Social Media, Social Support and Solitude among College Students

2013 Mayers Summer Research ScholarshipsSocial support gained through social network and social media has been proposed to be a plausible buffer protecting college students from mental health problems. However, contradictory evidence has been found questioning whether social media indeed can help gratify college students’ social needs and cultivate social support for them. The current study reconciles existing findings by examining the role of solitude in this process. Through a longitudinal 4-week experience sampling study and dynamic panel models, the study revealed that the nature of solitude (loneliness and voluntariness) moderated the use and effects of social media. More specifically, an increase of social needs boosted social media use; but this effect was stronger when a person was lonelier during the solitude and when the solitude was non-voluntary. The effect of social media use on social gratification was moderated by solitude as well. For those who were voluntarily to select to be alone and did not feel high levels of loneliness, social gratification was higher and an increase of social media use slightly increased social gratification. In comparison, for those who were non-voluntarily to be alone and felt lonelier, social gratification was lower and an increase of social media use decreased social gratification. The implications for how to better use social media to improve college students’ social support and mental health is discussed.No embargoAcademic Major: Communicatio

Empowering Chinese Students to Regain the “Voice” via Vygotsky’s ZPD Integrated with the Socratic Seminar

Many Chinese students studying in the United States (U.S.) today report that they do not have a “voice.” They feel marginalized because of a lack of communicative competence in English and their inability to understand Western cultures, especially during their first year in the U.S. (Ching et al.). Some Chinese students are unable to adapt to the academic environment in American high schools, which leads to feelings of exclusion. To smooth this transitional period, this study suggests that the scaffolding (see Bruner, 1978, 1985) from ESL teachers in both verbal and written forms be implemented before students are placed into mainstream academic classes. By underscoring strategic methods through the lens of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) integrated with the Socratic Seminar that allows students to actively and cooperatively develop knowledge and critical thinking skills, ESOL teachers would be provided with effective techniques to enhance Chinese students’ academic English writing

Optimization of S-N curve fitting based on neighborhood rough set reduction with improved firefly algorithm

In order to reduce the S-N curve dispersion of titanium alloy welded joints and improve the prediction accuracy of fatigue life, a novel optimization method of S-N curve fitting based on neighborhood rough set reduction with improved firefly algorithm (IFANRSR) is proposed. Firstly, we propose an improved firefly algorithm (IFA) by updating the position and step size, combining IFA algorithm and neighborhood rough set into an IFANRSR algorithm for attribute reduction. Then, according to the fatigue data of titanium alloy welded joints, the fatigue decision system of welded joints is established, and the key factors affecting the fatigue life of welded joints are determined. Next, according to the set of key influencing factors obtained based on IFANRSR algorithm, the fatigue characteristics domains are divided, and the S-N curves are fitted on each fatigue characteristics domain, to obtain a group of S-N curves. To demonstrate the effectiveness of IFA algorithm, six benchmark functions are used, then the availability of IFANRSR algorithm is evaluated in comparison with other algorithms on four UCI datasets. Finally, the results of the goodness-of-fit show that the dispersion of fatigue data is reduced, which can effectively improve the prediction accuracy of fatigue life

Human activities accelerated the degradation of saline seepweed red beaches by amplifying top‐down and bottom‐up forces

Salt marshes dominated by saline seepweed (Suaeda heteroptera) provide important ecosystem services such as sequestering carbon (blue carbon), maintaining healthy fisheries, and protecting shorelines. These salt marshes also constitute stunning red beach landscapes, and the resulting tourism significantly contributes to the local economy. However, land use change and degradation have led to a substantial loss of the red beach area. It remains unclear how human activities influence the top‐down and bottom‐up forces that regulate the distribution and succession of these salt marshes and lead to the degradation of the red beaches. We examined how bottom‐up forces influenced the germination, emergence, and colonization of saline seepweed with field measurements and a laboratory experiment. We also examined whether top‐down forces affected the red beach distribution by conducting a field survey for crab burrows and density, laboratory feeding trials, and waterbird investigations. The higher sediment accretion rate induced by human activities limited the establishment of new red beaches. The construction of tourism facilities and the frequent presence of tourists reduced the density of waterbirds, which in turn increased the density of crabs, intensifying the top‐down forces such as predators and herbivores that drive the degradation of the coastal red beaches. Our results show that sediment accretion and plant–herbivory changes induced by human activities were likely the two primary ecological processes leading to the degradation of the red beaches. Human activities significantly shaped the abundance and distribution of the red beaches by altering both top‐down and bottom‐up ecological processes. Our findings can help us better understand the dynamics of salt marshes and have implications for the management and restoration of coastal wetlands

Dietary Diversity and Its Contribution to the Magnitude of Anaemia among Pregnant Women:Evidence from Rural Areas of Western China

Background: Prenatal anaemia causes serious consequences for both mother and foetus, and dietary factors are suggested to be associated with anaemia. However, research in pregnant women living in rural areas is limited. We aim to assess the contribution of dietary diversity to the magnitude of prenatal anaemia in rural China and identify the interactions between dietary diversity and several sociodemographic and maternal characteristics in relation to anaemia. 'Methods: A multi-stage random cluster sampling method was used to select pregnant women in rural western China. The Woman’s Dietary Diversity Score was created to measure dietary diversity, which was recoded into terciles. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between dietary diversity score terciles and the magnitude of prenatal anaemia. Multiplicative interactions were tested by adding the product term of dietary diversity and several sociodemographic and maternal characteristics into the regression models. Results: Out of 969 participants, 54.3% were measured as anaemic, with 28.6% mildly anaemic and 25.7% moderately to severely anaemic. There was an absence of agreement between self-reported and measured anaemia status (κ = 0.28, 95% CI [0.22–0.34]). Participants in the highest dietary diversity score tercile had lower odds of being moderately to severely anaemic after adjusting for potential confounders (RRR = 0.65, 95% CI [0.44, 0.98]). In participants with moderate to severe anaemia, significant interactions were found between dietary diversity score terciles, age, and parity (p for interaction &lt; 0.05).Conclusions: The prevalence of prenatal anaemia in rural China remains high, and pregnant women living in these areas are insufficiently aware of their anaemia status. Improving dietary diversity is needed to manage prenatal anaemia in rural areas.</p

A global assessment of the effects of solar farms on albedo, vegetation, and land surface temperature using remote sensing

The rapid development of solar energy worldwide has attracted increasing attention due to its climatic and environmental impacts. Using MODIS data, we quantified the effects of solar farms (SFs) on albedo, vegetation (using enhanced vegetation index (EVI) as a proxy), and land surface temperature (LST) based on 116 large SFs across the world. The results show that the installation of SFs decreased the annual mean surface shortwave albedo by 0.016 ± 0.009 (mean ± 1 STD) and reduced the EVI by 0.015 ± 0.019 relative to the surrounding areas. SFs produced a strong cooling effect of −0.49 ± 0.43 K in the annual mean land surface temperature during the daytime and a weaker cooling effect of −0.21 ± 0.25 K during the nighttime. The greatest impacts on albedo and daytime LST were observed in barren land, followed by grassland and cropland, while the opposite order applied for vegetation impact. In terms of seasonal and latitudinal variations, the largest impact was observed at high latitudes in winter on albedo, at mid-latitudes in summer on vegetation, and at low latitudes in spring–summer transitions on daytime LST. Correlation analysis showed that the albedo and LST impacts were enhanced over large SFs with high capacity. The vegetation and LST impacts were both correlated with geographic and climatic factors and dependent on the type of SF (photovoltaic or concentrating solar power). Our global assessment provides observational evidence for the effects of SF construction on the environment and local climate, which can help the sustainable development of solar energy

Personal Involvement Moderates Message Framing Effects on Food Safety Education among Medical University Students in Chongqing, China.

This study explored whether the efficacy of food safety education interventions can be increased by message framing among medical university students, and demonstrated the role of personal involvement within the message recipient in moderating framed effects. A cross-sectional study of food safety message framing was conducted among medical university students (randomly selected 1353 participants). An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information. Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Ordered multivariate logistic regression were utilised in the data analyses. The present study showed significant differences in acceptance between the gain- and loss-framed groups ( < 0.001). Participants with higher personal involvement had higher acceptance than those with low personal involvement in gain- and loss-framed message models ( < 0.001). The acceptance of participants who were concerned about their health condition was higher than those who were neutral regarding their health condition ( < 0.001) and participants who suffered a food safety incident had higher acceptance than those who did not ( < 0.05). This study portrayed the selection preference of message framing on food safety education among medical university students in southwest China. Participants exposed to loss-framed messages had higher message acceptance than those exposed to gain-framed messages. Personal involvement may affect the food safety message framing. Public health advocates and professionals can use framed messages as a strategy to enhance intervention efficacy in the process of food safety education

Thermal properties and kinetic analysis of pyrolysis products of nicotine salts from e-cigarettes using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) released from e-cigarettes are a special source of air pollutants. In this work, we investigated the VOCs released from six nicotine salts (namely, nicotine benzoate, nicotine tartrate, nicotine citrate, nicotine malate, nicotine lactate, and nicotine levulinate) that are commonly used in e-cigarettes. The pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and thermogravimetric methods were used to analyze the thermogravimetric characteristics and product release behavior of different nicotine salts. Moreover, the kinetic models and thermodynamic parameters of nicotine salts during the thermal decomposition process were obtained. Thermogravimetric characteristic parameters of six nicotine salts showed significant differences. By the use of Py-GC/MS, our data showed that the pyrolysis products of nicotine salts were mainly from nicotine, acid anhydrides, carboxylic acids, and N-heterocycles, while more than 90% of the nicotine of citrate, tartrate, and malate was transferred to smoke. The result revealed that activation energies of the nicotine salts range from 21.26 to 74.10 kJ mol-1, indicating that the pyrolysis of the nicotine salts is a non-spontaneous heat absorption process, and the organic acid was the key factor affecting the release of nicotine into the ambient air

Connectomics: A New Direction in Research to Understand the Mechanism of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used to treat various disorders in China and some other eastern countries for thousands of years. Nowadays, acupuncture is gradually accepted as an alternative and complementary method in western countries for its undeniable therapeutic effects. However, its central mechanism is still unclear. It is especially difficult to reveal how different regions in the brain influence one another and how the relationship is among these regions responding to acupuncture treatment. Recently, by applying neuroimaging techniques and network theory, acupuncture studies can make further efforts to investigate the influence of acupuncture on regional cerebral functional connectivity (FC) and the modulation on “acupuncture-related” networks. Connectomics appears to be a new direction in research to further understand the central mechanism underlying acupuncture. In this paper, an overview of connectomics application in acupuncture research will be discussed, with special emphasis on present findings of acupuncture and its influence on cerebral FC. Firstly, the connectomics concept and its significance on acupuncture will be outlined. Secondly, the commonly used brain imaging techniques will be briefly introduced. Thirdly, the influence of acupuncture on FC will be discussed in greater detail. Finally, the possible direction in forthcoming research will be reviewed by analyzing the limitation of present studies