Consistent Theory Research Articles

Symmetry reduction, gauge reduction, backreaction, and consistent higher order perturbation theory

Symmetry reduction, gauge reduction, backreaction, and consistent higher order perturbation theory

How hotel VR photography previews enhance customers’ immediate booking intention through mental imagery and perceived value

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how a hotel virtual reality photography (VRP) preview enhances customers’ immediate booking intention compared to a picture preview. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a one-factor between-subject experimental design and time-based systematic sampling. Respondents were asked to read a scenario on an iPad and assess a hotel preview (VRPs vs pictures) before answering the questionnaire. Findings The results show that a hotel VRP preview generates more mental imagery than a picture preview in terms of quantity, vividness, modality and valence. These four dimensions of mental imagery indirectly influence customers’ immediate booking intentions through perceived utilitarian value and hedonic value, among which modality has the greatest influence on utilitarian value and valence has the greatest influence on hedonic value. Moreover, utilitarian value has a stronger impact on customers’ immediate booking intentions than does hedonic value. Originality/value The results obtained in this study contribute to hospitality research by using cognitive consistency theory as the overarching framework, combining mental imagery theory, media richness theory and perceived value theory to explain the mechanism of tourists’ hotel booking decision-making from hotel previews. Comparing this study’s results with previous studies shows the difference in the effects of 360° (head-mounted) videos, VRPs and pictures on evoking mental imagery across tourism and hotel products, updating our knowledge of VR technology in tourism marketing.

Cubic interactions for massless and partially massless spin-1 and spin-2 fields

We perform a complete classification of the consistent two-derivative cubic couplings for a system containing an arbitrary number of massless spin-1, massless spin-2, and partially massless (PM) spin-2 fields in D-dimensional (anti-)de Sitter space. In addition to previously known results, we find a unique candidate mixing between spin-1 and PM spin-2 fields. We derive all the quadratic constraints on the structure constants of the theory, allowing for relative “wrong-sign” kinetic terms for any of the fields. In the particular case when the kinetic terms in each sector have no relative signs, we find that the unique consistent non-trivial theory is given by multiple independent copies of conformal gravity coupled to a Yang-Mills sector in D = 4. Our results strengthen the well-known no-go theorems on the absence of mutual interactions for massless and PM spin-2 fields.

Covariant Representation of Spin and Entanglement—A Review and Reformulation

A consistent theory of quantum entanglement requires that constituent single-particle states belong to the same Hilbert space, the coherent eigenstates of a complete set of operators in a given representation, defined with respect to a shared continuous parameterization. Formulating such eigenstates for a single relativistic particle with spin, and applying them to the description of many-body states, presents well-known challenges. In this paper, we review the covariant theory of relativistic spin and entanglement in a framework first proposed by Stueckelberg and developed by Horwitz, Piron, et al. This approach modifies Wigner’s method by introducing an arbitrary timelike unit vector nμ and then inducing a representation of SL(2,C), based on pμ rather than on the spacetime momentum. Generalizing this approach, we construct relativistic spin states on an extended phase space {(xμ,pμ),(ζμ,πμ)}, inducing a representation on the momentum πμ, thus providing a novel dynamical interpretation of the timelike unit vector nμ=πμ/M. Studying the unitary representations of the Poincaré group on the extended phase space allows us to define basis quantities for quantum states and develop the gauge invariant electromagnetic Hamiltonian in classical and quantum mechanics. We write plane wave solutions for free particles and construct stable singlet states, and relate these to experiments involving temporal interference, analogous to the spatial interference known from double slit experiments.

Thermodynamically consistent model of dislocation-mediated plasticity

ABSTRACT We present a thermodynamically consistent damage theory of deformation where the damage mechanism is determined by the presence of dislocations and their motion is the origin of plasticity. The damage parameter is proportional to the square root of the dislocation density of a network. For the evolution of damage, a gradient-flow equation, which describes the relaxation process of plastic deformation, is derived. Analysis shows that the dislocation-mediated plasticity is an activated process with upper and lower yield points, as opposed to a barrierless plasticity with a single yield point, which may be realised by other mechanisms of deformation. Dislocation nucleation is not a limiting factor of the dislocation-mediated plasticity because the free energy barrier for the nucleation is rather low. Application of the theory to the description of uniaxial deformation revealed many features of the experimentally observed deformation processes of metals, e.g. three stages of strain hardening with various characteristics dependent on the material and rate of loading. Applications of the theory to processes of dynamic loading of materials, which simultaneously undergo phase transformations, can bring deeper understanding of the material behaviour.

Methods for estimating integrated variance: Jump robustness issues in high frequency time series

Integrated variance is a volatility measure of a process in continuous time, which is applicable in financial mathematics as a means to optimize a portfolio, project dynamics of a price of a financial asset. The consistency of an estimator for integrated variance of a random process is at the core of this article. A fundamental diffusion process is extended by adding a jump component as a means of improving the descriptive function of the process. It is activity of jumps that is a factor subject to which is the consistency of the estimator for integrated variance. Due to this fact, consistency is defined as an extent to which the estimator at hand is jump robust. Two main methods for estimating integrated variance are considered and the capacity of corresponding estimators to withstand the effect of jumps while converging is briefly analyzed. The arguments indicating a necessity for further research of the effect of jumps with reference to works of the authors who have established a ground for analysis of integrated variance and those works containing main asymptotic results for consistency of integrated variance estimators are elaborated. Based on this, avenue for further research and development of asymptotic theory for consistency of an estimator for integrated variance is identified.

Nonequilibrium dynamics and atom-pair coherence in strongly interacting Bose-Fermi mixtures

Theoretical treatments of nonequilibrium dynamics in strongly interacting Bose-Fermi mixtures are complicated by the inherent non-Gaussian nature of the vacuum two-body physics, invalidating the typical Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approximation. Here we apply the cumulant expansion to study nonequilibrium Bose-Fermi mixtures, which allows us to explicitly include the missing non-Gaussian quantum correlations, leading to a consistent dynamical theory of a Bose-Fermi mixture near an interspecies Feshbach resonance. We first apply our theory to a study of atom-pair coherence in the gas, which is significantly enhanced by the competing influences of the Fermi sea and Bose-Einstein condensation, in agreement with analytical calculations. Then we study the depletion of a degenerate Bose-Fermi mixture following a quench to the unitary regime, characterizing the resulting depletion of the Bose-Einstein condensate, the deformation of the Fermi surface, and the production of molecules. We find that at early times, the population dynamics scale quadratically with the hold time, and define an associated characteristic timescale set by the parameters of the mixture and the width of the Feshbach resonance. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Harvesting physical predictions from asymptotically safe quantum field theories

Asymptotic safety is a powerful mechanism for obtaining a consistent and predictive quantum field theory beyond the realm of perturbation theory. It hinges on an interacting fixed point of the Wilsonian renormalization group flow which controls the microscopic dynamics. Connecting the fixed point to observations requires constructing the set of effective actions compatible with this microscopic dynamics. Technically, this information is stored in the UV-critical surface of the fixed point. In this work, we describe a novel approach for extracting this information based on analytical and pseudospectral methods. Our construction is illustrated at the level of the three-dimensional Ising model and easily generalizes to any asymptotically safe quantum field theory. It also constitutes an important step toward setting up a well-founded swampland program within the gravitational asymptotic safety program. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Finite-time formation trajectory tracking control for unmanned underwater vehicles with time delays and Markov-switch topology

ABSTRACT The formation trajectory tracking control strategy of unmanned underwater vehicles is proposed for communication time delay and communication topology random switching. The methods ensure that formation systems are finite-time bounded under discrete time. Firstly, based on the consistency theory and the exact feedback linearised dynamics model of unmanned underwater vehicle, a control strategy is proposed for discrete formation system with communication time delay. Secondly, a cooperative control method is designed for communication problems of Markovian switching topology and time delay. Then, definition of finite-time bounded and linear matrix inequality technique are applied to sufficient conditions of system stability for the above problem. Finally, the formation motion of discrete unmanned underwater vehicle system in three-dimensional space is simulated, fully demonstrating the feasibility of the method.

Moving holographic boundaries

In this paper, we show that for one sign of the deformation coupling single-trace TT‾ deformation moves the holographic screen in Gödel universe radially inward. For the other sign of the coupling it moves the holographic screen radially outward. We (thus) argue, on general grounds, that in holography (single-trace) TT‾ deformation can be generally thought of as either moving the holographic boundary into the bulk or washing it away to infinity. We explain in what sense. In Anti-de Sitter this breaks the spacetime conformal symmetry. We further note that moving timelike holographic boundary into bulk creates (at onset) a curvature singularity. In the boundary the singularity is understood by states with imaginary energies. To define or make the bulk theory sensible we introduce an ultraviolet cutoff and thereby move the boundary into the bulk. However, it is not clear whether suitable boundary conditions that lead to a consistent string theory exist. In this paper we first obtain the Penrose limit of the single-trace TT‾ deformed string background and then perform T-duality along a space-like isometry to obtain a class of deformed Gödel universes. The string background we consider is AdS3×S3×M4. The single-trace TT‾ deformation is a particular example of the more general O(d,d) transformations.

Examining the link between CSR perceptions and employee advocacy through organizational justice: Can corporate hypocrisy mitigate?

AbstractThis research aims to understand the relationship between employees' perceptions of corporate social responsibility and employee advocacy behavior through organizational justice. Furthermore, it explores the moderating effect of corporate hypocrisy in the relationship of organizational justice with employee advocacy behavior. Grounded in signaling and cognitive inconsistency theories, the proposed hypotheses were tested on data collected from 360 employees from the hospitality sector. The study followed a time‐lagged approach. In phase 1, the data were collected for demographic variables, corporate social responsibility perceptions, and corporate hypocrisy. In the second phase, data were collected for organizational justice and employee advocacy behavior, using separate survey links. Smart PLS 4.0 was applied to test the relationships proposed in the research model. The study found that employees who positively perceive firms' corporate social responsibility will engage in advocacy behavior. The results suggest a significant mediating effect of procedural justice in the relationship between corporate social responsibility and employee advocacy behavior. However, the mediating effect of distributive justice in this relationship could not be established. Further, the study found evidence that corporate hypocrisy moderates the indirect relationship between corporate social responsibility perceptions and advocacy behavior via procedural justice. Also, to the best of our knowledge, literature has no empirical evidence of the moderating effect of corporate hypocrisy in the indirect association between the perception of corporate social responsibility and employee advocacy behavior via organizational justice. It provides several important implications for advancing theoretical knowledge and practical insights for hospitality industry practitioners.

Meat alternative adoption: How climate change concern drives perceived sustainability, naturalness, and taste

Conventional livestock production generates high amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, significantly contributing to man-made climate change. Switching to meat alternatives has the potential to curb meat consumption but faces obstacles rooted in consumers’ concerns about unnaturalness, negative health implications, and excessive processing. Drawing on environmental psychology, heuristic processing, consistency theory, and the halo effect, this study develops a conceptual framework on how consumer’s climate concern, by activating climate commitment, not only directly motivates the adoption of meat alternatives, but also triggers perceptual processes, that have a favorable effect on the perception of the attributes of meat alternative products. The theoretical model was tested with an online survey of a US representative sample (N=800). Results show that climate concern positively affects meat alternative adoption by activating climate commitment. Climate commitment, in turn, through the drive for internal consistency and the halo effect, enhances the perceived sustainability, naturalness, and taste of meat alternatives, boosting their acceptance. Findings contribute to the literature by introducing a novel mechanism involving mental shortcuts based on consistency theory and the halo effect, which suggests that consumers align food product perceptions with their environmental goals. These insights offer valuable guidance for policymakers and marketers to design effective interventions promoting more sustainable dietary choices.

Research and application of low-carbon economic dispatch of urban building integrated energy system

Abstract Global warming is a serious threat common to all countries. The technological revolution and sustainable development of energy have become the international consensus. While ensuring economic benefits, promoting low carbon environmental protection of comprehensive energy system has become a top priority. Therefore, this paper designs a low-carbon economic scheduling system based on consistency theory. First, the importance of user demand response should be considered in the integrated energy system to ensure the economy of scheduling. Secondly, the improved step-step carbon trading mechanism is used in the algorithm to improve the low carbon performance of scheduling. Then, the distributed consistency algorithm is used to schedule the integrated energy system to realize the most energy output of each unit. In addition, a noise function is added to the algorithm for encryption and desensitization to prevent user privacy leakage. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed economic scheduling method.

How CEO transformational leadership promotes firm innovation: mediating role of collective task self-efficacy

PurposeInnovative capabilities are essential for the survival and development of an organization. Previous studies have found a positive relationship between CEO transformational leadership (CEOTFL) and firm innovation. However, limited studies have endeavored to investigate the relationship between CEOTFL and firm innovation through the cognition and attitudes of the ordinary employees, despite their significant role in corporate innovation. Existing TFL literature has predominantly concentrated on “the close relationships” between leaders and their immediate subordinates, leaving the remote influence of CEOTFL on ordinary employees under-researched. Therefore, the current study aims to explain the relationship between CEOTFL and firm innovation from a micro-level perspective.Design/methodology/approachMultilevel and multi-sourced data from 1,627 employees across 145 firms was used to test the hypotheses in this study.FindingsThe results indicate that CEOTFL can enhance firm innovation by enhancing the collective task self-efficacy of regular employees. Moreover, this effect is not observed when employees are exposed to a low level of work–life balance practices.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that CEOs can perform increased TFL to promote firm innovation. It is recommended that CEOs demonstrate their TFL not only to their direct subordinates but also to regular employees using various methods, such as participating in corporate activities with employees, delivering public speeches and sending emails to employees. Meanwhile, the HRM system should consistently align with the CEO’s leadership approach within the organization.Social implicationsThis study strengthens the importance of ordinary employees and their contribution to firm innovation.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to the literature on the micro-foundations of the relationship between CEOTFL and firm innovation by considering ordinary employee reactions as a mediator. Furthermore, this study enriches the CEOTFL literature by investigating the distant influence of CEOTFL on rank-and-file employees through the lens of social cognitive theory. Additionally, the authors expand cue consistency theory to the realms of CEO leadership and HRM literature by integrating CEOTFL and work–life balance practices into a unified model. The findings reveal the importance of coordination between CEO leadership and HRM systems within an organization. The inclusion of Chinese sample data in this study augments the cultural diversity of the sample within the CEOTFL literature.

Vacuum energy in the effective field theory of general relativity with a scalar field

A consistency condition of general relativity as an effective field theory in Minkowskian background uniquely fixes the value of the cosmological constant. In two-loop calculations, including the interaction of gravitons with matter fields, it has been shown that this value of the cosmological constant leads to vanishing vacuum energy, under the assumption that the energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational field is given by the pseudotensor of Landau-Lifshitz’s classic textbook. Here, we demonstrate that this result also holds when the self-interaction of a scalar field is taken into account. That is, our two-loop-order calculation suggests that, in an effective field theory of metric and scalar fields, one arrives at a consistent theory with massless gravitons if the cosmological constant is fixed from the condition of vanishing vacuum energy. Vice versa, imposing the consistency condition in Minkowskian background leads to a vanishing vacuum energy. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Adapted Chatterjee correlation coefficient

The need to accurately quantify dependence between random variables is a growing concern across various academic disciplines. Current correlation coefficients are typically intended for one of two purposes: testing independence or measuring relationship strength. Despite some attempts to address both aspects, the performance of these measures is still easily affected by oscillation and local noise. To address these limitations, we propose a new coefficient of correlation called the Adapted Chatterjee Correlation Coefficient (AC3). AC3 is designed to accurately identify both independence and functional dependence between variables, even in the presence of noise. We establish the consistency and asymptotic theories of (AC3). Additionally, we present a novel method, called Iterative Signal Detection Procedure (ISDP), for local signal identification. Our numerical studies and real data application demonstrate that AC3 outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of general performance and detecting local signals.

A new perspective on Kaluza–Klein theories

Assuming that the geometry of spacetime is uniquely determined by the energy–momentum tensor of matter alone, i.e. without any interactions, enables us to construct the Lagrangian from which the metric of higher dimensional spacetime follows. From the geodesic equations that follow, it becomes clear that the incorrect mass of elementary particles predicted by Kaluza–Klein theories arises from the assumption that in the absence of gravity the solution to the Einstein field equations reduces to the Minkowski metric. From construction of a consistent theory of 4D electromagnetism, we find that this assumption does not only result in the incorrect mass of elementary particles, but also the incorrect value of the cosmological constant. This suggests that these incorrect predictions, which are often regarded as major flaws of Kaluza–Klein theories, just reflect the inconsistency of the assumption that the solution to Einstein field equations reduces to Minkowski metric in the absence of gravity and Weyl invariance which is the symmetry of gauge theories in 4D spacetime. Abandoning this assumption results in modification of general relativity. We show that the unified description of fundamental interactions naturally incorporates the Higgs mechanism. For non-Abelian gauge fields, we find that the manifold comprising the extra dimensions has to be a group manifold and show that the standard model is realized in 16D spacetime. We show that charge and spin are the same concept, but what makes them different is that the former follows from symmetry of 4D spacetime while the latter follows from symmetry of the internal space.

The Roles of Proactive Personality and Career Satisfaction in the Impact of Employer Brand Attributes Congruence on Creativity.

Although the relationship between employer brand and employee creativity has become a popular theme, this nexus is indirect and ambiguous. Additionally, most studies ignore the consistency of instrumental and symbolic attributes when discussing the consequences of employer brand. This study explored the mechanism of employer brand attributes congruence on employee creativity through career satisfaction, and further revealed the moderating role of proactive personality. Based on the cue consistency theory and the social information processing theory, a polynomial regression model was created and a response surface analysis was conducted using 488 paired questionnaires. The results showed that employer brand attributes congruence impacted employee creativity via career satisfaction. A consistent employer brand strategy is more effective for the creativity of less proactive individuals, while a high-level proactive personality can compensate for the deficiencies of employer brand attributes incongruence. The results complemented employer brand research from the perspective of the instrumental-symbolic attribute configuration and provided supportive empirical evidence of employer brand practices aiming at improving employee creativity. This study has certain practical implications for HR practitioners.

Neural network learning and Quantum Gravity

The landscape of low-energy effective field theories stemming from string theory is too vast for a systematic exploration. However, the meadows of the string landscape may be fertile ground for the application of machine learning techniques. Employing neural network learning may allow for inferring novel, undiscovered properties that consistent theories in the landscape should possess, or checking conjectural statements about alleged characteristics thereof. The aim of this work is to describe to what extent the string landscape can be explored with neural network-based learning. Our analysis is motivated by recent studies that show that the string landscape is characterized by finiteness properties, emerging from its underlying tame, o-minimal structures. Indeed, employing these results, we illustrate that any low-energy effective theory of string theory is endowed with certain statistical learnability properties. Consequently, several local learning problems therein formulated, including interpolations and multi-class classification problems, can be concretely addressed with machine learning, delivering results with sufficiently high accuracy.

Examining the impact of self-stigma on workplace well-being: an empirical investigation of medical students with physical disabilities in China and the moderating role of trait mindfulness

BackgroundAs societal evolution unfolds in China, individuals with physical disabilities are increasingly provided opportunities in higher education, particularly in the field of medicine. However, these medical students often encounter bias in their work environments, including during internships, which fosters self-stigma and impedes their experience for workplace well-being (WWB). Such a decrease in WWB detrimentally affects not only their mental health in the workplace but also hinders their sense of personal worth and assimilation into broader society. This study aims to examine the challenges faced by medical students with physical disabilities in China as they aspire to achieve WWB, and to explore potential intervention strategies.MethodsLeveraging cognitive consistency theory (CCT), we introduces a conceptual framework to examine the relationships among self-stigma, perceived discrimination, and WWB. It also investigates the role of trait mindfulness as a potential mitigating factor in this dynamic. We employed the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS), Discrimination Perception Questionnaire (DPQ), Workplace Well-being Subscale (WWBS), and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) to survey 316 medical students with physical disabilities. Statistical analyses, including correlation, regression, and moderated mediation effect assessments, were conducted using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 24.0.ResultsA notable negative correlation exists between self-stigma and WWB (r = -0.56, p < 0.01). Perceived discrimination partially mediates the relationship between self-stigma and WWB. The direct effect of self-stigma and its mediating effect through perceived discrimination account for 60.71% and 21.43% of the total effect, respectively. Trait mindfulness moderates the latter part of this mediating pathway. Moderation models indicate that trait mindfulness has a significant negative moderating effect on the impact of perceived discrimination on WWB (β = -0.10, p < 0.001).ConclusionsSelf-stigma adversely affects the positive work experiences of medical students with physical disabilities by eliciting a heightened sensitivity to discriminatory cues, thereby undermining their WWB. Trait mindfulness can effectively counter the detrimental effects of perceived discrimination on WWB. Consequently, this study advocates for the systematic incorporation of mindfulness training into educational services and workplace enhancement programs for medical students with disabilities, aiming to foster an inclusive and supportive external environment.