Interactions In Different Contexts Research Articles

Succession Planning and Sustainability of Small and Medium Enterprises: The Moderating and Mediating Role of Transformational Leadership and Career Development

This study explores how succession planning (SP) impacts the sustainability of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, with a focus on the moderating role of transformational leadership (TL) and the mediating role of career development (CD). A survey of 500 employees from 200 registered manufacturing SMEs was conducted using a cross-sectional design and quantitative approach to gather data. Structural equation modeling analyzed the data and tested the hypotheses. Findings show that SP significantly predicts CD and SME sustainability. TL directly enhances SME sustainability and moderates the SP- SME sustainability relationship. CD directly enhances SME sustainability and mediates the SP- SME sustainability relationship. These results contribute to the existing literature by demonstrating how SP, TL, and CD interact within manufacturing SMEs. The study extends existing frameworks by providing valuable insights into SME sustenance. Future research can further investigate these interactions in different contexts to validate and extend the findings.

Where protein structure and cell diversity meet.

Protein-protein interaction networks - interactomes - are charted with the hope to understand how phenotypes emerge and how they are altered in disease states. Early efforts to map interactomes have focused on the assembly of context agnostic, reference networks. However, recent studies have mapped interactomes across different cell lines and tissues, finding highly variable interactomes due to the rewiring of protein-protein interactions in different contexts. Increasing evidence points to significant links between protein structure and interactome diversity seen across cell types and tissues. We discuss how recent findings support the key role of alternative splicing and phosphorylation, two well-established regulators of protein structural and functional diversity, in defining cell type- and tissue-specific interactomes. Moreover, we show that intrinsically disordered protein regions are most favorably equipped to support interactome rewiring by acting as hubs of protein structure and function regulation.

Distinct chemical adsorption behaviors of sulfanilamide as a model antibiotic onto weathered microplastics in complex systems

Having proved to be harmful to plants, fishes and other species, microplastics as an emerging class of pollutants are raising public concern worldwide. Microplastics that harbor invasive substances in aquatic environment have further attracted scientific attention, due to potential synergistic toxicity greater than that produced individually. This study investigates the fundamental aspect of the adsorption behavior of sulfanilamide, one of the mostly adopted and extensively abused antibiotics, to weathered microplastics via hydrophobic interaction in different contexts. By exerting repeated UV-irradiation/temperature-variation, polyamide (PA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics are surface-roughed to display deep furrows depending on composition, while preserving the original chemical groups. Kinetics evaluation reveals an adsorption equilibrium achieved in 2 days. Satisfying fitting with pseudo-second-order model indicates chemical adsorption behavior for sulfanilamide onto all the aged microplastics. Probably due to the distinct surface roughness, a characteristic of Langmuir adsorption for the aged PA and PVC was observed with larger adsorption capacities; While the aged PET microplastics with relatively flat surfaces follow Freundlich adsorption model. We clarified the competition of the antibiotic with other species (e.g., salt, surfactant) and enhanced adsorption by interacting with protein in complex systems. These findings suggest limited adsorption of sulfanilamide antibiotics on microplastics in environment, but incremental toxicity of microplastics to organisms and even human beings that intake antibiotics and microplastics from environment and through food chain.

Salivary Cortisol, but Not Oxytocin, Varies With Social Challenges in Domestic Pigs: Implications for Measuring Emotions.

Animals respond to inherently rewarding or punishing stimuli with changes in core affective states, which can be investigated with the aid of appropriate biomarkers. In this study we evaluate salivary cortisol (sCORT) and salivary oxytocin (sOXT) concentrations under baseline conditions and in response to two negatively- and two positively-valenced social challenges in 75 young pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus), housed and tested in eight social groups. We predicted that: (1) Relative to baseline, weaning and brief social isolation would be associated with increases in sCORT, due to psychosocial stress, and reductions in sOXT, due to a lack of opportunities for social support; and (2) Opportunities for social play, and reunions with group members after a separation would be associated with weaker sCORT responses, and increases in sOXT concentrations compared to baseline and to negative social challenges. Testing and sample collection occurred between 28 and 65 days of age and involved a within-subject design, in which every subject was sampled multiple times in neutral (baseline), negative and positive social contexts. We also recorded behavioral data and measured rates of agonism, play and affiliative interactions in the different contexts, prior to saliva sampling. As expected, negative social challenges were associated with robust cortisol responses. Relative to baseline, pigs also had higher sCORT responses to positive social challenges, although these differences were only significant during reunions. Salivary oxytocin concentrations did not differ between the different social conditions, although sOXT was lowest during the brief social isolation. Behavioral analyses confirmed predictions about the expected changes in social interactions in different social contexts, with increases in agonism following weaning, increases in coordinated locomotor play in the play context and high rates of affiliative interactions during reunions. Relative sCORT reactivity to different contexts may reflect the intensity of emotional responses, with greater increases occurring in response to challenges that involve more psychosocial stress. Our results suggest that sOXT is not a reliable indicator of emotional valence in pigs, although more research is needed to characterize sOXT responses to various challenges with and without access to social support.

Voice assistants in hospitality: using artificial intelligence for customer service

酒店管理中的语音助理：运用人工智能为客户服务研究目的语音（数码, 虚拟或者人工智能）(VAs) 助理能够识别真人声音和系统指令声音从而为人机互动提供助力。 本研究基于酒店业已有的案例探索了酒店和客人语言支持的互动的本质。本研究探索了关于客房服务的表现和实用性的顾客认知和顾客期望。研究设计/方法/途径本研究借用了定性半结构化深入访谈来收集一手数据, 调查了酒店环境中的语音助理目前的运用情况和未来影响。本研究访谈了7位酒店科技服务提供者和21位有使用个人智能扬声器经验的酒店客人。本研究以供需模型来全方位解决此项问题。研究发现研究结论强调了从双方使用者（酒店和客人）角度考量, 并且考虑到语音仪器带来的所有的优势和挑战的重要性。基于顾客之前对这些仪器的使用经验, 本论文深入阐述了对公共空间这些语音助理的使用功能。本分析证明了由AI技术支持下, VAs 可以灵活的识别语音。VAs理解词汇内容并且也懂得词汇作为数据助手来支持智能家庭的自动化以及履行商业职责背后的意义来。酒店从业人员可以尝试运用此科技来提高用户体验, 扩展运营空间和减少成本。从访谈的数据可以证明, 尽管还在初级阶段, VAs 科技已经对酒店运营优化和晋级客户服务做出了显著的贡献和成就。本研究提出了一项介于酒店和客人之间的VA 语言支持的互动模型。研究原创性/价值之前的研究主要针对私人使用, 而不是商业或者酒店空间。考虑到敌对环境和客人和酒店的文化差异, 旅游和酒店成为了尤其有挑战性的领域。本研究通过语音识别革新了酒店服务。本研究针对VAs接受程度和运用进行详细研究从而为酒店领域的AI和IoT提供了专业文献。本文为酒店服务中的VAs使用做出了开拓性的调查并且探讨了正面以及负面的特征和未来展望。研究局限/意义本研究为酒店和旅游管理补充了文献, 尤其是在酒店业人机互动领域。本研究通过语音识别技术对酒店服务的转型革新做出贡献。此项研究可以受益于以酒店管理者为视角的进一步研究。相比于收集科技设备供应方的见解, 对酒店管理者进行访谈可以提供更直接的信息来了解酒店员工对数码语音助理和对语音科技的总体接受程度。实践意义酒店经常寻求途径来提高和客户的互动。本论文对酒店管理和人机互动领域提供了应用典例。本研究提供了酒店客人针对语音设备功能性的总体评价作为有价值的信息, 进而帮助科技提供者来重新审视针对顾客需要从而量身定制服务的策略和方式。最终, 本研究在提高行业战略竞争力层面分享了关于发展和采用此项强大有力科技的见解。

Utilizing a reductionist model to study host-microbe interactions in intestinal inflammation

BackgroundThe gut microbiome is altered in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, yet how these alterations contribute to intestinal inflammation is poorly understood. Murine models have demonstrated the importance of the microbiome in colitis since colitis fails to develop in many genetically susceptible animal models when re-derived into germ-free environments. We have previously shown that Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP)-deficient mice (Was−/−) develop spontaneous colitis, similar to human patients with loss-of-function mutations in WAS. Furthermore, we showed that the development of colitis in Was−/− mice is Helicobacter dependent. Here, we utilized a reductionist model coupled with multi-omics approaches to study the role of host-microbe interactions in intestinal inflammation.ResultsWas−/− mice colonized with both altered Schaedler flora (ASF) and Helicobacter developed colitis, while those colonized with either ASF or Helicobacter alone did not. In Was−/− mice, Helicobacter relative abundance was positively correlated with fecal lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a marker of intestinal inflammation. In contrast, WT mice colonized with ASF and Helicobacter were free of inflammation and strikingly, Helicobacter relative abundance was negatively correlated with LCN2. In Was−/− colons, bacteria breach the mucus layer, and the mucosal relative abundance of ASF457 Mucispirillum schaedleri was positively correlated with fecal LCN2. Meta-transcriptomic analyses revealed that ASF457 had higher expression of genes predicted to enhance fitness and immunogenicity in Was−/− compared to WT mice. In contrast, ASF519 Parabacteroides goldsteinii’s relative abundance was negatively correlated with LCN2 in Was−/− mice, and transcriptional analyses showed lower expression of genes predicted to facilitate stress adaptation by ASF519 in Was−/−compared to WT mice.ConclusionsThese studies indicate that the effect of a microbe on the immune system can be context dependent, with the same bacteria eliciting a tolerogenic response under homeostatic conditions but promoting inflammation in immune-dysregulated hosts. Furthermore, in inflamed environments, some bacteria up-regulate genes that enhance their fitness and immunogenicity, while other bacteria are less able to adapt and decrease in abundance. These findings highlight the importance of studying host-microbe interactions in different contexts and considering how the transcriptional profile and fitness of bacteria may change in different hosts when developing microbiota-based therapeutics.EtQioPqacpXxmFoWy2LpqYVideo abstract

Intention Prediction and Human Health Condition Detection in Reaching Tasks with Machine Learning Techniques.

Detecting human motion and predicting human intentions by analyzing body signals are challenging but fundamental steps for the implementation of applications presenting human–robot interaction in different contexts, such as robotic rehabilitation in clinical environments, or collaborative robots in industrial fields. Machine learning techniques (MLT) can face the limit of small data amounts, typical of this kind of applications. This paper studies the illustrative case of the reaching movement in 10 healthy subjects and 21 post-stroke patients, comparing the performance of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and random forest (RF) in: (i) predicting the subject’s intention of moving towards a specific direction among a set of possible choices, (ii) detecting if the subject is moving according to a healthy or pathological pattern, and in the case of discriminating the damage location (left or right hemisphere). Data were captured with wearable electromagnetic sensors, and a sub-section of the acquired signals was required for the analyses. The possibility of detecting with which arm (left or right hand) the motion was performed, and the sensitivity of the MLT to variations in the length of the signal sub-section were also evaluated. LDA and RF prediction accuracies were compared: Accuracy improves when only healthy subjects or longer signals portions are considered up to 11% and at least 10%, respectively. RF reveals better estimation performance both as intention predictor (on average 59.91% versus the 62.19% of LDA), and health condition detector (over 90% in all the tests).

Functions of language use and raciolinguistic ideologies in students’ interactions

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study investigates the functions of language use and underlying raciolinguistic ideologies in interactions between Latinx emergent bilinguals who are Spanish native speakers and mainstream students in the fifth-grade English classroom in a public elementary school in the U.S. Midwest. Data included audio and video recorded observations and field notes from students’ interactions in different contexts of the school, as well as students’ work samples and test scores, English curricula, and interviews with the students and their English teacher. Data analysis encompassed open coding followed by focused coding, and this work was informed by critical discourse analysis, resulting in the emergence of themes of two major language functions. These functions were to establish the legitimacy of knowledge source and disqualify a minoritized group. Unbeknownst to their well-meaning English teacher, the students displayed curious forms of social agency. Pervasive and important ideologies underlie language functions and language became the site of symbolic power struggles through students’ hegemonic and counter-hegemonic discourses. This study is significant in the country’s present social and political climate of racial tensions and prejudice against minoritized groups. The study ends with practical and research implications.

Spatial scale, neighbouring plants and variation in plant volatiles interactively determine the strength of host–parasitoid relationships

Species‐specific responses to the environment can moderate the strength of interactions between plants, herbivores and parasitoids. However, the ways in which characteristics of plants, such as genotypic variation in herbivore induced volatiles (HIPVs) that attract parasitoids, affect trophic interactions in different contexts of plant patch size and plant neighbourhood is not well understood. We conducted a factorial field experiment with white cabbage Brassica oleracea accessions that differ in the attractiveness of their HIPVs for parasitoids, in the context of different patch sizes and presence or absence of surrounding Brassica nigra plants. Parasitism rates of experimentally introduced Pieris brassicae caterpillars and the presence of naturally occurring Pieris spp. caterpillars in the plots were assessed throughout the growing season. The abundance of Pieris caterpillars was neither affected by cabbage accession nor plot size. Later in the season, when B. nigra plants had senesced, fewer caterpillars were found on cabbage plants in plots with a B. nigra border. Parasitism rates fluctuated over the season, and were not affected by plot size. However, the B. nigra border negatively affected parasitism rates on the accession that is less attractive to the parasitoid Cotesia glomerata, but not on the more attractive accession. Our results show that plant variation in HIPVs can differentially influence herbivores and parasitoids depending on characteristics of the surrounding vegetation context. These findings underscore the importance of considering the interaction between focal plant traits and neighbourhood context to reliably predict trophic cascades.

Analyzing Actors’ Engagement in Sustainable Energy Planning at the Local Level in Ghana: An Empirical Study

Actors play a crucial role in sustainable energy development yet interaction in different contexts is an area that has not received much scholarly attention. Sustainable energy transitions theories such as the Multi-Level Perspective, for instance, have been criticized for not describing precisely the nature of the interactions between actors and institutions within socio-technical systems. The goal of this study was to empirically examine local actors’ engagement and its impact on the planning and implementation of sustainable energy initiatives in the villages and remote areas in Ghana. Using the mixed methodology approach, interviews were performed, focus discussion groups were held, and archival data were collected, and social network modeling and case study analysis was performed. Our findings showed that sustainable energy development at the local level depends on an interplay between local government agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), central government agencies, local communities, and private sector organizations. Despite being the focal point at the local level, local government involvement in sustainable energy planning is limited. In the case of Ghana, sustainable energy planning remains centralized and is manifested in a low level of awareness of local actors on national energy plans. The implication for decision makers is that energy planning functions should be devolved to the local government. Such devolution is expected to ensure the integration of sustainable energies into local government plans for the well-coordinated implementation and effective monitoring of sustainable energy projects.

The impact of computer-mediated contexts on interaction pattern of ESL learners in collaborative writing

ABSTRACTThis case study examined dynamic interactions of two small teams of English as Second Language students when they performed two collaborative argument writing tasks in asynchronous and synchronous web-based contexts. The two teams exhibited different interaction patterns when switching between contexts. These patterns were identified in terms of ‘equality’ and ‘mutuality’ by analysing language functions and writing change functions during the process of collaborative writing. The dynamic feature of peer interactions in different contexts was explained. Participants’ interviews and reflection papers, along with online discourse, revealed that contexts affect interactions through a set of different factors. The findings may help explain the variations of collaboration in online writing contexts, and provide insights into how the contexts should be considered in the design of web-based collaborative writing activities in L2 classes.

Zionist identity and the British Mandate: Palestine's internment camps and the making of the Western native

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship between British police officers, Jewish guards, and German internees in Palestine's internment camps during World War II. Using the reports of the Jewish guards, the paper investigates the role of Western‐identified actors in the Zionist identity‐making project. The reports evince a surprising rapport between the British and their German prisoners and the mistreatment of the Jewish guards by their British superiors. The paper analyses these Jewish accounts in the context of identity‐ and ethnic boundary‐making and argues that they illustrate Zionism's intent to construct itself as a Western but noncolonial movement and Zionists in Palestine as natives but not “Orientals.” The reports also reveal a breach between the formal hierarchy—British officers, Jewish guards, German internees—and the ethnic order, which situated British and Germans at the apex and the Jews at the bottom. The paper highlights the utility of researching group‐making interactions in different contexts to develop a more nuanced understanding of identity‐making processes.

Construing Evaluation Through Patterns: Register-specific Variations of the Introductory it Pattern

This study investigates the introductory it pattern (as in it is important that the technique looks effective) in six varied registers in the British National Corpus (BNC), exploring how it is used to construct evaluation and social interaction in different contexts of situation. Register-specific features were identified in terms of the evaluative semantics of this pattern, the associated clauses and the agents of evaluated clauses. Drawing on the affect, judgement and appreciation dimensions within Martin and White’s Appraisal Framework, this study has unpacked the complexity of evaluative meaning conveyed in this pattern, observing the highest proportion of judgement in academic registers but affect in newspaper. The results show that this structure is most heavily used in academic discourse and that though to-infinitive is the most frequent, a that-clause appears more frequently in academic discourse. Register variation is also found regarding the agents of evaluated clauses, in which academic texts and newspapers most often comment on inanimate entities but fiction and magazines prefer to conceal the agents of what they are evaluating. Thus, the introductory it pattern is a salient evaluation device widely employed in the six registers, seeing varying extents to which its rhetorical use indexes different value systems and discursive norms of registers.

The role of institutions in the process of global convergence to IFRS

This paper uses some major contributions from accounting institutional theory to discuss the process of convergence toward IFRS. Our analysis identifies the most influential institutions and the complex networks of relationships among institutions, offering a valuable contribution to a better understanding of the current state of diffusion of IFRS around the world and the current progress of the convergence process. We identify the different roles of some main institutions, grouping them into three categories and highlighting their main interactions in different contexts. We place global and international institutions such as IOSCO, EU and other international agencies such as the World Bank into the first category, since they have fostered the initial phase of the convergence process. Secondly, we find that the presence of institutions such as local government and standard setters, which play an intermediary role, mediates between the need to guarantee the implementation of the standards and the need to preserve pre-existing equilibria. Finally, we discuss the role played by the end-users of the standards. Our analysis shows that these institutions are the most critical forces. In fact, in the absence of a structured, led program that orients these forces toward IFRS, the convergence process could result in the proliferation of local systems of standards, increasing the risk that harmonisation is achieved only in name.

Professionalism in Medical Education: Where Are We?

Professionalism in Medical Education: Where Are We?

Song in a Social and Sexual Context: Vocalizations Signal Identity and Rank in Both Sexes of a Cooperative Breeder.

In most songbirds, both sexes produce calls, or short vocalizations used to coordinate behaviors and maintain social cohesion. In contrast, songs are longer, more elaborate vocalizations typically only produced by males in behavioral contexts shaped by sexual selection operating through female choice. However, both males and females sing in many cooperatively breeding species, including the superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus). In this species, both sexes produce songs and calls composed of sequences of temporally discrete elements called motifs. Calls signal social group and individual identity, but the function of songs is currently unknown. Because superb starlings often sing in groups, song could be used not only in a sexual context, but also to signal identity and rank within the separate dominance hierarchies observed in males and females. To determine whether songs are used in mate attraction (sexually selected) and/or to influence social rank (socially selected), we compared song diversity with three potential indicators of fitness and dominance: social status, the number of seasons spent breeding, and age. We found that age is correlated with song diversity in both males and females, suggesting that (1) these signals serve similar purposes in both sexes, and (2) song diversity is likely the result of selection by both mutual mate choice and social competition. To test whether songs carry a signal of individuality, we applied spectrogram dynamic time warping to measure pairwise similarity among song motifs, and then calculated motif similarity within and between individuals. We found that motif similarity is higher within individuals than between individuals, suggesting that songs signal individual identity, which may help to establish social rank. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that superb starling vocal behavior in each sex is shaped by both social and sexual selection. Additionally, because call motifs are also used in songs, our data suggest that at least some vocal building blocks have evolved to convey multiple signaler traits and to facilitate complex social and sexual interactions in different contexts.

The Impact of Knowledge of Multiword Units on Pragmatic Knowledge of Iranian EFL Learners

This study investigated the impact of multiword knowledge of chunks on Iranian EFL learners’ pragmatic perception of the illocutionary act of request. The research was triggered by the need for EFL learners to enhance their ability to use English effectively in different social interactions. Two research instruments: a Multiword Chunk Test and a Discourse Completion Test were employed to collect data for this systematic inquiry. Major findings derived from the study highlighted the fact that Iranian advanced EFL learners with higher repertoire of multiword lexical knowledge demonstrated higher pragmatic ability and outperformed in expressing the speech act of request. On the account of findings, it is inferred that knowledge of multiword lexical items is of paramount importance for interactions in different contexts in general and expressing the politeness strategies in particular. It can be argued that insufficient and limited knowledge of multiword units could be a major hindrance to effective learning and communication, resulting in pragmatic failures in many intercultural communication situations.

Coloration reflects behavioural types in the convict cichlid, Amatitlania siquia

Interindividual behavioural differences, consistent over time and across situations, are frequently related to differences in reproductive success, susceptibility to disease and competitive ability. The behavioural phenotype of a conspecific is likely to affect the outcome of a social interaction, so an individual must be able to accurately assess behavioural phenotypes in order to optimize behavioural responses during mate choice, cooperative relationships and agonistic interactions. However, behavioural assessment based on dyadic interactions in different contexts can be costly because it may require significant time, increase the risk of predation and often necessitates special cognitive abilities. Different colour cues are associated with different life history strategies in many species, so coloration might also correlate with behavioural phenotype. Thus, conspecifics could use coloration as a single cue for the mediation of social interactions. We investigated the relationship between personality and coloration in the monogamous, biparental convict cichlid. This species has black melanin-based stripes with interindividual variation in the intensity of these stripes. In addition, females have bright orange spots on their abdomens. Using repeatable measures of boldness, exploration and aggressiveness, we were able to define a behavioural syndrome and quantified the behavioural type of each individual. Behavioural types were predicted by colour traits. In particular, proactive individuals (more aggressive, bolder and quicker to resume behaviour after being startled) were more likely to be dark and, among females, have smaller orange areas. Our results support the hypothesis that coloration in the convict cichlid is related to personality. Thus, coloration could play an important role in mediating social interactions, allowing a quick and reliable assessment of conspecifics' behavioural types.

Absolute binding-free energies between standard RNA/DNA nucleobases and amino-acid sidechain analogs in different environments.

Despite the great importance of nucleic acid–protein interactions in the cell, our understanding of their physico-chemical basis remains incomplete. In order to address this challenge, we have for the first time determined potentials of mean force and the associated absolute binding free energies between all standard RNA/DNA nucleobases and amino-acid sidechain analogs in high- and low-dielectric environments using molecular dynamics simulations and umbrella sampling. A comparison against a limited set of available experimental values for analogous systems attests to the quality of the computational approach and the force field used. Overall, our analysis provides a microscopic picture behind nucleobase/sidechain interaction preferences and creates a unified framework for understanding and sculpting nucleic acid–protein interactions in different contexts. Here, we use this framework to demonstrate a strong relationship between nucleobase density profiles of mRNAs and nucleobase affinity profiles of their cognate proteins and critically analyze a recent hypothesis that the two may be capable of direct, complementary interactions.

Being Open in ICT4D

This paper attempts to clarify what it means to be open in ICT4D. The current uses and understandings of ‘open’ and ‘openness’ are problematic for at least two reasons. First, openness as an umbrella term covers a multiplicity of connotations, applications, and interpretations. There is no set of common theory with which to learn and compare across openness applications. Second, specific instances of openness are typically defined in universal legal and technical terms that, while often necessarily enablers for openness, are not sufficient for understanding the reality of openness in a development context. To address these challenges, this paper argues for placing ICT-enabled open practices at the center of theory and research on open applications in ICT4D. The open practices are: sharing, transparency, reuse, revise, remix, peer production, and crowd-sourcing. Being open in ICT4D is then defined as the strategic application of ICT-enabled openness practices (sharing, transparency, reuse, revision, remixing, crowdsourcing, and peer production) in ICT4D interventions/activities to help tackle a development problem. From a research and practice perspective, the paper argues that a focus on openness practices is beneficial because it: a) theoretically connects openness to development outcomes, b) is where practical learning and theorizing about open practices and their interactions in different contexts is possible, and c) makes comparison across different open applications possible.