•HTC of sewage sludge was performed in various varying feed-water pH situation from 2 to 12 at 270°C.•The accumulation of Pb, Ni, Cd and Zn was significantly affected by feed-water pH.•Alkaline ...condition benefits HMs transfer from an unstable state to stable.•The lowest pollution level of HMs was obtained at 270°C with pH=11.
In this study, the effect of feed-water pH (pH=2–12) on fate and risk of heavy metals (HMs) in hydrochars (HCs) was investigated. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge (SS) was carried out with different feed-water pH at 270°C. The research results showed that changing feed-water pH had a positive effect on accumulating Pb, Ni, Cd and Zn in HCs. Chemical forms of Cu and Cr converted from an unstable state to stable in the alkaline environment while in the acidic condition was opposite. The effect of feed-water pH on the chemical forms of HMs was variable but not significant. Risk assessments of Igeo, Eri, RAC and RI were applied to evaluate the accumulation levels of individual metal, the potential ecological risks, the bio-availabilities and the comprehensive toxicity and sensitivity of HMs, respectively. The lowest pollution level of HMs was obtained at 270°C with pH=11.
This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects ...of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in which calls, or task assignments, are randomly distributed via automated technology, providing a quasi‐experimental approach in a real‐world context. Results show that the amount of coaching that an employee received each month predicted objective performance improvements over time. Moreover, workers exhibited higher performance where their supervisor emphasized group assignments and group incentives and where technology was more automated. Finally, the positive relationship between coaching and performance was stronger where supervisors made greater use of group incentives, where technology was less automated, and where technological changes were less frequent. Implications and potential limitations of the present study are discussed.
•Coal combustion, vehicle emission and coke oven are key PAH sources in BS and NPYS.•Combined biological toxicity of PAHs is lower than that of the individual PAHs.•TEQcarcs suggest potentially low ...carcinogenicity of PAHs exposure in BS and NPYS.
Sources and ecological risk of sixteen priority PAHs in surface sediments from Bohai Sea (BS) and northern part of the Yellow Sea (NPYS) were investigated. The total concentrations of PAHs varied in ranges 149.24–1211.81 and 148.28–907.47ng/g for BS and NPYS, respectively. Principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA–MLR) suggested that coal combustion, vehicular emission and coke oven could be the primary PAH contributors, accounting for 56.6%, 29.2% and 14.2% of PAH concentrations, respectively. Analysis with sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) indicated that acenaphthylene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene may occasionally cause adverse biological effects in some stations. Organic carbon (OC)-normalized analysis and mean effects range-median quotient (M-ERM-Q) suggested that the combined ecological risk of PAHs was generally low. The toxic equivalent concentrations of carcinogenic PAHs were 12.87–64.6ng/g-BaPeq and 5.95–68.80ng/g-BaPeq in BS and NPYS, respectively, suggesting low carcinogenic risk for both BS and NPYS.
In this paper, we developed a multilevel model that links organizational tenure to work outcomes for employees and organizations. Based on objective data from company records and self-reported ...surveys from employees and managers over a 6-month period in 76 branches of a retail bank in China, we found that the strengths of the relationships between organizational tenure and performance at both individual- and organizational- levels depend on the extent to which organizations create mutually reinforcing processes that enhance task interdependence and social integration. Our findings contribute to a more coherent understanding of the relationship between organizational tenure and performance, and the moderating role of relational coordination.
While a number of studies examined the mechanisms that link high-involvement human resource systems (HIHRS) to organizational performance, few have systematically explained why the adoption of such ...systems remains limited. Based on a national sample of 247 call center establishments in China, this study investigates an array of organizational and regional characteristics and their impact on the adoption of HIHRS. Our results indicate several findings. First, foreign-invested and local state-owned companies are more likely to adopt HIHRS than private businesses. Second, non-listed firms and those listed on foreign stock exchanges adopt HIHRS more than those listed on Chinese stock exchanges. Third, firms serving high-value customer segments and a large geographic coverage are more likely to adopt HIHRS than those serving low-value, local customers. Last, regional differences moderate the effects of ownership identities and stock market listings on the adoption of HIHRS. Specifically, local state-owned enterprises and private businesses in coastal provinces bear more similarities in adopting HIHRS than they do in inland provinces. We also find that companies listed in Chinese stock markets are more similar to non-listed companies in coastal provinces than in inland provinces.
Background
Depression and anxiety are major psychological issues among patients with tuberculosis (TB) owing to chronic and complex treatments, have been reported to be closely correlated with immune ...and inflammation. However, the association of peripheral immune-inflammatory characteristics with depression/anxiety symptoms in in-patients with TB has rarely been reported.
Methods
A cross-sectional study of 338 in-patients with TB from 3 hospitals in China were enrolled to investigate their depression and anxiety status by using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Participants were divided into groups based on their PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores, and differences in demography and immune-inflammatory characteristics were studied. Logistic analysis was performed to explore factors related to depression and anxiety symptoms.
Results
Depression and anxiety prevalence among patients with TB was 47.9 and 42.6%, respectively. Furthermore, 38.5% of patients reported a comorbidity of depression and anxiety symptoms. The counts of CD3, CD4, CD8, and lymphocytes decreased, whereas those of neutrophils, platelets, and peripheral blood cells and their derived indices increased among TB patients with depression or anxiety in comparison with those without symptoms (
p
< 0.05). In addition, increasing age, lower income (monthly income ≤ 3,000 yuan), divorced or widowed, drug resistance, and higher systemic immune inflammation index (SII) were significantly associated with depression or anxiety symptoms (
p
< 0.05).
Conclusion
Approximately half of the patients with TB suffered from depression or/and anxiety symptoms. Patients with depression or anxiety present worse cell immune status and stronger inflammatory responses compared to those without symptoms. We emphasized the importance of paying attention to the dysfunction of immune-inflammation process of TB patients with depression or anxiety symptoms. Especially, SII has a potential application value in guiding the evaluation of TB-related depression or anxiety owing to its easily accessibility and being economical.
Introduction Studies focusing on coopetition and dynamic capabilities have expanded significantly over the past several decades. Coopetition strategy and dynamic capabilities are increasingly ...recognised as sources of sustained competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the factors driving growth performance in digital healthcare ventures by examining the role of coopetition, exploration and exploitation capabilities, and environmental uncertainty. While numerous studies have examined the competitive advantage of coopetition, its specific contribution to the growth of ventures in the digital realm remains less explored. Clarifying the strategic role of coopetition in driving growth performance is critical for delineating the intricate relationship between coopetition and growth performance, particularly in the context of digital healthcare ventures. To fill in this research gap, this study uses coopetition theory and dynamic capabilities theory to look at how exploration and exploitation capabilities, as well as environmental uncertainty, affect the relationship between coopetition and growth performance in digital healthcare ventures. Methods We collected a total of 338 questionnaires from Chinese digital healthcare ventures between March 2023 and August 2023. We conducted data analysis using SPSS 26.0 and its macro-program PROCESS. Results Our results confirm that coopetition has a positive effect on growth performance in digital healthcare ventures. Furthermore, exploration and exploitation capabilities fully mediate the relationship between coopetition and growth performance. Moreover, environmental uncertainty significantly and distinctively moderates the impact of exploration and exploitation capabilities on growth performance. Discussion This study contributes to the existing literature by providing deeper insight into the relationship between coopetition and growth performance in digital healthcare ventures. It also offers important practical implications for public health improvement and socio-economic development.
In this paper, one spin-selected vortex metalens composed of silicon nanobricks is designed and numerically investigated at the mid-infrared band, which can produce vortex beams with different ...topological charges and achieve different spin lights simultaneously. Another type of spin-independent vortex metalens is also designed, which can focus the vortex beams with the same topological charge at the same position for different spin lights, respectively. Both of the two vortex metalenses can achieve high-efficiency focusing for different spin lights. In addition, the spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion through the vortex metalens is also discussed in detail. Our work facilitates the establishment of high-efficiency spin-related integrated devices, which is significant for the development of vortex optics and spin optics.
Tuberculosis (TB) patients commonly suffer from sleep issues owing to various adverse drug reactions (ADRs), disease symptoms, and the contagious nature of their disease. These sleep issues ...negatively affect the treatment outcome and quality of life. However, the prevalence of sleep disturbance and its associated factors among TB patients have rarely been reported.
A total of 497 inpatients with TB from three hospitals in China were enrolled in this cross-sectional study to investigate their sleep quality using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Clinical data, including demographic information, TB-related stigma, perceived stress, and nutrition- and immunity-related indicators, were also collected to explore the factors associated with sleep disturbance among the recruited patients.
Approximately 70% of the recruited patients reported a sleep disturbance to varying degrees, presenting poorer global and subjective sleep qualities, longer sleep latency, shorter sleep duration, lower sleep efficiency, more frequent sleep disturbances, greater use of sleeping medication, and more severe daytime dysfunction. Furthermore, the body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin levels, albumin levels, and T lymphocyte count of the patients in the poor sleep quality group were significantly lower than those in the good sleep quality group (
< 0.05). Increasing age, higher income, drug resistance, higher stigma or stress perception, lower albumin levels, and lower CD4 levels were significantly associated with sleep disturbance among TB patients (
< 0.05).
Three-quarters of the participants were found to suffer from a probable sleep disturbance. And sleep problems are linked to biological traits that interact with psychological, cultural, and social factors in complex ways. It is therefore important to pay attention to the sleep quality of TB patients, especially those with the identified risk factors. Besides, taking care of these risk factors may prove to be an effective sleep management strategy.
Drawing on the theory of proximal withdrawal states (Hom et al., 2012), we propose and examine the presence and effects of latent withdrawal profiles (LWPs) that characterize employees’ participation ...in, or withdrawal from, an employing organization. Drawing upon survey and archival data of IT employees over a 30‐month period, we found evidence of four distinct LWPs: enthusiastic stayers, reluctant stayers, reluctant leavers, and enthusiastic leavers. We examined the differential effects of LWPs on an expanded set of turnover outcomes, including actual turnover of all participants, post‐exit destinations among those who left, and more importantly, on job performance of those who did not act upon their desire to leave. We found that among those who stayed, performance outcomes of enthusiastic stayers and enthusiastic leavers were higher than those of reluctant stayers and reluctant leavers.
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