Off-farm employment,agriculture production activities,and household dietary diversity in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas of Asia

Access to off-farm employment has been expected to be a critical approach to ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition,two important targets of achieving Zero Hunger.This study aims to investigate the role of off-farm employment in improving dietary diversity through substitution effect and complementary effect with agricultural production activities and income effect.This study adopts Poisson/Tobit/Probit/OLS regressions and the instrument variable method based on the primary survey data collected among 1,282 households at 12 sites in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas of China,Nepal,Cambodia,Thailand,and Myanmar in 2019.The results show that off-farm employment is positively associated with household dietary diversity and the consumption of flesh meat,fish and other aquatic animals,fruits,and milk and dairy products,which are rich in protein and micronutrients.The results of mechanism analysis show that off-farm employment contributes to household dietary diversity by improving crop diversity,especially for poor households,boosting the probability of livestock raising for households with the middle one-third disposal income,and increasing household income.The positive association between off-farm employment and household dietary diversity is much higher for households with the bottom one-third disposal income,low illiteracy,and from upper-middle income countries.These findings imply that off-farm employment does play a vital role in achieving multiple benefits of poverty alleviation,malnutrition reduction,and agrobiodiversity conservation in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas.However,it may enlarge the gaps in dietary diversity between households with low human capital and from low and lower-middle income countries and those with high human capital and from middle-high countries.

Construction of a nomogram model to predict technical difficulty in performing laparoscopic sphincter-preserving radical resection for rectal cancer

BACKGROUND Colorectal surgeons are well aware that performing surgery for rectal cancer becomes more challenging in obese patients with narrow and deep pelvic cavities.Therefore,it is essential for colorectal surgeons to have a comprehensive understanding of pelvic structure prior to surgery and anticipate potential surgical difficulties.AIM To evaluate predictive parameters for technical challenges encountered during laparoscopic radical sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer.METHODS We retrospectively gathered data from 162 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic radical sphincterpreserving surgery for rectal cancer.Three-dimensional reconstruction of pelvic bone and soft tissue parameters was conducted using computed tomography(CT)scans.Operative difficulty was categorized as either high or low,and multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of operative difficulty,ultimately creating a nomogram.RESULTS Out of 162 patients,21(13.0%)were classified in the high surgical difficulty group,while 141(87.0%)were in the low surgical difficulty group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the surgical approach using laparoscopic intersphincteric dissection,intraoperative preventive ostomy,and the sacrococcygeal distance were independent risk factors for highly difficult laparoscopic radical sphincter-sparing surgery for rectal cancer(P<0.05).Conversely,the anterior-posterior diameter of pelvic inlet/sacrococcygeal distance was identified as a protective factor(P<0.05).A nomogram was subsequently constructed,demonstrating good predictive accuracy(C-index=0.834).CONCLUSION The surgical approach,intraoperative preventive ostomy,the sacrococcygeal distance,and the anterior-posterior diameter of pelvic inlet/sacrococcygeal distance could help to predict the difficulty of laparoscopic radical sphincter-preserving surgery.

BRI’s Employment Effect on Participating Countries and Mechanism Analysis

Based on the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)as a quasi-natural experiment,this paper uses panel data from 124 countries between 2006 and 2019 to build a difference-in-differences(DID)model to investigate the BRI employment effect on participating countries and mechanisms.We observed that the BRI had significantly increased employment rates in participating countries,and that this result remained robust after using the instrumental variable(IV)to mitigate endogeneity and perform a robustness test.There are differences in the BRI’s employment effect depending on the income level,labor conditions,and the digital economy’s development level of BRI countries:compared with low-income countries and lower-middle-income countries,the BRI has a more significantly positive effect on the employment rates of upper-middle-income and high-income countries;the BRI’s employment effect is stronger in countries with higher labor market efficiencies and better labor relations;In countries with higher levels of digital economy,the BRI has a relatively greater positive effect on employment.The BRI has increased employment rates in participating countries on both the supply and demand sides by building infrastructure,interconnecting industries and resources,and improving human capital through the exchange of human resources.Further analysis suggests that the BRI’s employment effect promotes the sophistication of participating countries’employment structures,hence improving employment quality,and that participating countries’employment levels may continue to improve in the medium and long run.

Development of a novel difficulty scoring system for laparoscopic liver resection procedure in patients with intrahepatic duct stones

BACKGROUND For intrahepatic duct(IHD)stones,laparoscopic liver resection(LLR)is currently a reliable treatment.However,the current LLR difficulty scoring system(DSS)is only available for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.AIM To explore the development of a DSS for IHD stone patients with LLR and the validation of its reliability.METHODS We used clinical data from 80 patients who received LLR for IHD stones.Forty-six of these patients were used in multiple linear regression to construct a scoring system.Another 34 patients from different centers were used as external validation.The completeness of our DSS was then evaluated in patients with varying degrees of surgical difficulty based on documented surgical outcomes in the study group of patients.RESULTS The following five predictors were ultimately included and scored by calculating the weighted contribution of each factor to the prediction of operative time in the training cohort:Location of stones,number of stones≥3,stones located in the bile ducts of several grades,previous biliary surgery less than twice,distal bile duct atrophy.Subsequently,the data set was validated using a DSS developed from the variables.The following variables were identified as statistically significant in external validation:Operative time,blood loss,intraoperative transfusion,postoperative alanine aminotransferase,and Clavien-Dindo grading≥3.These variables demonstrated statistically significant differences in patients with three or more grades.CONCLUSION Patients with IHD stones have varying degrees of surgical difficulty,and the newly developed DSS can be validated with external data to effectively predict risks and complications after LLR surgery.

Coupling coordinated development among digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment:A case study in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle,China

Coordinative development across various systems,particularly the economic,social,cultural,and human resources subsystems,is a key aspect of urban sustainability and has a direct impact on the quality of urbanization.The Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle,comprising Hangzhou City,Huzhou City,Jiaxing City,and Shaoxing City,was the first metropolitan circle approved by the National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC)as a demonstration of economic transformation in China.To evaluate the coupling coordination degree of the four cities and analyze the coordinative development in three systems(including digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment),we collected panel data during 2015–2022 from these four cities.The development level of the three systems was evaluated by the standard deviation method and comprehensive development index.The results are as follows:(1)the level of coupling coordinated development of the three systems in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle was relatively low;(2)the coupling coordination degree of the four cities in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle showed significant regional differences,among which Hangzhou City was in the leading position,and Huzhou,Jiaxing,and Shaoxing cities made steady but slow progress in the coupling development of the three systems;and(3)the development of digital economy and talent employment needs to be strengthened.This study contributes to the coordinative development of Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle by innovatively focusing on the coupling coordination relationship among digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment,which also meets the industrial layout of Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle.In this way,the optimal allocation and sustainable development of digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle can be achieved.

Basic Research on the Burden of Dropping off and Picking up Children: Differences by Employment Type and Gender in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

There is a need to reduce the burden of child drop-off and pick-up for child-rearing generations, but most studies on the actual situation in Japan are based on survey results. In this study, we analyzed differences in child drop-off and pick-up by employment type and gender, utilizing the “Metropolitan Area Person Trip Survey,” which is a statistical data set. The study targeted households in which both spouses were between 30 and 49 years old, had children under the age of 6, and included the following three groups. 1) Dual-income Group 1 (both spouses employed/on contract/temporary);2) Dual-income Group 2 (husband employed/on contract/temporary, wife part-time);3) Full-time housewife group (husband employed, wife unemployed). The analysis revealed that a) wives are almost always responsible for dropping off and picking up their children;b) husbands drop off and pick up their children less frequently in dual-income households;and c) households with children raising within 10 to 30 km of Tokyo Station have longer commuting times and need to reduce the burden of dropping off and picking up their children.

Effect of Mouth Opening Training Stick Combined with Oral Massage on Mouth Opening Difficulty in Head and Neck Cancer Patients after Treatment

Objective: To study the application effect of mouth-opening training sticks combined with oral massage on patients with mouth-opening difficulty after treatment for head and neck cancer. Methods: Using convenient sampling, 60 patients with mouth-opening difficulty after treatment for head and neck cancer admitted to the Oncology Department from February 2022 to October 2023 were selected for a 2-week exercise and nursing program. The patients were divided into a control group (February 1, 2022 to November 30, 2022) and an observation group (December 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023), with 30 patients in each group. The control group underwent routine mouth-opening functional exercises combined with cork for oral support training, while the observation group underwent routine mouth-opening functional exercises combined with oral massage and mouth-opening training sticks for oral support training. The mouth-opening degree, mouth-opening difficulty level, comfort level, compliance, and quality of life were observed in both groups. Results: Before the intervention, there were no statistically significant differences in mouth-opening degree and mouth-opening difficulty level between the two groups (P > 0.05). After the intervention, the mouth-opening degree, mouth-opening difficulty level, oral comfort level, compliance, and QLICP-HN scores in the observation group were all better than those in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of mouth-opening training sticks and oral massage with mouth-opening functional exercises can effectively improve the degree of mouth-opening difficulty, enhance oral comfort, increase compliance with mouth-opening exercises, and improve quality of life.

Text Difficulty,Working Memory Capacity and Mind Wandering During Chinese EFL Learners’Reading

This experimental study investigated how text difficulty and different working memory capacity(WMC)affected Chinese EFL learners’reading comprehension and their tendency to engage in task-unrelated thoughts,that is,mind wandering(MW),in the course of reading.Sixty first-year university non-English majors participated in the study.A two-factor mixed experimental design of 2(text difficulty:difficult and simple)×2(WMC:high/large and low/small)was employed.Results revealed that 1)the main and interaction effects of WMC and text difficulty on voluntary MW were significant,whereas those on involuntary MW were not;2)while reading the easy texts,the involuntary MW of high-WMC individuals was less frequent than that of low-WMC ones,whereas while reading the difficult ones,the direct relationship between WMC and involuntary MW was not found;and that 3)high-WMC individuals had a lower overall rate of MW and better reading performance than low-WMC individuals did,but with increasing text difficulty,their rates of overall MW and voluntary MW were getting higher and higher,and the reading performance was getting lower and lower.These results lend support to WM theory and have pedagogical implications for the instruction of L2 reading.

Employment and development levels in rural areas of the Russian Federation

The development of agro-industrial complex is important for ensuring national food security and national health.The development of rural areas is subject to the development of agriculture and local infrastructure,as well as the availability of various services.This study selected 15 indicators in 2021 to analyze the employment and development levels in rural areas of 71 regions of the Russian Federation using the analytical grouping method.The results indicated that 20 regions(Group 1)had the highest percentage of rural population(33.10%).The percentage of population engaged in agriculture had the highest value(12.40%)in 31 regions(Group 2).Moreover,20 regions(Group 3)had the highest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget(11.80 USD/person).Increasing the investments in fixed assets carried out from the budget of the municipality can improve the employment level in rural areas.Then,we used cluster analysis to divide 14 regions of the Volga Federal District in the Russian Federation into 3 clusters.Cluster 1 covered Kirov Region and Republic of Mari El;Cluster 2 included Ulyanovsk Region,Saratov Region,Nizhny Novgorod Region,Perm Territory,Orenburg Region,Chuvash Region,and Republic of Mordovia;and Cluster 3 contained Republic of Tatarstan,Samara Region,Udmurtian Republic,Penza Region,and Republic of Bashkortostan.Results indicated that the 2 regions of Cluster 1 need to increase the availability of resources and natural gas and improve the investment attractiveness of rural areas.The 7 regions of Cluster 2 needed to develop infrastructure,public services,and agricultural production.We found the highest employment level in rural areas,the largest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget,the largest residential building area per 10,000 persons,and the largest individual residential building area in the 5 regions of Cluster 3.This study makes it possible to draw up a comprehensive regional development program and proves the need for the development of rural areas,which is especially important for the sustainable development of the Russian Federation.

Review of Women’s Employment in Greece in the 20th and Early 21st Centuries

In the early 20th century,the role of Greek women in the working environment was considered complementary,and the type of work they would do should fit their Review of Women’s Employment in Greece in the 20th and Early 21st Centuries gender stereotypes.Therefore,they were low-paid workers and employees,and they were the first to be laid off.Despite the fact that the number of Greek women participating in the labor market has increased,many of them were obliged to work due to the high rate of men’s unemployment since there was no other way to sustain the living level of the household(Alpha Bank,2018).Greek women’s participation in the labor market was accompanied by an increase in flexible types of employment along with the pay gap between men and women,which remained persistent due to the existence of discrimination.

Analysis of the Employment Situation of Non Private Enterprises in Various Regions of China

In the past 30 years, Chinese enterprises have been a hot topic of discussion and concern among the general public in terms of economic and social status, ownership structure, business mechanism, and management level. Solving the problem of employment for the people is an important prerequisite for their peaceful living and work, as well as a prerequisite and foundation for building a harmonious society. The employment situation of private enterprises has always been of great concern to the outside world, and these two major jobs have always occupied an important position in the employment field of China that cannot be ignored. With the establishment of the market economy system, individual and private enterprises have become important components of the socialist economy, making significant contributions to economic development and social progress. The rapid development of China’s economy, on the one hand, is the embodiment of the superiority of China’s socialist market economic system, and on the other hand, it is the role of the tertiary industry and private enterprises in promoting the national economy. Since the 1990s, China’s private enterprises have become a new economic growth point for local and even national countries, and are one of the important ways to arrange employment and achieve social stability. This paper studies the employment of private enterprises and individuals from the perspective of statistics, extracts relevant data from China statistical Yearbook, uses the relevant knowledge of statistics to process the data, obtains the conclusion and puts forward relevant constructive suggestions.

Research on the Employment View of Acupuncture and Tuina Undergraduates in Minority Border Areas from Students’ Perspective

With the popularization of higher education in China,the employment situation of college students is more complex and severe.This paper adopts the questionnaire method to explore the employment view of acupuncture and tuina undergraduates of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.The employment concept of acupuncture and tuina undergraduates in the minority border areas has changed greatly.After graduation,97.95%of students choose to work in fields related to medicine and acupuncture,prefer positions close to home,and are attracted to high-salary companies,among other factors.Therefore,enhancing the competitive advantages of medical students by guiding their career planning,providing employment selection advice,fostering innovation and entrepreneurship,improving basic skills,and offering graduate entrance examination guidance is crucial for broadening their employment opportunities.

Relationship between Digital Literacy and Employment Ability of Vocational Undergraduate Students:The Parallel Mediating Role of Future Time Perspective and Career Decision Self-Efficacy

Purpose:To explore the relationship between digital literacy and the employability of college students,and to investigate the mechanism by which future time perspective and career decision self-efficacy play a role.Method:A survey was conducted on 577 college students using the Digital Literacy Scale,Employability Scale,Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale,and Future Time Perspective Scale.Results:(1)Digital literacy,future time perspective,career decision self-efficacy,and employability are all significantly positively correlated with each other(r=0.65-0.78,P<0.001).(2)Digital literacy significantly positively predicts future time perspective,career decision self-efficacy,and employability.At the same time,future time perspective and career decision self-efficacy can both positively predict employability significantly.(3)Future time perspective and career decision self-efficacy have a parallel mediating effect between digital literacy and the employability of vocational undergraduate students.Conclusion:Digital literacy can directly affect college students’employability and can also indirectly affect college students’employability through future time perspective and career decision self-efficacy.

Study on the Alignment Between Talent Training Directions and Employment Market Demands in the Landscape Architecture Industry

Currently,talent training in Chinese universities for landscape architecture is mainly divided into three directions:“landscape planning and design,”“landscape construction management,”and“landscape plant planting and maintenance.”However,with the background of the slowing urbanization process and the widespread demand for composite talents in society,it remains to be verified whether the traditional three major talent training directions in landscape architecture align with the job demands in the current construction market.Based on a survey and analysis of over 300 industry practitioners,this study found a clear trend of merging the three major employment directions into“landscape design and construction”and“landscape plant planting and maintenance.”This presents new requirements and directions for the skill training of landscape architecture majors in universities and provides insights into the alignment between talent training and employment demands in other industries.

Research on Mechanisms for University Connotation Construction and High-Quality Employment in the Context of New Quality Productivity

The introduction of the concept of new quality productivity has attracted a great deal of attention in the educational community.However,there is an urgent need to align it with policy orientation and advancements in science and technology moving forward.Colleges and universities themselves should be the leaders of advanced thinking and scientific and technological development,and play their due roles in line with the development of the times to provide quality and urgent talents and intellectual support.For this reason,this paper proposes that universities should consciously establish a set of regular operation mechanisms,namely,the linkage mechanism between“social demand”and“connotation construction,”and operate regularly under the guarantee of the system.This enables universities to lead or grasp the pulse of scientific and technological development,constantly improve the level of connotation construction,promote high-quality employment,and provide high-quality services for modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Design and Implementation of the Employment Management Decision Support System based on Machine Learning

To address the challenges of current college student employment management,this study designed and implemented a machine learning-based decision support system for college student employment management.The system collects and analyzes multidimensional data,uses machine learning algorithms for prediction and matching,provides personalized employment guidance for students,and provides decision support for universities and enterprises.The research results indicate that the system can effectively improve the efficiency and accuracy of employment guidance,promote school-enterprise cooperation,and achieve a win-win situation for all parties.

Analysis of the Impact of Off-farm Employment of Agricultural Labor on Grain Production in Shandong Province and Henan Province

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the impact of off-farm employment of agricultural labor on grain production. [Method] Impact of off-farm employment of agricultural labor on grain production was investigated based on path analysis by using data from 200 counties and cities in Shandong Province and Henan Province in 2000 and 2008. [Result] Off-farm employment of agricultural labor affects grain production through agricultural land use patterns, off-farm employment of agricultural labor has negative impacts on grain production through multiple cropping index and positive impacts through the proportion of grain planting area. The positive impacts were greater in 2008. [Conclusion] Prerequisite of the positive impacts of off-farm employment on grain production is the substitution of agricultural mechanization development and agricultural technology advancement for agricultural labor. Orderly land circulation and scale land use should be promoted to avoid the lack of agricultural labor due to off-farm employment.

Analyses of English demand in employment units

By using investigative means of marketing, this paper collects and analyzes the data of English demand of employment units for newly-graduated .graduates. Its research and analysis include six parts, namely, an overall analysis, an analysis of English demand according to the kind of employment units, according to trade, according to job, according to specialty and the five skills of ＂listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation＂. The supplied data tell the reality of the current English demand of employment units in China, which would also reflect the trend in the coming few years. The analysis of the data embodies the reality of college English teaching, discusses its advantages and disadvantages and puts forward reasonable suggestions on college English teaching and evaluation system.

Investigation and Survey of Graduate Employment of Business English Major——In the case of JMI

Business English Major is the key specialty in Jiangsu Maritime Institute.Grasping and understanding the situation of graduates is of very important meaning to the major construction and the personnel cultivating program.This article is mainly about the investigation and survey of graduate of 2011,and rational suggestions will be put forward on improving the quality of graduate and the major construction and the personnel cultivating program.

A New Look at an Old Issue:A Review on College Student Employment in the United States

With the high prevalence and intensity of working among undergraduate students in almost all of the institutions in the United States,it is important for higher education researchers,faculty and college administrators to better understand the needs and challenges of working students in trying to achieve college success.This paper analyzes the negative and positive effects of employment on college students and shed a light on the increasing number of students who are involving in part-time job in China.