Authenticity: Effective emotional labor strategies on teaching efficacy of university teachers in China.

Based on the job demands-resources model, this study explored the relationships among emotional labor strategies, job demands of teaching, job resources, and teaching efficacy for university teachers. The results, based on a sample of 316 university teachers from China, showed that the teachers preferred to convey authenticity by expressing deep acting and naturally felt emotion. Furthermore, deep acting and naturally felt emotions were found to have a significant positive effect on teaching efficacy, whereas surface acting did not have any significant relationship with teaching efficacy. As organizational variables, job demands significantly positively affected surface acting, deep acting, and naturally felt emotion. In contrast, job resources positively affected surface and deep acting, but no significant relationship with naturally felt emotions was found. These results highlight that university teachers from China could benefit from adopting authentic emotional labor strategies, specifically deep acting and naturally felt emotions, as the most effective strategies in teaching. Based on the above findings, this paper concludes with recommendations for university administrators to alleviate the emotional labor of college faculty. For example, universities should pay more attention to teachers' emotional state, provide resources to support them, and give more space and support to college teachers in teaching.

Measuring the decent work of knowledge workers: Constructing and validating a new scale.

Through two and half decades, decent work (DW) has been studied mainly on unemployment and underemployment to promote workers' well-being, overlooking the importance of understanding knowledge of workers' (KW's) well-being in the workplace. However, the conflict between organizational performance and KW's well-being has intensified with technology development and the digital economy. This study constructs and validates a new scale for measuring the decent work perception (DWP) of KW in the context of knowledge management (KM). First, 27 in-depth interviews are conducted based on previous research results and grounded theory, resulting 4 dimensions consisting of 32 initial items identified by the KWs as reflecting their perception of DW. The 4dimensions of DWP are work security, respect & support, self-value, and professional skills. Second, 212 KWs participate in the preliminary survey, identifying the initial questionnaire's validity and selecting 13 items from the original questionnaire. Finally, 554 questionnaires are collected for the formal survey. According to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmative factor analysis (CFA), the 13-item decent work perception scale (DWPS) has reasonable reliability and validity. Considering the characteristics of work challenges, work autonomy, and career commitment of KWs, this study contributes to the knowledge of respect & support, self-value, and professional skills on DWPS. It is concluded that the DWPS can be applied to measure DW for KWs. As an effective measurement tool for KWs, this scale is also crucial for helping employees achieve their career goals, and managers understand KWs' demands theoretically and practically.

Machine learning-based prognostic modeling of lysosome-related genes for predicting prognosis and immune status of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Lysosomes are organelles that play an important role in cancer progression by breaking down biomolecules. However, the molecular mechanisms of lysosome-related genes in HCC are not fully understood. Methods: We downloaded HCC datasets from TCGA and GEO as well as lysosome-related gene sets from AIMGO. After univariate Cox screening of the set of lysosome-associated genes differentially expressed in HCC and normal tissues, risk models were built by machine learning. Model effects were assessed using the concordance index (C-index), Kaplan-Meier (K-M) and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). Additionally, we explored the biological function and immune microenvironment between the high- and low-risk groups, and analyzed the response of the high- and low-risk groups to immunotherapy responsiveness and chemotherapeutic agents. Finally, we explored the function of a key gene (RAMP3) at the cellular level. Results: Univariate Cox yielded 46 differentially and prognostically significant lysosome-related genes, and risk models were constructed using eight genes (RAMP3, GPLD1, FABP5, CD68, CSPG4, SORT1, CSPG5, CSF3R) derived from machine learning. The risk model was a better predictor of clinical outcomes, with the higher risk group having worse clinical outcomes. There were significant differences in biological function, immune microenvironment, and responsiveness to immunotherapy and drug sensitivity between the high and low-risk groups. Finally, we found that RAMP3 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells and correlated with the sensitivity of HCC cells to Idarubicin. Conclusion: Lysosome-associated gene risk models built by machine learning can effectively predict patient prognosis and offer new prospects for chemotherapy and immunotherapy in HCC. In addition, cellular-level experiments suggest that RAMP3 may be a new target for the treatment of HCC.

The dual influence path of decent work perception on employee innovative behavior.

Background: The goal of decent work (DW) is a win-win situation for both employees and employers. It promotes an individual's employability and enhances the competitiveness of the organization. Design: Based on the conservation of resources theory (COR), this paper conducted survey on knowledge workers and analyzed the data by hierarchical linear model (HLM). Research purposes: This paper aims to examine how decent work perception (DWP) influences employee innovation behavior through the mediating effect of job engagement and burnout and the moderating effect of authoritarian leadership. Findings: Based on the results of statistical analyses conducted on 489 valid knowledge workers, it was demonstrated that DWP positively influence employee innovative behavior. Job engagement has a full mediating effect on the relationship between DWP and employee innovative behavior. The study did not support the mediating effect of job burnout, however. There is a positive moderating effect of authoritarian leadership on the relationship between DWP and job engagement and a negative moderating effect on the relationship between DWP and job burnout. Implications: In addition to contributing to theoretical studies on DW and work behavior, this paper also contributes to practice on employee motivation and leadership.

Bibliometric review of carbon neutrality with CiteSpace: evolution, trends, and framework.

The concept of carbon neutrality has been promoted and implemented in increasing countries since the twenty-first century. In-depth research on carbon neutrality has helped improve the environmental conditions and played a particular role in sustaining economic and social development. However, there is a less comprehensive review of the status in this field; therefore, this article uses the information visualization software CiteSpace to thoroughly analyze carbon neutrality research from multiple perspectives. This study aims to reveal the current research evolutions and hotspots in this field, predict future research trends, and construct the framework for better understanding. The results find that the number of papers published on carbon neutrality keeps increasing annually, and carbon neutrality has been the widely participated domain. In addition, publications by organizations and in top journals have aroused wide attention, and the hot spots on carbon neutrality have shifted to policy, recovery, and efficiency. Based on the results, a knowledge framework of this domain is constructed to give readers a clearer understanding of the evolvement and trends, which will also provide targeted references and help for future researchers.

Coupling coordination between higher education and environmental governance: Evidence of western China.

Exploring the coupling coordination mechanism between higher education and environmental governance is conducive to understanding the mutual interactions between them and thus enhancing mutual development. This study constructs the coupling coordination mechanism and the aggregated evaluation index system to measure the mutual coordination relations between them, assesses the performances and the coupling coordination degrees between them in the case of western provincial regions in China, and proposes countermeasures based on the prediction results. It is found that the performances of higher education are relatively more stable than those of environmental governance, and the distributions of the average performance grades exist noticeable geographical differences. Besides, the coupling coordination degrees increase with mild fluctuations with relatively small spatial variations, demonstrating the balanced and similar coordinated development status among regions; furthermore, in the future, the gaps in the coordination status among regions will gradually decline. This study highlights the mutual coordination mechanism between the two subsystems, compares the coupling coordination status among regions both temporally and spatially, and proposes specific, generalizable development suggestions that contribute to the academic sector, policymakers, ecology, and sustainability.

Biochemical composition and function of subalpine shrubland and meadow soil microbiomes in the Qilian Mountains, Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, China.

Microorganisms participate in the soil biogeochemical cycle. Therefore, investigating variations in microbial biomass, composition, and functions can provide a reference for improving soil ecological quality due to the sensitivity of microorganisms to vegetation coverage changes. However, the differences in soil microorganisms between shrubland and meadow have not been investigated in ecologically vulnerable subalpine areas. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical composition and functions of the soil microbial community under two shrublands and a meadow at high altitudes (3,400-3,550 m). Three sites under two shrublands, Rhododendron thymifolium (RHO) and Potentilla fruticosa (POT), and one meadow dominated by Kobresia myosuroides (MEA), were selected on the southern slope of the Qilian Mountains on the northeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Soil physicochemical properties, the microbial community composition expressed by the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarker, and enzyme activities were analyzed as well as their relationships. The results showed that water holding capacity and the soil carbon, nitrogen, and potassium content in RHO and POT were higher than those in the MEA. Moreover, the soil active carbon, dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen, and dissolved total nitrogen content in RHO were higher than those in POT. The abundance of total PLFAs, bacteria, and fungi beneath the shrublands was considerably higher than that in the MEA. The PLFA abundance in RHO was significantly higher than that in POT. The fungal-to-bacterial ratio of RHO and POT was significantly higher than that in the MEA. The activities of ß-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, and leucine aminopeptidase were the highest in RHO among the three vegetation types, followed by POT and MEA. The redundancy analysis indicated that the biochemical composition of the soil microorganisms and enzyme activities were driven by total nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, water holding capacity, and soil organic carbon. Therefore, shrublands, which have higher biomass, can improve soil moisture status, increase soil carbon and nitrogen content (especially active carbon and active nitrogen), and further increase the abundance of total PLFAs, bacteria, and fungi. The increase of microbial biomass indirectly enhances the activity of relevant soil enzymes. The variations in PLFA abundance and enzyme activities can be attributed to shrub species, especially evergreen shrubs, which create more favorable conditions for soil microorganisms. This study provides a theoretical basis for investigating the soil biogeochemical cycle and a scientific basis for soil management and vegetation restoration in the subalpine regions.

Higher education and science popularization: Can they achieve coordinated growth?

This study aims to explore whether higher education and science popularization can achieve coordinated growth with temporal and spatial characteristics. Selecting the provincial regions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China as cases with data from the national statistics administrations (such as China Statistical Yearbook), this study uses entropy weight analysis, TOPSIS, GM(1,1) gray prediction methods and coupling coordination degree model to evaluate the coordinated growth status. The key findings are: (1) the annual budget per student, and the number of science and technology museums affect both systems more obviously; (2) the overall performances of science popularization fluctuate more obviously than those of higher education; (3) the coordinated growth performances of the two systems in most regions remain mild fluctuations and keep relatively stable coordinated status, however, temporal and spatial variation tendencies do exist among regions. Therefore, corresponding countermeasures should be implemented: generally, national authority needs to involve in coordination activities among regions; the regions with satisfactory coordinated growth performances need more creative approaches to maintain the coordinated growth interactions; the regions at the transitioning status need to prevent the grade decline and upgrade the performances; the regions with lagging performances need to stop the decline and reduce the gaps with others. The novelties include analyzing the coordinated growth interaction mechanism between the two, selecting indices to assess the abstract interaction mechanism precisely, proposing suggestions based on temporal and spatial comparisons of the coordinated growth performances, etc.

Influence of coal gangue mulching with various thicknesses and particle sizes on soil water characteristics.

Water availability seriously affects vegetation restoration in arid mining areas, and mulching is an effective way to improve soil water conditions. Coal gangue occupies large swathes of land resources, resulting in ecological fragility and various environmental problems. Despite coal gangue having mineral elements similar to those in soil, its potential function as a mulch for soil water conservation has been unclear. Herein, mulching on the surfaces of soil columns with 30 cm height and 15 cm inner diameter was conducted using coal gangue with four particle size ranges (0-0.5, 0.5-1, 1-2, and 2-4 cm) and four thicknesses (4, 8, 12, and 16 cm) under laboratory conditions to investigate water infiltration and evaporation under different conditions. The cumulative infiltration of the treatments with mulching thicknesses of 4 cm (T1), 8 cm (T2), 12 cm (T3), and 16 cm (T4) was 16.1%, 22.9%, 28.6%, and 41.6% greater than that of the control, respectively. The cumulative evaporation of the treatments with particle size ranges of 0-0.5 cm (P1), 0.5-1 cm (P2), 1-2 cm (P3), and 2-4 cm (P4) was 6.5%, 28.6%, 22.9%, and 18.6% lower than the control, respectively. Overall, to enhance the soil water storage capacity in mining areas, the results suggest that coal gangue mulching with a thickness of 8-16 cm and particle size range of 0.5-2 cm is suitable.

Coordination assessment of environment and urbanization: Hunan case.

The process of urbanization promotes the development of economy and society, and also brings great pressure to the environment. In order to better understand the harmonious and interactive relationship between environment and urbanization, by selecting 13 cities in Hunan province of China as cases, this paper establishes a correlation model and a comprehensive evaluation system, uses entropy weight method to weight the index, the coupling coordination model to analyze the coupling coordination relationships empirically, and gray prediction model to predict the trend and make corresponding decision recommendations. The results show with novelty that the overall performances of environment and urbanization for the 13 cities in Hunan province have similarities, the coupling coordination degrees are mild with slight fluctuations, and the next years will keep the similar trends. However, the coupling coordination development is unbalanced with the coupling degree of the east higher than that of the west; therefore, corresponding measures for better environmental governance and urban planning need to be taken in different cities.

Measurement of sustainable higher education development: Evidence from China.

This paper constructs the 6E evaluation index system, a comprehensive index including the dimensions of economy, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, earnings and equality, to measure the sustainable higher education development of the 31 provincial regions of China by utilizing the information entropy weight-TOPSIS method. This paper then makes a spatial and temporal analysis of the coupling coordination relationship among the dimensions of sustainable higher education development by using the coupling coordination model. In addition, this paper proposes specific and applicable countermeasures for sustainable higher education development. The results show that the comprehensive degrees of sustainable higher education development in most regions are not high, and the coastal regions and the Central-south China regions have higher grades; in addition, for most regions, the coupling coordination degrees mainly remain stable, with mild growth in the respective classifications, and the gap between the west and other regions is declining. The improved method is applicable to measure the sustainable development of higher education and to propose detailed and appropriate suggestions for further development.

Biobased polymer composites derived from corn stover and feather meals as double-coating materials for controlled-release and water-retention urea fertilizers.

In this paper, we synthesized a biobased polyurethane using liquefied corn stover, isocyanate, and diethylenetriamine. The synthesized polyurethane was used as a coating material to control nitrogen (N) release from polymer-coated urea. A novel superabsorbent composite was also formulated from chicken feather protein (CFP), acrylic acid, and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide and used as an outer coating material for water retention. We studied the N release characteristics and water-retention capability of the double-layer polymer-coated urea (DPCU) applied in both water and soils. The ear yields, dry matter accumulation, total N use efficiency and N leaching from a sweet corn soil-plant system under two different irrigation regimes were also investigated. Comparison of DPCU treatments with conventional urea fertilizer revealed that DPCU treatments reduced the N release rate and improved water retention capability. Evaluation of soil and plant characteristics within the soil-plant system revealed that DPCU application effectively reduced N leaching loss, improved total N use efficiency, and increased soil water retention capability.

Controlled-release urea commingled with rice seeds reduced emission of ammonia and nitrous oxide in rice paddy soil.

Reduction of ammonia (NH) and nitrous oxide (NO) emission and enhanced nitrogen (N) fertilizer use efficiency have been investigated with different N fertilizer management and application methods for irrigated rice production. Few studies have examined NH and NO emissions from rice paddy soil when commingling controlled release urea with rice seeds. The objective of this study was to assess NH volatilization and NO emission from a novel controlled-release urea formulation (CRU-180) when commingled at the full application rate with seeds in a single application during the preparation of plant plugs at the nursery stage. The experiment was conducted as a factorial design with two fertilizer sources (conventional urea and CRU-180), four rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N ha), and three replicates. The entire amount of CRU-180 was incorporated into each plug with germinated seed. The conventional urea was split into four applications based on the standard practice for fertilizer application. The CRU-180 treatments reduced the NH and NO concentration in the paddy flood water and paddy soil solution as compared with the conventional urea treatments. The percentage of applied N fertilizer emitted as NH volatilization and NO emission in the CRU-180 treatments was only about 10% of that from the conventional urea treatments at the same N application rate. The application of CRU-180 with seeds offers a novel N fertilizer management technique, a method to reduce environmental impacts associated with rice production and the cost of rice production.

Improving the quality of polymer-coated urea with recycled plastic, proper additives, and large tablets.

Polymer-coated urea (PCU) has great potential for increasing crop production and enhancing nitrogen (N) fertilizer use efficiency, benefiting the ecosystem. However, current PCUs are used only in a limited market, and the main obstacle to the wider use of PCUs is high cost compared to that of conventional N fertilizers. In this study, the low cost PCU and large tablet polymer-coated urea (LTPCU) were prepared by using recycling polystyrene foam and various sealants as the coating materials. The structural and chemical characteristics of the coating shells of the coated fertilizers were examined. The N release characteristics of coated fertilizers were determined in 25 °C water under laboratory conditions. The relationship between the N release longevity and the amount of coating material and the percentage of different sealants were evaluated. The results indicated that recycling polystyrene foam was the ideal coating material of the controlled release fertilizer. The polyurethane that was synthesized by the reaction of castor oil and isocyanate was better than the wax as the additive to delay the N release rate of coated urea. The coating material used for LTPCU was 70-80% less than those used for commercial PCUs under the same N release longevity. The cost of the recycling polystyrene foam used for coating one ton of pure N of the LTPCU was about one-seventh to one-eighth of the cost of the traditional polymer used for the commercial PCU. The experimental data showed that the LTPCU with good controlled-release capacities, being economical and eco-friendly, could be promising for wide use in agriculture and horticulture.