Sequential Effects Research Articles

Potential effects of customer-brand identification and self-representation on Aliexpress advocacy: a comparative study

Purpose Drawing on social identity theory (SIT), the current research highlights the sequential mediation effects of customer interaction, functional value and hedonic value in linking customer-brand identification and self-representation with online brand advocacy (OBA). Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 483 Egyptian and 595 non-Egyptian Aliexpress shopping platform customers, then analyzed using SmartPLS 4. Findings The multigroup analysis findings revealed that customer interaction and functional/hedonic values sequentially mediated the linkages of customer-brand identification and self-presentation with OBA for Egyptian and non-Egyptian user groups. Originality/value The novelty of this study is that it tested and validated customer interaction with the Aliexpress service scale, allowing for reflection on the interactive nature of this platform between Egyptian and non-Egyptian customers. SIT also lends credence to the idea that self-presentation mediates the effect of customer-brand identification on Aliexpress’s OBA, potentially shedding new light on this understudied dimension using a theoretical framework.

Undergraduate student performance during the pandemic: a sequential mediation effect of grit and student motivation

Undergraduate student performance during the pandemic: a sequential mediation effect of grit and student motivation

Undergraduate student performance during pandemic: a sequential mediation effect of grit and student motivation

Undergraduate student performance during pandemic: a sequential mediation effect of grit and student motivation

Metabolic bone diseases : what's new in 2023

The sequential effects of romosozumab and denosumab in osteoporosis are shown in real-life, while the mechanisms of post-denosumab rebound are reviewed extensively. A network meta-analysis confirms the superiority of anabolics vs anti-resorptives on fracture reduction, while the latter shown a reduction of mortality in a large population-based study. Fracture risk prediction by FRAXPlus is improved. New meta-analyses confirm the benefits of Vitamin D on fractures and falls. Finally, multiples trials with new molecules for the treatment of rare bone diseases, including osteogenesis imperfecta, fibrous dysplasia and hypoparathyroidism, shown promising results.

Sequential effects of two cations on the fluorescence emission of a coordination polymer with Zn4O core in node.

Distinct changes in the fluorescence emissions of free ligand 5-(1,3-dioxo-1H-benzo[de]isoquinolin-2(3H)-yl)isophthalic acid (H2NAPHISO) than a 2D-zinc-coordination polymer of it, caused by sequential interactions with different sets of binary cations were observed. The coordination polymer having unsymmetrical Zn4O core of tetranuclear zinc-node could be dispersed in dimethylformamide without its degradation. The coordination polymer had an emission peak at 435 nm (quantum yield = 0.082) which was selectively quenched by adding Fe2+ ions. Based on this quenching, the Fe2+ ions in aqueous solution could be detected with a detection limit 42.57 nM. The metal ions such as Li+, Na+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Al3+ did not interfere in the detection; but each of these ions together with Fe2+ ions showed characteristic shift of the emission spectra. The H2NAPHISO in dimethyl formamide was non-fluorescent, but showed emission at 452 nm upon addition of Cd2+ or Zn2+ ions. This new emission of H2NAPHISO caused by zinc or cadmium ions was not quenched by Fe2+ ions. Various cations had affected the emission of the H2NAPHISO with Zn2+ which was much different from the corresponding changes caused by the same ion on the emission of the coordination polymer. For example, the Mn2+ and Zn2+ ions together in a solution of the ligand showed a broad emission spectrum spreading over 380-450 nm, but ions Sn2+ and Zn2+ together had showed emission at a shorter wavelength (380 nm). These allowed to modulate the emission of the ligand by binary combination of metal ions.

외재적 동기에 의해 운동을 시작한 중년기 지속적 생활체육 참여자들의 건강지각이 운동지속의도에 미치는 영향 : 운동만족과 그릿의 순차적 이중매개효과

외재적 동기에 의해 운동을 시작한 중년기 지속적 생활체육 참여자들의 건강지각이 운동지속의도에 미치는 영향 : 운동만족과 그릿의 순차적 이중매개효과

Analysis of curing conditions effect on refractory calcium aluminate phosphate cement and concrete hydration (review)

A literature review and analysis of the effect of curing conditions on refractory calcium aluminate phosphate cement and concrete (CAPC) hydration were conducted. It was shown that temperature, as well as H2O requirement, are the most important variables requiring control during the installation of refractory­concrete linings because it influences the sensitivity of these materials to all processing steps including mixing, placement, curing, and heatup. The above requirements have a sequential effect on the service life and performance of a refractory­concrete lining bonded with CAPC; that is, the strength degradation resulting from structural defects caused by improper placement will be amplified by the use of poor curing practices and of nonuniform and excessively rapid heating. The processing variables that must be controlled during installation and initial heatup of CAPC­bonded concretes are H2O requirement; placement method; curing time, temperature, humidity; and heating rate and schedule. It was shown how the resultant hydrated CAP phases contribute to developing hydraulic bonds at ambient temperatures. It emphasizes the correct use of curing, drying, and firing procedures to avoid structural defects relating to the transition of hydrated phases and gels. Permeable crystalline phases are then developed that maximize structural stability and ensure safe heating of monolithic linings. The concretes obtained retain their volume integrity when subjected to prolonged periods of cyclic heating and cooling; can be used for refractory applications at 1700 °C exhibit sufficient strength of lining 40 MPa.

Thinking fast and slow: a revised SOR model for an empirical examination of impulse buying at a luxury fashion outlet

PurposeDespite the extensive stimulus–organism–response (SOR) literature, little attention has been paid to the role of marketing activity as a key environmental stimulus, and there is a dearth of research examining the interplay between emotions and cognition on consumer behaviour, as well as the sequential effects of emotions on cognition. To address these gaps, this study aims to develop a revised SOR model by incorporating Kahneman’s fast and slow thinking theory to investigate the impulse buying of affordable luxury fashion (ALF).Design/methodology/approachThe authors use outlet stores at Bicester village (BV) in England as the research context for ALF shopping. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse a survey sample of 633 consumers with a BV shopping experience.FindingsThe authors find that impulse buying of ALF arises from the interplay of emotional and cognitive factors, as well as a sequential and dual process involving in-store stimuli affecting on-site emotion and in-store browsing.Research limitations/implicationsThis study reveals that brand connection has a significant and negative influence on the relationship between on-site emotion and in-store browsing, advancing the SOR paradigm and reflecting the interactive effect of human emotion and reasoning on the impulse buying of ALF items.Practical implicationsInsights into consumers’ impulse buying offer practical implications for luxury brand management, specifically for ALF outlet retailers and store managers.Originality/valueThe results suggest a robust sequential effect of on-site emotion towards in-store browsing on impulse buying, providing updated empirical support for Kahneman’s theory of System 1 and System 2 thinking.

Family functioning, parental attachment and students’ academic success

This study explores the intricate relationship between family functioning, emotional bonding, parent-child contact, and academic success among students through a serial mediation analysis. The research, conducted on a sample of 200 participants, sheds light on the indirect pathways through which family dynamics influence academic achievements, emphasizing the significance of emotional connections and parent-child interactions. The findings affirm the positive association between family functioning and academic achievement, in alignment with prior research. Additionally, the study identifies parent-child bonds and contact as partial mediators in this relationship, reinforcing previous findings. A noteworthy discovery is the full complementary sequential mediation effect, revealing that family functioning’s influence on academic success becomes substantial when emotional bonds foster increased parent-child contact. In conclusion, this research underscores the importance of emotional bonds and parent-child contact as sequential mediators, emphasizing their role in translating family dynamics into academic achievements among students. While providing valuable insights, the study acknowledges limitations such as sample size, potential sampling bias, self-reported measures, and a cross-sectional design. Addressing these limitations and expanding the scope of outcomes in future research will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics within family and educational institutions relationships and their profound impacts on students’ academic success.

Addressing sequential and concurrent treatment regimens in a small n sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (snSMART) in the MISTIC study

ABSTRACT Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare and novel pediatric complication linked to COVID-19 exposure, which was first identified in April 2020. A small n, Sequential, Multiple Assignment, Randomized Trial (snSMART) was applied to the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Therapies in Children Comparative Effectiveness Study (MISTIC) to efficiently evaluate multiple competing treatments. In the MISTIC snSMART study, participants are randomized to one of three interventions (steroids, infliximab or anakinra), and potentially re-randomized to the remaining two treatments depending on their response to the first randomized treatment. However, given the novelty and urgency of the MIS-C disease, in addition to patient welfare concerns, treatments were not always administered sequentially, but allowed to be administered concurrently if deemed medically necessary. We propose a pragmatic modification to the original snSMART design to address the analysis of concurrent versus sequential treatments in the MISTIC study. A modified Bayesian joint stage model is developed that can distinguish a concurrent treatment effect from a sequential treatment effect. A simulation study is conducted to demonstrate the improved accuracy and efficiency of the primary aim to estimate the first stage treatments’ response rates and the secondary aim to estimate the combined first and second stage treatments’ responses in the proposed model compared to the standard snSMART Bayesian joint stage model. We observed that the modified model has improved efficiency in terms of bias and rMSE under large sample size settings.

Breathe out the Secret of the Lung: Video Classification of Exhaled Flows from Normal and Asthmatic Lung Models Using CNN-Long Short-Term Memory Networks

In this study, we present a novel approach to differentiate normal and diseased lungs based on exhaled flows from 3D-printed lung models simulating normal and asthmatic conditions. By leveraging the sequential learning capacity of the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network and the automatic feature extraction of convolutional neural networks (CNN), we evaluated the feasibility of the automatic detection and staging of asthmatic airway constrictions. Two asthmatic lung models (D1, D2) with increasing levels of severity were generated by decreasing the bronchiolar calibers in the right upper lobe of a normal lung (D0). Expiratory flows were recorded in the mid-sagittal plane using a high-speed camera at 1500 fps. In addition to the baseline flow rate (20 L/min) with which the networks were trained and verified, two additional flow rates (15 L/min and 10 L/min) were considered to evaluate the network’s robustness to flow deviations. Distinct flow patterns and vortex dynamics were observed among the three disease states (D0, D1, D2) and across the three flow rates. The AlexNet-LSTM network proved to be robust, maintaining perfect performance in the three-class classification when the flow deviated from the recommendation by 25%, and still performed reasonably (72.8% accuracy) despite a 50% flow deviation. The GoogleNet-LSTM network also showed satisfactory performance (91.5% accuracy) at a 25% flow deviation but exhibited low performance (57.7% accuracy) when the deviation was 50%. Considering the sequential learning effects in this classification task, video classifications only slightly outperformed those using still images (i.e., 3–6%). The occlusion sensitivity analyses showed distinct heat maps specific to the disease state.

The contributions of clinical disease activity, functional disability, and illness intrusiveness to depressive symptoms in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Clinical disease activity associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)can place physical limitations on youths' activities of daily living. In turn, functional limitations potentially contribute to youths' heightened experience of IBD-induced intrusions on a wide range of routine and valued activities (i.e., illness intrusiveness), which can increase their risk for depressive symptoms. The present study examined the contributions of clinical disease activity, functional disability, and illness intrusiveness to depressive symptoms in youth with IBD. Youth (N = 180) completed the Functional Disability Inventory (FDI),Illness Intrusiveness Scale-Child (IIS-C),and Children's Depression Inventory-2 (CDI-2).Physicians completed the Physicians Global Assessment of disease activity (PGA). Results revealed a mediating effect for functional disability in the association between disease activity and depressive symptoms (PGA → FDI → CDI-2);illness intrusiveness mediated the association between functional disability and depressive symptoms (i.e., FDI → IIS-C → CDI-2).Serial mediation revealed that clinical disease activity conferred an indirect effect on youth depressive symptoms through the sequential effects of functional disability and illness intrusiveness (i.e., PGA → FDI → IIS-C → CDI-2). Taken together, these findings indicate that youth who encounter more physical limitations as a function of clinical disease activity are more likely to experience an amplified sense of IBD-related intrusions on their ability to participate in meaningful activities. In turn, heightened illness intrusiveness increases the likelihood of depressive symptoms. Clinical interventions that help youth maintain adequate functional ability in the face of IBD disease activity and encourage involvement in positively valued activities could decrease the negative impact of IBD on youths' emotional adjustment.

Sequential effect and temporal orienting in prestimulus oculomotor inhibition.

When faced with unfamiliar circumstances, we often turn to our past experiences with similar situations to shape our expectations. This results in the well-established sequential effect, in which previous trials influence the expectations of the current trial. Studies have revealed that, in addition to the classical behavioral metrics, the inhibition of eye movement could be used as a biomarker to study temporal expectations. This prestimulus oculomotor inhibition is found a few hundred milliseconds prior to predictable events, with a stronger inhibition for predictable than unpredictable events. The phenomenon has been found to occur in various temporal structures, such as rhythms, cue-association, and conditional probability, yet it is still unknown whether it reflects local sequential information of the previous trial. To explore this, we examined the relationship between the sequential effect and the prestimulus oculomotor inhibition. Our results (N = 40) revealed that inhibition was weaker when the previous trial was longer than the current trial, in line with findings of behavioral metrics. These findings indicate that the prestimulus oculomotor inhibition covaries with expectation based on local sequential information, demonstrating the tight connection between this phenomenon and expectation and providing a novel measurement for studying sequential effects in temporal expectation.

Connecting e-customer relationship management and e-loyalty to willingness to recommend a bank service: the sequential mediating roles of e-satisfaction and e-service quality

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of e-customer relationship management (e-CRM) on customer e-loyalty through e-service quality and e-satisfaction. This study also examines how customers’ e-loyalty affects their willingness to recommend a banking service. Design/methodology/approach A total of 372 private bank customers from Chattogram, the second largest and only port city of Bangladesh, were chosen using a convenience sampling technique. Structured equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings E-CRM positively impacts e-service quality, customer e-satisfaction and customer e-loyalty. The association between e-CRM and customer e-loyalty is sequentially mediated by e-service quality and e-satisfaction. E-loyalty has a significant influence on willingness to recommend a banking service. Practical implications The findings will help Bangladeshi banks boost the number of prospective customers implementing e-CRM. In addition, mediators between e-CRM and e-loyalty provides managers a new insight on willingness to recommend a banking service. Originality/value The sequential mediation effect of e-service quality and customer e-satisfaction on the connection between e-CRM and e-loyalty represents the unique contribution and enriches the present e-CRM literature, particularly in the Bangladeshi private banking sector.

Cation exchange resins enhance anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: Roles in sequential recovery of hydrogen and methane

The recovery of renewable bioenergy from anaerobic digestion (AD) of sludge is a promising method to alleviate the energy problem. Although methane can be effectively recovered through sludge pretreatment by cation exchange resin (CER), the simultaneous enhancement of hydrogen and methane generation from AD using CER has not been extensively investigated. Herein, the effect of CER on the sequential recovery of hydrogen and methane and the corresponding mechanisms were investigated. When CER is introduced, the maximum increases for the hydrogen and methane production are 104.7 % and 35.3 %, respectively, confirming the sequential enhancement effects of CER on the hydrogen and methane production. Analyses of the variations in the main biochemical components with and without the effect of CER demonstrate that CER promotes sludge organic solubilisation, hydrolysis, and acidification in both hydrogen- and methane-production stages. Moreover, investigations of variations in the solid–liquid interfacial thermodynamics and removal rates of main multivalent metals of sludge reveal that the ion exchange reactions between the CER and sludge in the hydrogen-production stage provide the direct driving force of effective contact between bacteria and organic particulates. Additionally, the residual effect of the CER during methane production reduces the energy barrier for mass transfer and provides a driving force for this transfer. Further analyses of the microbial community structure and metagenomics indicate that CER directly drives the enrichment of hydrogen-producing bacteria (+ 15.1 %) and key genes encoding enzymes in the hydrogen-production stage. Moreover, CER indirectly induces the enrichment of methane-producing anaerobes (e.g. Methanosaeta: + 16.7 %, Methanosarcina: + 316.5 %); enhances the bioconversion of different substrates into methyl-coenzyme M; and promotes the metabolism pathway of acetoclastic process and CO2 reduction in the methane-production stage. This study can provide valuable insights for simultaneously enhancing the production of hydrogen and methane from AD through sequential recovery.

The effect of levers of control, firm’s capability, and transformational leadership on competitive advantage: A study on manufacturing firms in Indonesia

This research uses the Input-Process-Output model to investigate the impact of levers of control (LoC) on organizational aspects in Indonesia. The study views LoC as both internal and external input to an organization. It examines how transformational leadership (TL) and firm capability (FC) act as processes to integrate these elements, leading to competitive advantage (CA) as the output. Using data from 260 questionnaires, the study conducted a series of analyses, including reliability and validity checks, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicate that LoC significantly influences TL, FC, and CA. TL and FC have notable effects on a company’s CA, with both factors mediating the relationship between LoC and CA. TL and FC have a sequential mediation effect on the link between LoC and CA. The study also touches on its implications, boundaries, and potential areas for future exploration.

Action-rule-based cognitive control enables efficient execution of stimulus-response conflict tasks: a model validation of Simon task performance.

The human brain can flexibly modify behavioral rules to optimize task performance (speed and accuracy) by minimizing cognitive load. To show this flexibility, we propose an action-rule-based cognitive control (ARC) model. The ARC model was based on a stochastic framework consistent with an active inference of the free energy principle, combined with schematic brain network systems regulated by the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), to develop several hypotheses for demonstrating the validity of the ARC model. A step-motion Simon task was developed involving congruence or incongruence between important symbolic information (illustration of a foot labeled "L" or "R," where "L" requests left and "R" requests right foot movement) and irrelevant spatial information (whether the illustration is actually of a left or right foot). We made predictions for behavioral and brain responses to testify to the theoretical predictions. Task responses combined with event-related deep-brain activity (ER-DBA) measures demonstrated a key contribution of the dACC in this process and provided evidence for the main prediction that the dACC could reduce the Shannon surprise term in the free energy formula by internally reversing the irrelevant rapid anticipatory postural adaptation. We also found sequential effects with modulated dip depths of ER-DBA waveforms that support the prediction that repeated stimuli with the same congruency can promote remodeling of the internal model through the information gain term while counterbalancing the surprise term. Overall, our results were consistent with experimental predictions, which may support the validity of the ARC model. The sequential effect accompanied by dip modulation of ER-DBA waveforms suggests that cognitive cost is saved while maintaining cognitive performance in accordance with the framework of the ARC based on 1-bit congruency-dependent selective control.

Leader–member exchange (LMX) and work performance: an application of self-determination theory in the work context

ABSTRACT Using self-determination theory (SDT) as a guiding framework, we examined the effects of leader–member exchange (LMX) on performance through psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. Lagged data was collected from 333 dental hygienists across four time points. We examined three forms of performance: task performance, organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), and counterproductive work behaviour (CWB). LMX was positively related to all three forms of psychological need satisfaction (competence, relatedness, autonomy), autonomy need satisfaction was positively related to intrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation was negatively related to CWB. Overall, there were significant indirect effects from LMX to all forms of performance; however, the mediating mechanisms varied. LMX was indirectly linked to task performance through competence need satisfaction and autonomy need satisfaction, to OCB through competence need satisfaction, and to CWB through the sequential effects of autonomy need satisfaction on intrinsic motivation. Our results highlight the complexity of the LMX-performance relationship and show that SDT can help to explain the relationship, depending on the type of performance being assessed.

The role of engagement and knowledge-sharing in the high-performance work systems–innovative behaviour relationship

PurposeThis paper aims to examine two indirect mechanisms through which employees' perceptions of high-performance work systems (HPWS) foster employees' innovative behaviour (IB). Particularly, this study analyses the sequential mediating role of work engagement and knowledge-sharing in this relationship at the individual level.Design/methodology/approachUsing researchers and professors working at a Spanish state university as an empirical sample and applying partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the authors test hypotheses regarding the impact of the indirect and sequential effect of engagement and knowledge-sharing on the relationship between employees' perceptions of HPWS and IB.FindingsFindings indicate the existence of a sequential mediating effect of work engagement and knowledge-sharing. The authors' results suggest that the existence of engagement is necessary for the influence of HPWS on IB to become effective.Social implicationsThe authors' results also highlighted the importance of suitable design and implementation for HPWS so that employees feel motivated and dedicated to their work.Originality/valueThe authors' findings contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms by which HPWS enhance employees' IB, and the results are especially salient in advancing the theoretical understanding of how HPWS, engagement and knowledge-sharing are relevant variables for IB.

Sequential link in depression, sleep and cognition: Longitudinal evidence from a serial multiple mediation analysis of older adults in China

BackgroundA growing body of literature examines the link between depression, sleep and cognition, but little is known regarding the extent to which this relationship holds among older adults over time. ObjectiveThis study examines how sleep duration mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive performance, by utilizing partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) estimation. MethodsThis study utilizes the 2013–18 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) dataset, of which 3557 participants over the age of 50 satisfied inclusion criteria. Depressive symptoms and cognitive performance are measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); sleep duration is assessed using the adapted Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A serial multiple mediation model was built to assess how depressive symptoms in 2013 and in 2018 are related, in addition to assessing their links with sleep duration and cognitive performance. FindingsResults indicate that early depression positively predicts depression progression (std.β = 0.564, 95 % Confidence Interval: 0.534, 0.594), but negatively predicts sleep duration (std.β = −0.081, 95 % CI: −0.128, −0.034) and cognitive performance (std.β = −0.118, 95 % CI: −0.165, −0.072). The sequential indirect effect of early depression operating via depression progression and sleep duration is evaluated to be −0.083 (95 % CI: −0.110, −0.056), representing as much as 41.29 % of the total effect. ConclusionsEarly depressive symptoms are directly associated with increased depressive symptoms and shortened sleep, which are identified as key channels through which early depression is linked with worsened cognition. Clinical implicationsMany older adults may underestimate the adverse costs of early depression, since its net effects on cognition could be channeled indirectly and discretely via depression progression and sleep, which is worth highlighting in health guidelines and clinical recommendations.