Negative Link Research Articles

Contrasting patterns of water use efficiency and annual radial growth among European beech forests along the Italian peninsula

Tree mortality and forest dieback episodes are increasing due to drought and heat stress. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of mechanisms enabling trees to withstand and survive droughts remains lacking. Our study investigated basal area increment (BAI), and δ13C-derived intrinsic water-use-efficiency (iWUE), to elucidate beech resilience across four healthy stands in Italy with varying climates and soil water availability. Additionally, fist-order autocorrelation (AR1) analysis was performed to detect early warning signals for potential tree dieback risks during extreme drought events. Results reveal a negative link between BAI and vapour pressure deficit (VPD), especially in southern latitudes. After the 2003 drought, BAI decreased at the northern site, with an increase in δ13C and iWUE, indicating conservative water-use. Conversely, the southern sites showed increased BAI and iWUE, likely influenced by rising CO2 and improved water availability. In contrast, the central site sustained higher transpiration rates due to higher soil water holding capacity (SWHC). Despite varied responses, most sites exhibited reduced resilience to future extreme events, indicated by increased AR1. Temperature significantly affected beech iWUE and BAI in northern Italy, while VPD strongly influenced the southern latitudes. The observed increase in BAI and iWUE in southern regions might be attributed to an acclimation response.

THE EFFECT OF PARENTAL EDUCATION ON CHILDREN’S EDUCATION AND SKILLS IN THAILAND

This study proposes evidence of the effect of parental education on children’s education and skills in Thailand, using data from the Thailand Labor Force Survey of 1985–2017. Employing the instrumental variable (IV) approach using Thailand’s compulsory educational reform of 1978 as the IV to minimize the bias caused by the endogeneity of parental education, this study reaffirms the conventional positive link between parental education and children’s education. New and intriguing evidence is put forth on the negative link between parental education and the child’s brawn skill, based on industry and occupation used in the labor market. The influence of paternal education outweighs maternal education, in contrast to the evidence found in developed countries. The high intergenerational educational persistence indicates unequal opportunities in the country, as individual welfare is primarily tied to parental background. Therefore, weakening this linkage is a policy recommendation for the government to improve equality in the country.

Mechanisms underlying the relations between parents' perfectionistic tendencies and young children's mathematical abilities.

Parents' high academic expectations are positively associated with young children's mathematical abilities. However, minimal attention has been devoted to whether, and how, different ways of conveying the performance targets would result in different outcomes. The current study investigated whether and how parents' perfectionistic strivings and concerns were associated with young children's mathematical abilities through home mathematical activities, children's approach motivation to learn mathematics, and children's avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Participants included 211 kindergarteners in Hong Kong and their parents. Data were collected through individual child tests and parent questionnaires. Structural equation modelling revealed that parents' perfectionistic strivings had a direct positive link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via home mathematical activities, and then approach motivation. Parents' perfectionistic concerns had a direct negative link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Early childhood practitioners are recommended to raise parents' awareness of how to communicate high-performance targets to children in a constructive manner.

Unveiling gender differences in psychophysiological dynamics: support for a two-dimensional autonomic space approach.

To date, studies focusing on the connection between psychological functioning and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity usually adopted the one-dimensional model of autonomic balance, according to which activation of one branch of the ANS is accompanied by an inhibition of the other. However, the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches also activate independently; thus, co-activation and co-inhibition may occur, which is demonstrated by a two-dimensional model of ANS activity. Here, we apply such models to assess how markers of the autonomic space relate to several critical psychological constructs: emotional contagion (EC), general anxiety, and positive and negative affect (PA and NA). We also examined gender differences in those psychophysiological relations. In the present study, we analyzed data from 408 healthy students, who underwent a 5-min group baseline period as part of their participation in several experiments and completed self-reported questionnaires. Electrocardiogram (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), and respiration were recorded. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), pre-ejection period (PEP), as well as cardiac autonomic balance (CAB) and regulation (CAR) and cross-system autonomic balance (CSAB) and regulation (CSAR), were calculated. Notably, two-dimensional models were more suitable for predicting and describing most psychological constructs. Gender differences were found in psychological and physiological aspects as well as in psychophysiological relations. Women's EC scores were negatively correlated with sympathetic activity and positively linked to parasympathetic dominance. Men's PA and NA scores were positively associated with sympathetic activity. PA in men also had a positive link to an overall activation of the ANS, and a negative link to parasympathetic dominance. The current results expand our understanding of the psychological aspects of the autonomic space model and psychophysiological associations. Gender differences and strengths and weaknesses of alternative physiological models are discussed.

Early Succession of Community Structures and Biotic Interactions of Gut Microbes in Eriocheir sinensis Megalopa after Desalination.

As an enduring Chinese freshwater aquaculture product, the Eriocheir sinensis has a high economic value and is characterized by a catadromous life style that undergoes seawater-freshwater migration. However, little is known about their gut microbial status as they move from saltwater to freshwater acclimatization. Here, we sampled and cultivated Eriocheir sinensis megalopa from three aquaculture desalination ponds and investigated their gut microbiota diversity, community structures and biotic interactions from megalopa stage to the first juvenile stage after desalination for 9 days. Our results revealed that during the transition from megalopa to the first juvenile in Eriocheir sinensis, a significant change in gut microbial composition was observed (for instance, changes in relative abundance of dominant phyla), which was, however, not influenced by different sampling sites. The species diversity (such as the richness) of the gut microbiota showed a hump-shaped pattern along the succession. However, the compositional differences of the gut microbes showed constantly increasing patterns during the succession after freshwater adaption for all three sampling sites. Further co-occurrence analysis also showed that the complexity of the ecological networks in gut microbes was significantly enhanced during the development, such as increasing numbers of network links, connectivity and modularity, and was confirmed by decreasing average path length and proportions of negative links. Taken together, the differences in community structures and biological interactions of gut microorganisms were more pronounced in Eriocheir sinensis megalopa during desalination than in diversity and species compositions. This implies that the gut microbes of Eriocheir sinensis megalopa would become more robust and adaptive during the developmental process.

Tax governance in compliance: The role of motivational postures and behavioral intentions

Governments are working toward cultivating a culture of tax compliance, recognizing that taxpayers exhibit diverse motivations for fulfilling their tax obligations, resulting in varying levels of reported tax compliance. This paper aims to investigate behavioral intentions with a specific focus on resistance-cooperation motivational postures and their link with tax compliance (voluntary and enforced) and tax evasion between Slovene taxpayers (n = 390). Inter-item correlations next to descriptive statistical methods were calculated using the PLS-SEM approach to explore the motivational postures, tax compliance, and tax evasion characteristics. The survey has shown that most surveyed Slovene taxpayers tend to agree with motivational postures, voluntary tax compliance, and enforced tax compliance statements. The results indicate that motivational posture deference has positive links with both voluntary tax compliance (r = 0.692, p < 0.001) and enforced tax compliance (r = 0.253, p < 0.001), but a negative link with the attitude toward tax evasion (r = –0.404, p < 0.001). Conversely, motivational posture defiance exhibits a negative link with voluntary tax compliance (r = –0.149, p = 0.006) and a positive link with the attitude toward tax evasion (r = 0.229, p < 0.001). The link between defiance and enforced tax compliance is not statistically significant (r = 0.068, p = 0.379). The results indicate that tax authorities should avoid adopting an antagonistic climate and instead focus on fostering positive tax climates, specifically the service and confidence climates, when implementing tax communication strategies with taxpayers.

Vocabulary learning strategies in extramural English gaming and their relationship with vocabulary knowledge

Research has shown that students learning English as a foreign language can enhance their vocabulary knowledge through exposure to the target language outside of school. However, little is known about whether certain extramural activities have stronger links with vocabulary acquisition than others, and more crucially, the extent to which the vocabulary learning strategies that learners employ during extramural English encounters affect vocabulary learning outcomes. The study reported in this article investigated the relationship between the vocabulary learning strategies employed by 116 students in a Norwegian secondary school when gaming extramurally in English, their gaming frequency, engagement in other EE activities besides gaming, and their receptive and productive English vocabulary knowledge. The findings revealed that inferencing, using language references, and notetaking when gaming statistically significantly correlated with participants’ productive vocabulary knowledge, whereas only inferencing predicted their receptive vocabulary knowledge. Moreover, a negative link was discovered between playing driving games and receptive vocabulary knowledge.

Predicting performance of elite kickboxers using the multi‐states theory framework

AbstractUsing the multi‐states (MuSt) theory framework, this study examined the interplay between self‐confidence, emotional arousal control, worry, concentration disruption, challenge and threat appraisals, psychobiosocial experiences, and self‐evaluated performance of medalist kickboxers involved in the WAKO World Kickboxing Championship 2021. Participants were 103 gold, silver, or bronze medalists (58 women and 45 men), aged 18–39 (M = 25.16 ± 4.54 years), who were contacted via email and social media and asked to fill an online survey 3 months after the event. According to the MuSt theory predictions, self‐confidence and emotional arousal control were positively related to challenge appraisal, functional psychobiosocial experiences, and self‐evaluated performance. Worry and concentration disruption were positively associated with threat appraisal, and negatively related to functional psychobiosocial experiences; concentration disruption was also negatively related to self‐evaluated performance. Results from path analysis revealed a positive indirect link from self‐confidence to self‐evaluated performance via challenge appraisal and psychobiosocial experiences. Negative indirect links from worry and concentration disruption to self‐evaluated performance through threat appraisal and psychobiosocial experiences were significant. A positive indirect effect from emotional arousal control to self‐evaluated performance via psychobiosocial experiences was also shown. The findings are discussed in light of the MuSt theory.

Teachers’ Burnout – The Role of Social Support, Gratitude, Hope, Entitlement and Loneliness

Psychological burnout is strongly associated with negative effects on people’s life, including their emotional well-being and physical health. Due to prolonged periods of stress, heavy workloads, limited resources and time constraints, teachers are prone to burnout, leading to aversive, prolonged consequences. While previous studies have investigated various factors associated with their burnout, we explored the association between teachers’ relational and personal variables, applying a cross-sectional method. The sample consisted of 248 Israeli teachers (85.1% worked in educational settings for typically developing children, 52.4% were employed in high schools), who completed the following questionnaires: Teachers’ burnout, Perceived social support, Gratitude, Hope, Active entitlement and Loneliness. Results demonstrated negative links between burnout and social support, gratitude and hope as well as a positive link with loneliness. A serial multiple mediation revealed that, whereas social support and hope were associated with lower levels of burnout, feelings of loneliness and a sense of entitlement were related to higher levels of it. Furthermore, gratitude, hope, a sense of entitlement, and loneliness linked social support with burnout. We concluded with a discussion of the implications for future research, theory, and interventions.

Psychological mechanisms of the development of suicidal ideation: Longitudinal cohort study.

This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of the development of suicidal ideation and its moderating and protective factors. Drawing on the Interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, we proposed that disruptions to belongingness, in conjunction with tolerance of health risk, may influence the development of suicidal ideation above and beyond psychosocial changes such as disruptions to finances and work. The study involved a longitudinal investigation of an Australian representative sample reporting suicidal ideation fortnightly for 12 weeks between March and June 2020. The results indicated that participants who reported higher levels of belongingness, mastery, and intolerance of health risk were less likely to experience suicidal ideation and had lower severity of suicidal ideation. Mastery significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the incidence of suicidal ideation, while agreeableness significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the severity of suicidal ideation over time. The findings suggest that supporting effective social connectedness during times of isolation and promoting self-efficacy, mastery, and regulation of risk tolerance, may be crucial for suicide prevention and therapeutic intervention.

Does pubertal status potentiate the developmental links between maternal parenting and internalizing problems?

ABSTRACT The present study tested the developmental links between maternal closeness and support and measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, and whether these links were conditioned by pubertal status. It was hypothesized that pubertal status (early) would potentiate the negative links (stronger relationships) between maternal positive parenting and developmental changes in internalizing problems in comparison to youth who mature on time or late. Four waves of self-report data were collected from 340 Czech female adolescents (Mage = 12.34 years, SD = 0.87 at W1), from 6th and 7th grades, including BMI, pubertal development, maternal closeness and support, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms. Analyses included one-way ANOVAs by grade cohort, BMI, and pubertal status, as well as cross-lagged panel model tests, with follow-up multi-group tests. Results provided evidence of bidirectional effects between closeness and support with developmental changes in depressive symptoms, and some evidence of the same in anxiety symptoms. Multi-group tests provided no evidence of moderation effects by grade cohort, BMI groups, or pubertal status. Findings provide important evidence of how positive parenting predicted developmental changes in internalizing problems, only six months apart; they also provided important evidence that neither BMI nor pubertal status moderated the parenting-internalizing problems links.

The effect of physical collateral and personal guarantees on business startups

Using microdata for Japan for 2007 and 2012, we examine whether and how financial constraints discourage individuals from starting a business. As proxies for financial constraints, we use prefectural variations in the share of firms relying on physical collateral and personal guarantees. We find that individuals are less likely to become nascent entrepreneurs if they live in a prefecture with a higher share of firms relying on personal guarantees. The negative effect of personal guarantees on becoming a nascent entrepreneur is insignificant when using a subsample for 2012, suggesting that administrative and legislative changes since the 2000s have made personal guarantees less costly for potential entrepreneurs over time. In contrast, we do not find a negative link between physical collateral and business startups. Our findings suggest that the low level of entrepreneurship in Japan is not due to financial constraints. If anything, it is due to a lack of risk-taking by potential entrepreneurs rather than a lack of collateralizable assets.

Investigating the unparalleled effects of economic growth and high-quality economic development on energy insecurity in China: A provincial perspective.

China has changed its focus from traditional high-speed economic growth to high-quality economic development (HQED) and the implementation of environmentally friendly practices. This transition can have parallel or unparallel impacts on energy insecurity (EIS). In this regards, HQED, inter Alia, is crucial in mitigating EIS and combating the energy crisis. Our study explores the impact of economic growth (EG) and HQED on EIS using the provincial panel data of China for the period 2011-2017. From the perspective of comparative analysis, the results reveal that HQED reduces EIS while EG increases it. The robustness checks indicate that industrial structure (IS) has a negative impact on EIS, whereas industrial structure upgrading (ISU) and green innovation (GI) have a positive influence. This implies that IS contributes to an increase in EIS, whereas ISU and GI result in a decrease in EIS. In addition, the analysis reveals that digital financial inclusion (DFI) exhibits a significant positive relation with EIS, albeit occasionally a negative but insignificant link. The policy implication is that the government should stimulate policies to promote HQED which reduces the EIS.

Modelling the creation of friends and foes groups in small real social networks.

Although friendship networks have been extensively studied, few models and studies are available to understand the reciprocity of friendship and foes. Here a model is presented to explain the directed friendship and foes network formation observed in experiments of Mexican and Hungarian schools. Within the presented model, each agent has a private opinion and a public one that shares to the group. There are two kinds of interactions between agents. The first kind represent interactions with the neighbors while the other represents the attitude of an agent to the overall public available information. Links between agents evolve as a combination of the public and private information available. Friendship is defined using a fitness function according to the strength of the agent's bonds, clustering coefficient, betweenness centrality and degree. Enmity is defined as very negative links. The model allows us to reproduce the distribution of mentions for friends and foes observed in the experiments, as well as the topology of the directed networks.

The moderating role of board diversity on the relationship between ownership structure and real earnings management

PurposeThis study aims to see the moderating effect of board diversity on the relationship between ownership structure and real earnings management.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses unbalanced panel data of 75 listed energy firms (346 firm-year observations) from three South Asian emerging economies (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) from 2015 to 2019. The two-step system GMM estimation is used for data analysis. This study also uses fixed effect regression to obtain robust findings.FindingsThe findings show that firms with a greater ownership concentration and managerial ownership significantly reduce real earnings management. In contrast, the data refute the idea that institutional and foreign ownership affect real earnings management. We also find that board diversity interacts significantly with ownership concentration and managerial ownership, meaning that board diversity moderates the negative link of the primary relationship that reduces real earnings management. On the other hand, board diversity has no interaction with institutional and foreign ownership, implying no moderating effect exists on the primary relationship.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is unique research investigating how different ownership structures affect real earnings management in the emerging nations’ energy sector, which the earlier studies overlook. More specifically, this research focuses on how board diversity moderates the relationships between ownership structure and real earnings management, which could be helpful for future investors.

Soil Microbial Biomass and Bacterial Diversity Enhanced through Fallow Cover Cropping in Rice–Fish Coculture

Traditional rice production is often reliant on the unsustainable practice of utilizing intensive inputs in monoculture cropping systems. Alternatives fallow cover cropping and rice–fish coculture (RFC) offer promising solutions. However, the potential of fallow cover cropping in RFC remains underexplored, and its impact on soil microbes is poorly understood. In this study, assessments of soil–plant–microbe interactions were conducted across three cover cropping systems: Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) single cropping (CM), Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) single cropping (RP), and a combination of Chinese milk vetch and rapeseed intercropping (CM_RP). These systems were evaluated with and without nitrogen (N) addition, encompassing both the RFC and rice monoculture (RMC) systems. The findings indicate a notable increase in soil microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) with CM. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), influenced more by N-fertilizer than crop species, decreased with N addition. In the RFC system, the soil bacterial co-occurrence network exhibited more connections, yet negative links increased. CM_RP displayed similarities to CM without N but shifted closer to RP with N addition. N addition in intercropping significantly increased the root–shoot ratio (R/S) of A. sinicus, associated with decreased aboveground biomass and total root length. Compared to RMC, RFC with N addition reduced the relative abundance of Anaerolineaceae in CM while increasing Bacillus and Pontibacter across cover cropping systems. Overall, with N addition, both RFC and RMC showed decreased soil bacterial diversity indices. Changes in soil bacterial diversity correlated significantly with soil MBC, MBN, and plant R/S. Continuous fallow cover cropping altered soil microbial biomass and affected cover crop biomass distribution, impacting bacterial composition in paddy soil. These results shed light on how bacterial communities respond to N addition and fallow cover cropping in RFC and RMC systems, offering insights for sustainable nutrient management in paddy systems.

Weight stigma and mental health outcomes in early-adolescents. The mediating role of internalized weight bias and body esteem

BackgroundWeight stigma is increasingly common in early adolescence and may lead to weight bias internalization, with negative consequences for mental health outcomes. This study aimed to: examine the relations of perceived weight stigma and internalized weight bias with early adolescents’ internalizing symptoms and disordered eating behavior; explore the mediating role of internalized weight bias on the relations of perceived weight stigma with internalizing symptoms and disordered eating behaviors; examine body esteem as a mediator between internalized weight bias and mental health outcomes. MethodsA sample of 406 early adolescents (59.6% girls) aged between 11 and 13 participated in this cross-sectional study. They completed self-report measures assessing perceived weight stigma, internalized weight bias, body esteem, internalizing symptoms and disordered eating. ResultsPath analysis indicated that perceived weight stigma was positively related with internalizing symptoms and internalized weight bias. Further, internalized weight bias was negatively related with body esteem and positively related with internalizing symptoms and disordered eating. Internalized weight bias mediated the relations of perceived weight stigma with internalizing symptoms, disordered eating and body esteem. Further, body esteem mediated the relations of internalized weight bias with internalizing symptoms and disordered eating behavior. ConclusionsThe findings highlight internalized weight bias as a psychological mechanism potentially explaining negative links of weight stigma with internalizing symptoms and disordered eating in early adolescence. The results emphasize the need for early intervention during this developmental stage, in order to prevent psychological and behavioral outcomes of weight stigma and internalized weight bias.

Renewable energy consumption and CO2 emissions nexus in the USA: the role of technical innovation.

Using the QARDL approach and data from January of 2010 to May of 2022, we explore how renewable energy consumption affects CO2 emissions in the USA. Long-term analysis reveals a negative link between these variables, while only lower quantile levels show short-term statistical significance. Integrating technical innovation (measured by patents) in our QARDL model shows substantial reduction in CO2 emissions, with varying effects over time. Interestingly, only renewable energy consumption, not technical innovation, significantly impacts CO2 emissions at lower quantile levels. These findings emphasize the crucial role of renewable energy in reducing both short-term and long-term CO2 emissions and offer policymakers valuable insights for shaping effective energy strategies to combat emissions and promote sustainability in the USA.

EXPLORING THE IMPACTS OF BANK COMPETITION ON FINANCIAL STABILITY: A SOUTH ASIAN PERSPECTIVE

The aim of this study is to explore impact of bank competition on financial stability in South Asia to provide profound insights into the dynamics of the banking industry within the region. To achieve this objective, current study used multiple regressions on the data from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for the period 2000–2022. Results show that delicate competition encourages the banks to assume more robust risk management practices and operational efficiency, contributing to overall stable financial environment. The study invokes the attention of government and policymakers to find the results valuable as they navigate delicate balance amid fostering competition and maintaining secure banking sector. The research contributes to ongoing discourse on role of competition in shaping the stability of financial systems, particularly in emerging economies. This adds to scarce literature on impact of bank competition on financial stability in South Asian countries. Study contributes to literature on issue like role of competition in shaping stability of financial systems, mainly in emerging economies by challenging earlier studies that proposed negative link between competition & stability in diverse satiations & context.

The moderating role of parenting stress when it comes to romantic attachment and sexual satisfaction

Sexual satisfaction is at the heart of a thriving romantic relationship and is intertwined with both partners romantic attachment orientations. Prior research has found that insecure romantic attachment orientations (anxiety and avoidance) are associated with lower sexual satisfaction in oneself and one’s partner. Stress is known to exacerbate insecure attachment tendencies, and couples with children are often exposed to parenting stress, which has been associated with lower sexual satisfaction. It is therefore possible that parenting stress moderates the association between the attachment and sexual systems, such that among those who are high in parenting stress, the negative link between attachment insecurity and sexual satisfaction is stronger. The objective of this study was to examine the link between romantic attachment and sexual satisfaction, and the impact of parenting stress on this association. One hundred three mixed-sex couples completed self-report questionnaires and were included in actor and partner analyses. Both parents’ attachment avoidance was associated with their own reduced sexual satisfaction. Fathers’ attachment avoidance was associated with mothers’ reduced sexual satisfaction. Additionally, fathers’ parenting stress moderated the association between their own romantic attachment avoidance and their partner’s sexual satisfaction. Contrary to prediction, as fathers’ parenting stress increased, the association between their higher attachment avoidance and mothers’ lower sexual satisfaction became weaker. Findings are discussed in light of research and theory on the role of attachment and parenting stress for sexual satisfaction in couples with children.