Objective This study explored the job choice preferences of Center for Disease Prevention and Control(CDC)workers to provide CDC management information and recommendations for optimizing employee retention and motivat...Objective This study explored the job choice preferences of Center for Disease Prevention and Control(CDC)workers to provide CDC management information and recommendations for optimizing employee retention and motivation policies.Methods A discrete choice experiment was conducted in nine provinces across China.Seven key attributes were identified to analyze the job preferences of CDC workers.Mixed logit models,latent class models,and policy simulation tools were used.Results A valid sample of 5,944 cases was included in the analysis.All seven attributes significantly influenced the job choices of CDC workers.Heterogeneity analyses identified two main groups based on different levels of preference for attribute utility.Income-prioritizers were concerned with income and opportunities for career development,whereas bianzhi-prioritizers were concerned with bianzhi and welfare benefits.The policy simulation analysis revealed that income-prioritizers had a relatively higher sensitivity to multiple job preference incentives.Conclusion Income and bianzhi were the two key attributes influencing the job choices and retention preferences of CDC workers.Heterogeneity in job preferences was also identified.Based on the preference characteristics of different subgroups,policy content should be skewed to differentiate the importance of incentives.展开更多
Seeds of many hardwood trees are dispersed by scatter-hoarding rodents,and this process is often mediated by the traits of seeds.Although numerous studies have linked seed traits to seed preference by rodents,little i...Seeds of many hardwood trees are dispersed by scatter-hoarding rodents,and this process is often mediated by the traits of seeds.Although numerous studies have linked seed traits to seed preference by rodents,little is known about how rodents forage for seeds when multiple desirable and undesirable seed traits are available simultaneously.Here,we adopt a novel method of designing choice experiments to study how eastern gray squirrels(Sciurus carolinensis)select for 6 traits(caloric value,protein content,tannin concentration,kernel mass,dormancy period and toughness of shell)among seeds.From n=426 seed-pair presentations,we found that squirrels preferentially consumed seeds with short dormancy or tougher shells,and preferentially cached seeds with larger kernel mass,tougher shells and higher tannin concentrations.By incorporating random effects,we found that squirrels exhibited consistent preferences for seed traits,which is likely due to the fitness consequences associated with maintaining cached resources.Furthermore,we found that squirrels were willing to trade between multiple traits when caching seeds,which likely results in more seed species being cached in the fall.Ultimately,our approach allowed us to compute the relative values of different seed traits to squirrels,despite covariance among studied traits across seed species.In addition,by investigating how squirrels trade among different seed traits,important insights can be gleaned into behavioral mechanisms underlying seed caching(and,thus,seed survival)dynamics as well as evolutionary strategies adopted by plants to attract seed dispersers.We describe how discrete choice experiments can be used to study resource selection in other ecological systems.展开更多
The article titled Job Preferences of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Workers:A Discrete Choice Experiment in China(Yan Guo,Hanlin Nie,Hao Chen,Stephen Nicholas,Elizabeth Maitland,Sisi Chen,Lieyu Huang,Xium...The article titled Job Preferences of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Workers:A Discrete Choice Experiment in China(Yan Guo,Hanlin Nie,Hao Chen,Stephen Nicholas,Elizabeth Maitland,Sisi Chen,Lieyu Huang,Xiumin Zhang,and Xuefeng Shi)was published in Biomedical and Environmental Sciences,2025,38(6):740-750.展开更多
Background:This study aimed to investigate physicians’preferences in relation to Internet hospital consultations and to explore the factors influencing their choices.The study also assessed physicians’willingness to...Background:This study aimed to investigate physicians’preferences in relation to Internet hospital consultations and to explore the factors influencing their choices.The study also assessed physicians’willingness to participate in Internet-based hospital consultation services and the demand among physicians to do so.Methods:A total of 119 physicians from two general hospitals and three specialized hospitals in Beijing were selected for a questionnaire survey using a discrete choice experiment design.Physician preferences were analyzed using conditional logit regression.Findings:In descending order of importance,physicians’willingness to engage in Internet hospital consultations was influenced by changes in doctors’share of online diagnosis and treatment performance compared with offline consultations,daily working hours,and response time.Physicians were more likely to choose Internet hospital consultations when there was a 20%increase in the proportion of online consultations compared to offline consultations,a 10%increase in the weight of online consultations in the annual assessment,a 1-hour reduction in offline working hours and a 1-hour increase in online working hours,and a response time of less than 24 h.The subgroup analysis revealed variations in physicians’preferences based on age,professional titles,working years,and department.Younger doctors,those with fewer professional titles,and those with less work experience had higher expectations.Compared to internal medicine and pediatric doctors,surgeons exhibited a greater willingness to work longer hours.Interpretation:Increasing the proportion of online consultations,including online consultations in the annual assessment,reducing offline working hours,extending online availability,and ensuring timely responses can incentivize physicians to choose online hospital consultations.This approach promotes the high-quality development of Internet hospitals by combining economic and noneconomic incentives and optimizing workload distribution.展开更多
BACKGROUND Patients with Crohn’s disease(CD)are at risk of developing complications such as perianal fistulas.Patients with Crohn’s perianal fistulas(CPF)are affected by fecal incontinence(FI),bleeding,pain,swelling...BACKGROUND Patients with Crohn’s disease(CD)are at risk of developing complications such as perianal fistulas.Patients with Crohn’s perianal fistulas(CPF)are affected by fecal incontinence(FI),bleeding,pain,swelling,and purulent perianal discharge,and METHODS This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in patients with CD aged 21-90 years via a web-enabled questionnaire in seven countries(April-August 2021).Patients were recruited into three cohorts:Cohort 1 included patients without perianal fistulas;cohort 2 included patients with perianal fistulas without fistula-related surgery;and cohort 3 included patients with perianal fistulas and fistula-related surgery.Validated patient-reported outcome measures were used to assess quality of life.Drivers of treatment preferences were measured using a discrete choice experiment(DCE).RESULTS In total,929 patients were recruited(cohort 1,n=620;cohort 2,n=174;cohort 3,n=135).Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire scores were worse for patients with CPF(cohorts 2 and 3)than for those with CD without CPF(cohort 1):Mean score 3.8 and 3.7 vs 4.1,respectively,(P<0.001).Similarly,mean Revised FI and FI Quality of Life scores were worse for patients with CPF than for those with CD without CPF.Quality of Life with Anal Fistula scores were similar in patients with CPF with or without CPF-related surgery(cohorts 2 and 3):Mean score 41 and 42,respectively.In the DCE,postoperative discomfort and fistula healing rate were the most important treatment attributes influencing treatment choice:Mean relative importance 35.7 and 24.7,respectively.CONCLUSION The burden of illness in CD is significantly higher for patients with CPF and patients rate lower postoperative discomfort and higher healing rates as the most desirable treatment attributes.展开更多
Organic tea insurance is essential for protecting the livelihoods of tea farmers,yet its uptake remains limited due to a potential misalignment between the program’s design and farmers'objectives.This study used ...Organic tea insurance is essential for protecting the livelihoods of tea farmers,yet its uptake remains limited due to a potential misalignment between the program’s design and farmers'objectives.This study used a discrete choice experiment to explore how risk perceptions and information asymmetry influence farmers’decisions to purchase organic tea insurance.It also assessed the role of farmer cooperative organizations in facilitating these decisions.We collected data from 323 tea farmers in Anhui Province to estimate their willingness to pay(WTP)for specific insurance features.The results indicate a preference for having organic tea insurance,especially among farmers who have experienced agricultural disasters and are informed about insurance options.However,participation in farmer cooperatives did not significantly enhance mutual understanding or trust in the insurance scheme.Using a random parameter logit model,we found that the WTP varied significantly with changes in the insurance claim starting point(by 1258.44 yuan ha^(-1))and the government subsidy ratio(by 819.69 yuan ha^(-1)).In contrast,modifications in claim payment timing and total indemnity affected WTP minimally,the impact of claim payment time on WTP is 19.70 yuan ha^(-1),and the change in total indemnity has an impact of 0.32 yuan ha^(-1) on WTP.Applying a latent class model,we categorized farmers into two distinct groups based on their attribute preferences and price sensitivities,which remained consistent across robustness tests using an attribute non-attendance regression.This study offers new insights into farmers’preferences and behaviors toward organic tea insurance,emphasizing the significance of risk experience and information symmetry in their decision-making processes.展开更多
Understanding the heterogeneous preferences of individuals for disaster insurance attributes is critical for product improvement and policy design.In an era of global environmental change,the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is ...Understanding the heterogeneous preferences of individuals for disaster insurance attributes is critical for product improvement and policy design.In an era of global environmental change,the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a hotspot of natural hazards.Improving the capability of rural housing disaster insurance to foster local residents’disaster resilience is of great signifcance but remains under addressed.We used a discrete choice experiment approach to provide the frst estimates of rural residents’preferences for rural housing disaster insurance attributes in central and western Xizang.We estimated residents’preferences and willingness-to-pay for the sum insured,subsidy rate,insured object,and perils covered.The potential impacts of increasing the sum insured,expanding the insured object,and lowering subsidy rates were evaluated.Our results suggest that residents prefer products with a high sum insured,high subsidy rate,and a complete list of insured objects.Residents who have experienced specifc hazards tend to prefer the corresponding perils covered.Females and residents who have a closer social network are more likely to purchase insurance.Product improvement and policy simulation results suggest that,while lowering the subsidy rate,increasing the sum insured and expanding the insured object could promote participation and improve residents’welfare.Our results could improve the understanding of the preferences of households in remote regions and support policy implementations.展开更多
基金supported by the Major Program of the National Social Science Foundation of China(no.2022YFC3600801)the Operation of Public Health Emergency Response Mechanisms of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention(no.102393220020010000017)。
文摘Objective This study explored the job choice preferences of Center for Disease Prevention and Control(CDC)workers to provide CDC management information and recommendations for optimizing employee retention and motivation policies.Methods A discrete choice experiment was conducted in nine provinces across China.Seven key attributes were identified to analyze the job preferences of CDC workers.Mixed logit models,latent class models,and policy simulation tools were used.Results A valid sample of 5,944 cases was included in the analysis.All seven attributes significantly influenced the job choices of CDC workers.Heterogeneity analyses identified two main groups based on different levels of preference for attribute utility.Income-prioritizers were concerned with income and opportunities for career development,whereas bianzhi-prioritizers were concerned with bianzhi and welfare benefits.The policy simulation analysis revealed that income-prioritizers had a relatively higher sensitivity to multiple job preference incentives.Conclusion Income and bianzhi were the two key attributes influencing the job choices and retention preferences of CDC workers.Heterogeneity in job preferences was also identified.Based on the preference characteristics of different subgroups,policy content should be skewed to differentiate the importance of incentives.
基金The Fred M.Van Eck Forest Foundation for Purdue University and the McIntire-Stennis program provided funding.
文摘Seeds of many hardwood trees are dispersed by scatter-hoarding rodents,and this process is often mediated by the traits of seeds.Although numerous studies have linked seed traits to seed preference by rodents,little is known about how rodents forage for seeds when multiple desirable and undesirable seed traits are available simultaneously.Here,we adopt a novel method of designing choice experiments to study how eastern gray squirrels(Sciurus carolinensis)select for 6 traits(caloric value,protein content,tannin concentration,kernel mass,dormancy period and toughness of shell)among seeds.From n=426 seed-pair presentations,we found that squirrels preferentially consumed seeds with short dormancy or tougher shells,and preferentially cached seeds with larger kernel mass,tougher shells and higher tannin concentrations.By incorporating random effects,we found that squirrels exhibited consistent preferences for seed traits,which is likely due to the fitness consequences associated with maintaining cached resources.Furthermore,we found that squirrels were willing to trade between multiple traits when caching seeds,which likely results in more seed species being cached in the fall.Ultimately,our approach allowed us to compute the relative values of different seed traits to squirrels,despite covariance among studied traits across seed species.In addition,by investigating how squirrels trade among different seed traits,important insights can be gleaned into behavioral mechanisms underlying seed caching(and,thus,seed survival)dynamics as well as evolutionary strategies adopted by plants to attract seed dispersers.We describe how discrete choice experiments can be used to study resource selection in other ecological systems.
文摘The article titled Job Preferences of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Workers:A Discrete Choice Experiment in China(Yan Guo,Hanlin Nie,Hao Chen,Stephen Nicholas,Elizabeth Maitland,Sisi Chen,Lieyu Huang,Xiumin Zhang,and Xuefeng Shi)was published in Biomedical and Environmental Sciences,2025,38(6):740-750.
基金funded by the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality(grant number:9222003).
文摘Background:This study aimed to investigate physicians’preferences in relation to Internet hospital consultations and to explore the factors influencing their choices.The study also assessed physicians’willingness to participate in Internet-based hospital consultation services and the demand among physicians to do so.Methods:A total of 119 physicians from two general hospitals and three specialized hospitals in Beijing were selected for a questionnaire survey using a discrete choice experiment design.Physician preferences were analyzed using conditional logit regression.Findings:In descending order of importance,physicians’willingness to engage in Internet hospital consultations was influenced by changes in doctors’share of online diagnosis and treatment performance compared with offline consultations,daily working hours,and response time.Physicians were more likely to choose Internet hospital consultations when there was a 20%increase in the proportion of online consultations compared to offline consultations,a 10%increase in the weight of online consultations in the annual assessment,a 1-hour reduction in offline working hours and a 1-hour increase in online working hours,and a response time of less than 24 h.The subgroup analysis revealed variations in physicians’preferences based on age,professional titles,working years,and department.Younger doctors,those with fewer professional titles,and those with less work experience had higher expectations.Compared to internal medicine and pediatric doctors,surgeons exhibited a greater willingness to work longer hours.Interpretation:Increasing the proportion of online consultations,including online consultations in the annual assessment,reducing offline working hours,extending online availability,and ensuring timely responses can incentivize physicians to choose online hospital consultations.This approach promotes the high-quality development of Internet hospitals by combining economic and noneconomic incentives and optimizing workload distribution.
文摘BACKGROUND Patients with Crohn’s disease(CD)are at risk of developing complications such as perianal fistulas.Patients with Crohn’s perianal fistulas(CPF)are affected by fecal incontinence(FI),bleeding,pain,swelling,and purulent perianal discharge,and METHODS This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in patients with CD aged 21-90 years via a web-enabled questionnaire in seven countries(April-August 2021).Patients were recruited into three cohorts:Cohort 1 included patients without perianal fistulas;cohort 2 included patients with perianal fistulas without fistula-related surgery;and cohort 3 included patients with perianal fistulas and fistula-related surgery.Validated patient-reported outcome measures were used to assess quality of life.Drivers of treatment preferences were measured using a discrete choice experiment(DCE).RESULTS In total,929 patients were recruited(cohort 1,n=620;cohort 2,n=174;cohort 3,n=135).Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire scores were worse for patients with CPF(cohorts 2 and 3)than for those with CD without CPF(cohort 1):Mean score 3.8 and 3.7 vs 4.1,respectively,(P<0.001).Similarly,mean Revised FI and FI Quality of Life scores were worse for patients with CPF than for those with CD without CPF.Quality of Life with Anal Fistula scores were similar in patients with CPF with or without CPF-related surgery(cohorts 2 and 3):Mean score 41 and 42,respectively.In the DCE,postoperative discomfort and fistula healing rate were the most important treatment attributes influencing treatment choice:Mean relative importance 35.7 and 24.7,respectively.CONCLUSION The burden of illness in CD is significantly higher for patients with CPF and patients rate lower postoperative discomfort and higher healing rates as the most desirable treatment attributes.
基金The National Key Research and Development Program of China(2023YFD1700205-4)The General Program of Humanities and Social Sciences Research of Ministry of Education of China(23YJCZH108)+1 种基金The Central Agricultural Office Soft Science Subjects of the Expert Advisory Committee on Rural Revitalization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China(202331)The National Key Research and Development Program of the 14th Five-Year Plan of China(2023YFD1700205)。
文摘Organic tea insurance is essential for protecting the livelihoods of tea farmers,yet its uptake remains limited due to a potential misalignment between the program’s design and farmers'objectives.This study used a discrete choice experiment to explore how risk perceptions and information asymmetry influence farmers’decisions to purchase organic tea insurance.It also assessed the role of farmer cooperative organizations in facilitating these decisions.We collected data from 323 tea farmers in Anhui Province to estimate their willingness to pay(WTP)for specific insurance features.The results indicate a preference for having organic tea insurance,especially among farmers who have experienced agricultural disasters and are informed about insurance options.However,participation in farmer cooperatives did not significantly enhance mutual understanding or trust in the insurance scheme.Using a random parameter logit model,we found that the WTP varied significantly with changes in the insurance claim starting point(by 1258.44 yuan ha^(-1))and the government subsidy ratio(by 819.69 yuan ha^(-1)).In contrast,modifications in claim payment timing and total indemnity affected WTP minimally,the impact of claim payment time on WTP is 19.70 yuan ha^(-1),and the change in total indemnity has an impact of 0.32 yuan ha^(-1) on WTP.Applying a latent class model,we categorized farmers into two distinct groups based on their attribute preferences and price sensitivities,which remained consistent across robustness tests using an attribute non-attendance regression.This study offers new insights into farmers’preferences and behaviors toward organic tea insurance,emphasizing the significance of risk experience and information symmetry in their decision-making processes.
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientifc Expedition and Research Program(STEP No.2019QZKK0906)the joint project of National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)and Bill Melinda Gates Foundation(BMGF)under Grant No.72261147759。
文摘Understanding the heterogeneous preferences of individuals for disaster insurance attributes is critical for product improvement and policy design.In an era of global environmental change,the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a hotspot of natural hazards.Improving the capability of rural housing disaster insurance to foster local residents’disaster resilience is of great signifcance but remains under addressed.We used a discrete choice experiment approach to provide the frst estimates of rural residents’preferences for rural housing disaster insurance attributes in central and western Xizang.We estimated residents’preferences and willingness-to-pay for the sum insured,subsidy rate,insured object,and perils covered.The potential impacts of increasing the sum insured,expanding the insured object,and lowering subsidy rates were evaluated.Our results suggest that residents prefer products with a high sum insured,high subsidy rate,and a complete list of insured objects.Residents who have experienced specifc hazards tend to prefer the corresponding perils covered.Females and residents who have a closer social network are more likely to purchase insurance.Product improvement and policy simulation results suggest that,while lowering the subsidy rate,increasing the sum insured and expanding the insured object could promote participation and improve residents’welfare.Our results could improve the understanding of the preferences of households in remote regions and support policy implementations.
