Basic Research Research Articles

Embeddedness in complex networks: Theoretical central debate, policy implications, and research agenda in ethnic entrepreneurship

Objective: This article explores ethnic entrepreneurship as an emerging organizational phenomenon, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview through a systematic literature review. Method: Triangulation employed bibliometric analysis, network analysis, citation and co-citation analysis, co-citation network, and a meta-analysis of bibliometrics over the period. It also includes content analysis demonstrating study characteristics, key findings, and suggestions for future research. Key Findings: The crucial role of ethnic networks in identity valorization and overcoming obstacles, exerting a moderating influence on entrepreneurial decisions, was identified. Furthermore, a broader theoretical framework for understanding the ethnic entrepreneurship phenomenon is synthesized. Theoretical/Methodological Contributions: A combined method of analyses is employed, offering an approach that can be adopted by similar research. The theoretical framework in which ethnic entrepreneurship studies are anchored is presented, emphasizing social immersion, co-ethnic network building, and Economic Sociology. Relevance/Originality: In a growing global migration movement, individuals have become entrepreneurs in the pursuit of ethnic valorization, equality, and survival. They face various barriers in host countries, influencing the decision to undertake entrepreneurship and their business. This study fills a gap by elucidating how research explains the interplay of these emerging phenomena. Social/Management Contributions: The article identifies future directions for ethnic entrepreneurship research, addressing crucial issues such as gender, network construction, financing, international refugee policies, public policies, ethnicity, ethnic markets, marginalization, and prejudice. Its conclusions offer valuable insights for managers, researchers, and policymakers.

Theories, Techniques and Materials for Sealing Coalbed Methane Extraction Boreholes in Underground Mines: A Review

To further enhance the intelligent technology, platformisation, and systematisation of coalbed methane extraction sealing technology, this paper analyses the research progress of theories, technologies, and sealing materials related to coalbed methane extraction sealing and systematically summarises the latest achievements of the basic theories, key technologies, and sealing materials of coalbed methane extraction. Considering the increasing mining depth, advancements in intelligent technology, and the evolving landscape of coalbed methane development, it is particularly important to establish a more comprehensive coalbed methane extraction borehole sealing system. Based on this, future development trends and research prospects are proposed: In terms of coalbed-methane-extraction-related theories, there should be a stronger focus on fundamental research such as on gas flow within the coal matrix. For coalbed methane extraction borehole sealing technologies and devices, efforts should be made to enhance research on intelligent, platform-based, and systematic approaches, while adapting to the application of directional long borehole sealing processes. In terms of coalbed methane extraction borehole leakage detection, non-contact measurement and non-destructive monitoring methods should be employed to achieve dynamic monitoring and early warning of methane leaks, integrating these technologies into coalbed methane extraction system platforms. For coalbed methane extraction borehole sealing materials, further development is needed for liquid sealing materials that address borehole creep and the development of fractures in surrounding rock, as well as solid sealing materials with Poisson’s ratios similar to that of the surrounding rock mass.

Repurposing Copper(II)/THPTA as A Bioorthogonal Catalyst for Thiazolidine Bond Cleavage.

Metal-mediated chemical transformations are promising approaches to manipulate and regulate proteins in fundamental biological research and therapeutic development. Nevertheless, unlike bond-forming reactions, the exploration of selective bond cleavage reactions catalyzed by metals that are fully compatible with proteins and living systems remains relatively limited. Here, it is reported that Copper(II)/tris(3-hydroxypropyltriazolylmethyl)amine (THPTA), commonly used in copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction, can be repurposed as a new bioorthogonal catalyst for thiazolidine (Thz) bond cleavage. This process liberates an α-oxo-aldehyde group under physiological conditions, without requiring additional additives. To showcase the utility of this method, this simple catalyst system is coupled with genetic code expansion technology to achieve on-demand activation of genetically encoded Thz-caged α-oxo-aldehydes, enabling further functionalization of proteins. For the first time, this cell-compatible Thz uncaging reaction allows for the site-specific installation of α-oxo-aldehydes at the internal positions of proteins in phage and bacterial surface display systems, expanding the chemical space of proteins. Overall, this study expands the toolkit of bioorthogonal catalysts and paves the way for metal-promoted chemical reactions in living systems, potentially benefiting various applications in the future.

Critical evaluation of high-resolution and low-resolution mass spectrometry for biomonitoring of human environmental exposure to pesticides

Despite increasing debates about their potential side effects on human health, data concerning the risks and the impacts associated with pesticides remains scarce. Analytical tools allowing the measurement of most pesticides and/or their metabolites to which the population can be exposed are also of need. In the present study, the limits of detection (LODs) of 3 different screening procedures based on either Low-Resolution and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LR-MS and HR-MS) for the determination of pesticides in serum (among which carbamates, dithiocarbamates, neonicotinoids, organochlorines, organophosphates and pyrethroids) were explored. For HR-MS, a quadrupole time-of-flight was used in positive and negative electrospray ionization modes and data were obtained from either a targeted scheduled MSMS acquisition (HR-MSMS) or a data-independent acquisition (HR-DIA). For LR-MS, a triple quadrupole was used and data were acquired with a classical multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Depending on the approach, the LOD values varied from 0.05 to 10 ng/mL. For the lowest concentrations, the proportion of molecules detected was systematically greater for the LR-MS approach, while those of HR-MSMS were better than those of HR-DIA. These differences in the LOD values were confirmed in a sample of 174 serums in which LR-MRM detected 89 compounds while HR-MSMS and HR-DIA detected 79 and 75 compounds, respectively. Nevertheless, for environmental and occupational purposes, HRMS approach could probably be efficient to detect most of pesticides and their metabolites in human serum and could be suitable for human biomonitoring studies or fundamental research exploring the impact of exposure to pesticides on human health.

Development and validation of China’s Environmental Citizenship Questionnaire: evidence from junior high school students

The cultivation of environmental citizens has become an important measure to cope with the environmental crisis, and the research on the knowledge, conceptions, skills, attitudes, values, and actions of environmental citizens using the Environmental Citizenship Questionnaire (ECQ) is becoming a research focus. The research on environmental citizenship in China mainly staying at the level of theoretical research and descriptive research due to the accuracy of the ECQ. The emergence of the ECQ-China Version is helpful to promote the empirical research on environmental citizenship in China.This study verifies the effectiveness of the ECQ by removing 16 ECQ items which are not suitable for Chinese culture and evaluating environmental citizen-related knowledge among 550 Chinese junior high school students. The ECQ-China Version, consisting of 75 items, showed convincing results for all measurements: students’ past and present environmental citizenship behavior and the essential skills, values, attitudes, and competence that an environmental citizen should be equipped with had a significant impact on students’ future environmental citizenship behavior. This study suggests that: (1) Environmental citizenship education should not only focus on knowledge education, but also include skills education. (2) Environmental citizenship education should adhere to comprehensive principles, focusing on innovative practice of ideas and methods. (3) China’s environmental citizenship education should focus on the cultivation of citizens’ ability to participate, so that environmental citizenship can become the driving force for sustainable environmental development.

Roles of Impurity Levels in 3d Transition Metal-Doped Two-Dimensional Ga2O3

Doping engineering is crucial for both fundamental science and emerging applications. While transition metal (TM) dopants exhibit considerable advantages in the tuning of magnetism and conductivity in bulk Ga2O3, investigations on TM-doped two-dimensional (2D) Ga2O3 are scarce, both theoretically and experimentally. In this study, the detailed variations in impurity levels within 3d TM-doped 2D Ga2O3 systems have been explored via first-principles calculations using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) +U method. Our results show that the Co impurity tends to incorporate on the tetrahedral GaII site, while the other dopants favor square pyramidal GaI sites in 2D Ga2O3. Moreover, Sc3+, Ti4+, V4+, Cr3+, Mn3+, Fe3+, Co3+, Ni3+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ are the energetically favorable charge states. Importantly, a transition from n-type to p-type conductivity occurs at the threshold Cu element as determined by the defect formation energies and partial density of states (PDOS), which can be ascribed to the shift from electron doping to hole doping with respect to the increase in the atomic number in the 3d TM group. Moreover, the spin configurations in the presence of the square pyramidal and tetrahedral coordinated crystal field effects are investigated in detail, and a transition from high-spin to low-spin arrangement is observed. As the atomic number of the 3d TM dopant increases, the percentage contribution of O ions to the total magnetic moment significantly increases due to the electronegativity effect. Additionally, the formed 3d bands for most TM dopants are located near the Fermi level, which can be of significant benefit to the transformation of the absorbing region from ultraviolet to visible/infrared light. Our results provide theoretical guidance for designing 2D Ga2O3 towards optoelectronic and spintronic applications.

Repurposing weather modification for cloud research showcased by ice crystal growth

Abstract The representation of cloud processes in models is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in weather forecast and climate projections. While laboratory settings offer controlled conditions for studying cloud processes, they cannot reproduce the full range of conditions and interactions present in natural cloud systems. To bridge this gap, here we leverage weather modification, specifically glaciogenic cloud seeding, to investigate ice growth rates within natural clouds. Seeding experiments were conducted in supercooled stratus clouds (at −8 to −5 °C) using an uncrewed aerial vehicle, and the created ice crystals were measured 4-10 min downwind by in situ and ground-based remote sensing instrumentation. We observed substantial variability in ice crystal growth rates within natural clouds, attributed to variations in ice crystal number concentrations and in the supersaturation, which is difficult to reproduce in the laboratory and which implies faster precipitation initiation than previously thought. We found that for the experiments conducted at −5.2 °C, the ice crystal populations grew nearly linearly during the time interval from 6 to 10 minutes. Our results demonstrate that the targeted use of weather modification techniques can be employed for fundamental cloud research (e.g., ice growth processes, aerosol-cloud interactions), helping to advance cloud microphysics parameterizations and to improve weather forecasts and climate projections.

Neoclassical realism(s) vis-à-vis other theories of foreign policy: taking the indistinguishability problem seriously

Neoclassical realism (NCR)’s opponents have considered it an incoherent and indistinctive approach because of its interest in addressing ideational and institutional factors. Specifically, they have denounced NCR’s fuzzily established internal and external conceptual boundaries, corresponding to central dimensions of this approach’s ‘indistinguishability’ problem. Even though NCR has responded in a sophisticated manner to its critics, such a response still falls short of advancing some subtle strategies to forge NCR’s theoretical identity and research design. To fill this gap, I distinguish several neoclassical realist theories (Types I, II, IIA, IIB and III) to clarify NCR works’ common ground and the several options available to the analyst to cope with the indistinguishability problem’s internal dimension. Furthermore, I compare neoclassical realist theories with organizational, bureaucratic, realist, liberal and constructivist approaches to foreign policy to discuss the indistinguishability problem’s external dimension. Dealing with this dimension entails acknowledging that neoclassical realist theories provide a top-down, as compared to a bottom-up approach to explain foreign policy as a policy rather than a process. It also provides a thorough explanation rather than a parsimonious account aimed at distinguishing independent and intervening variables. With different intensities, neoclassical realist theories embrace specific, refined logics of consequentialism rather than appropriateness to explain distinct state preferences rather than assuming power maximization or security seeking as pre-fixed state goals.

Optical actinometry for number density measurements in low-pressure plasmas: Advantages, error sources, and method validation

Number density of plasma-generated atoms or molecules is an important parameter for both fundamental research and applications. It can be measured in a straightforward manner, using vacuum-ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, which is mainly possible in laboratory conditions as it may require bulky equipment, such as lasers. By contrast, optical actinometry is an alternative approach that only uses spontaneous emission from the plasma. This technique relies on the so-called corona excitation and uses emission line ratios between the gases with unknown and known concentrations (called actinometer in the last case). As a result of using line ratios, the additional density calibration is not required if the excitation cross sections are known. This study discusses Ar-based actinometry in low-pressure (roughly <1 kPa) plasma discharges with an emphasis on multiple line ratios. The work is particularly focused on the method’s applicability, the choice of Ar cross sections, and potential error sources. The influence of the additional excitation mechanisms is analyzed based on both experiments and modeling. The optical transitions for F, O, H, N, and P atoms along with expressions for their number density are presented, not requiring high optical resolution for measurements. For the sake of method validation, it is shown that in low-pressure radiofrequency discharges, a nearly excellent agreement between the actinometry data and the calibrated measurements can be achieved by careful selection of optical transitions.

Mid-infrared ultrafast soliton molecules from a few-cycle Cr:ZnS laser

Soliton molecules, or soliton bound states, are envisioned to make far-reaching changes in both fundamental research and applications. Here, we report on the generation and precision manipulation of soliton molecules based on a Kerr-lens mode-locked single-crystal Cr:ZnS laser at 2.4 µm. In the classical soliton regime, self-starting near-transform-limited pulses with a duration of 37 fs, less than 5 optical cycles, have been obtained at a repetition frequency of 173 MHz and an average output power of 572 mW. By fine-tuning the cavity group-delay dispersion profile, bi-soliton states with pulse durations between 55 fs and 98 fs with temporal separations between 348 fs and 604 fs have been observed and characterized. These are the shortest pulse duration and separation of soliton molecules reported so far in the mid-infrared region, to the best of our knowledge. With the ability of precision manipulation of soliton molecules generated on a sub-100-fs timescale, the tunable mid-infrared soliton molecule source paves the way for applications in the fields of telecommunications and ultrafast laser technologies.

Educational communities of rural schools in the arctic (on the example of the Murmansk oblast): A social justice perspective on inclusion

The article addresses the current problem of searching and substantiating mechanisms for the development of inclusive education. The research relevance is also determined by the Arctic context, which corresponds to the epistemological need of modern interdisciplinary knowledge in the development of inclusive education, the priorities of state policy, as well as to the expectations and demands of regional communities. The authors aim to study social interactions within rural schools in the Arctic from the standpoint of inclusion as an indicator of social justice (on the example of the Murmansk Oblast). To that end, rural schools are modelled and described based on the developed criteria. Difficulties experienced by the teachers in the course of inclusive educational process, including when using distance technologies, are typified. According to the results obtained, typical models of rural schools in the Murmansk Oblast include suburban schools and remote schools and their following variants: the school as a territorial cooperation, a border school, an isolated school, and an indigenous school. In all rural school models, under successful formation of external and internal social ties, a shortage of special education teachers is observed. The teachers face methodological, organizational, and social difficulties. In addition, the educational environment is not sufficiently accessible, which forms barriers to social justice. The revealed regional specificity of rural schools serves as a justification for a conceptual and substantive development of Arctic pedagogy. The results obtained are useful for further theoretical and empirical research in the field of inclusive education, as well as for the development of regional programs of inclusive educational practices, taking the differentiation of social conditions into account.

Five New Species of Wood-Decaying Brown-Rot Fungi within Postiaceae (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) from Xinjiang, Northwest China

Brown-rot fungi are an important group of wood-decaying fungi, but there has been limited research on the species diversity of brown-rot fungi in Xinjiang, China. During an investigation of brown-rot fungi in Xinjiang, from July 2018 to July 2023, five new species belonging to the family Postiaceae were discovered based on morphological and molecular evidence. Amaropostia altaiensis is characterized by a conchate pileus, circular pores (5–8 per mm), and growing on Populus. Amaropostia tianshanensis is characterized by a flabelliform-to-conchate pileus, angular pores (5–6 per mm), and growing on Picfea. Cyanosporus latisporus is characterized by a hirsute and dark greyish blue pileal surface with fresh, larger pores (3–6 per mm) and broad basidiospores (4.3–5.9 × 1.4–2 µm). Cyanosporus tianshanensis is characterized by a smooth and white-to-cream pileal surface with fresh, smaller pores (6–9 per mm). Osteina altaiensis is characterized by a light mouse-grey-to-honey-yellow pileal surface, smaller pores (4–6 per mm), and slightly wide basidiospores (5–6 × 1.7–2.2 µm). Each of these five new species form independent lineages in phylogenetic analyses based on the seven gene loci (ITS + nLSU + nSSU + mtSSU + TEF1 + RPB1 + RPB2). This research enriches the diversity of brown-rot fungi species, while also demonstrating the substantial discovery potential and research value of brown-rot fungi in Xinjiang.

Full Quantity or Full Credit? Choosing the Right Buyback Policy for a Behavioral Retailer

Problem definition: Despite extensive research on buyback contracts in supply chain management, little attention has been given to a direct comparison between a traditional full-quantity, partial-credit (FQ) buyback contract and an alternative full-credit, partial-quantity (FC) contract, especially when considering the behavioral biases of the retailer. This study aims to fill this research gap by exploring how these biases influence contract performance and offer practical guidelines for suppliers. Methodology/results: Through controlled laboratory experiments and structural model estimation, we show that the ordering decisions made by human retailers are jointly affected by three behavioral biases—loss aversion, prospective accounting, and psychological cost of inventory error—and these biases differ in magnitude between the two contracts. Incorporating these biases into a behavioral retailer’s utility function, we then analytically examine which buyback policy the supplier should choose. When the wholesale price is exogenously given, the supplier should adopt the FC contract for high-margin (low-cost) products. Conversely, when the supplier has the power to set both the wholesale and buyback prices, the FC contract is generally more beneficial for low-margin products. Finally, when the product cost is sufficiently high, a wholesale price contract may be advantageous over buyback policies. Managerial implications: The managerial implication of this paper is significant for suppliers who have to choose between different buyback policies. The paper suggests that the supplier should carefully consider not just the economic, but also the behavioral dimensions when making contract decisions, particularly when dealing with a retailer influenced by behavioral biases. Specifically, the choice between FQ and FC contracts is influenced by two key environmental factors: the production cost of the product and the nature of wholesale pricing. Understanding these elements allows suppliers to be flexible in contract choices and design appropriate return policies for their downstream supply chain partners. Funding: P. Yu was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72371038 and 72033003] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grant 2024CDJSKPT16]. T. Feng was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72131004]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0574 .

Thick-wire GMAW for fusion welding of high-strength steels

The paper describes a high-current Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process using wire electrodes with diameters up to 4.0 mm for single-pass full penetration butt joint welding of 20 mm thick steel plates. Fundamental research aims to develop thick-wire GMAW into a high-efficiency method by identifying the limits of welding performance and achievable deposition rates. Current gaps in understanding include equipment requirements, process properties, application fields, and weld quality. The research project addresses these gaps through systematic investigations of basic technological analyses, application sample welding, and quality evaluations. The objective was to create a robust, cost-efficient gas-shielded high-performance welding technology with deposition rates comparable to Submerged Arc Welding. The fully mechanized, automatic welding setup included two parallel-connected welding power sources, one wire feeder and one high-power welding torch. Welding parameters and conditions were evaluated with the aim of achieving a high-quality weld. Optimal parameters were identified for one-sided single-pass welding on 20 mm thick plates. Validation of thick-wire GMAW for 20 mm thick high-strength steels was conducted via two-sided single-pass welding on S690Q grade plates. Testing of the weld joint included static tensile strength test (3x tensile specimen), a Charpy impact test at −40 °C (6x Charpy V-notch specimens respectively with notch position in weld metal, base material and heat-affected zone (HAZ)), microstructure examination and a hardness test. The lowest recorded impact energy was observed to be 50 J within the weld metal, in combination with hardness peaks in the HAZ reaching 415 HV1, and all tensile specimens failing outside the HAZ within the base material. The process achieved reliable, reproducible, and economical joint welding, meeting necessary mechanical-technological quality standards. The paper enhances the understanding of selected welding techniques tor thick plate joining and offers valuable industrial insights, demonstrating the technique's applicability and feasibility for high-strength applications.

Forecasting Urban Traffic States with Sparse Data Using Hankel Temporal Matrix Factorization

Forecasting urban traffic states is crucial to transportation network monitoring and management, playing an important role in the decision-making process. Despite the substantial progress that has been made in developing accurate, efficient, and reliable algorithms for traffic forecasting, most existing approaches fail to handle sparsity, high-dimensionality, and nonstationarity in traffic time series and seldom consider the temporal dependence between traffic states. To address these issues, this work presents a Hankel temporal matrix factorization (HTMF) model using the Hankel matrix in the lower dimensional spaces under a matrix factorization framework. In particular, we consider an alternating minimization scheme to optimize the factor matrices in matrix factorization and the Hankel matrix in the lower dimensional spaces simultaneously. To perform traffic state forecasting, we introduce two efficient estimation processes on real-time incremental data, including an online imputation (i.e., reconstruct missing values) and an online forecasting (i.e., estimate future data points). Through extensive experiments on the real-world Uber movement speed data set in Seattle, Washington, we empirically demonstrate the superior forecasting performance of HTMF over several baseline models and highlight the advantages of HTMF for addressing sparsity, nonstationarity, and short time series. History: Accepted by Ram Ramesh, Area Editor for Data Science & Machine Learning. Funding: This research was supported by the Institute for Data Valorisation, the Interuniversity Research Centre on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 12371456, 72101049, 72232001], the Sichuan Science and Technology Program [Grant 2024NSFJQ0038], and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grant DUT23RC(3)045].

The Allocation of Talent and Financial Development, 1897 to 1936

We examine how the supply of talent affected financial development based on an experiment that abruptly changed the allocation of talent in historical China. Under the meritocratic civil examination system, government service was the main employment for the Chinese intellectuals. The abolition of this system in 1905 reduced the status and wealth attached to government service, which led the intellectuals to turn to modern banking as a high-status sector of employment. We find that regions where there were more candidates for the civil examination produced more financial professionals after 1905, which translated to a greater development of modern banking. This paper was accepted by Lin William Cong, finance. Funding: C. Lin and C. Ma acknowledge the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong [Grant AoE/B-704/22-R], Y. Sun acknowledges the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72203037] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in UIBE [Grant 20QD14; CXTD12-01], and Y. Xu acknowledges the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72203013] for financial support. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.00456 .

Performance management in the prosocial market economy: a new paradigm for economic performance and sustainability

Purpose The purpose of this multi-voiced paper is to propose a prosocial paradigm for the field of performance management and management control systems. This new paradigm suggests cultivating prosocial behaviour and prosocial groups in organizations to simultaneously achieve the objectives of economic performance and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The authors share a common concern about the future of humanity and nature. They challenge the influential assumption of economic man from neoclassical economic theory and build on evolutionary science and the core design principles of prosocial groups to develop a prosocial paradigm. Findings Findings are based on the premise of the prosocial paradigm that self-interested behaviour may outperform prosocial behaviour within a group but that prosocial groups outperform groups dominated by self-interest. The authors explore various dimensions of performance management from the prosocial perspective in the private and public sectors. Research limitations/implications The authors call for theoretical, conceptual and empirical research that explores the prosocial paradigm. They invite any approach, including positivist, interpretive and critical research, as well as those using qualitative, quantitative and interventionist methods. Practical implications This paper offers implications from the prosocial paradigm for practitioners, particularly for executives and managers, policymakers and educators. Originality/value Adoption of the prosocial paradigm in research and practice shapes what the authors call the prosocial market economy. This is an aspired cultural evolution that functions with market competition yet systematically strengthens prosociality as a cultural norm in organizations, markets and society at large.

Digital Transformation: A Changing Role of HR Manager in Digital Era

objectives of this theoretical research are to highlight HRM in the digital age, stress the responsibilities that HR managers play in contemporary firms, and, using secondary data, talk about how technological advancements have affected HR practices in the digital age. We use a conceptual approach to accomplish our goals. The influence of digital technology on specific HR domains, such as streamlining HR procedures, is covered in our findings. (recruitment, performance management, and administration) and emphasize the new digital role of human resource manager in era 4.0.

Microfluidic Platform for Generating and Releasing Patient-Derived Cancer Organoids with Diverse Shapes: Insight into Shape-Dependent Tumor Growth.

Multicellular spheroids and patient-derived organoids find many applications in fundamental research, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine. Advances in the understanding and recapitulation of organ functionality and disease development require the generation of complex organoid models, including organoids with diverse morphologies. Microfluidics-based cell culture platforms enable time-efficient confined organoid generation. However, the ability to form organoids with different shapes with a subsequent transfer from microfluidic devices to unconstrained environments for studies of morphology-dependent organoid growth is yet to be demonstrated. Here, a microfluidic platform is introduced that enables high-fidelity formation and addressable release of breast cancer organoids with diverse shapes. Using this platform, the impact of organoid morphology on their growth in unconstrained biomimetic hydrogel is explored. It is shown that proliferative cancer cells tend to localize in high positive curvature organoid regions, causing their faster growth, while the overall growth pattern of organoids with diverse shapes tends to reduce interfacial tension at the organoid-hydrogel interface. In addition to the formation of organoids with diverse morphologies, this platform can be integrated into multi-tissue micro-physiological systems.

Current induced hidden states in Josephson junctions

Josephson junctions enable dissipation-less electrical current through metals and insulators below a critical current. Despite being central to quantum technology based on superconducting quantum bits and fundamental research into self-conjugate quasiparticles, the spatial distribution of super current flow at the junction and its predicted evolution with current bias and external magnetic field remain experimentally elusive. Revealing the hidden current flow, featureless in electrical resistance, helps understanding unconventional phenomena such as the nonreciprocal critical current, i.e., Josephson diode effect. Here we introduce a platform to visualize super current flow at the nanoscale. Utilizing a scanning magnetometer based on nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond, we uncover competing ground states electrically switchable within the zero-resistance regime. The competition results from the superconducting phase re-configuration induced by the Josephson current and kinetic inductance of thin-film superconductors. We further identify a new mechanism for the Josephson diode effect involving the Josephson current-induced phase. The nanoscale super current flow emerges as a new experimental observable for elucidating unconventional superconductivity, and optimizing quantum computation and energy-efficient devices.