Critical Factors Shaping Research Articles

Climate refugia for Buchanania cochinchinensis (Lour.) M.R.Almeida, an important non-timber forest tree species, declining from its natural range in India

ABSTRACT Buchanania cochinchinensis, a socio-economically important forest tree species, faces high levels of exploitation. Originated from the Indian subcontinent, little is known about the patterns of the habitat distribution and the important climatic factors that shape its suitability. Using high-resolution environmental data for current and future climate scenarios, we studied the present and the future suitable habitats for B. cochinchinensis by MaxEnt. We evaluated the important bioclimatic variables that shape its distribution and identified distribution shifts under different climate change scenarios. Precipitation of wettest quarter, precipitation seasonality and altitude were identified as the most critical factors shaping B. cochinchinensis distribution. The future projections under RCP2.6 (with low concentration of greenhouse gas emissions) indicate increase in the distribution range of the species. Under the scenario with higher concentrations of emissions (RCP8.5), the suitable habitat range of B. cochinchinensis has decreased. Our results showed that the refugia for B. cochinchinensis under climate change occur in Central India, especially Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Exploring the Relationship between Organizational Culture and Well-Being of Educational Institutions in Jordan

Organizational culture is a critical factor in shaping companies’ overall well-being, which can impact their employees’ job satisfaction, loyalty, creativity, and productivity. In this study, the researchers aimed to examine the relationship between organizational culture and companies’ well-being in the Education sector in Jordan. To achieve their goal, the researchers surveyed 500 participants from various departments in the Education sector in Jordan, categorizing organizational culture into four types: Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy. The well-being of companies was measured through employee loyalty, creativity, and productivity. The data from 352 valid questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS. This study’s findings suggest that a positive organizational culture is significantly associated with increased employee job satisfaction, loyalty, creativity, and productivity. Moreover, the study highlighted the importance of developing a positive organizational culture, fostering a sense of community and shared values, providing opportunities for employee development and growth, and promoting a supportive and inclusive work environment to achieve organizational success. Understanding the role of organizational culture in promoting employee well-being and companies’ success is critical, particularly in the Education sector in Jordan. This study’s recommendations provide valuable insights for companies to prioritize developing a positive organizational culture to achieve long-term success and employee well-being.

The Institutionalization of Public Innovation: Evidence from Indonesia

This study examines critical factors contributing to institutionalizing creative ideas into a formal innovation and their difference in the regulatory-pillar output of innovation, which public sector innovation academics (PSI) rarely explore. Using multiple case study methods, this study interviewed 23 informants involved in four innovation cases in two local governments in Indonesia. This study highlighted nine critical factors in institutionalizing public innovation categorized into four dimensions: leadership, intraorganizational, innovation candidate attributes, and external environment. This study’s novel contribution lies in identifying critical factors shaping and the outputs of institutionalization of public innovation.

Changing Paradigm of Employee Relations in India after Independence

The article critically analyses evolution of industrial relations (IR) into employee relations (ER) with changing industrial landscape and workforce dynamics. Role of various stakeholders including employers, leadership, employees and legislations in evolution of employee relations has been explored. It covers influence of critical factors shaping IR and ER in post-independence India from its transition from an agrarian economy to industrial and emergence of a dominant service economy. Role of leadership at different levels and response strategy of organisations have been changing over period with clear patterns. Effect of economic liberalisation and new economic policy on management of employee relations has also been explored. Based on trends of the past, forecasting has been made regarding form and shape of ER in near future. In summary, this article attempts to analyse historical development of IR and ER, Trade Unions, Collectivism in India and identify important factors that led to its current state of existence.

Charging infrastructure access and operation to reduce the grid impacts of deep electric vehicle adoption

Electric vehicles will contribute to emissions reductions in the United States, but their charging may challenge electricity grid operations. We present a data-driven, realistic model of charging demand that captures the diverse charging behaviours of future adopters in the US Western Interconnection. We study charging control and infrastructure build-out as critical factors shaping charging load and evaluate grid impact under rapid electric vehicle adoption with a detailed economic dispatch model of 2035 generation. We find that peak net electricity demand increases by up to 25% with forecast adoption and by 50% in a stress test with full electrification. Locally optimized controls and high home charging can strain the grid. Shifting instead to uncontrolled, daytime charging can reduce storage requirements, excess non-fossil fuel generation, ramping and emissions. Our results urge policymakers to reflect generation-level impacts in utility rates and deploy charging infrastructure that promotes a shift from home to daytime charging.

Iran, China and the Persian Gulf: An unfolding engagement

AbstractSince the ancient Persian empires, Iran has been the key local actor in the Persian Gulf. In the modern era in particular, it has been engaged in periodic struggles for power with the great powers in this region. Therefore, it would be crucial to ask how Iran would evaluate China's increasing engagement in the Persian Gulf, especially its close ties with Iran's archrivals. As history suggests, Iran's relations with great powers in the Persian Gulf, coupled with the dynamics of transition in the international system, may be the most critical factors shaping the Sino–Iranian relations in the Persian Gulf. These two factors shape the emerging Iranian perception of China's presence in the region in three areas. Geostrategically, Iran views China's increasing presence in the Persian Gulf as a new window of opportunity to alleviate its security dilemma. Although Iranian leaders have concerns about military cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia, they trust that China could be a new balancing force against the United States. In the geoeconomic sphere, Iran seeks cooperation with China in two areas to overcome its regional rivals, that is, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates: it wants to become China's number one trading partner in the region and participate as much as possible in China's energy security. Finally, in terms of connectivity and transit, Iranian leaders hope to define their zones of influence in Iraq and Syria as the main route for the Belt and Road Initiative.

Potential spatiotemporal distribution changes and conservation recommendations of two connected endangered tree peony species (Paeonia decomposita & P. rotundiloba)

• Temperature seasonality and UVB seasonality were the most critical factors shaping the distribution of Paeonia decomposita and P. rotundiloba . • The historical period distributions of the two speices were in the southwest of the current distribution. • The potential distribution of the two tree peonies continued to expand and migrated to high-altitude areas in the north in future. • Establishing priority reserves in advance according to the model prediction is an effective protective measure. Genus Paeonia L. has important economic values in ornamental, medicine and food. China is one of the distribution centers of Paeonia and the origin to all wild species of section Moutan . Nowadays, most tree peonies species are in danger of extinction, but their geographical distribution is still unclear, hindering further resource protection. In this work, based on comprehensive environmental data and long-term presence records, the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model was used to predict the past, current and future potential distribution of two Chinese endemic and endangered species, Paeonia decomposita and Paeonia rotundiloba. The results showed that the two species were narrowly distributed in Western Sichuan (Aba and Ganzi), China, with the temperature seasonality and UV-B seasonality being the most important environmental variables to determine the habitat suitability of the both tree peonies. In addition, growing degree days and precipitation seasonality also had an important impact on P. decomposita and P. rotundiloba, respectively. The reconstitution for the past distribution showed that they were mainly distributed in the south foot of Hengduan Mountains in the last interglacial (LIG) period. The reconstitution for historical suitable distribution indicated that the two tree peonies would migrated along Hengduan Mountains and Yarlung Zangbo River into the southeast of Qinghai Tibet Plateau, northeast from the current distribution. The areas of current potential distribution of the two tree peonies, which were partially crossed, were 14050 km 2 and 45299 km 2 respectively. Under different future climate scenarios, the potential distribution of the two peonies continued to expand and migrated to high-altitude areas in the north if the greenhouse gas concentration will continue to increase. This study will not only provide theoretical guidance for the conservation of P. decomposita and P. rotundiloba , but also help to understand the evolution and migration process of section Moutan.

Neuroanatomical shifts mirror patterns of ecological divergence in three diverse clades of mimetic butterflies.

Microhabitat partitioning in heterogenous environments can support more diverse communities but may expose partitioned species to distinct perceptual challenges. Divergence across microhabitats could therefore lead to local adaptation to contrasting sensory conditions across small spatial scales, but this aspect of community structuring is rarely explored. Diverse communities of ithomiine butterflies provide an example where closely related species partition tropical forests, where shifts in mimetic coloration are tightly associated with shifts in habitat preference. We test the hypothesis that these mimetic and ecological shifts are associated with distinct patterns of sensory neural investment by comparing brain structure across 164 individuals of 16 species from three ithomiine clades. We find distinct brain morphologies between Oleriina and Hypothyris, which are mimetically homogenous and occupy a single microhabitat. Oleriina, which occurs in low‐light microhabitats, invests less in visual brain regions than Hypothyris, with one notable exception, Hyposcada anchiala, the only Oleriina sampled to have converged on mimicry rings found in Hypothyris. We also find that Napeogenes, which has diversified into a range of mimicry rings, shows intermediate patterns of sensory investment. We identify flight height as a critical factor shaping neuroanatomical diversity, with species that fly higher in the canopy investing more in visual structures. Our work suggests that the sensory ecology of species may be impacted by, and interact with, the ways in which communities of closely related organisms are adaptively assembled.

Potential geographical distribution of Stipa purpurea across the Tibetan Plateau in China under climate change in the 21st century

Stipa purpurea ( S. purpurea ), a dominant herbage resource in alpine steppe, has an important impact on animal husbandry and the maintenance of natural environmental stability in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). As a hot spot of global warming, the TP has been greatly affected by climate change. Based on the MaxEnt model, we simulated the potential habitat changes of S. purpurea on the TP in the 21st century using 197 distribution records combined with current (2000–2018) and future (2021–2100) climate data. We also analyzed the critical factors influencing habitat distribution and driving habitat change. The results showed that the MaxEnt model performed well, with the area under the curve (AUC) value of training data and test data being 0.845 and 0.722, respectively. Annual precipitation, elevation, and annual average temperature were identified as the most critical environmental factors shaping the potential distribution of S. purpurea , and temperature was identified as the most critical factor driving S. purpurea habitat change. Under the current climate, the potential habitat area of S. purpurea was 55.15 × 10 4 km 2 , mainly distributed in the Eastern Qinghai-Qilian montane steppe, Southern Tibet montane shrub-steppe, and Ngari montane desert. By the end of the 21st century, the potential habitat area of S. purpurea showed an overall increasing trend, under two shared socio-economic pathways (SSP245 and SSP585) was 87.37 × 10 4 km 2 and 57.80 × 10 4 km 2 , respectively. A comparison of warming scenarios indicated that warming had a positive effect on the distribution of S. purpurea within a certain temperature range, but continued warming would limit distribution ranges. In response to climate warming in the 21st century, potential habitats of S. purpurea will shift northwestward and to higher altitudes. These results will provide a reference for implementing long-term conservation and management strategies on the TP and similar regions . • Species distribution modeling was used to predict the distribution of S. purpurea . • The “BioVars” package was used to calculate 19 bioclimatic variables. • Temperature contributed most to driving habitat redistribution of S. purpurea . • Warming had a positive effect on S. purpurea within a certain range. • Habitats of S. purpurea will shift northwestward and to higher altitudes.

Exploring the role of place in sex work through participant photography

In this article, the authors explore the place-based experiences of sex workers and how these experiences intersect with the juridical realm of sex work. The article begins with an overview of the model informing Canadian legislation, how these laws influence spatial practices, and the impact of these practices on the lives of sex workers. Drawing on findings from a visual research study where 15 sex workers used photography and art to explore their lived experiences, the authors describe how sex work places are shaped by their juridical contexts, influencing experiences of power and privilege, collaboration, identity, stigma, autonomy, safety and support services. These findings highlight that place is a critical factor shaping participants’ overall experiences in the sex industry and contributes to the disparate realities of sex work in the Canadian context. Participant photographs are also described in this article, as these visual representations further communicate the role of place as experienced and understood by sex workers. Recommendations include legislative considerations, inclusive service delivery practices as identified by participants, and a call for further research that examines place-based experiences of sex work on an international scale.

Willingness to Pay for Food Labelling Schemes in Vietnam: A Choice Experiment on Water Spinach.

The growing concern for food safety and quality motivates governments and private sectors to improve consumers’ confidence in food systems, such as through adopting certifications and traceability systems. The recent emergence of diverse food labelling schemes and the turbulence in food systems in emerging countries have sparked questions about consumers’ valuation of such labels. Nonetheless, little is known on how the familiarity with, trust in and knowledge of these food labelling schemes affect consumers’ willingness to pay for labelling schemes in emerging market contexts. This study aims to address these literature gaps by investigating consumers’ valuation of existing certifications, branding and traceability labelling schemes in Vietnam. A face-to-face survey was conducted, including a discrete choice experiment on water spinach in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The findings indicated that Vietnamese consumers are generally willing to pay price premia for food labelling schemes, such as VietGAP certification, EU and USDA organic certifications, private branding and traceable Quick Response (QR) coding. While familiarity and understanding had no significant impact on Vietnamese consumers’ valuation, trust was found to be a critical factor shaping willingness to pay for products bearing VietGAP label. Policy implications and marketing strategies for organic certifications and traceability schemes in Vietnam are discussed.

An Efficient Data Driven-Based Model for Prediction of the Total Sediment Load in Rivers

Sediment load in fluvial systems is one of the critical factors shaping the river geomorphological and hydraulic characteristics. A detailed understanding of the total sediment load (TSL) is required for the protection of physical, environmental, and ecological functions of rivers. This study develops a robust methodological approach based on multiple linear regression (MLR) and support vector regression (SVR) models modified by principal component analysis (PCA) to predict the TSL in rivers. A database of sediment measurement from large-scale physical modelling tests with 4759 datapoints were used to develop the predictive model. A dimensional analysis was performed based on the literature, and ten dimensionless parameters were identified as the key drivers of the TSL in rivers. These drivers were converted to uncorrelated principal components to feed the MLR and SVR models (PCA-based MLR and PCA-based SVR models) developed within this study. A stepwise PCA-based MLR and a 10-fold PCA-based SVR model with different kernel-type functions were tuned to derive an accurate TSL predictive model. Our findings suggest that the PCA-based SVR model with the kernel-type radial basis function has the best predictive performance in terms of statistical error measures including the root-mean-square error normalized with the standard deviation (RMSE/StD) and the Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency (NSE), for the estimation of the TSL in rivers. The PCA-based MLR and PCA-based SVR models, with an overall RMSE/StD of 0.45 and 0.35, respectively, outperform the existing well-established empirical formulae for TSL estimation. The analysis of the results confirms the robustness of the proposed PCA-based SVR model for prediction of the cases with high concentration of sediments (NSE = 0.68), where the existing sediment estimation models usually have poor performance.

Perceptions of Civil Engineering and Construction Students Toward Community and Infrastructure Resilience

Civil engineering and construction (CEC) are among primary higher education programs preparing the next generation of subject experts and decision makers working on different aspects of infrastructure resilience, which is a key component of community resilience. However, in the curriculum of most CEC programs, there is no well-established approach for the formal education of students about resilience. Additionally, the evolving nature of the subject makes it even more challenging to develop a comprehensive knowledge foundation for CEC students regarding infrastructure and community resilience. In this situation, the perception of students becomes a critical factor shaping a program, dealing with resilience in the future. The main objective of this study is to examine the perception of CEC students toward community resilience with a primary focus on infrastructure. A quantitative research method was employed to identify challenges, potentials, importance, and gaps in students’ knowledge and quantify the comparisons. A survey was designed based on the DeVellis model and completed by 382 students enrolled in CEC programs in 15 universities across the US to assess how students perceive basic terms and factors related to resilience. Both descriptive and inferential methods were used to analyze the data. The results highlight a gap in students’ perceptions in terms of resilience definition, factors, scope, and tools, and the potential for better training programs and more engagement is warranted. The findings of this study can be utilized to design, develop, and implement modules to better educate CEC students about the subject matter. Improving the resilience knowledge level among CEC students will equip the next generation of subject experts and decision makers with proper knowledge and tools to enhance preparedness and planning, along with proactive response and recovery before, during, and after adverse natural events. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing an assessment on a sample group in the area of resilience within civil engineering curricula and emphasizing the necessity of embracing educational components by corresponding educators and administrators.

Predicting current and future distributions of Mentha pulegium L. in Tunisia under climate change conditions, using the MaxEnt model

Climate change and human activities have caused the degeneration of the natural habitats of medicinal plants. Mentha pulegium L. is one of the most common medicinal plants in Tunisia that features high economic and ecological values. Predicting species' suitable habitats, through modeling, has evolved as a useful tool for the assessment of resource conservation to protect medicinal plants. Herein, we used MaxEnt model to predict current and future distributions of M. pulegium under two representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) for the years 2050 and 2070. MaxEnt modeling was in the “Excellent” category since all the AUCs were above 0.9. Results showed that high and moderate suitable habitats for the current distribution of M. pulegium encompassed ca. 9929 km2 and 16,423 km2, respectively. These areas are mainly located in North Tunisia. Precipitation of the coldest quarter (Bio19) was identified as the most critical factor shaping M. pulegium distribution. Compared to the current distribution, the highly and moderately suitable areas for M. pulegium under the two RCPs (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) would decrease in the 2050s and 2070s. The model projected a shift of the suitable area from Northeastward to Center-eastward. These results may provide a useful tool for developing adaptive management strategies to enhance M. pulegium protection and sustainable utilization in the context of global climate change.

Long‐term acclimation might enhance the growth and competitive ability of Microcystis aeruginosa in warm environments

Abstract The positive effect of global warming on the growth of cyanobacteria has been widely predicted, but long‐term studies targeting their adaptive potential to higher temperature have not been carried out so far. Predicting the magnitude and impact of cyanobacterial blooms in the future as a response to global warming requires an understanding of how cyanobacteria might change in the long term due to climate change. Here we examined the effect of exposing three Microcystis aeruginosa strains isolated in Romania to ambient (22°C) and high (26°C) temperature for 6 months. Then, the competitive ability of the strains after heat acclimation was evaluated, by analysing their impact on plankton community composition. One of the three strains displayed significantly higher growth rates after 6 months of cultivation at higher temperatures. Following inoculation into a natural plankton community, the overall cyanobacterial abundance significantly increased in the cultures inoculated with this heat‐acclimated strain of M. aeruginosa as compared to the ambient‐acclimated version. The structure of eukaryotic communities was impacted by both inoculated cyanobacteria and temperature during the experiments. The results of this study emphasise the high potential of cyanobacteria to respond to stressors, and highlight the fact that previous acclimation to warming is a critical factor in shaping the overall structure of plankton communities. Our study strongly advocates for including a step of culture acclimation to future experimental conditions in research programmes aiming to better understand the long‐term impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems.

Application of magnetic biochar/quaternary phosphonium salt to combat the antibiotic resistome in livestock wastewater

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal breeding for disease treatment and growth enhancement have been major drivers of the occurrence, diffusion, and accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater. Strategies to combat ARG dissemination are pressingly needed for human and ecological safety. To achieve this goal, a biochar-based polymer, magnetic biochar/quaternary phosphonium salt (MBQ), was applied in livestock wastewater and displayed a high performance in bacterial deactivation and ARG decrease. Efficient antibacterial effects were achieved by both MBQ and quaternary phosphonium salt; however, the abundance and fold change of ARGs in the MBQ treatment indicated a more powerful ARG dissemination control than quaternary phosphonium salt. The application of MBQ evidently reduced the microbial diversity and may primarily be responsible for altering the ARG profiles in wastewater. Network, redundancy, and variation partitioning analyses were further employed to reveal that the microbial community and the presence of mobile genetic elements were two critical factors shaping the pattern of the antibiotic resistome in livestock wastewater. Considered together, these findings extend the application field of biochar and have important implications for reducing ARG dissemination risks in livestock wastewater.

The critical factors shaping customer shopping experiences with innovative technologies

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the customer shopping experience in the innovative technology setting. Specifically, the purpose is to understand how do innovative technologies influence the customer shopping experience?Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative, explorative study has characteristics of a phenomenological research strategy. The data were collected from four focus groups and ten in-depth interviews with consumers. Abductive approach with an implementation of content analysis was used as a method of analysis.FindingsThe results show that there are three critical factors in customer's shopping experience in the context of innovative technologies; (1) channel choice, (2) value dimensions related to convenience and enjoyment, and (3) social interaction. All factors are highly intertwined and influence each other.Originality/valueThis study contributes to customer experience literature by offering a framework for understanding customer shopping experiences in the innovative technology setting. These findings have important implications for retail managers seeking to enhance customer experience and achieve a competitive advantage by utilizing innovative technology.

Pelagic and benthic ecosystems drive differences in population and individual specializations in marine predators.

Individual specialization, which describes whether populations are comprised of dietary generalists or specialists, has profound ecological and evolutionary implications. However, few studies have quantified individual specialization within and between sympatric species that are functionally similar but have different foraging modes. We assessed the relationship between individual specialization, isotopic niche metrics and foraging behaviour of two marine predators with contrasting foraging modes: pelagic foraging female South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) and benthic foraging female southern sea lions (Otaria byronia). Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen was conducted along the length of adult female vibrissae to determine isotopic niche metrics and the degree of individual specialization. Vibrissae integrated time ranged between 1.1 and 5.5years, depending on vibrissae length. We found limited overlap in dietary niche-space. Broader population niche sizes were associated with higher degrees of individual specialization, while narrower population niches with lower degrees of individual specialization. The degree of individual specialization was influenced by pelagic and benthic foraging modes. Specifically, South American fur seals, foraging in dynamic pelagic environments with abundant but similar prey, comprised specialist populations composed of generalist individuals. In contrast, benthic southern sea lions foraging in habitats with diverse but less abundant prey had more generalist populations composed of highly specialized individuals. We hypothesize that differences in specialization within and between populations were related to prey availability and habitat differences. Our study supports growing body of literature highlighting that individual specialization is a critical factor in shaping the ecological niche of higher marine predators.

Reading the Human through Robots

Reading the Human through Robots

Automaticity of lexical access in deaf and hearing bilinguals: Cross-linguistic evidence from the color Stroop task across five languages

The well-known Stroop interference effect has been instrumental in revealing the highly automated nature of lexical processing as well as providing new insights to the underlying lexical organization of first and second languages within proficient bilinguals. The present cross-linguistic study had two goals: 1) to examine Stroop interference for dynamic signs and printed words in deaf ASL-English bilinguals who report no reliance on speech or audiological aids; 2) to compare Stroop interference effects in several groups of bilinguals whose two languages range from very distinct to very similar in their shared orthographic patterns: ASL-English bilinguals (very distinct), Chinese-English bilinguals (low similarity), Korean-English bilinguals (moderate similarity), and Spanish-English bilinguals (high similarity). Reaction time and accuracy were measured for the Stroop color naming and word reading tasks, for congruent and incongruent color font conditions. Results confirmed strong Stroop interference for both dynamic ASL stimuli and English printed words in deaf bilinguals, with stronger Stroop interference effects in ASL for deaf bilinguals who scored higher in a direct assessment of ASL proficiency. Comparison of the four groups of bilinguals revealed that the same-script bilinguals (Spanish-English bilinguals) exhibited significantly greater Stroop interference effects for color naming than the other three bilingual groups. The results support three conclusions. First, Stroop interference effects are found for both signed and spoken languages. Second, contrary to some claims in the literature about deaf signers who do not use speech being poor readers, deaf bilinguals' lexical processing of both signs and written words is highly automated. Third, cross-language similarity is a critical factor shaping bilinguals' experience of Stroop interference in their two languages. This study represents the first comparison of both deaf and hearing bilinguals on the Stroop task, offering a critical test of theories about bilingual lexical access and cognitive control.