Multi-group Model Research Articles

Technology Adoption Intention of Virtual Reality in Tourism: Tourist and Tourism Agencies Perspective

ABSTRACT This research aims to identify the relationship between perceived risks and the adoption of virtual reality technology in the tourism sector for two study groups: tourists and tourism agencies. In this way, we investigate the main differences between clients and tourism agencies in adopting this type of technology in two countries (Spain and Colombia). The financial, social, time, psychological, and performance risks that influence the consumption and the sale of this type of service have been included among the perceived risks. To achieve this objective, a multi-group model is used that considers the theoretical model of the present investigation. A total of 83 tourism agencies and 150 consumers of tourist services between Spain and Colombia were consulted. For the collection of information, an external consulting firm was hired and used a questionnaire to collect data. The methodological contribution is related to the study of variables typical of consumer preferences and variables that affect the decision-making of technological adoption of tourist agencies. The results show that tourists perceive new technologies with a high social risk, while tourism agencies are more concerned with psychological, financial, time, and performance risks.

Emotional Intelligence, Physical Activity Practice and Mediterranean Diet Adherence-An Explanatory Model in Elementary Education School Students.

Currently, there is a global concern with regard to the lifestyles of young people. This study aims to study the association between Mediterranean diet adherence, emotional intelligence and physical activity practice in teenagers in the last cycle of elementary education. In turn, this objective is divided into (a) developing an explanatory model of the practice of physical activity, Mediterranean diet adherence and emotional intelligence; and (b) developing a multi-group model according to the gender of the participants. A descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted in a sample of 293 elementary school students (M = 11.45; S.D = 0.31). The instruments used were an ad hoc socio-demographic questionnaire, the Trait Meta Mood Scale-24, the KIDMED questionnaire and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children. The results show that males show a positive relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and emotional intelligence and between emotional intelligence and physical activity. In contrast, in the case of females, a negative relationship was observed between emotional intelligence and physical activity. In conclusion, it can be seen that gender plays a fundamental role in adolescence, being a key factor influencing an active and healthy lifestyle.

Under contract and in good health: a multigroup cross-lagged panel model of time use and health-related quality of life in working-age men and women

BackgroundSelf-reported time-use in relation to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been widely studied, yet less is known about the directionality of the association and how it compares across genders when controlling for sociodemographic confounders.MethodsThis study focused on the working population of the most recent waves (2013–2018) of the Core-Study of the German Socio-Economic Panel (N = 30,518, 46.70% female, M = 39.24 years). It examined the relationship between three time-use categories (contracted, committed, & leisure time) and HRQoL (self-rated health & life satisfaction) in men and women via multigroup fixed effects cross-lagged panel models. The models controlled for sociodemographic background (age, household income, number of children living in household, employment status, education, & marital status), which was associated with time-use and psychosocial health in previous research.ResultsContracted time showed consistent positive relationships with HRQoL across genders while associations with the other types of time use differed significantly between men and women and across indicators of HRQoL.ConclusionsThe way we spend our time directly predicts our health perceptions, but in the same vein our health also predicts how we can spend our time. Contracted time in particular was associated with positive HRQoL, across genders, and beyond sociodemographic predictors, highlighting the important role of employment in health, for men and women alike. The impact of commitments beyond contracted time-use—like household chores and childcare—however, continues to affect mainly women, which ultimately reflects in poorer health outcomes.

The Dependency–Counterdependency Dynamic: Interactive Effects of System Justification and Power‐Distance Orientation on Radicalization against the Political System

System Justification Theory posits that individuals are less prone to engage in radical action against a system on which they depend. In the present research, we investigated how the association between system‐justifying tendencies and radical intentions is moderated by individuals' orientation towards power differentials, namely their “power distance.” A stronger power distance orientation implies that individuals perceive power differentials as a fixed feature of society, curtailing prospects for change. We hypothesized that, at lower levels of power distance orientation, system‐justification tendencies would be associated with reduced radical intentions. We contend this will occur because individuals feel dependent on a system perceived as malleable (dependency hypothesis). Conversely, at higher levels of power distance orientation, we expected system‐justification tendencies to be associated with stronger radical intentions. We argue that this effect reflects the rejection of dependency on a system perceived as fixed (counterdependency hypothesis). This dependency‐counterdependency dynamic was tested using a multigroup latent structural equation model and samples from four countries (NTotal = 2,502), South Korea, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results were consistent with the hypothesized dynamic across all countries. Theoretical implications of the findings, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

Enhancing social media engagement by the hospitality industry: The power of customer experience dimensions

The purpose of this study is to explore how publications on social media related to hotel experience influence key customer purchasing behaviour variables, thereby extending research concerning guests’ decision-making processes by demonstrating empirically that attachment is a mediating variable between engagement and booking intention. The study also aims to identify the type of online publications focused on hotel experiential dimensions that offers the best results in terms of users’ affective responses. Based on a panel survey of 1279 potential hotel guests conducted in January 2021, a multi-group model shows that interactions with social media content improve brand attachment and booking intention. In addition, the experiential dimensions have a moderating effect. Publications that refer to localization produce better outcomes than those produced by guest mentions and ambience. These results suggest guidance for hotel managers regarding communication strategies for social media based on experience cues, interaction and the establishment of emotional bonds with potential customers.

Research of asteroid mining mechanism and global fairness based on TOPSIS and AHP

With the development of human society, earth resources are increasingly exhausted, and the importance of asteroid mining for human survival is becoming more and more prominent. In this paper, we use TOPSIS, EWM, AHP, and Correlation analysis to describe the definition and model of global equity. We also integrate and divide using the multi-group fairness model's feature selection algorithm, converting the feature selection problem of asteroid resources for N into a multi-group M individual resource allocation problem. The behavior is analyzed and processed by the multi-population fairness algorithm to provide a better allocation solution (a better subset of features), which naturally merges random search and heuristic search to decrease computing effort while achieving improved allocation accuracy. Finally, we verify the practical significance of the model, which can provide policy reference suggestions for decision-makers and is of great significance for the development of mankind in the future.

Audio-visual interaction and visitor characteristics affect perceived soundscape restorativeness: Case study in five parks in China

The capacity of urban parks to contribute to soundscape restorativeness, understood here as contributions to people’s recovery from attentional fatigue and reflection on life issues, is receiving increased interest in research and policy. However, scientific understanding of the influential mechanism of perceived soundscape restorativeness is still not clear. This paper aims to explore the effects of audio-visual interaction on perceived soundscape restorativeness (PSR) of urban parks, considering visitors of different social and demographic characteristics. The research design comprises a survey of 419 visitors to five urban parks in Fuzhou, China, general structure equation modeling, and multi-group model analysis. The results show a substantial dependence of visitors’ PSR values on respective perceptions of soundscape pleasantness and eventfulness, especially soundscape pleasantness. Visual landscape characteristics showed mediating effects on the influence of soundscape pleasantness and eventfulness on the perceived soundscape restorativeness (19.3 % and 28.3 % of the total effect, respectively). Age was the most influential social and demographic characteristic affecting the PSR, followed by gender, while occupation and educational background showed only limited effects. Future development of urban parks should strongly integrate soundscape design considerations to enhance positive PSR effects for visitors.

Time-dependent modeling of photoionization wave propagation in nitrogen

Photoionization fronts are ubiquitous in astrophysics, but difficult to produce in a laboratory experiment. Recently, it was reported that photoionization fronts may be produced in nitrogen gas at pressure of ten atmospheres irradiated by a radiation source with temperature Tr ∼ 100 eV. We present two computational approaches to describe photoionization propagation in nitrogen gas induced by soft x-rays: 1. A time dependent in-line model that solves the ionization and the energy balance and the radiation transfer in a self-consistent way, and 2. A multi-group flux limited diffusion model based on two temperatures for the electrons and radiation, ionization and atomic data tables. Calculations were done for two spectrally different radiation sources, a laser irradiated gold foil and a blackbody Planckian source. It is shown that the atomic modeling and the spectral content of the source clearly affect the evolution of the nitrogen gas.

Modelling group dynamics for crowd simulations

This paper investigates a new method to simulate pedestrian crowd movement in a large and complex virtual environment, representing a public space such as a shopping mall. To demonstrate pedestrian dynamics, we consider groups of pedestrians of different size, sharing a crowded environment. A pedestrian has its own characteristics, such as gender, age, position, velocity, and energy. The proposed method uses a multi-group microscopic model to generate real-time trajectories for all people moving in the defined virtual environment. Additionally, a dynamic model is introduced for modelling group behaviour. Based on the proposed method, all pedestrians in each group can continuously adjust their attributes and optimize their path towards the desired visiting targets, while avoiding obstacles and other pedestrians. Simulation results show that the proposed method can describe a realistic simulation of dynamic behaviour.

Research on Competition and Cooperation of Central Ports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

The construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area requires the establishment of a comprehensive port cooperation mechanism. Coordination is key to port integration. This paper establishes a multi-group Lotka-Volterra model based on the theory of competition and cooperation to study the evolution of the relationships among Hong Kong Port, Shenzhen Port, and Guangzhou Port. The results show that the three major ports have predator-prey roles and form a symbiotic competition and cooperation ecological pattern. The extended Hotelling model is established to study the central ports’ spatial differences; the results show that whether it is the central port cooperation body or the entire central port group, the gains from Shenzhen Port-Guangzhou Port cooperation are greater than between either and Hong Kong Port for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s container business. The biggest competitor to Hong Kong Port in the container business is Guangzhou Port. Hong Kong Port will gain more from cooperation with Shenzhen Port and should strengthen such cooperation. The study provides quantitative support and reference for positioning the strategic development of the high-end shipping business in Hong Kong Port, the pilot free-trade port in Shenzhen Port, and the exploration of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong composite port, Guangzhou Port’s comprehensive shipping hub.

Disaster Resilience Reduces Radiation-Related Anxiety Among Affected People 10 Years After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident.

This study examined whether disaster resilience affects the recovery of mental health states and mitigates psychosocial anxiety 10 years later the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. The survey was conducted in Fukushima's evacuation-directed and non-evacuation-directed areas in January 2020. The 695 participants responded to a questionnaire including items on radiation-related anxiety regarding the Fukushima Daiichi accident, an action-oriented approach as a resilience factor, psychological distress, and demographic information. The structural equation modeling showed that the action-oriented approach also eased radiation-related anxiety by mediating with improving mental health states. Moreover, a multi-group model analysis was conducted for evacuation-directed and non-directed areas. In the evacuation-directed area, we found stronger associations among resilience, mental health states, and radiation-related anxiety, and a direct effect of resilience factors on radiation risk anxiety. These findings emphasize the importance of resilience in post-disaster contexts, at least for a decade, where mental health deteriorates and various psychosocial issues become more complex.

A Critical Assessment for Sport Management Research: Comparing PLS-SEM and CB-SEM Techniques for Moderation Analysis Using Formative Measures

Historically, researchers in the sport management area have used covariance based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) when testing complex models. Recently, researchers have been using partial least squares path modeling (often called PLS-SEM) more frequently. The purpose of this paper was to advise sport management researchers about what approach to use by comparing PLS-SEM versus CB-SEM analytical techniques on the two different types of models: a formative (composite indicator) multigroup model and, a formative (composite indicator) continuous interaction model. We collected data from individuals (N = 1155) in the New England area (USA). After testing a base model, a multigroup model, and a continuous interaction model, we feel that PLS-SEM is the better choice for sport management researchers when testing formative models that use a composite variable. Our research shows when and why each technique works, in addition to showing that PLS-SEM moderation and multigroup models with formative items can work in the R statistical software.

성인 지체장애인의 디지털 역량 및 디지털 조력이 사회자본에 미치는 영향과 모바일 정보활용의 매개효과

This research examined whether and how the digital competence and digital assistance of adults with physical disabilities affect their social capital with a special focus on the role of mobile device use as its medium. A group comparison study was conducted between the elderly and young adults since that the above process would be different for these two age groups of the physically handicapped. The subjects of analysis were 1232 adults with physical disabilities, which were extracted from the respondents of the 2020 Information Gap Survey. First, according to the structural equation model analysis, the bridging social capital of adults with disabilities was directly affected by their Internet use ability and digital assistance, but also indirectly affected through the use of mobile information. The multi-group comparison model analysis revealed that the effect of digital assistance on the use of mobile information and the effect of the Internet use ability on bridging social capital were significantly greater for the elderly thatn for the young. These results suggest that informatization education for the physically disabled should consider the characteristics of the elderly with disabilities. This study emphasizes the need to help the local community digitally to promote the use of mobile information by people with physical disabilities, while considering strategies that can enhance the bridging social capital of the elderly with physical disabilities.

Dynamical analysis of a multi-group SIR epidemic model with nonlocal diffusion and nonlinear incidence rate

In this paper, a multi-group SIR epidemic model with nonlocal diffusion and nonlinear incidence rate in spatially heterogeneous environment is proposed. The well-posedness, including the existence, positivity and boundedness of solutions, is achieved. The basic reproduction number R0 is defined, and the existence of principal eigenvalue is studied. Further, the threshold criteria on the global dynamics of the model are established in terms of R0. That is, when R0<1, the disease-free steady state is globally asymptotically stable, when R0>1, the disease is uniformly persistent. Particularly, a single-group degenerated SIR epidemic model is also studied. We give some properties on the principle eigenvalue and prove that there exists a compact global attractor for the solution semiflow. Furthermore, when the basic reproduction number R̄0>1, we obtain that the endemic steady state is unique to exist and globally asymptotically stable.

Cost-effectiveness evaluation of different control strategies for Clonorchis sinensis infection in a high endemic area of China: A modelling study.

Clonorchiasis is an important food-borne parasitic disease caused by Clonorchis sinensis infection. The evaluation of long-term cost-effectiveness of control strategies is important for disease control and prevention. The present study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the three recommended strategies (i.e., WHO, Chinese and Guangdong strategies) and different combinations of commonly used measures (i.e., preventive chemotherapy, information, education, and communication (IEC) and environmental improvement) on clonorchiasis. The study area, Fusha town in Guangdong Province, was a typical high endemic area in China. The analysis was based on a multi-group transmission model of C. sinensis infection. We set the intervention duration for 10 years and post-intervention period for 50 years. The corresponding costs and DALYs were estimated. Strategies with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) less than 1/5 of the willingness-to-pay threshold were identified as highly cost-effective strategies. The optimal control strategy was obtained using the next best comparator method. The ICERs of Guangdong strategy were $172 (95% CI: $143-$230) US for praziquantel and $106 (95% CI: $85-$143) US for albendazole, suggesting the highest cost-effectiveness among the three recommended strategies. For praziquantel, 470 sets of control strategies were identified as highly cost-effective strategies for achieving infection control (prevalence<5%). The optimal strategy consisted of chemotherapy targeted on at-risk population, IEC and environmental improvement, with coverages all being 100%, and with the ICER of $202 (95% CI: $168-$271) US. The results for transmission control (prevalence<1%) and albendazole were obtained with the same procedures. The findings may help to develop control policies for C. sinensis infection in high endemic areas. Moreover, the method adopted is applicable for assessment of optimal strategies in other endemic areas.

Family socioeconomic status and the parent–child relationship in Chinese adolescents: the multiple serial mediating roles of visual art activities

BackgroundIn light of the recent policy reform in China, the present study aims to investigate the potential impact of family SES on the quality of the parent–child relationship (PCR) through the serial mediating role of participation in organized visual art activities in privately owned centers (VAA1) and parent-supervised visual art activities (VAA2) across genders.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted in anonymous province located in the southwestern part of China. A total of 1624 primary school students aged 7 to 14 years were recruited through a random sampling technique. Subsequently, anonymous survey responses were taken from all students. Multiple serial mediation analysis was performed by using AMOS 21.0 software to attain the primary aim of the study.ResultAccording to the total sample model result, SES has a significant direct effect on the parent–child relationship (β = 0.47, p < 0.001), children’s participation in VAA1 (β = 0.197, p < 0.001) and VAA2 (β = 0.269, p < 0.001). Moreover, the mediation model result indicates that SES has a stronger indirect effect on the parent–child relationship through a mediating role of VAA1 (βgirl = 0.08, p < 0.01; βboys = 0.04, p < 0.01) for female than male samples. However, the mediating effect of VVA2 between SES and the parent–child relationship in the female (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) and male (β = 0.08, p < 0.01) models is equal, although female gender is highly significant. Ultimately, the serial mediation analysis result affirms that the serially mediating role of VAA1 and VAA2 between SES and the parent–child relationship was equal across genders (βboys = 0.001, p < 0.001; βgirls = 0.001, p < 0.001).ConclusionUnlike previous studies, this study’s multigroup model shows that both male and female children can equally restore their relationship with their parents by having substantial participation in both VAA1 and VAA2. Thus, parents ought to play the main role in facilitating and supporting children’s visual art activities without parenting that shows a gender bias.

Biophysiological stress markers relate differently to grit and school engagement among lower- and higher-track secondary school students.

This study examines the relationship between adolescents' biophysiological stress (i.e. cortisol, alpha-amylase and oxidative stress) and the development of grit and school engagement over one school year. The study aims to identify how objective stress affects grit and three dimensions of school engagement. Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the study considers lower- and higher-track school students and their genders. The sample consists of secondary school students (N=82; MAge =13.71; SD=0.67; 48% girls) from Germany. Students participated in a questionnaire and a biophysiological study in the first semester (t1) of the school year and completed the same questionnaire at the end of the school year (t2). After conducting whole-sample analysis, a multi-group cross-lagged panel model was calculated to identify differences among students at lower- and higher-track schools. Whole-sample analysis reveals that students who exhibit high levels of cortisol report lower cognitive school engagement at t2, whereas students who exhibit high levels of alpha-amylase exhibit less grit at t2. Additionally, lower-track students who exhibited high cortisol levels reported lower cognitive and emotional school engagement throughout the school year. Furthermore, higher-track students with high oxidative stress levels reported lower grit and behavioural school engagement at t2. Examining the relationship between biophysiological stress markers and grit and school engagement of students at lower- and higher-track schools indicates that the educational context and its specific subculture shapes physiological stress reactions, which are related differently to grit and engagement dimensions.

Modeling fission spikes in nuclear fuel using a multigroup model of electronic energy transport

In fission based nuclear reactors the fuel is subject to an intense neutron environment that drives the fission chain reaction. Due to this process fission fragments are created with energies reaching 1 MeV/amu that lose energy primarily through inelastic interactions with the electronic structure producing electronic excitations. Subsequently, these excitations thermalize through electron-phonon interactions resulting in the formation of a high temperature thermal spike and associated pressure spike. This process promotes atomic mobility that is expected to evolve lattice defects, including the annealing of latent ion tracks. In this work, a multigroup model for electron energy transport is developed and applied to molecular dynamics simulations in the LAMMPS code to examine fission energy deposition and fission effects in nuclear fuel. This technique utilizes MCNP Monte Carlo electron transport calculations to determine the initial injection of fission energy. To provide a more predictive approach than semi-empirical two-temperature models, the electron-phonon interactions are defined to include multiphonon energy transfer as a function of atomic and electron temperature, and are evaluated from electronic structure calculations using the VASP density functional theory code and PHONON lattice dynamics code. Application of this model to fission energy deposition in uranium dioxide predicts ion track formation and fission enhanced atomic mobility behavior within reasonable agreement of experimental trends. Furthermore, simulations of fission fragment interactions with latent ion tracks demonstrate an annealing effect due to this enhanced mobility.

Modeling the impacts of awareness and limited medical resources on the epidemic size of a multi-group SIR epidemic model

The pharmaceutical interventions of emerging infectious diseases are constrained by the available medical resources such as drugs, vaccines, hospital beds, isolation places and the efficiency of the treatment. The awareness of the population also plays an important role in reducing contacts and consequently, reducing the disease transmission rate. In this paper, we propose a multi-group Susceptible, Infected and Recovered (SIR) epidemic model incorporating the awareness of population and the saturated treatment function that describes the effects of the availability of medical resources for treatment. We assume that the treatment of the infected individuals of a group is affected by the medical resources for the treatment of each group. We calculate the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] in the term of the awareness parameter using the next generation approach. We determine the local and global stabilities of equilibrium (disease free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium) in terms of [Formula: see text] and the availability of medical resources for treatment. We obtain that backward bifurcation occurs at [Formula: see text] along with the existence of multiple endemic equilibria when [Formula: see text] Further, we consider the special case with a single group epidemic system and ensure the existence of multiple endemic equilibria. We showed a necessary condition on the parameter related to the availability of medical resources when backward bifurcation occurs. This situation indicates that reducing the basic reproduction number below unity is not sufficient to remove the disease when the medical resources for treatment are scarce. We used numerical simulations to support and counterpart our theoretical results and discussed the impacts of the awareness of susceptible population and availability of medical resources for treatment in each group, on the epidemic size of each group. Our findings suggest that in the case of limited medical resources, the high treatment rate and awareness of the population are very helpful to control the disease (to reduce the prevalence of infection) and the eradication of disease also depends on initial population sizes. More importantly, it is also obtained that sufficient medical resources for every group are required to eradicate the disease from an entire population.

Research on Competition and Cooperation of Central Ports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Based on the Multi-group Lotka-Volterra Model

Research on Competition and Cooperation of Central Ports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Based on the Multi-group Lotka-Volterra Model