply level. Furthermore, structural equation modeling was used to quantify the pathways of multiple pressures on ESs. The results indicated that 1) for 2000, 2010 and 2019, the percentages of hot spots with high pressure were 28.88%, 27.59% and 45.66% respectively, with significant spatial heterogeneity from northwest to southeast; 2) both regions with high and low cumulative ES values experienced increased volatility; and 3) the joint effects of multiple pressures shaped ESs through pressure-ES (direct) and pressure-vegetation-ES (indirect) pathways. Specifically, precipitation had the largest positive effect on regulating services (rα ≥ 0.76), and landscape fragmentation had the largest negative effect on cultural services (-0.10 ≤ rα ≤ -0.07). Vegetation played an important role in modulating multiple pressures on ESs. This study contributes to ecosystem management by effectively coping with anthropogenic and environmental pressures and sustaining the supply of ESs, particularly in alpine and plateau regions.

Interactions between Ecosystem Services and Social Economies in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

AbstractAn in‐depth understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services (ESs) and socioeconomic (SE) development is an important prerequisite for the coordination and sustainable development of regional human–environmental management strategies. In this study, the coupling coordination model is employed to explore the synergistic and trade‐off relationships between ESs and SE factors.The results show that the ESs in the Yangtze River Economic Belt are currently in a trade‐off stage. At the urban scale, the synergy between water production and other ecosystem functions is more than 20% higher than that of other systems. The proportion of trade‐offs between sediment retention and other ecosystem functions is also high, more than 40% higher than that of other systems. ESs are greatly affected by SE development; the expansion of cultivated land area has the largest negative effect on ESs, and rainfall has the largest negative effect on SE factors. The population has the largest positive effect on ESs, and carbon storage has the largest positive effect on SE factors. This study provides a research method by exploring the patterns of development, interaction, and impact in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which can provide a basis for the SE development and ESs management of watershed economic zones.

Effects of Various Feed Additives on Finishing Pig Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics: A Review.

Feed additives have shown benefits throughout the literature in improving grow-finish pigs' growth performance and carcass characteristics. However, the results have not been well summarized. Therefore, this review summarizes the available research (402 articles) on 14 feed additive categories fed to grow-finish pigs. The categories were acidifiers, betaine, Cr, conjugated linoleic acids, Cu, direct-fed microbials, carbohydrases, proteases, phytases, multi-enzymes, essential oils, L-carnitine, yeasts, and Zn. Qualified articles were collected and selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria from online databases. The percentage difference for each response variable between the treatment and control group was calculated and summarized. Most results were positive for each feed additive; however, the magnitude of improvement varied, and most were not statistically significant. For ADG, DFM, Cu, L-carnitine, and multi-enzymes showed relatively large positive effects (&gt;2.1% improvement) across a reasonable number of articles. Acidifiers, betaine, CLA, multi-enzymes, DFM, L-carnitine, and yeasts showed relatively large positive effects (&gt;2.5% improvement) on improving G:F. Moreover, except for betaine, Cr, CLA, and L-carnitine, most feed additives showed little and non-significant effects on BF thickness (&lt;1.7% improvement). This review provides a descriptive analysis for commonly used feed additives in the hope of better understanding feed additives' effects on grow-finish pigs.

Strategy to increase E-Customer Loyalty Through E-Customer Satisfaction in E-Commerce Business in Indonesia

The purpose of this study was to measure the degree of electronic customer's electronic satisfaction and loyalty to online sales and shopping services in Indonesia. The study is classified as a research study using descriptive analysis methods, taking samples from the population and using questionnaires as the primary tool for data collection. The population in this study is all Indonesian online shopping consumers. Respondents were selected using probability sampling and systematic random sampling. The survey sample used consisted of 156 respondents. The survey sample was randomly selected for the first data, but specific intervals are used for the second data. The results of the analysis using the structural equation modeling (SEM) model are as follows; (1) The E-Marketing mix has a large positive effect on e-customer satisfaction. (2) E-Service quality (E SERVQUAL) has a significant positive impact on e-customer satisfaction; (3) E-Brand trust has a significant positive impact on e-customer satisfaction. (4) E-customer satisfaction has a significant positive impact on E-customer retention. This study will help online selling business stakeholders identify the factors that can affect e-customer loyalty.

When the Celtic Tiger relaxed its corporate tax bite: An analysis of effects on top and upper middle income shares in Ireland

In 1997, the Irish government introduced reforms to revolutionize corporate taxation, with focus on creating opportunities for tax neutrality and on reducing the standard corporate tax rate. Using the synthetic control method, findings suggest that the reforms had large positive effects on the income share of the top 1% and sizeable negative effects on the upper middle 40% of income earners. Such heterogeneous effects indicate increasing income inequality due to targeted corporate tax incentives.

Optimizing seed injection as a seagrass restoration method

Due to the major declines of seagrasses worldwide, there is an urgent need for effective restoration methods and strategies. In the Dutch Wadden Sea, intertidal seagrass restoration has proven very challenging, despite numerous restoration trials with different restoration methods. Recently, however, the first field trial performed with a newly developed “dispenser injection seeding” method (DIS) resulted in record‐high plant densities and seed recruitment. Here, we present the further development of the methodology and consequently improved restoration results. During two consecutive growing seasons, we honed the seeding technique and experimentally investigated how seeding depth (2/4 cm), injection density (25/100 injects/m2), and seed amount (2/20 seeds/inject) affected restoration of intertidal annual Zostera marina. We found that all variables had a significant impact on plant establishment. Seeding deeper (4 cm) had the largest positive effect on restored plant densities, while lowered seed densities (2 seeds/inject) had the largest positive impact on seed recruitment. The optimized DIS method, combined with an altered placement of the seeding hole, resulted in a 50‐fold increase in restored plant densities (from approximately 1 to 57 plants/m2) and a simultaneous increase in seed recruitment (from 0.3 to 11.4%). These improvements stem from the method's ability to counteract a recruitment bottleneck, where seeds are lost through hydrodynamic forcing. The methodological improvements described here are important steps toward restoring self‐sustaining seagrass populations in the future and our study demonstrates the high potential of the seed‐based DIS method for seagrass restoration.

A Liberalization Spillover: From Equities to Loans

AbstractThe opening of equity markets to foreign investment by developing countries appears to generate an enormously large positive growth effect (see Bekaert, Harvey, and Lundblad (2005), Journal of Financial Economics 77, 3–55) in spite of a relatively small role of such markets for financing investment in most economies. We propose a spillover channel from equity market opening to lower costs of bank loans, which helps to explain this puzzle. From analyzing bank loan data associated with China’s introduction of the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors program, we find significant support for this channel. Furthermore, we show that a reduction in the risk premium in loans is an important mechanism.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the benefits of school-based, peer-led interventions for leaders

The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to quantitatively synthesise the effects of school-based peer-led interventions on leaders' academic, psychosocial, behavioural, and physical outcomes. Eligible studies were those that: (i) evaluated a school-based peer-led intervention using an experimental or quasi-experimental study design, (ii) included an age-matched control or comparison group, and (iii) evaluated the impact of the intervention on one or more leader outcomes. Medline, Sportdiscus, Psychinfo, Embase, and Scopus online databases were searched on the 24th of October, 2022 which yielded 13,572 results, with 31 included in the narrative synthesis and 12 in the meta-analysis. We found large positive effects for leaders' attitudes toward bullying (d = 1.02), small-to-medium positive effects for leaders' literacy (d = 0.39), and small positive effects for leaders' self-esteem (d = 0.18). There were mixed findings for behavioural outcomes and null effects for physical outcomes. Notable limitations of this research are the inclusion of a relatively small number of studies, and high heterogeneity in those included. Our findings have the potential to inform educational practice, but also highlight the need for further research examining the mechanisms that might account for the observed effects. Our systematic review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021273129).

The role of daily spoken language on the performance of language tests: The Indonesian experience

AbstractThe performance of cognitive tests is highly dependent on the proficiency of the language in which the tests are administered. Not all Indonesians speak Indonesian daily and many are bilingual. We investigate whether language(s) spoken affects the performance on three language tests in 840 participants ranging in age (16–80) and education (6–22 years). Analysis of covariance followed by Helmert contrasts showed a disadvantage on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and on the most difficult items of the Token Test for those who do not speak Bahasa daily. Bilinguals did worse on the BNT. Education had a large positive effect on the language tests, age a smaller negative effect. This suggests that besides age and education, the factor of language spoken, either in public or at home, needs to be taken into account when a participant's test scores on the BNT and TT are interpreted and compared with normative data.

Which interventions contribute most to the net effect of England’s agri-environment schemes on pollination services?

ContextAgri-environment schemes support land management interventions that benefit biodiversity, environmental objectives, and other public goods. Process-based model simulations suggest the English scheme, as implemented in 2016, increased wild bee pollination services to pollinator-dependent crops and non-crop areas in a geographically heterogeneous manner.ObjectivesWe investigated which interventions drove the scheme-wide predicted pollination service increase to oilseed rape, field beans and non-cropped areas. We determined whether the relative contribution of each intervention was related to floral and/or nesting resource quality of the intervention, area of uptake, or placement in the landscape.MethodsWe categorised interventions into functional groups and used linear regression to determine the relationship between predicted visitation rate increase and each category’s area within a 10 km grid tile. We compared the magnitude of the regression coefficients to measures of resource quality, area of uptake nationally, and placement to infer the factors underpinning this relationship.ResultsHedgerow/woodland edge management had the largest positive effect on pollination service change, due to high resource quality. Fallow areas were also strong drivers, despite lower resource quality, implying effective placement. Floral margins had limited benefit due to later resource phenology. Interventions had stronger effects where there was less pre-existing semi-natural habitat.ConclusionsFuture schemes could support greater and more resilient pollination service in arable landscapes by promoting hedgerow/woodland edge management and fallow interventions. Including early-flowering species and increasing uptake would improve the effect of floral margins. Spatial targeting of interventions should consider landscape context and pairing complimentary interventions to maximise whole-scheme effectiveness.

Research on farmers' households credit behavior and social capital acquisition.

Farmer's credit is significant to growing the farmer's revenue and the progression of the rural economy. Several scholars have focused on the impact of social capital on the farmers' credit availability, but the research deduction is still not combined. In addition, credit behavior is an important element that researchers pay attention to. However, the study mainly focuses on the effects of social capital on the credit behavior of farmer households and its large positive effect, a scientific approach for measuring farmer households' social capital was presented. The strategy attempted to develop an empirical model of farmer households' loan behavior based on business performance and the role of social capital. Through regression analysis of the influence of social capital on the channels of farmer households' access to credit, it was determined that the error correlation coefficients of the credit by the formal channel and the informal channel were 0.153, 0.158, and 0.152, respectively, for the three models. The significance levels of the correlation coefficients were all greater than 1 percent, showing that the regression results were relatively accurate and passed the significance test. However, these results indicated that financial channels pay attention to farmers' credit and social capital acquisition to reduce the risk of advancing. Moreover, informal money lenders such as friends and relatives focused on the social capital of the farmer. The study is helpful for policymakers to make the strategies for the farmer to get credit behavior from financial institutions. Moreover, this study is beneficial in highlighting some limitations and giving future directions to researchers.

New multimodal intervention to reduce irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) severity symptoms-Pilot study with a 12 month follow-up.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by patients' high level of suffering. Up to 60% of patients with IBS have symptoms of anxiety or depression and only little attention has been paid to their specific requirements. Anthroposophical multimodal therapy (AMT) has been shown to significantly improve health-related quality of life of patients with high symptomatic burden. The aim of this pilot study was to find out whether AMT meets the needs of IBS patients and the interactions of AMT with IBS, depression and anxiety. Patients with diagnosed IBS were included in a feasibility study and received 12 sessions of AMT over 8 weeks (drks.de, DRKS00016890). The primary endpoint was the change of the IBS severity score (IBS-SSS) and changes were calculated by linear mixed effects analyses. The secondary endpoints were changes of self-reported PHQ-9 and GAD-7 for mental comorbidity as well as self-valued effectiveness and satisfaction of AMT. Thirty-six patients, 89% female, were included in the study. AMT was successfully applied to IBS patients (-45 points in the IBS-SSS, p < .05). AMT had a large positive effect (-84 points in IBS-SSS, p < .003) on patients without anxiety or depression. Over time, patients with higher anxiety scores worsened with regard to their IBS compared to patients with depression and without mental comorbidity. The AMT effect was maintained at a 12 month follow up and both mentally affected and unaffected patients, had even lower IBS severity than shortly after AMT. AMT modules were rated by IBS patients as very effective. Our findings suggest that an 8-week program of AMT improves the severity of IBS with an ongoing effect at a 12 month follow-up. Especially for patients without psychological comorbidities, AMT is very successful. Future IBS therapies should incorporate a modified multimodal concept with stronger psychological therapy modules in parallel for patients with depression and anxiety.

Assessing the ecological effectiveness of Sloping Land Conversion Programme to identify vegetation restoration types: A case study of Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau, China

China's Sloping Land Conversion Programme (SLCP) improves the vegetation at the expense of a lot of water and aggravates the drought in arid and semi-arid regions. Identifying vegetation restoration types based on their ecological effectiveness is important for alleviating the conflicting demands for water between the ecosystem and humans. This study used the treatment effect model to estimate the marginal contribution of SLCP towards vegetation restoration in the Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau. Additionally, we built a relative advantage index (RAI) for identifying vegetation restoration types based on the assessment of SLCP's ecological effectiveness. After implementing the SLCP, land use experienced significant transitions, and the vegetation was extensively improved in the Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau. The farmland changed into forestland and grassland extended to over 985.608 km2 and 3021.526 km2 respectively, and the average normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) increased by 35.818 % from 2000 to 2015. The SLCP has a large positive effect on vegetation, and the marginal contribution of conversion farmland to forest (CFF) is higher than that of conversion farmland to grassland (CFG). Furthermore, the RAI can effectively distinguish vegetation restoration types in forest-grass transition zones. The suitable afforestation areas with a RAI of more than 1 account for 14.101 %, and are mainly distributed in the south of the Northern Shaanxi Plateau while others are more suitable for grass-planting. The government should improve schemes to guide farmers to choose the appropriate vegetation restoration types in different areas for gaining more ecological profits.

The Effectiveness of Automated Writing Evaluation on Writing Quality: A Meta-Analysis

Automated writing evaluation (AWE) has been frequently used to provide feedback on student writing. Many empirical studies have examined the effectiveness of AWE on writing quality, but the results were inconclusive. Thus, the magnitude of AWE’s overall effect and factors influencing its effectiveness across studies remained unclear. This study re-examined the issue by meta-analyzing the results of 26 primary studies with a total of 2468 participants from 2010 to 2022. The results revealed that AWE had a large positive overall effect on writing quality (g = 0.861, p &lt; 0.001). Further moderator analyses indicated that AWE was more effective for post-secondary students than for secondary students and had more benefits for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) learners than for Native English Speaker (NES) learners. When the genre of writing was considered, AWE showed a more significant impact on argumentative writing than on academic and mixed writing genres. However, intervention duration, feedback combination, and AWE platform did not moderate the effect of AWE on writing quality. The implications and recommendations for both research and practice are discussed in depth.

Analisis Pengaruh Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Terhadap Realisasi Investasi Asing Dan Investasi Dalam Negeri Di Indonesia Tahun 2018-2021

Penanaman Modal Asing (PMA) and Penanaman Modal Dalam Negeri (PMDN) are important sources of financing for developing regions and can make a significant contribution to development. As a component of capital flows, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is considered a relatively stable inflow compared to other capital flows, such as portfolio investment and foreign debt. A country's economy relies on investment to solve various problems, crises, and economic challenges. This is because investing in certain sectors of the economy can quickly change the various economic challenges facing a country. Both private and public investment bring many benefits, including job creation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of domestic and foreign investment on economic growth. This type of research is quantitative research. The research instrument used is documentation of research instruments through books and scientific journals. Data analysis using multiple regression method. As a result, it can be seen that foreign investment has a large positive effect on economic growth. Foreign direct investment helps Indonesia achieve stable national development. But domestic investment has no effect on economic growth. The implementation of this research is the need for the government's role as a regulator to support increased domestic and international investment in order to encourage Indonesia's economic growth.

The diving response and cardiac vagal activity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This article aimed to synthesize the various triggers of the diving response and to perform a meta-analysis assessing their effects on cardiac vagal activity. The protocol was preregistered on PROSPERO (CRD42021231419; 01.07.2021). A systematic and meta-analytic review of cardiac vagal activity was conducted, indexed with the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) in the context of the diving response. The search on MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, ProQuest and PsycNet was finalized on November 6th, 2021. Studies with human participants were considered, measuring RMSSD pre- and during and/or post-exposure to at least one trigger of the diving response. Seventeen papers (n= 311) met inclusion criteria. Triggers examined include face immersion or cooling, SCUBA diving, and total body immersion into water. Compared to resting conditions, a significant moderate to large positive effect was found for RMSSD during exposure (Hedges' g=0.59, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.82, p< .001), but not post-exposure (g=0.11, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.36, p= .34). Among the considered moderators, total body immersion had a significantly larger effect than forehead cooling (QM = 23.46, df=1, p< .001). No further differences were detected. Limitations were the small number of studies included, heterogenous triggers, few participants and low quality of evidence. Further research is needed to investigate the role of cardiac sympathetic activity and of the moderators.

Psychological interventions targeting mental health and the mother-child relationship in autism: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

To investigate the efficacy of psychological interventions delivered to mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in improving maternal mental health and the parent-child relationship. Electronic databases were searched from inception to December 2021. Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychological interventions that targeted maternal mental health (primary outcome) and/or the parent-child relationship (secondary outcome), delivered to mothers of children (mean age < 60 months) with ASD. Meta-analyses of three parent mental health outcomes (stress, depressive symptomatology, and general mental health) and seven parent-child relationship outcomes (parent responsiveness, affect, directiveness, non-directiveness, child initiation, infant positive affect, and infant attentiveness) were conducted using both mean and standardized mean differences. Thirty-two RCTs met the inclusion criteria (2336 participants). Six RCTs showed improved maternal mental health (Cohen's d=0.41-1.15), with moderate certainty of evidence for improvement in parental stress. There was low and high certainty of evidence of treatment effect on parental depressive symptoms and general mental health respectively, which did not show significant treatment effects post-intervention. Seventeen RCTs showed improved parent-child relationship (d=0.33-2.28; low certainty of evidence). Results demonstrated that parenting interventions promoting responsiveness had the largest positive effect on the parent-child relationship and a moderate effect on overall parenting stress; however, the studies were heterogeneous, making it difficult to identify the intervention components that were responsible for the positive treatment effects. There was no significant treatment effect for studies targeting depression or general mental health, likelydue to the lack of an interventional component directly targeting mental health.

The positive effects of combined breathing techniques and cold exposure on perceived stress: a randomised trial

A pranayama-inspired breathing technique, cold exposure, and their combined application were assessed for their potential to reduce perceived stress in adults and compared to a control group. An experiment involving four groups was conducted, yielding separate cells for breathing technique-only and cold exposure-only, as well as a combined treatment and a control group. Eighty-six individuals participated in the study. Perceived stress is measured employing the 10-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the 20-item version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ). The instruments exhibit a substantial correlation (r = 0.842, p < 0.001). The combined group exhibited a medium to large positive effect on perceived stress compared to the control group. The breathing technique and cold exposure on their own were not found to yield substantial effects, indicating synergies between both exercises. Combinations of breathing techniques and cold exposure may be employed to decrease individuals’ perceived stress.