Rapid Behavioral Changes Research Articles

Examining Immediate and Sustained Effects of Check-In/Check-Out in Finnish Elementary Schools

Check-in/Check-out (CICO) behavioral support has been implemented in Finnish School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) schools to cater to students who require personalized behavior support beyond the universal level. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of CICO as a behavioral support method. However, further research is needed to investigate its effectiveness in a larger sample and to analyze the timeline for behavioral change. This study focused on 51 elementary school students, assessing their behavior at baseline and during the CICO intervention phase using two data collection methods: the Daily Report Card (DRC) and the School Situation Questionnaire (SSQ). Nonlinear growth modeling was employed to examine the effects of the intervention. The results indicated that CICO yielded significant positive effects on behavior within 1 week of initiating support. After the outcomes stabilized, the behavior change remained stable beyond the first week of the intervention. These effects were detected in both the target behavior measured with DRC and the problem behavior measured with SSQ. These findings suggest that CICO interventions produce rapid and sustained changes in behavior. Further, the effects of CICO were observed in various settings within the school environment, indicating distal outcomes.

Research on the Influence of Brand Interaction on Social Media Platforms and Consumers’ Purchasing Decision-making Process

With the rapid development of Internet technology and the popularity of social media, the interaction between brands and consumers has undergone profound changes. Social media platform, with its unique real-time, interactive and communication, has become an important bridge between brands and consumers. In the complex and changing market environment, brand building and maintenance is the key to the success of enterprises. With rapid changes in consumer behavior and market competition, brands need to adopt innovative strategies to strengthen their market position and consumer loyalty. The impact of KOL and KOC on consumers on social media platforms is complementary. KOL quickly increases brand awareness through extensive influence and professionalism, while KOC deepens consumers’ trust and desire to buy brands through authenticity and high interactivity. The combination of the two can form a complete marketing chain from awareness promotion to trust establishment to purchase transformation to maximize the marketing effect. This paper aims to explore how brand interaction on social media platforms affects consumers’ purchase decision-making process, and analyze its mechanism, influencing factors and effects, and give suggestions.

Fertility Transitions in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: The Role of Preferences

AbstractSince the mid‐twentieth century, the Global South has experienced unprecedently rapid and pervasive changes in reproductive behavior with fertility declining from high pre‐transitional levels to below 3 births per woman in most low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Over time a rough consensus has been reached on major theories about the causes of these declines. However, a controversy remains about the widely held view that changing reproductive preferences (i.e., declining desired family size and rising demand for birth limitation) are the dominant drivers of fertility transitions. Several studies question this conclusion and suggest instead that the rising implementation of existing demand is the main cause of the reproductive revolution in LMICs. The objective of this study is to reconcile the competing “demand” and “implementation” perspectives. This paper assesses the strengths and weaknesses of published decompositions which take trends in the observed total fertility and contraceptive prevalence and break them down into their respective demand and implementation components. The main conclusion from this exercise is that fertility transitions are driven by changes in both preferences and their implementation. Claims of a completely dominant role for either demand or implementation are based on flawed methods and hence must be rejected.

Ebola virus disease model with a nonlinear incidence rate and density-dependent treatment

This paper studies an Ebola epidemic model with an exponential nonlinear incidence function that considers the efficacy and the behaviour change. The current model also incorporates a new density-dependent treatment that catches the impact of the disease transmission on the treatment. Firstly, we provide a theoretical study of the nonlinear differential equations model obtained. More precisely, we derive the effective reproduction number and, under suitable conditions, prove the stability of equilibria. Afterwards, we show that the model exhibits the phenomenon of backward-bifurcation whenever the bifurcation parameter and the reproduction number are less than one. We find that the bi-stability and backward-bifurcation are not automatically connected in epidemic models. In fact, when a backward-bifurcation occurs, the disease-free equilibrium may be globally stable. Numerically, we use well-known standard tools to fit the model to the data reported for the 2018–2020 Kivu Ebola outbreak, and perform the sensitivity analysis. To control Ebola epidemics, our findings recommend a combination of a rapid behaviour change and the implementation of a proper treatment strategy with a high level of efficacy. Secondly, we propose and analyze a fractional-order Ebola epidemic model, which is an extension of the first model studied. We use the Caputo operator and construct the Grünwald-Letnikov nonstandard finite difference scheme, and show its advantages.

Global trends in the financial system and their impact on the banking sector of Ukraine: analysis and recommendations

The paper covers the modern global trends in the financial sphere and their impact on the banking sector of Ukraine. The research was carried out on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of global financial changes, the dynamics of technological innovations and unique challenges facing the banking system of Ukraine. The study reveals key trends in the development of the banking sector, focusing on global challenges and prospects. The modern banking system of Ukraine is in an era of significant technological changes adapted to meet the needs of customers and optimize banking processes. Ukrainian banks must respond to global trends in the financial sphere to ensure competitiveness and meet the growing demands of customers. This requires innovation, digitization and flexibility to respond to rapid changes in technology and consumer behavior. Competition for customers and leadership in innovation are among the key points. Focusing on important aspects of transformation, the scientific work contains not only a thorough analysis of modern trends, but also specific recommendations for Ukrainian banks regarding their effective adaptation to global financial trends. In order to create a strategic direction for Ukrainian banks and ensure their successful future, the authors proposed a comprehensive set of recommended measures covering key aspects of financial activity. If these recommendations are successfully implemented, Ukrainian banks can become the foundation of a stable and innovative financial system that meets the challenges of the global market and contributes to the sustainable development of the country's economy. The paper is distinguished by highlighting not only the problems, but also the opportunities that global financial trends generate. This approach contributes to the uniqueness and value of the work from among the scientific developments in this area for specialists in the financial industry, scientists and everyone who is interested in the future development of the Ukrainian banking system.

Continuous evaluation of cost-to-go for flexible reaching control and online decisions.

Humans consider the parameters linked to movement goal during reaching to adjust their control strategy online. Indeed, rapid changes in target structure or disturbances interfering with their initial plan elicit rapid changes in behavior. Here, we hypothesize that these changes could result from the continuous use of a decision variable combining motor and cognitive components. We combine an optimal feedback controller with a real-time evaluation of the expected cost-to-go, which considers target- and movement-related costs, in a common theoretical framework. This model reproduces human behaviors in presence of changes in the target structure occurring during movement and of online decisions to flexibly change target following external perturbations. It also predicts that the time taken to decide to select a novel goal after a perturbation depends on the amplitude of the disturbance and on the rewards of the different options, which is a direct result of the continuous monitoring of the cost-to-go. We show that this result was present in our previously collected dataset. Together our developments point towards a continuous evaluation of the cost-to-go during reaching to update control online and make efficient decisions about movement goal.

In vivo photopharmacology with a caged mu opioid receptor agonist drives rapid changes in behavior.

Photoactivatable drugs and peptides can drive quantitative studies into receptor signaling with high spatiotemporal precision, yet few are compatible with behavioral studies in mammals. We developed CNV-Y-DAMGO-a caged derivative of the mu opioid receptor-selective peptide agonist DAMGO. Photoactivation in the mouse ventral tegmental area produced an opioid-dependent increase in locomotion within seconds of illumination. These results demonstrate the power of in vivo photopharmacology for dynamic studies into animal behavior.

Effective Faith Partnerships during COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Development Practitioners

Abstract COVID-19 heightened interest in faith partnerships as governments and international agencies sought rapid behavior change to reduce the spread of the pandemic. It illuminated the unique capacity of local faith groups to reach people quickly, effectively, and relevantly. To increase resilience to future crises, the qualities of effective, ethical partnerships must be identified and developed. To support this effort, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities facilitated a learning process that explored key success factors and barriers to effective partnerships for eight faith actors (national and international organizations and networks) who responded to COVID-19, 2020–2021. Four themes recurred. Firstly, there were mixed views about the quality of partnerships with international agencies, some feeling instrumentalized in times of crisis. Secondly, where colonial exploitation has left mistrust of Western “experts,” effective programming with faith communities to counter misinformation requires either skilled, long-term investment in relationships or supporting faith groups already trusted by local communities. Thirdly, many of the most effective responses to COVID-19 emerged when local faith groups took the initiative and responded using their own assets. Finally, although technology facilitated connection, it also excluded, mediating the kinds of partnerships that were possible. The participating faith actors identified the need to build and sustain trusted relationships with local faith groups, increasing resilience by equipping them with asset-based approaches to take the initiative in their own context. They call on international agencies to value their complementary capacities and develop long-term structures for cross-sectoral engagement, supported by flexible funding.

Hygiene Behavior and COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunities of COVID-19-Imposed Changes in Hygiene Behavior.

In Ethiopia, the WHO strategies to stop coronavirus transmission were implemented rapidly. As a result, there was a rapid change in hygiene behavior, which are basic for preventing COVID-19 and other contagious diseases. This research was designed to examine the sustainability of the COVID-19 imposed hygiene behaviors for future challenges. The study was conducted in 2 major nexus areas in Addis Ababa. The data were collected using a questionnaire and spot-check from 622 respondents selected by systematic random sampling. The questionnaire was given at every 15th interval in several spots of the site. Observational hygiene-check was done through observing key personal hygiene conditions. Proportion, χ2 test, and Poisson's regression were applied for the analysis. The χ2-test analyses showed that the hand washing frequency before, during, and post-COVID-19 was statistically significant (P < .005). Findings from the spot-check also show that the hands of 76.8%, the nails of 68.7%, and the hairs of 70.7% of the respondents were clean. The major driving factors for the rapid changes in hygiene behavior were the awareness developed (95%), the fear and panic (90%), and increased access to water and soap (63%). Nevertheless, the major reasons for failing to continue the COVID-19-imposed good hygiene practice in the post-COVID-19 times include the decline in infection and death rates (26%) and the decline in facility access (20%). Hand washing frequency significantly changed during the COVID-19 pandemic indicating that the practice as part of the preventive strategy was successful. However, as this was mainly due to the fear and panic in the community, the COVID-19 imposed hand washing practice did not bring real and sustainable behavioral changes. This indicates that for long-lasting changes in hygiene behavior, continuous and better approach need to be introduced.

The Interplay between COVID-19 and the Economy in Canada

We propose a generalized susceptible-exposed-infected-removed (SEIR) model to track COVID-19 in Canadian provinces, taking into account the impact of the pandemics on unemployment. The model is based on a network representing provinces, where the contact between individuals from different locations is defined by a data-driven mixing matrix. Moreover, we use time-dependent parameters to account for the dynamical evolution of the disease incidence, as well as changes in the rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death. Unemployment is accounted for as a reduction in the social interaction, which translates into smaller transmission parameters. Conversely, the model assumes that higher proportions of infected individuals reduce overall economic activity and therefore increase unemployment. We tested the model using publicly available sources and found that it is able to reproduce the reported data with remarkable in-sample accuracy. We also tested the model’s ability to make short-term out-of-sample forecasts and found it very satisfactory, except in periods of rapid changes in behavior. Finally, we present long-term predictions for both epidemiological and economic variables under several future vaccination scenarios.

Moralizing the COVID-19 Pandemic: Self-Interest Predicts Moral Condemnation of Other's Compliance, Distancing, and Vaccination.

The emergence of the novel coronavirus has put societies under tremendous pressure to instigate massive and rapid behavior change. Throughout history, an effective strategy to facilitate novel behaviors has been to morally condemn those who do not behave in an appropriate way. Accordingly, here, we investigate if complying with the advice of health authorities—for example, to physically distance or vaccinate—has emerged as a moralized issue during the COVID‐19 pandemic. In Study 1, we rely on data (N = 94K) from quota‐sampled rolling cross‐sectional online surveys from eight countries (Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and the United States). We find that large majorities find it justified to condemn those who do not keep a distance to others in public and around half of respondents blame ordinary citizens for the severity of the pandemic. Furthermore, we identify the most important predictors of condemnation to be behavior change and personal concern, while institutional trust and social distrust also play large but less consistent roles. Study 2 offers a registered replication of our findings on a representative sample of Britons (N = 1.5K). It shows that both moralization and condemnation of both vaccination and general compliance are best predicted by self‐interested considerations.

Assessing the Digital Transformation Maturity of Motherboard Industry: A Fuzzy AHP Approach

The coronavirus disease-19 pandemic and the impact of Sino-US trade have accelerated and intensified changes in consumer behavior and promoted the motherboard industry’s digital transformation. However, before entering the implementation stage of digital transformation, enterprises need to examine their readiness. Therefore, we hope to provide a reference for the motherboard industry in the implementation stage of digital transformation in the face of fast-changing market demands by constructing a digital transformation maturity assessment scale. Previously, maturity assessments were performed for manufacturing and smart manufacturing. The digital transformation maturity assessment of the motherboard industry lacks rigorous research in relevant literature. Therefore, this study uses the current state of the motherboard industry to assess its digital transformation maturity and uses the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and expert interviews to summarize and analyze the assessment mode of the digital transformation maturity of the motherboard industry. By analyzing digital transformation maturity and using an objective assessment scale, we can understand the current state of operations and set the right direction. This enables enterprises to obtain maximum benefits with limited resources when facing rapid changes in consumer behavior. We further show the implications of the industry’s operations, and finally, provide practicalrecommendations and conclusions.

Izazovi upravljanja brendom u finansijskom sektoru u uslovima krize

Financial institutions tend to the permanent identification of the financial services users needs and their satisfaction more efficiently than competitors through a certain differentiation. Due to the crisis caused by pandemic, financial sector is facing a number of challenges, which further complicate the brand management process. The process of digitalization is evident. Financial service providers have noticed rapid changes in consumer behavior, both due to health effects and social exclusion, and due to the physical closure of the branches themselves. In this paper, we research whether, and in what way, the current pandemic has imposed a threat or provided an opportunity to the financial sector. One part deals with the characteristics of brand management in the financial sector, with reference to specific circumstances during the crisis. Through the case study, we will process the most valuable global brands in the financial sector and analyze the ways in which institutions react to the crisis. We also provide an example of good practice of a financial institution, which has undertaken certain activities in order to strengthen its brand. The subject of the paper are the world's most famous financial institutions brands, and the purpose is to present their experiences in adapting brand management in the context of the pandemic. As some of the world's most valuable brands in the financial sector are facing a serious decline in brand value after the devastating effects of the pandemic, the aim of this research is to analyze the activities of these institutions and find ways to deal with this problem.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AS A TOOL FOR SUPPORTING DECISION-MAKING IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

The article considers the concept of «business analytics» in the context of modern tools of the decision-making system of food services, noting the importance of such at the present stage of development of the restaurant industry in the general context of changes in the technological infrastructure of restaurants and catering, and during the coronavirus crisis; have been identified areas of application of business intelligence in improving the efficiency of business processes, strategic management of the restaurant industry and ensuring sustainable competitive advantage in the era of digital transformation. The subject of research – economic and managerial relations that arise in the restaurant industry in the process of implementing business intelligence solutions. The methodology was based on general scientific and special research methods. The importance of business intelligence has been a solution in providing business opportunities in terms of real-time information («real-time information flows») in accordance with modern socio-economic challenges and the permanent complexity of the technological infrastructure of restaurants and the Internet space. It was found that better awareness of consumer and customer inquiries, desires and preferences, as well as knowledge of the potential of partners and contractors, can improve corporate business processes by implementing the latest design and services using the capabilities of business intelligence. Analyzed and determined that strategic solutions developed using business analytics and data analysis transform the restaurant industry, providing managers with valuable solutions to optimize customer service, measures to increase customer engagement and improve menu performance. The business intelligence in the modern restaurant business has been determined the key given the high competition in this area, rapid changes in consumer behavior and customer expectations from restaurants. Further developments on this topical issue will be implemented, in particular, primarily in the preparation of new concepts of restaurants and reformatting the business processes in the recovery of the restaurant industry after the coronavirus crisis.

Adaptive Travel Behaviors to Cope with COVID-19: A Swedish Qualitative Study Focusing on Everyday Leisure Trips

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a rapid change in travel behavior for different types of trips, including everyday social and recreational leisure trips. People have used adaptive travel behaviors to cope with the new circumstances for activities and transport. Due to the Swedish strategy focusing on more voluntary restrictions, people have had reason to consider which trips and activities to skip and which to keep. The overall aim of the study is to explore and deepen the knowledge about adaptive behaviors used and seek to understand its possible implications for future travel behavior change towards sustainable mobility through the use of qualitative interviews focusing on everyday leisure trips. The results illustrate how people have used a range of adaptive behaviors to cope with the implications of the pandemic, with cancellation and change of transport mode being the ones most reflected upon by the interviewees. Further, the results reveal how the overall label “everyday leisure trips” in fact includes a variety of trip purposes that differ in terms of flexibility and importance and must thus be approached in different ways in transport policy measures.

A resilient pricing and service quality level decision for fresh agri-product supply chain in post-COVID-19 era

PurposeThis paper investigates how the channel leadership strategies develop a post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resilient agri-supply chain, which reduces supplier and retailer's price loss and enhances the logistics service quality level considering logistics outsourcing of agri-product especially for the rapidly changing market condition.Design/methodology/approachBased on the classical leadership theory, two channel leadership strategies, i.e. LPL and SL, are considered. The proposed framework first derives the equilibrium price and service quality level decision among the supplier, the logistics provider and the retailer. Then it compares both leadership strategies in terms of the equilibrium prices and service quality theoretically. This article also presents a case study of Arabian dates pricing and supply chain to test the theoretically derived propositions.FindingsSelection of suitable leadership strategy is a critical factor for profit maximization of the supply chain drivers and proper optimization of equilibrium price and service quality. Here, the product's quality and the market's socio-economic condition play an important role in selecting a suitable leadership strategy. A random transformation of the physical market to an e-commerce portal creates a wide variation of the market's socio-economic parameters, affecting the equilibrium pricing and the logistics provider's service quality.Research limitations/implicationsThis study proposes a post-COVID-19 resilient agri-supply chain framework considering price and quality-dependent stochastic market demand, incorporating a wide range of socio-economic factors in the model to counteract the effect of rapid behavior change of agri-market due to COVID-19 norms. This research examines the effect of different channel leadership strategies to facilitate suitable decisions on prices and service quality and retrieve the profit of the supplier, retailer and logistics provider. The future models can incorporate competitiveness in logistics outsourcing, fourth-party logistics (4PL) and contract farming in the agri-supply chain. Each of the extensions can open avenues in different directions.Practical implicationsAs the post-COVID-19 market and the customer behavior is randomly changing, and the traditional market is rapidly converting into supermarkets and e-commerce portals, this paper examines the model with a wide variety of e-commerce portals with multi-variation of product. It is conclusive that the product's quality and the market's socio-economic behavior significantly impact the equilibrium decision. The drivers of the supply chain must take them into account before choosing a particular channel leadership strategy.Originality/valueThis study considers a multi-product and multi-market (e-commerce) model by integrating a wide variety of products and the market's socio-economic parameters. The model is tested in a price and quality-dependent stochastic market condition, contributing to the literature by reconciling two different channel leadership strategies into the global logistics of fresh agri-product.

Microglia in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: A Comparative Species Review.

Microglia are the primary immune cells of the central nervous system that help nourish and support neurons, clear debris, and respond to foreign stimuli. Greatly impacted by their environment, microglia go through rapid changes in cell shape, gene expression, and functional behavior during states of infection, trauma, and neurodegeneration. Aging also has a profound effect on microglia, leading to chronic inflammation and an increase in the brain’s susceptibility to neurodegenerative processes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease. Despite the scientific community’s growing knowledge in the field of neuroinflammation, the overall success rate of drug treatment for age-related and neurodegenerative diseases remains incredibly low. Potential reasons for the lack of translation from animal models to the clinic include the use of a single species model, an assumption of similarity in humans, and ignoring contradictory data or information from other species. To aid in the selection of validated and predictive animal models and to bridge the translational gap, this review evaluates similarities and differences among species in microglial activation and density, morphology and phenotype, cytokine expression, phagocytosis, and production of oxidative species in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Contextual behaviour-driven strategy: Digital banking beyond internet and mobile applications

We are witnessing an era of rapid behavioural changes and demanding expectations among clients. Society is developing different lifestyles and habits with trends in contact-free conversational voice control, simplified decision journey, real-time fee-free services and seamless digital experience. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated such behavioural model switches. The time has come to transition away from simply internet and mobile applications. With such fundamental changes, client-centric strategies focused on historical data and incremental changes will no longer apply. Projecting client behaviours based on their underlying needs in context is critical. Clients desire no paperwork, no waits, no fees, no fuss with mobility. Strategy driven by contextual client behaviours shall be shaped to create a cohesive and consistent experience across personal relationships, digital media and AI automated services. This strategy should apply the partition idea behind 2-D puzzles that can be easily turned into 3-D Legos or any forms. Here, technology and the digital media are only a pathway towards connecting clients and their financial providers. This paper discusses the huge potential for banking to integrate financial decisions into clients’ lifestyles and fulfil their needs and to plan new behavioural guidance ahead to realise the compounding value in the long run.

Neuroendocrine and neuroimmune responses in male and female rats: evidence for functional immaturity of the neuroimmune system during early adolescence.

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by rapid behavioral and physiological changes, including enhanced vulnerability to stress. Recent studies using rodent models of adolescence have demonstrated age differences in neuroendocrine responses and blunted neuroimmune responding to pharmacological challenges. The present study was designed to test whether this neuroimmune insensitivity would generalize to a non-pharmacological stress challenge. Male and female adolescent (P29-33) and adult (P70-80) Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to intermittent footshock for one-, two-, or two-hours+recovery. Plasma corticosterone and progesterone levels as well as gene expression of several cytokines and c-Fos gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), the medial amygdala (MeA), and the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) were analyzed. The results of the present study demonstrated differences in response to footshock, with these differences dependent on age, sex, and brain region of interest. Adult males and females demonstrated time-dependent increases in IL-1β and IL-1R2 in the PVN, with these changes not evident in adolescent males and substantially blunted in adolescent females. TNFα expression was decreased in all regions of interest, with adults demonstrating more suppression relative to adolescents and age differences more apparent in males than in females. IL-6 expression was affected by footshock predominantly in the vHPC of adolescent and adult males and females, with females demonstrating prolonged elevation of IL-6 gene expression. In summary, central cytokine responses to acute stressor exposure are blunted in adolescent rats, with the most pronounced immaturity evident for the brain IL-1 signaling system.

New Methods for Assessing Rapid Changes in Suicide Risk.

Rapid-acting interventions for the suicide crisis have the potential to transform treatment. In addition, recent innovations in suicide research methods may similarly expand our understanding of the psychological and neurobiological correlates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This review discusses the limitations and challenges associated with current methods of suicide risk assessment and presents new techniques currently being developed to measure rapid changes in suicidal thoughts and behavior. These novel assessment strategies include ecological momentary assessment, digital phenotyping, cognitive and implicit bias metrics, and neuroimaging paradigms and analysis methodologies to identify neural circuits associated with suicide risk. This review is intended to both describe the current state of our ability to assess rapid changes in suicide risk as well as to explore future directions for clinical, neurobiological, and computational markers research in suicide-focused clinical trials.