bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neonatal amygdala microstructure and structural connectivity are associated with autistic traits at 2 years of age
Authors: Vaher Kadi , Neal Samuel R , Blesa Cábez Manuel , Jiménez-Sánchez Lorena , Corrigan Amy , Stoye David Q , Turner Helen L , Smikle Rebekah , Cruickshank Hilary , Rudnicka Magda , Bastin Mark E , Thrippleton Michael J , Reynolds Rebecca M , Boardman James P
Published: December 2024

Background

Prenatal exposure to maternal stress is linked to behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood. Maternal hair cortisol concentration in pregnancy associates with neonatal amygdala microstructure and structural connectivity ascertained from MRI, suggesting that amygdala development is sensitive to the impact of antenatal stress via hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Here, we investigate whether amygdala microstructure and/or connectivity associate with neurodevelopment at 2 years of age.

Methods

174 participants (105 very preterm) underwent brain MRI at term-equivalent age and assessment of neurodevelopment, autistic traits, temperament, and executive function at 2 years corrected age. We calculated diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging metrics for left and right amygdalae. Structural connectivity was measured by mean fractional anisotropy from the amygdalae to 6 ipsilateral regions of interest (insula, putamen, thalamus, inferior temporal gyrus, medial orbitofrontal cortex, rostral anterior cingulate cortex). We used linear regression to model amygdala-outcome associations, adjusting for gestational age at birth and at scan, sex, maternal education, and maternal postnatal depression score. Network-based statistics (NBS) was used for a whole-brain analysis.

Results

After adjusting for multiple comparisons, lower amygdala mean diffusivity bilaterally (left: β=-0.32, p=0.026, right: β=-0.38, p=0.012), higher left amygdala neurite density index (β=0.35, p=0.026), and increased left amygdala-putamen connectivity (β=0.31, p=0.026) associated with higher autistic traits. NBS revealed amygdala-involving networks associated with cognition and surgency temperament trait among preterm infants. Other neurodevelopmental outcomes did not significantly associate with amygdala imaging features.

Conclusions

Microstructural variation in the neonatal amygdala may be important in the development of autistic traits.
The emergence and loss of cyclic peptides inNicotianailluminate dynamics and mechanisms of plant metabolic evolution
Authors: Suh Elliot M , Reinhardt Jakob K , Weng Jing-Ke
Published: December 2024

Specialized metabolism plays a central role in how plants cope with both biotic and abiotic stresses in order to survive and reproduce within dynamic and challenging environments. One recently circumscribed class of plant-specific, ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides are the burpitides, which are characterized by the installation of distinct sidechain macrocycles by enzymes known as burpitide cyclases. While they are found across many plant families and exhibit diverse bioactivities, little is known about their evolution or how new variants arise. Here we present the discovery of a new burpitide cyclase, resurrected from a defunct pseudogene from the model organismNicotiana attenuata, the coyote tobacco. By repairing the pseudogeneΨNatBURP2and expressing it heterologously inNicotiana benthamiana, we successfully reconstituted its original enzymatic activity. As an autocatalytic peptide cyclase, it installs a unique C-C bond between the tyrosine side chain and a specific backbone a-carbon of a heptapeptide core motif, resulting in the burpitide dubbed "nanamin." Despite its pseudogenization inN. attenuata, we found that the closely related species,N. clevelandii, retains the wild-type gene and produces nanamins. Phylogenetic analyses and targeted mutagenesis experiments reveal that this chemotype must have evolved from the duplication and neofunctionalization of a more promiscuous ancestral gene. This work highlights how novel peptide chemotypes may rapidly emerge and disappear in plants, while expanding the molecular toolkit for engineering novel peptides with applications in agriculture and drug discovery.

Significance

While RiPPs represent a major source of antibiotics and bioactive compounds, much research has focused on microbial sources even as plant RiPPs go understudied. Here, we resurrect an extinct peptide cyclase from the coyote tobacco through analysis of its functional relatives in other species. This newly identified cyclase installs a novel carbon-carbon macrocycle into heptapeptides, expanding the diversity of plant-derived cyclic peptides. By interconverting two distinct cyclases through targeted mutations, we illuminate how these enzymes evolve new functions. This work highlights the evolutionary dynamics of plant peptide natural products and their potential applications in drug discovery and biotech crop development, while illustrating how genomic archaeology can reveal lost biosynthetic capabilities.
Two Novel Red-FRET ERK Biosensors in the 670-720nm Range
Authors: DeCuzzi Nicholaus L. , Hu Jason Y. , Xu Florene , Rodriguez Brayant , Pargett Michael , Albeck John G.
Published: December 2024

Cell fate decisions are regulated by intricate signaling networks, with Extracellular signal-Regulated Kinase (ERK) being a central regulator. However, ERK is rarely the only signaling pathway involved, creating a need to study multiple signaling pathways simultaneously at the single-cell level. Many existing fluorescent biosensors for ERK and other pathways have significant spectral overlap, limiting their ability to be multiplexed. To address this limitation, we developed two novel red-FRET ERK biosensors, REKAR67 and REKAR76, which operate in the 670-720 nm range using miRFP670nano3 and miRFP720. REKAR67 and REKAR76 differ in fluorophore position, which impacts biosensor characteristics; REKAR67 displayed a higher dynamic range but greater signal variance than REKAR76. Mixed populations of REKAR67 or REKAR76 displayed similar Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR), but in clonal cell populations, REKAR76 had a significantly higher SNR. Overall, our red-FRET ERK biosensors were highly consistent with existing ERK FRET biosensors and in reporting ERK activity and are spectrally compatible with CFP/YFP FRET and cpGFP -based biosensors. Both REKAR biosensors expand the available methods for measuring single-cell ERK activity.
Prevalence of the major thyroid cancer-associated syndromes in the United States
Authors: White Samantha L. , Jamil Taylor , Bell Caitlin , Fishbein Lauren , Haugen Bryan R. , Gignoux Christopher R. , Pozdeyev Nikita
Published: December 2024

Importance

A subset of thyroid cancers develops in a setting of a known hereditary cancerassociated syndrome. Understanding the population prevalence of thyroid cancer-associated syndromes is important to guide germline genetic testing and clinical management.

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of the major thyroid cancer-associated syndromes in the United States using the All of Us Research Program (AoU) data.

Design

In this cohort study, we identified pathogenic and likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants from the ClinVar database in 245,394 AoU biobank participants. We performed a logistic regression analysis of the association of ClinVar P/LP variants with thyroid cancer. P/LP variants in the genes of interest were manually curated to ensure match and pathogenicity status. We calculated the prevalence of thyroid cancer-associated syndromes defined by the presence of P/LP variants.

Results

Using logistic regression, we found that three hereditary syndromes, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2,RETgene, p = 3.23e-20), PTEN hamartoma syndrome (PHPS,PTENgene, p = 2.59e-15), and familial adenomatous polyposis type 1 (FAP,APCgene, p = 2.73e-10) were significantly associated with thyroid cancer. All these syndromes were previously reported to increase the risk of thyroid cancer. The prevalence of thyroid cancer-associated syndromes in the AoU was 1:2,172 (113 cases), 1:8,764 (28 cases), and 1:8,461 (29 cases) for MEN2, PHPS, and FAP, respectively. Most carriers of P/LP variants were not diagnosed with the features of the syndromes, including thyroid cancer, pheochromocytoma, or primary hyperparathyroidism. Three pathogenicRETvariants that cause two amino acid substitutions, V804M and V804L, constitute 65% of all MEN2 variants in the AoU, and none of these carriers were diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Conclusions and Relevance

The prevalence of MEN2 and PHPS is ∼10-20 times higher than it is currently estimated for the general population (1:35,000 – 1,50,000 for MEN2 and 1:200,000-1:250,000 for PHTS). Most affected individuals are not diagnosed with thyroid cancer. These results further refine our understanding of the prevalence of hereditary syndromic thyroid cancers and may change the clinical approach to patients with moderate-riskRETmutations (such as V804M and V804L), potentially emphasizing active surveillance over prophylactic thyroidectomy.

Key Points

Question

What is the prevalence of the major thyroid cancer-associated syndromes in the United States?

Findings

In this cohort study that includes 245,394 genotyped participants in the All of Us Research Program (AoU), the prevalence was 1:2,172 for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) and 1:8,764 for PTEN hamartoma syndrome (PHTS).

Meaning

The prevalence of MEN2 and PHPS is ∼10-20 times higher than currently estimated for the general population.
Repeated evolution of supergenes on an ancient social chromosome
Authors: Lajmi Aparna , Cohen Pnina , Lee Chih-Chi , Frenkel Zeev , Pellen Yoann , Privman Eyal
Published: December 2024

Supergenes are non-recombining chromosomal regions that code for complex polymorphic traits. With the advance of population genomics, studies in diverse organisms revealed supergenes associated with a myriad of complex traits, ranging from morphology to sexual behavior, from butterfly wing patterns to floral morphs. Two supergenes have been described on non-homologous “social chromosomes” in two ant lineages,SolenopsisandFormica, that diverged more than 90 million years ago. In both lineages, the supergene is associated with social polymorphism, where some colonies are headed by a single queen (monogyne) while others harbor multiple queens (polygyne). We discovered a new supergene associated with similar social polymorphism in the desert antCataglyphis niger. AlthoughCataglyphisis more closely related toFormicathan toSolenopsis, the social chromosome inC. nigeris homologous to theSolenopsissocial chromosome, with conservation of synteny in gene content as well as gene order. Therefore, this is an ancient chromosome dating back to the common ancestor ofSolenopsisandCataglyphis, at least 90 million years ago. Previous work dated theSolenopsissupergene to be only one million years old, therefore, we propose that the two supergenes have evolved independently in the two diverged lineages on this ancient social chromosome. We surveyed hymenopteran genomes to discover a bee chromosome homologous to the ants’ social chromosome. The conservation of the gene set on these homologous chromosomes in ants and bees suggests that this chromosome plays an important role in social behavior across social Hymenoptera. We hypothesize that the conserved gene set in the social chromosome was repeatedly used as a pre-adapted toolkit for the evolution of social traits in general and specifically in the evolution of polygyne social structure in ants.
Cortical microtubules act as a template to organize nano-scale patterning of exocytosis
Authors: Lindeboom Jelmer J. , Gutierrez Ryan , Kirik Viktor , Ehrhardt David W.
Published: December 2024

Targeting of exocytosis enables cellular morphogenesis, motility and polarized transport, yet relatively little is known about the targeting mechanisms in cellular systems. Here we show that the SEC/MUNC protein KEULE is a dynamic marker for individual secretory events and employ it as a live cell probe, that together with high-precision image analysis of thousands of events, reveal that cortical microtubule arrays act as two-dimensional templates that pattern exocytosis at the nano-scale in higher plant cells. This mechanism is distinct from previously described mechanisms involving motor-driven transport and defines ordered and adjacent linear domains where secretory events are higher and lower than expected, effectively redistributing exocytosis over most of the cell membrane. In addition, analysis of KEULE kinetics revealed distinct phases of assembly/disassembly that are differentially sensitive to experimental treatments that reduce exocytosis, revealing SEC/MUNC dynamics as a versatile and information rich read-out of exocytosisin vivo.
Lats1/2 are essential for developmental vascular remodeling and biomechanical adaptation to shear stress
Authors: Cowdin Mitzy A. , Pramanik Tuli , Mohr-Allen Shelby R. , Fu Yuting , Mills Austin , Varner Victor D. , Davis George E. , Cleaver Ondine
Published: December 2024

Blood vessels in mammalian embryos develop from initial aggregates of endothelial cell (EC) progenitors, which coordinate the opening and stabilization of central vascular lumens, all while under progressively increasing flow and pressure from blood circulation. Mechanical cues exerted by shear stress from the blood flow remodel an initial vascular plexus into a ramifying array of large and small vessels. As plasma starts to fill vascular lumens, these forces trigger changes in EC gene expression and dynamic alterations in cell shape and cell adhesion, as cuboidal angioblasts elongate and flatten into ECs. Little is known about how embryonic ECs sense and transduce hemodynamic signals as vessels formin vivo. Here, we report a critical requirement for the Lats1 and Lats2 Hippo pathway kinases during this process. We show that when Lats1/2 are genetically deleted in ECs, embryos develop severe defects in blood vessel formation, which lead to embryonic lethality by E11.5. We find that initial vessel patterning and circulation initiate properly, however remodeling of the initial vascular plexus fails due to lumen collapse and altered blood flow. When Lats1/2 are knocked down using siRNA approaches in cultured ECs, cells fail to elongate and polarize, similar to ECs in the mutant embryos. In addition, VE-cadherin (VEcad) based junctions fail to mature under shear stress. These data show that Lats1/2 deficient cells no longer respond to laminar shear stress, bothin vivoandin vitro. This work identifies the Hippo pathway kinases Lats1 and Lats2 as critical transducers of biomechanical cues during the early steps of blood vessel remodeling. This study will provide new targets for treatment of vascular diseases and new directions for efforts to generate vascularized tissues for replacement therapies.

Highlights

Lats1 and Lats2 mRNA and protein are expressed in murine embryonic endothelial cells (ECs).

Deletion of Lats1/2 in embryonic endothelium results in severe vascular defects and embryonic lethality.

Loss of Lats1/2 leads to failure of both vascular remodeling and EC elongation upon exposure to flow,in vivoandin vitro.

Lats1/2 are required for cell-cell VE-cadherin adhesion maturation under flow.

Loss of Lats1/2 results in cytoskeletal disorganization in response to shear stress.
Single-nucleus CUT&RUN elucidates the function of intrinsic and genomics-driven epigenetic heterogeneity in head and neck cancer progression
Authors: Womersley Howard J. , Muliaditan Daniel , DasGupta Ramanuj , Cheow Lih Feng
Published: December 2024

Interrogating regulatory epigenetic alterations during tumor progression at the resolution of single cells has remained an understudied area of research. Here we developed a highly sensitive single-nucleus CUT&RUN (snCUT&RUN) assay to profile histone modifications in isogenic primary, metastatic, and cisplatin-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patient–derived tumor cell lines. We find that the epigenome can be involved in diverse modes to contribute toward HNSCC progression. First, we demonstrate that gene expression changes during HNSCC progression can be comodulated by alterations in both copy number and chromatin activity, driving epigenetic rewiring of cell states. Furthermore, intratumor epigenetic heterogeneity (ITeH) may predispose subclonal populations within the primary tumor to adapt to selective pressures and foster the acquisition of malignant characteristics. In conclusion, snCUT&RUN serves as a valuable addition to the existing toolkit of single-cell epigenomic assays and can be used to dissect the functionality of the epigenome during cancer progression.
Qudit-based quantum simulation of fermionic systems
Authors: Chizzini M. , Tacchino F. , Chiesa A. , Tavernelli I. , Carretta S. , Santini P.
Published: December 2024

Model Hamiltonians described by fermionic operators are ubiquitous in physics and chemistry, but the quantum simulation of their properties is challenging on near-term quantum computers. Indeed, for any problem with more than two connected neighbors, standard mappings of fermions on qubits lead to many-body operators whose size increases with the size of the problem, quickly making the simulation unfeasible on noisy devices. Here we consider an alternative mapping based on qudits and the auxiliary fermion method, which leads to a significant reduction in the circuit depth and in the number of computational units to be controlled. These advantages increase for highly connected target Hamiltonians, such as lattices with long-range interactions or the molecular systems investigated in quantum chemistry. We numerically test our approach on qudits encoded in molecular spins, by performing the quantum simulation of a fermionic model on a small cluster.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Observing periodic gap variations in cuprates
Authors: Banerjee Riju , Wang Emily L. , Hudson Eric W.
Published: December 2024

The presence of multiple orders in strongly correlated electronic materials like the cuprate superconductors, coupled with spatial inhomogeneity, poses a challenge to the interpretation of spectroscopic data taken on them. Here, we present a technique that directly acknowledges these orders and inhomogeneities and extracts statistically significant features from such data. Applying this technique to scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements from single and bilayer cuprates spanning a wide doping range, we peer through local inhomogeneities and identify a gaplike feature that breaks translational and rotational symmetries and varies periodically in a fourfold pattern. This identification of spectral features aligns well with theoretical predictions of spatially modulated pair density.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Probing heavy meson light-cone distribution amplitudes with heavy quark spin symmetry
Authors: Deng Zhi-Fu , Wang Wei , Wei Yan-Bing , Zeng Jun
Published: December 2024

Building on a previous work [Han , ], we illustrate that the leading-twist light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) defined in heavy-quark effective theory (HQET) can be determined through lattice simulations of quasidistribution amplitudes (quasi-DAs) with a large momentum component Pz. Exploiting heavy-quark spin symmetry, we show that the LCDAs for a heavy pseudoscalar and vector meson in the context of HQET exhibit degeneracy, and the degeneracy allows for the utilization of quasi-DAs for both pseudoscalar and vector mesons on the lattice. We then derive the relevant short-distance coefficients for the matching between LCDAs defined with QCD fields and HQET LCDAs at the one-loop level. The incorporation of these three quasi-DAs can not only confirm the methodology introduced in Han [] but also provides possible insight into power corrections. Discrepancies between the corresponding results offer a valuable perspective for estimating power corrections within the system which are imperative for precise investigations into heavy-meson LCDAs in the future particularly in the context of lattice QCD.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Gravastars as nontopological solitons
Authors: Ogawa Tatsuya , Ishihara Hideki
Published: December 2024

We investigate a coupled system consisting of a complex scalar field, a U(1) gauge field, a complex Higgs scalar field, and Einstein gravity. We present nontopological soliton star solutions in which the interior geometry is described by the de Sitter metric, the exterior by the Schwarzschild metric, and these two regions are attached by a spherical surface layer with a finite thickness. This structure is the same as the so-called gravastars, so we refer to these solutions as “solitonic gravastars.” We demonstrate that compact solitonic gravastars that possessing photon spheres can appear. Additionally, we study the mass and compactness of solitonic gravastars for various sets of parameters that characterize the system.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Rationally independent free fermions with local hopping
Authors: Riddell Jonathon , Bertini Bruno
Published: December 2024

Rationally independent free fermions are those where sums of single-particle energies multiplied by arbitrary rational coefficients vanish only if the coefficients are all zero. This property guaranties that they have no degeneracies in the many-body spectrum and gives them relaxation properties more similar to those of generic systems. Using classic results from number theory we provide minimal examples of rationally independent free fermion models for every system size in one dimension. This is accomplished by considering a free fermion model with a chemical potential, and hopping terms corresponding to all the divisors of the number of sites, each one with an incommensurate complex amplitude. We then move on to discuss the many-body spectral statistics for these models. Indeed, because of their nondegenerate spectrum, these systems are potentially compatible with Poissonian spectral statistics, as opposed to most noninteracting systems. We show that local probes—like the ratio of consecutive level spacings—look very similar to what is expected for the Poisson statistics. We however demonstrate that free fermion models can never have Poisson statistics with an analysis of the moments of the spectral form factor.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Bound-State Beta Decay of
Tl20581+
Ions and the LOREX Project
Authors: Sidhu R. S. , Leckenby G. , Chen R. J. , Mancino R. , Neff T. , Litvinov Yu. A. , Martínez-Pinedo G. , Amthauer G. , Bai M. , Blaum K. , Boev B. , Bosch F. , Brandau C. , Cvetković V. , Dickel T. , Dillmann I. , Dmytriiev D. , Faestermann T. , Forstner O. , Franczak B. , Geissel H. , Gernhäuser R. , Glorius J. , Griffin C. J. , Gumberidze A. , Haettner E. , Hillenbrand P.-M. , Kienle P. , Korten W. , Kozhuharov Ch. , Kuzminchuk N. , Langanke K. , Litvinov S. , Menz E. , Morgenroth T. , Nociforo C. , Nolden F. , Pavićević M. K. , Petridis N. , Popp U. , Purushothaman S. , Reifarth R. , Sanjari M. S. , Scheidenberger C. , Spillmann U. , Steck M. , Stöhlker Th. , Tanaka Y. K. , Trassinelli M. , Trotsenko S. , Varga L. , Wang M. , Weick H. , Woods P. J. , Yamaguchi T. , Zhang Y. H. , Zhao J. , Zuber K. ,   E121 Collaboration and LOREX Collaboration
Published: December 2024

Stable Tl205 ions have the lowest known energy threshold for capturing electron neutrinos (νe) of Eνe≥50.6  keV. The Lorandite Experiment (LOREX), proposed in the 1980s, aims at obtaining the longtime averaged solar neutrino flux by utilizing natural deposits of Tl-bearing lorandite ores. To determine the νe capture cross section, it is required to know the strength of the weak transition connecting the ground state of Tl205 and the 2.3 keV first excited state in Pb205. The only way to experimentally address this transition is to measure the bound-state beta decay (βb) of fully ionized Tl81+205 ions. After three decades of meticulous preparation, the half-life of the βb decay of Tl81+205 has been measured to be 291−27+33  days using the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI, Darmstadt. The longer measured half-life compared to theoretical estimates reduces the expected signal-to-noise ratio in the LOREX, thus challenging its feasibility.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Deep learning of spectra: Predicting the dielectric function of semiconductors
Authors: Grunert Malte , Großmann Max , Runge Erich
Published: December 2024

Predicting spectra and related properties such as the dielectric function of crystalline materials based on machine learning has a huge, hitherto unexplored, technological potential. For this reason, we create an database of 9915 dielectric tensors of semiconductors and insulators calculated in the independent-particle approximation (IPA). In addition, we present the family of machine learning models, a series of graph attention neural networks (GAT) trained to predict the dielectric function and refractive index. yields accurate prediction of spectra of semiconductors using only their crystal structure. Smooth, artifact-free curves are obtained without these properties being enforced by penalties.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Conceptual framework for understanding empathy in physics faculty
Authors: Hamdan Alia , Bista Ash , Franklin Scott , Newman Dina
Published: December 2024

Faculty members play a crucial role as change agents in promoting cultural transformation within academic environments and empathy, a fundamental component of effective teaching, mentoring, and collegiality, is essential for fostering a student-centered and holistic approach. We present a theoretical model for empathy development and navigation in physics faculty as they engage with students and colleagues. Two pathways—cognitive and affective—are connected with previous work and explored. Cognitive empathy, a slower, intellectual process, is mediated through reflective witnessing, whereas affective empathy, a faster, emotional process, builds on shared or adjacent lived experiences. Understanding the nuances associated with the different pathways can inform efforts to increase participation and foster an inclusive environment, which often presumes a meaningful understanding of what best supports individual students.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Optical control of ferroaxial order
Authors: He Zhiren , Khalsa Guru
Published: December 2024

Materials that exhibit ferroaxial order hold potential for novel multiferroic applications. However, in pure ferroaxials, domains are not directly coupled to stress or static electric field due to their symmetry, limiting the ability to pole and switch between domains—features required for real-world applications. Here we propose a general approach to selectively condense and switch between ferroaxial domains with light. We show that circularly polarized light pulses on resonance with infrared-active phonons manifest helicity-dependent control over ferroaxial domains. Nonlinear contributions to the lattice polarizability play an essential role in this phenomenon. We illustrate the feasibility of our approach using first-principles calculations and dynamical simulations for the archetypal ferroaxial material RbFe(MoO4)2. Our results are discussed in the context of future pump-probe optical experiments, where polarization, carrier frequency, and fluence threshold are explored.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Avoiding decoherence with giant atoms in a two-dimensional structured environment
Authors: Raaholt Ingelsten Emil , Kockum Anton Frisk , Soro Ariadna
Published: December 2024

Giant atoms are quantum emitters that can couple to light at multiple discrete points. Such atoms have been shown to interact without decohering via a one-dimensional waveguide. Here, we study how giant atoms behave when coupled to a two-dimensional square lattice of coupled cavities, an environment characterized by a finite-energy band and band gaps. In particular, we describe the role that bound states in the continuum (BICs) play in how giant atoms avoid decoherence. By developing numerical methods, we are able to investigate the dynamics of the system and show the appearance of interfering BICs within a single giant atom, as well as oscillating BICs between many giant atoms. In this way, we find the geometric arrangements of atomic coupling points that yield protection from decoherence in the two-dimensional lattice. These results on engineering the interaction between light and matter may find applications in quantum simulation and quantum information processing.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Overcomplete intermediate representation of two-particle Green's functions and its relation to partial spectral functions
Authors: Dirnböck Selina , Lee Seung-Sup B. , Kugler Fabian B. , Huber Sebastian , von Delft Jan , Held Karsten , Wallerberger Markus
Published: December 2024

Two-particle response functions are a centerpiece of both experimental and theoretical quantum many-body physics. Yet, due to their size and discontinuity structure, they are challenging to handle numerically. Recently, two advances were made to tackle this problem: first, the overcomplete intermediate representation (OIR), which provides a highly efficient compression of Green's functions in imaginary frequency, and second, partial spectral functions (PSFs), which allow for an efficient evaluation in real frequency. We show that there is a two-to-one correspondence between PSFs and OIR coefficients and exploit this fact to construct the OIR for three-or-more-particle propagators. We then use OIR to fit and compress imaginary-frequency data obtained from the numerical renormalization group (NRG), reaching a compression ratio of more than 400. Finally, we attempt to match the OIR data to partial Green's functions from NRG. Due to the overcompleteness, we achieve only qualitative agreement.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Usefulness of quantum entanglement for enhancing precision in frequency estimation
Authors: Rodríguez-García Marco A. , de Matos Filho Ruynet L. , Barberis-Blostein Pablo
Published: December 2024

We investigate strategies for reaching the ultimate limit on the precision of frequency estimation when the number of probes used in each run of the experiment is fixed. That limit is set by the quantum Cramér-Rao bound (QCRB), which predicts that the use of maximally entangled probes enhances the estimation precision, when compared with the use of independent probes. However, the bound is only achievable if the statistical model used in the estimation remains identifiable throughout the procedure. This in turn sets different limits on the maximal sensing time used in each run of the estimation procedure, when entangled and independent probes are used. When those constraints are taken into account, one can show that, when the total number of probes and the total duration of the estimation process are counted as fixed resources, the use of entangled probes is, in fact, disadvantageous when compared with the use of independent probes. In order to counteract the limitations imposed on the sensing time by the requirement of identifiability of the statistical model, we propose a time-adaptive strategy, in which the sensing time is adequately increased at each step of the estimation process, calculate an attainable error bound for the strategy, and discuss how to optimally choose its parameters in order to minimize that bound. We show that the proposed strategy leads to much better scaling of the estimation uncertainty with the total number of probes and the total sensing time than the traditional fixed-sensing-time strategy. We also show that, when the total number of probes and the total sensing time are counted as resources, independent probes and maximally entangled ones have now the same performance, in contrast to the nonadaptive strategy, where the use of independent is more advantageous than the use of maximally entangled ones.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
The role of consumer attitude and attachment in determining the effect of advertiser credibility on brand loyalty
Authors: Basu Rituparna , Sondhi Neena
Published: December 2024

Purpose

The study investigates the exclusive effect of advertiser credibility (AC) on consumer’s attitude towards the brand’s genuinity and subsequent brand loyalty (BL). Additionally, the study examines the moderating role of brand attachment (BA) and usage on the direct and indirect relationships between AC, consumer attitude and BL.

Design/methodology/approach

Five advertisements identified through a dipstick study served as brand stimuli and along with previously established scales were administered to a representative sample of 582 urban adult brand users. The two-step empirical study investigated the eight hypothesized relationships using covariance-based structured equation modeling.

Findings

Results indicated significant direct effects of AC on attitude towards brand genuinity and attitude towards brand genuinity on BL, respectively. The study established the pivotal role of consumer attitude towards brand genuinity in fully mediating the relationship between AC and BL. BA and usage (in years) were confirmed as significant moderators in the relationship between AC and consumer’s attitude towards brand genuinity.

Practical implications

The interlinkages between AC, consumer attitude and BL form the premise of BL practice for sustained brand performance.

Originality/value

The study adopts a novel approach to examine and analyze the complex interplay of the less researched advertiser or corporate credibility with consumer attitude, pre-existing BA and usage in influencing BL outcomes.
The personality profile of early generative AI adopters: a big five perspective
Authors: Kovbasiuk Anna , Triantoro Tamilla , Przegalińska Aleksandra , Sowa Konrad , Ciechanowski Leon , Gloor Peter
Published: December 2024

Purpose

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the impact of the big five personality traits on user engagement with chatbots at the early stages of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

The pilot study involved 62 participants segmented into two groups to measure variables including engagement duration, task performance and future AI usage intentions.

Findings

The findings advocate for the incorporation of psychological principles into technology design to facilitate more tailored and efficient human–AI collaboration.

Originality/value

This pilot research study highlights the relationship between the big five personality traits and chatbot usage and provides valuable insights for customizing chatbot development to align with specific user characteristics. This will serve to enhance both user satisfaction and task productivity.
Founder’s international market knowledge and SMEs resource orchestration ability: a moderated-mediated analysis
Authors: Sekyere Kwame Ntim , Jalali Hossein S.
Published: December 2024

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between a founder’s knowledge of international markets and the firm’s ability to acquire and orchestrate resources for its international operations.

Design/methodology/approach

This investigation uses an empirical methodology using data obtained from SMEs engaged in exporting activities in the Middle East. The data collection used a random sampling approach, reaching 284 samples from SMEs that are privately held and engaged in international ventures within the past five years, deriving more than 35% of export sales directly. The relationships within the data were scrutinized through partial least squares-structural equation modeling.

Findings

The examination recognizes a positive and direct correlation between founders’ knowledge of international markets and SMEs resource orchestration ability. The results find support for both of mediated and moderated paths and uncover the mediated role of SMEs resource acquisition ability in relationship between founders’ knowledge and SMEs resources orchestration ability. Level of SME internationalization and degree of innovation initiatives positively moderate this relationship as well.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s results contribute to the theory and practice of international entrepreneurship and cognitive psychology, but there are a few limitations to be conscious of. For example, the relationship between founders’ knowledge, resource acquisition and resource orchestration is strengthened by SMEs’ levels of internationalization and their degree of innovativeness. However, to anticipate resource acquisition, future studies might model a direct link between SMEs level of internationalization and degree of innovativeness.

Practical implications

This research offers practical recommendations for owner–managers of SMEs in the field of international entrepreneurship in emerging market environments, particularly regarding the use of founders’ knowledge in resource orchestration and when it is most useful. To be more precise, entrepreneurs should prioritize the transfer of their knowledge of international markets as a knowledge base to obtain resources for their international operations. This includes both the acquisition of resources and the orchestration of these resources concerning the utilization of product–market opportunities to create economic value.

Originality/value

This research provides unique perspectives on the interaction between founders’ knowledge of international markets and firms’ resource orchestration ability. The findings have significant implications for the advancement of theory and managerial implications in the fields of cognitive psychology, international business and entrepreneurship.
Exploring the impact of building an agile automotive supply chain ecosystem on business performance: a social media perspective
Authors: Zhang Qi , Zhu Li , Shi Yangyan , Tu Mengyu , Venkatesh V.G.
Published: December 2024

Purpose

This study explores how establishing an agile supply chain ecosystem (ASCE) during the COVID-19 pandemic impacts three listed auto firms’ financial and customer performance in China. Drawing on the theory of supply chain resilience, responsiveness and restoration (3R capabilities), we collect, mine and analyze unstructured social media data from Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM), BYD Company Limited (BYD) and SAIC Motor Corporation Limited (SAIC), all of which have production plants in Wuhan.

Design/methodology/approach

Data mining was conducted on 3,528 comments involving DFM, BYD and SAIC from 190 uploaders in the stages of “Early COVID-19 Period (January 23-May 31, 2020)” and “Enhanced Preparedness and Vaccine Launch Period (September 8, 2020–January 15, 2021)”. Our conceptual model of an ASCE was tested by adopting structural equation modelling and verified by the DFM case study.

Findings

The study finds that the 3R capabilities of the supply chain have a positive effect on establishing an automotive agile supply chain ecosystem. Establishing the automotive agile supply chain ecosystem has promoted corporate financial performance and customer performance, but the mechanism of action presents a delayed feature.

Originality/value

This study refines the definitions and application of the 3Rs concerning an ASCE in the automotive industry. Through text mining technology and statistical analysis methods, we uncover and discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the performance of three auto companies in China and examine how ASCE establishment plays a role. Constructing an ASCE provides a theoretical basis and realistic approach for the long-term and healthy development of the automotive supply chain.
“When you’ve been living in darkness, the light suddenly becomes frightening” – prisoners’ experiences of health promotion in a Norwegian prison
Authors: Hervik Stein Egil Kolderup , Hervik Astrid Kolderup , Thoresen Trine , Thurston Miranda
Published: December 2024

Purpose

A settings-based approach to health promotion emphasizes everyday environments in shaping health. Prisons are, therefore, potentially important arenas for health promotion. However, the inherent restriction of prisoner agency presents a fundamental challenge in this regard. There is a gap in qualitative research on prisoners’ perspectives on health-related topics and a need for greater understanding of health promotion within prisons. This study aims to explore male prisoners’ experiences of a Norwegian low-security prison as a setting for health promotion.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted in Forest Prison, a Norwegian low-security facility for 125 male prisoners. The prison offers various amenities and activities to prepare inmates for reintegration into society. The research used semi-structured interviews with 20 diverse prisoners. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Gale et al.'s framework method.

Findings

This study revealed varied prisoner perspectives on Forest Prison as a setting for health promotion. In prisoners’ talk, the importance of agency was evident. Restricted agency triggered negative emotions and distrust, while extended agency fostered trust and wellbeing. Although Forest Prison provides a considerable degree of agency, some prisoners did not fully benefit from this agentic context because of disparities in resources.

Originality/value

Initiatives across three areas of action will strengthen Forest Prison as a setting for health promotion: extending agency, empowering prisoners and developing a prison culture with positive social relationships, effective communication and information flow. The findings of this study provide theoretical insights beyond the specific context, which can serve as a basis for developing prisons as health promoting settings.
The impact of account managers’ dual embeddedness on solution co-creation performance
Authors: Leng Yixuan , Zhao Xiaoyu
Published: December 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate account managers’ dual embeddedness (customer and internal embeddedness) in solution co-creation. The authors examine the mediating role of two-way matching between suppliers and customers and the moderating role of customer requirement complexity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a questionnaire to collect data from 566 account managers of supplier companies in China and conduct hypothesis testing through multiple linear regression analysis and bootstrapping.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that customer and internal embeddedness are distinct with different dimensions and are positively related to solution co-creation performance. Customer and internal embeddedness affect solution co-creation performance through two-way matching in the customer requirement definition and solution integration phases, respectively. The interaction term of customer and internal embeddedness indirectly affect solution co-creation performance through two-way matching, and customer requirement complexity strengthens this main effect.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine dual embeddedness at the individual level and distinguish between the customer and internal embeddedness of account managers by different dimensional classifications. The authors clarify the difference and relationship between customer and internal embeddedness in solution co-creation and investigate the mediating and moderating roles of two-way matching and customer requirement complexity, respectively. This study expands the theoretical research on social embeddedness theory and business-to-business solutions and provides useful insights into the solution co-creation practice for account managers and suppliers.
Consumer manipulation – a definition, classification and future research agenda
Authors: Witte Janis
Published: December 2024

Purpose

Recently, manipulative techniques, such as dark patterns, are widely applied. However, there is a need for clarification regarding these techniques and related phenomena. In particular, there is still no clarity about the terminology and conceptual basis of consumer manipulation. This paper aims to address this shortcoming by introducing a definition and classification of consumer manipulation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes a conceptual approach, drawing on existing literature and established theories to comprehend the phenomenon of consumer manipulation.

Findings

The paper proposes that consumer manipulation comprises three dimensions: limited transparency, perceived restriction of autonomy and the feeling of being tricked. This paper presents a classification of different types of consumer manipulation and demonstrates how these types can lead to varying outcomes based on the source of manipulation, changeability, reasons for perception and perception timing. Based on this classification, research propositions informed by established theories and concepts are presented.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this work represents a first attempt to address the concept of consumer manipulation through a clear definition and classification. It is relevant for academics, policymakers and practitioners since it facilitates informed discussions and analyses of this concept. It benefits companies by raising awareness of potentially overlooked consequences of manipulative tactics, while also benefiting consumers by reducing their exposure to manipulation.
Measuring learning outcomes in cross-cultural relations courses: the case for experiential learning
Authors: Zainuba Mohamed , Kutlubay Omer Cem , Rahal Ahmad , Stone Randall
Published: December 2024

Purpose

Since accreditation bodies emphasize program-level learning goals, there is often less focus on measuring learning at the course level. This study aims to offer a method for using experiential learning exercises to measure student engagement and learning outcomes in cross-cultural relations courses by highlighting which learning outcomes to assess, how to measure the achievement of these learning outcomes, what students learn and the measurement process.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from three sections of the (control group) and (experiment groups). Chi-square independence and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were employed to examine the significant association between these groups.

Findings

Students perform alike when exposed to various experiential learning methods. However, the lack of experiential learning might hinder students’ understanding of the course material. Consequently, the performance in both learning objectives from the control group was significantly lower than students in the experiment groups.

Originality/value

This study presents an approach for merging assurance of learning into integrated business courses, and how to use experiential learning exercises as instructional tools for improving and measuring learning. When course-level assessments focusing on developing relevant competencies are well-implemented, they can strengthen related program-level goals.