bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Principal Component Analysis of Major Biometric Traits and Indices of Indigenous Sheep Ewe Populations, and Relationships with their Body Weights
Authors: Mekonnen Teweldemedhn , Araya Medhanye , Tesfahun Solomon
Published: January 2025

The field data collection was performed before the war (before October 2020) in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. The principal component analysis (PCA) is a grouping of variables or dimension reduction technique. The objective of this study was to characterize and identify the most underlying biometric traits and biometric indices of the indigenous sheep ewe populations, and determine the relationships of morphometric traits and morphometric indices with the body weights of the ewe populations. Sample animals of Begait (160), Rutanna (129) and Arado (156) ewe populations which totaled 445 with permanent pair of incisors (1PPI-4PPI) were randomly involved in the field data collection. Statistical Package for Social Sciences software was used for statistical data analysis. The PCA of the morphometric traits (09) extracted two principal components (PCs) in Begait ewes, two PCs in Rutanna ewes and one PC in Arado ewes, and the PCA of the morphometric indices (20) extracted five PCs in Begait ewes, six PCs in Rutanna ewes and five PCs in Arado ewes. The compact index mainly indicated that Rutanna and Begait ewes are larger in size and suitable for mutton production whilst Arado ewes are suitable for milk production. The correlations among the biometric traits and the body weights of the ewe populations were highly significantly (P<0.01) different except the correlation between body weight and rump length of Rutanna ewes (P<0.05). The biometric indices which consisted of height index, cephalic index, longitudinal pelvic index, height slope, over increase index, body ratio, foreleg length of the three ewe populations and their body weights were with little or no correlations (P>0.05). Genetic characterizations of the indigenous (Begait and Arado) and the transboundary (Rutanna) sheep populations should be complemented to confirm and distinguish the purpose of the populations.
Morphometry and diversity of birds in cocoa agroforestry and silvopastoral systems in the Colombian Amazon
Authors: Reyes-Ramírez Elkin Damián , Díaz-Cháux Jenniffer Tatiana , Velasquez-Valencia Alexander
Published: January 2025

The primary cause of deforestation in the Amazon region is extensive traditional cattle ranching, which is considered an important economic activity in several departments of the region, particularly in Caquetá. This research aimed to determine the influence of vegetation cover on the morphometry and diversity of birds in agroforestry systems with cocoa and silvopastoral practices in the Colombian Amazon. Sampling was conducted in eight locations in the Caquetá department using mist nets between January and November 2023. In each location, five effective sampling days were carried out, and for each captured individual, weight and morphometric measurements of the bill, wings, legs, and tail were recorded. Based on the wing measurements, the Kipp’s index was calculated, relating the morphology to the dispersal capacity of the birds. A total of 350 individual birds were recorded, distributed across 77 species and 20 families in the sampled agroforestry systems with cocoa and silvopastoral practices. The Early Brush cover type exhibited the highest richness and abundance, and it was determined that the variation in the morphometric traits of the birds is associated with the type of habitat. The species accumulation curve from the collected mosaics allowed for the documentation and analysis of community richness in these two systems. It was determined that agroforestry systems with cocoa and silvopastoral practices, due to their tree structures simulating a heterogeneous habitat, have the capacity to host many species and are therefore important for the conservation of avifauna. Anthropization and fragmentation of natural habitats exert pressures on birds, leading to modifications in their morphometric traits to adapt to their environmental conditions.
Uniform bacterial genetic diversity along the guts of mice inoculated with human stool
Authors: Wasney Michael , Briscoe Leah , Wolff Richard , Ghezzi Hans , Tropini Carolina , Garud Nandita
Published: January 2025

Environmental gradients exist throughout the digestive tract, driving spatial variation in the membership and abundance of bacterial species along the gut. However, less is known about the distribution of genetic diversitywithinbacterial species along the gut. Understanding this distribution is important because bacterial genetic variants confer traits important for the functioning of the microbiome and are also known to impart phenotypes to the hosts, including local inflammation along the gut and the ability to digest food. Thus, to be able to understand how the microbiome functions at a mechanistic level, it is essential to understand how genetic diversity is organized along the gut and the ecological and evolutionary processes that give rise to this organization. In this study, we analyzed bacterial genetic diversity of approximately 30 common gut commensals in five regions along the gut lumen in germ-free mice colonized with the same healthy human stool sample. While species membership and abundances varied considerably along the gut, genetic diversity within species was substantially more uniform. Driving this uniformity were similar strain frequencies along the gut, implying that multiple, genetically divergent strains of the same species can coexist within a host without spatially segregating. Additionally, the approximately 60 unique evolutionary adaptations arising within mice tended to sweep throughout the gut, showing little specificity for particular gut regions. Together, our findings show that genetic diversity may be more uniform along the gut than species diversity, which implies that species presence-absence may play a larger role than genetic variation in responding to varied environments along the gut.
CPSF6 Promotes HIV-1 Preintegration Complex Function
Authors: Chaudhuri Evan , Jang Sooin , Chakraborty Rajasree , Radhakrishnan Rajalingam , Arnarson Bjarki , Prakash Prem , Cornish Daphne , Rohlfes Nicholas , Singh Parmit K. , Shi Jiong , Aiken Christopher , Campbell Edward , Hultquist Judd , Engelman Alan N. , Balsubramaniam Muthukumar , Dash Chandravanu
Published: January 2025

Cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor 6 (CPSF6) is part of the cellular cleavage factor I mammalian (CFIm) complex that regulates mRNA processing and polyadenylation. CPSF6 also functions as a HIV-1 capsid (CA) binding host factor and promotes viral DNA integration targeting into gene dense regions of the host genome. However, the effects of CPSF6 on the activity of the HIV-1 preintegration complex (PIC) - the machinery that carries out viral DNA integration to establish infection - is unknown. To study CPSF6’s role in HIV-1 PIC function, we extracted PICs from cells depleted of CPSF6 or expressing a CPSF6 mutant that cannot bind to CA. These PICs exhibited significantly lower integration activity when compared to the control PICs. Addition of recombinant CPSF6 restored the integration activity of PICs extracted from the mutant cells, suggesting a direct role of CPSF6 in PIC function. To solidify CPSF6’s effect on PIC function, we inoculated CPSF6-depleted and CPSF6-mutant cells with HIV-1 particles and measured viral DNA integration into the host genome. A significant reduction in viral integration in these cells was detected and this defect was not a consequence of reduced reverse transcription or nuclear entry. Additionally, mutant viruses deficient in CA-CPSF6 binding showed no integration defect in CPSF6 mutant cells. Finally, sequencing analysis revealed that HIV-1 integration in the CPSF6 mutant cells was significantly redirected from the gene dense regions of the host genome. Collectively, these results suggest that CPSF6-CA interaction regulates PIC function both in vitro and in infected cells.

IMPORTANCE

HIV-1 infection is dependent on the interaction of the virus with host factors. However, the molecular details of virus-host factor interactions are not fully understood. For instance, HIV-1 capsid provides binding interfaces for several host factors. CPSF6 is one such capsid-binding host factor, whose cellular function is to regulate mRNA processing and polyadenylation. Initial work identified a truncated cytosolic form of CPSF6 that restricted HIV infection by blocking viral nuclear entry. However, it is now established that the full-length CPSF6 primarily promotes integration targeting into gene dense regions of the host genome. Here we report that CPSF6-CA interaction promotes the activity of HIV-1 preintegration complexes (PICs). We also observed that disruption of CPSF6-CA binding in target cells significantly reduced viral integration and directed integration targeting away from gene-dense regions. These findings demonstrate a critical role for the CPSF6-CA interaction in PIC function and integration targeting.
Provider Density and Systemic Contributors to Rural Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in New England
Authors: Krishna Eashwar
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Rural disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality may be compounded by limited access to primary care and specialist providers. This study sought to quantify the relationship between CVD-related mortality and the availability of providers in rural and non-rural areas of New England, with consideration of systemic socioeconomic factors.

Methods

Thirty-day mortality rates for inpatient heart failure (HF) and heart attacks (HA) at 182 hospitals in the New England region from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022, were analyzed using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Provider density was derived from the Area Health Resource Database. Differences in mortality rates and provider densities between rural and non-rural areas were assessed using ANOVA models. General linear models were employed to explore the relationships between provider density and mortality outcomes, both with and without adjustments for socioeconomic confounders such as median income, median age, poverty, educational attainment, and racial demographics.

Results

Rural counties had a significantly lower density of cardiologists than non-rural counties (B = -0.612, p < .001) which persisted when socioeconomic confounders were included in the model (B = 0.418, p = 0.023). A similar effect was not observed for primary care provider (PCP) density. Rural hospitals also exhibited significantly higher 30-day HF mortality rates compared to non-rural hospitals (B = 1.671, p < .001), yet this disparity diminished when structural factors were included in the model (B = 0.161, p = .692). No significant difference in HA mortality rates was observed between rural and non-rural hospitals (B = -0.52, p = .897). Cardiologist density was significantly associated with HF mortality in unadjusted models (B = -0.634, p < .001), but its effect weakened after controlling for confounders (B = -0.298, p = .100). Relationships between PCP density and HA mortality were not significant.

Conclusion

Rural disparities in heart failure mortality in New England persist, likely due in part to insufficient access to cardiologists to provide appropriate long-term care for chronic cardiovascular conditions. There exists a complex intersection between socioeconomic gradients and rurality, underscoring the importance of addressing structural inequities to reduce rural-urban health disparities. Furthermore, greater emphasis needs to be placed on workforce innovations in the recruitment, retention, distribution, and support of rural specialist physicians.
Tiny radio-tag backpacks impact, but do not significantly affect, hummingbird time budgets in captivity
Authors: Sargent Alyssa J. , Fernandes Ana Melisa , Clarkson Aeris E. , Martinez Samantha-Lynn , Coenen Alexandra , Hansell Laney , Talwekar Yash P. , Muñoz-Amaya Miguel A. , Téllez-Colmenares Nicolas , Elting Rosalee , Sun Yutong , Cartwright Olivia A. , Büttner Nicole , Rico-Guevara Alejandro
Published: January 2025

Background

Given that wildlife tags have recently become miniaturized enough to work with some of the world’s smallest vertebrates, there is a newfound urgency for affordable, field-accessible biologging ethics studies. We designed a 3-hour time-budget experiment to investigate how radio-transmitter backpacks affect hummingbirds’ behavior. Using a large flight arena in Colombia, we individually filmed 25 Black-throated Mangoes (Anthracothorax nigricollis) under two randomized treatments, tagged and untagged, to characterize and quantitatively compare their behavior. We analyzed all videos using the Behavioral Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS), to create time-budget breakdowns of our key behaviors of interest: flying, feeding, preening, and perching. We also designed an aviary-style “entanglement test” (n = 30) to determine if any individuals would snag on vegetation while equipped with the backpack harness, and tested 6 additional birds in this enclosure overnight for any longer-term negative effects.

Results

Across duration, number of bouts, and bout length, we found no significant differences in the behavior of individuals (flying, feeding, preening, and perching) when they were or were not tagged. However, the additive effects of treatment number (whether the bird was undergoing its first or second 1.5-hour treatment) and treatment type (tagged or untagged) most accurately predicted time spent flying (birds flew significantly more in their second 1.5-hour treatment). The weight of the bird, meanwhile, best predicted feeding duration (lighter birds fed significantly more). Lastly, the additive effects of time of day and treatment type had the highest predictive accuracy of time spent preening (birds preened significantly more in the afternoon than the morning, and significantly more in the evening than the afternoon); here, the effect of treatment type was highly significant. In our aviary tests, no individuals became entangled in vegetation or exhibited any adverse overnight effects from harness wear.

Conclusions

In our captive study, radio-transmitter backpacks did not significantly affect hummingbird behavior when considered independently; however, additional covariates are essential to account for, and the effects of being in a confined space may also be significant. Nonetheless, our experimental model is relatively straightforward to fine-tune to other small taxa and is suitable for remote conditions, providing a useful basis with which to examine species-specific effects of biologging prior to starting field studies.
Aperiodicity in mouse CA1 and DG power spectra
Authors: Kühn Gustav , El Rashidy Hussin , Calegari Federico , Dhingra Shonali
Published: January 2025

Rodent hippocampal power spectra comprise of periodic and aperiodic components. The periodic components (brain rhythms) contain information about the behavioral or cognitive state of the animal. The aperiodic components are rarely studied and their functionality is not well understood, though have shown to be correlated with animal’s age or the excitation-inhibition ratio of the brain region. To study these components in the mouse hippocampus we modified the existing open-source FOOOF toolbox, which was originally optimized for EEG data. First, using simulated data, we show that our modifications decrease the error in assessment of the periodic components from 3% to 0.1%. Second, using tetrode electrophysiological signals, we compare the aperiodic activity within mice hippocampal sub-regions, CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG). Our optimization of FOOOF improved the aperiodic assessment errors by about 50% and were critical in making the first-ever assessments of the aperiodic components in these brain regions. Our results show that the aperiodic parameters in the DG are multi-fold and significantly larger than in CA1, revealing higher excitation and longer timescales in CA1 than DG. Our work highlights the subtle differences in electrophysiology field potentials between hippocampal sub-regions, and presents the improvements needed in the existing open-source toolbox to be able to see such differences.
Enhancing nanopore adaptive sampling for PromethION using readfish at scale
Authors: Munro Rory , Payne Alex , Holmes Nadine , Moore Chris , Cahyani Inswasti , Loose Matt
Published: January 2025

A unique feature of Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencers, adaptive sampling, allows precise DNA molecule selection from sequencing libraries. Here we present enhancements to our tool, readfish, enabling all features for the industrial scale PromethION sequencer, including standard and "barcode-aware" adaptive sampling. We demonstrate effective coverage enrichment and assessment of multiple human genomes for copy number and structural variation on a single PromethION flow cell.
Eigenvalue based taste breaking of staggered, Karsten-Wilczek, and Boriçi-Creutz fermions with stout smearing in the Schwinger model
Authors: Ammer Maximilian , Dürr Stephan
Published: January 2025

In two spacetime dimensions staggered fermions are minimally doubled, like Karsten-Wilczek and Boriçi-Creutz fermions. A continuum eigenvalue is thus represented by a pair of near-degenerate eigenvalues, with the splitting δ quantifying the cutoff induced taste symmetry breaking. We use the quenched Schwinger model to determine the low-lying fermionic eigenvalues (with 0, 1 or 3 steps of stout smearing) and analyze them in view of the global topological charge q∈Z of the gauge background. For taste splittings pertinent to would-be zero modes, we find asymptotic Symanzik scaling of the form δwzm∝a2 with link smearing, and δwzm∝a without, for each action. For taste splittings pertinent to nontopological modes, staggered splittings scale as δntm∝ap (where p≃2 with smearing and p=1 without), while Karsten-Wilczek and Boriçi-Creutz fermions scale as

δ

ntm

∝

a

(regardless of the smearing level). Large corrections are seen with smearing.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Spectrum of two-flavored spin-zero heavy dibaryons in lattice QCD
Authors: Junnarkar Parikshit M. , Mathur Nilmani
Published: January 2025

We present the ground state energy spectra of two-flavored heavy dibaryons in the spin-singlet channel. In particular, the ground state masses of ΩllQΩllQ,ΩQlQΩllQ, and ΩQlQΩQlQ states are computed and compared with their respective lowest noninteracting energy levels, where the flavor Q∈(c,b) denotes charm and bottom quarks, and the other flavor l∈s,c,b represents strange, charm and bottom, respectively. Considering their valence quark structures, these hadrons could be thought of as the heavy flavor analogs of spin-singlet nucleon-nucleon states. The gauge configurations employed in this study are highly improved staggered quark ensembles with Nf=2+1+1 flavors, generated by the MILC collaboration, at four lattice spacings, namely a=0.1207, 0.0888, 0.0582, and 0.0448 fm. The aforementioned states are also computed at different quark masses, between ms≤ml≤mb, including at unphysical heavy quark masses, to explore the quark mass dependence of any possible binding. For the dibaryon states ΩbbcΩbbc,ΩccbΩccb, and ΩccbΩbbc, we find a clear evidence of an energy level below their respective noninteracting energy levels. In addition, for these dibaryons at quark masses mc<ml≤mb, a trend is found where the gap, between the lowest energy levels and the respective lowest noninteracting levels, increases as the quark mass ml increases. We also study the heavy quark spin-symmetry and its breaking for these heavy dibaryons.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
QCD running in lepton number violating meson and tau decays
Authors: González Marcela , Neill Nicolás A.
Published: January 2025

Below the electroweak scale, new physics that violates the lepton number in two units (ΔL=2) and is mediated by heavy particle exchange can be parametrized by a dimension-nine low-energy effective Lagrangian. Operators in this Lagrangian involving first-generation quarks and leptons contribute to the short-range mechanism of neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) and therefore they are strongly constrained. On the other hand, operators with other quark and lepton families are bounded by the nonobservation of different lepton number violating meson and tau decays, such as M1−→M2+ℓ1−ℓ2− and τ−→ℓ+M1−M2−. In this work, we calculate renormalization-group-evolution (RGE)-improved bounds on the Wilson coefficients involved in these decays. We calculate QCD corrections to the dimension-nine operator basis and find RGE matrices that describe the evolution of the Wilson coefficients across different energy scales. Unlike the running of operators involved in 0νββ decay, the general flavor structure leads to the mixing of not only different Lorentz structures but also of different quark-flavor configurations. Additionally, operators that vanish for the identical lepton case need to be added to the operator basis. We find new constraints on previously unbounded operators and the enhancement of bounds for specific Wilson coefficients. We also find new bounds coming from the mixing between operators with different quark-flavor configurations.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Stability of the standard model vacuum with vectorlike leptons: A critical examination
Authors: Cingiloglu Kivanc Y. , Frank Mariana
Published: January 2025

The stability of the standard model (SM) Higgs vacuum is a long-standing issue in particle physics. The SM Higgs quartic coupling parameter is expected to become negative at high scales, potentially generating an unstable vacuum well before reaching the Planck scale. We investigate whether the introduction of vectorlike leptons (VLLs) in six distinct gauge anomaly-independent representations can stabilize the SM vacuum without introducing additional scalar fields. By analyzing the mass spectrum and mixing angles of these VLLs with the SM leptons, we identify conditions under which the Higgs potential remains stable. We demonstrate that there exists a set of allowed but narrowed VLL spectra that can indeed stabilize the SM vacuum. We also study the effect of these VLLs on electroweak precision observables, particularly the oblique parameters S and T, to ensure the fit within global experimental constraints. Finally, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the parameter space allowed by electroweak precision data and the parameter space required for stability, highlighting cases that accommodate both. This study opens up new avenues for understanding the role of vectorlike leptons in extending the validity of the standard model up to the Planck scale.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Phase transition analogs in laser collisions with a dark-field setup
Authors: Gies Holger , Karbstein Felix , Maiwald Lars
Published: January 2025

Laser pulse collisions are a promising tool for the investigation of light-by-light scattering phenomena induced by quantum vacuum fluctuations. Using the numerical code based on the vacuum emission picture and put forward in [1], we observe a strong dependence of the signal features on the transverse profiles of the colliding laser pulses in the interaction region. For a probe beam tailored such as to feature an annular far-field profile and a pronounced on-axis focus peak counterpropagating a pump beam at zero impact parameter, the signal’s main emission direction can undergo the analog of a phase transition with the beam-waist ratio of the pulses serving as a control parameter. Depending on the pump’s beam profile, this phase transition can be first order (e.g., for a pump with a flat-top far-field profile) or second order (e.g., for a Gaussian pump). From the simulation data, we determine the critical point and extract the corresponding critical exponent for the second-order transition of the main emission direction of the signal in the far field. For this, we improve the performance of the above numerical code, using the phase transition analogs as an example to illustrate the capabilities and limitations of the code and current workflows.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Quark mass dependence of the
Tcc(3875)+
pole
Authors: Gil-Domínguez F. , Giachino A. , Molina R.
Published: January 2025

Recently, several LQCD simulations have proven that the interaction in the isoscalar channel in DD* scattering is attractive. This channel is naturally connected to the Tcc(3875)+ which is observed in the D0D0π+ invariant mass distribution. However, it remains an open question whether the virtual bound state found in these several LQCD simulations is actually linked to the LHCb experimental observation. In this article we perform an EFT-based analysis of the LQCD data and demonstrate that a proper chiral extrapolation leads to a Tcc pole compatible with experiment. At the physical pion mass, we find a virtual bound state with a binding energy ΔE=−0.06(+1.30−2.20)(+0.50−1.11). Moreover, we extract from a global analysis both the light and heavy quark mass dependence of the Tcc pole and study the role of the ρ- and π-meson exchanges.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Observation of excitons bound by antiferromagnetic correlations
Authors: Mehio Omar , Han Yuchen , Li Xinwei , Ning Honglie , Porter Zach , Wilson Stephen D. , Hsieh David
Published: January 2025

Two-dimensional Mott insulators host antiferromagnetic (AFM) correlations that are predicted to enhance the attractive interaction between empty (holons) and doubly occupied (doublons) sites, creating a novel pathway for exciton formation. However, experimental confirmation of this spin-mediated binding mechanism remains elusive. Leveraging the distinct magnetic critical properties of the Mott antiferromagnets Sr2IrO4 and Sr3Ir2O7, we show using time-resolved THz spectroscopy that excitons exist only at temperatures below where short-range AFM correlation develops. The excitons remain stable up to photodoping densities approaching the predicted excitonic Mott insulator-to-metal transition, revealing a unique robustness against screening. Our results establish the viability of spin-bound excitons and introduce opportunities for excitonic control through magnetic degrees of freedom.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Memory-corrected quantum repeaters with adaptive syndrome identification
Authors: Romanova Alena , van Loock Peter
Published: January 2025

We address the challenge of incorporating encoded quantum memories into an exact secret key rate analysis for small and intermediate-scale quantum repeaters. To this end, we introduce the check matrix model and quantify the resilience of stabilizer codes of up to eleven qubits against Pauli noise, obtaining analytical expressions for effective logical error probabilities. Generally, we find that the five-qubit and Steane codes either outperform more complex, larger codes in the experimentally relevant parameter regimes or have a lower resource overhead. Subsequently, we apply our results to calculate lower bounds on the asymptotic secret key rate in memory-corrected quantum repeaters when using the five-qubit or Steane codes on the memory qubits. The five-qubit code drastically increases the effective memory coherence time, reducing a phase flip probability of 1% to 0.001% when employing an error syndrome identification adapted to the quantum noise channel. Furthermore, it mitigates the impact of faulty Bell state measurements and imperfect state preparation, lowering the minimally required depolarization parameter for nonzero secret key rates in an eight-segment repeater from 98.4% to 96.4%. As a result, the memory-corrected quantum repeater can often generate secret keys in experimental parameter regimes where the unencoded repeater fails to produce a secret key. In an eight-segment repeater, one can even achieve nonvanishing secret key rates up to distances of 2000 km for memory coherence times of tc=10 s or less using multiplexing. Assuming a zero-distance link-coupling efficiency p0=0.7, a depolarization parameter μ=0.99, tc=10 s, and an 800 km total repeater length, we obtain a secret key rate of 4.85 Hz, beating both the unencoded repeater that provides 1.25 Hz and ideal twin-field quantum key distribution with 0.71 Hz at GHz clock rates.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Probabilistic genotype-phenotype maps reveal mutational robustness of RNA folding, spin glasses, and quantum circuits
Authors: Sappington Anna , Mohanty Vaibhav
Published: January 2025

Recent studies of genotype-phenotype maps have reported universally enhanced phenotypic robustness to genotype mutations, a feature essential to evolution. Virtually all of these studies make a simplifying assumption that each genotype—represented as a sequence—maps deterministically to a single phenotype, such as a discrete structure. Here we introduce probabilistic genotype-phenotype (PrGP) maps, where each genotype maps to a vector of phenotype probabilities, as a more realistic and universal language for investigating robustness in a variety of physical, biological, and computational systems. We study three model systems to show that PrGP maps offer a generalized framework which can handle uncertainty emerging from various physical sources: (1) thermal fluctuation in RNA folding, (2) external field disorder in the spin-glass ground state search problem, and (3) superposition and entanglement in quantum circuits, which are realized experimentally on IBM quantum computers. In all three cases, we observe a biphasic robustness scaling which is enhanced relative to random expectation for more frequent phenotypes and approaches random expectation for less frequent phenotypes. We derive an analytical theory for the behavior of PrGP robustness, and we demonstrate that the theory is highly predictive of empirical robustness.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Examining cash waqf giving decisions in Malaysia
Authors: Amin Hanudin , Jam Nor Syakina , Ring Patrick J.
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This study examined Muslim civil officers’ cash waqf giving decisions in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the effects of the said factors on the decisions were examined using logistic analysis. A total of 583 Muslim civil officers were involved in this work. The discrete dependent variable measures whether a civil officer is a donor or non-donor cash waqf.

Findings

Results obtained indicate significant influences of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and some demographic items on cash waqf giving decisions in Malaysia.

Research limitations/implications

The findings attained were narrowed in terms of chosen geographical settings and the theory used.

Practical implications

This study provides a theoretical benchmark to enhance cash waqf giving decisions, which in turn can affect the waqf collection by the waqf institutions in Malaysia.

Originality/value

This study uniquely develops Muslim civil officers’ cash waqf giving decisions framework (CAGDEF) in measuring cash waqf giving decisions in Malaysia.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-12-2023-0964.
If not you, who? Raising awareness of development through accounting education
Authors: Lorain Marie-Anne , Pérez Estébanez Raquel , Villacorta Miguel-Angel , Santos Monica , Cano Elisa , Cañizares Espada Manuela , Rubio-Martin Gracia , López Sánchez Pilar , Martinez de Silva Alberto , Ruiz de Palacios Mercedes , Urquia-Grande Elena
Published: January 2025

Purpose

The main goal of this study is to develop accounting students’ solidarity with and sensitivity to cooperation for sustainable development. This study also aims to analyze the role of participatory learning activities in developing the dimensions of involvement, critical reflection and thinking analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

This empirical study analyzes a case study activity conducted in accounting seminars with students from different universities in Spain. After completing the activity, the students completed a questionnaire divided into four areas: sociodemographic information, involvement, critical reflection and creativity. Students also answered an open-response question that asked them to propose new activities to enhance their learning experience and contribute more to sustainable development. The study thus used mixed methods, complementing quantitative analysis with qualitative data.

Findings

The multivariate analysis obtained significant results showing that female students were more willing to help and that most students said they were more sensitive to these issues after the participatory learning activity. Furthermore, the items and dimensions analyzed revealed a positive impact of involvement, critical and creative thinking and participatory learning on accounting students’ commitment to cooperation for sustainable development. When students answered the open-response question, they proposed more activities to enhance their learning and improve the functioning of the Non-Governmental Organization’s (NGO’s) beneficiary. HEIs must design more transversal courses aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals in their social science degrees.

Originality/value

The study not only examines university education in sustainable development but goes a step further in trying to involve students in a real development project from a financial and accounting point of view. The study also focuses on education for sustainability, and the project invites the students to think critically, reflect and assess real situations.
Nexus between workplace spirituality, open innovation mindset and job embeddedness: the role of self-efficacy and mindfulness
Authors: Jehanzeb Hira , Memon Mumtaz Ali , Mirza Muhammad Zeeshan , Muenjohn Nuttawuth
Published: January 2025

Purpose

Drawing on job demands-resources theory, this paper aims to investigate the impact of workplace spirituality on mindfulness and the subsequent effects of mindfulness on open innovation mindset and job embeddedness. Additionally, it examines the mediating role of mindfulness between workplace spirituality and key outcomes, including open innovation mindset and job embeddedness. Lastly, the study investigates the moderating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between workplace spirituality and mindfulness.

Design/methodology/approach

The research utilized multiple sampling techniques to collect data from employees across numerous sectors. A total of 197 viable responses were collected. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that workplace spirituality has a positive impact on mindfulness, which in turn increases employees’ job embeddedness and an open innovation mindset. Additionally, it was found that mindfulness mediates the relationship between workplace spirituality and both job embeddedness and open innovation mindset. Surprisingly and unexpectedly, the results indicate a negative moderating impact of self-efficacy between workplace spirituality and mindfulness.

Practical implications

Cultivating a sense of purpose and meaningful work, alongside mindfulness programs and recruitment practices focused on cultural fit, can enhance both employee retention and innovation.

Originality/value

Little to no research exists that clarifies how workplace spirituality impacts employees’ job embeddedness and an open innovation mindset. Notably, the mediating role of mindfulness remains unexplored. This study is among the first to explore the mediating role of mindfulness between workplace spirituality and outcomes such as job embeddedness and an open innovation mindset. Additionally, the moderating role of self-efficacy between workplace spirituality and mindfulness is almost absent in the existing literature. Lastly, the unexpected findings on the role of self-efficacy in this study open fresh avenues for future research.
4D-printed self-forming monofilament structures in material extrusion additive manufacturing
Authors: Zhang Jinnuo , He Ran , Baxevanakis Konstantinos P. , Gleadall Andrew
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the potential for 4D deformation of the smallest building blocks of the material extrusion additive manufacturing (MEAM) process: single extrudates produced with a single material. In contrast to previous 4D printing approaches where property-variations are realised across multiple layers or with complex composites, this study hypothesises that residual strain varies from top-to-bottom within a single printed extrudate and that this offers an opportunity to achieve controllable 4D printing with the smallest possible resolution (single lines in a single layer).

Design/methodology/approach

The influences of bed temperature, printing temperature, printing speed, extrusion width, extrusion thickness and activation temperature are quantified in terms of residual strain and 4D curvature.

Findings

An almost fourfold variation in curvature was achieved, printing speed and layer thickness greatly affected 4D deformation: the maximum curvature was increased by >600% compared to the minimum curvature when varying printing speed. In addition to rigorous parametric characterisation, a case study demonstrates the 4D deformation of a flat single-layer lattice into a 3D self-formed stent structure comprised of intricate single-extrudate struts. A separate case study demonstrates the resilience of the method by showing results to translate to alternative materials, with alternative printing hardware and with a different 4D activation procedure.

Originality/value

This study successfully proves a new way to achieve intricate 3D structures with the MEAM process, which would be impossible without 4D deformation due to their intricacy and the need for support material. The findings are also relevant to research into undesired warping due to the quantification of residual strain.
Research on sport marketing and sustainability: an integrated bibliometric machine learning approach
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Christos , Yaqot Mohammed , Kolyperas Dimitrios , Chadwick Simon
Published: January 2025

Purpose

There has been a noticeable increase in review studies exploring the relationship between sport and sustainability; however, these studies significantly overlook the marketing function, creating a critical gap in understanding how sustainable practices can be promoted within the sports industry. The purpose of this study is to build a research agenda of the sport–sustainability domain within the marketing field by using an integrated bibliometric and unsupervised machine learning approach.

Design/methodology/approach

Bibliometric analysis, along with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for topic modeling, enabled us to identify key trends and themes in the sport–sustainability domain. The study uses the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases to extract a final dataset of 929 texts (titles, abstracts and keywords) from published research on sport–sustainability domain within the marketing field.

Findings

We decipher the key trends in the literature and segregate them into four broad topics – places, consumers, markets and strategies – to enhance the understanding of this field of inquiry. This study is the first in the sport–sustainability domain to use this integrated approach to review the literature, and the findings lay the groundwork for future research.

Originality/value

This study uses a combined methodology thereby offering distinct advantages over other review approaches.
Metastatic Thymic Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma: The Diagnostic Challenges and Role of CRTC1/MAML2 Translocation in Accurate Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Takahashi Toshiaki , Graham Daniel , Wu Evan
Published: January 2025

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a subtype of epithelial neoplasms commonly found in salivary glands, but can also be seen in the thymus. Diagnosing MEC of the thymus is sometimes challenging due to its histological similarities with adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC). This case report describes a 64‐year‐old female with a history of metastatic endometrial adenocarcinoma who presented to an oncology clinic with a thymic mass as well as multiple mass lesions in the liver, bone, and abdominal wall. Initially diagnosed as thymic ASC based on histopathology, further genomic profiling revealed a CRTC1/MAML2 translocation, leading to the diagnosis of metastatic MEC of the thymus. Comprehensive genomic testing played a crucial role in distinguishing MEC from ASC. This case highlights the importance of genetic testing in cases of uncertain primary origins and in differentiating between morphologically similar tumors.
Perceptions of eHealth and digitalization among professional anaesthesia personnel: A Swedish national study
Authors: Jildenstål Pether , Viseu Camilla , Hermander Kristian , Sjöberg Carina , Hallén Katarina , Schnorbus Randolph , Augustinsson Annelie
Published: January 2025

Background

The objective of this study was to evaluate anaesthesia care professionals' perceptions and attitudes regarding the implementation and advancement of digital solutions in perioperative care.

Methods

Anaesthesia personnel working in public Swedish institutions where anaesthesia is administered were invited to respond to an online survey regarding their attitudes towards digitalization in the workplace and their perceptions of information provision and future digitalization within anaesthesia and surgical healthcare. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent‐samples Kruskal–Wallis tests, and post‐hoc pairwise comparisons.

Results

The survey response rate was 64.0% (n = 627). Most respondents agreed/strongly agreed that digital solutions facilitate their work, the preoperative preparation, patient participation, and being involved in the patients' journeys throughout the perioperative care process. The majority also agreed/strongly agreed that digital solutions could make more patients adequately prepared before anaesthesia/surgery, reduce the number of non‐optimized patients, and adapt the perioperative process to the patients' individual needs, as well as lead to reduced costs for the healthcare provider and reduced cancelled anaesthesia/surgeries. However, there were statistically significant differences between responses in relation to age groups, where the largest differences were observed between respondents in the age groups 20–30 and 61–70 years and in relation to what part of Sweden respondents worked in, with the largest differences between respondents working in Southern Sweden and the middle part of Sweden.

Conclusion

Swedish anaesthesia personnel are confident that digital solutions may enhance the efficiency of care within the anaesthesia setting. However, varying perceptions on the benefits and necessity of digital solutions are indicated.
Psychedelic‐assisted treatment for substance use disorder: A narrative systematic review
Authors: Piper Theodore , Small Francesca , Brown Sam , Kelleher Michael , Mitcheson Luke , Rucker James , Young Allan H. , Marsden John
Published: January 2025

Background and aims

This is the first systematic review of the extant literature on all major psychedelic‐assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), tobacco use disorder (TUD) and other substance use disorders (SUD). We aimed to summarise the evidence for efficacy of psychedelic‐assisted treatment for AUD, TUD, and SUD; to evaluate its quality; and to offer recommendations for research.

Methods

This was a prospectively registered narrative systematic review of open‐label, randomised controlled trials (RCT), and observational studies of d‐lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, psilocybin, ayahuasca, ketamine, ibogaine and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Eligible studies had SUD outcome measures including craving, substance use, relapse, and remission. Study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias (RoB), and Cochrane Collaboration RoB in Non‐randomised Studies of Interventions tool. Certainty of evidence for RCTs was judged using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) tool.

Findings

37 studies (2035 participants) were reviewed: LSD (14; n = 1047); mescaline (1; n = 7); psilocybin (4; n = 135); ayahuasca (3; n = 101); ketamine (10; n = 579); ibogaine (5; n = 166); and MDMA (1; n = 14). There were no serious adverse events reported in any study. A two‐centre, placebo‐controlled, phase 2 superiority RCT of psilocybin for AUD, and a two‐centre, double‐blind, four‐arm, placebo‐controlled phase 2 RCT of ketamine for AUD yielded the best evidence of efficacy. Progression support to a phase 3 trials was secured from an open‐label phase 2 study of psilocybin for TUD and nine phase 2 RCTs of ketamine for AUD, cannabis use disorder, cocaine use disorder, and opioid use disorder (all nine with high‐RoB and low‐GRADE evidence certainty).

Conclusions

Psilocybin‐assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder appears to have the best evidence of efficacy among all major psychedelic‐assisted treatments for alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use disorders. Future research of psychedelic‐assisted treatment should report all safety events; screen for person‐level characteristics indicating that psychedelic‐assisted substance use disorders treatment is contraindicated; strive to mitigate blinding of participants to interventions; use factorial designs for drug and psychotherapy randomised controlled trials; and build consensus for a field‐specific Core Outcome Set.