bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modification of Low-Septal-Strip Septoplasty to Reduce Hump Recurrence in Dorsal Preservation Rhinoplasty
Authors: Çelik Vasfi , Tuluy Yavuz
Published: July 2024

Background:

Among the problems encountered in dorsal preservation rhinoplasty are residual hump and hump recurrence. In this study, the authors performed a modification to lower strip resection and fixation of the septum, and investigated the clinical results of these modifications on hump recurrence.

Methods:

The study included 231 patients who underwent dorsal preservation rhinoplasty with low-septal-strip septoplasty between November of 2021 and February of 2023. Closed dorsal preservation rhinoplasty was performed with low-septal-strip septoplasty in 72 patients (31.2%), and modified low-septal-strip septoplasty was performed in 159 patients (68.8%). All cases were primary rhinoplasty. Demographic data, complication rates, revision operations, and follow-up periods were analyzed retrospectively.

Results:

The mean follow-up period was 9.68 ± 4.02 months (range, 3 to 16 months). Patient sex and age did not differ statistically significantly between the groups (P > 0.05). Complications were observed in 8 of 231 of the patients (3.5%). The complications in the low-septal-strip septoplasty group (P = 0.012) were statistically significantly higher than in those in the modified low-septal-strip septoplasty group (P < 0.05). The incidence of recurrent hump complications in the low-septal-strip septoplasty group (P = 0.029) was statistically significantly higher than in the modified group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Septum fixation is one of the most important parts of dorsal preservation rhinoplasty surgery and must be performed properly. In the authors’ modification, the risk of recurrent hump is reduced, as sufficient septum fixation is achieved.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, III.
Osseous Maxillary Reconstruction with Immediate Dental Implant Placement: An Optimized Workflow for the Oncologic Patient
Authors: Matros Evan , Kim Leslie N. , Poveromo Luke , Polanco Thais , Rosen Evan , Ganly Ian , Boyle Jay , Cohen Marc , Randazzo Joseph D. , Shahzad Farooq , Patel Snehal G. , Nelson Jonas A. , Cordeiro Peter G. , Allen Robert J.
Published: July 2024

Background:

Maxillary reconstruction is a complex undertaking characterized by a 3-dimensional surgical site with deficiencies in multiple tissue types. Before virtual surgical planning (VSP), bony reconstruction was inaccurate and inefficient; thus, reconstructions defaulted to soft-tissue flaps or obturators. The current study describes an efficient and accurate approach to bony maxillary reconstruction with immediate dental implant placement (IDIP).

Methods:

A reconstructive workflow was developed for osseous reconstruction to improve functional and aesthetic outcomes. Critical aspects include VSP, 3-dimensionally printed plates, and IDIP. Review of a prospectively maintained database identified patients who underwent osseous maxillary reconstruction with a fibula flap and immediate dental implants from 2017 to 2022, with a focus on oncologic characteristics and reconstructive outcomes.

Results:

During the study, 20 patients underwent maxillary reconstruction with VSP and IDIP. One dental implant of 55 failed to osseointegrate, and no flaps were lost. Three patients experienced partial loss of the fibula skin island; 1 required palatal closure with a radial forearm flap, and 2 were managed with outpatient débridement. Fifteen patients achieved either an interim or final retained dental prosthesis. All prostheses achieved acceptable aesthetic results without the instability associated with non–bone-borne devices (eg, dentures/obturators). No patients experienced delays in oncologic treatment.

Conclusions:

VSP technology has enabled surgeons to replace like with like to achieve better outcomes with acceptable morbidity for maxillary defects. IDIP provides all patients an opportunity for a fixed prosthesis even though not all complete the process. This maxillary reconstruction workflow can be safely accomplished in oncologic patients with promising and effective early results.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, IV.
Question Mark Reconstruction Method for Synchronous Multiple Tumor Defects in the Scalp
Authors: Çağli Hasan Basri , Ateşşahin Fatih Berk , Menderes Adnan , Vayvada Haluk
Published: July 2024

Introduction:

Synchronous tumors on the scalp are a common condition, and reconstruction methods of their defects should be considered together. The authors believe that the rotation flap combined with the Burow triangle, whose final scar looks like a question mark, can provide excellent results for suitable multiple tumor defects.

Materials and Methods:

From September 2022 to June 2023, the question mark reconstruction method was performed on 8 patients.

Results:

The mean age of the patients was 74.1 years (range, 69–80 y). All tumors were removed with sufficient negative margins. Hair-bearing skin was preserved in all patients, with only a narrow and acceptable scarred alopecic area.

Discussion:

The question mark reconstruction method can provide excellent results for synchronous scalp defects by minimizing dog-ear deformity and unnecessary tissue excision and providing a “like-with-like” reconstruction.
Rapid neurostimulation at micron scale with optically controlled thermal-capture technique
Authors: Romshin Alexey M. , Aseyev Nikolay A. , Idzhilova Olga S. , Koryagina Alena A. , Zeeb Vadim E. , Vlasov I. I. , Balaban Pavel M.
Published: July 2024

Precise control of cellular temperature at the microscale is crucial for developing novel neurostimulation techniques. Here, we study the effect of local heat on the electrophysiological properties of cells at the subcellular level using a cutting-edge micrometer-scale thermal probe, the diamond heater-thermometer (DHT). Experiments on primary neuronal cultures and HEK293 cells revealed that millisecond heat pulses could induce reversible changes in membrane potential and elicit ionic displacement currents. At local temperatures close to 50 °C, a rapid increase in cellular response by an order of magnitude was observed, attributed to local phase changes in the phospholipid membrane at the point of contact with the DHT. This allows the cell membrane to be effectively and reproducibly captured by temperature, referred to as thermal-capture mode (TCM). Once transition to TCM occurred, even lower temperatures (<35 °C) elicited depolarization up to 10 mV in neurons, sufficient for triggering action potentials with rates up to 30 Hz. Additionally, the impact of high temperatures beyond the physiological range on the electrophysiology of the cell was assessed. These findings enhance the understanding of how local heat affects cellular functions and provide insights into the thermal modulation of cell activity.
Actions obey Weber’s law when precision is evaluated at goal attainment
Authors: Camponogara Ivan , Volcic Robert
Published: July 2024

Weber’s law, the psychophysical principle stating that the just noticeable difference (JND), which is inversely related to sensory precision, increases proportionally with the magnitude of a stimulus, impacts all domains of human perception, but it is violated in visually guided grasping actions. The underlying reasons for this dissociation between perception and action are still debated, and various hypotheses have been put forward, including a different coding of visual size information for perception and action, the use of positional information to guide grasping, biomechanical factors, or sensorimotor calibration. To contrast these hypotheses, we investigated Weber’s law in a new action task, the two-finger pointing task. Participants reached and touched two targets positioned at different distances apart by using their index finger and thumb. Consistent with Weber’s law, we found that the standard deviation (SD) of the final inter-finger separation, serving as a measure analogous to the JND, increased with larger inter-target distances. These findings suggest that, when considering measures strongly related with the attainment of the action goal, Weber’s law is regularly at play.
HCS-3DX, a next-generation AI-driven automated 3D-oid high-content screening system
Authors: Diosdi Akos , Toth Timea , Harmati Maria , Grexa Istvan , Schrettner Balint , Hapek Nora , Kovacs Ferenc , Kriston Andras , Buzas Krisztina , Pampaloni Francesco , Piccinini Filippo , Horvath Peter
Published: July 2024

Self-organized three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures, collectively called 3D-oids, include spheroids, organoids and other co-culture models. Systematic evaluation of these models forms a critical new generation of high-content screening (HCS) systems for patient-specific drug analysis and cancer research. However, the standardisation of working with 3D-oids remains challenging and lacks convincing implementation. This study develops and tests HCS-3DX, a next-generation system revolutionising HCS analysis in 3D imaging and image evaluation. HCS-3DX is based on three main components: an automated Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven micromanipulator for 3D-oid selection, an HCS foil multiwell plate for optimised imaging, and image-based AI software for single-cell data analysis. We validated HCS-3DX directly on 3D tumour models, including tumour-stroma co-cultures. Our data demonstrate that HCS-3DX achieves a resolution that overcomes the limitations of current systems and reliably and effectively performs 3D HCS at the single-cell level. Its application will enhance the accuracy and efficiency of drug screening processes, support personalised medicine approaches, and facilitate more detailed investigations into cellular behaviour within 3D structures.
YAP1 is a key regulator of EWS::FLI1-dependent malignant transformation upon IGF-1 mediated reprogramming of bone mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Noorizadeh Rahil , Sax Barbara , Javaheri Tahereh , Sarikas Branka Radic , Fock Valerie , Kauer Maximilian , Bykov Aleksandr , Suresh Veveeyan , Schlederer Michaela , Kenner Lukas , Weber Gerhard , Mikulits Wolfgang , Halbritter Florian , Moriggl Richard , Kovar Heinrich
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is an aggressive cancer of adolescents in need of effective treatments. Insulin like growth factor (IGF) 1 was previously reported an autocrine growth factor for EwS, but only 10% of patients responded to IGF-1 receptor blockade. Although presumed to originate from mesenchymal progenitors during bone development, targeting of the EwS driver oncogeneEWS::FLI1to the mesenchymal lineage in a conditional mouse model did not result in tumor formation but led to skeletal malformations and perinatal death. We report that transient exposure to IGF-1 concentrations mimicking serum levels during puberty reprogrammed limb-derived mesenchymal cells ofEWS::FLI1-mutant mice to stable transformation and tumorigenicity. We identified a modular mechanism of IGF-1-driven tumor promotion in the early steps of EwS pathogenesis, in which Yap1 plays a central role. Pharmacologic Yap1/Tead inhibition reversed the transformed phenotype of EWS::FLI1 expressing cells. Our data provide a rationale for combined IGF-1R and YAP/TEAD inhibition in the treatment of EwS patients.

Graphical Abstract
Lipid packing and cholesterol content regulate membrane wetting and remodeling by biomolecular condensates
Authors: Mangiarotti Agustín , Sabri Elias , Schmidt Kita Valerie , Hoffmann Christian , Milovanovic Dragomir , Lipowsky Reinhard , Dimova Rumiana
Published: July 2024

Biomolecular condensates play a pivotal role in cellular processes by interacting with membranes and leading to wetting transitions and to mutual remodeling. Using a combination of hyperspectral imaging, phasor analysis, and fluid-elastic parameter measurements, we investigated how membrane lipid packing affects condensate wetting. Our results show that it is not only the membrane phase state, but rather the degree of lipid packing that determines the condensate affinity for membranes. Increasing lipid chain length or cholesterol content enhances lipid packing, thereby decreasing condensate affinity. This regulatory mechanism is consistent across various condensate-membrane systems, underscoring the critical role of the membrane interface. Additionally, protein adsorption promotes extensive membrane remodeling, including tube and double-membrane sheet formation. This work provides a novel mechanism by which membrane composition fine-tunes condensate wetting, highlighting its potential impact on cellular functions and organelle interactions.
Mapping kinase domain resistance mechanisms for the MET receptor tyrosine kinase via deep mutational scanning
Authors: Estevam Gabriella O. , Linossi Edmond M. , Rao Jingyou , Macdonald Christian B. , Ravikumar Ashraya , Chrispens Karson M. , Capra John A. , Coyote-Maestas Willow , Pimentel Harold , Collisson Eric A. , Jura Natalia , Fraser James S.
Published: July 2024

Mutations in the kinase and juxtamembrane domains of the MET Receptor Tyrosine Kinase are responsible for oncogenesis in various cancers and can drive resistance to MET-directed treatments. Determining the most effective inhibitor for each mutational profile is a major challenge for MET-driven cancer treatment in precision medicine. Here, we used a deep mutational scan (DMS) of ∼5,764 MET kinase domain variants to profile the growth of each mutation against a panel of 11 inhibitors that are reported to target the MET kinase domain. We validate previously identified resistance mutations, pinpoint common resistance sites across type I, type II, and type I ½ inhibitors, unveil unique resistance and sensitizing mutations for each inhibitor, and verify non-cross-resistant sensitivities for type I and type II inhibitor pairs. We augment a protein language model with biophysical and chemical features to improve the predictive performance for inhibitor-treated datasets. Together, our study demonstrates a pooled experimental pipeline for identifying resistance mutations, provides a reference dictionary for mutations that are sensitized to specific therapies, and offers insights for future drug development.
Single-strain mobilome sequencing quantifies bacterial genetic response to stress, including activity of IS elements, prophages, RNAs, and REPINs
Authors: Nielsen Tue Kjærgaard , Hansen Lars Hestbjerg
Published: July 2024

Microbial genomes are continuously being rearranged by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), leading to genetic configurations that may confer novel phenotypic traits such as antibiotic resistance, degradation of novel compounds, or other metabolic features. Standard genomic sequencing provides a snapshot of a genome in one configuration, but this static image does not give insight into the dynamics of genomic evolution and whether MGEs are actively changing a given genome. We applied single-strain mobilome sequencing toEscherichia coliK-12 substrain MG1655 under various stress conditions: UV, SDS, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, cetrimide, and copper. Under these conditions, we quantified the activity of a range of genetic elements, including extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) from IS elements, RNA genes, the UV-inducible e14 prophage, and intergenic repetitive sites (REP). Of the investigated stressors, copper and SDS are among the largest inducers of eccDNA formation from groups of IS elements, while elevated levels of hypothetical RNA/DNA heteroduplexes of ribosomal and transfer RNAs, and Rhs-nuclease proteins are induced under stress various stressors, especially copper and SDS. This approach holds promise for quantifying the genetic response to environmental stress and implications for genome plasticity. The observed mobilization of IS elements upon copper and other stressors helps to explain co-selection of heavy metals with antibiotic resistance genes and MGEs.
Cell division protein A (CdpA) assembles and anchors the two FtsZ rings at midcell in haloarchaea
Authors: Liao Yan , Shinde Vinaya Devidas , Hu Dalong , Xu Zhuang , Soderstrom Bill , Michie Katharine A. , Duggin Iain G.
Published: July 2024

Many archaea appear to divide through the coordinated activities of two distinct FtsZ homologues, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, and another bacterial cell division homologue, SepF, which are part of the midcell division ring. Here, we discovered a novel cell division protein (HVO_0739, renamed CdpA) in Haloferax volcanii. CdpA represents the prototypical characterized member of a protein family widespread in Haloarchaea. Midcell division site localization of CdpA was dependent on the presence of the ring-assembly protein FtsZ1, and the division constriction protein FtsZ2 influenced the proper midcell assembly and structure of CdpA. In the absence of CdpA, cells frequently failed to divide properly and FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 were uncoupled from midcell, with FtsZ1 forming poorly condensed pseudo-helical structures, and FtsZ2 showing mispositioned foci and filaments that were often disorientated and perpendicular to the division ring along the cell edge. The dynamic movements of FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 clusters around the division ring were minimally affected by loss of CdpA, leading to dynamic repositioning of the aberrant FtsZ structures. In contrast, CdpA formed relatively immobile distinct foci around the ring. CdpA domain function studies, protein pull-down assays, and multimer structure predictions suggested that CdpA forms a central part of a membrane anchor complex that interacts with FtsZ2. CdpA has a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic disordered linker and small C-terminal domain, which appear to tether multiple division proteins to the midcell membrane. Our discovery of an archaeal FtsZ assembly and midcell anchor protein offers new insights into cell division mechanisms that are similar across the tree of life.
Identification of novel small molecule chaperone activators for neurodegenerative disease treatment
Authors: Ho Anita , Jeganathan Fiona , Bictash Magda , Chen Han-Jou
Published: July 2024

A pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative disease is the accumulation of aberrant protein aggregates which contribute to the cytotoxicity and are therefore a target for new therapy development. One key machinery to manage cellular protein homeostasis is the chaperones proteins, the heat shock proteins (HSPs) which are known to target aberrant proteins including TDP-43, tau and amyloid and rescue neurodegeneration in various disease models. As an attempt to target HSP activation for neurodegeneration therapy, we develop a drug screening assay to search compounds that activate the master regulator of HSPs, the transcription factor heat shock factor 1 (HSF1). As HSF1 is bound by HSP90 which prevents its activation, we develop a NanoBRET assay, which allows us to monitor and quantify the HSF1-HSP90 interaction in living cells to screen for compounds disrupting this interaction and thereby releasing HSF1 for activation. After the assay was optimised and validated for its robustness and reliability, a two thousand compound library was screened which produced 10 hits including a couple of known HSP90 inhibitors. Follow-up functional study showed that one of the hit oxyphenbutazone (OPB) significantly reduces the accumulation of insoluble TDP-43 in a cell model, displaying no signs of stress or toxicity. Further works are needed to characterise the mode-of-action of OPB in HSF1 activation and aberrant protein reduction, and the physiological impact of OPB on TDP-43 needs to be examined in an in vivo model. However, this study demonstrates a viable strategy for new drug discovery in targeting aberrant proteins and identifies potential candidates for translation into neurodegenerative disease treatment.
Exploring the impact of digestive physicochemical parameters of adults and infants on the pathophysiology ofCryptosporidium parvumusing the dynamic TIM-1 gastrointestinal model
Authors: Tottey Julie , Etienne-Mesmin Lucie , Chalançon Sandrine , Sausset Alix , Denis Sylvain , Mazal Carine , Blavignac Christelle , Sallé Guillaume , Laurent Fabrice , Blanquet-Diot Stéphanie , Lacroix-Lamandé Sonia
Published: July 2024

Background

Human cryptosporidiosis is distributed worldwide, and it is recognised as a leading cause of acute diarrhoea and death in infants in low- and middle-income countries. Besides immune status, the higher incidence and severity of this gastrointestinal disease in young children could also be attributed to the digestive environment. For instance, human gastrointestinal physiology undergoes significant changes with age, however the role this variability plays inCryptosporidium parvumpathogenesis is not known. In this study, we analysed for the first time the impact of digestive physicochemical parameters onC. parvuminfection in a human and age-dependent context using a dynamicin vitrogastrointestinal model.

Results

Our results showed that the parasite excystation, releasing sporozoites from oocysts, occurs in the duodenum compartment after one hour of digestion in both child (from 6 months to 2 years) and adult experimental conditions. In the child small intestine, slightly less sporozoites were released from excystation compared to adult, however they exhibited a higher luciferase activity, suggesting a better physiological state. Sporozoites collected from the child jejunum compartment also showed a higher ability to invade human intestinal epithelial cells compared to the adult condition. Global analysis of the parasite transcriptome through RNA-sequencing demonstrated a more pronounced modulation in ileal effluents compared to gastric ones, albeit showing less susceptibility to age-related digestive condition. Further analysis of gene expression and enriched pathways showed that oocysts are highly active in protein synthesis in the stomach compartment, whereas sporozoites released in the ileum showed downregulation of glycolysis as well as strong modulation of genes potentially related to gliding motility and secreted effectors.

Conclusions

Digestion in a sophisticatedin vitrogastrointestinal model revealed that invasive sporozoite stages are released in the small intestine, and are highly abundant and active in the ileum compartment, supporting reportedC. parvumtissue tropism. Our comparative analysis suggests that physicochemical parameters encountered in the child digestive environment can influence the amount, physiological state and possibly invasiveness of sporozoites released in the small intestine, thus potentially contributing to the higher susceptibility of young individuals to cryptosporidiosis.
Bacterial defense and phage counter-defense lead to coexistence in a modeled ecosystem
Authors: Kimchi Ofer , Meir Yigal , Wingreen Ned S.
Published: July 2024

Bacteria have evolved many defenses against invading viruses (phage). Typically, each bacterium carries several defense systems, while each phage may carry multiple counter-defense systems. Despite the many bacterial defenses and phage counter-defenses, in most environments, bacteria and phage coexist, with neither driving the other to extinction. How is coexistence realized in the context of the bacteria/phage arms race, and how are the sizes of the bacterial immune and phage counter-immune repertoires determined in conditions of coexistence? Here we develop a simple mathematical model to consider the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of competing bacteria and phage with different immune/counter-immune repertoires. An analysis of our model reveals an ecologically stable fixed point exhibiting coexistence. This fixed point agrees with the experimental observation that each individual bacterium typically carries multiple defense systems, though fewer than the maximum number possible. However, in simulations, the populations typically remain dynamic, exhibiting chaotic fluctuations around this fixed point. We obtain quantitative predictions for the mean, amplitude, and timescale of these dynamics. Our results provide a framework for understanding the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of the bacteria/phage arms race, and demonstrate how bacteria/phage coexistence can stably arise from the coevolution of bacterial defense systems and phage counter-defense systems.
Clostridioides difficilecolonization is not mediated by bile salts and utilizes Stickland fermentation of proline in anin vitromodel
Authors: Huang Xiaoyun , Johnson April E. , Brehm Joshua N. , Thanh Do Thi Van , Auchtung Thomas A. , McCullough Hugh C. , Lerma Armando I. , Haidacher Sigmund J. , Hoch Kathleen M. , Horvath Thomas D. , Sorg Joseph A. , Haag Anthony M. , Auchtung Jennifer M.
Published: July 2024

Treatment with antibiotics is a major risk factor forClostridioides difficileinfection, likely due to depletion of the gastrointestinal microbiota. Two microbiota-mediated mechanisms thought to limitC. difficilecolonization include conversion of conjugated primary bile salts into secondary bile salts toxic toC. difficilegrowth, and competition between the microbiota andC. difficilefor limiting nutrients. Using a continuous flow model that simulates the nutrient conditions of the distal colon, we investigated how treatment with six clinically-used antibiotics influenced susceptibility toC. difficileinfection in 12 different microbial communities cultivated from healthy individuals. Antibiotic treatment reduced microbial richness; disruption varied by antibiotic class and microbiota composition, but did not correlate withC. difficilesusceptibility. Antibiotic treatment also disrupted microbial bile salt metabolism, increasing levels of the primary bile salt, cholate. However, changes in bile salt did not correlate with increasedC. difficilesusceptibility. Further, bile salts were not required to inhibitC. difficilecolonization. We tested whether amino acid fermentation contributed to persistence ofC. difficilein antibiotic- treated communities.C. difficilemutants unable to use proline as an electron acceptor in Stickland fermentation due to disruption of proline reductase (prdB-) had significantly lower levels of colonization than wild-type strains in four of six antibiotic-treated communities tested. Inability to ferment glycine or leucine as electron acceptors, however, was not sufficient to limit colonization in any communities. This data provides further support for the importance of bile salt-independent mechanisms in regulating colonization ofC. difficile.

IMPORTANCE

C. difficileis one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Several potential mechanisms through which the microbiota can limitC. difficileinfection have been identified and are potential targets for new therapeutics. However, it is unclear which mechanisms ofC. difficileinhibition represent the best targets for development of new therapeutics. These studies demonstrate that in a complexin vitromodel ofC. difficileinfection, colonization resistance is independent of microbial bile salt metabolism. Instead, the ability ofC. difficileto colonize is dependent upon its ability to metabolize proline, although proline-dependent colonization is context-dependent and is not observed in all disrupted communities. Altogether, these studies support the need for further work to understand how bile- independent mechanisms regulateC. difficilecolonization.
Confronting electroweak MSSM through one-loop renormalized neutralino-Higgs interactions for dark matter direct detection and the muon
g−2
Authors: Bisal Subhadip , Chatterjee Arindam , Das Debottam , Pasha Syed Adil
Published: July 2024

We compute the next-to-leading order (NLO) corrections to the vertices where a pair of the lightest neutralino couples to CP-even (light or heavy) Higgs scalars. In particular, the lightest neutralino is assumed to be a dominantly binolike mixed state, composed of bino and Higgsino or bino, wino, and Higgsino. After computing all the three-point functions in the electroweak minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), we detail the contributions from the counterterms that arise in renormalizing these vertices in one-loop order. The amendment of the renormalized vertices impacts the spin-independent direct detection cross sections of the scattering of nucleons with dark matter. We perform a comprehensive numerical scan over the parameter space where all the points satisfy the present B-physics constraints and accommodate the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment. Finally, we exemplify a few benchmark points, which indulge the present searches of supersymmetric particles. After including the renormalized one-loop vertices, the spin-independent DM-nucleon cross sections may be enhanced up to 20% compared to its tree-level results. Finally, with the NLO cross section, we use the recent LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) results on the neutralino-nucleon scattering to display the relative rise in the lowest allowed band of the Higgsino mass parameter in the M1−μ plane of the electroweak MSSM.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Accounting talks – how operations managers nuance their frontstage performance with backstage negotiations
Authors: Curry Amanda
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper analyzes the ways in which accounting enables operations managers to enter and perform multiple roles in their interplay with organizational groups on the shop floor and in management, and the associated negotiations that operations managers have with “the self.”

Design/methodology/approach

Using field-based studies in a mining organization, the study draws on Goffman’s backstage–frontstage metaphor to analyze how operations managers enter and perform several roles with the aid of accounting.

Findings

The findings show that accounting legitimizes operations managers when they cross organizational boundaries, as accounting gives them an “entry ticket” that legitimizes their presence with the group. Accounting further allows operations managers to embrace more than one role by “putting on a mask” to become an outsider or insider in relation to a group. In performing their roles, operations managers exhibit varying attributes and knowledge. Accounting can thereby be withheld from, or shared with, organizational groups. The illusion of accounting as deterministic presented frontstage is not necessarily negotiated that way backstage. Rather, alternatives discussed backstage often become silenced in the frontstage performance. The study concludes that operations managers cross boundaries, embrace roles and exert agency as they navigate with accounting, enrolling it into their performance simultaneously as they backstage reflect upon accounting and its role for their everyday work.

Originality/value

This study relies on the frontstage/backstage metaphor to visualize the discrepancies in how accounting is enrolled into role performances and how seemingly categorical fronts do not necessarily share that dominant position backstage.
Aerodynamic design of an electronics pod to maximise its carriage envelope on a fast-jet aircraft
Authors: du Rand Ruan , Jamison Kevin , Huyssen Barbara
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reshape a fast-jet electronics pod’s external geometry to ensure compliance with aircraft pylon load limits across its carriage envelope while adhering to onboard system constraints and fitment specifications.

Design/methodology/approach

Initial geometric layout determination used empirical methods. Performance approximation on the aircraft with added fairings and stabilising fin configurations was conducted using a panel code. Verification of loads was done using a full steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver, validated against published wind tunnel test data. Acceptable load envelope for the aircraft pylon was defined using two already-certified stores with known flight envelopes.

Findings

Re-lofting the pod’s geometry enabled meeting all geometric and pylon load constraints. However, due to the pod's large size, re-lofting alone was not adequate to respect aircraft/pylon load limitations. A flight restriction was imposed on the aircraft’s roll rate to reduce yaw and roll moments within allowable limits.

Practical implications

The geometry of an electronics pod was redesigned to maximise the permissible flight envelope on its carriage aircraft while respecting the safe carriage load limits determined for its store pylon. Aircraft carriage load constraints must be determined upfront when considering the design of fast-jet electronic pods.

Originality/value

A process for determining the unknown load constraints of a carriage aircraft by analogy is presented, along with the process of tailoring the geometry of an electronics pod to respect aerodynamic load and geometric constraints.
Employee-customer identification and service quality in the hospitality industry
Authors: Schwepker Jr Charles H. , Dimitriou Christina K.
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This research seeks to better understand the impact of employee-customer identification on critical job outcomes such as customer orientation and commitment to service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 316 hotel/motel employees was used for the study. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Findings

Results show a positive relationship between ethical values person-organization fit and employee-customer identification indicating that when customer-contact service employees’ ethical values align with those of the organization, they identify with customers more closely. Results also suggest that when employees identify with customers they are likely to be more customer-oriented and committed to providing service quality.

Originality/value

We learn how the relationship between employee and organization impacts employee-customer identification. Furthermore, we better comprehend the impact of employee-customer identification on critical outcomes in the hospitality industry such as customer orientation and commitment to service quality.
Ethical leadership, employees’ job satisfaction and job stress in the restaurant industry
Authors: Yasir Muhammad , Javed Asim
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how employees’ perception of the ethical conduct of their leaders affects their level of job stress and job satisfaction in the restaurant industry, specifically in the context of Pakistan. Therefore, this research investigated the relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction, and job stress as a mediator between ethical leadership and job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on a quantitative method, employed a survey strategy, utilized a cross-sectional research design, and data was collected using a convenient sampling technique. In all, 236 questionnaires from the front-line employees of the restaurants were used for data analysis. Initially, normality (univariate and multivariate), demographic description, descriptive analysis and common method bias were computed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v23) software. Moreover, direct and indirect effects were conducted using SmartPLS v3 software.

Findings

Results of this research indicate a (i) negative relationship between ethical leadership and job stress, (ii) positive relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction, (iii) negative relationship between job stress and job satisfaction and (iv) job stress play a mediating role in the relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

This study highlights several theoretical and practical implications, thereby providing more insight into how job satisfaction can be maximized in the restaurants of Pakistan.

Originality/value

This research is novel, as it highlights the direct and indirect effect of ethical leadership behavior on job satisfaction, specifically in the context of the restaurants of Pakistan.
Citizenship, language and digital rights: the question of language in the process of decolonising the internet and digital rights
Authors: Nyabola Nanjala
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Much of the vocabulary of digital rights have not been translated into Kiswahili. This means that technology experts and digital rights defenders often use English words when they are discussing technology. This contributes to the frailty of efforts to defend digital rights because those who attempt to explain the importance of these issues to the broader societies are forced to rely on English vocabulary that is not rooted in or connected to Kiswahili contexts. This paper aims to discuss the importance of inviting people to use African languages on the internet.

Design/methodology/approach

Kiswahili is the most widely spoken African language in the world. Nearly 140 million people in East Africa speak Kiswahili as a first or second language, including in Kenya and Tanzania where it is the national language. There is a long history of Kiswahili writing, publishing and cultural production in Kiswahili. Kiswahili is also the only African language that is an official language at the African Union. Even so, Kiswahili lags behind significantly in the development of a vocabulary and grammar of technology.

Findings

Beyond vocabulary, the use of African languages online is important to strengthening democracy on the internet because language is keenly connected to identity. Efforts to translate the vocabulary of technology into Kiswahili are aimed at encouraging societies in East Africa to build communities online that represent their interests keenly. This article therefore looks at the importance of language in building society and the efforts by residents of East Africa to decolonise the internet, so that they are able to exist in their fullness on the internet. The article further examines the semiotics of language in digital innovation, and the importance of representing Kiswahili language communities properly online in efforts to decolonise the internet. This paper does not presume that Kiswahili is the only African language that can decolonise the internet, because even Kiswahili has a history of domination over other language communities in the region. Rather, the article uses the example of Kiswahili to urge the use of indigenous languages to defend digital diversity.

Originality/value

The importance of this article is in demonstrating the importance of language in the movement to develop digital rights and especially to remove colonial approaches to technology, an issue that, to the best of the author’s knowledge, has never been discussed in relation to the Kiswahili language.
Let pictures speak: hotel selection-recommendation method with cognitive image attribute-enhanced knowledge graphs
Authors: Sun Haoqiang , Xu Haozhe , Wu Jing , Sun Shaolong , Wang Shouyang
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the importance of image data in hotel selection-recommendation using different types of cognitive features and to explore whether there are reinforcing effects among these cognitive features.

Design/methodology/approach

This study represents user-generated images “cognitive” in a knowledge graph through multidimensional (shallow, middle and deep) analysis. This approach highlights the clustering of hotel destination imagery.

Findings

This study develops a novel hotel selection-recommendation model based on image sentiment and attribute representation within the construction of a knowledge graph. Furthermore, the experimental results show an enhanced effect between different types of cognitive features and hotel selection-recommendation.

Practical implications

This study enhances hotel recommendation accuracy and user satisfaction by incorporating cognitive and emotional image attributes into knowledge graphs using advanced machine learning and computer vision techniques.

Social implications

This study advances the understanding of user-generated images’ impact on hotel selection, helping users make better decisions and enabling marketers to understand users’ preferences and trends.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first to propose a new method for exploring the cognitive dimensions of hotel image data. Furthermore, multi-dimensional cognitive features can effectively enhance the selection-recommendation process, and the authors have proposed a novel hotel selection-recommendation model.
Conflict management 101: how emotional intelligence can make or break a manager
Authors: Schlegel Katja , de Jong Monica , Boros Smaranda
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Previous research suggests that emotional intelligence (EI) may benefit managers when resolving conflicts. However, past studies relied on self-reports of EI and conflict management styles, and a theoretical model explaining the mechanisms of the link between EI and conflict management outcomes for managers is still missing. This study aims to test a theoretical model proposing that during conflicts, managers with higher performance-based ability EI are perceived as warmer and more competent, which in turn contributes to higher conflict management effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 108 Executive MBA students with managerial experience completed a performance-based EI test designed for the workplace and engaged in a conflict management exercise during which they were videotaped. In the exercise, managers spontaneously responded to video-based vignettes in which “employees” addressed them regarding a work-related conflict (e.g. a disagreement regarding tasks and working hours). Independent observers (n = 262) rated the managers’ videotaped responses on items tapping warmth, competence and conflict management effectiveness.

Findings

Managers with higher performance-based EI (in particular, emotion regulation in oneself and emotion management in others) received higher observer ratings on warmth, competence and conflict management effectiveness. Warmth and competence fully mediated the link between EI and effectiveness.

Originality/value

These results demonstrate that managers’ performance-based EI translates into actual work-related behaviors and outcomes. Implications for training EI and effective conflict management are discussed.
Leveraging para sport events to create para sport legacies: a case study of the world para snow sport championship 2021
Authors: Nordhagen Svein Erik , Kvammen Maren Fernandez , Moen Hege Kristin
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This study examines how the World Para Snow Sports Championship 2021 was leveraged to create para sport outcomes. The purpose of this study is to add to the knowledge of how different organisations can create positive para sport legacies from elite para sport events.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative case study used interviews with representatives from key stakeholders and archival materials as main sources. An event leverage model was used to better understand the context, structures, and resources relevant to the development of para sport outcomes.

Findings

The main findings show how a variety of organisations set goals and implemented strategies to create para sport legacies. While the short-term increase in para sport participation remained rather limited, the new infrastructure, new para sport policies, and increased awareness of para sport were the main para sport legacy outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

The main contribution of this study is empirical knowledge on how different organisations can leverage a para sport event to create legacies for para sport. Future research can examine the perspectives of additional groups, such as other athletes, spectators, and people with disabilities.

Practical implications

For organisations involved in para sport, this study shows the opportunities and challenges of using a sport event to recruit new para sport participants.

Originality/value

While there are some studies on the legacy outcomes of the Paralympic Games, this study focuses on a different para sport event and adopts the leverage perspective.
A philosophical look at Confucian humanity in the Age of Robots
Authors: Chuang Szufang
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This study aims to discuss whether the lasting Confucian philosophy could be used in responding to the consequences of technological impacts on jobs in the Age of Robots from a human resource management and development (HRMD) perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Related literature concerning traditional Confucian philosophy and the power of Confucianism was examined. Key perspectives on this topic relating to smart technology were analyzed. Whether Confucian humanity could be used to promote ethical behavior and continuous improvement in the workplace in the Age of Robots was then discussed.

Findings

Three propositions were made: humans can better coexist with artificial intelligence (AI) and robots if humanity is valued, cultivated and practiced; some concepts of traditional Confucian philosophy can be applied to support management, employees and organizations to go through the technology-driven social change; and managements and human resource professionals can be the change agent and adopt Confucian paradigm for employees’ and organizational effectiveness in the Age of Robots.

Research limitations/implications

Future research on human–machine interactions and strategic plans to apply Confucian humanity on job restructuring in robotic workplace is recommended.

Practical implications

For organizational development implication, human resource professionals may identify business opportunities, develop human–machine interactions strategic plans, build out creative process and promote moral behaviors and ethical conduct with a growth mindset.

Social implications

For corporate social responsibility, management and human resource professionals can upskill and reskill employees to develop talents, avoid technology unemployment and advance their human skills to be competitive in the robotic workplace.

Originality/value

This study highlighted how human workers should work like a human, not as a robot, by building a lifelong character through a moral refinement process for self-fulfillment, social responsibility and social stability.
Diversity climate and employee innovation: the role of domain-relevant skills and openness to experience
Authors: Le Cong Thuan , Phan Thi Kim Lan , Nguyen Thi Y Nhi
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to test the unexplored association between diversity climate and employee innovation. To fully understand this association, this research aims to explore the mediating role of domain-relevant skills and the moderating role of openness to experience.

Design/methodology/approach

This research gathered data from 367 full-time employees working at information organisations in Vietnam. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypotheses.

Findings

The results showed that diversity climate positively impacted employee innovation directly and indirectly through domain-relevant skills. In addition, openness experience moderated the relationship between diversity climate and employee innovation.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to explore how a diversity climate influences employee innovation. This research also investigates how domain-relevant skills link diversity climate with employee innovation. Finally, this research provides further evidence that openness to experience reinforces the effect of diversity climate on employee innovation.