• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
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The upsurge in higher education is considered a key determinant for enhancing green growth. Moreover, ICT development is also the main catalyst of green growth. This research explores the role of higher education and ICT on green growth for China from 1995 to 2020. The study employs auto-regressive distributive lag (ARDL) approach for short-run and long-run estimates of green growth. The effect of higher education and ICT on green growth is significantly positive in the long run and short run. The outcomes of the empirical models reveal that financial inclusion is positively associated with green growth in both long run and short run. Moreover, renewable energy consumption is found to have a positive impact on green growth. The findings thus point to the need for policies that promote human capital and ICT infrastructure as a way of accelerating green growth.

AbstractBackground and aimsAlcohol‐related mortality risk is almost always greater in lower than higher socio‐economic positions (SEPs). There is little information on the evolution of this SEP gradient and its relationship with the economic cycle. Some results suggest that during economic expansions, there is a hypersensitivity of low‐SEP people to harmful drinking. The main objective of this study was to measure the evolution of educational inequality in alcohol‐related and non‐alcohol related mortality by sex and age group in Spain during 2012–19.Design, Setting and MeasurementsThis is a repeated cross‐sectional study. This study includes all residents in Spain aged 25 years and over from 2012 to 2019. (1) We calculated age‐standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) from strongly/moderately alcohol‐related causes (directly alcohol‐attributable, unspecified liver cirrhosis, liver and upper aerodigestive tract cancers and moderately alcohol‐related), weakly alcohol‐related causes and other causes by educational level. (2) We used age‐adjusted relative index of inequality (RII) and slope index of inequality (SII) to measure relative and absolute educational inequality in mortality, respectively. (3) Age‐adjusted annual percentage change (APC) was also used to measure linear trends in mortality by educational level. RII, SII and APC were obtained from negative binomial regression.FindingsBetween 2012–15 and 2016–19, economic growth accelerated, the RII in mortality from strongly/moderately alcohol‐related causes increased from 2.0 to 2.2 among men and from 1.1 to 1.3 among women, and the SII in deaths/100 000 person‐years from 181.4 to 190.9 among men and from 18.9 to 46.5 among women. It also increased relative and absolute inequality in mortality from weakly alcohol‐related and other causes of death in both men and women. These increases in inequality were due primarily to a flattening or even reversal of the downward mortality trend among low‐ and medium‐educated people.ConclusionsDuring the economic expansion of 2012–19 in Spain, changes in mortality risk from strongly/moderately alcohol‐related causes were especially unfavourable among low‐ and medium‐educated people.

AbstractAimsTo examine the perceived knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding climate change and health of academic faculty and students in programmes for health professionals and to identify barriers/facilitators to and resources required for curriculum integration.DesignCross‐sectional survey eliciting quantitative and open‐ended responses.MethodsA 22‐question survey to assess climate–health knowledge/attitudes/beliefs was distributed to all students and faculty (n = 224) at one academic institution in the United States. Open‐ended questions addressed barriers, facilitators and required resources. Descriptive statistics are reported, and thematic analysis was used to identify themes from open‐ended responses.ResultsResponse rate was 15%. Most respondents (76%) were between 20 and 34 years old. The majority were from nursing (39%), occupational therapy (13%) and communication speech disorders (12.5%). Most respondents perceived climate change as relevant to direct patient care (78%) and believed that it is impacting the health of individuals (86%) and should be integrated into curricula (89%). Yet, most (60%) reported modest to no knowledge about the health impacts. Faculty reported little to no comfort teaching climate change and health concepts (76%). Open‐ended responses identified student/faculty receptivity and professional/clinical relevance as important facilitators of successful integration. Barriers included intensity of programmes; time and competing curricular priorities; and a lack of faculty expertise, resources, institutional and professional commitment.ConclusionsMost health professions students and faculty indicated that educating future health professionals about climate change and health is important, but existing barriers must be addressed.ImpactThis study addressed student and faculty perceptions of integrating climate change and health into health professions curricula. Discipline‐specific and interprofessional educational approaches are necessary to optimize future health professionals' efforts to prevent and mitigate climate change impacts for at‐risk patients, communities and populations.

AbstractBackgroundAmerican Indian (AI) adolescents report disproportionate higher rates of alcohol use and alcohol‐related consequences than adolescents from other racial/ethnic groups. Trauma exposure is also reported at high rates among AI individuals and likely confers risk for alcohol use. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of assaultive trauma experiences (e.g., physical assault, sexual assault) on alcohol use and alcohol‐related consequences in AI adolescents.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of self‐reported data on trauma exposure, alcohol consumption, and lifetime alcohol‐related consequences provided by AI 7th to 12th graders residing on or near a reservation (n = 3498, Mage = 14.8; 49.5% female). Institutional Review Boards, tribal authorities, and school boards approved the study protocols prior to beginning data collection.ResultsNearly half (49.3%, n = 1498) of AI adolescents reported having experienced at least one assaultive trauma in their lifetime. Those who had experienced assaultive trauma were more likely to report lifetime alcohol use (χ2 = 111.84, p < 0.001) and experienced greater alcohol‐related consequences (t(1746) = 12.21, p < 0.001) than those with no assaultive trauma exposure. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that a greater number of assaultive traumatic events was significantly associated with greater odds of lifetime alcohol use (p < 0.001, OR = 1.81, 95% CI [1.65, 2.00]) and having experienced a greater number of alcohol‐related consequences (b = 0.36, SE = 0.04, t = 16.95, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.31, 0.46]).ConclusionsFindings of the present study highlight the relevance of exposure to assaultive trauma to AI adolescents’ use of alcohol and experiences of alcohol‐related consequences. These findings support the need for trauma‐informed interventions in addressing alcohol use among AI adolescents.

Lifelong learning algorithm based on Bayesian model can receive data continuously and update the model dynamically in real time. It is suitable for the processing of scalability and data flow pattern. It is one of the hot spots in the field of machine learning. Aiming at the problem of continuous learning of data stream, this paper studies Bayesian model design, parameter reasoning, and multi-data processing. Then, according to the product operation of wavelet transform and short-term monitoring support vector machine, the precipitation dynamic estimation method of rainfall radar multiplier in mountainous area is proposed. Based on the precipitation data of East China in 2019 and the rainfall data observed by radar in mountainous areas, and taking the estimated time as the reference, the radar reflection and rainfall data in mountainous areas in the first 30 min are selected and converted into wavelet field as the training data, and then the dynamic precipitation estimation model is established by using vector medium, and the precipitation in mountainous areas is estimated at 6-min intervals. Finally, this paper makes an intervention study on college students’ mental health. The research object is a university student. The subjects are divided into two groups by using random clustering samples. There were 779 people in the experimental group; the other group was the control group, with a total of 355 people. In order to improve their mental health literacy, we should change the implementation of mental health education curriculum. The changes of dependent variables include self-reported mental health literacy, self-efficacy of coping with psychological problems, and behavior attitude of seeking psychological help. Based on the above Bayesian model and intervention research, this paper intervenes the mental health education of college students, so as to improve the mental health quality of college students.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> We examined a range of alcohol use indicators among Norwegian adolescents before and during the early COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We examined two cohorts of Norwegian 16-year-olds from the nationwide MyLife study who entered high school in fall 2020 (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic cohort; <i>n</i> = 915) and fall 2019/18 (i.e., prepandemic cohort; <i>n</i> = 1,621). Through e-surveys, adolescents reported their past year drinking frequencies and quantities (generating the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise; AUDIT-C scores) and completed Social Facilitation (SF) and Tension Reduction (TR) subscales of the Alcohol Outcome Expectancies Scale. Cohort differences across these outcomes were examined with linear and modified Poisson regression models. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were no cohort differences in the proportion of adolescents who reported drinking in the past year or in drinking/binge drinking frequencies. However, alcohol quantities consumed on a typical drinking day were 1/3 of a drink greater in the COVID-19 cohort than in the prepandemic cohort; aIRR (95% CI) = 1.13 (1.02–1.25). These consumption differences compounded into significantly greater AUDIT-C scores (aIRR [95% CI] = 1.16 [1.02–1.32]) and positive AUDIT-C screens (31.2% vs. 26.4%; aRR [95% CI] = 1.21 [1.07–1.36]) in the COVID-19 cohort. In terms of alcohol-related expectancies, there were no SF differences, but the COVID-19 cohort reported significantly greater TR expectancies; <i>b</i> (95% CI) = 0.11 (0.02–0.20). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Despite the 2020 lockdown, Norwegian adolescents who started high school during the first pandemic year did not differ from their prepandemic peers in terms of how many of them drank, how often they drank, or in prosocial expectations they had of alcohol use. However, they consumed greater alcohol quantities per drinking day, had greater AUDIT-C scores, and reported greater tension reduction expectations of alcohol use. These results underscore the value of examining adolescents’ alcohol-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic above and beyond the basic drinking prevalence and frequencies.

Community college (CC) students represent an at-risk population for alcohol use with limited access to campus interventions. The Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) is available online, though identifying CC students at risk and connecting them to interventions remains challenging. This study tested a novel approach using social media to identify at-risk students and prompt delivery of BASICS.This randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility and acceptability of Social Media-BASICS. Participants were recruited from five CCs. Baseline procedures included a survey and social media friending. Social media profiles were evaluated using content analysis monthly for nine months. Intervention prompts included displayed alcohol references indicating escalation of or problematic alcohol use. Participants who displayed such content were randomized into the BASICS intervention or an active control. Measures and analyses assessed feasibility and acceptability.A total of 172 CC students completed the baseline survey, mean age was 22.9 (standard deviation = 3.18) years. Most were female (81%), with many (67%) identifying as White. Among participants, 120 (70%) displayed alcohol references on social media, prompting intervention enrollment. Of randomized participants, 94 (93%) completed the preintervention survey within 28 days of the invitation. The majority of participants reported positive intervention acceptability.This intervention combined two validated approaches: identification of problem alcohol use displays on social media, and provision of the Web-BASICS intervention. Findings demonstrate the feasibility for novel web-based interventions to reach CC populations.

Given that approximately 5% of the U.S. population is currently attending college, research is needed to better understand the language that college students use to describe alcohol recovery regardless of their current drinking behavior. College student perceptions of alcohol recovery are important, given that students may experience an alcohol use disorder themselves or may encounter others with an alcohol use disorder. Research on college student perceptions of alcohol recovery in the literature is scarce but is needed to better understand the alcohol recovery process. The current mixed-methods study examines language that college students use to describe alcohol recovery based on findings from two focus group interviews. The focus groups were conducted with college students who reported using alcohol at least once in their lifetime. All participants ( N = 18) were asked questions regarding language perceived to be associated with alcohol recovery. Data were examined within a thematic analysis framework. The three central themes related to alcohol recovery that emerged in the study were harm reduction–based recovery, abstinence-based recovery, and social correlates of recovery. College students rated the terms “recovered,” “drinking reduction,” and “sobriety” as being highly representative of being in recovery, whereas the terms “bars” and “light drinker” were identified as not being representative of recovery. A better understanding of these themes will help the field understand the language that college students use to describe alcohol recovery.

Laboratory research in adults indicates that alcohol-related subjective effects are enhanced under some social conditions. However, it is unknown whether this "social facilitation" of alcohol effects occurs in adolescents and is associated with alcohol use in the natural ecology.We examined associations of social facilitation of alcohol-related subjective effects with subsequent alcohol use among a relatively high-risk group of adolescents who reported drinking alcohol both with friends and alone.Los Angeles high school students from a prospective study (N = 142; 51% female; 10th graders) completed a baseline survey that assessed alcohol-related "positive" and "negative" subjective effects in two contexts: social (alcohol with friends) and solitary (alcohol alone); social facilitation was calculated as the difference between social and solitary. Students then completed five semi-annual surveys spanning 30 months (2014-2017) assessing 30-day alcohol use (days used, number of drinks, binge drinking).Greater social facilitation of positive effects was significantly associated with greater number of alcohol use days (RR [95% CI] = 1.48 [1.19, 1.82]; p < .001), greater number of drinks (RR [95% CI] = 1.38 [1.14, 1.66]; p = .001), and greater odds of binge drinking (OR [95% CI] = 1.75 [1.20, 2.57]; p = .004). Similar associations were found with social positive effects. There were no significant associations between solitary positive effects-or any negative effects-and alcohol use outcomes.Social facilitation can be measured outside of the laboratory. Relatively high-risk drinking adolescents who are more susceptible to the social facilitation of subjective alcohol effects are more likely to use more alcohol and binge drink.