Strong Direct Effect Research Articles

The Relationship between Innovation and the Performance of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in the Industrial Sector: The Mediating Role of CSR

This paper analyses the effect of innovation on the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mediates this relationship. In order to evaluate our assumptions, a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was applied to a sample of 769 Spanish SMEs through a telephone survey conducted with company managers. The findings show that innovation and CSR have an impact on performance. Additionally, to these strong direct effects, CSR has a side effect that strengthens the beneficial effects of innovation on performance. Finally, the results demonstrate significant implications for both SME managers and owners, as they help them to develop innovation-related strategies, which will lead to higher organizational performance.

Effects of rapeseed residue organic fertilizer on cadmium toxicity in soil and its uptake and transfer by rice plants (Oryza sativa L.)

AbstractCadmium (Cd) contamination of rice fields is a global agro‐environmental issue. Rapeseed (canola) residue organic fertilizer (RROF) as a potential strategy to minimize Cd accumulation in rice planted in acidic soil. The results showed that application of 7.5–30.0 g kg−1 RROF increased the soil pH value by 0.01–0.55 units, increased soil organic matter (OM) by 7.8–25.0%, increased soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) by 0.0–89.7% and 0.0–47.5%, respectively, and increased soil dehydrogenase (DH), acid phosphatase (ACP), and urease (UA) activities by 14.3–344.0%, 0.0–127.1%, and 3.5–14.3%, respectively. The application of RROF treatments reduced the soil acid‐extractable Cd (ACI–Cd) content by 8.1–36.4% and increased the reducible Cd (RED–Cd) and oxidizable Cd (OXI–Cd) by 1.3–36.4% and 16.2–47.9%, respectively. The path analysis demonstrated that soil OM, ACP activity, Mn, and Ca ions had a significant negative indirect effect on the decrease in soil ACI‐Cd (rOM = −0.628, rACP = −0.582, rMn = −0.627, rCa = −0.341), while Zn ions showed a strong direct effect (bZn = 0.567) and indirect positive effect (rZn = 0.580). In rice plants, the contents of Cd, Fe, K, Mg, P, and Zn in rice tissues increased, and the Cd content in rice grains decreased by 3.1–31.3% under RROF application. The results of the correlation analysis found that K and Zn in rice husks and Mg in grains were significantly and negatively correlated with the husk–grain translocation factor of Cd (r = −0.88** for Zn, r = −0.81** for K, and r = −0.59* for Mg). In addition, a significant negative correlation of root–straw translocation factors of Cd with Ca and Fe ions in the roots was observed (r = −0.63* and r = −0.60* for Ca at the filling and maturity stages of rice, r = −0.61* for Fe at the tillering stage of rice). RDA showed that the distribution fraction of soil Cd controlled the accumulation of Cd in various parts of rice, with soil ACI–Cd content explaining 22.4% of the total eigen values at a significant level, followed by 14.1% for OXI–Cd. This means that ACI–Cd was the primary factor that controlled Cd accumulation in rice grain, followed by OXI–Cd.

Clostridium difficile toxins impact on rat colon smooth muscle reactivity.

The present study was conducted in an attempt to find possible direct mechanisms of action of Clostridium difficile toxins A and B (TCdA and TCdB) on contractility of isolated rat intestinal smooth muscles, as the contractive pathways affected by the toxins and responsible for motility disorders remain unclear. Adult male Wistar rats were used in our experiments. Longitudinal smooth muscle (SM) preparations of proximal colon were isolated and their contractile activity was isometrically registered. The samples were mounted in tissue baths and exogenously treated with acetylcholine (ACh), serotonin (5-HT), dopamine, norepinephrine, TCdA and TCdB. The potential of TCdA and TCdB to affect the action of these mediators on SM activity was examined. The experiments have shown that exciting action of ACh and 5-HT on colonic contractility is enhanced by TCdA rather than TCdB. Conversely, relaxing effect of dopamine and norepinephrine on contractile activity of colonic SM is under impact of TCdB but not TcdA. TCdA has a stronger direct effect on in vitro SM sensitivity to ACh and 5-HT than TCdB. TCdA and TCdB affect directly the contractile reactivity of isolated rat colon smooth muscle. TCdA has a stronger direct effect on smooth muscle sensitivity to acetylcholine and 5-HT than TCdB. Such a trend has not been established for dopamine and norepinephrine.

The spatial patterns of diversity and their relationships with environments in rhizosphere microorganisms and host plants differ along elevational gradients.

Identifying spatial patterns of biodiversity along elevational gradients provides a unified framework for understanding these patterns and predicting ecological responses to climate change. Moreover, microorganisms and plants are closely interconnected (e.g., via the rhizosphere) and thus may share spatial patterns of diversity and show similar relationships with environments. This study compared diversity patterns and relationships with environments in host plants and rhizosphere microorganisms (including various functional groups) along elevational gradients across three climatic zones. We found that above-and belowground diversity decreased monotonically or showed a hump-shaped or U-shaped pattern along elevation gradients. However, the diversity patterns of plants, bacteria, and fungi varied depending on the taxon and climatic zone. Temperature and humidity strongly contribute to above-and belowground diversity patterns and community composition along elevational gradients. Nonetheless, soil factors might be important regulators of diversity patterns and the community composition of plants and microorganisms along these gradients. Structural equation modeling revealed that environmental factors had a stronger direct effect on rhizosphere microbial diversity than host plant diversity. In sum, spatial patterns of diversity and their relationships with environments in rhizosphere microorganisms and their host plants differed at the regional scale. Different functional groups (e.g., pathogen, mycorrhiza and nitrifier) of soil microorganisms may have divergent elevational patterns and environmental responses. These data improve our understanding of elevational diversity patterns, and provide new insights into the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem management, especially under climate change.

Disentangling the relation among trust, efficacy and privacy management: a moderated mediation analysis of public support for government surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT This study examines the effects of political/cultural beliefs and situational perceptions on public support for government surveillance amidst COVID-19, using a representative survey conducted in Hong Kong. Our results indicate that situational responses (i.e. privacy trust and self-efficacy) balance against each other in mediating the effects of political/cultural beliefs (i.e. political trust, political efficacy, democratic-individualism) and situational perceptions (i.e. perceived cost and benefit of disclosure, perceived threat of COVID-19) on surveillance support. Both perceived benefit of disclosure and political trust positively affects surveillance support indirectly by promoting the contributing mediator privacy trust while suppressing the inhibiting mediator privacy self-efficacy. Perceived cost of disclosure shows no direct effect, but a positive indirect effect on surveillance support by suppressing privacy self-efficacy; perceived threat shows a positive direct effect while a negative indirect effect by suppressing privacy trust. Internal political efficacy shows a strong negative direct effect, but no indirect effect; and external political efficacy shows a negative indirect effect by promoting privacy self-efficacy. Alternative media use, as a proxy for democratic-individualism, mitigates situational perceptions’ effects on surveillance support, regardless of the directions. The findings advance our understanding of the formation process of public opinion on government surveillance.

Non‐native fish facilitate non‐native snails and alter food web structure in experimental pond communities

Abstract Contemporary ecosystems commonly support multiple non‐native species, which can alter community structure and directly or indirectly interact with one another. Novel interactions between invasive species can result in the facilitation or suppression of one or both invaders, making it important to understand the underlying mechanisms that affect invasion outcomes. Goldfish Carassius auratus and Chinese mystery snails Cipangopaludina chinensis have been introduced widely through the aquarium trade and co‐occur in their non‐native ranges. We used an outdoor mesocosm experiment to assess separate and combined effects of goldfish and mystery snails on urban pond community structure and to investigate whether goldfish and mystery snails affected one another positively, neutrally or negatively. We predicted that the distinct trophic levels of each species and the anti‐predator traits of mystery snails would lead to positive interactions between invaders and synergistic effects on the aquatic community. Goldfish directly increased turbidity and decreased filamentous algae, zooplankton, juvenile native snails and survival of amphibians via consumptive effects. Goldfish indirectly increased periphyton, phytoplankton and body size of surviving native green frogs Lithobates clamitans through trophic cascades and/or release from competition. Mystery snails had more subtle effects including reducing growth rates of native grey tree frogs Hyla versicolor, likely through competitive interactions. With goldfish present, mystery snails showed increased reproductive success (higher biomass of juveniles), likely due to indirect competitive release from other herbivores. In contrast to their effects on native snails, goldfish did not consume juvenile mystery snails, likely due to their unique traits (e.g. large size and shell thickness). Mystery snails slightly reduced goldfish growth but did not affect their survival. These results suggest unidirectional facilitation between invaders via indirect changes in the food web. Overall, our study found strong direct and indirect effects of invasive aquarium species, particularly goldfish, and provides experimental support for the invasional meltdown hypothesis within urban waterbodies, which are especially prone to invasions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Secondary teachers' competencies and attitude: A mediated multigroup model based on usefulness and enjoyment to examine the differences between key dimensions of STEM teaching practice.

This research explores the mediating role of perceived usefulness and enjoyment of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching practice between secondary teachers' competencies and attitudes in the formal educational context. Also, the research aimed to examine if the relationships between model constructs differ by STEM teaching practice dimension (e.g., Inquiry-based learning (IBL) and Integration of STEM content (INT)). We synthesized the will, skill, tool model (WST), technology acceptance model (TAM) and flow theory (FLT) to develop a theoretical model predicting teacher attitude under the influence of Competencies, Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Enjoyment. Therefore, a mediated multigroup model with validated data from three hundred Romanian secondary teachers who completed questionnaires related to their competencies, perceived usefulness, enjoyment, and attitude toward STEM teaching practices was used. Two comparative teacher survey studies were carried out: one for IBL and one for INT. There are direct and positive relationships between Competencies and Attitude, Competencies and Enjoyment, Competencies and Usefulness, and Enjoyment and Attitude for both IBL and INT teaching practices. The partial least squares path modeling (PLS-SEM) results showed that the control variables had no significant impact on attitude. This research supports evidence for the belief that teachers' competency is a key predictor of attitude. Precisely, the positive strong direct effect of Competencies on Attitude is similar for IBL (β = 0.49, t = 7.46, p < 0.001; f 2 (Effect size) = 0.29) with for INT teaching practice (β = 0.46, t = 6.46, p < 0.001; f2 (Effect size) = 0.22). Interestingly, this research showed that the perceived Usefulness and Enjoyment partially mediated the association between Competencies and Attitude in both case studies. Understanding the mediating role of perceived usefulness and enjoyment for each STEM practice would help teachers successfully implement STEM education.

Stand, plot characteristics, and tree species diversity jointly dominate the recruitment biomass of subtropical forests

Forest dynamics is largely affected by the recruitment of trees. Despite several investigations on forest recruitment biomass (FRB), it is still not well explored how tree species diversity, stand characteristics, climate, and topography regulate FRB. Moreover, there have been limited studies and discussions on FRB in typical subtropical forests in karst areas. We examined the relationship between influencing factors and forest biomass from the perspective of tree recruitment using data from 2334 Chinese National Forest Inventory (CNFI) plots in Guizhou Province. The best predictors within each group were chosen using a stepwise regression model, and the effects of five categories, including tree species diversity, stand factors (e.g., stand density), climatic factors (e.g., mean annual temperature and annual precipitation), topographic factors (e.g., elevation and slope), and plot factors (e.g., canopy density and forest composition) on FRB were determined using structural equation models (SEM). Besides this, the relative importance of each variable among five categories in determining FRB was also quantified by hierarchical partitioning analysis (HPA). Our results indicated that diversity of tree species had the highest relative importance in determining FRB (28.85 %), followed by average DBH (21.06 %), canopy density (10.29 %) based on HPA. While for five categories, stand factors contributed the most to FRB (37.04 %), followed by plot factors (29.01 %), tree species diversity (28.85 %), climatic factors (3.81 %), and topographic factors (1.29 %). Moreover, SEM showed FRB was strongly directly and significantly controlled by tree species diversity (β = 0.63, P < 0.05), while stand factors had a strong direct effect (β = 0.45, P < 0.05) and indirect effect (β = -0.78, P < 0.05). We conclude that niche complementarity is the primary mechanism driving this forest's FRB. Our findings highlight the significance of tree recruitment in maintaining subtropical forests' carbon storage capacity. Furthermore, increasing tree species diversity, particularly by combining conifers and broad-leaved trees, will encourage the recruitment of young trees.

Influence of workplace stress and social support on humanistic caring ability in Chinese nurses.

This study aimed to examine the relationships between how workplace stress and social support affect the level of humanistic caring ability in Chinese nurses. A cross-sectional study. The sample consists of 675 nurses working in major hospitals in China. Participants completed a set of self-reported measures, including the humanistic caring ability scale (HCAS), the Chinese nurse workplace stressor scale (CNWSS), the Chinese nurse stress response scale (CNSRS), and the Chinese nurse social support scale (CNSSS). Pearson's correlation analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were performed to investigate the relationships among studied variables. The result showed that HCAS was negatively correlated with CNWSS (r=-0.427, p < 0.01) and CNSRS (r=-0.480, p < 0.01), and was positively correlated with CNSSS (r=0.363, p < 0.01). Furthermore, a final model was conducted in which CNWSS has a strong direct effect on CNSRS (β=0.54, p < 0.01) and an indirect effect on HCAS (β=-0.138, p < 0.01), which was mediated by CNSRS and CNSSS.

The complex clinical response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in depression: a network perspective

The clinical response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in depression takes weeks to be fully developed and is still not entirely understood. This study aimed to determine the direct and indirect effects of SSRIs relative to a placebo control condition on clinical symptoms of depression. We included data of 8262 adult patients with major depression participating in 28 industry-sponsored US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registered trials on the efficacy of SSRIs. Clinical symptoms of depression were assessed by the 17 separate items of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 weeks of treatment. Network estimation techniques showed that SSRIs had quick and strong direct effects on the two affective symptoms, i.e., depressed mood and psychic anxiety; direct effects on other symptoms were weak or absent. Substantial indirect effects were found for all four cognitive symptoms, which showed larger reductions in the SSRI condition but mainly in patients reporting larger reductions in depressed mood. Smaller indirect effects were found for two arousal/somatic symptoms via the direct effect on psychic anxiety. Both direct and indirect effects on sleep problems and most arousal/somatic symptoms were weak or absent. In conclusion, our study revealed that SSRIs primarily caused reductions in affective symptoms, which were related to reductions in mainly cognitive symptoms and some specific arousal/somatic symptoms. The results can contribute to disclosing the mechanisms of action of SSRIs, and has the potential to facilitate early detection of responders and non-responders in clinical practice.

The influence of institutional and in-group collectivism practices on next-generation engagement in the family business

PurposeThis research aims to investigate the influence of country culture on the next generation's intention to become managerial leaders of the family business, focussing on institutional and in-group collectivism practices. The authors investigate not only the direct effect of these collectivism practices on next-generation engagement, but also the extent to which institutional and/or in-group collectivism moderate the relationship between parental support and next-generation engagement and the extent to which institutional and/or in-group collectivism moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and next-generation engagement.Design/methodology/approachUsing cross-national data from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS) and the Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE), hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) is employed to test the hypotheses using a sample of 33,390 observations collected in 20 countries.FindingsThe main findings show that both institutional and in-group collectivism practices may increase next-generation engagement levels. Furthermore, these cultural practices can amplify the relationship between family business self-efficacy and next-generation engagement. However, institutional collectivism can slightly reduce the positive effect of parental support on family offspring's intention to become leaders of the family business. The results also reveal that parental support has a stronger direct effect on next-generation engagement than family business self-efficacy.Originality/valueThis study examines the influence of cultural practices on next-generation engagement, focussing on collectivism practices. The study distinguishes between institutional collectivism and in-group collectivism. Unlike past research, a direct effect of parental support on next-generation engagement is considered. The study also uses a particular type of self-efficacy: family business self-efficacy. In addition, a multi-level method is employed, which is rarely used in this context.

The largest rock avalanches in Patagonia: Timing and relation to Patagonian Ice Sheet retreat

One of the largest concentrations of giant landslides (≥108 m3) in Patagonia is in the eastern part of Lago Cochrane/Pueyrredón (LP) valley in Argentina. In addition to minor earthflows and rock slides, this landslide cluster is dominated by rock and debris avalanches that affect the northern slope of Meseta Belgrano, the largest of which have volumes >1 km3 and a runout of >10 km. To determine the chronology of these large landslides and their relationship to the geological setting and the glacial history related to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ∼20–18 ka ago, we combined geomorphological mapping with absolute dating (luminescence and radiocarbon dating) and numerical modelling of slope stability. Dating and cross-cutting relationships with glaciolacustrine deposits suggest that some of the largest rock avalanches collapsed directly into a glacial lake between ∼17 and ∼12 ka, soon after deglaciation, but some were pre-glacial and landslide activity continued until today, posing a potential hazard to the area. In agreement with these data, numerical modelling suggests that slope stability was only marginally affected by ice retreat and glacial lake drainage, and landslides were most likely favoured by relatively low rock strength, related glacially-conditioned topography, and, possibly, seismic activity. A newly identified active fault at the base of the Meseta Belgrano, whose activity was likely enhanced by postglacial rebound, was probably the key factor that concentrated postglacial rock avalanches into the LP valley. We conclude that exceptionally large (km-scale) landslides can occur on slopes made of relatively weak rocks in a glacially-conditioned topographic setting even without a strong direct triggering effect of deglaciation, while fatigue due to long-term seismicity may promote collapse.

Electromagnetic and climatic foundations of human aggression

Heat is associated with human aggression in field research, assumedly by affecting emotions, but it is not in laboratory experiments. Since this may be so because temperature functions as a proxy for UV radiation in field settings, not in the laboratory, this research tested, across 126 countries, whether temperature loses its predictive capacity when the electromagnetic variable is controlled. Temperature presented null statistical effects when UV radiation was controlled, although it exhibited a tangential contribution in mediation analyses. The results revealed strong direct effects of UV radiation on Van de Vliert and Daan's (2017) aggression composite scores, and strong indirect effects on homicide rate. Economic inequality emerged as a strong mediator related to homicide rate, not to the aggression composite, while steady rain, pathogen prevalence, per capita income and cognitive performance contributed to the explanation of human aggression. These findings suggest that the heat-aggression paradigm has outlived its usefulness and that global warming should not be expected to increase aggression via emotions. Future studies must address UV radiation's effects across routine activity patterns, strengthen the construct validity of measures of aggression, target omitted variables, and confirm the theorized role of testosterone as a mediator using field and, especially, laboratory studies.

The effects of biophysical and anthropogenic factors on the recent upper forest‐cover upward shift in the Romanian Carpathians

AbstractAimTo estimate the effects of environmental and human drivers on upper forest‐cover upward shift over the period 1945–2018.LocationRomanian Carpathians.MethodsUsing historical topographic maps and high‐resolution Sentinel‐2A satellite images, we delineated the location of the upper forest‐cover limit in 1945 and 2018 to obtain a binary raster with the “forest gains” and “no‐forest gains” for 1945–2018. The maps were overlapped over 12 independent variables to estimate how they affected the recent upper forest‐cover upward shift, and to predict its probability of expansion in the near future. To achieve this, logistic regression models were applied and then integrated into the GIS spatial analysis.ResultsForest gains of almost 35,000 ha have been detected at the upper forest limit in the study sites, leading to an average upward movement of 30 m (0.5 m per year), mainly at the altitudinal bands between 1,400 and 1,800 m a.s.l. (72%); only 9.7% of the gain was detected above the estimated potential climatic limit. The process was significantly inversely related to elevation (−17.3 ≤ β ≤ −5.7, p &lt; 0.01), slope aspect (−1.5 ≤ β ≤ −0.4, p &lt; 0.01), sheepfold numbers (−18.1 ≤ β ≤ −0.7, p &lt; 0.01), and sheep (−18.3 ≤ β ≤ −0.6, p &lt; 0.01) and cattle (−16.4 ≤ β ≤ −0.8, p &lt; 0.01) populations. Strong direct effects were found for the slope angle (1.3 ≤ β ≤ 10.6, p &lt; 0.01) and distance to sheepfolds (0.5 ≤ β ≤ 12.8, p &lt; 0.01). A low contribution was indicated for the trend in mean air temperature (−1.1 ≤ β ≤ 4.3, p &lt; 0.01), growing season length (−2.1 ≤ β ≤ 5.1, p &lt; 0.01) and protective measures (−1.1 ≤ β ≤ 2.4, p &lt; 0.01, for national parks; −1.8 ≤ β ≤ 1.2, p &lt; 0.01, for natural parks).ConclusionsThe analysis demonstrated that decreased land‐use intensity and, in particular, declining traditional practices were the foremost mechanisms of the recent upper forest‐cover upward shift, whereas the effect of climate warming remains not so obvious.

Explaining the structural model of predicting sexual anxiety based on self-sexual schemas by examining the mediating role of emotional regulation in men with heart failure

Background and Aim: sexual relationship anxiety, which refers to the degree of fear of discussing one's sexual relations with another, is an issue that has not been studied in detail as much as others; Therefore, the explanation of the structural model of predicting sexual anxiety was based on self-sexual schemas by examining the mediating role of emotional regulation in men with heart failure. Methods: The current research is a descriptive and correlational quantitative research in terms of fundamental-applicative purpose and in terms of data collection and the nature of the title. The statistical population of this research was men with heart failure who referred to Martyr Dr. Lavasani Hospital in Tehran in 1402. The sampling method in this research was non-random and accessible, and 300 men were selected. In this research, the sexual relationship anxiety questionnaire of Davis (2006), the sexual schema scale of Andersen and Siranoski (1994) and the emotional regulation of Gratz et al. (2006) were used; To analyze the data, Pearson's correlation coefficient test and path analysis were used using spss-22 and amos-18 software. Results: The results showed that the strongest direct effect on sexual relationship anxiety was related to emotional regulation with an effect size of -0.50, followed by self-sexual schema with an effect size of 0.47. The result of the direct effects test showed that these effects are significant at the confidence level of at least 95% (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: The confirmation of the mediating role of variables shows that in the pathology and treatment of male sexual deviance, paying attention to psychological aspects, especially cognitive and emotional aspects, is as important as paying attention to its physiological aspects. The mediating role of emotional and cognitive variables in the dual control model needs more attention.

Mediation of Moral Disengagement on Cyberbullying Perpetration Influenced by Emotional Intelligence and Anonymity of Indonesian Adolescents on Social Media

Introduction. The use of social media in a scope of adolescents confirms that without any sufficient digital literacy, it shall leads to an increased dysfunctional behavior. Adolescents who feel anonymous and think that attacking others on social media shall not violate morals will make them portrayed as the cyberbullying perpetrator, even though they have any good emotional intelligence as well. This research aims to examine the mediating role of moral disengagement on cyberbullying perpetration which is influenced by emotional intelligence and anonymity of Indonesian adolescents on social media. Methods. The measurement applied on this research uses Adolescent Cyber-Aggressor Scale, Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test, Anonymity Scale, and Moral Disengagement Scale. All scales have good reliability and have been tested for validity using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The structural model was tested by path analysis using the Amos program and the mediating effect was tested by using the Sobel test. Results. The results show the goodness of fit structural model with Chi-square = 2.604 (p &gt; 0.05), RMSEA = 0.068, GFI = 0.996, AGFI = 0.963, dan TLI = 0.916. The acceptance on the hypothesis shows that moral disengagement significantly mediates the effect of emotional intelligence and anonymity on cyberbullying perpetration, whereas moral disengagement has the strongest direct effect. Discussion. The mechanism of moral disengagement in cyberbullying perpetrators can occur at the behavioral, agency, effect, and victim locus. Instilling awareness of moral values and increasing digital literacy in adolescents is very important to do to suppress any cyberbullying perpetration.

Longitudinal relationships in the psychopathology of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults in China

Objectives To develop symptom networks and examine the longitudinal relationships of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults in China. Method This study used three-wave data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2013 (T1), 2015 (T2), and 2018 (T3)). Depressive symptoms were measured by the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). A multilevel vector autoregression model (VAR) was used to identify ten depressive symptoms dynamically interacting with each other over time. Results A total of 3,558 participants were included in the final analysis. The strongest direct effects were ‘D10: felt fearful’ -> ‘D6: felt everything I did was an effort’ (β = 0.14). ‘D10: felt fearful’ reported the largest value of out-predictability (r = 0.064) and out-strength (r = 0.635). ‘D3: felt depressed’ reported the largest value of in-predictability (r = 0.077) and in-strength (r = 0.545). Substantial heterogeneity in the network may stem from an individual’s sex and place of residence. Conclusions ‘Felt fearful’ was the strongest predictor compared to the other nine depressive symptoms based on node centrality. Our study suggests that, after understanding the causes of fear, strategies to reduce fear should be incorporated into multimodal interventions for middle-aged and older adults with depressive symptoms.

CAUSAL INFERENCE IN PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Most previous research studied depression as a holistic conception and ignored the complex relationships between depressive symptoms. How depressive symptoms interact with each other is still unknown. The aims of this study were to develop symptom networks of middle-aged and older adults and to explore the core symptom in the symptom networks. This study used three-wave data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2013 (T1), 2015 (T2), and 2018 (T3). Depressive symptoms were measured by the 10-item Epidemiological Research Center for Depression Scale (CES-D). A multilevel vector autoregression model (VAR) was used to identify 10 depressive symptoms dynamically interacting with each other over time. A total of 3558 participants were included in the final analysis. The strongest direct effects were “D10: felt fearful” -&amp;gt; “D6: felt everything I did was an effort” (β=0.14). “D10: felt fearful” reported the largest value of out-predictability (r=0.064) and out-strength (r=0.635). “D3: felt depressed” reported the largest value of in-predictability (r=0.077) and in-strength (r=0.545). Substantial heterogeneity in the network may stem from an individual’s gender and living region. “Felt fearful” was the strongest predictor compared to the other nine depressive symptoms based on node centrality. It was also the most crucial bridge node between negative symptoms cluster and positive affects cluster. Network density and the sum of all absolute strength centrality should also be incorporated into clinical practice as key indicators of emotional vulnerability, particularly in male middle-aged and older adults.

Exploring the relationship among structured-on-the job training, mentoring, job rotation, work environment factors and tacit knowledge transfer

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationships among structured-on-the job training (ST), mentoring, job rotation and the work environment factors on tacit knowledge transfer from training. Design/methodology/approach This study used quantitative research techniques to examine the causal relationships among the key study variables. A questionnaire-based survey has developed to evaluate the research model by drawing a convenience sample includes 239 employees working in the Arab Potash Company located in Jordan. Surveyed data were examined following the structural equation modeling procedures. Findings The results revealed that adapting of the ST, mentoring and job rotation in industrial firms had direct effect on the employees’ abilities to learn and transfer tacit knowledge from training to the actual work, and how these learning strategies strengthen employees’ abilities in solving work problems, improving customers’ satisfaction and quality of products and services. As well as, it affirmed the strong direct effect of work environment factors such as supervisor and peer support on the employees’ abilities to learning and transferring tacit knowledge to their jobs. However, this study showed that work environment factors have no significant mediating role on the relationship among ST, mentoring, job rotation and the employees’ abilities to learn and transfer tacit knowledge to their jobs. Research limitations/implications The study results are opening the doors for future studies to examine the relationships among the methods of training and learning in the workplace, the work environment factors and tacit knowledge transfer from training to the jobs as prerequisites for improving the employees and organization performance. These results would be validated by conducting future research, examining larger samples of industrial companies to give more accurate data and clear explanations to the relationships among the study variables. It also suggests to replace the characteristics of work environment (supervisor support and peer support) by trainees’ characteristics (self-efficacy and career commitment) to give a better understanding to the relationships among the key study variables. Practical implications With regard to improving the employees’ competency while doing their jobs, this study developed a conceptual framework that guides managers to recognize the importance of ST, mentoring and job rotation in increasing the employees’ learning together; and giving them the chance to use the new learned experiences and knowledge to improve the organization performance and its competitive advantage. This study helps managers build a positive work environment that encourages social interaction, respect and mutual interest among employees, and increases their sense of responsibility for learning and transferring skills and knowledge to the jobs. Social implications The training methods in the workplace go beyond immediate work performance to act as a promising tool make employees’ learning more easily and faster, and help them to transfer and retain new skills and knowledge, adapt with changing environments, build stronger relationships with stakeholders and at the same time, make the organizations ensure that employees comply with their societal goals. Originality/value The authors have noticed that large portions of the studies on training and human resources development neglected the role effect of (ST, mentoring and job rotation) on the tacit knowledge transfer from training to the jobs. Hence, these gaps in researches have motivated to develop a theoretical model that helps to examine the relationship between the two constructs. This study also suggests to examine the mediating role effects of work environment factors on the relationships among (ST, mentoring and job rotation) and tacit knowledge transfer, as well as it extends to examine the mediating role of work environment factors on transferring knowledge to jobs, attributed to the demographic variables such as gender, age, work experience and education level.

Poverty reduction effects of integrating high-quality development and cultural tourism in China

The integration of the cultural tourism industry with high-quality development is believed to be an important method of alleviating poverty. Most research in this area has focused on single towns, cities, or regions without considering the spillover effects of neighboring areas. To fill this gap, this study applies a spatial panel econometric model to empirically test the spatial spillover effects of integrating the cultural tourism industry with high-quality developments and their mechanisms of poverty alleviation based on provincial panel data of the Chinese Mainland from 2010 to 2020. Four key results are presented. First, there is an obvious spatial dependence on the high-quality development scale, specialization level, and poverty level of cultural tourism integration. The common panel model is found to overestimate the impact of this integration on poverty alleviation because it ignores the spatial spillover-related explanatory variables. Second, the scale of development quality is found to have no significant impact on poverty alleviation when integrating cultural tourism; however, the level of development specialization has both a direct impact on poverty alleviation and the spatial spillover effect. Third, the integration of the cultural tourism industry in the Central and Western regions is shown to have a strong direct effect on poverty reduction through high-quality development. However, the spillover effect on poverty reduction in the Eastern region is greater than that in the Central and Western regions. Fourth, the integration of high-quality development and cultural tourism is found to have a direct impact on poverty alleviation overall by promoting tourism consumption, material capital accumulation, and structural transformation.