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Due to a shortage of qualified professionals, many international cities have implemented a range of policies to attract skilled migrants and retain them for permanent work in destination cities, aiming to take advantage of the globalized competition. Despite being relatively understudied, the role of housing is of utmost importance, especially if skilled migrants can be attracted to work and live in destination cities permanently. This study conceptualized housing wellbeing as subjective housing feelings and objective housing outcomes, aiming to disentangle the relationship between housing wellbeing and settlement intentions. Based on the 2019 questionnaire survey in Guangzhou, this study found that skilled migrants who have become homeowners in Guangzhou have a higher propensity to settle in Guangzhou than those without homeownership. Also, this study found an inverted U-shaped relationship between the number of rooms and settlement intentions. Moreover, when the housing size per person is between 16 and 20 m2, housing size per person is positively associated with settlement intentions; nevertheless, when the housing size per person is below 16 m2 or above 20 m2, there is nil relation between housing size per person and settlement intentions. Finally, although skilled migrants are not satisfied with the current housing situation, they are still willing to settle in Guangzhou permanently. This study has extended the knowledge of housing wellbeing and contributed to profoundly understanding the complex settlement intentions of skilled migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While rural migrants living in different housing tenures present significantly variegated levels of social integration, little is known about how land tenure in their place of origin affects their integration into the host cities. Using the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey, we identified three dimensions of social integration: (1) permanent settlement intention, (2) cultural integration and (3) psychological integration. We find that migrants do not feel psychological isolation; their settlement intention is lower as a more realistic judgement of prospects. Their cultural integration is even lower, indicating it is a long‐term process. Migrants with land farming by relatives and friends and land subleasing to private are more socially integrated, while hiring someone to cultivate the land, leaving land uncultivated and other land disposal methods reduces migrants' social integration. Furthermore, land subleasing led to stronger psychological integration, even after controlling for the potential endogeneity issue. It weakens their attachment to their hometowns and increases their income to achieve stronger integration. The effect is more salient in the migrants of the new generation, in second‐tier cities and in the digital economy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research showed that people holding attitudes on relatively moral topics became more open to two- rather than one-sided messages as the moral basis of their attitudes increased. Across three studies (N = 963), we extend this finding to relatively non-moral topics by demonstrating that two-sided messages can encourage people with strong attitudes indexed by various non-moral attitude strength measures to be more open to contrary positions. Study 1 demonstrated this for four indicators of attitude strength (e.g., certainty). As the strength of one's attitude increased, two-sided messages increased in relative effectiveness over one-sided communication. This was mediated by perceived appreciation for the speaker acknowledging one's view. Study 2 replicated this finding in a preregistered experiment. Study 3 conceptually replicated and extended it to people holding attitudes based on their political identity. Finally, evidence was obtained supporting perceived appreciation (rather than source evaluation) as the key driver of this interactive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has identified two aspects of the need to evaluate (NE) that are focused on interpersonal contexts: NE-expressing and NE-learning. Given that online word of mouth (WOM) is inherently interpersonal, we explore whether these two scales can predict consumers' likelihood of creating and seeking online WOM. We find that high NE-expressing does not always lead to a greater likelihood of sharing WOM. Although it does so for familiar products, for novel products, a basic level of knowledge must precede consumers' willingness to engage in WOM, such that consumers are most likely to write reviews when high on both scales. We also show that consumers with high NE-learning are more likely to seek recommendations in anonymous online forums. However, on identity-linked platforms, consumers higher in NE-expressing are more motivated to seek recommendations even when NE-learning is relatively low because identity-linkage makes even a request for information an opportunity for self-expression. These results have important implications for marketers who wish to understand the psychological drivers of online WOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals who engage in restrained eating are often torn between eating enjoyment and weight control. Recent research found visual attention to threat varied according to motivation, and people with ambivalent motivation about threat showed greater anxiety. Methods: A total number of 225 individuals high in restrained eating completed a passive viewing task in which they were presented with image pairs of high calorie food and neutral objects while their eye movements were tracked. Participants also rated their motivation to look towards and away from food images and completed measures of mood and thought-shape fusion. Results: Two-thirds of participants reported strong motivation to look at food images, and the rest were highly motivated to avoid, were indifferent, or were ambivalent. Visual attention to food images varied according to motivation. Ambivalent individuals had higher thought-shape fusion scores and were more restrained in their eating than engagers and indifferent individuals. Conclusions: These findings suggest that motivation to attend to and avoid food images are important factors to study, as they are associated with attentional biases and eating pathology. Clinical implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 mitigation strategies have largely relied on persuading populations to adopt behavioural changes, so it is critical to understand how such persuasive efforts can be made more effective. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion allows for the integration of a variety of seemingly disparate effects into one overarching framework. This allows for prediction of which effects are more likely to lead to subsequent behaviour change than others and for generation of novel predictions. We review several recent investigations into persuasive effects of variables related to the source of a persuasive message, features of the message itself, the recipient, and interactive effects between variables across these categories. Each investigation is situated within the ELM framework, and future directions derived from the ELM perspective are discussed. Finally, the implications of each piece of research for COVID-19 persuasive messaging are unpacked and evidence-based recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cement ring is the main barrier for downhole fluid sealing. The sealing properties of the cement ring include two aspects: sealing off the cement ring itself and the interface. Numerous studies have been conducted on interface sealing failure. However, there are few studies considering the structural perspective of the sealing performance of the complete cement ring itself. Therefore, this study explores pore structure characteristics of cement stone at the microscopic scale, the influencing factors of fluid flow in the cement stone, and the mechanism of sealing performance of the cement stone. The studies have shown that G-grade and ultra-fine cement stones present high porosity and low permeability. Cement stone pores containing free water represent the prerequisite for effective sealing performance. Capillary pressure, resistance caused by ultimate static shear stress, pore fluid pressure, and additional pressure difference produced by the "Jamin effect" are the main driving factors of cement stone sealing fluid. Likewise, as the main driving factors and the length of the cement stone increase, the sealing ability of the cement stone to fluid will follow Enhanced. Considering that water is a non-Newtonian fluid, when the interfacial tension of gas–water is 47 mN/m, the pore diameter is 0.05 μm, the length of the cement stone is 1000 m, the wetting angle is 100°, and the limit dynamic shear stress is 0.01 Pa, the sealing pressure of the cement stone is 543.66 MPa. Our findings provide a foundation for sealing oil and gas reservoirs with different pressure and permeability characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research demonstrates that two- versus one-sided counterattitudinal messages can encourage people with a strong moral basis for their attitudes to be more open to contrary positions. Studies 1A/B demonstrated that the interaction between moral basis and message sidedness was present not just for a controversial issue with balanced views in society but also for a topic with a majority opinion. In Study 2, the relative effectiveness of two- over one-sided messages for people with a moral attitude basis was shown to occur only when the two-sided message respectfully acknowledged the recipient's side. In Study 3, the effect was replicated in a preregistered experiment. Furthermore, moral bases provided unique predictive power beyond alternative attitude strength indicators. Across all studies, perceived appreciation of the speaker acknowledging the recipient's view mediated the impact of the independent variables on openness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasing prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus antibiotic resistance, there is an urgent need to repurpose approved drugs with known pharmacology and toxicology as an alternative therapeutic strategy. We have reported that the sustained monotherapy of auranofin (AUR) inevitably resulted in reduced susceptibility or even the emergence of resistance to AUR in S. aureus. However, whether drug combination could increase antibacterial activity while preventing AUR resistance is still unknown. Here, we focused on the important role of AUR combined with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) in skin infection and determined the synergistic antimicrobial effect on S. aureus by using checkerboard assays and time-kill kinetics analysis. This synergistic antimicrobial activity correlated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, disruption of bacterial cell structure, and inhibition of biofilm formation. We also showed that AUR synergized with PEITC effectively restored the susceptibility to AUR via regulating thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and rescued mice from subcutaneous abscesses through eliminating S. aureus pathogens, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Collectively, our study indicated that the AUR and PEITC combination had a synergistic antimicrobial impact on S. aureus in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that AUR and PEITC treatment may be a promising option for S. aureus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing integration literature in the Chinese context has mostly focused on migrants' relations with receiving contexts, such as place attachment and settlement intention. Few attempts have been made to investigate migrants' relations with local residents, a better indicator of migrants' integration. Based on the 2014 China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this study scrutinises how environmental factors and individual factors affect migrants' intergroup relations in China. The analysis shows that migrants who live in more migrant‐concentrated neighbourhoods and who stay in more developed cities with a higher presence of migrants tend to suffer from worse intergroup relations. This implies that no matter at which level the migrant concentration exists, it can hinder migrants' intergroup relations. Moreover, both higher socioeconomic status and acculturation can significantly improve migrants' intergroup relations, indicating that acculturation also plays an important role in the relatively homogeneous society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced liver abscess (KLA) is a type of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA), which is a distinct invasive syndrome that has been increasingly reported worldwide over the past two decades. The intestinal microbiota is increasingly recognized as an important modulator that can promote and maintain host immune homeostasis. However, its precise role in liver abscess is unknown. We aimed to investigate the function of the gut microbiota in the host defense against K. pneumoniae infection. Methods: We constructed C57BL/6J mice with KLA and analyzed the diversity and richness of the intestinal microflora by 16S rRNA sequencing. Next, to create a microbiota-depleted (MD) mouse model, we administered multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics and validated the model using 16S rRNA sequencing. At 48 h after K. pneumoniae infection, we assessed the general health condition, liver injury, bacterial loads, and inflammatory factor levels in MD+KLA mice. Additionally, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was conducted in another group of MD+KLA mice prior to K. pneumoniae infection, and we assessed whether the transplantation changed the outcomes. Results: The diversity of the intestinal flora was significantly changed in KLA mice compared to control mice, with a decrease in beneficial bacteria and an increase in harmful bacteria. The MD+KLA mice exhibited impaired antimicrobial capacity, reduced survival, increased inflammation and liver damage at 48 h after K. pneumoniae infection compared to the KLA mice. However, FMT normalized the inflammatory cytokine levels, reduced liver damage, and increased survival. Conclusion: This study identified the gut microbiota as a protective factor against K. pneumoniae infection. The role of FMT in KLA should be investigated in future clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People with anxiety difficulties show different patterns in their deployment of attention to threat compared to people without anxiety difficulties. These attentional biases are assumed to play a critical role in the development and persistence of anxiety. However, little is known about factors that influence attentional biases to threat. An emerging body of evidence suggests that visual attention to threat varies across the time course according to one's motivation to approach vs. avoid threat. Methods: In order to better understand the relationship between motivation, attentional biases to threat, and anxiety, we had participants high in spider fear complete a sustained-attention task in full view of a live tarantula while their eye movements were tracked. Results: Participants who were ambivalent about whether to look at the spider or to avoid looking exhibited a unique pattern of visual attention to the spider, and reported higher spider fear and more negative affect than did other participants at the end of the study. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that anxiety persistence may have more to do with goal prioritization than innate attentional biases. Future studies of attentional biases to threat should take motivation into account and study attention across the time course. Ambivalent motivation to threat should also be targeted in exposure therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research finds evidence for reliable individual differences in people's perceived attitude stability that predict the actual stability of their attitudes over time. Study 1 examines the reliability and factor structure of an 11-item Personal Attitude Stability Scale (PASS). Study 2 establishes test-retest reliability for the PASS over a 5-week period. Studies 3a and 3b demonstrate the convergent and discriminant validity of the PASS in relation to relevant existing individual differences. Studies 4 and 5 show that the PASS predicts attitude stability following a delay period across several distinct topics. Across multiple attitude objects, for people with high (vs. low) scores on the PASS, Time 1 attitudes were more predictive of their Time 2 attitudes, indicative of greater attitudinal consistency over time. The final study also demonstrates that the PASS predicts attitude stability above and beyond other related scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common and persistent fears may emerge through learning mechanisms such as fear conditioning and generalisation. Although there have been extensive studies of these learning processes in healthy but also psychiatric samples, many of the tasks used to produce conditioning and assess generalisation either use painful and aversive stimuli as the unconditioned stimuli (UCS), or suffer from poor belongingness between the conditioned stimuli and the UCS. Here, we present novel data from a paradigm designed to examine fear conditioning and generalisation in healthy individuals. Two female faces served as conditioned threat cue (CS+) and conditioned safety cue (CS−) respectively. The CS+ was paired repeatedly with a fearful, screaming face (unconditioned stimulus). Generalisation included intermediate faces which varied in their similarity to the CS+ and CS−. We measured eyeblink startle reflex and self-reported ratings. Acquired fear of the CS+ generalised to intermediate stimuli in proportion to their perceptual similarity to the CS+. Our findings demonstrate how fears of new individuals may develop based on resemblance to others with whom an individual has had negative experiences. The paradigm offers new opportunities for probing the role of generalisation in the emergence of common and persistent fears. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]