bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comprehensive Atlas of AAV Tropism in the Mouse
Authors: Walkey Christopher J. , Snow Kathy J. , Bulcha Jote , Cox Aaron R. , Martinez Alexa E. , Ljungberg M. Cecilia , Lanza Denise G. , Giorgi Marco De , Chuecos Marcel A. , Alves-Bezerra Michele , Suarez Carlos Flores , Hartig Sean M. , Hilsenbeck Susan G. , Hsu Chih-Wei , Saville Ethan , Gaitan Yaned , Duryea Jeff , Hannigan Seth , Dickinson Mary E. , Mirochnitchenko Oleg , Wang Dan , Lutz Cathleen M. , Heaney Jason D. , Gao Guangping , Murray Stephen A. , Lagor William R.
Published: September 2024

Gene therapy with Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) vectors requires knowledge of their tropism within the body. Here we analyze the tropism of ten naturally occurring AAV serotypes (AAV3B, AAV4, AAV5, AAV6, AAV7, AAV8, AAV9, AAVrh8, AAVrh10 and AAVrh74) following systemic delivery into male and female mice. A transgene expressing ZsGreen and Cre recombinase was used to identify transduction in a cell-dependent manner based on fluorescence. Cre-driven activation of tdTomato fluorescence offered superior sensitivity for transduced cells. All serotypes except AAV3B and AAV4 had high liver tropism. Fluorescence activation revealed transduction of unexpected tissues, including adrenals, testes and ovaries. Rare transduced cells within tissues were also readily visualized. Biodistribution of AAV genomes correlated with fluorescence, except in immune tissues. AAV4 was found to have a pan-endothelial tropism while also targeting pancreatic beta cells. This public resource enables selection of the best AAV serotypes for basic science and preclinical applications in mice.
A stable 15-member bacterial SynCom promotesBrachypodiumgrowth under drought stress
Authors: Yadav Archana , Chen Mingfei , Acharya Shwetha M. , Yang Yuguo , Zhao Tiffany Z. , Chakraborty Romy
Published: September 2024

Rhizosphere microbiomes are known to drive soil nutrient cycling and influence plant fitness during adverse environmental conditions. Field-derived robust Synthetic Communities (SynComs) of microbes that mimic the diversity of rhizosphere microbiomes can greatly advance a deeper understanding of such processes. However, assembling stable, genetically tractable, reproducible, and scalable SynComs remains challenging. Here, we present a systematic approach using a combination of network analysis and cultivation-guided methods to construct a 15-member SynCom from the rhizobiome ofBrachypodium distachyon. This SynCom incorporates diverse strains from five bacterial phyla and demonstrates strong stability bothin vitroandin planta. Genomic analysis of the individual strains revealed that they encode multiple plant growth-promoting traits, some of which were validated by laboratory phenotypic assays. Additionally, most strains encoded genes both for the synthesis of osmoprotectants (trehalose and betaine) and Na+/K+transporters. These traits likely enabled the resilience ofBrachypodiumto drought stress where plants amended with SynCom recovered better than without. We further observed preferential colonization of SynCom strains around root tips under stress, likely due to active interactions between plant root metabolites and bacteria. Our results represent significant progress towards building and testing stable model SynComs for a better understanding of plant-microbe interactions.
Robinow SyndromeDVL1variants disrupt morphogenesis and appendage formation in a Drosophila disease model
Authors: Akarsu Gamze , MacCharles Katja R. , Lam Wong Kenneth Kin , Richman Joy M. , Verheyen Esther M.
Published: September 2024

Robinow Syndrome is a rare developmental syndrome caused by variants in numerous genes involved in Wnt signaling pathways. We previously showed that expression of patient variants in Drosophila and a chicken model disrupts the balance of canonical and non-canonical/PCP Wnt signaling. We also noted neomorphic effects that warranted further investigation. In this study, we examine morphological changes that occur as a result of one variant, DVL11519ΔT, that serves as a prototype for the other pathogenic variants. We show that epithelial imaginal disc development is disrupted in legs and wings. Shortened leg segments are reminiscent of shortened limb bones seen in RS patients. We find that imaginal disc development is disrupted and accompanied by increased cell death, without changes in cell proliferation. Furthermore, we find altered dynamics of basement membrane components and modulators. Notably we find increased MMP1 expression and tissue distortion, which is dependent on JNK signaling. We also find enhanced collagen IV (Viking) secreted from cells expressing DVL11519ΔT. Through these studies we have gained more insight into developmental consequences of DVL1 variants implicated in autosomal dominant Robinow Syndrome.
Ki-67 and CDK1 Control the Dynamic Association of Nuclear Lipids with Mitotic Chromosomes
Authors: Hu Hsiao-Tang , Wang Ueh-Ting Tim , Chen Bi-Chang , Hsueh Yi-Ping , Wang Ting-Fang
Published: September 2024

Nuclear lipids play roles in regulatory processes such as signaling, transcriptional regulation, and DNA repair. In this report, we demonstrate that nuclear lipids may contribute to Ki-67-regulated chromosome integrity during mitosis. In COS-7 cells, nuclear lipids are enriched at the perichromosomal layer and excluded from intrachromosomal regions during early mitosis, but are then detected in intrachromosomal regions during late mitosis, as revealed by TT-ExM, an improved expansion microscopy technique that enables high-sensitivity, super-resolution imaging of proteins, lipids, and nuclear DNA. The nuclear non-histone protein Ki-67 acts as a surfactant to form a repulsive molecular brush around fully condensed sister chromatids in early mitosis, preventing the diffusion or penetration of nuclear lipids into intrachromosomal regions. Ki-67 is phosphorylated during mitosis by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), the best-known master regulator of the cell cycle. Both Ki-67 knockdown and reduced Ki-67 phosphorylation by CDK1 inhibitors allow nuclear lipids to penetrate chromosomal regions. Thus, both Ki-67 protein level and phosphorylation status during mitosis appear to influence the perichromosomal distribution of nuclear lipids. Ki-67 knockdown and CDK1 inhibition also lead to uneven chromosome disjunction between daughter cells, highlighting the critical role of this regulatory mechanism in ensuring accurate chromosome segregation. Given that Ki-67 has been proposed to promote chromosome individualization during open mitosis in vertebrates, our results reveal that nuclear lipid enrichment at the perichromosomal layer enhances Ki-67’s ability to form a protective chromosomal envelope, which is critical for correct chromosome segregation and maintenance of genome integrity during mitosis.
EB-SUN, a New Microtubule Plus-End Tracking Protein inDrosophila
Authors: Kim Sun K. , Rogers Stephen L. , Lu Wen , Lee Brad S. , Gelfand Vladimir I.
Published: September 2024

Microtubule (MT) regulation is essential for oocyte development. InDrosophila, MT stability, polarity, abundance, and orientation undergo dynamic changes across developmental stages. In our effort to identify novel microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that regulate MTs in theDrosophilaovary, we identified a previously uncharacterized gene, CG18190, encoding a novel MT end-binding (EB) protein, which we propose to name EB-SUN. We show that EB-SUN colocalizes with EB1 at growing microtubule plus-ends inDrosophilaS2 cells. Tissue-specific and developmental expression profiles from Paralog Explorer reveal that EB-SUN is predominantly expressed in the ovary and early embryos, while EB1 is ubiquitously expressed. Furthermore, as early as oocyte determination, EB-SUN comets are highly concentrated in oocytes during oogenesis. EB-SUN knockout (KO) results in a decrease in MT density at the onset of mid-oogenesis (Stage 7) and delays oocyte growth during late mid-oogenesis (Stage 9). Combining EB-SUN KO with EB1 knockdown (KD) in germ cells significantly further reduced MT density at Stage 7. Notably, all eggs from EB-SUN KO/EB1 KD females fail to hatch, unlike single gene depletion, suggesting a functional redundancy between these two EB proteins during embryogenesis. Our findings indicate that EB-SUN and EB1 play distinct roles during early embryogenesis.

Significance Statement

Our study identified a novel microtubule end-binding (EB) protein, which is highly expressed in theDrosophilaovary, and we propose to name it EB-SUN.

We demonstrate the functional redundancy of EB-SUN and EB1 during oocyte development, while highlighting their distinct roles in early embryogenesis.

Given the high conservation of MT-dependent mechanisms in oogenesis and EB proteins across species, these findings provide insights into the differential regulation and tissue-specific functions of the EB family, usingDrosophilaas a model system, potentially benefiting future research on MT regulation in higher organisms.
Safety signals reinforce instrumental avoidance in humans
Authors: Fisher Courteney T.L. , Urcelay Gonzalo P.
Published: September 2024

Safety signals reinforce instrumental avoidance behavior in nonhuman animals. However, there are no conclusive demonstrations of this phenomenon in humans. Using human participants in an avoidance task, Experiments 1–3 and 5 were conducted online to assess the reinforcing properties of safety signals, and Experiment 4 was conducted in the laboratory. Participants were trained with CSs+ and CSs–, and they could avoid an aversive outcome during presentations of the CSs+ by pressing their space bar at a specific time. If successful, the aversive outcome was not presented but instead a safety signal was. Participants were then tested—whilst on extinction—with two new ambiguous test CSs. If participants made an avoidance response, one of the test CSs produced the trained safety signal and the other was a control. In Experiments 1 and 4, the control was followed by no signal. In Experiment 2, the control was followed by a signal that differed in one dimension (color) with the trained safety signal, and in Experiment 3, the control differed in two dimensions (shape and color) from the trained safety signal. Experiment 5 tested the reinforcing properties of the safety signal using a choice procedure and a new response during test. We observed that participants made more avoidance responses to the ambiguous test CSs when followed by the trained signal in Experiments 1, 3, 4, and 5 (but not in Experiment 2). Overall, these results suggest that trained safety signals can reinforce avoidance behavior in humans.
Bell nonlocality and entanglement in
e+e−→YY¯
at BESIII
Authors: Wu Sihao , Qian Chen , Wang Qun , Zhou Xiao-Rong
Published: September 2024

The Bell nonlocality and entanglement are two kinds of quantum correlations in quantum systems. Due to the recent upgrade in the Beijing Spectrometer III (BESIII) experiment, it is possible to explore the nonlocality and entanglement in hyperon-antihyperon systems produced in electron-positron annihilation with high precision data. We provide a systematic method for studying quantum correlations in spin-1/2 hyperon-antihyperon systems through the measures for the nonlocality and entanglement. We find that with nonvanishing polarizations of the hyperon and its antihyperon, the kinematic region of nonlocality in the hyperon-antihyperon system is more restricted than the τ+τ− system in which polarizations of τ leptons are vanishing. We also present an experimental proposal to probe the nonlocality and entanglement in hyperon-antihyperon systems at BSEIII.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Dijet spectrum in nonlocal and asymptotically nonlocal theories
Authors: Anderson Mikkie R. , Carone Christopher D.
Published: September 2024

Asymptotically nonlocal field theories approximate ghost-free nonlocal theories at low energies, yet are theories of finite order in the number of derivatives. These theories have an emergent nonlocal scale that regulates loop diagrams and can provide a solution to the hierarchy problem. Asymptotic nonlocality has been studied previously in scalar theories, Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories with complex scalars, and linearized gravity. Here we extend that work by considering an asymptotically nonlocal generalization of QCD, which can be used for realistic phenomenological investigations. In particular, we derive Feynman rules relevant for the study of the production of dijets at hadron colliders and compute the parton-level cross sections at leading order. We use these to determine a bound on the scale of new physics from Large Hadron Collider data, both for a typical choice of model parameters, and in the nonlocal limit.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Measuring kinematic anisotropies with pulsar timing arrays
Authors: Jiménez Cruz N. M. , Malhotra Ameek , Tasinato Gianmassimo , Zavala Ivonne
Published: September 2024

Recent pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations show strong evidence for a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) with the characteristic Hellings-Downs interpulsar correlations. The signal may stem from supermassive black hole binary mergers, or early Universe phenomena. The former is expected to be strongly anisotropic, while primordial backgrounds are likely to be predominantly isotropic with small fluctuations. In the case the observed SGWB is of cosmological origin, our relative motion with respect to the SGWB rest frame is a guaranteed source of anisotropy, leading to O(10−3) energy density fluctuations of the SGWB. For such cosmological SGWB, kinematic anisotropies are likely to be larger than the intrinsic anisotropies, akin to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) dipole anisotropy. We assess the sensitivity of current PTA data to the kinematic dipole anisotropy, and we also forecast at what extent the magnitude and direction of the kinematic dipole can be measured in the future with an SKA-like experiment. We also discuss how the spectral shape of the SGWB and the location of the pulsars to monitor affect the prospects of detecting the kinematic dipole with PTA. In the future, a detection of this anisotropy may even help resolve the discrepancy in the magnitude of the kinematic dipole as measured by CMB and large-scale structure observations.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Nonrelativistic nuclear reduction for tensor couplings in dark matter direct detection and
μ→e
conversion
Authors: Glick-Magid Ayala
Published: September 2024

The nonrelativistic effective field theory (NRET) is widely used in dark matter direct detection and charged-lepton flavor violation studies through μ→e conversion. However, existing literature has not fully considered tensor couplings. This study fills this gap by utilizing an innovative tensor decomposition method, extending NRET to incorporate previously overlooked tensor interactions. This development is expected to have a significant impact on ongoing experiments seeking physics beyond the Standard Model and on our understanding of the new-physics interactions. Notably, we identify additional operators in μ→e conversion that are absent in scalar and vector couplings. To support further research and experimental analyses, comprehensive tables featuring tensor matrix elements and their corresponding operators are provided.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
First Results from the Axion Dark-Matter Birefringent Cavity (ADBC) Experiment
Authors: Pandey Swadha , Hall Evan D. , Evans Matthew
Published: September 2024

Axions and axionlike particles are strongly motivated dark-matter candidates that are the subject of many current ground based dark-matter searches. We present first results from the Axion Dark-Matter Birefringent Cavity (ADBC) experiment, which is an optical bow-tie cavity probing the axion-induced birefringence of electromagnetic waves. Our experiment is the first optical axion detector that is tunable and quantum noise limited, making it sensitive to a wide range of axion masses. We have iteratively probed the axion mass ranges 40.9–43.3  neV/c2, 49.3–50.6  neV/c2, and 54.4–56.7  neV/c2, and found no dark-matter signal. On average, we constrain the axionlike particle and photon coupling at the level gaγγ≤1.9×10−8  GeV−1. We also present prospects for future axion dark-matter detection experiments using optical cavities.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Universal Defects Statistics with Strong Long-Range Interactions
Authors: Gherardini Stefano , Buffoni Lorenzo , Defenu Nicolò
Published: September 2024

Quasi-static transformations, or slow quenches, of many-body quantum systems across quantum critical points generate topological defects. The Kibble-Zurek mechanism regulates the appearance of defects in a local quantum system through a classical combinatorial process. However, long-range interactions disrupt the conventional Kibble-Zurek scaling and lead to a density of defects that is independent of the rate of the transformation. In this Letter, we analytically determine the complete full counting statistics of defects generated by slow annealing a strong long-range system across its quantum critical point. We demonstrate that the mechanism of defect generation in long-range systems is a purely quantum process with no classical equivalent. Furthermore, universality is not only observed in the defect density but also in all the moments of the distribution. Our findings can be tested on various experimental platforms, including Rydberg gases and trapped ions.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Evolving study strategies and support structures of introductory physics students
Authors: Shafer Devyn , Girotti-Hernandez Daniela , Stelzer Tim
Published: September 2024

Students often struggle in the transition from high school to college. One component of this struggle is adjusting study habits to navigate new academic expectations. Another is establishing new relationships in college that can support their emotional well-being and academic success. We administered surveys consisting primarily of open-ended questions to students taking an introductory physics course in order to gain insight into students’ study habits and support structures and how they change from high school to college. We find that many students learn that they need to dedicate more time outside of class to studying in order to succeed in college. Many students trying to improve their performance report practicing more, but our results suggest that more practice alone is not sufficient; rather, students were able to increase their performance and satisfaction in the course by engaging more deeply with the material. Regarding support structures, we find that in high school, students find their teachers highly supportive and accessible, but they are less likely to approach their college professors for help. Meanwhile, many students find peers to be an important source of support in college as the amount of support they receive from their families diminishes with distance from home. Gaining a better understanding of students’ study habits, support structures, and how they conceptualize them can help us design course structures and messaging that can more effectively help students develop strong learning strategies and social networks.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
In-depth analysis of music structure as a text network
Authors: Tsai Ping-Rui , Chou Yen-Ting , Wang Nathan-Christopher , Chen Hui-Ling , Huang Hong-Yue , Luo Zih-Jia , Hong Tzay-Ming
Published: September 2024

Music, enchanting and poetic, permeates every corner of human civilization. Although music is not unfamiliar to people, our understanding of its essence remains limited, and there is still no universally accepted scientific description. This is primarily due to music being regarded as a product of reason and emotion, making it difficult to define. This article treats musical texts as a complex system. This view echoes linguist John Rupert Firth's insight that understanding a word involves defining it through its surrounding relationships. To construct the network we first build a linear regression model with threshold values to assign conditions to the links among note, time, and volume. Then a clustering coefficient representing regional characteristics is utilized to define the word. Finally, the statistical distribution of the text is strictly required to adhere to the grammatical properties of statistical linguistics, such as Zipf's law, to adjust the weights of the linear regression model and achieve optimal results. These processes enable us to comprehend the structural differences in music across different periods with scientific rigor. Relying on the advantages of structuralism, we concentrate on the relationships and order between the physical elements of music, rather than getting entangled in the blurred boundaries of science and philosophy. Aside from serving as a bridge connecting music to natural language processing and knowledge graphs, the technical methods developed in this work offer a more intuitive approach to elucidate the relationships among elements of a complex network.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Efficient learning of continuous-variable quantum states
Authors: Wu Ya-Dong , Zhu Yan , Chiribella Giulio , Liu Nana
Published: September 2024

The characterization of continuous-variable quantum states is crucial for applications in quantum communication, sensing, simulation, and computing. However, a full characterization of multimode quantum states requires a number of experiments that grows exponentially with the number of modes. Here we propose an alternative approach where the goal is not to reconstruct the full quantum state, but rather to estimate its characteristic function at a given set of points. For multimode states with reflection symmetry, we show that the characteristic function at M points can be estimated using only O(logM) copies of the state, independently of the number of modes. When the characteristic function is known to be positive, as in the case of squeezed vacuum states, the estimation is achieved by an experimentally friendly setup using only beamsplitters and homodyne measurements.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
From nonreciprocal to charge-4e supercurrent in Ge-based Josephson devices with tunable harmonic content
Authors: Leblanc Axel , Tangchingchai Chotivut , Momtaz Zahra Sadre , Kiyooka Elyjah , Hartmann Jean-Michel , Fernandez-Bada Gonzalo Troncoso , Scherübl Zoltán , Brun Boris , Schmitt Vivien , Zihlmann Simon , Maurand Romain , Dumur Étienne , De Franceschi Silvano , Lefloch François
Published: September 2024

Hybrid superconductor(S)-semiconductor(Sm) devices bring a range of functionalities into superconducting circuits. In particular, hybrid parity-protected qubits and Josephson diodes were recently proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Such devices leverage the nonsinusoidal character of the Josephson current-phase relation (CPR) in highly transparent S-Sm-S junctions. Here, we report an experimental study of superconducting quantum-interference devices (SQUIDs) embedding Josephson field-effect transistors fabricated from a SiGe/Ge/SiGe heterostructure grown on a 200-mm silicon wafer. The single-junction CPR shows up to three harmonics with gate-tunable amplitude. In the presence of microwave irradiation, the ratio of the first two dominant harmonics, corresponding to single and double Cooper-pair transport processes, is consistently reflected in relative weight of integer and half-integer Shapiro steps. A combination of magnetic-flux and gate-voltage control enables tuning the SQUID functionality from a nonreciprocal Josephson-diode regime with 27% asymmetry to a π-periodic Josephson regime suitable for the implementation of parity-protected superconducting qubits. These results illustrate the potential of Ge-based hybrid devices as versatile and scalable building blocks of superconducting quantum circuits.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Optimal control transport of neutral atoms in optical tweezers at finite temperature
Authors: Pagano Alice , Jaschke Daniel , Weiss Werner , Montangero Simone
Published: September 2024

The transport of neutral atoms in Rydberg quantum computers is a crucial step for the initial arrangement of the grid as well as the dynamic connectivity, recently successfully demonstrated. We study the application of optimal control and the quantum speed limit for the transport of neutral atoms in optical tweezers at finite temperatures and analyze how laser noise affects transport fidelity. Open-loop optimal control significantly enhances transport fidelity, achieving an improvement up to 89% for the lowest analyzed temperature of 1µK for a distance of 3µm. Furthermore, we simulate how the transport fidelity behaves in release-and-capture measurements, which are realizable in the experiment to estimate transport efficiency and implement closed-loop optimal control.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
In Situ
Subwavelength Microscopy of Ultracold Atoms Using Dressed Excited States
Authors: Veyron R. , Gerent J-B. , Baclet G. , Mancois V. , Bouyer P. , Bernon S.
Published: September 2024

In this work, we implement a new method for imaging ultracold atoms with subwavelength resolution capabilities and determine its regime of validity. It uses the laser-driven interaction between excited states to engineer hyperfine ground-state population transfer in a three-level system on scales much smaller than the optical resolution. Subwavelength imaging of a quantum gas is atypical in the sense that the measurement itself perturbs the dynamics of the system. To avoid induced dynamics affecting the measurement, one usually “rapidly” measures the wave function in a so-called strong imaging regime. We experimentally illustrate this regime using a thermal gas ensemble, and demonstrate subwavelength resolution in quantitative agreement with a fully analytical model. Additionally, we show that, counterintuitively, the opposite weak imaging regime can also be exploited to reach subwavelength resolution. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that this regime is a robust solution to select and spatially resolve a 30-nm-wide wave function, which was created and singled out from a tightly confined one-dimensional optical lattice. Using a general dissipation-included formalism, we derive validity criteria for both regimes. The formalism is applicable to other subwavelength methods.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Do returnee executives influence firms’ relative exploratory innovation focus? The moderating role of economic policy uncertainty
Authors: Ren Ge , Zeng Ping , Zhong Xi
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Based on upper echelon theory and signaling theory, we aim to examine the impact of returnee executives on firms’ relative exploratory innovation focus and the moderating effect of economic policy uncertainty on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Using panel data of Chinese listed companies from 2009 to 2020, we obtained empirical evidence to support our arguments.

Findings

Returnee executives positively influence firms’ relative exploratory innovation focus. This means that firms with returnee executives will shift the focus of their innovation activities toward exploratory innovation more than exploitative innovation. In addition, we find that economic policy uncertainty strengthens this relationship.

Originality/value

First, by showing how returnee executives positively influence firms’ shift in focus to exploratory rather than exploitative innovation, we expand our understanding of firms’ trade-offs between exploratory and exploitative innovation. Second, this study examines how returnee executives influence the relative importance that firms place on exploratory and exploitative innovation, allowing us to build a realistic and nuanced view of how returnee executives influence firms’ strategic choices. Finally, this study expands the strategic leadership literature and responds directly to the call for studies focusing on how institutional environmental conditions and executive characteristics work together to shape firm outcomes.
Contribution of university curriculum, work and life experience to work readiness: perspectives of individuals transitioning from university to physiotherapy practice
Authors: Lawton Vidya , Pacey Verity , Jones Taryn M. , Dean Catherine M.
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Australian physiotherapy programs incorporate work-integrated learning within curriculum, with the aim to produce work-ready graduates. Recent research in physiotherapy has identified six domains of work readiness. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between university performance, paid work and work readiness, and explore the perceived contributions of university curriculum, work and life experiences to work readiness in those individuals transitioning into practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-methods design was used incorporating an online survey, and linked university performance data of completing students and recent graduates. The survey included personal and work data, a work readiness scale and Likert scales measuring perceived contributions to work readiness from university curriculum (academic and clinical), work and life experiences. University performance was calculated as the Course Weighted Average Mark. Correlation analysis examined the relationship between university performance, paid work and work readiness. Perceived contributions from university curriculum, and work and life experiences for work readiness domains were calculated as percentages of each Likert response.

Findings

Analysis included 129 surveys (51 completing students and 78 recent graduates). There was no association between university performance, work (paid and unpaid) and perceived work readiness (all p-values > 0.05). There was a high consistent trend that university academic curriculum (range 71–97%), clinical curriculum (range 89–99%) and work and life experiences (range 67–94%) contributed to all work readiness domains.

Originality/value

This study highlights the significant influence of university curriculum, work and life experiences on perceived readiness for practice.
Agri-food supply chain concentration and financial growth: configuration and congruence approaches
Authors: Xu Jiawei , Zhang Baofeng , Lu Jianjun , Yu Yubing , Chen Haidong , Zhou Jie
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The importance of the agri-food supply chain in both food production and distribution has made the issue of its development a critical concern. Based on configuration theory and congruence theory, this research investigates the complex impact of supply chain concentration on financial growth in agri-food supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The cluster analysis and response surface methodology are employed to analyse the data collected from 207 Chinese agri-food companies from 2010 to 2022.

Findings

The results indicate that different combination patterns of supply chain concentration can lead to different levels of financial growth. We discover that congruent supplier and customer concentration is beneficial for companies’ financial growth. This impact is more pronounced when the company is in the agricultural production stage of agri-food supply chains. Post-hoc analysis indicates that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between the overall levels of supply chain concentration and financial growth.

Practical implications

Our research uncovers the complex interplay between supply chain base and financial outcomes, thereby revealing significant ramifications for agri-food supply chain managers to optimise their strategies for exceptional financial growth.

Originality/value

This study proposes a combined approach of cluster analysis and response surface analysis for analysing configuration issues in supply chain management.
Economical rights versus God’s rights: criticising of the implementation Shariah economic in Indonesia
Authors: Bin-Armia Muhammad Syauqi , Armia Muhammad Siddiq , Syarif Muhammad Fazlurrahman
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the impact of Law No. 11 of 2018 on Islamic Financial Institutions in Aceh, Indonesia. It also aims to understand the balance between the economic rights of individuals under Shariah law and the broader concept of God’s rights, as interpreted by this legislation. In addition, the research argues that the implementation of Law No. 11 of 2018 is untimely, with a focus on examining its influence on the cumulative abnormal return (CAR) of Shariah banks and its slight contribution to the direct economic impact.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a mixed-methods approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative analyses. The qualitative aspect uses a black-letter law approach for legislative scrutiny, whereas the quantitative aspect assesses economic indicators and firm performance using an event study analysis. The study also includes a two-tailed assessment to test hypotheses related to the law’s direct impact on institutional performance.

Findings

The study reveals that Law No. 11 of 2018 had minimal impact on national-scale corporate performance and a notable increase in poverty indices in Aceh, indicating a potential misalignment between the law’s intention and its economic consequences. The results also show the law’s ineffectiveness in significantly influencing the CAR of Islamic banks, highlighting a clash of norms and a lack of substantial economic substance in the implementation of Shariah compliance.

Research limitations/implications

This research is geographically and legally focused on Aceh, Indonesia, with a short-term analysis that may not fully capture the long-term impacts. It primarily considers the stock price performance of specific institutions for quantitative analysis and identifies potential clashes and disharmony-in-law implementation from a qualitative perspective.

Practical implications

The findings suggest the need for legal frameworks that better comply Shariah principles with economic realities. Regional governments should consider modifying policies to balance religious values and economic objectives.

Social implications

This research highlights the importance of balancing religious obligations with economic rights, indicating that strict interpretations of religious law can lead to adverse socioeconomic effects.

Originality/value

This study is unique in its comprehensive analysis of the convergence between religious law and economic rights, offering insights into the challenges faced in implementing Shariah-based economic policies in diverse economies, such as Indonesia.
Design of a multi-manipulator robot for relieving welding residual stress
Authors: Liu Qing , Wang Chengjun , Shang Chenchen , Li Jiabao
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to reduce the residual stress in welded workpieces, optimize the vibratory stress relief treatment process through the use of a vibration generator and enhance the durability and longevity of the workpiece by developing a vibratory stress relief robot that incorporates a multi-manipulator system.

Design/methodology/approach

The multi-manipulator combination work is designed so that each manipulator is deployed according to the requirements of vibration stress relief work. Each manipulator works independently and coordinates with others to achieve multi-dimensional vibratory stress relief of the workpiece. A two-degree-of-freedom mobile platform is designed to enable the transverse and longitudinal movement of the manipulator, expanding the working space of the robot. A small electromagnetic superharmonic vibration generator is designed to produce directional vibrations in any orientation. This design addresses the technical challenge of traditional vibration generators being bulky and unable to achieve directional vibrations.

Findings

The residual stress relief experiment demonstrates that the residual stress of the workpiece is reduced by approximately 73% through three-degree-of-freedom vibration. The multi-dimensional vibration effectively enhances the relief effect of residual stress, which is beneficial for improving the strength and service life of the workpiece.

Originality/value

A new multi-manipulator robot is proposed to alleviate the residual stress generated by workpiece welding by integrating vibratory stress relief with robotics. It is beneficial to reduce material and energy consumption while enhancing the strength and service life of the workpiece.
Exploring the role of ethnic networking ties in immigrant entrepreneurship: a comprehensive review and research agenda
Authors: Yang Jane Jingyao , Girotto Michele
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of ethnic networking ties in immigrant entrepreneurship literature, shedding light on insights that have been overlooked in existing literature.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted using a sample of 127 articles sourced from the Web of Science database. This review used a combination of bibliometric and content analysis.

Findings

The findings revealed the underproduction in this research field. The authors identified the dual characteristics and different types of ethnic ties, presented across various stages of immigrant business, the aspects often overlooked in current research. Drawing from these results, the authors proposed a conceptual model introducing four interconnected dimensions – local context, personal level, ethnic enclave and business development stages – that collectively shape the examination of ethnic ties and suggest avenues for further research to understand their role in the immigrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Originality/value

This study offers three notable contributions to existing literature. Firstly, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that systematically reviews the current research status of ethnic ties in immigrant entrepreneurship. Secondly, it uncovered the dynamic nature of ethnic ties and their roles across various immigrant business stages. Thirdly, it introduces a conceptual model that serves as a framework for future investigations, addressing the under-explored multidimensional nature of ethnic ties, thereby presenting several practical, social and theoretical implications.
Strategic hospital resilience capability response to adversity: fusing government regulation and COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Endaryono Teguh , Kurniawan Harris Turino , Tjiptoherijanto Prijono
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Strategic leadership plays an important role in achieving organizational success in surviving and growing in a challenging business environment. This study aims to examine the role of strategic leadership in responding to a rare moment in the health industry, which is the combination of government regulations that tend to continue to change and the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 358 respondents from 141 type C and D hospitals in Indonesia participated in this research. This study used six latent variables and 27 dimensions, processed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of this study confirmed that resilient leaders will not seek new partners by developing network capabilities; but rather choose to save the hospital first, by resources reconfiguration as response to the unanticipated adversity caused by fusing the government regulation and emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originality/value

This study makes an important contribution that enables hospital management to develop action plans in response to national health-care regulations coupled with the emergence and extension of the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as the results of the investigation into organizational resources, and to implement strategic resilience capability more effectively.
How leader bottom-line mentality impedes employee innovative behavior: a Pygmalion effect perspective
Authors: Wang Tingxi , Yu Boming , Liu Mingwei , Zhou Yue
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between leader bottom-line mentality (BLM) and employee innovative behavior, which may be interpreted by employees’ perceived creativity expectations and moderated by employee time orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-wave and multi-source questionnaire survey with 259 paired Chinese employee–leader dyads provided data to test the theoretical model. Hypotheses were tested with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Findings

Consistent with hypotheses, leader BLM reduces employees’ perceived creativity expectations and thus inhibits employees’ innovative behavior, and this effect is stronger for employees with short-term orientation.

Practical implications

Our findings highlight the negative influences of leader BLM on innovative behavior and the buffering role of employees’ long-term orientation. Organizations may incorporate BLM in leadership promotion and evaluation and provide corresponding training for leaders to overcome BLM. In addition, long-term orientation can be a valuable indicator in employee recruitment and selection.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a new theoretical perspective of the Pygmalion effects for understanding leader BLM’s influence on employee innovative behavior.
How hours allocated to year-round auditing procedures affect audit quality
Authors: Kim Sangil , Kang Minjung , Lee Ho-Young , Mande Vivek
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how the allocation of audit hours to the year-round procedures, based on the risk of material misstatements in financial statements, impacts audit quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a data set on audit hours spent on year-round and year-end procedures, the authors build an empirical model for testing the effectiveness of year-round auditing of Korean public firms during the period of 2014–2018.

Findings

The initial tests do not show that proportionate increases in year-round procedures increase audit quality. However, after the authors control for the risk of material misstatements, the authors find that proportionate increases in year-round audit hours generally increase audit quality, except for high-risk firms where audit quality increases only as year-end hours proportionately increase. For high-risk firms, the results suggest that increases in year-round audit procedures occur at the cost of the essential year-end work. Similarly, except for high-risk firms, the authors find that the allocation of more audit effort to year-round procedures improves audit efficiency.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study provides some of the first empirical evidence showing how a risk-based approach to allocating audit effort over the duration of an audit can impact audit quality and efficiency. Regulatory bodies, such as the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which consider the proper allocation of audit hours as a key audit quality indicator, should find the results useful.
Implications of European Union regulation on the circular economy and stakeholder strategies in the electric vehicle lithium-ion battery sector
Authors: Shqairat Alaa , Liarte Sébastien , Marange Pascale , Nuur Cali , Chagnes Alexandre
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the implications of the recent European Union Regulation 2023/1542 on the circular economy and stakeholder strategies within the electric vehicle lithium-ion battery (EV-LIB) sector. It aims to explain the policy intentions, recommend practical strategies for stakeholders and examine how the new regulation exerts pressure on stakeholders to transition from older directives to more sustainable practices and operational standards, while also highlighting policy gaps.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employs a dual-method approach, combining text analysis of EU legislation with semi-structured interviews of industry stakeholders. This methodology allows for a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory impacts by integrating legislative intent with practical, on-the-ground insights from key players in the EV-LIB sector.

Findings

Our findings show that the three aggregated dimensions of operational sustainability, R&D and new technologies and collaborative dynamics are the key dynamics underlying the intended outcomes. The findings also highlight the policy’s historical development, the stakeholder categories, the implications for each and practical recommendations in responding to the policy requirements. Additionally, the findings identify policy gaps, such as weak incentives and broad economic operator classifications, with examples from international markets. The regulation creates proactive stakeholders driving innovation and collaboration and reactive ones adapting to changes, where static implicit implications may affect their viability by imposing unequal burdens.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to analyze the new EU Regulation 2023/1542, offering novel insights into the strategic responses required by stakeholders to adapt to the regulatory pressures. By focusing on the latest regulatory framework and its practical implications, the study bridges the gap between policy and practice, providing valuable guidance for industry players navigating the evolving regulatory environment.

Highlights

(1)

EU’s policy shift from Directive to Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 has extended implications on the Electric Vehicles battery sector.

(2)

Duel qualitative methods of text analysis and semi-structured interviews validated three aggregate dimensions and policy gaps.

(3)

R&D with advancing technology, Operational sustainability and safety and Collaboration dynamics are dominating the scene.

(4)

Emergence of Proactive vs Reactive stakeholder dynamics.

(5)

The broad classification of “economic operators” and insufficiently detailed incentives, hinting at potential competitive imbalances and underexplored roles of end-users in achieving circular economy goals are appearing policy’ gaps.
Lottery stocks in Brazil: investigating risk premium and investor behavior
Authors: Rocha Gabriel Sifuentes , Laurini Márcio Poletti
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study investigates the paradox of lotteries in financial markets, challenging traditional utility models predicated on rational behavior amid uncertainty. It explores why investors are drawn to lotteries despite the potential trade-off between risk-adjusted returns and sporadically substantial gains.

Design/methodology/approach

Employing a multifaceted approach, the study first scrutinizes diverse theories elucidating the perplexing behavior of lottery investors. Subsequently, it assesses the premium attached to lottery stock shares in the Brazilian financial market using distinct methodologies, thereby offering a comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon. Finally, the study estimates the risk premium associated with the lottery stocks applying an extended Fama–French multifactor model and searching for evidence of overlap with other risk-based anomalies.

Findings

This research unveils theories underpinning seemingly irrational investor behavior vis-à-vis lotteries, revealing the motivations propelling investors to willingly exchange risk-adjusted returns for the allure of substantial but infrequent gains. Empirical evidence delineates the extent of the premium paid for lottery stocks in the Brazilian market.

Originality/value

The study’s novelty lies in its amalgamation of theoretical exploration, empirical analysis and the application of the Fama–French factor model to gauge the risk premium associated with lottery-related behavior. Furthermore, its investigation of lottery stocks within the Brazilian market introduces a distinctive dimension, elucidating market dynamics and investor behaviors unique to the region.