Joint Effects Research Articles

Integrating school robots in K12 education: the effects on spatial configuration and social interactions

ABSTRACT Drawing on a situated approach, the authors study the joint effects of lesson plans, digital artefacts (robots and tablets), spatial behaviours of students and teachers, on reconfiguration of space and interactions between students and teachers. Video observations, cluster analyses and structural equation modelling of indicators show that the lesson plan orchestrated by the teacher plays a significant role in the socio-spatial distribution of students. More precisely, the authors found two different instrumented learning spatial configurations: Traditional Classroom (TC) and Active Learning Classroom (ALC). ALC leads to a horizontal social organisation and general connectedness of the classroom, i.e. multilateral social interactions (e.g. within and from students towards groups of students). Conversely, TC leads to more vertical social relations, with the teacher on the podium and students addressing the teacher. The authors recommend taking into consideration the lesson plan’s degrees of freedom, as well as its possible effects on learning spaces and social interactions, during its implementation.

Asymmetries in Attributions of Blame and Praise, Intent, and Causality: Free Will, Responsibility, and the Side-effect Effect

The Side-Effect Effect (SEE) is the phenomenon that negative side-effects elicit stronger attributions of intent and blame than intent and praise for positive side-effects. There are similar documented asymmetries showing stronger free will attributions to negative than to positive, and stronger associations between free will attributions and blame for negative outcomes than associations between free will attributions and praise for positive outcomes. Together, these are two well-known paradigms in experimental philosophy that have thus far mostly been studied separately. Given that they both examine similar domains regarding agency, intent, and responsibility, we aimed to integrate the two paradigms to examine possible joint effects and interactions. We used the classic SEE scenario with within and between designs, manipulated free will by contrasting deterministic versus indeterministic universes, and measured free will attributions. In two experiments (overall N = 1520), we found support for side-effect effects regarding attributions of intentionality and knowledge (Study 1: d = 0.58-1.77; Study 2: d = 0.61-1.75). We found a strong association between blame/praise and free will attributions, even when controlling for intent and knowledge. Finally, we found that when participants were asked to imagine a counterfactual and report praise or blame based on the experimental condition, blame was more strongly attributed to hypothetical harmful outcomes than praise to helpful outcomes. We found no consistent support for an interaction between the two paradigms, suggesting that they uniquely affect attributions. All materials, data, and code are available on: https://osf.io/z3g6d/

Associations between the intake of single and multiple dietary vitamins and depression risk among populations with chronic kidney disease

BackgroundThe effects of multivitamin exposure on depression among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to explore the effects of individual vitamin intakes and the joint effect of the intake of multiple vitamins (including vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K) on depression risk in participants with CKD.MethodsA total of 3,123 participants with CKD (weighted n = 25,186,480) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database from 2007 to 2014 were included. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to analyze the associations of individual dietary vitamin intakes with depression risk. Additionally, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression were performed to evaluate the joint effect of the intake of the nine vitamins on depression risk.ResultsThe overall prevalence of depression was approximately 11.3% in the study participants. In the fully adjusted model, high intakes of vitamin A (OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.40–0.74), vitamin B1 (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.48–0.95), vitamin B6 (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.49–0.99), vitamin D (OR: 0.67. 95% CI: 0.48–0.94), and vitamin K (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.44–0.85) were associated with a reduced likelihood of depression. BKMR and WQS regression showed that the joint effect of the intake of the nine dietary vitamins had a significant negative effect on depression, with vitamin A intake being the largest contributor in the two models. Lastly, WQS regression reflected the total mixed exposure effect of the nine vitamins (OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.69–0.99).ConclusionHigh intakes of vitamins A, B1, B6, D, and K are associated with low depression risk in patients with CKD. Furthermore, co-exposure to the nine dietary vitamins is a crucial factor contributing to low depression risk in this population.

Joint effects of temperature and humidity with PM2.5 on COPD

BackgroundParticulate matter less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) is a significant air pollutant known to adversely affect respiratory health and increase the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Furthermore, climate change exacerbates these impacts, as extreme temperatures and relative humidity (RH) levels can intensify the effects of PM2.5. This study aims to examine the joint effects of PM2.5, temperature, and RH on the risk of COPD.MethodsA case–control study was conducted among 1,828 participants from 2017 to 2022 (995 COPD patients and 833 controls). The radial basis function interpolation was utilized to estimate participants' individual mean and differences in PM2.5, temperature, and RH in 1-day, 7-day, and 1-month periods. Logistic regression models examined the associations of environmental exposures with the risk of COPD adjusting for confounders. Joint effects of PM2.5 by quartiles of temperature and RH were also examined.ResultsWe observed that a 1 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 7-day and 1-month mean was associated with a 1.05-fold and 1.06-fold increase in OR of COPD (p < 0.05). For temperature and RH, we observed U-shaped effects on OR for COPD with optimal temperatures identified as 21.2 °C, 23.8 °C, and 23.8 °C for 1-day, 7-day, and 1-month mean temperature, respectively, and optimal RH levels identified as 73.8%, 76.7%, and 75.4% for 1-day, 7-day, and 1-month mean RH, respectively (p < 0.05). The joint effect models show that high temperatures (> 23.5 °C) and both extremely low (69.3%) and high (80.9%) RH levels generally exacerbate the effects of PM2.5 on OR for COPD, especially over longer exposure durations.ConclusionThe joint effects of PM2.5, temperature, and RH on the risk of COPD underscore the importance of air pollution control and comprehensive research to mitigate COPD risk in the context of climate change.

Alcohol consumption, polygenic risk score and the risk of colorectal neoplasia.

Excess alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the evidence on the individual and joint effects of alcohol consumption and genetic risk on the occurrence of various stages of colorectal carcinogenesis is limited. We evaluated the associations of alcohol consumption and a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on 140 CRC-related loci with findings of colorectal neoplasia among 4,662 participants in the German screening colonoscopy program. Analyses were conducted by multiple logistic regression. We determined genetic risk equivalents (GREs) to quantify the effect of alcohol consumption in terms of the difference in PRS conveying equivalent risk. Moderate and high (12-<25 and ≥25 g/day) alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of advanced colorectal neoplasia (aOR [95% CI]: 1.28 [1.03-1.58] and 1.44 [1.14-1.81], respectively), while associations with any colorectal neoplasia were weaker. No significant interactions between alcohol consumption and PRS were observed. Participants with high alcohol consumption in the highest PRS tertile had a 3.4-fold increased risk of advanced neoplasia compared to those with low or no alcohol consumption in the lowest PRS tertile. The estimated impact of high alcohol consumption on the risk of advanced neoplasia was equivalent to the risk increase by a 26 percentiles higher PRS (GRE 26, 95% CI 9-44). High alcohol consumption and PRS both have a major impact on the risk of advanced colorectal neoplasia. The estimated preventive impact of avoiding high alcohol consumption is as strong as the impact of having a substantially lower polygenic risk.

Suicide Ideation Among Justice-Involved Youth: Trauma History, Mental Disorder, and Experiences in Residential Facilities

In extant suicide studies on youth in juvenile justice residential facilities, limited research attention has been dedicated to the joint effects of existing suicidality imported by an individual into a facility and the experiences in the facility. The current study conceptualized two camps of determinants of suicide among youth in juvenile justice residential facilities: risks individuals imported into a facility as well as what occurred in a facility. Using state-wide data of justice-involved youth above 8 years, the present study examined the joint effects of these predictors. Results suggested that net of the effects of traumatic childhood experiences and histories of mental disorders, the parental support youth received as well as their participation in prosocial activities in a facility neutralized the risk of suicide ideation. Furthermore, the sets of predictors of suicide ideation were not identical in different types of facilities. Implications for improving screening tools and intervention programs were discussed.

Impact of dopants and leachants on modern UO2-based fuels alteration under final storage conditions: Single and joint effects

Impact of dopants and leachants on modern UO2-based fuels alteration under final storage conditions: Single and joint effects

Associations between ambient benzene and stroke, and the mediating role of accelerated biological aging: Findings from the UK biobank.

Benzene can cause respiratory diseases. However, the associations between benzene and stroke are unclear. A total of 13,116 patients with stroke and 377,120 controls from the UK Biobank were included. The benzene exposure concentrations were matched on the basis of the address information of each participant via a data form from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Weighted Cox regression was used to investigate the association between benzene and stroke risk. The polygenic risk score (PRS) was used to observe the joint effects of benzene exposure and genetic factors on stroke risk. We conducted a mediation analysis to investigate the mediating role of accelerated biological aging in this cohort study. After adjusting for covariates, every 1μg/m3 increase in benzene exposure increased the risk of stroke by 70%, which may be mediated by accelerated biological aging. The population with high benzene exposure concentrations and high PRSs had a 44% greater risk of stroke than did those with low benzene exposure concentrations and low PRSs. Benzene exposure and the PRS have joint effects on the risk of stroke. Benzene exposure was associated with stroke risk, possibly through increased biological aging, and the PRS modified this association.

Physical frailty, genetic predisposition, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

To examine the association between frailty and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), considering the joint effect of multimorbidity and genetic risk. The study included 429,022 individuals in the UK Biobank. We used Cox regression with hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to 1) evaluate the associations of frailty with incident T2DM, 2) explore whether frailty and multimorbidity would have a joint effect, and 3) assess whether the associations were modified by genetic risk. Compared with non-frail individuals, prefrail and frail individuals were at higher risk of T2DM: HR[95%CI] = 1.42 [1.38;1.47] for prefrailty and 1.81[1.70;1.92] for frailty. Five frailty components were associated with increased risk of T2DM: HR[95%CI] = 1.21[1.17;1.26] for weight loss, 1.35[1.30;1.40] for exhaustion, 1.31[1.26;1.37] for low physical activity, 1.27[1.20;1.33] for low grip strength, and 1.47[1.41;1.52] for slow gait speed. The increased risks were more pronounced among frail individuals with more than three morbidities: HR[95%CI] = 4.10[3.76;4.46]. Frail individuals at high genetic risk had a four and a half-fold greater risk of T2DM compared with non-frail individuals at low genetic risk: HR[95%CI] = 4.54[4.14;4.97]. Frailty was associated with increased risk of T2DM, especially in individuals with higher number of morbidities and high genetic risk. Frailty may be an independent risk factor for T2DM and targeted strategies to prevent and manage frailty would contribute to reducing the risk of T2DM.

Midday napping duration and risk of stroke: A prospective study in China.

Evidence on the potential effects of midday napping on risk of stroke in Chinese populations remains limited. We aimed to prospectively investigate the association between midday napping and risk of subsequent stroke and stroke subtypes in the Kailuan study. Midday napping duration was obtained from a self-reported questionnaire. Incident stroke cases from baseline (2014) to December 31, 2020 were confirmed by review of medical records. The association of midday napping duration with risk of incident stroke and subtypes was examined using a Cox regression model, adjusting for potential confounders. We further investigated the joint effects of nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping on the risk of stroke. A total of 96,899 individuals (21.0% women; 51.9±14.0 years) were included. During an average follow-up of 5.62±0.69 years, 2539 incident stroke cases were documented. After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that participants with a midday napping duration of >60min/day had higher risk of incident stroke (adjusted HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.42), compared with those without midday napping. Furthermore, significant joint effects were found in both nocturnal sleep duration (P-interaction=0.04) and snoring status (P-interaction= 0.005) on the association between midday napping duration and the risk of incident stroke, especially for participants who napped >60min/day and slept ≤7h/night compared with those who slept 7-8h/night and did not take a nap, or those who napped >60min/day and snored compared with those who did not take a nap and snore. We found that prolonged midday napping (>60min/day) was associated with higher risk of stroke and the association was stronger among those with shorter nocturnal sleep duration or those who snored.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and risk of prostate cancer: a prospective cohort study.

Air pollution has been hypothesized as a potential risk factor for prostate cancer, while previous studies on the topic mainly focused on single pollutant and the results were inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants and the risk of prostate cancer and their joint effect. This study included 210,722 men free of prostate cancer at baseline from the UK Biobank. Data on ambient air pollutants, including particulate matter with diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), ≤10 μm (PM10), nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), benzene, and ozone (O3) were collected from the UKs Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair during 2003-2021. During a median follow-up of 10.9 years, a total of 10,841 incident prostate cancer occurred. The hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of prostate cancer for each interquartile range increase in PM2.5, PM10, NO2, NOx, SO2, benzene and O3 were 1.120 (1.084-1.158), 1.121 (1.089-1.155), 1.040 (1.009-1.071), 1.040 (1.012-1.069), 0.983 (0.958-1.009), 1.080 (1.050-1.111), and 1.080 (1.050-1.111), respectively. The joint effect of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, NOx, benzene, and SO2 was 1.039 (1.012-1.067). with the greatest contribution from NOx, PM10, benzene, and PM2.5. The impact of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, NOx and benzene on prostate cancer risk was weakened by a higher percentage of greenness at the home location buffer. Long-term exposure to air pollutants may be positively associated with an elevated risk of prostate cancer, particularly for NOx, PM10, benzene, and PM2.5. This study highlights the potential role of comprehensively assessing and controlling various air pollutants in prevention of prostate cancer.

Parental Sensitivity and Infant Social Withdrawal During Mother-Infant and Father-Infant Interactions.

While social withdrawal is a normal defense mechanism displayed by infants to regulate interactions, it can negatively impact infant development when it becomes chronic, leading to delays in motor, cognitive, and communication difficulties in later development. Infant withdrawal was associated with low levels of parental sensitivity (i.e., the capacity of a caregiver to perceive the child signals and to respond to them accurately with an appropriate timing during interactions) in mothers. Few studies have yet been conducted in fathers and even fewer have investigated these questions in both parent-infant dyads within families, so that the joint effects of maternal and paternal sensitivity on infant social withdrawal remain unknown. We investigated within- and between-dyad associations between parental sensitivity and infant withdrawal during interactions with both parents in a sample of biparental families (n=61) and their 3-month old infant. Results showed that higher paternal sensitivity was associated with lower infant withdrawal during father-infant interactions.The same effect was weaker in mothers and only significant when the effect of paternal sensitivity on infant withdrawal during mother-infant interaction was not taken into account. These results offer new insights about the reciprocal influences between the mother-infant and the father-infant relationships.

The joint effect of changes in urbanization and climate on trends in floods: A comparison of panel and single-station quantile regression approaches

Estimates of annual maximum (peak) flow quantiles are needed for basins undergoing changes in both urbanization and climate. Most previous work on the effect of urbanization on peak flows has considered urbanization alone and only the spatial variation in flood quantiles or its mean temporal effect, and most work on the effect of nonstationarity in climate has focused on single-station analyses, which give uncertain results for extreme quantiles. To address these gaps, three approaches to the statistical estimation of the joint effects of changes in impervious cover and climate on the estimation of peak-flow quantiles were compared: single-station quantile regression; a fixed effect panel-quantile regression (pQR) method using a location (mean) shift to homogenize the panel; and a location-scale panel regression model (pQRmom), which accounts for both scale (variance) and location effects. The different approaches were applied to a dataset consisting of instantaneous annual peak flows from 127 minimally nested basins in the midwestern United States with at least 4 % change in imperviousness. The annual maximum daily discharge from a water-balance model was selected as the primary climate predictor; in addition, to provide a comparison of climate predictors, precipitation was also considered. The coefficients from single-station regressions were usually sufficiently certain to determine the effects of climate variation but usually too uncertain to estimate the effects of urbanization. The panel-quantile regression approaches give much more certain results, but their estimates of quantile dependence differ: although both indicate urbanization effects decreasing with decreasing annual exceedance probability (AEP), the pQRmom urbanization coefficients are insignificantly different from zero for AEPs less than 0.10, whereas the pQR coefficients remain positive and are significant except for AEP = 0.01, the smallest AEP value considered. Although the location-scale structure of the pQRmom approach has less flexible quantile dependence than the pQR approach, the pQRmom approach has somewhat lower overall error, and it is found that by subsetting the dataset to homogenize the scale effects, the pQR and pQRmom results become similar, indicating the insignificant urbanization coefficients for small AEPs of the pQRmom results are likely correct for the study dataset.

Revisiting the joint effect of temperature and relative humidity on airborne mold and bacteria concentration in indoor environment: A machine learning approach

Revisiting the joint effect of temperature and relative humidity on airborne mold and bacteria concentration in indoor environment: A machine learning approach

Timing of physical activity, genetic predisposition, and incident depression: An accelerometer-based prospective cohort study.

There is a lack of prospective cohort studies exploring the associations between the timing of physical activity and incident depression. This study aimed to explore the associations and to investigate whether genetic predisposition of depression may modify the associations. The study using data from UK Biobank, included 76,218 participants. The data of total physical activity (TPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were collected by accelerometer measurements over 7 consecutive days. Cox proportional hazard models were performed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI). In total, compared to the midday-afternoon group, participants in the early morning group of TPA had a lower risk of depression (HR: 0.76, 95 % CI: 0.65-0.89). Compared to the inactive group, a lower risk of incident depression was found among the participants with MVPA in the morning (HR: 0.80, 95 % CI: 0.67-0.96) and middy-afternoon (HR: 0.82, 95 % CI: 0.70-0.96). The joint effect analysis of the timing of TPA and genetic predisposition for incident depression showed that compared to the participants with a high genetic predisposition and in the middy-afternoon group of TPA, early morning group had a reduced risk of depression regardless of genetic predisposition. However, in subgroup analyses for genetic predisposition, only participants with a high genetic predisposition to depression benefited from TPA in the early morning. TPA in the early morning and MVPA in the morning and middy-afternoon were significantly associated with a lower depression risk, especially for participants with a higher genetic predisposition of depression.

Abstract TP139: Coordinating Stroke and Sleep Care with Field Staff and Champions: Difference-Makers in a Quality Improvement Program Addressing Sleep Apnea in Stroke Patients

Background: The Addressing Sleep Apnea Post-Stroke/TIA (ASAP) clinical trial aimed to enhance OSA management at six VA medical centers through a hybrid implementation trial, requiring coordination across hospital medicine, sleep medicine, nursing, and neurology in both inpatient and outpatient settings. This analysis evaluated the trial’s efforts to standardize early OSA screening in stroke/TIA patients. Methods: This mixed-methods evaluation used configurational comparative methods (CCMs) to identify key contextual factors for successful implementation, examining the joint effects of multiple factors. The stepped-wedge trial ran from May 2019 to January 2024 across three implementation waves. The primary outcome was the Group Organization (GO) score, which measured team cohesion in managing sleep apnea among cerebrovascular patients. Data sources included observational data, qualitative interviews, and administrative data across three periods (A, B, C), calibrated into dichotomous or multi-value categories for analysis. Results: Four key difference-makers distinguished more successful sites (GO score ≥6) from others: routines for ordering inpatient OSA tests, patient care coordination during hospitalization, involvement of field staff, and strong local champions. The ability to order and complete sleep studies was crucial for timely OSA diagnosis. Field staff (e.g., respiratory technicians, polysomnographic technologists, research) played a critical role in coordinating care during inpatient stays and post-discharge. Key pathways to success included active field staff engagement and strong champion support, particularly in the final phase. Less successful sites faced barriers like geographic separation and staff shortages. The figure describes the values for each of these factors at the 4 more successful versus 2 less successful sites. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of flexibility in integrating new practices, particularly in stroke care requiring multi-specialty coordination. Findings provide a roadmap for healthcare systems implementing similar interventions, emphasizing leadership, coordinated care, and robust tracking for program success.

Potential Vorticity Circulation across the Boundary of the Northern Troposphere and Its Link with East Asian Summer Monsoon in July

Abstract Based on the potential vorticity (PV) theory and employing statistics and diagnostics, this study investigated the characteristics of the PV substance (PVS) and PV circulation (PVC) and the relationship between the PVC across the equator and tropopause in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in July. The results indicate that the elevation of the thermal tropopause produces a prominent downward slope in the midlatitudes, with stronger absolute PVS in the stratosphere. The wind-shear-related PVC penetrates the tropopause downward over the NH high latitudes, travels southward in general to the Southern Hemisphere (SH), penetrates the tropopause upward over the SH high latitudes, and finally travels northward to the northern stratosphere. The cross-equatorial PVC exhibits a layered structure from the surface to the tropopause depending on the vertical shear of the zonal wind. The cross-tropopause PVC has strong meridional gradients over the northern Tibetan Plateau (TP). The combined effects of the PVC across the tropopause and equator can trigger the adjustment of the tropospheric internal PVC, resulting in PVS and circulation redistribution within the NH. Abnormal temperature advection, moisture convergence, and vertical motion were generated, forming a meridional seesaw of precipitation over the East Asian summer monsoon area. Attribution diagnoses revealed that the tropical sea surface temperature anomaly contributed significantly to the cross-equatorial PVC, whereas the meridional gradient of the PVS over the northwestern TP contributes more to the cross-tropopause PVC. Their joint effects generate a precipitation seesaw in the EASM in July.

Joint effect of polysocial risk score, lifestyle and genetic susceptibility with the risk of dementia: A prospective cohort study

ObjectivesThe comprehensive impact of polysocial risk score (PsRS)—encompassing multiple social determinants of health (SDoHs) with genetic and lifestyle factors on dementia incidence remains to be elucidated. Study designThis study aimed to clear the associations between PsRS and dementia incidence and evaluated how genetic and lifestyle factors modified these associations in the UK Biobank cohort.Methods: The detailed prospective study involved over 500,000 participants when recruited in 2006–2010. The PsRS was calculated by 12 SDoHs across psychosocial factors, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood and living environment. A healthy lifestyle score was constructed from physical activities, alcohol consumption, smoking status, and diet. A genetic risk score (GRS) was computed via genotype data from UK Biobank. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between PsRS, lifestyle factors, GRS and dementia. ResultsResults showed the participants with intermediate (HR = 1.32, 95%CI: 1.20–1.45) and high PsRS (HR = 2.10, 95 % CI: 1.91–2.32) were significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia compared with those with a low PsRS. Then, compared with participants with low PsRS and favorable lifestyle/low GRS, high PsRS and unfavorable lifestyle/high GRS had the highest risk of dementia (HR = 3.11,95%CI: 2.63–3.68)/(HR = 3.56, 95%CI: 2.62–4.85). ConclusionsBoth high PsRS and GRS were significantly associated with higher dementia risk. A favorable lifestyle could reduce dementia incidence regardless of high PsRS or GRS. Additionally, focusing on the intervention of SDoHs would be positive in preventing dementia.

DICOM LUT is a Key Step in Medical Image Preprocessing Towards AI Generalizability.

Image pre-processing has significant impact on performance of deep learning models in medicine; yet, there is no standardized method for DICOM pre-processing. In this study, we investigate the impact of two commonly used image preprocessing techniques, histogram equalization (HE) and values-of-interest look-up-table (VOI-LUT) transformations on the performance deep learning classifiers for chest X-rays (CXR). We generated two baseline datasets (raw pixel and standard DICOM processed) from our internal CXR dataset and then enhanced both with HE to create four distinct datasets. Four independent deep learning models for diagnosis of pneumothorax were trained and evaluated on two external datasets. Results reveal that HE enhancement significantly affects model performance, particularly in terms of generalizability. Models trained solely on HE-enhanced datasets exhibit poorer performance on external validation sets, suggesting potential overfitting and information loss. These models also exhibit shortcut learning, relying on spurious correlations in the training data for their prediction. This study highlights the importance of machine learning practitioners being aware of preprocessing techniques applied to datasets and their potential impacts on model performance, as well as need for including preprocessing information when sharing datasets. Additionally, this research underscores the necessity of using pixel values closer to clinical standards during dataset curation to improve model robustness and mitigate the risk of information loss.

How leader–subordinate (In)congruence in narcissism influences leaders’ effectiveness: the mediating role of relationship conflict

Purpose Previous research on narcissism and leadership seldom takes into account the leader–subordinate dyadic relationship and ignores the role of subordinate. Drawing on the contextual reinforcement model of narcissism, the purpose of this study is to explore the joint effects of both leaders’ and their subordinates’ narcissism on the former’s effectiveness through the latter’s perceived relationship conflict with them (RCWL). Design/methodology/approach Self-report data were collected from 315 full-time employees using a three-wave survey. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results of this study reveal that although RCWL is higher when leaders’ narcissism is higher along both congruence and incongruence line, RCWL is lower when leaders’ narcissism exceeds that of their subordinates than it falls short of subordinates’ narcissism when both leader’s and subordinate’s narcissism are low. Furthermore, the results of this study also demonstrate that leader–subordinate (in)congruence in narcissism has an indirect influence on the leaders’ effectiveness because of the resulting relationship conflict, and that the response surface of the total effect of joint narcissism on leader effectiveness possesses a convex surface, which demonstrates that leader effectiveness is lower at the median point when compared to the low- and high-level congruence points. Originality/value This study not only contributes to fit theory, vertical relational conflict and research on narcissistic leader by simultaneously investigating both leaders’ and subordinates’ narcissism and their joint influence on leader–subordinate relational conflict and leaders’ effectiveness but also offers several practical recommendations for companies to enhance leaders’ effectiveness.