bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Augmenting TCR signal strength and ICOS costimulation results in metabolically fit and therapeutically potent human CAR Th17 cell therapy
Authors: Wyatt Megan M. , Huff Logan W. , Nelson Michelle H. , Neal Lillian R. , Medvec Andrew R. , Rangel Rivera Guillermo O. , Smith Aubrey S. , Reyes Amalia M. Rivera , Knochelmann Hannah M. , Riley James L. , Lesinski Gregory B. , Paulos Chrystal M.
Published: November 2022

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) therapy with IL-17 producing human T cells elicits potent antitumor activity in preclinical models. However, further refinement of this novel approach is needed to position it for clinical application. While activation signal strength differentially regulates IL-17 production by human CD4+T cells, the degree to which TCR and co-stimulation signal strength impacts antitumor Th17 cell immunity remains poorly understood. We discovered that decreasing TCR/co-stimulation signal strength by incremental reduction of αCD3/co-stimulation beads in a Th17 culture progressively diminished their effector memory phenotype but enhanced their polyfunctionality. Additional investigation revealed that Th17 cells stimulated with αCD3/ICOS beads produced more IL-17A, IFNγ, IL-2 and IL-22 than those stimulated with αCD3/CD28 beads, regardless of signal strength. Th17 cells propagated with 30-fold fewer αCD3/ICOS beads (weak signal strength, 1 bead per 10 T cells) were less reliant on glucose for growth compared to those stimulated with the standard, strong signal strength (3 beads per T cell). Further metabolomic analysis revealed Th17 cells weakly simulated with αCD3/ICOS beads favored the central carbon pathway through increased gluconeogenesis for bioenergetics, marked by abundant intracellular phosphoenoylpyruvate (PEP). Importantly, Th17 cells weakly stimulated with αCD3/ICOS beads and redirected with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that recognizes mesothelin were more effective at clearing large human mesothelioma tumors when infused into mice than those manufactured using the standard FDA-approved protocols. Taken together, these data indicate Th17 ACT therapy can be improved by using fewer activation beads during T cell manufacturing, a finding that is both cost effective and directly translatable to patients.
The mesodermal source of fibronectin is required for heart morphogenesis and cardiac outflow tract elongation by regulating cell shape, polarity, and mechanotransduction in the second heart field
Authors: Arriagada Cecilia , Lin Evan , Schonning Michael , Astrof Sophie
Published: November 2022

Failure in the elongation of the cardiac outflow tract results in congenital heart disease due to ventricular septum defects and misalignment of the great vessels. The cardiac outflow tract lengthens via accretion of progenitors derived from the second heart field (SHF). SHF cells in the splanchnic mesoderm are exquisitely regionalized and organized into an epithelial-like layer forming the dorsal pericardial wall (DPW). Tissue tension, cell polarity, and proliferation within the DPW are important for the addition of SHF-derived cells to the heart and elongation of the cardiac outflow tract. However, the genes regulating these processes are not completely characterized. Using conditional mutagenesis in the mouse, we show that fibronectin (Fn1)synthesized by the SHF is a central regulator of epithelial architecture in the DPW.Fn1is enriched in the anterior DPW and mediates outflow tract elongation by balancing pro- and anti-adhesive cell-ECM interactions and regulating DPW cell shape, polarity, cohesion, proliferation, and mechanoresponsiveness. Our studies establish that Fn1 synthesized specifically by the mesoderm coordinates multiple cellular behaviors in the anterior DPW necessary for elongation of the cardiac outflow tract.
TRPV1-mediated sonogenetic neuromodulation of motor cortex in freely moving mice
Authors: Xu Kevin , Yang Yaoheng , Hu Zhongtao , Yue Yimei , Cui Jianmin , Culver Joseph P. , Bruchas Michael R. , Chen Hong
Published: November 2022

Background

Noninvasive and cell-type-specific neuromodulation tools are critically needed for probing intact brain function. Sonogenetics for noninvasive activation of neurons engineered to express thermosensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) by transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) was recently developed to address this need. However, using TRPV1-mediated sonogenetics to evoke behavior by targeting the cortex is challenged by its proximity to the skull due to high skull absorption of ultrasound and increased risks of thermal-induced tissue damage.

Objective

This study evaluated the feasibility and safety of TRPV1-mediated sonogenetics in targeting the motor cortex to modulate the locomotor behavior of freely moving mice.

Methods

Adeno-associated virus was delivered to the mouse motor cortex via intracranial injection to express TRPV1 in excitatory neurons. A wearable FUS device was installed on the mouse head after a month to control neuronal activity by activating virally expressed TRPV1 through FUS sonication at different acoustic pressures. Immunohistochemistry staining ofex vivobrain slices was performed to verify neuron activation and evaluate safety.

Results

TRPV1-mediated sonogenetic stimulation at 0.7 MPa successfully evoked rotational behavior in the direction contralateral to the stimulation site, activated cortical neurons as indicated by the upregulation of c-Fos, and did not induce significant changes in inflammatory or apoptotic markers (GFAP, lba1, and Caspase-3). Sonogenetic stimulation of TRPV1 mice at a higher acoustic pressure, 1.1 MPa, induced significant changes in motor behavior and upregulation of c-Fos compared with FUS sonication of naïve mice at 1.1 MPa. However, signs of damage at the meninges were observed at 1.1 MPa.

Conclusions

TRPV1-mediated sonogenetics can achieve effective and safe neuromodulation at the cortex with carefully selected FUS parameters. These findings expand the application of this technique to include superficial brain targets.
Eight principal chromatin states functionally segregate the fly genome into developmental and housekeeping roles
Authors: Delandre Caroline , McMullen John P. D. , Paulsen Jonas , Collas Philippe , Marshall Owen J.
Published: November 2022

Different chromatin forms, or states, represent a fundamental means of controlling gene regulation. Chromatin states have been studied through either the distribution of histone modifications (e.g.1–5) or more rarely via the occupancy of chromatin proteins6–8. However, these two approaches disagree on the nature and composition of active chromatin states2,9and modelling chromatin via both histone marks and chromatin proteins has been lacking. Here, combining protein and histone mark profiles, we show that chromatin inDrosophila melanogasteris organised into eight principle chromatin states that have consistent forms and constituents across cell types. These states form through the association of the Swi/Snf chromatin remodelling complex, Polycomb Group (PcG)/H3K27me3, HP1a/H3K9me3 or H3K36me3 complexes with either active complexes (RNA Pol/COM-PASS/H3K4me3/NuRF) or repressive marks (histone H1 and nuclear lamin occupancy). Enhancers, core promoters, transcription factor motifs, and gene bodies show distinct chromatin state preferences that separate by developmental and housekeeping/metabolic gene ontology. Within the 3D genome, chromatin states add an additional level of compartmentalisation through self-association of topologically associated domains (TADs) of the same state. Our results suggest that the epigenetic landscape is organised by the binding of chromatin remodellers and repressive complexes, and that through chromatin states the genome is fundamentally segregated into developmental and housekeeping/metabolic roles.
Pan-cancer Analysis Predicts Kindlin-associated Global Mechanochemical Perturbation
Authors: Chowdhury Debojyoti , Mistry Ayush , Bhatia Riti , Wadan Simran , Chakraborty Soham , Haldar Shubhasis
Published: November 2022

Kindlins are mechanosensitive adapter proteins that connect extracellular mechanical cues to intracellular chemical events. Any alterations in these proteins thus alter cellular signaling, which could result in cancer progression. However, their involvement in global mechanochemical signals remains elusive in cancers. Here we analyze pan-cancer samples to decipher how kindlin alterations aid cancer progression. We show that kindlin alterations, at both the genetic and mRNA level, dysregulates cellular behavior which significantly correlate with poor survival. We find that while these alterations are cancer-specific, they are prevalent in advanced tumor stages and metastatic onset. We observe that kindlins co-alter with a substantial fraction of human mechanochemical proteome in various tumors. Our analysis suggests how kindlin alterations aid tumor-promoting signals with a synergistic effect from alterations of cancer-hallmark genes. Notably, we demonstrate a consistent alteration of epithelial-mesenchymal-transition markers with kindlin activity. Overall, our study highlights how kindlin alterations could affect metabolism, genomic instability, and signal disruption via their interactome network, causing cancer and suggests targeting them as a therapeutic strategy.
USP10 strikes down β-catenin by dual-wielding deubiquitinase activity and phase separation potential
Authors: Wang Yinuo , Mao Aihua , Liu Jingwei , Li Pengjie , Zheng Shaoqin , Tong Tong , Li Zexu , Zhang Haijiao , Ma Lanjing , Lin Jiahui , Pang Zhongqiu , Han Qing , Qi Fukang , Zhang Xinjun , Chen Maorong , He Xi , Zhang Xi , Fei Teng , Liu Bi-Feng , Gao Daming , Cao Liu , Wang Qiang , Li Yiwei , Sheng Ren
Published: November 2022

Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a conserved pathway crucially governing development, homeostasis and oncogenesis. Discovery of novel regulators holds great values in both basic and translational research. Through screening, we identified a deubiquitinase (DUB) USP10 as a novel and critical modulator of β-catenin. Mechanistically, USP10 binds to key scaffold Axin1 via conserved motifs and stabilizes Axin1 through K48-linked deubiquitination, and surprisingly, tethers Axin1 and β-catenin physically while promoting phase separation for β-catenin suppression regardless of its enzymatic activity. Functionally, USP10 prominently regulates embryonic development and intestinal homeostasis by antagonizing β-catenin via DUB activity. In colorectal cancer, USP10 substantially represses cancer growth mainly through physical binding compensation and phase separation promotion and correlates with Wnt/β-catenin magnitude clinically. Collectively, we discovered USP10 functioning in multiple biological processes against β-catenin and unearthed a novel enzyme-dependent and -independent “dual-regulating” mechanism by which USP10 utilizes parallelly and context-dependently. USP10 inhibitor was suggested in treating certain Wnt-related diseases.
Activin receptor ALK4 promotes adipose tissue hyperplasia by suppressing differentiation of adipocyte precursors
Authors: Lee Ee-Soo , Guo Tingqing , Srivastava Raj Kamal , Shabbir Assim , Ibáñez Carlos F.
Published: November 2022

Adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy are the two main processes contributing to adipose tissue expansion, yet the mechanisms that regulate and balance their involvement in obesity are incompletely understood. Activin B/GDF-3 receptor ALK7 is expressed in mature adipocytes, and promotes adipocyte hypertrophy upon nutrient overload by suppressing adrenergic signaling and lipolysis. In contrast, the role of ALK4, the canonical pan-activin receptor, in adipose tissue is unknown. Here we report that, unlike ALK7, ALK4 is preferentially expressed in adipocyte precursors, where it suppresses differentiation, allowing proliferation and adipose tissue expansion. ALK4 expression in adipose tissue increases upon nutrient overload and positively correlates with fat depot mass and body weight, suggesting a role in adipose tissue hyperplasia during obesity. Mechanistically, ALK4 signaling suppresses expression of CEBPα and PPARγ, two master regulators of adipocyte differentiation. Conversely, ALK4 deletion enhances CEBPα/PPARγ expression and induces premature adipocyte differentiation, which can be rescued by CEBPα knock-down. These results clarify the function of ALK4 in adipose tissue and highlight the contrasting roles of the two activin receptors in the regulation of adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy during obesity.
Paradox Found: Global Accounting of Lymphocyte Protein Synthesis
Authors: Seedhom Mina O. , Dersh Devin , Holly Jaroslav , Pavon-Eternod Mariana , Wei Jiajie , Angel Matthew , Shores Lucas , David Alexandre , Santos Jefferson , Hickman Heather D. , Yewdell Jonathan W.
Published: November 2022

Rapid lymphocyte cell division places enormous demands on the protein synthesis machinery. Flow cytometric measurement of puromycylated ribosome-associated nascent chains after treating cells or mice with translation initiation inhibitors reveals that ribosomes in resting lymphocytesin vitroandin vivoelongate at typical rates for mammalian cells. Intriguingly, elongation rates can be increased up to 30% by activationin vivoor fever temperaturein vitro. Resting and activated lymphocytes possess abundant monosome populations, most of which actively translatein vivo,whilein vitro,nearly all can be stalled prior to activation. Quantitating lymphocyte protein mass and ribosome count reveals a paradoxically high ratio of cellular protein to ribosomes insufficient to support their rapidin vivodivision, suggesting that the activated lymphocyte proteomein vivomay be generated in an unusual manner. Our findings demonstrate the importance of a global understanding of protein synthesis in lymphocytes and other rapidly dividing immune cells.
Retrospective varying coefficient association analysis of longitudinal binary traits: application to the identification of genetic loci associated with hypertension
Authors: Xu Gang , Amei Amei , Wu Weimiao , Liu Yunqing , Shen Linchuan , Oh Edwin C. , Wang Zuoheng
Published: November 2022

Many genetic studies contain rich information on longitudinal phenotypes that require powerful analytical tools for optimal analysis. Genetic analysis of longitudinal data that incorporates temporal variation is important for understanding the genetic architecture and biological variation of complex diseases. Most of the existing methods assume that the contribution of genetic variants is constant over time and fail to capture the dynamic pattern of disease progression. However, the relative influence of genetic variants on complex traits fluctuates over time. In this study, we propose a retrospective varying coefficient mixed model association test, RVMMAT, to detect time-varying genetic effect on longitudinal binary traits. We model dynamic genetic effect using smoothing splines, estimate model parameters by maximizing a double penalized quasi-likelihood function, design a joint test using a Cauchy combination method, and evaluate statistical significance via a retrospective approach to achieve robustness to model misspecification. Through simulations, we illustrated that the retrospective varying-coefficient test was robust to model misspecification under different ascertainment schemes and gained power over the association methods assuming constant genetic effect. We applied RVMMAT to a genome-wide association analysis of longitudinal measure of hypertension in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Pathway analysis identified two important pathways related to G-protein signaling and DNA damage. Our results demonstrated that RVMMAT could detect biologically relevant loci and pathways in a genome scan and provided insight into the genetic architecture of hypertension.
Akt activator SC79 stimulates antibacterial nitric oxide production from human nasal epithelial cells and increases macrophage phagocytosisin vitro
Authors: Lee Robert J. , Adappa Nithin D. , Palmer James N.
Published: November 2022

Background

The role of the Akt serine/threonine kinase family in airway innate immunity is relatively unstudied compared with other pathways. Akt can phosphorylate and activate the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) isoform expressed in airway epithelial ciliated cells. NO production by nasal epithelial cells often has antibacterial and antiviral effects. Increasing nasal epithelial NO production may be a useful anti-pathogen strategy for respiratory infections in diseases like chronic rhinosinusitis. We hypothesized that a small molecule Akt activator, SC79, might induce nasal epithelial cell NO production with bactericidal effects.

Methods

We tested the antibacterial-stimulatory effects of SC79 in primary nasal epithelial cells isolated from residual surgical material and grown at air-liquid interface. Because macrophages also use NO signaling to enhance phagocytosis, we also tested effects of SC79 in human macrophages differentiated from monocytes obtained from healthy apheresis donors.

Results

Live cell imaging of an NO-sensitive fluorescent dye revealed that SC79 induced dose-dependent NO production. Pharmacology and genetic knockdown revealed that this NO production is dependent on eNOS and Akt. The NO released into the airway surface liquid was sufficient to kill both lab and clinical strains ofP. aeruginosain a co-culture bacterial killing assay. SC79 enhanced bacterial phagocytosis in a NO-dependent and Akt-dependent manner. No overt toxicity (LDH release) or inflammatory effects (IL8 transcription) were observed in nasal cells or macrophages over 24 hrs.

Conclusions

Together, these data suggest that multiple innate immune pathways might be stimulated by SC79 delivered via topical nasal rinse or spray. Activating Akt using SC79 or another compound might have beneficial antipathogen effects in respiratory infections.
Optimization of genomewide CRISPR screens using AsCas12a and multi-guide arrays
Authors: Petiwala Sakina , Modi Apexa , Anton Tifani , Murphy Erin , Kadri Sabah , Hu Hengcheng , Lu Charles , Flister Michael J , Verduzco Daniel
Published: November 2022

Genomewide loss-of-function (LOF) screening using CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) has facilitated the discovery of novel gene functions across diverse physiological and pathophysiological systems. A challenge with conventional genomewide CRISPR/Cas9 libraries is the unwieldy size (60,000 to 120,000 constructs), which is resource intensive and prohibitive in some experimental contexts. One solution to streamlining CRISPR screening is by multiplexing two or more guides per gene on a single construct, which enables functional redundancy to compensate for suboptimal gene knockout by individual guides. In this regard, AsCas12a (Cpf1) and its derivatives, e.g., enhanced AsCas12a (enAsCas12a), have enabled multiplexed guide arrays to be specifically and efficiently processed for genome editing. Prior studies have established that multiplexed CRISPR/Cas12a libraries perform comparably to the larger equivalent CRISPR/Cas9 libraries, yet the most efficient CRISPR/Cas12a library design remains unresolved. Here, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas12a genomewide LOF screening performed optimally with three guides arrayed per gene construct and could be adapted to robotic cell culture without noticeable differences in screen performance. Thus, the conclusions from this study provide novel insight to streamlining genomewide LOF screening using CRISPR/Cas12a and robotic cell culture.
Genome editing in plants using the compact editor CasΦ
Authors: Li Zheng , Zhong Zhenhui , Wu Zhongshou , Pausch Patrick , Al-Shayeb Basem , Amerasekera Jasmine , Doudna Jennifer A. , Jacobsen Steven E.
Published: November 2022

CRISPR-Cas systems have been developed as important tools for plant genome engineering. Here, we demonstrate that the hypercompact CasΦ nuclease is able to generate stably inherited gene edits inArabidopsis, and that CasΦ guide RNAs can be expressed with either the Pol-III U6 promoter or a Pol-II promoter together with ribozyme mediated RNA processing. Using theArabidopsis fwaepiallele we show that CasΦ displays higher editing efficiency when the target locus is not DNA methylated, suggesting that CasΦ is sensitive to chromatin environment. Importantly, two CasΦ protein variants, vCasΦ and nCasΦ, both showed much higher editing efficiency relative to the wildtype CasΦ enzyme, and yielded more offspring plants with inherited edits. Extensive genomic analysis of gene edited plants showed no off-target editing, suggesting that CasΦ is highly specific. The hypercompact size, T-rich minimal PAM and wide range of working temperatures make CasΦ an excellent supplement to existing plant genome editing systems.

Significance Statement

Plant genome engineering with CRISPR-Cas systems is frequently used in both research and agriculture. Here, we demonstrate that the hypercompact CasΦ-2 nuclease is able to generate heritable gene edits inArabidopsis. Two CasΦ protein variants vCasΦ and nCasΦ increased the editing efficiency in plants. CasΦ also has a wide range of working temperatures and the editing by CasΦ is highly specific. We also observed that editing by CasΦ is sensitive to chromatin environment. The hypercompact size, T-rich minimal PAM and wide range of working temperatures make CasΦ an excellent supplement to existing plant genome editing systems.
Reemergence of cholera in Haiti
Authors: Rubin Daniel H. F. , Zingl Franz G. , Leitner Deborah R. , Ternier Ralph , Compere Valusnor , Marseille Samson , Slater Damien , Harris Jason B. , Chowdhury Fahima , Qadri Firdausi , Boncy Jacques , Ivers Louise C. , Waldor Matthew K.
Published: November 2022

Cholera was absent from Haiti until an inadvertent introduction by United Nations security forces in October 2010. The ensuing epidemic sickened 820,000 and caused 9,792 reported deaths1. The last cholera case in Haiti was recorded in January 2019, and in February 2022, Haiti was declared to have eliminated cholera2. In late September of 2022, a new outbreak began in Port-au-Prince and rapidly expanded to 964 suspected cases by mid-October of which 115 were confirmed by culture.3Here, we present genomic and phenotypic analysis of theVibrio choleraeisolated from a stool sample collected on September 30th, 2022 of an index case – a 10-year-old girl who presented with watery diarrhea and severe dehydration – to address the origins of the epidemic.
A new (monohydrate) form of 3,5-dicarboxyanilinium nitrate: crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis
Authors: Boutebdja Mehdi , Benarous Nesrine , Boulkedid Ahlem Linda , Lehleh Asma , Beghidja Adel
Published: November 2022

The title compound, C8H8NO4
+·NO3
−·H2O, crystallizes in the same space group (P21/c) as the previously reported dihydrate form [Liang & Zhu (2010). Acta Cryst. E66, o667], but with two formula units per asymmetric unit instead of one. In the crystal, the components are linked into a three-dimensional network by classical intermolecular O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions. A Hirshfeld surface (HS) analysis indicated that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H...O/O...H (52.4%), H...H (13.9%) and C...C (11.2%) for one cation and H...O/O...H (46.3%), H...H (20%) and O...C/C...O (10.6%) for the other.
I am more inclined to buy online–novel social media engagement stimulated purchase intentions post-COVID-19: a case of Pakistani market
Authors: Fatima Tehreem , Bilal Ahmad Raza , Khan Shahid Iqbal
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This study sheds light on the differential impact of social media brand engagement on two distinct types of purchase intentions, i.e. online and physical, in the special context of the post-COVID-19 situation in Pakistan. It has shed light on the factor (trust in online purchases during COVID-19) that has shaped the post-pandemic purchasing attitude. The above-stated association is unlocked based on the mediating role of brand equity.

Design/methodology/approach

The people who followed the social media pages of major sellers (apparel, grocery, food items and medical supplies) in Pakistan were included as the target population. A time-lagged web-based survey method was employed to collect primary data which generated 308 responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. After checks for validity and reliability, mediation and moderation analysis were run by Hayes PROCESS model 4 and 14 respectively.

Findings

Results show that brand equity mediates the relationship of social media engagement with both online and physical purchase intentions. Further, results confirm that trust in online purchases during COVID-19 19 weakens the relationship of social media engagement with physical purchase intentions but strengthens with online purchase intentions.

Originality/value

This study attempts to unveil the moderation of trust in online purchases during COVID-19 on the relationship of social media engagement with online and physical purchase intentions through the mediation of brand equity.
Corporate integrity, external assurance and sustainability reporting quality: evidence from the Malaysian public listed companies
Authors: Elaigwu Moses , Abdulmalik Salau Olarinoye , Talab Hassnain Raghib
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of corporate integrity and external assurance on Sustainability Reporting Quality (SRQ) of Malaysian public listed companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a longitudinal sample of 2,463 firm-year observations of non-financial firms listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia from 2015 to 2019. The study employed panel regression that is, Fixed Effect (FE) Robust Standard Error estimation technique to test its hypotheses.

Findings

The panel regression results reveal that corporate integrity and external assurance positively and significantly influence the quality of sustainability reporting. Though the positive association shows an improvement in the SRQ of the sampled firms, it needs an improvement as the disclosure is more general and qualitative than quantitative. The present improvement in SRQ might result from some regulatory changes like the Sustainability Practice Note 9 Updates of Bursa Malaysia 2017 and the Revised MCCG Principle A to C within the same period.

Research limitations/implications

The study adopts a purely quantitative approach and call for a qualitative investigation in the area in the future.

Practical implications

The study has policy implication for the government and regulators to strengthen compliance with the sustainability reporting guide and the Practice Note 9 Updates. It also has implication for corporate integrity and external assurance for companies, to enhance SRQ and achieve sustainable development.

Originality/value

The study bridged literature gaps by offering new insights and empirical evidence on the role of corporate integrity in SRQ, which has received no empirical attention in the Malaysian context.
Risk analysis of agricultural input management and its drivers and obstacles: a case study of vegetable production enterprises in Beijing
Authors: Ding Junqi , Li Bo , Zhang Lingxian
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The quantitative understanding of the safe input management practices of vegetable producers is essential for both food safety and environmental protection. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status of safe production in vegetable enterprises and examine the key risk factors affecting the safe production of vegetables from the perspective of agricultural inputs.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the theory of risk analysis, a framework of safe vegetable production risk analysis is constructed from the perspective of production input behaviour. Based on 202 valid questionnaires in Beijing, China, this paper identifies direct risks in input management through statistical descriptive analysis; determines weights through an expert elicitation process and calculates weighted safety values accordingly; and finally uses a categorical regression model to explore the indirect risks affecting corporate safety production.

Findings

The results show that direct risk factors include seed treatment risk, pesticide and fertilizer use criteria risk, pesticide and fertilizer operation risk, and pesticide application object risk. The production safety value of Beijing's enterprises is found to be high in the north and south regions, and low in the central region. Finally, some indirect risk factors, namely the cognition of agricultural product safety laws, the cognition of pesticide safety intervals, the cognition of prohibited pesticides and the possession of brands, are found to have positive and significant impacts on the safe production behaviour of enterprises.

Originality/value

These findings provide entry points for interventions aimed at reducing dependence on pesticides and fertilizers and promoting input management for safe vegetable production in enterprises, thus avoiding vegetable safety incidents due to improper practices in the production chain.
Drug use patterns, harm reduction strategies and use of drug checking services in boom festival patrons
Authors: Valente Helena , Martins Daniel , Pinto Marta , Fernandes José Luis , Barratt Monica J.
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Recent studies have shown that people who attend electronic dance music events and use drug checking services (DCS) are a predominantly white male, highly educated middle-class population. However, there is still a lack of data beyond sociodemographic characteristics that must be addressed. This paper aims to describe the drug use patterns and protective behavior strategies (PBS) used by testers and nontesters at Boom Festival 2018 and analyze the relationship between these behaviors and the decision to use the DCS.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an exploratory research based on a cross-sectional design using baseline data collected at the Boom Festival from testers (N = 343) and nontesters (N = 115).

Findings

Nontesters presented, in general, slightly higher frequencies of use for most drugs, whereas testers tended to adopt PBS more frequently. Moreover, testers planned their drug use more often than nontesters and set more limits on the amount of drugs they used in one session. Both of these behaviors work as predictors for using the DCS.

Practical implications

Our data suggest that DCS might not be easily accessible to all people who use drugs, reaching almost exclusively highly educated people that already apply several harm reduction strategies. Actions should be taken to promote service accessibility.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to compare the demographics, drug use and PBS adoption of DCS users with nonusers who attended the same festival.
Nurturing focused motivation: leadership development in Indonesia
Authors: Gozali Charlina , Paik Susan J.
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The present study aims to examine how a group of young leaders in Indonesia developed their leadership throughout their early and later years. In particular, the study examined focused motivation (“undeterred, intentional perseverance”), which is a common trait found in high-achieving individuals (Paik, 2013, p. 106). The study further investigated the nurturance of focused motivation through key support networks in home and school environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the productive giftedness model (Paik, 2013, 2015) as its theoretical framework, the study used a mixed-method design comprising a structured interview and survey. The final sample included 38 high-achieving Indonesian leaders.

Findings

Findings from the study demonstrate that focused motivation can be cultivated through a combination of opportunities, support and resources. More specifically, the home and school are integral in the development of characteristics contributing to focused motivation, such as resilience and mastery-orientation. In the study, positive characteristics and support networks of young leaders enabled them to overcome a variety of personal and professional challenges, including overcoming social barriers experienced by some of the leaders.

Social implications

Findings from the study can inform practice and policy efforts in creating nurturing home and school environments that will help children and young adults achieve their leadership potential, especially in developing countries where access to education and resources is often limited.

Originality/value

The study highlights the sociocultural context in Indonesia to discuss the opportunities and barriers in talent and leader development.
Developing social entrepreneurship through public procurement: a wicked problem!
Authors: Aitken Alan
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This paper explores attempts to deliver socioeconomic benefit by developing social enterprise within the public sector supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach is adopted which focusses on the implementation of public procurement policy intended to support social entrepreneurs (SEs) in the delivery of social care in Scotland. Socio-technical systems theory (STST) is adopted as a lens through which to explore the case.

Findings

While acknowledging the contextual limits of the case study, the empirical findings recognise partial implementation of the measures intended to develop social entrepreneurship in the supply chain. The results, however, suggest that both the engagement levels of SEs and the expected socio economic benefits are yet to accrue fully.

Social implications

The paper concludes that in order to achieve the expected social benefits further progress is required in engaging SEs in formal collaborations with larger, potentially for profit, organisations and also in their increased involvement in the design and commissioning of public services.

Originality/value

The innovative, cross-sectional research design uses a survey based, gap analysis to provide a nuanced comparison between the views of local authority procurement officers and the opinions prevalent within social enterprise care providers and thereby to assesses the effectiveness of public policy.
Machine learning-based failure prediction in industrial maintenance: improving performance by sliding window selection
Authors: Leukel Joerg , González Julian , Riekert Martin
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Machine learning (ML) models are increasingly being used in industrial maintenance to predict system failures. However, less is known about how the time windows for reading data and making predictions affect performance. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to assess the impact of different sliding windows on prediction performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a factorial experiment using high dimensional machine data covering two years of operation, taken from a real industrial case for the production of high-precision milled and turned parts. The impacts of different reading and prediction windows were tested for three ML algorithms (random forest, support vector machines and logistic regression) and four metrics (accuracy, precision, recall and F-score).

Findings

The results reveal (1) the critical role of the prediction window contingent upon the application domain, (2) a non-monotonic relationship between the reading window and performance, and (3) how sliding window selection can systematically be used to improve different facets of performance.

Originality/value

The study's findings advance the knowledge of ML-based failure prediction, by highlighting how systematic variation of two important but yet understudied factors contributes to the development of more useful prediction models.
COVID-19-based threat vs coping appraisal: effect of psychological risk on customer engagement and behavioral intentions
Authors: Rather Raouf Ahmad , Parrey Shakir Hussain , Gulzar Rafia , Rehman Shakeel ul
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Drawing upon protection motivation theory and service-dominant-logic, the authors develop a model, which examines the influence of perceived psychological risk and social media involvement (SMI) on customer-brand-engagement (CBE), brand co-creation and behavioral intention during COVID-19 outbreak in the tourism context. The current research also explores the mediating effect of CBE, and moderating role of tourism-based threat/coping appraisal in the proposed associations.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate such issues, the authors deploy a sample of 320 tourism consumers by adopting partial least squares-structural equation modeling or (PLS-SEM).

Findings

PLS-SEM findings revealed that SMI positively impacts tourism-CBE. Secondly, results revealed the customer brand engagement's significant-positive effect on brand co-creation and behavioral intent. Third, results showed the social media's and psychological risk's indirect impact on co-creation and behavioral intent, as mediated through customer brand engagement. Fourth, results exposed a significant/negative moderating effect of threat appraisal and significant/positive moderating role of coping appraisal in projected relationships.

Research limitations/implications

Given the study's focus on pandemic-based SMI, CBE and co-creation, the authors contribute to the existing tourism marketing literature, which also generates plentiful avenues for further research, as delineated.

Practical implications

This research facilitates tourism brand managers to better understand the drivers of CBE and paves the way for managers to develop CBE and threat/coping strategies during pandemic.

Originality/value

Despite the increasing understanding of social media, CBE and co-creation in tourism, limited remains identified regarding the association of these, and associated, factors during pandemic, as thereby explored in the current research.
Internal audience watches the boss walking the talk: the mechanism of management’s mission alignment for internal branding
Authors: Lee Sang Bong , Suh Taewon
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Although the alignment between mission statement and leadership practices leads to higher employee performance, it is unclear how the alignment is linked with employee work engagement (EWE), and this vague linkage is a significant research gap in internal branding. Therefore, the current study aims to focus on management mission alignment as perceived by employees as an antecedent of EWE, and clarifies its related mechanism for EWE.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study uses survey data (n = 150) from the airline industry and analyzes the data by adopting structural equation modeling.

Findings

Employee perception of management mission alignment affects EWE directly and indirectly through emotional exhaustion and organizational identification. Also, employee mission engagement can enhance the effect of management mission alignment on EWE.

Originality/value

The current study makes three contributions to internal branding and employee engagement literature. First, as a response to the need to investigate a driver of EWE, it identifies management mission alignment as an initiator of EWE. Second, as an effort to elucidate the unclear mechanism for EWE, it demonstrates three different processes for EWE, represented by the three theories, including job demand-resource theory, conservation of resource theory and social identity theory. This sheds light on the process where management mission alignment has influences on EWE. Third, it proposes employee mission engagement as an employee mission-related factor that can moderate the effect of management mission alignment on EWE.
A narrative approach for reporting social and environmental accounting impacts in the mining sector – giving marginalized communities a voice
Authors: Angotti Marcello , Ferreira Aracéli Cristina de S. , Eugénio Teresa , Branco Manuel Castelo
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This study seeks to collaborate with the discussions on the usefulness of the narrative approach in accounting. In this context, this study aims to elaborate small collective stories, developed from interviews, to expose the population’s perception of the social and environmental impact (positive and negative externalities) resulting from iron ore mining in the city of Congonhas-Minas Gerais (MG).

Design/methodology/approach

This research, using counternarratives, aims to elaborate small collective stories, developed from 52 interviews, to expose the population’s perception of externalities resulting from the exploitation of iron ore in the city of Congonhas-MG, Brazil, to give more insight for social and environmental accounting reporting. A qualitative investigation is used with a narrative approach that focuses on a specific event in the participants’ lives.

Findings

The authors sought to create a sense of collective experiences of the interviewees through narratives representative of the residents’ perception of externalities in the form of small collective stories. However, it can be observed that the local population recognizes the impact of numerous externalities. Likewise, the use of narratives allows the reader to experience another reality – a reflection on the impact of business activities in a given context. Unlike conventional corporate social reporting, models based on qualitative information can be inclusive, produced by/for the community toward action that transforms the local reality.

Originality/value

This study intends to contribute to the debate on reporting models that are developed by and for external stakeholders. This approach has the potential to improve participants’ both awareness and engagement, supporting transformative social action. This study makes several contributions. It contributes to the literature with a narrative approach, which is not often used in the accounting literature; it brings insights from the Latin American context, which is especially valuable given how the Anglo-American accounting literature includes few papers addressing this context; it presents the view of marginalized communities that are too often overlooked (this narrative approach offers important insights into the lived experience of people at a very granular level).
Nonlocal thermodynamical vibrations in a rotating magneto-thermoelastic medium based on modified Ohm's law with temperature-dependent properties
Authors: Sheoran Sandeep Singh , Chaudhary Shilpa , Kalkal Kapil Kumar
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the transient thermoelastic interactions in a nonlocal rotating magneto-thermoelastic medium with temperature-dependent properties. Three-phase-lag (TPL) model of generalized thermoelasticity is employed to study the problem. An initial magnetic field with constant intensity acts parallel to the bounding plane. Therefore, Maxwell's theory of electrodynamics has been effectively introduced and the expression for Lorentz's force is obtained with the help of modified Ohm's law.

Design/methodology/approach

The normal mode technique has been adopted to solve the resulting non-dimensional coupled field equations to obtain the expressions of physical field variables.

Findings

For uniformly distributed thermal load, normal displacement, temperature distribution and stress components are calculated numerically with the help of MATLAB software for a copper material and the results are illustrated graphically. Some particular cases of interest are also deduced from the present study.

Originality/value

Influences of nonlocal parameter, rotation, temperature-dependent properties, magnetic field and time are carefully analyzed for mechanically stress free boundary and uniformly distributed thermal load. The present work is useful and valuable for analysis of problem involving thermal shock, nonlocal parameter, temperature-dependent elastic and thermal moduli.
Creativity Contests: An Experimental Investigation of Eliciting Employee Creativity
Authors: BOL JASMIJN , LAVIERS LISA , SANDVIK JASON
Published: November 2022

Running a contest can help managers elicit creative ideas from employees by providing employees with incentives to develop and share ideas that will help the firm. Little is known, however, about how contest design affects the outcomes of subjectively evaluated creativity‐based contests. We conduct an experiment to investigate the impact of two contest design choices, the job role of the contest's evaluator, and the number of prizes that participants compete for, on employee participation behavior. We also examine how these contest design choices impact the creativity of the submitted ideas. We find that using a peer of the employees as an evaluator increases the number of ideas shared, but it does not impact the number of unique participants who enter the contest. In addition, we find that using peer evaluators leads to an increase in the creativity of the ideas. We find that awarding more prizes to participants does not increase overall participation, but it does increase the number of ideas shared by employees from underrepresented demographics. Awarding more prizes, however, reduces the creativity of the ideas. Together, these results show that contest design choices have an important impact on employee creative idea‐sharing and that managers should carefully consider how to tailor contests to fit their firms' needs.
A comprehensive review of the principles, key factors, application, and assessment of thawing technologies for muscle foods
Authors: Zhang Yuanlv , Liu Guishan , Xie Qiwen , Wang Yanyao , Yu Jia , Ma Xiaoju
Published: November 2022

For years, various thawing technologies based on pressure, ultrasound, electromagnetic energy, and electric field energy have been actively investigated to minimize the amount of drip and reduce the quality deterioration of muscle foods during thawing. However, existing thawing technologies have limitations in practical applications due to their high costs and technical defects. Therefore, key factors of thawing technologies must be comprehensively analyzed, and their effects must be systematically evaluated by the quality indexes of muscle foods. In this review, the principles and key factors of thawing techniques are discussed, with an emphasis on combinations of thawing technologies. Furthermore, the application effects of thawing technologies in muscle foods are systematically evaluated from the viewpoints of eating quality and microbial and chemical stability. Finally, the disadvantages of the existing thawing technologies and the development prospects of tempering technologies are highlighted. This review can be highly instrumental in achieving more ideal thawing goals.
Effects of crime scene contaminants on surface‐enhanced Raman analysis of hair
Authors: Juarez Isaac , Kurouski Dmitry
Published: November 2022

Forensic analysis of hair is important as hair is one of the most commonly examined forms of trace evidence found at crime scenes. A growing body of evidence suggests that surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), a label‐free and non‐destructive analytical technique, can be used to detect and identify artificial colorants present on hair. However, hair collected at crime scenes is often contaminated by substances of biological and non‐biological origin present at such locations. In this study, we investigate the extent to which four contaminants, saliva, blood, dirt, and bleach can alter the accuracy of SERS‐based detection and identification of both permanent and semi‐permanent colorants present on hair. Our findings show that saliva and dirt reduce the intensity of the colorants' signals but do not obscure their detection and identification. At the same time, an exposure of the colored hair to bleach or the presence of blood eliminates SERS‐based analysis of artificial dyes present on such samples. We identified the procedure that can be used to remove blood contamination, which, in turn, enables identification of the hair colorants on such pre‐cleaned samples. However, bleach treatment irreversibly eliminates SERS‐based detection of artificial colorants on hair. These findings expand our understandings about the potential of SERS in forensic investigation of colorants on trace hair evidence.