Understanding the Effects of Colleague Participation and Public Cause Proximity on Employee Volunteering Intentions: The Moderating Role of Power Distance

Many organizations encourage their employees to participate in charitable activities as part of their corporate social responsibility strategies. As a result, there has been an increased research interest in employee volunteering behavior. However, while previous research on employee volunteering decisions has focused on both individual-level and organizational-level factors, there has been less focus on peer involvement and volunteer cause proximity. To go some way to filling this research area, this paper conducted two studies to examine the possible effects of colleague participation, colleague position and public cause proximity on employee volunteering intentions. Study 1 found that colleague participation and public cause proximity had significant effects on employee volunteering, and Study 2 found that power distance played a moderating role in the relationship between colleague position and employee volunteering. This study contributes to theoretical research on employee volunteering and provides some information to assist firms retain engaged volunteers

Modeling and Simulation of Opinion Natural Reversal Dynamics with Opinion Leader Based on HK Bounded Confidence Model

Opinion natural reversals are important and common phenomena in network management. It is a naturally emerging process of opinions characterized by interactions between individuals and the evolution of attitudes themselves. To explore the underlying mechanism of this social phenomenon and to reveal its dynamic traits, we propose here a novel model which takes the effects of natural reversal parameter and opinion interaction on the individual’s view choice behavior into account based on the Hegselmann and Krause (HK) bounded confidence model. Experimental results show that the evolution of individual opinions is not only influenced by the interactions between neighboring individuals but also updated naturally due to individual factors themselves in the absence of interaction, which in turn proves that the proposed model can provide a reasonable description of the entire process of public opinion natural reversal under the Internet environment. Besides, the proportion of group opinion tendency, network topology, identification method, and the influence weight of opinion leader will play significant roles in this process, which further indicates our improved model is very robust and thus can provide some insightful evidence to understand the phenomena of opinion natural reversal

Structure Reversal of Online Public Opinion for the Heterogeneous Health Concerns under NIMBY Conflict Environmental Mass Events in China

Public opinions play an important role in the formation of Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY) conflict environmental mass events. Due to the continual interactions between affected groups and the corresponding government responses surrounding the public interests related to health, online public opinion structure reversal arises frequently in NIMBY conflict events, which pose a serious threat to social public security. To explore the underlying mechanism, this paper introduces an improved dynamic model which considers multiple heterogeneities in health concerns and social power of individuals and in government’s ability. The experimental results indicate that the proposed model can provide an accurate description of the entire process of online public opinion structure reversal in NIMBY conflict environmental mass incidents on the Internet. In particular, the proportion of the individual agents without health interest appeals will delay the online public opinion structure reversal, and the upper threshold remains within regulatory limits from 0.4 to 0.5. Unlike some previous results that show that the guiding powers of the opinion leaders varied over its ratio in a fixed-sized group, our results suggest that the impact of opinion leaders is of no significant difference for the time of structure reversal after it increased to about 6%. Furthermore, a double threshold effect of online structure reversal during the government’s response process was observed. The findings are beneficial for understanding and explaining the process of online public opinion structure reversal in NIMBY conflict environmental mass incidents, and provides theoretical and practical implications for guiding public or personal health opinions on the Internet and for a governments’ effective response to them

Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Convergence Characteristics of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency in China from a Low-Carbon Perspective

While agriculture plays an essential role in food security, it is also one of the largest emitters of carbon emissions. China’s carbon neutrality and carbon peaking goals mean that China’s agriculture is also going through a low-carbon transition. To analyze the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and convergence of China’s agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE), this study used a combined super-efficient slacks-based measure (SBM), global Malmquist–Luenberger index (GML), kernel density estimation, Moran index, and convergence model on panel data from 2005 to 2020 and from 31 Chinese provinces. An innovative eco-efficiency index evaluation system was constructed from a low-carbon perspective that integrated agricultural carbon sinks and carbon emissions. The results revealed that the average AEE movement was U-shaped, but there were significant differences across regions and periods. The AEE demonstrated a gradual decreasing pattern of “northeast > eastern > western > central”, a declining trend during 2005–2010 and increasing trends during 2011–2020. The main reason for AEE growth was technological progress; however, technical efficiency only played a role in several provinces. The AEE in Chinese provinces was also found to have spatial autocorrelation characteristics dominated by high-high, low-low, and high-low clustering. A “catching-up effect” existed in the lagging AEE regions. Therefore, it is recommended to promote the integration of regional strategies and low-carbon development, build a low-carbon technology support system, and construct a national agricultural carbon trading center to facilitate agricultural low-carbon transformation

Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Convergence Characteristics of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency in China from a Low-Carbon Perspective

While agriculture plays an essential role in food security, it is also one of the largest emitters of carbon emissions. China’s carbon neutrality and carbon peaking goals mean that China’s agriculture is also going through a low-carbon transition. To analyze the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and convergence of China’s agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE), this study used a combined super-efficient slacks-based measure (SBM), global Malmquist–Luenberger index (GML), kernel density estimation, Moran index, and convergence model on panel data from 2005 to 2020 and from 31 Chinese provinces. An innovative eco-efficiency index evaluation system was constructed from a low-carbon perspective that integrated agricultural carbon sinks and carbon emissions. The results revealed that the average AEE movement was U-shaped, but there were significant differences across regions and periods. The AEE demonstrated a gradual decreasing pattern of “northeast > eastern > western > central”, a declining trend during 2005–2010 and increasing trends during 2011–2020. The main reason for AEE growth was technological progress; however, technical efficiency only played a role in several provinces. The AEE in Chinese provinces was also found to have spatial autocorrelation characteristics dominated by high-high, low-low, and high-low clustering. A “catching-up effect” existed in the lagging AEE regions. Therefore, it is recommended to promote the integration of regional strategies and low-carbon development, build a low-carbon technology support system, and construct a national agricultural carbon trading center to facilitate agricultural low-carbon transformation

Two-Stage Super-Efficiency Slacks-Based Model to Assess China’s Ecological Wellbeing

As industrialization and urbanization in China have significantly increased ecological problems such as environmental pollution and resource waste, it has become important to be able to comprehensively assess ecological wellbeing performance (EWP) when seeking high-quality human wellbeing and economic growth within specific ecological limits. Therefore, to explore the EWP spatial and temporal distribution characteristics, this paper established an evaluation index system that considers ecological economic efficiency and economic welfare efficiency from input and output perspectives. The EWPs in 30 Chinese provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) from 2006 to 2017 were then measured using a two-stage super-efficiency slacks-based model (Super-SBM) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) window analysis method. It was found that: (1) the average EWP value in the Chinese provinces was relatively low at 0.698, with the highest EWP in Beijing, Hainan, and Shanghai and the lowest in Xinjiang, Ningxia, and Qinghai; (2) the average provincial EWP fluctuated from 2006 to 2017 with a “decline-rise-decline-rise” feature; (3) China’s EWP value was spatially supported by the quadrangular “Beijing-Shanghai-Hainan-Sichuan” pole and continued to radiate to areas along these lines. These research findings provide theoretical insights and practical implications for regional ecological protection and human welfare improvements in China

Therapeutic Effects of Baicalin on Diseases Related to Gut–Brain Axis Dysfunctions

The gut–brain axis is an active area of research. Several representative diseases, including central nervous system disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and depression), metabolic disorders (obesity-related diseases), and intestinal disorders (inflammatory bowel disease and dysbiosis), are associated with the dysfunctional gut–brain axis. Baicalin, a bioactive flavonoid extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis, is reported to exert various pharmacological effects. This narrative review summarizes the molecular mechanisms and potential targets of baicalin in disorders of the gut–brain axis. Baicalin protects the central nervous system through anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-neuronal apoptotic effects, suppresses obesity through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and alleviates intestinal disorders through regulatory effects on intestinal microorganisms and short-chain fatty acid production. The bioactivities of baicalin are mediated through the gut–brain axis. This review comprehensively summarizes the regulatory role of baicalin in gut–brain axis disorders, laying a foundation for future research, although further confirmatory basic research is required

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells transplantation promotes cutaneous wound healing of severe burned rats.

BACKGROUND: Severe burns are a common and highly lethal trauma. The key step for severe burn therapy is to promote the wound healing as early as possible, and reports indicate that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy contributes to facilitate wound healing. In this study, we investigated effect of human umbilical cord MSCs (hUC-MSCs) could on wound healing in a rat model of severe burn and its potential mechanism. METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham, burn, and burn transplanted hUC-MSCs. GFP labeled hUC-MSCs or PBS was intravenous injected into respective groups. The rate of wound closure was evaluated by Image Pro Plus. GFP-labeled hUC-MSCs were tracked by in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI), and human-specific DNA expression in wounds was detected by PCR. Inflammatory cells, neutrophils, macrophages, capillaries and collagen types I/III in wounds were evaluated by histochemical staining. Wound blood flow was evaluated by laser Doppler blood flow meter. The levels of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, VEGF, collagen types I/III in wounds were analyzed using an ELISA. RESULTS: We found that wound healing was significantly accelerated in the hUC-MSC therapy group. The hUC-MSCs migrated into wound and remarkably decreased the quantity of infiltrated inflammatory cells and levels of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and increased levels of IL-10 and TSG-6 in wounds. Additionally, the neovascularization and levels of VEGF in wounds in the hUC-MSC therapy group were markedly higher than those in other control groups. The ratio of collagen types I and III in the hUC-MSC therapy group were markedly higher than that in the burn group at indicated time after transplantation. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that hUC-MSCs transplantation can effectively improve wound healing in severe burned rat model. Moreover, these data might provide the theoretical foundation for the further clinical application of hUC-MSC in burn areas