Moderating Role of Peer Pressure and Positive Learning Environment Between Career Calling and Academic Procrastination in Chinese Medical Students During Controlled COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic sets specific circumstances that may accelerate academic procrastination behavior of medical students. Career calling is a protective factor that fights against academic procrastination and may further improve medical students' mental health and academic achievement. This study aims to determine the status of Chinese medical students' academic procrastination during controlled COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the study investigates the relationships and mechanisms among career calling, peer pressure, a positive learning environment, and academic procrastination. Patients and Methods: Data were collected from several Chinese medical universities through an anonymous cross-sectional survey of 3614 respondents (effective response rate = 60.0%). Using online questionnaires to collect the data and IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 for statistical analysis. Results: The average score of academic procrastination of Chinese medical students was 2.62±0.86. This study proved the usage of peer pressure and positive learning environment as moderating roles of relationship between career calling and academic procrastination. Career calling was negatively correlated with academic procrastination (r = -0.232, p < 0.01), while it was positively correlated with peer pressure (r = 0.390, p < 0.01) and a positive learning environment (r = 0.339, p < 0.01). Moreover, academic procrastination was negatively correlated with peer pressure (r = -0.279, p < 0.01) and a positive learning environment (r = -0.242, p < 0.01). Peer pressure was positively correlated with a positive learning environment (r = 0.637, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The findings emphasize the importance of constructive peer pressure and a positive learning environment that discourages academic procrastination. Educators should highlight medical career calling education by offering related courses to fight against academic procrastination.

Nonlinear effects of pandemic uncertainty on depression, pandemic preventive behavior intentions, and positive life attitudes: Moderating effects of high and low uncertainty grouping.

Backgrounds: COVID-19 is difficult to end in a short time and people are still facing huge uncertainties. Since people's lives are gradually returning to normal, the sense of control and intolerance of uncertainty, which were mainly focused by past studies, are not specific to COVID-19 and will be more influenced by some factors unrelated to the pandemic. Therefore, they may be difficult to accurately reflect the individuals' perceptions of uncertainty. Besides, past research just after the outbreak mainly investigated people in high levels of uncertainty, we don't know the impact of uncertainties on individuals' psychological states when people gradually recovered their sense of control. To solve these problems, we proposed the concept of "pandemic uncertainty" and investigated its impact on people's daily lives. Methods: During October 20, 2021 to October 22, 2021, this study obtained data about uncertainty, depression, positive attitude, pandemic preventive behavior intentions, personality, and social support from 530 subjects using convenient sampling. The subjects were all college students from the Dalian University of Technology and Dalian Vocational and Technical College. According to the distribution of uncertainty, we divided the dataset into high and low groups. Subsequently, by using uncertainty as the independent variable, the grouping variable as the moderating variable, and other variables as the control variables, the moderating effects were analyzed for depression, positive attitude, and pandemic preventive behavior intentions, respectively. Results: The results showed that the grouping variable significantly moderate the influence of uncertainty on positive attitude and pandemic preventive behavior intentions but had no significant effect on depression. Simple slope analysis revealed that high grouping uncertainty significantly and positively predicted positive attitude and pandemic preventive behavior intentions, while low grouping effects were not significant. Conclusion: These results reveal a nonlinear effect of pandemic uncertainty on the pandemic preventive behavior intentions and positive life attitudes and enlighten us about the nonlinear relationship of psychological characteristics during a pandemic.

Determinants of continuance intention of using e-government services in Tanzania: the role of system interactivity as moderating factor

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the continuance intention of using e-government services in Tanzania as well as moderating effects of system interactivity.Design/methodology/approachA research model based on expectancy confirmation model was developed and empirically tested using 213 data collected from e-government services users who were selected using the judgemental sampling technique. The variance-based structural equation modelling technique was used for data analysis using SmartPLS 3.0.FindingsThe results of this study suggest that system interactivity, computer self-efficacy, management support, confirmation, satisfaction and perceived usefulness have a positive and significant influence on continuance intention to use e-government services. Moreover, the findings of this study indicate that system interactivity moderates the influence of perceived usefulness and satisfaction on continuance intention.Originality/valueThis study extends the expectancy confirmation model with system interactivity, management support and computer self-efficacy which are considered as important factors in continuance usage of technology. Furthermore, this study examines the moderating effect of system interactivity on the effects of perceived usefulness and satisfaction on continuance intention.

Impact of food safety supervision efficiency on preventing and controlling mass public crisis.

Food safety has received unprecedented attention since the COVID-19 outbreak. Exploring food safety regulatory mechanisms in the context of cluster public crises is critical for COVID-19 prevention and control. As a result, using data from a food safety regulation survey in the Bei-jing-Tianjin-Hebei urban cluster, this paper investigates the impact of food safety regulation on the prevention and control of COVID-19. The study found that food safety regulation and cluster public crisis prevention and control have a significant positive relationship, with the ability to integrate regulatory resources acting as a mediator between the two. Second, industry groups argue that the relationship between regulatory efficiency and regulatory resource integration should be moderated in a positive manner. Finally, industry association support positively moderates the mediating role of regulatory re-source integration capacity between food safety regulatory efficiency and cluster public crises, and there is a mediating effect of being moderated. Our findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the roles of regulatory efficiency, resource integration capacity, and industry association support in food safety, and they serve as a useful benchmark for further improving food safety regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Chinese college students COVID-19 phobia and negative moods: Moderating effects of physical exercise behavior.

Objective: We investigated the effects of COVID-19 fear on negative moods among college students, and assessed the efficacy of physical exercise behavior as a moderator variable. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Students from three colleges and universities in Shangqiu City, Henan Province and Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province were enrolled in this study, which was performed during the COVID-19 pandemic using an online questionnaire. A total of 3,133 college students completed the questionnaire. Measurement tools included the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S), Depression-Anxiety-Stress Self-Rating Scale (DASS), and the Physical Activity Behavior Scale (PARS-3). Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rates of depression, anxiety, and stressful negative moods among college students were 35.5, 65.5, and 10.95%, respectively; there was a positive correlation between COVID-19 fear and negative moods among college students (r = 0.479, p < 0.001), which was negatively correlated with physical exercise behavior (r = -0.4, p < 0.001); the regulating effects of physical exercise behavior were significant (ΔR2 = 0.04, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The rate of negative moods among college students is high, and the fear for COVID-19 is one of the key factors that lead to negative moods. Physical exercise can modulate the impact of COVID-19 fear among college students on negative moods. Studies should elucidate on mental health issues among different populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information and communication technology (ICT) skills and job satisfaction of primary education teachers in the context of Covid-19. Theoretical model

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that educational systems must have an online component or even a substitute. However, the efforts for this necessary transition fall largely on the teaching staff, who have been forced to quickly adapt their activities to a virtual environment. In this study, a theoretical model for analyzing how teachers' information and communications technology (ICT) skills and the integration of these technologies influence the improvement of teaching and teacher job satisfaction is introduced. The model also pays special attention to the gender gap related to the use of ICT in teaching. At the empirical level, the model is validated on a sample of 257 Spanish primary school teachers, using the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation method. The results of the analysis show that, although the teachers' ICT skills help them improve their teaching activities, such skills do not have a direct impact on teachers' job satisfaction. However, teachers who integrate ICTs into their teaching activities not only improve their results and lighten their wor-kload but also enjoy higher job satisfaction, which translates into more motivated and committed teachers. In addition, teachers' ICT skills influence job satisfaction in different ways depending on gender. Although, for female teachers, the integration of ICT increases their job satisfaction, the results show that, for male teachers, this integration should gene-rate improvements in teaching to yield enhanced job satisfaction. As the main implication, it is recommended to invest in teachers' ICT skills, as these lead to enhanced efficiency and motivation and enable the change toward an ICT-based teaching model. © 2022, El Profesional de la Informacion. All rights reserved.

Does the Application of ICTs Improve the Efficiency of Agricultural Carbon Reduction? Evidence from Broadband Adoption in Rural China.

Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, this paper examines whether rural broadband adoption affects agricultural carbon reduction efficiency (ACRE), using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2019. This paper achieves a measurement of ACRE by taking the carbon sink of agricultural as one of the desired outputs and using a Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model and the global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) index. The results show that: (1) Rural broadband adoption has a positive effect on ACRE. The relationship between the income of rural residents and ACRE was an inverted U-shaped, which confirms the EKC hypothesis. (2) Land transfer has a significant promoting effect on the relationship between rural broadband adoption and ACRE. When the land transfer rate is high, the positive effect of broadband adoption is obvious. (3) The positive effect of broadband adoption on ACRE was more obvious when farmers invested more in production equipment, that is to say, it has a significant positive moderating effect. As farmers in many developing countries suffer from increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events, we believe that the results of this study also have implications for the implementation of agricultural carbon reduction and smart agricultural equipment roll-out in many countries.

The influence of weather conditions on the COVID-19 epidemic: Evidence from 279 prefecture-level panel data in China.

Studying the influence of weather conditions on the COVID-19 epidemic is an emerging field. However, existing studies in this area tend to utilize time-series data, which have certain limitations and fail to consider individual, social, and economic factors. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap. In this paper, we explored the influence of weather conditions on the COVID-19 epidemic using COVID-19-related prefecture-daily panel data collected in mainland China between January 1, 2020, and February 19, 2020. A two-way fixed effect model was applied taking into account factors including public health measures, effective distance to Wuhan, population density, economic development level, health, and medical conditions. We also used a piecewise linear regression to determine the relationship in detail. We found that there is a conditional negative relationship between weather conditions and the epidemic. Each 1 °C rise in mean temperature led to a 0.49% increase in the confirmed cases growth rate when mean temperature was above -7 °C. Similarly, when the relative humidity was greater than 46%, it was negatively correlated with the epidemic, where a 1% increase in relative humidity decreased the rate of confirmed cases by 0.19%. Furthermore, prefecture-level administrative regions, such as Chifeng (included as "warning cities") have more days of "dangerous weather", which is favorable for outbreaks. In addition, we found that the impact of mean temperature is greatest in the east, the influence of relative humidity is most pronounced in the central region, and the significance of weather conditions is more important in the coastal region. Finally, we found that rising diurnal temperatures decreased the negative impact of weather conditions on the spread of COVID-19. We also observed that strict public health measures and high social concern can mitigate the adverse effects of cold and dry weather on the spread of the epidemic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which applies the two-way fixed effect model to investigate the influence of weather conditions on the COVID-19 epidemic, takes into account socio-economic factors and draws new conclusions.

How does CSR of food company affect customer loyalty in the context of COVID-19: a moderated mediation model

Because of COVID-19 in the world, enterprises and consumers pay more and more attention to environmental protection, food safety and health issues. The purpose of this paper is to take China's food company as an example to study the impact of CSR on customer loyalty, mediating effects of company image and customer satisfaction, and moderating effects of COVID-19. The result shows that during COVID-19, company image and customer satisfaction have significant mediating effects, and COVID-19 positively moderate the impact of CSR on customer satisfaction.

The relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and meaning in life: testing the moderating effects of self-compassion and savoring.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The stress people experience in relation to a highly stressful event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can undermine their sense of meaning in life. This study examined the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and meaning in life and whether self-compassion and savoring positive emotional experience moderated this relationship. METHODS: Participants (N = 498) completed measures of pandemic-related stress, dimensions of meaning in life (comprehension, purpose, mattering), self-compassion (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness), and savoring (savoring through anticipation, savoring the moment, savoring through reminiscence). RESULTS: Results of regression analyses showed that pandemic-related stress related to less meaning in life and that all dimensions of self-compassion and savoring (with the exception of savoring through reminiscence) related positively to a dimension of meaning in life. Only common humanity buffered the relationship between pandemic-related stress and a dimension of meaning in life (purpose) as expected. Unexpectedly, for people high on common humanity the relationship between pandemic-related stress and mattering was positive, and for people high on mindfulness, the relationship between pandemic-related stress and comprehension was negative. CONCLUSIONS: Although cross-sectional, this study's findings suggest that promoting common humanity might be important for protecting purpose and enhancing one's sense of mattering during a pandemic.

Effects of the new COVID-19 normal on customer satisfaction: Can facemasks level off the playing field between average-looking and attractive-looking employees?

The attractiveness of service employees can have a significant impact on customer attitudes and behaviors. While frontline employees can reduce the risk of the COVID-19 transmission and infection by wearing facemasks, doing so can also influence customers' perceptions of employees' attractiveness and thus affect customer satisfaction. Based on the Gestalt theory, this study explores the impact of hotel employees' facemask-wearing on customer satisfaction through two experimental studies. The results indicate that average-looking frontline employees who wear facemasks induce high levels of customer satisfaction. However, while the impact of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction is not significant for attractive-looking male frontline employees, attractive-looking female frontline employees who wear facemasks induce lower customer satisfaction. Customers' perception of employees' physical attractiveness fully mediates the effects of wearing facemasks on customer satisfaction in the case of average-looking employees. Customers' self-perceived physical attractiveness moderates the mediated effects. Implications that can help hotel managers improve customers' service evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic are provided.

Emotional Attitudes of Chinese Citizens on Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Analysis of Social Media Data.

BACKGROUND: Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, imposed citywide lockdown measures on January 23, 2020. Neighboring cities in Hubei Province followed suit with the government enforcing social distancing measures to restrict the spread of the disease throughout the province. Few studies have examined the emotional attitudes of citizens as expressed on social media toward the imposed social distancing measures and the factors that affected their emotions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was twofold. First, we aimed to detect the emotional attitudes of different groups of users on Sina Weibo toward the social distancing measures imposed by the People's Government of Hubei Province. Second, the influencing factors of their emotions, as well as the impact of the imposed measures on users' emotions, was studied. METHODS: Sina Weibo, one of China's largest social media platforms, was chosen as the primary data source. The time span of selected data was from January 21, 2020, to March 24, 2020, while analysis was completed in late June 2020. Bi-directional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) was used to analyze users' emotions, while logistic regression analysis was employed to explore the influence of explanatory variables on users' emotions, such as age and spatial location. Further, the moderating effects of social distancing measures on the relationship between user characteristics and users' emotions were assessed by observing the interaction effects between the measures and explanatory variables. RESULTS: Based on the 63,169 comments obtained, we identified six topics of discussion-(1) delaying the resumption of work and school, (2) travel restrictions, (3) traffic restrictions, (4) extending the Lunar New Year holiday, (5) closing public spaces, and (6) community containment. There was no multicollinearity in the data during statistical analysis; the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit was 0.24 (χ28=10.34, P>.24). The main emotions shown by citizens were negative, including anger and fear. Users located in Hubei Province showed the highest amount of negative emotions in Mainland China. There are statistically significant differences in the distribution of emotional polarity between social distancing measures (χ220=19,084.73, P<.001), as well as emotional polarity between genders (χ24=1784.59, P<.001) and emotional polarity between spatial locations (χ24=1659.67, P<.001). Compared with other types of social distancing measures, the measures of delaying the resumption of work and school or travel restrictions mainly had a positive moderating effect on public emotion, while traffic restrictions or community containment had a negative moderating effect on public emotion. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide a reference point for the adoption of epidemic prevention and control measures, and are considered helpful for government agencies to take timely actions to alleviate negative emotions during public health emergencies.