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Influencer marketing has emerged as a key strategy for brands to promote green products. The effectiveness of virtual influencers – a newer type of endorser – for these products remains unclear. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of virtual and human influencers in promoting green products and to uncover the key mechanisms that drive their influence.

In this research, the hypotheses were examined across three experimental studies. Study 1 initially investigated the effectiveness of virtual influencers in endorsing green products. Study 2 identified perceived altruistic motivation and perceived congruence of product and influencer as key mechanisms. Study 3 explored the moderating effect of language type (rational vs emotional).

The findings indicate that virtual influencers are generally less effective than human influencers in promoting green products, largely due to lower perceived altruistic motivation and congruence. Yet, using rational language in promotional posts can enhance the effectiveness of virtual influencers in endorsing these products.

This study combines the mind perception theory with the match-up hypothesis to explore the intrinsic mechanisms of perceived altruistic motivation and congruence, specifically from an emotional perspective, based on the unique attributes of virtual influencers and green products. These insights guide brands in selecting suitable endorsers for green products in the context of increasing environmental awareness and digitalization.

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of awareness among library and information science (LIS) professionals regarding the perceived utility of big data (BD) and data analytics (DA) in academic libraries, as well as their influence on the provision of data services (DSs).

A cross-sectional survey was carried out to collect the data for this study. The population of this study comprised LIS professionals working in public sector university libraries. A four-factor measurement model estimating the influence of BD and DA on the provision of DSs in academic libraries was tested using the structural equation modelling.

The findings revealed that awareness (AW) (β = 0.141, CR = 2.534, p = 0.011) demonstrated a significant positive influence on the provision of DSs. The perceived utility of BD (β = 0.058, CR = 0.582, p = 0.561), and perceived utility of DA (β = 0.141, CR = 2.534, p = 0.905) exhibits a positive but statistically non-significant impact on the provision of DSs (β = 0.010, CR = 0.120, p = 0.905). The goodness of fit indices suggest a favourable fit for the model, as evidenced by the following values: χ² = 1.400, DF = 164; p = 0.001; IFI = 0.954; TLI = 0.946; CFI = 0.953; GFI = 0.906; and RMSEA = 0.043.

A new perspective on the use of BD and DA in academic libraries is presented in this study. It presents a four-factor measurement model on the influence of BD and DA on the provision of DSs in university libraries.

The rapid evolution of technological infrastructure and analytical capabilities has facilitated the integration of big data analytics (BDA) across various sectors. This study aims to investigate the suitability of implementing BDA within academic libraries, addressing the demanding need for effective data utilization in contemporary educational environments.

The research is grounded in five critical components: data-driven culture, organizational infrastructure, employee responsibilities, management capabilities and the successful deployment of technology for BDA. An extensive literature review led to the development of a Likert scale-based questionnaire distributed on social media to collect data from university librarians in Pakistan. The authors were able to collect the data from 211 librarians. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the variables, while confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using the AMOS to validate the research model.

The findings from the measurement model reveal significant positive correlations among all five components, underscoring their collective importance in facilitating the implementation of BDA. This formation is essential for addressing the evolving needs and academic requirements of users in the context of big data in a digital environment.

The study acknowledges limitations about its focus on a single country’s perspective, which may affect the generalizability of the findings regarding the implementation process of BDA in academic libraries.

This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the practices and capabilities of librarians in the era of big data as well as the requisite organizational infrastructure for the effective implementation of analytics in academic libraries.

By exploring the impact of digital knowledge resources (DKR) on the carbon emission intensity of the pig industry (PCEI), this study aims to reveal the role of DKR in reducing PCEI.

Based on provincial panel data in China from 2011 to 2021, this study uses the entropy and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change coefficient methods to calculate the evaluation index system of DKR and PCEI, respectively. Empirical analysis using a panel fixed-effects model examines the influence of DKR on PCEI and its underlying mechanisms.

DKR can significantly reduce PCEI. This conclusion still holds even after undergoing endogeneity treatment and a series of robustness tests. Mechanism test results indicate that DKR can operate indirectly through the mediation mechanism of rural human capital (RHC) and pig breeding technology innovation (PTI), while environmental regulation intensity (ERI) plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between DKR and PCEI. The magnitude of the impact of DKR on PCEI depends on ERI. Further studies found that the impact of DKR on PCEI has obvious heterogeneity characteristics, and the promotion effect is more obvious in regions with good integration degrees and high development potential.

This paper divides DKR into three dimensions: digital technology knowledge (DTK), digital management knowledge (DMK) and digital application knowledge (DAK), providing a new framework for research and enriching the understanding of the relationship between DKR and PCEI. Furthermore, the research results reveal the application potential of DKR in the pig industry, particularly in terms of resource allocation efficiency. This is of great significance for promoting low-carbon development in the pig industry and provides insights for the low-carbon transformation of other industries. In addition, the study emphasizes the moderating effect of ERI on the mechanism of carbon reduction in the pig industry through DKR. This offers a new perspective for understanding the relationship between knowledge management and environmental governance, providing a reference basis for policy formulation in related fields.

This paper further enriches the role of DKR in the livestock industry. Integrating DKR with traditional industries promotes knowledge innovation, information distribution and utilization and scientific decision-making. This has significant value in promoting the development and application of carbon reduction technologies, enhancing industrial competitive advantages, and other aspects.

Large volumes of complex and diverse data sources present a tremendous barrier for big data applications (BDAs) in digital library in terms of processing and extracting relevant insights. The purpose of this study is to examine librarians’ perceptions of BDAs and management for digital library services in selected academic libraries in Kwara State.

The research design that was adopted in this study is the cross-sectional research design. The total population for this study is 58 (58) library professionals. Owing to the small population of this study, total enumeration sampling technique was adopted for this study. Hence, the sample size for this study is 58 (58). Questionnaire was used for data collection. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The study demonstrated that digital library services provided include virtual reference services, institutional repositories and personalized content recommendation. Also, the librarians were aware of BDAs like Apache Hadoop and Python. It was showed that BDAs are used for resource transfer, borrowing management, user needs, usage tracking and personalizing content recommendations. Results showed that open-source software and hardware, and training on handling diverse data sets are essential for the management of big data. Challenges associated with the use of BDAs include scalability limitations, complex data structures, lack of big data processing, power supply issues and data privacy.

This study provides unaddressed questions and gaps in the area of using BDAs for the provision of digital library services, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.

This study aims to evaluate how well a University of Technology Library’s infrastructure aligns with the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). By examining the current state of technological integration and identifying potential gaps, this research seeks to provide insights into the necessary developments and adaptations needed. Additionally, the study explores the implications of these changes for librarian roles, highlighting the evolving skill sets and competencies required in this new paradigm.

The study used a mixed methods research approach, integrating an online questionnaire to gather quantitative data and conducting interviews to obtain qualitative insights. The subsequent interviews offered a thorough understanding of the library’s alignment with the 4IR and its implications for the librarians at the library.

The findings of this research will offer valuable perspectives for university faculties, librarians and policymakers in shaping future-ready library environments that support innovative teaching, learning and research practices.

The findings highlight the need for academic libraries to continuously evolve with enhancements to existing infrastructure to incorporate advancing technologies and encompass modern digital platforms, tools and resources to support innovative teaching, learning, and research works.

This study provides insight into the results of the importance of evolving with the advances of technologies in academic institutions within a developing country in Africa.

This study aims to map the scholarly literature on human resource management (HRM) publishing intensity in journals listed in Web of Science (WOS) under the subject category “Information Science and Library Science,” between 1989 and 2022.

The current study used a “bibliometric research design,” which is a quantitative approach. Ten selected bibliometric indicators were used to measure the scientific literature: publication-related metrics, citation-related metrics, citation analysis, co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, co-word analysis, co-authorship analysis, network metrics, clustering and visualization. Moreover, Louvain’s clustering algorithm was used for network metrics.

The paper gives empirical insights into the scholarly literature on HRM. The results were analyzed for the 65 sources and 1,412 authors from 60 countries who contributed the most during this period. Moreover, the study highlights a glimpse of funding sources, open-access publishing patterns and venues of publishing.

The study would be very beneficial to researchers and practitioners across disciplines.

This study illustrates that HRM is a multidisciplinary field that is appealing to academics from various disciplines because of its unique emphasis on management, and as such, it necessitates the pooling and integration of people, information, expertise and strategies. The study investigates numerous quantitative indicators such as research trends and collaboration frameworks.

The purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in libraries considering the advanced technologies and users’ behaviour.

The research uses a critical reflective approach to review and synthesize a body of recent academic literature on the use of TAM in libraries. The review included assessing TAM’s historical evolution, its limitations and how it could be improved.

The findings indicated that, although TAM can be viewed as an appropriate theoretical model to explain the users’ intention towards technology acceptance, it is limited in explaining both the users’ attitude towards advanced technology and their behaviour in advanced library settings.

To enhance the practicality of TAM in libraries, several recommendations for strategic advancements have been proposed such as contextualizing TAM to libraries, exploring AI-driven adoption, integrating library-specific constructs, understanding cultural differences and using holistic research approaches.

The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of technology adoption in libraries and to the future possibilities of TAM.

This paper aims to determine the impact of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (IVD) on the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds derived from tomato pomace flour (TPF) and amla pomace flour (APF), and to evaluate their potential health benefits as prebiotics on gut microbiota.

The nutritional and functional properties and the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds obtained from APF and TPF were measured using IVD model and the potential prebiotic effects were assessed during in vitro fermentation.

APF and TPF contained significant amounts of total dietary fibre (55.83% and 48.29%, respectively) and protein (2.1% and 14.37%, respectively). After IVD, a considerable amount of polyphenols from APF and TPF were released. In the intestinal phase, APF and TPF showed significant (p = 0.05) release of total phenolics (81% and 57%, respectively) and flavonoids (84% and 76%, respectively). Additionally, in comparison to the control samples, IVD increased antioxidant capacity. The proliferation of bacteria (L. acidophilus) and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including propionate and butyrate, were both increased during in vitro fermentation of APF and TPF. Both the flours showed a positive prebiotic activity with the value of <1.50.

The study supports sustainable agriculture and global pollution reduction. Incorporating these by-products into diets might increase the availability of inexpensive, nutritious food choices, improve digestive health and create economic possibilities for food producers and farmers.

The research provides novel information on the bioaccessibility of polyphenols and antioxidants during digestion, and the prebiotic potential APF, which have not been previously documented.