Search Results (754)

Digital transformation can expand manufacturing firms’ capacity for interorganizational collaboration, but digitalization does not automatically translate into coupled open innovation. Drawing on dynamic capability theory and social comparison theory, this study examines the association between digital transformation and coupled open innovation, evaluates absorptive, adaptive, and innovative capabilities as parallel capability-related pathways, and investigates the external executive pay gap as a boundary condition. The analysis uses 12,791 firm-year observations from 2199 Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms during 2011–2022. Digital transformation is measured from annual-report disclosures, while coupled open innovation is operationalized as joint patent applications with external co-applicants. Firm and year fixed-effects regressions with firm-clustered standard errors are complemented by Poisson pseudo-maximum-likelihood and negative-binomial count models and firm-cluster bootstrap mediation analyses. Digital transformation is positively associated with coupled open innovation across the linear and count specifications. In the simultaneous parallel-mediator model, the indirect associations through the absorptive-, adaptive-, and innovative-capability proxies are statistically distinguishable from zero, although the innovative-capability association is substantively small. The linear interaction specification indicates a stronger Digital–COI association at higher observed levels of the external executive pay gap, while the exploratory conditional-indirect analysis suggests selective moderation through the innovative-capability pathway rather than a uniform pattern across all three capability pathways. The results clarify how digital resources, organizational capabilities, and executive compensation context relate to formal collaborative innovation and the organizational and economic sustainability of manufacturing firms. Full article

Background: Algorithmic Operational Control increasingly shapes logistics operations through AI-enabled decision systems, yet its relationships with Human Operational Agency and innovation remain insufficiently understood. This study examines relationships among Algorithmic Operational Control, Leadership Mediation Capacity, Human Operational Agency, and perceived Logistics Innovation Quality. Methods: Survey data were collected from 3613 logistics employees across six Western Balkan countries. A split-sample design combined exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with structural equation modeling, supplemented by organizational clustering diagnostics, multi-group CFA, and a reduced-overlap sensitivity analysis. Results: Algorithmic Operational Control was negatively associated with Human Operational Agency and Logistics Innovation Quality, whereas Leadership Mediation Capacity was positively associated with Human Operational Agency. Human Operational Agency partially mediated the association between Algorithmic Operational Control and Logistics Innovation Quality and fully mediated the association between Leadership Mediation Capacity and Logistics Innovation Quality. Organizational clustering was negligible, the measurement structure was stable across countries, and sensitivity analysis preserved all principal relationships and mediation effects. Conclusions: The findings indicate that preserving human judgment and adaptive decision-making is associated with more exploratory and long-term-oriented innovation and position leadership as an interpretive mechanism reconciling algorithmic recommendations with human judgment. Full article

Integrating traditional cultural heritage, such as Chinese paper-cutting, into modern product design is a critical challenge. To address the lack of a systematic method, this study proposes the PPI-SCAMPER method: a structured Design-by-Analogy (DbA) method that integrates knowledge bases (a Paper-Cutting Element Category and a Flat Process Category) with SCAMPER heuristics. Subsequently, an empirical study involving 18 experts and 146 users was conducted to evaluate the method’s outcomes. Multimodal data—including expert ratings of product attributes, user ratings of attractiveness, and eye-tracking data—were collected, and hierarchical regression and Random Forest models were employed to analyze the underlying mechanisms of attractiveness. The results indicate that products designed via PPI-SCAMPER achieved significantly higher ratings for user attractiveness, novelty, and culture attribute. Eye-tracking data revealed that the improved products elicited greater overall visual exploration. The exploratory analysis of associative patterns showed that product attributes constituted the primary basis for attractiveness judgments, with eye-tracking data providing significant yet limited incremental explanatory power. This study not only constructs an innovative design pathway for integrating paper-cutting culture from a DbA perspective but also provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating culturally inspired innovations through multi-dimensional empirical data. Full article

Background/Objectives: Tamsulosin extended-release (ER) formulations minimize peak-related vasodilatory adverse events in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment. This study assessed the pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of a generic tamsulosin 0.4 mg ER formulation against the innovator under fasting and fed conditions. Methods: Two randomized, open-label, four-period crossover, single-dose trials were conducted in healthy Mexican males. Subjects received treatment following a 10 h fast or a high-fat meal, with a 7-day washout. Plasma tamsulosin was quantified over 72 h via LC-MS/MS. An exploratory in vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC) analysis was also performed. Results: Analyses included 32 (fasting) and 58 (fed) subjects. In both states, 90% confidence intervals for C_max, AUC_0-t, and AUC_0-∞ geometric mean ratios fell entirely within the 80.00–125.00% bioequivalence limits. The formulations showed comparable dissolution (f₂ = 92.47), with numerical deconvolution proving most predictive in exploratory IVIVC. Notably, the pharmacokinetic profile of the test formulation was consistent with maintained controlled drug release under both dietary conditions and showed no pharmacokinetic evidence of food-induced dose dumping. Both formulations were well-tolerated; all adverse events were mild, with no clinically significant orthostatic hypotension observed. Conclusions: The generic tamsulosin 0.4 mg ER formulation is bioequivalent to the reference product in both fasting and fed states. Its structural robustness prevents dose dumping, ensuring a favorable hemodynamic safety profile. Comparable dissolution and IVIVC findings further support their reliability in vivo performance and therapeutic interchangeability. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT07698288 and NCT07698275. Full article

The rapid expansion of English-medium instruction (EMI) in transnational education (TNE) has increased the need for evidence-based higher education (HE) curriculum models that support diverse student cohorts in cross-cultural contexts. This exploratory mixed-methods study examines the effectiveness of block models in EMI TNE partnerships by comparing English as an additional language/dialect (EAL/D) student outcomes across traditional semester-based models and immersive block-model delivery in China and Papua New Guinea, and by exploring students’ block-model experiences. Retrospective institutional data on student success (N = 8974) and satisfaction (N = 2067) were analysed alongside focus group data on student experiences. Findings indicate that the block model is associated with significantly higher student success rates in China (76.3–92.2%) and Papua New Guinea (57.3–72.1%; both p < 0.001), while satisfaction remained high and increased significantly in China. In addition, students perceive the model as fostering self-discipline, autonomous learning, and collaborative skills. This study extends the limited evidence base on curriculum innovation in English-medium transnational higher education, indicating that immersive block models can support positive student outcomes while highlighting the importance of local implementation conditions in shaping students’ experiences. Implications emphasise the need for consistent operationalisation of the block model and pedagogical scaffolding to optimise effectiveness in cross-cultural higher education settings. Full article

Environmental regulation is widely regarded as an institutional driver of corporate green transformation, yet how it operates on firms and for whom remains unsettled. Treating the 2015 entry into force of China’s revised Environmental Protection Law as a quasi-natural experiment, this study estimates a difference-in-differences (DID) model on 38,910 firm-year observations covering 4447 Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share firms over 2010–2024. Corporate green transformation is measured along three dimensions—the length-normalized intensity of green-transformation language in annual reports, green patent output, and green total factor productivity—and combined into a composite index. The regulation raises green-transformation intensity by 0.156 (about 14.8% of the sample mean) and green total factor productivity by 0.0021; pre-reform event-study coefficients are jointly insignificant, no randomized placebo reaches the observed estimate, and the result survives propensity-score matching and province-by-year fixed effects. It is accompanied by falling greenwashing and rising disclosure specificity, indicating that the additional green language is not merely talk. Bootstrap mediation tests support transmission through executive green cognition and through green exploratory, but not exploitative, innovation. Contrary to the received view, the law did not loosen financing constraints; instead, pre-reform financial capacity bounds the response, and firms that were more constrained respond substantially less. Effects are larger for digitally capable, better-governed firms and in more marketized regions, and command-and-control instruments outperform market-based pilots over this window. Full article

This research analyses the heterogeneous effects of digital infrastructure on sustainable economic growth in five developing countries (Egypt, India, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Sudan) using the period 2014–2025. We use panel fixed effects with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors to investigate the effect of internet penetration, mobile broadband and fixed broadband on the GDP per capita growth. Our results suggest that digital infrastructure has a statistically and economically significant impact on economic growth. Internet penetration yields the largest benefits, followed by mobile broadband, whereas fixed broadband is not statistically significant in the full model, which is reflective of limited access in these countries. An exploratory Random Forest analysis with the important caveat of limited sample size suggests that internet penetration is the most important predictor of growth, followed by mobile broadband and human capital. However, these machine learning results should be considered exploratory given the small sample (N = 60, or N = 48 when excluding Sudan) and should not be over-interpreted. Our heterogeneity analysis finds that internet penetration drives growth in middle-income countries (Egypt, India), while mobile broadband drives growth in low-income countries (Sudan, Kenya). The moderation by human capital is large: the marginal impact of internet penetration more than doubles once average education exceeds six years. However, we note that this threshold is illustrative, based on the distribution of the sample, and not necessarily a policy cutoff. The results have implications for SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 9 (infrastructure and innovation) and SDG 10 (inequality reduction). However, with our purposively selected five-country sample, these results are better considered as case-based evidence rather than statistically representative of all developing economies. The stark digital divide is evident in the 87% internet penetration in MENA countries compared to 44% in Sub-Saharan Africa and underscores the need for context-specific policy approaches. We suggest that low-income countries focus on expanding mobile broadband and middle-income countries make complementary investments in internet infrastructure and human capital, but emphasize that these policy suggestions are indicative rather than conclusive. Full article

Background: Health innovation education often lacks focus on local realities and practitioner-led approaches. An international Canada-Brazil academic partnership was developed to address this gap within Brazil’s Unified Health System. Objectives: This paper examines attendees’ perceptions of a short-term, binational educational intervention and identifies perceived gaps in innovation training within a resource-constrained health system. Design: A qualitative, pedagogically focused program evaluation of a short-term binational educational intervention, using participant reflections and post-course survey responses to examine perceived learning, applicability, and curricular gaps. Settings: Two academic and clinical sites in Vitória and Salvador, Brazil. Attendees: Fifty attendees (30 in Vitória, 20 in Salvador), comprising students, faculty, and health and social care professionals. Methods: The 30 h in-person course was delivered in late November (Vitória) and early December 2025 (Salvador) and addressed ‘wicked problems’ through value proposition development, design thinking, and prototyping. Facilitated by a Canadian faculty with English–Portuguese simultaneous translation. The course’s immediate evaluation used daily reflective exercises and a final participant survey. Results: Respondents’ reflections suggested a perceived reframing of innovation from a primarily technology-oriented concept toward a human-centered, context-responsive, and systems-oriented process. Respondents also identified areas requiring further curricular attention, including financial sustainability, implementation planning, and impact evaluation. Conclusions: Findings from this immediate post-course evaluation suggest that short-term, interprofessional innovation education may support perceived shifts in how participants understand health innovation. However, because the evaluation relied on self-reported, post-course qualitative data without pre/post or longitudinal measures, findings should be interpreted as perceived learning and exploratory curricular insight rather than demonstrated competency development or sustained implementation capacity. Full article

Background: Cultivating medical students’ innovative behavior is crucial for talent development in medical education. However, the factors associated with medical students’ innovative behavior are still unclear. The aim was to examine factors associated with self-reported online innovative behavior of medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted at a public medical university in China. A total of 371 medical undergraduates participated in the study. Data were collected with questionnaires on students’ abilities scales and analyzed with SPSS 26 and AMOS 26. The associations among constructs were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Results: Results showed that both digital resilience and technological self-efficacy were positively associated with medical students’ self-reported online innovative behavior. Statistically significant indirect associations were found between digital resilience and self-reported online innovative behavior through online learning engagement and self-directed learning behaviors. Statistically significant indirect associations were also found between technological self-efficacy and self-reported online innovative behavior through online learning engagement and self-directed learning behaviors. Conclusions: Digital resilience and technological self-efficacy were directly and indirectly associated with medical students’ self-reported online innovative behavior in online learning environments. The results provide useful empirical insights for understanding students’ self-reported online innovative behavior in online learning environments. Full article

Background: Endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers (EAOCs), encompassing clear cell (CC) and endometrioid carcinomas (EC), constitute distinct biological entities yet lack robust biomarkers for precise classification, prognostication, and therapeutic decision-making in women. Therefore, we aimed to describe novel biomarkers. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated transcriptomic analysis, powered by machine learning, to discover novel consensus biomarkers and delineate cancer hallmark signatures specific to EC and CC. Drawing on gene expression profiles from EAOC specimens, we merged differential expression analysis with LASSO regression and Random Forest classification to generate a reliable biomarker panel that effectively distinguishes EC from CC. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses and mutation analyses have been performed for selected biomarker genes. Results: Novel biomarkers, among others, the genes RPS28, EPAS1, ALKBH2, and DCLRE1A, uncover extensive transcriptional alterations tied to hypoxia signaling, oxidative stress, DNA repair, and metabolic reprogramming. Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses revealed synchronized upregulation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, TNF-α/NF-κB signaling, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and KRAS signaling pathways. Conclusions: Our work establishes novel exploratory transcriptomic candidates for innovative consensus biomarkers, yielding novel diagnostic and prognostic insights into EAOC and supporting further study of subtype-associated expression programs. The current study was designed primarily as an integrative computational investigation aimed at identifying candidate genes and molecular pathways distinguishing CC from EC. Full article

The financial services sector is undergoing rapid digital transformation, yet the adoption of online financial services (OFS) remains uneven due to perceptual barriers such as security concerns and limited digital and financial literacy. Existing research, often based on aggregate models such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), tends to overlook heterogeneity in user perceptions and leaves unresolved whether the digital divide is primarily generational or socio-economic. This study addresses these gaps through a quantitative, descriptive–analytic, and exploratory design based on a cross-sectional survey of 225 respondents. Integrating TAM, UTAUT, Diffusion of Innovations, Perceived Risk, and Trust, the analysis combines correlational assessment, non-parametric group comparisons, and hierarchical cluster analysis. Three main findings emerge. First, Perceived Risk appears statistically decoupled from the core adoption-related perceptions of usefulness and ease of use, suggesting a more latent role among current users. Second, two distinct divides are identified: an age-based divide affecting perceived ease of use, and a stronger education- and income-based divide affecting perceived usefulness and facilitating conditions. Third, three perceptual profiles are identified, challenging the “average user” assumption. Profile membership is significantly associated with education, but not age, suggesting that the main barrier to inclusive digital finance is increasingly one of literacy rather than generation. Full article

Sustainable mobility is undergoing a profound transformation driven by emerging technologies, increasingly stringent government regulations, and rising societal expectations, challenging traditional mobility models and fostering the emergence of new collaborative ecosystems. Actors from diverse sectors are converging to co-create innovative solutions that support a more sustainable mobility paradigm. Given the novelty of this phenomenon, this study proposes a theory-based taxonomy of innovation ecosystem initiatives for sustainable mobility. To this end, an exploratory literature review was conducted on 760 peer-reviewed articles published over the past twenty years, linking publications on innovation ecosystems with those on sustainable mobility. Topic analysis, performed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), identified ten key themes. These themes were then grouped into three main categories during an expert roundtable: smart transportation systems, sustainable mobility planning, and logistics optimization. Furthermore, the analysis of author networks reveals a segmented and specialized collaborative structure, characterized by strong cohesion within thematic groups but limited connectivity between them. This fragmentation reinforces thematic concentration while limiting inter-domain interactions. Overall, the proposed taxonomy offers a structured framework for better understanding and supporting the design, coordination, and orchestration of innovation ecosystems in sustainable mobility. Full article

Urban competitiveness has traditionally been associated with infrastructure, economic performance, and innovation capacity, while the role of financial governance has received considerably less attention. This study examines how citizens form perceptions of urban financial integrity and whether such perceptions influence evaluations of urban attractiveness. Drawing on a governance-based framework, the study investigates the relationships among Digital Governance, Financial Transparency, Anti-Fraud Capacity, Financial Integrity, and Urban Attractiveness. Data were collected from 2764 residents of 18 digitally advanced cities across Northern and Western Europe and North America. To enhance methodological rigor, the sample was randomly divided into two equal subsamples and analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicate that Digital Governance is positively associated with both Financial Transparency and Anti-Fraud Capacity, while Financial Transparency and Anti-Fraud Capacity are positively associated with stronger perceptions of Financial Integrity. Financial Integrity emerged as a significant predictor of Urban Attractiveness and served as the principal mechanism through which governance practices influenced broader evaluations of cities. The findings suggest that citizens do not perceive cities as attractive simply because they are digitally advanced; rather, digital governance becomes valuable when it enhances confidence that public financial resources are managed transparently, responsibly, and in the public interest. These results identify Financial Integrity as the key mechanism through which citizens translate governance quality into perceptions of urban attractiveness. Full article

The transition from sustainable to regenerative tourism requires a fundamental shift in how destination success is measured and managed. While theoretical frameworks for regenerative tourism have proliferated, empirical assessments of the macro-structural conditions that enable or constrain these transitions remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by developing a multivariate indicator framework to map the structural enabling conditions for regenerative tourism potential across ten diverse coastal tourism countries. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis of seven Tier 1 indicators spanning economic yield, social equity, governance effectiveness, and environmental pressure, we identify three distinct exploratory typologies: (1) High-Capacity Systems with Environmental Tradeoffs, (2) Tourism-Intensive Systems with Transition Potential, and (3) High-Need Systems with Uneven Capacity. The results reveal that while high-capacity systems possess the institutional stability to pilot regenerative innovations, they are often constrained by high per-capita environmental footprints. Conversely, high-need systems demonstrate strong community-centric potential but face significant structural barriers related to governance and climate vulnerability. These findings suggest that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to regenerative tourism is insufficient. Instead, policy interventions must be tailored to the specific structural archetypes of destinations, moving beyond generic sustainability goals toward place-based, redistributive, and restorative stewardship. Full article

Vertical farming (VF) holds potential for urban food security in African cities, yet adoption of VF systems by farmers remains poorly understood across diverse urban contexts. This study modeled VF system diffusion across three settlement types in Lagos and Nairobi using the ADOPT Tool framework. A total of 60 urban farmers from the 2 cities participated in the focus group discussions at six sites. The study provides an exploratory, model-based contribution to understanding context-specific adoption of vertical farming in selected African urban settings. Predictions revealed substantial spatial heterogeneity. Peak adoption ranged from 2 to 98%, with time-to-peak spanning 10–25 years. Intra-city variation in basic system adoption exceeded inter-city differences (61–97% in Nairobi versus 16–52% in Lagos). CEA systems approached saturation in affluent neighborhoods (Langata 98%, Lekki 95%) while remaining constrained in informal settlements (<25%). Sensitivity analysis identified three population-level binding constraints: Financial Capacity, Management Skill, and Environmental Orientation. Each constraint generated an 18–24 percentage-point impact in resource-constrained settlements but less than 6 percentage points in affluent areas. On the other hand, four innovation-level factors (Complexity, Trialability, Observability, Training Requirements) accelerated the diffusion rate by 1.2–1.4 years across all sites. These findings demonstrate that adoption is determined by context-specific constraint configurations rather than uniform urban conditions. Effective scaling requires settlement-differentiated interventions: in informal settlements, finance and extension; in high-density areas, space-efficient design and market linkages; in affluent zones, regulatory enablement. The study illustrates that technology adoption models developed in wealthy contexts often fail to apply to resource-constrained African cities where local constraints vary dramatically over short distances. The study also finds that adoption can be improved by implementing targeted policies and strengthening supporting infrastructure. These findings provide actionable pathways to increase vertical farming adoption in rapidly growing African megacities. Full article