High-quality implementation of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (cross-border M&As) is an important pathway for emerging-market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) to enhance their international competitiveness. However, in comparison to developed countries, cross-border M&As by EMNEs are often prohibited by the liability of origin caused by negative political coverage. How and why negative political coverage affect the completion of cross-border M&As by EMNEs? What are the contextual constraints that moderate the impact of negative political coverage on cross-border M&As completion? Based on the “liability of origin” theory, this paper addresses these questions using data from the Zephyr database on cross-border M&As by EMNEs in the United States from 2016 to June 2021 and employing a logit model for estimation. The research findings are as follows: (1) Negative political coverage leads to negative perceptions of emerging market countries by host country stakeholders, creating the liability of origin and stigmatizing the corporate nationality, thereby reducing the success rate of cross-border M&As by EMNEs. (2) Increasing geographical distance leads to information asymmetry, reinforcing the negative impact of negative political coverage on the completion of cross-border M&As by EMNEs. (3) Relevant mergers and acquisitions exacerbate the negative effect of negative political coverage on the success rate of cross-border M&As by EMNEs. (4) Being a publicly traded firm and having successful experience in cross-border M&As both intensify the negative impact of negative political coverage on the success rate of cross-border M&As by EMNEs.

Given the growing significance of the metaverse in research, it is crucial to understand its scope, relevance in the tourism industry, and the human-computer interaction it involves. The emerging field of metaverse tourism has a noticeable research gap, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the concept. This article addresses this gap by conducting a hybrid systematic review, including a variable-oriented literature review, to assess the extent and scope of metaverse tourism. A scrutiny on Scopus identified a reduced number of relevant documents. The analysis exposes theoretical and empirical gaps, along with promising opportunities in the metaverse and tourism intersection. These insights contribute to shaping a contemporary research agenda, emphasizing metaverse tourism. While this study offers an overview of current research in metaverse tourism, it is essential to recognize that this field is still in its early stages, marked by the convergence of technology and transformations in tourism. This exploration underscores the challenges and opportunities arising from the evolving narrative of metaverse tourism.

In this study, we utilized a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on microscopic images encompassing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the protozoan parasite “plasmodium falciparum” (causing of malaria in humans), the bacterium “vibrio cholerae” (which produces the cholera disease) and non-infected samples (healthy persons) to effectively classify and predict epidemics. The findings showed promising results in both classification and prediction tasks. We quantitatively compared the obtained results by using CNN with those attained employing the support vector machine. Notably, the accuracy in prediction reached 97.5% when using convolutional neural network algorithms.

This research looks into the differences in technological practices across Gen-X, Gen-Y, and Gen-Z employees in the workplace, with an emphasis on motivation, communication, collaboration, and productivity gaps. The study uses a systematic literature review to identify factors that contribute to these variations, taking into account each generation’s distinct experiences, communication methods, working attitudes, and cultural backgrounds. Bridging generational gaps, providing ongoing training, and incorporating cross-generational and technology-enhanced practices are all required in today’s workplace. This study compares the dominating workplace generations, Gen-X and Gen-Y, with the emerging Gen-Z. A review of the literature from 2010 to 2023, which was narrowed down from 1307 to 20 significant studies, emphasizes the importance of organizational management adapting to generational changes in order to increase productivity and maintain a healthy workplace. The study emphasizes the need of creating effective solutions for handling generational variations in workplace.

The food industry progressively requires innovative and environmentally safe packaging materials with increased physical, mechanical, and barrier properties. Due to its unique properties, cellulose has several potential applications in the food industry as a packaging material, stabilizing agent, and functional food ingredient. A coffee pod is a filter of cellulosic, non-rigid, ready-made material containing ground portions and pressed coffee prepared in dedicated machines. In our study, we obtained, with homogenization and sonication, cellulose micro/nanoparticles from three different coffee pods. It is known that nanoparticulate systems can enter live cells and, if ingested, could exert alterations in gastrointestinal tract cells. Our work aims to investigate the response of HT-29 cells to cellulose nanoparticles from coffee pods. In particular, the subcellular effects between coffee-embedded nanocellulose (CENC) and cellulose nanoparticles (NC) were compared. Finally, we analysed the pathologic condition (Cytolethal Distending Toxin (CDT) from Campylobacter jejuni) on the same cells conditioned by NC and CENC. We evidenced that, for the cellular functional features analysed, NC and CENC pre-treatments do not worsen cell response to the C. jejuni CDT, also pointing out an improvement of the autophagic flux, particularly for CENC preconditioning.