The dual environmental impact of AI technologies: Analyzing direct effects vs. economic growth dynamics

Positive end-expiratory pressure optimisation during general anaesthesia in patients with obesity: a narrative review of respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes.

Ambient pH affects the virulence of Phytophthora nicotianae and activates NtFERL2 to enhance the resistance of tobacco to Phytophthora nicotianae. Tobacco is a globally important economic crop and plays a crucial role in agricultural production and rural development. Tobacco black shank, caused by Phytophthora nicotianae, results in severe biomass and yield losses across all major tobacco-growing regions. Variations in soil pH are known to reshape crop-pathogen interactions and pose a threat to productivity, yet how ambient pH affects the occurrence of diseases in plants remains poorly understood. Here, we observed that acidic ambient pH was more conducive to the growth and pathogenicity of P. nicotianae, which was correlated with promoted sporulation and mycelial bulges under laboratory conditions. In tobacco plants, acidic ambient pH increased susceptibility to the pathogen, whereas alkaline pH reduced disease severity. Transcriptome analysis with tobacco plants under different pH regimes for 4weeks showed that genes involved in the plant-pathogen interaction, oxidative phosphorylation and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway were differentially expressed. We identified a receptor-like kinase, FERONIA-like 2 (FERL2), as a resistance factor exhibiting pH-dependent expression variations. Overexpression of FERL2 attenuated resistance differences across pH conditions by activating downstream defense signaling pathways, suggesting its essential role in pH-modulated immunity. Our study demonstrates that acidic pH enhances P. nicotianae virulence and compromises resistance, potentially through impairing FERL2-mediated signaling, providing strategic insights for controlling tobacco black shank under varying soil pH conditions.

Purpose of the study: This systematic literature review aims to synthesize existing research on consumer trust in digital marketing contexts, identify key determinants and outcomes of trust, and develop an integrative conceptual framework that advances theoretical understanding and practical applications in digital marketing environments. Materials and methods: A comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases including Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and EBSCOhost were systematically searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2024. The search protocol utilized keywords: "consumer trust," "digital marketing," "e-commerce trust," "online trust," and "digital consumer behavior." Initial screening yielded 1,847 articles, with 89 studies meeting inclusion criteria after rigorous quality assessment using CASP and JBI critical appraisal tools. Results: The review identified five primary dimensions influencing consumer trust in digital marketing: (1) platform characteristics (security, privacy, design quality), (2) information quality (accuracy, relevance, transparency), (3) social influence (reviews, ratings, social proof), (4) vendor reputation (brand credibility, track record), and (5) technological factors (AI integration, personalization, user experience). Trust significantly impacts purchase intentions (r = 0.67, p < 0.001), brand loyalty (β = 0.58, p < 0.001), and customer engagement. Emerging themes include the dual impact of AI-driven personalization on trust, the critical role of data privacy concerns, and generational differences in trust formation mechanisms. Conclusions: Consumer trust in digital marketing is a multidimensional construct requiring integrated approaches combining technological security, transparent communication, and authentic relationship-building. The proposed conceptual framework integrates cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of trust, providing actionable insights for digital marketers. Future research should examine trust dynamics in emerging technologies (metaverse, blockchain, generative AI) and cross-cultural trust formation patterns.

The application of AI-generated image technology in the educational field is reshaping traditional artistic creation and teaching models. AI tools represented by MidJourney and DALL·E provide students with unprecedented creative possibilities through their powerful image generation capabilities. These technologies have not only transformed the fundamental processes of artistic creation but also exerted profound impacts on cultivating students’ creativity. On one hand, AI tools can lower the threshold for creation, helping learners quickly visualize their ideas and stimulate creative inspiration; on the other hand, their potential negative effects cannot be overlooked, including the possible weakening of students’ original thinking, reduction in manual skill training, and ethical reflections on the essence of artistic creation. From interdisciplinary perspectives integrating cognitive psychology, pedagogy, and philosophy of art, this paper systematically analyzes the dual impact of AI-generated image technology on students’ creativity, explores its reasonable application paths in educational practice, and proposes an evaluation framework of “technology empowerment rather than replacement”, aiming to provide theoretical foundations and practical guidance for fostering creativity in the era of artificial intelligence.

Purpose This study explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on technical skills development, job insecurity, and system adoption within organisations. It examines how businesses can navigate AI-driven workplace transformations while mitigating workforce challenges and fostering a culture of trust and innovation. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a mixed-method approach, combining theoretical analysis with empirical insights. Data were gathered from the AI-driven transformation Scopus database, analysing the relationship between AI implementation, employee perceptions, and organisational strategies for skill development and job security. Findings (1) AI has a dual impact: it increases demand for advanced technical skills while also heightening job insecurity, particularly in organisations lacking structured reskilling programs. (2) Organisations that integrate transparent governance and employee participation into AI adoption strategies experience lower resistance and higher acceptance. (3) A balance between technological advancement and human capital investment is critical for minimising disruptions and ensuring a smooth transition to AI-driven operations. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by the scope of available industry data and the generalisability of case study findings. Future research should explore sector-specific AI adoption challenges and long-term workforce adaptation strategies. Practical implications The findings offer actionable insights for organisational leaders and policymakers, emphasising the need for structured skill enhancement programs, transparent communication, and ethical AI governance frameworks. These measures reduce workforce resistance, enhance innovation, and facilitate equitable AI-driven transformation. Social implications By addressing concerns about job security and skill obsolescence, the study contributes to a more sustainable AI integration approach that promotes workforce adaptability, inclusion, and ethical decision-making in the digital era. Originality/value This research provides a novel perspective by integrating AI adoption, skill development, and job insecurity within the broader framework of organisational transformation. It offers a socio-technical view of AI-driven change, highlighting the importance of ethical considerations and participatory decision-making.

As the maritime industry shifts toward increased automation and the implementation of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), the role of seafarers is undergoing a critical transformation. This study investigates the dual impact of digital tools namely the MARENG Maritime English learning software and the Wysa AI mental health application on enhancing both the technical language proficiency and psychological well-being of marine cadets. Using a quasi-experimental mixed-method design, 120 cadets were divided into experimental and control groups over a six-week intervention period. Quantitative data from Maritime English Assessment Tests (MEAT) and DASS-21 psychological scales revealed significant improvements in the experimental group’s communication skills and mental health scores. Correlation analysis further showed that reduced stress levels positively influenced language performance. Qualitative insights from focus group discussions affirmed that cadets using digital tools experienced heightened confidence, emotional regulation, and learning autonomy. These findings support a holistic, technology-integrated approach to maritime education that aligns with the evolving demands of autonomous shipping and human-centered digital resilience.

The outcome of an infection is determined by the dynamic interplay between microbial growth and host immunity. During a bacterial infection, bacteria killed by innate immune effectors can accumulate as corpses in the extracelluar space, where they can continue to bind (and thus sequester) immune effectors. The impacts on infection outcomes of continued biochemical activity (“sponginess”) by the dead have been generally overlooked in theoretical and empirical studies of within-host disease dynamics. We develop a mechanism-based mathematical model of within-host dynamics that incorporates host microbial sensing, the production of immune effectors, the interaction of those effectors with microbes, and shutdown of the immune response after an infection has been controlled. Corpse sponginess impedes the host’s ability to control infection, but at the same time, the rapid mopping up of effectors by bacterial corpses also protects host tissue against autoimmune self-harm from immune effectors still circulating after the infection has been resolved. This dual impact of bacterial sponginess alters the trade-off between damage done by infecting bacteria versus autoimmune damage, consequently shifting the evolutionarily optimal immune activation and shutdown kinetics. Thus, the sponginess of bacterial corpses likely shapes both short-term infection dynamics and the long-term evolution of immune systems.

ABSTRACT Armed conflicts and humanitarian crises across Africa generate profound yet understudied ecological consequences, reshaping ecosystems through complex processes of degradation and regeneration. This review synthesises evidence from across the continent to examine how warfare, displacement, and refugee settlements alter land use, biodiversity, and conservation outcomes. Conflicts weaken governance, disrupt protected area management, and enable illegal logging, mining, poaching, and unsustainable resource extraction, driving deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and wildlife decline. Refugee settlements, often located near ecologically sensitive areas, intensify pressures on forests, water, and arable land through high demand for fuelwood, food, and construction materials. Quantitative studies, including standardised biodiversity surveys in northern Uganda, reveal striking declines in amphibian, reptile, and plant diversity in refugee‐impacted areas compared to nearby controls. Moreover, empirical evidence from Central and East Africa documents sharp increases in bushmeat trade and consumption during and after periods of armed instability. Yet conflict can also produce paradoxical positive effects, where human abandonment allows vegetation recovery and wildlife resurgence, as documented in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park and other war‐affected landscapes. These contrasting dynamics highlight the dual role of conflict as both a driver of ecological collapse and a catalyst for ecosystem resilience. Integrating social science, ecology, and conflict studies is essential to develop conservation strategies that address both human welfare and biodiversity protection. By framing conflict and displacement as intertwined socio‐ecological processes, our study highlights the urgent need for interdisciplinary approaches to manage Africa's vulnerable ecosystems under conditions of chronic instability.

This study explores the role of TikTok in shaping emotions and communicative dynamics within the broader context of digital culture. The research is grounded in a theoretical framework that traces the shift from a linear communication model to a participatory and convergent ecosystem, characterized by user-generated content and horizontal interaction. Drawing on the concept of digital affordances, the analysis examines how comments on TikTok serve as a crucial dimension, simultaneously driving the algorithmic visibility of content and fostering the construction of social bonds. The study employs a quantitative, descriptive approach, conducting content analysis across three dimensions (syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic) on a corpus of 4206 comments drawn from four self-help videos by influencers Irene Albacete, Daniel Habif, and Yoroi. Additionally, a structured survey of 336 participants, based on a Likert scale, was administered to assess perceptions and emotions associated with these contents. The findings reveal that comments function as interaction multipliers that amplify algorithmic dissemination, generating opportunities for democratizing visibility while also posing risks of reinforcing echo chambers and cognitive biases. Moreover, TikTok demonstrates a dual emotional impact: while it fosters supportive communities and enhances socioemotional skills, it can also intensify challenges such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and large-scale negative emotional contagion. In conclusion, TikTok emerges as a central arena of contemporary digital experience, where algorithmic logic and user participation coexist within a landscape of tension between inclusion and risk. These findings underscore the need for conscious, critical engagement with digital platforms, as well as the ethical responsibility of algorithmic systems in shaping social and emotional life in the digital era.

The proliferation of AI capabilities and growing appetite in workflow integration warrants a closer look at how humans supervise multiple AI teammates. Through a mixed-methods (N = 80) study, we explored how dependency between agents and abstraction of task-related information influence humans’ ability to monitor and utilize AI assistance effectively. Results revealed an asymmetry in user perceptions of AI arising out of their dependency conditions. These perceptions were not driven by how well users understood their AI teammates, but by their (limited) sensitivity to AI’s error severity. This led to masking of less severe errors, especially when the agents depended on one another. Dependencies also led to heightened workload, which was not mitigated by the level of information abstraction. However, users using less abstracted data appreciated AI assistance better, but were low on confidence and performance satisfaction. Through these findings, we offer renewed perspectives on designing multi-agent sociotechnical systems for collaborative decision-making.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs), into education, marks a profound shift in how knowledge is accessed, processed, and applied. These tools offer clear advantages—including improved efficiency, immediate support, and high productivity—but it may simultaneously weaken foundational skills. This Perspective examines the dual impact of AI on education, arguing that over-reliance on AI may displace essential cognitive processes that reinforce professional competence. Emerging evidence points to troubling associations between frequent AI use and diminished critical reasoning. We propose a model of critical alliance, in which AI augments but does not replace core intellectual processes. Unlike existing AI competency or digital literacy, this model centers on preserving human cognitive agency, judgment, reflection, and intellectual ownership, as primary educational outcomes. This framework not only emphasizes cognitive independence, but also equitable access, ethical vigilance, and faculty development as cornerstones of AI literacy. Addressing these questions is essential to safeguard both intellectual growth and educational equity in an AI-augmented era. Unlike existing digital literacy or AI competency frameworks, the critical alliance explicitly centers on preserving human cognitive agency and intellectual ownership as educational priorities, particularly in environments increasingly shaped by high-performing generative systems.

In today's society, the widespread prevalence of social media and mobile internet in contemporary society has propelled the rapid development of "fan culture", with the fan economy emerging as a significant factor influencing the consumption outlook of today's youth. This commercial model, underpinned by vast fan communities, derives economic value through fan participation and consumption behaviour, exerting an increasingly profound influence on both consumer markets and consumer perceptions. Against the backdrop of this fan economy boom, this study employs questionnaire surveys and case studies to gather data and empirical evidence. It focuses on how the fan economy shapes consumer attitudes and its specific impacts, while also examining the long-term consequences of these influences on both the market and consumers themselves. Findings reveal that while the fan economy promotes diversification in consumer values, it also fosters issues such as excessive consumption and blind idol worship. For the market, it enhances brand value and sales volumes, yet carries the risk of vulnerability to negative incidents. This paper offers insights into the dual impact of the fan economy, providing valuable guidance for brands to regulate their operations and for consumers to engage rationally within this economic sphere.

MASSAG model: Towards an integrative neuroscience framework linking emotional trauma, pain, and mechanisms of force-based manipulations.

Integrating Surgical Education and Patient Care: The Impact of a Student-Led Spine Patient Navigator Program.

Nanoplastics-mediated interfacial processes controlling perfluorooctanoic acid transport in forward osmosis.

Dual Impact of Relational Embeddedness on Expertise and Administrative Coordination

Mental health therapists (MHTs) providing care during shared traumatic reality face distinct emotional and professional challenges, particularly when they are also personally affected. While a central concern is compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion that arises from prolonged exposure to others' trauma, this concept does not capture the dual nature of the MHT's traumatic experience, both as a citizen of the region and as a helping professional exposed to the traumatic narratives of their clients. This study explores the shared traumatic reality experiences of MHTs working in a war zone, offering support to trauma survivors while navigating their own exposure to the same crisis. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 20 therapists conducted between April and July 2024, three key themes emerged: (1) We're All in the Same Boat-When Boundaries Blur, reflecting how shared traumatic reality erodes traditional therapeutic roles; (2) The Collapse of Everyday Concerns-When Nothing Feels Important Unless It's Related to the War, illustrating how therapists deprioritised non-trauma issues and experienced emotional detachment; and (3) Therapy as Shared Emotional Support, highlighting a shift towards mutual validation rather than structured interventions. From these findings, we propose a model conceptualising the dual impact of shared traumatic reality on therapists: boundary dissolution can both increase distress and foster resilience, especially when cultural values of solidarity and mutual responsibility are present. Although rooted in one cultural context, this model underscores the importance of identifying community-level resilience factors that help MHTs maintain professional functioning during collective crises and when operating in war zones and other high-stress environments.

Polyimide (PI) microwave absorption (MA) foam is favored in the aerospace field due to its lightweight and chemical stability. However, the poor mechanical properties of PI foam matrix restrict its broader application. While monomer design and component optimization can enhance the mechanical property of PI MA foam, the inherent high melt temperature and viscosity still limit in-depth structure design. Consequently, improving the intrinsic mechanical property of PI MA foam remains a significant challenge. Here, we employ the in situ foaming process, grafting epoxy groups onto PI main chain and incorporating rigid segments to create a cross-linked, interpenetrated, and entangled network system dominated by epoxy-PI molecular chains. The enhanced polarity and stiffness of the PI main chain through molecular design, and the optimized skeletal structure through component regulation, jointly improve the mechanical strength of the PI MA foam. The obtained PI MA foam maintains structural stability even under the dual impact of high temperature (200°C) and load (10 000 times of self-weight). Due to the superior impedance matching and multiple reflection paths, the foam offers the optimal effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 10.5GHz at low CNT content (1.5 wt.%) and thin thickness (2.5mm). This research provides a straightforward and industrial-scale strategy to prepare multifunctional PI MA foam suitable for electromagnetic/infrared stealth in harsh environments.

Urban expansion drives both loss and compensation in city vegetation productivity.