Atypically larger variability of resource allocation accounts for visual working memory deficits in schizophrenia

Working memory (WM) deficits have been widely documented in schizophrenia (SZ), and almost all existing studies attributed the deficits to decreased capacity as compared to healthy control (HC) subjects. Recent developments in WM research suggest that other components, such as precision, also mediate behavioral performance. It remains unclear how different WM components jointly contribute to deficits in schizophrenia. We measured the performance of 60 SZ (31 females) and 61 HC (29 females) in a classical delay-estimation visual working memory (VWM) task and evaluated several influential computational models proposed in basic science of VWM to disentangle the effect of various memory components. We show that the model assuming variable precision (VP) across items and trials is the best model to explain the performance of both groups. According to the VP model, SZ exhibited abnormally larger variability of allocating memory resources rather than resources or capacity per se. Finally, individual differences in the resource allocation variability predicted variation of symptom severity in PSZ, highlighting its functional relevance to schizophrenic pathology. This finding was further verified using distinct visual features and subject cohorts. These results provide an alternative view instead of the widely accepted decreased-capacity theory and highlight the key role of elevated resource allocation variability in generating atypical VWM behavior in schizophrenia. Our findings also shed new light on the utility of Bayesian observer models to characterize mechanisms of mental deficits in clinical neuroscience.

Adoption of Ubiquitous CRM for Operational Sustainability of the Firms: Moderating Role of Technology Turbulence

Ubiquitous CRM (UCRM) enhances customer relationship management. It can sense customer needs and demands, to which firms can respond quickly. Therefore, UCRM helps to improve a firm’s agility. There is a growing interest among researchers and practitioners to understand how the adoption of UCRM impacts the sustainability of firms’ operations, but not many studies have investigated this issue. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine how firms’ absorptive capacity and dynamic capability could impact the adoption of UCRM to influence the operational sustainability of the firms and their performance. The study also investigates the moderating role of technology turbulence on the relationship between a firm’s operational sustainability and its performance. Using absorptive capacity theory and dynamic capability view theory and reviewing the existing literature, we developed a conceptual model. The model was then validated using a structural equation modeling technique considering 309 usable respondents from different firms that use UCRM for their operational activities. The study found that firms’ absorptive capacity and dynamic capability significantly and positively impact the adoption of UCRM, which in turn significantly and positively impacts firms’ operational sustainability and improves their performance. The study also shows that there is a significant moderating role of technology turbulence on the relationship between operational sustainability and firm performance.

Knowledge Hiding as an Unprecedented Auxiliary in the Knowledge Management Process for Protection and to Achieve Innovation: The Case of a Pharmaceutical MNE Operating in Egypt

This paper investigates the process and strategies used by a pharmaceutical MNE in Egypt to acquire, assimilate, transform, apply and protect its knowledge for the purpose of achieving innovation. The analysis is conducted through the lens of absorptive capacity theory and based on seven interviews with key stakeholders to explore how knowledge protection practices and supporting mechanisms were applied to achieve innovation and organizational effectiveness., Thematic analysis reveals that Knowledge infrastructure capabilities constitute the backbone of knowledge processing capabilities, supported by other constituents such as appropriability regime mechanisms, the role of management (HRM), knowledge management approach, knowledge hiding, and the absorptive capacity. The study concludes that successful knowledge management is a byproduct of integrating knowledge infrastructure capability with processing capabilities, and mediated by knowledge hiding mechanisms and strategies. The findings offer a valuable empirical perspective from a pharmaceutical MNE operating in Egypt and provide new insights into the nature of the intermediating influences of knowledge management processes that lead to innovation and superior organizational performance.

Robust Universal Inference

Learning and making inference from a finite set of samples are among the fundamental problems in science. In most popular applications, the paradigmatic approach is to seek a model that best explains the data. This approach has many desirable properties when the number of samples is large. However, in many practical setups, data acquisition is costly and only a limited number of samples is available. In this work, we study an alternative approach for this challenging setup. Our framework suggests that the role of the train-set is not to provide a single estimated model, which may be inaccurate due to the limited number of samples. Instead, we define a class of “reasonable” models. Then, the worst-case performance in the class is controlled by a minimax estimator with respect to it. Further, we introduce a robust estimation scheme that provides minimax guarantees, also for the case where the true model is not a member of the model class. Our results draw important connections to universal prediction, the redundancy-capacity theorem, and channel capacity theory. We demonstrate our suggested scheme in different setups, showing a significant improvement in worst-case performance over currently known alternatives.

Training for policy capacity: A practitioner’s reflection on an in-house intervention for civil servants, students, and post-secondary graduates in Canada

A substantial amount of scholarly work focuses on conceptualizing, theorizing and studying the policy capacity of governments. Yet, guidance for practitioners on developing policy capacity training programs is lacking. In this article, I reflect on my experience as a public servant in the provincial government of Prince Edward Island where I designed and implemented the Policy Capacity Development and Mentorship Program for civil servants, recent graduates and students. In this article, I offer a descriptive overview of the framework and logic of the program and discuss how I integrated policy capacity theory. This article may serve other practitioners who seek to implement similar programs in their respective organizations and provides a base for future interventions. The article also offers thoughts on practitioner-led collaboration with academics and recommendations for those who would like to establish similar programs in their organizations.

Microanchored borehole fiber optics allows strain profiling of the shallow subsurface

Vertical deformation profiles of subterranean geological formations are conventionally measured by borehole extensometry. Distributed strain sensing (DSS) paired with fiber-optic cables installed in the ground opens up possibilities for acquiring high-resolution static and quasistatic strain profiles of deforming strata, but it is currently limited by reduced data quality due to complicated patterns of interaction between the buried cables and their surroundings, especially in upper soil layers under low confining pressures. Extending recent DSS studies, we present an improved approach using microanchored fiber-optic cables—designed to optimize ground-to-cable coupling at the near surface—for strain determination along entire lengths of vertical boreholes. We proposed a novel criterion for soil–cable coupling evaluation based on the geotechnical bearing capacity theory. We applied this enhanced methodology to monitor groundwater-related vertical motions in both laboratory and field experiments. Corroborating extensometer recordings, acquired simultaneously, validated fiber optically determined displacements, suggesting microanchored DSS as an improved means for detecting and monitoring shallow subsurface strain profiles.

The Conservation of Old Johar Market Building

The conservation efforts for heritage architecture are currently trending. This paper aims to uncover the conservation of traditional markets after experiencing a fire in the Johar market, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. After the market was renovated, it turned out that it had not included all traders in it. Using the historical method, there is revealing that the number of traders exceeds the room's capacity. Theory discusses about the conservation approach and applied adaptive reuse theory found that the initial plan, is possible to return its function as a market by adjusting the number of traders' capacity. The advantages of traders are recommended to occupy the old square area as open spaces to be attractive for heritage tourism. Keywords: conservation, buildings and historical areas, markets, Semarang city eISSN 2514-751X © 2020 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians / Africans / Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajebs.v5i17.375

In-app advertising: a two-step qualitative comparative analysis to explain clicking behavior

Purpose Individuals only click on a very small fraction of the in-app advertisements (ads) they are exposed to. Despite this fact, organizations spend generously placing in-app ads without theoretical knowledge of how the structure and the semantics of in-app ads influence individuals’ clicking behavior. This study aims to identify how the processing of structural and semantic factors leads to clicking behavior. Design/methodology/approach Based on the limited capacity theory, this paper proposes that the sequential processing of structural and semantic factors leads to clicking behavior. To mirror the sequential process, this paper applies a process-oriented configurational approach and performs a two-step qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) using 262 incidents of exposure to in-app ads. Findings The results support the proposed sequential processing and show that neither structural nor semantic factors alone lead to clicking behavior. This paper reveals four different paths of sequential processing of in-app ads that lead to clicking behavior. The results show that individuals click on non-animated in-app ads even though these are perceived as irritating or privacy-concerning. When the in-app ads are animated, individuals do only click on them when these are not irritating, privacy-concerning and personalized. Research limitations/implications Organizations can use these findings to improve their in-app ads and generate more clicks. This study recommends that organizations place in-app ads in a prominent location, design them similar to the design of the app and use bright colors. The advertising message needs to have new and relevant information in a credible and entertaining way. Depending on the degree of personalization, organizations should use different sizes of the in-app ad and only use animation if it is unlikely that the in-app ad caused irritation or privacy concerns. Practical implications Organizations can use these findings to improve their in-app ads and generate more clicks. This paper recommends that organizations place in-app ads in a prominent location, design them similar to the design of the app and with bright colors. The advertising message needs to have new and relevant information in a credible and entertaining way. Depending on the degree of personalization, organizations should use different sizes of the in-app ad and only use animation if it is unlikely that the in-app ad caused irritation or privacy concerns. Originality/value From the in-app ad perspective, this study is the first to theoretically develop and empirically show the sequential processing of structural and semantic factors of in-app ads. From the methodological perspective, this study applies an advanced configurational two-step QCA approach, which is capable of analyzing sequential processes and is new to marketing research.

Building Exploitation Routines in the Circular Supply Chain to Obtain Radical Innovations

The adaptation of the supply chain makes it an effective tool in the management of a circular economy, as it allows aspects of sustainability and regeneration to be incorporated into production. However, empirical evidence is still insufficient. In addition, the use of absorptive capacity theory provides a convenient context model that is adapted to the knowledge management required for the application of circularity principles. To study in depth the functioning of the circular supply chain, we use the dimension of exploitation of absorptive capacity, distinguishing between routines that allow adaptation to new production needs (technological knowledge) and new commercial needs (market knowledge). The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 9612 companies, divided into three levels of technology intensity manufacturing, from the PITEC panel using multivariate models. The results show that the operating routines associated with the use of production and logistics technologies developed in a circular fashion favor the development of new products. Similarly, a bidirectional knowledge flow is necessary. The first flow is toward the company with practices that allow a better understanding of the customer and their needs in the framework of the circular economy. The second flow would be toward customers, who need to be informed and educated through various marketing and communication activities to adapt their behavior to the principles of circularity.

An Absorptive Capacity Perspective of Organizational Learning Through Social Media

The Absorptive Capacity Theory was used as the theoretical lens for this study to help analyze how organizations absorb new knowledge using social media tools and applications. A survey of fashion designers and employees numbering 196 was carried out in 55 fashion firms whereas two fashion firms were used in a case study. Data analysis was performed using the Structural Equation Modelling. The findings from the study suggest that Ghanaian fashion designers do not intensively use social media to assimilate knowledge but rather to acquire, transform and exploit knowledge. The popular social media applications include; Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Facebook, for instance, is used on a daily basis by most Ghanaian fashion designers. Fashion designers use social media to acquire, transform and exploit knowledge through research, interaction, communication, and marketing with suppliers, customers, and other fashion designers. Future research can extend this work by looking at organizational learning and social media use in a different industry.