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The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences in skin temperature under graphene-infused fleece and traditional polyester fleece materials in the interior of a wetsuit.

A total of 48 participants surfed for a minimum of 40 min in a custom wetsuit with a torso lined with graphene-infused fleece on one half and traditional polyester fleece on the other. Eight iButton thermistors were used to record skin temperatures bilaterally at the upper back, chest, abdomen and lower back every minute for the entire surf session. After surfing, participants responded to questions associated with their perception of warmth and comfort and their knowledge of fleece materials.

Skin temperatures did not differ between the two types of fleece at the upper back, chest and abdomen locations. Skin temperatures in the lower back were significantly warmer under the traditional polyester fleece compared to graphene-infused fleece. Participant responses associated with warmth were consistent with skin temperature measurements.

The results of this study indicate that a graphene-infused nylon fleece interior does not clearly influence skin temperature in surfers when compared to a traditional polyester fleece interior. While skin temperatures were significantly lower under the graphene-infused nylon fleece at the low back, the other three anatomical locations did not exhibit significant differences.

Thermoregulation is an important consideration for the safety and performance of surfers in the ocean. Evidence suggests that the inner lining of a wetsuit may impact thermoregulation while surfing; however, no prior studies have compared interior materials.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, education has shifted to online teaching and learning. Interactivity is a crucial tool used to make online education effective. This study empirically examines the role of interactivity in higher education and its influence on students' behavioral outcomes, specifically focusing on soft skills and personality upgradation.

A quasi-experimental research design was carried out for post-graduate students undergoing a business communication course from four major institutions. For analysis, t-test, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) have been employed. Experimental research has established the causal relationship between interactivity, personality and soft skill upgradation (SSU).

It was found that the theoretical structural model has a rational model-fit validity. Resultantly, practitioners may use prior knowledge of virtual community (VC) members to enhance web interactivity, thereby increasing social identity and social bonds in a group for more meaningful and effective delivery of online courses.

The major limitations lie in its context-dependent nature, predominantly influenced by the pandemic-induced mandatory online learning. The study's cross-sectional design also inhibits its ability to assess goal-directed behaviors over time, necessitating further longitudinal research.

The study is one of the pioneering pieces of research that examines the role of pre-defined grouping and enhanced web interactivity in VCs in the context of online learning, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating theories of web interactivity, social bond theory (SBT) and social identity theory (SIT) provides a novel understanding of cognitive and social influences that drive meaningful online discussions and their impacts on knowledge enhancement and personality development. Its findings have implications for the design of effective online learning environments and e-learning pedagogy, contributing to the growing domain of information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled education.

The present study investigates the impact of opinion leadership and spirituality from three types of social media influencers (SMIs) on individuals’ intentions to conduct recycling. This research is driven by the opinion leadership theory demonstrated by influencer marketing.

This research applies a between-subject experiment to measure the impact of the proposed model. Each participant was exposed to a different influencer: an attractive influencer (Treatment 1, n = 101), an expert influencer (Treatment 2, n = 94), a religious influencer (Treatment 3, n = 99) and a control condition (Treatment 4, n = 102). An ANOVA post-hoc analysis was conducted to further assess the impact dynamics of each influencer based on different demographics such as age, income and level of education. More than 95% of the samples consist of Muslims.

Findings revealed the different dynamics of the effect of opinion leadership and spirituality on the intention to recycle from utilising different types of influencers. Samples derived from a high socio-economic background and exposed to the religious influencer (Treatment 3) have a relatively higher mean score. In general, younger participants with lower incomes and levels of education have less tendency to conduct recycling.

This research attempts to fill the gap in the impact of influencer marketing on green behaviour adoption with the inclusion of spirituality, which has been largely ignored in this context. It offers insights from the perspective of a developing economy that has one of the largest percentages of social media users in the world and from a country that regards a relationship with God as important.

Integrating transaction costs economics and task-technology fit theory, this study distinguishes two categories of social media–enabled interactions, namely task-related interactions and tie-related interactions, and explores the match between these two and firms' use of contracts in achieving safeguarding and coordinating purposes in interfirm governance.

Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. In Study 1, this study collaborated with a professional market research firm and collected responses from Chinese manufacturing firms in a survey. In Study 2, this study designed a scenario-based experiment and collected 239 participants from the Credamo platform.

This study categorized social media–enabled interactions into task-related interactions and tie-related interactions and conducted two studies to reveal that the safeguarding purpose of contract specificity is amplified by tie-related interactions, whereas the coordinating purpose of contract specificity is strengthened by task-related interactions.

This study assumes that firms permit and encourage the use of social media. However, some firms might prohibit the use of social media due to risk issues, or their partners may be prohibited from using social media.

Given that social media–enabled interactions have joint effects with contracts in achieving safeguarding and coordinating purposes, a firm's employees should match their goals with an appropriate type of social media–enabled interactions.

This study enriches the interfirm governance literature by uncovering the roles of these two types of interactions in matching contract specificity to achieve safeguarding and coordinating purposes, which provides actionable insights for managers in governing interfirm relationships.

The transformative impact of digital innovations on education has reshaped academic landscapes, affecting both instructional methods and evaluation systems. This study delves into the realm of distance education, exploring the intricate dynamics of digital access, equity and inclusivity, with a particular focus on their influence on learning outcomes.

A comprehensive survey involving 360 participants was conducted to gather data on various facets of the digital learning environment. Descriptive statistics illuminated participants' perceptions, while digital access disparities were analyzed through a chi-square test. Structural equation modelling (SEM) assessed direct relationships, mediation and moderation analyses and elucidated the nuanced influence of demographic parameters.

Descriptive analysis revealed generally positive perceptions of digital learning, with some variability in aspects like accessibility of learning materials and Internet connectivity. Digital access disparities were evident across demographic parameters, highlighting significant associations with gender, education, income, geographic location, religious affiliation and field of study. SEM indicated robust positive associations between digital access and learning outcomes, strategies for enhancing equity and inclusivity and their combined impact on overall academic success.

This study contributes original insights by comprehensively analyzing the interplay of digital access, equity and inclusivity in distance education and their impact on learning outcomes. The research unveils nuanced disparities across demographic dimensions, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. The study’s integration of SEM, mediation and moderation analyses adds a sophisticated layer to the understanding of these relationships.

Geography is an exciting discipline involving the interrogation of place, space, and mobility. Film is too powerful and assessable tool that engages audiences. Therefore, this article builds a rationale for utilizing film in the teaching of geography. Particularly geographic mobility, which is the study of spatial patterns of movement and viewing them with positive or negative social meaning and as embedded within structures of power.

This is not a research paper so there is no methodology to detail.

This is not a research paper so there are no findings to detail.

The article introduces three films (Selma, Hidden Figures, and The Green Book) and describes how they can be used to enrich the teaching of geographic mobility.

Advertisements facilitate certain emotions, subsequently influencing purchase intentions. Humor, as an influential way of information expression, is frequently used in ads to elicit emotions. Drawing upon literature on advertisement humor and new product purchase intention and the theory of planned behavior, the study proposes that humor stimulation in advertisements can affect consumers' new product purchase intentions, in which two process mechanisms, namely, emotional arousal and cognitive flexibility, play a mediating effect.

To test the assertions, the authors conduct three experimental studies. The authors' first study assesses the main effect between advertisement humor and purchase intentions. In the second study, the authors show the mediating effects of emotional pleasure, emotional arousal, and cognitive flexibility on the relationship between advertisement humor and purchase intentions. In the first two experiments, the authors study incremental new products. In the third study, the authors study the same mediating relationships for radically new products.

This study's results show consumers that watch humorous ads are more likely to choose new products than those who watch non-humorous ads (Study 1); compared with non-humorous ads, humorous ads can enhance emotional arousal, thus promoting cognitive flexibility and making consumers more inclined to choose new products (Study 2 and Study 3). That said, the authors find that these mediation effects are only partial.

This study's results have important implications for firms vying to enhance consumers' new product purchase intentions by deploying humorous ads.

This study aims to investigate the relationships between the perceived neighborhood walkable environment (PNWE), neighborhood interaction (NI) and residents’ mental health, with a focus on examining differences among residents of different age groups.

Using an electronic survey questionnaire, data on PNWE, NI and mental health were collected from 1,159 residents across 205 communities in Shanghai, China. Our study utilized a structural equation modeling (SEM), employing the maximum likelihood estimation method. The structural equation model was fitted using the MPLUS software.

The mental health of young and middle-aged adults is generally poor, and they are at higher risk of depression than children and older adults. The effects of PNWE and NI on the mental health of residents varied among different age groups. As residents get older, their mental health is more affected by the PNWE. In addition, the influence of the PNWE on children and older adults’ mental health is direct and not mediated by NI. For young and middle-aged adults, the influence of the PNWE on their mental health needs to be mediated by NI.

This study marks the first examination of the relationship between PNWE, NI and mental health among different age groups of residents in China. The findings of this research can assist policymakers in gaining a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which PNWE affects mental health. Furthermore, it can contribute to the development of more targeted walkable environment designs aimed at enhancing mental health among various age groups.

Avatars, which are used as a technology and marketing tactic, can embody consumer-facing employees and mimic their real-life roles on companies' websites, thereby playing a key role in enhancing the relationships between consumers and brands in the online environment. Academics and practitioners have increasingly acknowledged the significance of the consumer-brand relationship in both traditional and online contexts. However, the impersonal nature of the online environment is considered to be a hindrance to the development of these relationships. Despite the importance of this technology, little attention has been paid to the investigation of the avatar concept from a marketing perspective. This paper explores the nature of the avatar concept, including its main characteristics, dimensions, and conditions as well as the attitudinal and behavioural consequences of avatar users.

Adopting the qualitative design, a taxonomy was developed from interviews. In total, 42 interviews were conducted with current university students. 30 participants participated in the exploratory interviews. A total of 12 interviews were conducted during the in-depth stage based on findings in the preceding research.

Based on the qualitative data analysis, a taxonomy was developed. The idea of the taxonomy is summarized in that different dimensions of the avatar are considered the main base (first phase) of the taxonomy. There are consequential three parts: the attitudinal consequences related to the website; the attitudinal consequences related to the brand; the behaviours towards the brand. These behaviours represent the final phase of the taxonomy.

By developing a taxonomy of using avatars on brands' websites, the authors advance the understanding consumer-brands relationships. Using avatars' verbal interactions helps in shaping consumers' cognitive, affective, attitudinal and behavioural responses and add vital empirical evidence to the increasing body of research and practices involving avatar usage in the interactive marketing area.

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of existing literature on post-traumatic growth (PTG), particularly in the ways that it relates to grief.

This narrative literature review brings together 125 sources and presents them in a readable way.

There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that PTG can come from grief. This is not always the case, however.

This review presents only a selection of the existing literature – the review is not systematic. However, this allows for a narrative to be crafted, to aid readability.

Suggestions for future research are made throughout, and potential therapeutic applications are mentioned.

This paper discusses stigma, in the form of “disenfranchised grief”. In this, social pressures and expectations affect how a person processes their grief psychologically. While movements to increase discourse and reduce stigma are on the rise, more is needed.

This review guides readers through existing literature, providing a wide overview of the topic of PTG in grief.