Theoretical Relationship Research Articles

Management innovation, digital capacity and enterprise innovation performance

Purpose Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are key players in economic activities. Yet little research focuses on their management innovation’s effect on innovation performance, this paper explores the impact of three sub-dimensions of management innovation (new organizational structure, new processes and new practices) on innovation performance (innovation outcome performance and innovation process performance) of SMEs in the manufacturing industry. It elucidates the mediating role of external knowledge search (search depth and search breadth) and identifies the moderating effect of digital capability.Design/methodology/approach By collecting primary data through a questionnaire survey, this paper employs Mplus and SPSS to analyze data.FindingsThis paper finds that management innovation positively affects innovation performance, with a greater impact on innovation outcome performance. Search breadth partially mediates the relationship between new organizational structure and innovation performance. Digital capability positively moderates the positive relationship between management innovation and external knowledge search.Originality/value The theoretical contribution of this study is to supplement the research on the consequences of management innovation and to improve the theoretical relationship between management innovation and external knowledge search based on firm behavior theory.

Extension of the scope of the photoluminescence method after electron irradiation for quantifying low-level carbon in silicon

We have extended the applicability of the photoluminescence method after electron irradiation for quantifying low-level C impurities in Si crystals. The intensity ratio of the G-line to the intrinsic emission normalized by the ratio of the reference sample is used as an index of the C concentration. The calibration curves have already been established for Czochralski-grown crystals with resistivity higher than 50 Ω·cm (n-type) and higher than 5 kΩ·cm (p-type). We showed that the method was extendable to the resistivity range down to 30 Ω·cm in n-type samples with the O concentration in the range 1–6 × 1017 cm−3. The extension to float-zone (FZ) crystals was realized by using the theoretical relationship between the C concentration and the G-line intensity ratio normalized by the ratio of the FZ reference sample. Regarding the extension to conductive p-type B-doped samples, the formation of B-related radiation-induced defects was found to be an obstacle.

The optical and electrical properties of nano-sized lead-free BaxFe(1−x)TiO4 perovskites cells: empirical and theoretical relations

The optical and electrical properties of nano-sized lead-free BaxFe(1−x)TiO4 perovskites cells: empirical and theoretical relations

Statistical investigation of interdependence of trabecular microarchitectural parameters from micro-computed tomography

Standard microarchitectural analysis of bone using micro-computed tomography produces a large number of parameters that quantify the structure of the trabecular network. Analyses that perform statistical tests on many parameters are at elevated risk of making Type I errors. However, when multiple testing correction procedures are applied, the risk of Type II errors is elevated if the parameters being tested are strongly correlated. In this article, we argue that four commonly used trabecular microarchitectural parameters (thickness, separation, number, and bone volume fraction) are interdependent and describe only two independent properties of the trabecular network. We first derive theoretical relationships between the parameters based on their geometric definitions. Then, we analyze these relationships with an aggregated in vivo dataset with 2987 images from 1434 participants and a synthetically generated dataset with 144 images using principal component analysis (PCA) and linear regression analysis. With PCA, when trabecular thickness, separation, number, and bone volume fraction are combined, we find that 92 % to 97 % of the total variance in the data is explained by the first two principal components. With linear regressions, we find high coefficients of determination (0.827–0.994) and fitted coefficients within expected ranges. These findings suggest that to maximize statistical power in future studies, only two of trabecular thickness, separation, number and bone volume fraction should be used for statistical testing.

The influence of personal and economic oppression on a country's corruption levels worldwide

This empirical research study endeavors to analyze the indirect association between oppression and corruption in 147 nations around the globe to answer one question: "Why does oppression drive corruption in many nations?" The author used secondary data from two different resources. The first source is the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), created by Transparency International (TI) in 2020, and the Human Freedom Index (HFI), co-published by the Cato Institute. In addition, the second source is the Political Stability Index in 2020 to test the three research hypotheses using the R-square, and Anova shows that the model is personal and economic oppression explains 53.5 percent of the variance. In addition, the Weighted Least Squares Regression Analyses imply that there is a positive and meaningful connection between personal oppression (β = 3.028, p < 0.000) and corruption and economic oppression and corruption (5.203, p < 0.000). This study's findings confirmed the theoretical and conceptual relationship between oppression and bribery and identified personal and economic oppression factors as the leading causes of corruption in many countries. The study findings also contribute to the literature and the industry as well. Theoretically, the study results help researchers to understand why oppression causes corruption at the country level. Practically, the study results help policymakers, educators, and international business planners to consider roots when making successful strategic decisions in the era of the globalized world. The author also discussed the research limitations and practical and theoretical implications.

Oblique streaming waves observed in multipactor-induced plasma discharge above a dielectric surface

In a recent discovery (Wen et al 2022 Phys. Rev. Lett. 129 045001), streaming waves were found in multipactor-induced plasma discharges. However, due to the limitations of a 1D simulation setup, these waves displayed only transverse dynamics. In this letter, an extended 2D particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo model is used to simulate multipactor-induced plasma discharge above a dielectric surface. The results reveal that the streaming waves are not solely transverse but oblique, featuring both transverse and longitudinal components of the wave vector. Furthermore, it is identified that the sheath-accelerated field-emission electrons, rather than the previously reported secondary emission electrons, predominantly cause the excitation of streaming waves. The simulated wave spectrum achieves an excellent agreement with the theoretical dispersion relation. The identification of oblique streaming waves provides new insights into multipactor physics and is anticipated to inspire novel mitigation strategies for multipactor-induced breakdown processes.

Assessing the effect of open innovation on firm performance: a study of Indian IT organisations

PurposeThere is a growing interest among academics, government agencies and private organisations to examine the scale, characteristics, and impact of Open Innovation (OI). Studies have examined these issues mainly in the context of a developed world. Because firms in developing economies face unique challenges of OI such as building networks, inter-firm interactions, collaboration for resource utilisation and knowledge sharing, these warrant an examination of the theoretical relationships between the antecedents of OI and their impact on performance as well as mediators of these relationships. Therefore, this study develops a comprehensive OI framework to measure open innovation and analyse its effect on the innovation performance of Indian IT organisations.Design/methodology/approachTheoretically, the study draws upon the Resource-Based View, Relational View, and Absorptive Capacity theories. Empirically, a survey questionnaire was distributed to Indian IT organisations through the online survey tool “Qualtrics”. The research framework was tested using the data collected from 346 Indian IT organisations.FindingsThe results highlight the positive effect of OI activities on innovation performance and the mediating role of absorptive capacity. IT organisations with a higher inbound knowledge and absorptive capacity demonstrated better innovation performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to understanding the mediating effect of absorptive capacity for inbound innovation. Future studies into the mediating role of desorption capacity could reveal its impact on innovation performance.Practical implicationsFrom a management perspective, this knowledge will enable managers and policymakers to emphasise OI to achieve better innovation performance. This knowledge will provide both government decision-makers and IT managers with definite OI implications for innovation performance.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study lies in exploring the interconnectedness among IT organisations and collaborative processes on OI and innovation performance. This empirical study pinpoints the causes and sources of OI that would lead to innovation performance and the mediating role of absorptive capacity in achieving innovation performance. It extends the empirical base of OI scholarship based on firms in an emerging economy.

Stakeholder engagement in managing systemic risk management

AbstractThis paper employs the interpretative lens provided by stakeholder theory to garner novel insights for research and managerial practices within the framework of high‐reliable organizations (HROs). It proposes an interpretative matrix for analyzing and explaining how stakeholders’ behaviors and interactions can transition from a “strategic” to a “responsibility” approach in the context of risk management. The paper adopts a qualitative methodology based on a case study of the Italian Civil Protection—an HRO—during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Through the analysis of institutional sources and reports, we apply two theoretical frameworks to examine how the organization's engagement strategy changed in response to an unexpected event. This case serves to illuminate the main implications and practical applications of shared conceptual reflections. The principal implications are traced in terms of theory, practice, and policy, focusing on the joint examination of organizational reliability and stakeholder engagement theory, the potential utility of the proposed case study, and the feasible policy actions. The main limitations of this study lie in the purely qualitative methodology employed, the nature of the organization analyzed, and the territorial scope of the study. Future works will address an empirical investigation of the theoretical relations uncovered herein, as well as the expansion of the spectrum of analysis (e.g., private organizations) and a cross‐country widening of the level of analysis.

Approach for determining micro-strength parameters of rock based on particle flow code

Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been successfully utilized to model rock behavior based on particle flow code (PFC), which is extensively employed in solving various problems related to rock engineering and geomechanics. Therefore, a convenient method for selecting appropriate microparameters of PFC for model generation is necessary. The present study aims to develop a novel approach that calculates proper micro-strength parameters for the contact bond model (CBM). Firstly, based on Plackett–Burman (PB) design, qualitative research is conducted and it is found that the main factors that influence the Brazilian tensile strength is microscopic tensile strength. We analyzed the stress conditions of a Brazilian disc’s vertical diameter using both continuum models and DEM. From this analysis, we establish a theoretical relationship between rock tensile strength and micro-strength parameters. Subsequently, a large number of numerical Brazilian tests were conducted to obtain the statistical relationship between the geometric parameters of balls, micro-strength parameters and the Brazilian tension strength. The results of the numerical simulation were then used to refine the theoretical equation mentioned above, resulting in a modified equation for rock tensile strength and micro-strength parameters. Finally, after verification, we confirm the feasibility of the method in this paper.

Geroscience: just another name or is there more to it?

The widespread use of the name 'geroscience' in the science of aging is sometimes met with a wary attitude by biogerontologists other than its inventors. Here, we provide an overview of its origin and evolution to assess what exactly it is and to discuss its theoretical and biological relationship to earlier movements of anti-aging medicine and biogerontology more generally. Geroscience posits that targeting aging may offer a cost-effective approach to improve late-life health in humans, and because aging is malleable in model organisms and what regulates this is sufficiently understood, the time is ripe for moving forward to translational and clinical research. The geroscience agenda has rebranded imagery of past traditions, yet the claim that therapies for human aging are ready or within the imminent future is contestable and on brand with tradition, even if biogerontology has made great progress in the past decades.

Biphasic Liquid Metal Composite for Strain Sensor with High Stretchability and Sensitivity

Strain measurement is crucial for the safety and stability of engineering activities. With the increasing demand for sensors and large strain measurement in engineering monitoring, the study on the large strain measurement is deepening. However, the conventional strain sensors based on rigid conductive materials have limited flexibility and low stretchability, and the research of large strain and flexible sensors in engineering still lacks. In this work, a highly stretchable and sensitive flexible strain sensor based on liquid metal‐Nickle microparticles (LMN) composite is developed to detect large strain. The LMN composite, featuring uniformly dispersed Nickle microparticles within the liquid metal matrix, is deposited onto the elastomer Ecoflex base material.The LMN composite based‐sensor exhibits high sensitivity (GF = 16.14644 at strain of 200%), large stretchability (up to 200%) and low hysteresis. The theoretical relationship between the relative resistance changes and strain is derived, and the theoretical derivation is compared with experimental data to verify the accuracy of theoretical derivation. Additionally, the LMN composite based‐sensors can be used to detect pressure and bending signals in engineering. This work highlights the potential of LMN composite in broad applications and can facilitate the application of flexible sensing devices in engineering.

Unveiling Transportation Socio-Economic Adaptability Using a Node–Place Model: A Case from Zhejiang Province, China

Effective investment in transportation infrastructure ensures sustainable urban development and high-quality economic development. Understanding transportation and socioeconomic relationships is crucial for developing investment strategies. Existing research focuses on analyzing the contribution of transportation to the economy or the contribution of economic development to transportation, neglecting the identification of transportation infrastructure weaknesses to initiate targeted investment and construction. In this study, we propose an assessment framework based on the node–place model to identify the shortcomings in transportation infrastructure. The framework encompasses the adaptability of the current transportation infrastructure and the stage of economic development, evaluating whether the current transportation infrastructure is ahead of or lagging behind the level of economic development. We conduct a case study on three kinds of transportation infrastructure, including railways, highways, and civil aviation, in Zhejiang Province, China. The results show that Zhejiang Province’s transportation infrastructure generally meets economic development requirements, and most cities have relatively advanced transportation systems. However, significant gaps in transportation facilities in certain areas still need to be targeted and supplemented. These findings help to explore the theoretical relationship between transportation and socioeconomics, providing a basis for economic investment decisions on transportation infrastructure.

Perceived Organizational Effectiveness during a Public Health Crisis and Moral Wellness among Nurse Leaders: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. During a public health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, nurse leaders coordinate timely high-quality care, maintain profit margins, and ensure regulatory compliance while supporting the health and wellbeing of the nursing workforce. In a rapidly changing environment where resources may be scarce, nurse leaders are vulnerable to moral injury; however, organizational effectiveness may help to buffer moral challenges in healthcare leadership, thereby fostering greater moral resilience and reducing turnover intention. Aim. To understand mechanisms by which perceived organizational effectiveness contributes to nurse leaders’ moral wellness (i.e., moral injury and moral resilience) and thereby effects work outcomes (i.e., engagement, burnout, and turnover intention). Methods. A cross-sectional survey of nurse leaders (N = 817) from across the United States was conducted using a snowball methodology, independent t-tests, and structural equation modeling to examine theoretical relationships among moral injury, moral resilience, and organizational effectiveness. Results. Higher ratings on every facet of perceived organizational effectiveness were significantly related to greater moral resilience (p&lt;0.001 for all t-tests) and lower moral injury (p&lt;0.001 for all t-tests) among nurse leaders. Structural equation models indicated both moral resilience and moral injury were significant mediators of the relationship between organizational effectiveness and work outcomes. Moral resilience and moral injury significantly mediated the effect of organizational effectiveness on burnout. Moral resilience was also a significant mediator of the relationship between organizational effectiveness and moral injury. Conclusion. Dismantling organizational patterns and processes in healthcare organizations that contribute to moral injury and lower moral resilience may be important levers for increasing engagement, decreasing burnout, and reducing turnover of nurse leaders.

Computational fluid dynamics based digital twins of fixed bed bioreactors validate scaling principles for recombinant adeno-associated virus gene therapy manufacturing.

Gene therapy using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) as delivery vehicles has garnered much interest in recent years. There are still significant gaps in our fundamental understanding of the manufacturing processes to deliver sufficient products. Manufacturing efforts of rAAV using HEK293 cells have commonly relied on fixed bed falling film bioreactors like the iCELLis®. We used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to validate the operating conditions required for a predictive iCELLis® 500 scale-down model. The small-scale and at-scale systems have different flow paths causing validation of the corresponding agitation rates required to achieve the same linear flow through the fixed bed across scales to be non-trivial. Therefore, we used CFD to predict the theoretical scaling relationship. In addition, CFD could predict kLa differences between the two systems and the operating conditions required to match kLa between scales. We also confirmed that the location of DO control must be the same in both systems to achieve proper scaling. Experimental runs confirming the validity of the novel scale-down model showed that based on the modifications to the iCELLis® Nano system, we achieved similar DO, key metabolite, pH, and GC titer trends in both systems.

Radio properties of green pea galaxies

Green peas (GPs) are young, compact, star-forming dwarf galaxies, and local (\(z analogues of the early galaxies (\(z 6\)) considered to be mainly responsible for the reionisation of the Universe. Recent X-ray observations of GPs led to the detection of high excess emission, which cannot be accounted for by star formation alone and implies the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We employ radio observations to study the radio properties of GPs, build their radio spectral energy distributions, and verify the presence of AGNs. We performed new radio observations of three GPs with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in the L, C, and X bands (1.4, 6 and 10 GHz resp.) and analysed them alongside data from archival observations and large radio surveys. We also analysed the archival radio data for a larger sample of GPs and blueberry (BBs) galaxies, which are lower-mass and lower-redshift analogues of the GPs. To understand the significance of the radio observations, we assess the detectability of these sources, and compare the detected radio luminosities with expectations from theoretical and empirical relations. Two of the three targeted GPs are strongly detected (\(&gt;10 in the JVLA observations and their fluxes are consistent with star formation, while the third source is undetected. Although archival radio surveys have the sensitivity to detect a large fraction (\( 75&lt;!PCT!&gt;\)) of the sources from the larger archival sample of GPs and BBs we only detect a small number (\(&lt; 40&lt;!PCT!&gt;\)) of them and their radio luminosity is significantly lower than the expectation from empirical relations. Our results show that the majority of the dwarf galax ies in our sample are highly underluminous. The radio luminosity star formation rate (SFR) relation deviates from the empirical relations, especially towards the lower end of galaxy mass and SFR, suggesting that the relations established for larger galaxies may not hold towards the low-mass end.

Summary statistics for spatio-temporal point processes on linear networks

We propose novel second/higher-order summary statistics for inhomogeneous spatio-temporal point processes when the spatial locations are limited to a linear network. More specifically, letting the spatial distance between events be measured by a regular distance metric, appropriate forms of K- and J-functions are introduced, and their theoretical relationships are studied. The theoretical forms of our proposed summary statistics are investigated under homogeneity, Poissonness, and independent thinning. Moreover, non-parametric estimators are derived, facilitating the use of our proposed summary statistics to study the spatio-temporal dependence between events. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate that our proposed J-function effectively identifies spatio-temporal clustering, inhibition, and randomness. Finally, we examine spatio-temporal dependencies for street crimes in Valencia, Spain, and traffic accidents in New York, USA.

Comparative analysis of left ventricle function and deformation imaging in short and long axis plane in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Advancements in cardiac imaging have revolutionized our understanding of ventricular contraction. While ejection fraction (EF) is still the gold standard parameter to assess left ventricle (LV) function, strain imaging (SI) has provided valuable insights into ventricular mechanics. The lack of an integrative method including SI parameters in a single, validated formula may limit its use. Our aim was to compare different methods for evaluating global circumferential strain (GCS) and their relationship with global longitudinal strain (GLS) and EF in CMR and how the different evaluations fit in the theoretical relationship between EF and global strain. Retrospective monocenter study. Inclusion of every patient who underwent a CMR during a 15 months period with various clinical indication (congenital heart defect, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy). A minimum of three LV long-axis planes and a stack of short-axis slices covering the LV using classical steady-state free precession cine sequences. A single assessment of GLS on long axis (LAX) slices and a double assessment of GCS and EF with both short axis (SAX) and LAX slices were made by a single experienced CMR investigator. GCS-SAX and GCS-LAX were correlated (r = 0.77, P < 0.001) without being interchangeable with a high reproducibility for GCS, GLS and EF. EF calculated from LAX images showed an overestimation compared to EF derived from SAX images of 7%. The correlation between calculated EF and theoretical EF derived from SI was high (r = 0.88 with EF-SAX, 0.95 with EF-LAX). This study highlights the need to integrate strain imaging techniques into clinical by incorporating strain parameters into EF calculations, because it gives a deeper understanding of cardiac mechanics.

Modeling of the Polytropic Index and Temperature Anisotropy in the Solar Wind

The polytropic index is a fundamental physical parameter related to the thermodynamic processes present in space and astrophysical plasmas. This paper investigates the theoretical relationship between the polytropic index and the temperature anisotropy for flow parameters relevant to space plasmas. The derivation is based on the Chew–Goldberger–Low double-adiabatic equations of state and the finite Larmor radius correction. On the basis of this, we present the polytropic index relation, taking into account the temperature anisotropy, flow speed, and magnetic field of the plasma. This relation was further analyzed for the limit of the quasi-parallel and quasi-transversal cases. The quasi-transversal limit gives a polytropic index as a function of the anisotropic temperature γ = 1 + 2[2T ⊥ − T ∥]/[2T ⊥ + T ∥]. Using this result, we analyze the polytropic index for the bulk proton parameters derived from Ulysses spacecraft data spanning the interval from 1992 January 1 to 2009 June 30, and we find an average polytropic index of γ ∼ 1.43. This value is close to that of recently published results. However, unlike previous statistical studies, this research computes the polytropic index without relying on power-law fitting, and its variation is now associated with the anisotropic temperature.

Dynamics of an AI-Driven Mathematical Model of Some Learning Theories

Objectives. This paper delves into the intersection of mathematical modelling and learning theory, exploring how mathematical frameworks have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of educational processes and pedagogical practices with the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Material and methods. Advancing learning theories through mathematical modelling offers several significant benefits and opportunities. This is because mathematical models provide a precise and systematic framework for representing complex educational phenomena, allowing researchers to formalize theoretical concepts, relationships, and mechanisms in a clear and rigorous manner. Results and Conclusions. This paper focused on such learning theories as cooperative learning theory, Maslow motivation theory, and social learning theory. By employing mathematical models, researchers have been able to dissect complex educational phenomena, elucidate underlying mechanisms, and predict outcomes with a level of precision that traditional qualitative approaches often struggle to achieve.

Development and validation of an innovative uplift-restraining friction pendulum bearing

This paper presented an innovative uplift-restraining friction pendulum bearing (UR-FPB) to address the limitations of traditional FPBs, which are unable to withstand vertical tensile loads. The UR-FPB is composed of a friction set acting as the horizontal sliding module and an anti-uplift set acting as the vertical uplift-restraining module. Based on this configuration, the study derived the theoretical force-displacement relationships of the UR-FPB, established three solid finite element models in Abaqus, and proposed a hybrid modeling method based on OpenSees. Then the practical effectiveness of this bearing and the credibility of the theoretical analysis models and hybrid numerical models were validated. The theoretical and numerical results demonstrate that the frictional behavior of the UR-FPB in horizontal sliding is characterized by multi-stage hysteresis relationships. The numerical results on the sliding characteristics and the corresponding hysteresis relationships are highly consistent with the theoretical results. The UR-FPB has a large horizontal sliding capacity similar to that of traditional FPBs, while the design of the anti-uplift configuration does not reduce or limit this sliding capacity. Significantly, the study investigated the uplift-restraining behavior of the UR-FPB and its effect on the horizontal responses. The analysis results suggest that the UR-FPB has a good uplift-prevention capacity and this paper recommends that the design value of tensile capacity should not exceed the yield force in tension. Therefore, this novel uplift-restraining friction bearing has an expected effectiveness, which can simultaneously resist vertical tensile loads and function as a horizontal seismic isolator. The proposed hybrid modeling method may provide a useful reference to model the behavior of the UR-FPB in software used for response-history analysis.