The impact of ICT use on entrepreneurial performance: evidence from Chinese microenterprises

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, information and communication technology (ICT), as a part of digital technology, was of particular help to microenterprises in obtaining resources. Drawing upon Conservation of Resources Theory, we investigated the impact of ICT use on entrepreneurial performance. To examine our hypotheses, data were collected from 206 Chinese microenterprises. The results suggest that ICT use was positively related to entrepreneurial performance, that network capabilities mediated the relationship between ICT use and entrepreneurial performance and that perceived ICT usefulness moderated the relationship between ICT use and network capabilities. Finally, the implications, limitations and future research directions will be discussed. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Global issues in obstetric anaesthesia: perspectives from South Africa, Japan, China, Latin America and North America.

South Africa is classified as a low- and middle-income country, with a complex mixture of resource-rich and resource-limited settings. In the major referral hospitals, the necessary skill level exists for the management of complex challenges. However, this contrasts with the frequently-inadequate skill levels of anaesthesia practitioners in resource-limited environments. In Japan, obstetricians administer anaesthesia for 40% of caesarean deliveries and 80% of labour analgesia. Centralisation of delivery facilities is now occurring and it is expected that obstetric anaesthesiologists will be available 24 h a day in centralised facilities in the future. In China, improvements in women's reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health are critical government policies. Obstetric anaesthesia, especially labour analgesia, has received unprecedented attention. Chinese obstetric anaesthesiologists are passionate about clinical research, focusing on efficacy, safety, and topical issues. The Latin-American region has different landscapes, people, languages, and cultures, and is one of the world's regions with the most inequality. There are large gaps in research, knowledge, and health services, and the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists is committed to working with governmental and non-governmental organisations to improve patient care and access to safe anaesthesia. Anaesthesia workforce challenges, exacerbated by coronavirus disease 2019, beset North American healthcare. Pre-existing struggles by governments and decision-makers to improve health care access remain, partly due to unfamiliarity with the role of the anaesthesiologist. In addition to weaknesses in work environments and dated standards of work culture, the work-life balance demanded by new generations of anaesthesiologists must be acknowledged.

Formation mechanism and coping strategies on the disequilibrium between supply and demand of agricultural products under the COVID-19 epidemic in China

The disequilibrium between supply and demand of agricultural products is a common problem being faced by many countries with severe novel coronavirus pneumonia. It has caused serious losses to agricultural producer income and urban consumer welfare. It points out the imbalance between the supply and demand of agricultural products in our country under the new crown pneumonia epidemic: the production end of agricultural products is difficult to sell, farmers suffer heavy losses, the consumption end of the agricultural product supply is tight, and the basic characteristics of residents' welfare are damaged. This study uses uncertainty economics theory to comprehensively analyze the internal mechanism of the disequilibrium between the supply and demand of agricultural products in China. The results indicate that the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic has brought serious uncertainty to the health and safety of practitioners engaged in the circulation of agricultural products, which was regarded as the main reason for the disequilibrium between supply and demand. The uncertainty was demonstrated by the dramatically increasing circulation cost of agricultural products and the enforced interruption of the transactions and logistics for some agricultural products. Therefore, it is suggested that government should implement insurance system for public health emergency, innovate the business model for agricultural products circulation, increase the temporary subsidy, release the epidemic risk level directly and train the anti epidemic ability for agricultural product circulation practitioners. These public efforts would reduce the additional cost caused by the uncertain factors such as epidemic situation, ensure the effective operation of supply chain for agricultural products, and guarantee the safety and stability of agricultural industry chain, which would be helpful to avoid the recurrence of the similar issue on disequilibrium between supply and demand. © 2022 Journal of Chinese Agricultural Mechanization. All rights reserved.

Does fact-checking habit promote COVID-19 knowledge during the pandemic? Evidence from China.

OBJECTIVES: Promoting health knowledge during a public health crisis is essential. This study aims to examine how fact-checking habit influences COVID-19 knowledge in the COVID-19 infodemic. STUDY DESIGN: This study uses a cross-sectional survey. METHODS: During the early outbreak of COVID-19 in China, we conducted an online survey and collected data from 3000 representative Chinese Internet users. The study measured COVID-19 knowledge as a dependent variable, fact-checking habit as an independent variable, and general science knowledge and negative emotion as moderators. Internet use and several demographic factors were used as control variables. Ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between fact-checking habit and COVID-19 knowledge as a function of science knowledge and negative emotion. RESULTS: Fact-checking habit was negatively associated with COVID-19 knowledge, and the relationship was moderated by general science knowledge and negative emotion. For those with less science knowledge or higher levels of negative emotion, COVID-19 knowledge was lower with the increase of experience in fact-checking. CONCLUSIONS: During a pandemic, individuals may not be able to obtain high-quality information, even if they regularly fact-check information, and especially when they lack knowledge about science or are influenced by negative emotion. To promote health knowledge during a public health crisis, basic science literacy must be promoted, and the psychological impact of the crisis on the population must also be considered.

One-Year Real-Time Measurement of Black Carbon in the Rural Area of Qingdao, Northeastern China: Seasonal Variations, Meteorological Effects, and the COVID-19 Case Analysis

In this paper, we report the results obtained from one year of real-time measurement (i.e., from December 2019 to November 2020) of atmospheric black carbon (BC) under a rural environment in Qingdao of Northeastern China. The annual average concentration of BC was 1.92 +/- 1.89 mu g m(-3). The highest average concentration of BC was observed in winter (3.65 +/- 2.66 mu g m(-3)), followed by fall (1.73 +/- 1.33 mu g m(-3)), spring (1.53 +/- 1.33 mu g m(-3)), and summer (0.83 +/- 0.56 mu g m(-3)). A clear weekend effect was observed in winter, which was characterized by higher BC concentration (4.60 +/- 2.86 mu g m(-3)) during the weekend rather than that (3.22 +/- 2.45 mu g m(-3)) during weekdays. The influence of meteorological parameters, including surface horizontal wind speed, boundary layer height (BLH), and precipitation, on BC, was investigated. In particular, such BLH influence presented evidently seasonal dependence, while there was no significant seasonality for horizontal wind speed. These may reflect different roles of atmospheric vertical dilution on affecting BC in different seasons. The oBC/oCO ratio decreased with the increase of precipitation, indicative of the influence of below-cloud wet removal of BC, especially during summertime where rainfall events more frequently occurred than any of other seasons. The bivariate-polar-plot analysis showed that the high BC concentrations were mainly associated with low wind speed in all seasons, highlighting an important BC source originated from local emissions. By using concentration-weighted trajectory analysis, it was found that regional transports, especially from northeastern in winter, could not be negligible for contributing to BC pollution in rural Qingdao. In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case analysis, we observed an obvious increase in the BC/NO2 ratio during the COVID-19 lockdown, supporting the significant non-traffic source sector (such as residential coal combustion) for BC in rural Qingdao.

[Interpretation for the group standards in technical specification for health risk investigation of central air conditioning ventilation system during coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic].

The central air conditioning ventilation system plays an important role in the air circulation of buildings such as centralized isolation medical observation points and general public buildings. In order to meet the requirements of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, Beijing Preventive Medicine Association organized Beijing CDC and other professional institutes to write up the group standard entitled "Technical specification for health risk investigation of central air conditioning ventilation system during the COVID-19 epidemic (T/BPMA 0006-2020)" . According to the particularity of central air conditioning ventilation system risk control during the outbreak of similar respiratory infectious diseases, based on current laws and regulations and the principle of scientific, practical, consistency and normative, 8 key points of risk investigations were summarized, which were the location of fresh air outlet, air conditioning mode, air return mode, air system, air distribution, fresh air volume, exhaust and air conditioner components. The contents, process, method, data analysis and conclusion of the investigation implementation were also defined and unified. It could standardize and guide institutions such as disease control and health supervision to carry out relevant risk managements, and provided solutions and technical supports for such major public health emergencies in city operations.