bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative analysis of virulence gene profiles of Escherichia coli from human and non-human sources in Rivers State, Nigeria

Authors: Abeni Barira Azeez , Frank-Peterside Nnenna , Otokunefor Kome
Published: July 2024

Traditionally, the presence of virulence features have been thought to be a key factor in differentiating pathogenic from commensal strains. An understanding of virulence potential of Escherichia coli isolates from various sources is essential to help shed light on potential contamination/transmission rates between the various sources. This study was therefore aimed at exploring the occurrence of specific virulence genes and gene profiles associated with Escherichia coli from human and non-human sources in Rivers State, Nigeria.
Two hundred samples from human (urine and feces) and non-human (soil and poultry droppings) sources (50 each) were analyzed using standard microbiological procedures. DNA was extracted from isolates presumptively identified as Escherichia coli using PrestoTM Mini gDNA Bacteria-Kit Quick protocol following the manufacturer’s instructions. Isolate identities were confirmed using E. coli specific 16S rRNA primers and confirmed isolates screened for the presence of six virulence genes (Afimbriae binding adhesin (afa), type 1 fimbriae (fimH), P-fimbrial Usher Protein (papC)), iron acquisition systems: aerobactin (aer), Cytotoxic necrotizing factor I (cnf1) and alpha hemolysin (hly).
Results showed that all isolates haboured at least one of the tested virulence genes, with fimH (97%) as the most prevalent virulence gene and papC the least commonly occurring (35%). A higher occurrence of virulence genes was noted in non-human isolates though hly and cnf were not detected at all in any of the isolates studied (0%). Ten different profiles were observed with the afaCc-aer-fimH profile the most commonly occurring virulence gene profile in general (33.3%). For non-human isolates however, the aer-afaCc-fimH-papC was the most commonly occurring profile (42.9%).
This study shows that the test Escherichia coli from human and non-human sources do not carry distinct virulence gene profiles. Studies on a larger subset of isolates would however be necessary to determine if indeed the virulence genes tested for in this study really cannot be used to tell whether an isolate is from a human source or not in the South-South of Nigeria.
Methods to assess antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral surfaces in relation to touch and droplet transfer: a review, gap-analysis and suggested approaches
Authors: Cunliffe Alexander J. , Askew Peter , Iredale Gillian , Marchant Abby , Redfern James
Published: July 2024

To help assess whether a potentially antimicrobial material, surface, or coating provides antimicrobial efficacy, a number of standardised test methods have been developed internationally. Ideally, these methods should generate data that supports the materials efficacy when deployed in the intended end-use application. These methods can be categorised based on their methodological approach such as suspension tests, agar plate/zone diffusion tests, surface inoculation tests, surface growth tests or surface adhesion tests. To support those interested in antimicrobial coating efficacy, this review brings together an exhaustive list of methods (for porous and non-porous materials), exploring the methodological and environmental parameters used to quantify antibacterial, antifungal, or antiviral activity. This analysis demonstrates that antimicrobial efficacy methods that test either fungi or viruses are generally lacking, whilst methods that test bacteria, fungi and viruses are not designed to simulate end-use/lack realistic conditions. As such, a number of applications for antimicrobial activity across medical touch screens, medical textiles and gloves and transport seat textiles are explored as example applications, providing guidance on modifications to existing methods that may better simulate the intended end-use of antimicrobial materials.
Comparative evaluation of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans larva against environmental chemicals
Authors: Khan Nisha , Rani Usha , Bhan Veer , Singh Ravinder , Singh Amit , Mohan Man , Singh Raj , Khan Anish
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT
Background: Drosophila genus comprises of ~1600 species but predictable to have several thousands in number. D. melanogaster (DMG) Meigen and D. simulans (DSI) are also closely related to each other but morphologically have difference to each other. Both are cosmopolitan flies that are mostly found in the India and south-east Asian regions and resident in ours surrounding and eat to ripened fruits.
Methodology: As compared to DSI, DMG is consideration to be progression modified to decaying, overripe and fermented fruits that released huge quantity of ethanol (EtOH), acetic-acid (AA), methanol (MeOH) and ethyl-acetate (EtOAc) chemicals. We explored the survival rate of DMG and DSI larva at various concentrations (ranging from 2-10%) of EtOH, AA, MeOH and EtOAc while inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) was calculated and compare tolerance power and susceptibility of both against these chemicals.  
Results: Firstly, a statistically significant (p>0.01) differences was observed between survival rate of DMG and DSI larva against 10% of EtOH (37.4 vs. 25.1%), AA (34.9 vs. 23.2%), MeOH (32.5 vs. 19.9%) and EtOAc (26.9 vs. 17.6%), respectively. Secondly, IC50 values of both larva of flies were found statistically significant (p>0.01) at 10% EtOH (DMG: 5.8-6.8 vs. DSI: 3.9-5.0%) and EtOAc (DMG: 3.8-4.8 vs. DSI: 2.3-3.6%). Thus we found a descending order of IC50 values as: EtOH>AA>MeOH>EtOAc for both flies. While survival rate and sensitivity order was found same but mortality and resistivity order (i.e. EtOAc>MeOH>AA>EtOH) are reciprocal to survival rate and sensitivity.
Conclusion: To considering DMG and DSI larva’s have diverse habitats, ecological, physiological differences but DMG larva might exhibit higher susceptibility toward non-toxic chemicals released from fermenting and decaying fruits as compared to DSI larva. Hence, we found that DMG larva is more susceptible, tolerable against EtOH, AA, MeOH and EtOAc chemicals than larva of DSI.
Valid publication of names for bacterial species from the chicken gut
Authors: Pallen Mark J.
Published: July 2024

This article is a follow-up to Gilroy R, Ravi A, Getino M, Pursley I, Horton DL, et al. PeerJ 2021;9:e10941, detailing accession numbers from culture collections to ensure that names for 33 new species conform to the Rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes required for valid publication of names for cultured species. The following species names are now proposed to be recognized as validly published: Acinetobacter pecorum sp. nov., Arthrobacter gallicola sp. nov., Arthrobacter pullicola sp. nov., Bacillus norwichensis sp. nov., Brevibacterium gallinarum sp. nov., Brevundimonas guildfordensis sp. nov., Cellulomonas avistercoris sp. nov., Clostridium gallinarum sp. nov., Comamonas avium sp. nov., Corynebacterium gallinarum sp. nov., Cytobacillus stercorigallinarum sp. nov., Escherichia whittamii sp. nov., Kaistella pullorum sp. nov., Luteimonas colneyensis sp. nov., Microbacterium commune sp. nov., Microbacterium gallinarum sp. nov., Microbacterium pullorum sp. nov., Oceanitalea stevensii sp. nov., Ochrobactrum gallinarum sp. nov., Oerskovia douganii sp. nov., Oerskovia gallyi sp. nov., Oerskovia merdavium sp. nov., Oerskovia rustica sp. nov., Paenibacillus gallinarum sp. nov., Phocaeicola gallinarum sp. nov., Planococcus wigleyi sp. nov., Psychrobacter communis sp. nov., Serpens gallinarum sp. nov., Solibacillus faecavium sp. nov., Sporosarcina gallistercoris sp. nov., Sporosarcina quadrami sp. nov., Stenotrophomonas pennii sp. nov. and Ureibacillus galli sp. nov.
Single-cell RNA sequencing of the holothurian regenerating intestine reveals the pluripotency of the coelomic epithelium
Authors: Medina-Feliciano Joshua G. , Valentín-Tirado Griselle , Luna-Martínez Kiara , Beltran-Rivera Alejandra , Miranda-Negrón Yamil , García-Arrarás José E.
Published: July 2024

In holothurians, the regenerative process following evisceration involves the development of a “rudiment” or “anlage” at the injured end of the mesentery. This regenerating anlage plays a pivotal role in the formation of a new intestine. Despite its significance, our understanding of the molecular characteristics inherent to the constituent cells of this structure has remained limited. To address this gap, we employed state-of-the-art scRNA-seq and HCR-FISH analyses to discern the distinct cellular populations associated with the regeneration anlage. Through this approach, we successfully identified thirteen distinct cell clusters. Among these, two clusters exhibit characteristics consistent with putative mesenchymal cells, while another four show features akin to coelomocyte cell populations. The remaining seven cell clusters collectively form a large group encompassing the coelomic epithelium of the regenerating anlage and mesentery. Within this large group of clusters, we recognized previously documented cell populations such as muscle precursors, neuroepithelial cells and actively proliferating cells. Strikingly, our analysis provides data for identifying at least four other cellular populations that we define as the precursor cells of the growing anlage. Consequently, our findings strengthen the hypothesis that the coelomic epithelium of the anlage is a pluripotent tissue that gives rise to diverse cell types of the regenerating intestinal organ. Moreover, our results provide the initial view into the transcriptomic analysis of cell populations responsible for the amazing regenerative capabilities of echinoderms.
Decoding imaginary handwriting trajectories with shape and time distortion loss for brain-to-text communication
Authors: Xu Guangxiang , Wang Zebin , Xu Kedi , Zhu Junming , Zhang Jianmin , Wang Yueming , Hao Yaoyao
Published: July 2024

The potential to decode handwriting trajectories from brain signals has yet to be fully explored in clinical brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). One of challenges remains that the clinical BCIs mostly rely on imaginary movement due to motor deficit of the subject, which often leads to misalignment with neural activity and impedes accurate decoding. Here, we recorded intracortical neural signals from a paralyzed patient during imaginary handwriting of Chinese characters, from which the trajectories of handwriting were reconstructed and translated into texts using machine learning approach. We introduced an innovated decoding framework that incorporates a novel loss function, DILATE, to accommodate both shape and temporal distortions between movement and neural activity to account for the misalignment issue. Our method reconstructed closely resembled and human-recognizable handwriting trajectories, outperforming the conventional mean square error loss by 10% of recognition rate. Moreover, the new decoding framework enabled effective multi-day data fusion, resulting in further 15% enhancement. With a dynamic time warping approach, the recognition rate achieved up to 91.1% within a 1000-character database. Additionally, we applied our method to a previous subject who imaged handwriting of English letters, showcasing its capability for single-trail trajectory reconstruction and 13.5% higher recognition outcomes. Altogether, these findings demonstrated a new decoding scheme for BCIs that could accurately reconstruct the imaginary handwriting trajectory. This advancement paves the way for a universal brain-to-text communication system that is applicable to any written language, marking a significant leap forward in the field of neural decoding and BCI technology.
Outbreak-associatedSalmonellaBaildon found in wastewater demonstrates how sewage monitoring can supplement traditional disease surveillance
Authors: M’ikanatha Nkuchia M. , Goldblum Zoe S. , Cesari Nicholas , Nawrocki Erin M. , Fu Yezhi , Kovac Jasna , Dudley Edward G.
Published: July 2024

Non-typhoidalSalmonellais a common cause of gastroenteritis worldwide, but current non-typhoidalSalmonellasurveillance is suboptimal. Here we evaluated the utility of wastewater monitoring to enhance surveillance for this foodborne pathogen. In June 2022, we tested composite raw sewage collected twice a week from two treatment plants in central Pennsylvania for non-typhoidalSalmonellaand characterized isolates using whole genome sequencing. We recovered 43Salmonellaisolates from wastewater samples, differentiated by genomic analysis into seven serovars: 16 Panama (37.2%), 9 Senftenberg (20.9%), and 8 Baildon (18.6%), 3 or fewer for four other serovars. We assessed genetic relatedness and epidemiologic links between non-typhoidalSalmonellaserovars from wastewater and isolates from patients with salmonellosis. AllS.Baildon serovars from wastewater were genetically and epidemiologically associated with a known salmonellosis outbreak.S.Baildon from wastewater and 42 outbreak-related isolates in the national outbreak detection database had the same core genome multilocus sequence typing and code differed by no or one single polynucleotide polymorphisms. One of the 42 outbreak-related isolates was obtained from a patient residing in the wastewater sample collection catchment area, which serves approximately 17000 people.S.Baildon is a rare serovar (reported in <1% cases nationally over five years). Our study underscores the value of monitoring sewage from a defined population to supplement traditional surveillance methods for evidence ofSalmonellainfections and to determine the extent of outbreaks.

Importance statement

During the COVID-19 pandemic, surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater was a powerful tool for assessing community burden days ahead of traditional reporting. Here, we show that domestic sewage monitoring is useful for surveillance for a foodborne pathogen.Salmonella entericawas detected in samples from two wastewater treatment plants in central Pennsylvania during June 2022. Using whole genome sequencing, we demonstrated that isolates of variantS. Baildon clustered with those from an outbreak that occurred in a similar time frame. Case reports were primarily from Pennsylvania, and one individual lived within the treatment center catchment area. This study provides support for the utility of domestic sewage surveillance in assisting public health agencies identify communities impacted by infectious diseases.
Changes in EEG microstate dynamics and cognition post-chemotherapy in people with breast cancer: A pilot study
Authors: Damji Samir , Sattari Sahar , Zadravec Kendra , Campbell Kristin , Brunet Jennifer , Virji-Babul Naznin
Published: July 2024

Objective: Chemotherapy-related cognitive changes following breast cancer are commonly reported; however, changes in brain dynamics of large-scale neural networks remain unclear. Using data from the Aerobic exercise and CogniTIVe functioning in women with breAsT cancEr (ACTIVATE) trial, we conducted exploratory analyses to compare self-reported and objective measures of cognition and applied microstate analysis to resting state electroencephalography (EEG) data of women with breast cancer before and following chemotherapy treatment. Methods: Data from 8 female participants between the ages of 30 and 52 (mean age = 44.8 yrs, SD = 7.3 yrs) were analyzed. Cognitive function was assessed using the PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) and the Trail Making Test (TMT). Five minutes of resting state, eyes-closed EEG data were also collected. Seven EEG microstates were extracted and mean microstate duration and occurrence were computed. Results: Following chemotherapy, there was a significant decrease in the PROMIS score (p = 0.003, d = 1.601), but no significant difference in the TMT. Overall, durations of microstates were significantly longer (p < 0.001, d = 2.837) and less evenly distributed following chemotherapy. The mean duration of microstate D significantly increased following chemotherapy (p = 0.007, d = 1.339). No significant correlations between microstate features and the PROMIS score were observed. Conclusions: We observed self-reported cognitive impairment and disturbed functional dynamics in the resting state brain following chemotherapy treatment. These results introduce a potential novel biomarker to evaluate the changes in large scale brain dynamics related to the cognitive effects of chemotherapy.
Online unsupervised performance-based cognitive testing: a feasible and reliable approach to scalable cognitive phenotyping of Parkinson’s patients
Authors: Balit Nasri , Sun Sophie , Zhang Yilin , Sharp Madeleine
Published: July 2024

Introduction

A better understanding of the heterogeneity in the cognitive and mood symptoms of Parkinson’s disease will require research conducted in large samples of patients. Fully online and remote research assessments present interesting opportunities for scaling up research but the feasibility and reliability of remote and fully unsupervised performance-based cognitive testing in individuals with Parkinson’s disease is unknown. This study aims to establish the feasibility and reliability of this testing modality in Parkinson’s patients.

Methods

Sixty-seven Parkinson’s patients and 36 older adults completed two sessions of an at-home, online battery of five cognitive tasks and three self-report questionnaires. Feasibility was established by examining completion rates and data quality. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC (2,1)).

Results

Overall completion rates and data quality were high with few participant exclusions across tasks. With regards to test-retest reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients were quite variable across measures extracted from a task as well as across tasks, but at least one standard measure from each task achieved moderate to good reliability levels. Self-report questionnaires achieved a higher test-retest reliability than cognitive tasks. Feasibility and reliability were similar between Parkinson’s patients and older adults.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that remote and unsupervised testing is a feasible and reliable method of measuring cognition and mood in Parkinson’s patients that achieves levels of test-retest reliability that are comparable to those reported for standard in-person testing.
ATG5 is dispensable for ATG8ylation of cellular proteins
Authors: Ketteler Robin , Kiso Koshiro , von Chamier Lucas , Agrotis Alexander
Published: July 2024

Protein ATG8ylation refers to a post-translational modification involving covalent attachment of ubiquitin-like autophagy-related protein ATG8 (LC3/GABARAP) to other cellular proteins, with reversal mediated by ATG4 proteases. While lipid ATG8ylation is important for autophagosome formation and mechanistically well-characterized, little is known about the mechanism of protein ATG8ylation. Here, we investigated the conjugation machinery of protein ATG8ylation in CRISPR/Cas9-engineered knockout human cell lines, utilizing a deconjugation-resistant (Q116P G120) form of MAP1LC3B. We report that protein ATG8ylation requires the E1-like activating enzyme ATG7 and E2-like conjugating enzyme ATG3, in common with ATG8 lipidation. However, in contrast, the E3-like ATG12-ATG5-ATG16L1 complex involved in lipidation is dispensable for protein ATG8ylation, since ATG5 knockout cells can form ATG8ylated protein conjugates. Further, we uncover that ATG7 itself is a target of ATG8ylation. Overall, our work provides crucial insight into the mechanism of protein ATG8ylation, distinguishing it from ATG8 lipidation, which will aid investigating its functional role.
The Great Genotyper: A Graph-Based Method for Population Genotyping of Small and Structural Variants
Authors: Shokrof Moustafa , Abuelanin Mohamed , Brown C.Titus , Mansour Tamer A.
Published: July 2024

1

Long-read sequencing (LRS) enables variant calling of high-quality structural variants (SVs). Genotypers of SVs utilize these precise call sets to increase the recall and precision of genotyping in short-read sequencing (SRS) samples. With the extensive growth in availabilty of SRS datasets in recent years, we should be able to calculate accurate population allele frequencies of SV. However, reprocessing hundreds of terabytes of raw SRS data to genotype new variants is impractical for population-scale studies, a computational challenge known as the N+1 problem. Solving this computational bottleneck is necessary to analyze new SVs from the growing number of pangenomes in many species, public genomic databases, and pathogenic variant discovery studies.

To address the N+1 problem, we propose The Great Genotyper, a population genotyping workflow. Applied to a human dataset, the workflow begins by preprocessing 4.2K short-read samples of a total of 183TB raw data to create an 867GB Counting Colored De Bruijn Graph (CCDG). The Great Genotyper uses this CCDG to genotype a list of phased or unphased variants, leveraging the CCDG population information to increase both precision and recall. The Great Genotyper offers the same accuracy as the state-of-the-art genotypers with the addition of unprecedented performance. It took 100 hours to genotype 4.5M variants in the 4.2K samples using one server with 32 cores and 145GB of memory. A similar task would take months or even years using single-sample genotypers.

The Great Genotyper opens the door to new ways to study SVs. We demonstrate its application in finding pathogenic variants by calculating accurate allele frequency for novel SVs. Also, a premade index is used to create a 4K reference panel by genotyping variants from the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium (HPRC). The new reference panel allows for SV imputation from genotyping microarrays. Moreover, we genotype the GWAS catalog and merge its variants with the 4K reference panel. We show 6.2K events of high linkage between the HPRC’s SVs and nearby GWAS SNPs, which can help in interpreting the effect of these SVs on gene functions. This analysis uncovers the detailed haplotype structure of the human fibrinogen locus and revives the pathogenic association of a 28 bp insertion in the FGA gene with thromboembolic disorders.
Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome in the Late Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury (LETBI) study cohort
Authors: Dams-O’Connor Kristen , Selmanovic Enna , Pruyser Ariel , Spielman Lisa , Bulas Ashlyn , Watson Eric , Mez Jesse , Hoffman Jeanne M.
Published: July 2024

Background and Objective

Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) is the proposed clinical manifestation of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) neuropathologic change secondary to repetitive head impacts (RHI). The prevalence of TES and its component symptoms is not known in individuals with single TBI, a subset of whom also have RHI. We used prospectively collected data to operationalize TES criteria and test the hypothesis that the core clinical features of TES are common among those with TBI, regardless of RHI exposure status and other demographic and injury characteristics.

Methods

Secondary analysis of data from the Late Effects of TBI (LETBI) study, a community-based study of individuals with complicated mild, moderate, or severe TBI. Participants were categorized by TBI severity and presence of RHI, creating 6 groups (those with isolated mild, moderate, and severe TBI, with and without RHI). Chi-squared tests were used to compare the proportion of each group that met each of the core clinical criteria overall TES diagnosis. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine associations of demographic and injury characteristics on TES diagnosis.

Results

In 295 participants with TBI, mean (SD) age 52.6(15.6) years and 35.6% female, 138 (46.8%) had RHI exposure meeting the TES criteria exposure threshold. In the full sample, 56.9%, 32.9% and 45.8% of participants met TES core criterion of cognitive impairment, neurobehavioral dysregulation, and progressive course of clinical features, respectively. Overall, 14.9% of the LETBI sample had substantial RHI exposure and met all 3 clinical features, meeting consensus-based TES criteria. When RHI exposure criterion was lifted, 33.5% of the LETBI sample with isolated TBI met all core clinical criteria. No injury or demographic variables predicted the likelihood of meeting TES Core Criteria (OR=3.02, p=0.10).

Discussion

Rates of TES clinical features are high among TBI survivors with and without RHI, across injury severity groups. Presence of TES core clinical features was greatest among those with no RHI, suggesting that chronic and sometimes progressive clinical sequelae of TBI resemble TES, but may reflect a distinct pathobiological process. Limitations include possible selection of participants with chronic symptoms. Findings emphasize the centrality of RHI exposure to TES diagnostic criteria.
Changes in isolation guidelines for CPE patients results in only a mild reduction in required hospital beds
Authors: Lydeamore Michael J , Wu David , Donker Tjibbe , Gorrie Claire , Higgs Charlie K , Easton Marion , Hennessy Daneeta , Geard Nicholas , Howden Benjamin P , Cooper Ben S , Wilson Andrew , Peleg Anton Y , Stewardson Andrew J
Published: July 2024

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are an emerging public health concern globally as they are resistant to a broad spectrum of antibiotics. Colonisation with CPE typically requires patients to be managed under ‘contact precautions’, which creates additional physical bed demands in healthcare facilities. This study examined the potential impact of revised isolation guidelines introduced in late 2023 in Victoria, Australia, that relaxed the requirement for indefinite isolation of CPE-colonised patients in contact precautions, based on admission of CPE-diagnosed cases prior to the guideline change. Our analysis showed that while the changes result in modest savings in the need for dedicated isolation rooms, they could reduce the duration of time individual patients spend in isolation by up to three weeks. However, ongoing investments to expand isolation capacity would still be required to accommodate the rising incidence of CPE.
Segmental MRI Pituitary and Hypothalamus Volumes post Fontan: An analysis of the Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry
Authors: Gee Waverley , Yang Joseph Yuan-Mou , Gentles Tom , Bastin Sonja , Iyengar Ajay J , Chen Jian , Han Dug Yeo , Cordina Rachael , Verrall Charlotte , Jefferies Craig ,   The Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry
Published: July 2024

Objective

Short stature, central hypothyroidism and infertility are common in those with a Fontan circulation. Given that the Fontan circulation often results in hepatic portal venous congestion, we hypothesize that the hypothalamic-pituitary portal circulation is also affected, contributing to subsequent hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction.

Methods

MRI data from the Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry (86 cases) was compared to 86 age- and sex- matched normal published controls. Total pituitary volumes (both anterior and posterior glands) were measured using a manual tracing segmentation method, and hypothalamic (and subunit) volumes using an automated segmentation tool. Measured gland volume was normalized to total brain volumes. A generalized linear model was used for statistical analysis.

Results

Normalized total pituitary volumes (nTPV) were increased in Fontan patients compared to controls (p<0.0001), due to an increase in anterior pituitary volumes (nAPV) (p<0.0001), with no difference in normalized posterior pituitary volumes (p= 0.7). Furthermore, normalized anterior and tubular hypothalamic subunit groups) were increased in Fontan patients compared to the controls (p<0.01 andp<0.0001, respectively).

The time between Fontan and MRI was positively related to nTPV, nAPV and bilateral hypothalamic volumes. nTPV increased with age, and the increase in nAPV was greater in Fontan patients.

Conclusions

Segmental MRI Pituitary and Hypothalamus volumes post Fontan are increased and are related to the time since Fontan procedure. These findings are consistent with venous congestion of the anterior hypothalamic-pituitary portal venous system and may explain the high frequency of endocrine dysfunction in this patient group.
The implementation of Lean Six Sigma for the optimization of robotic process automation systems in financial service operations
Authors: Lameijer Bart , de Vries Elizabeth S.L. , Antony Jiju , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo , Sony Michael
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Many organizations currently transition towards digitalized process design, execution, control, assurance and improvement, and the purpose of this research is to empirically demonstrate how data-based operational excellence techniques are useful in digitalized environments by means of the optimization of a robotic process automation deployment.

Design/methodology/approach

An interpretive mixed-method case study approach comprising both secondary Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project data together with participant-as-observer archival observations is applied. A case report, comprising per DMAIC phase (1) the objectives, (2) the main deliverables, (3) the results and (4) the key actions leading to achieving the presented results is presented.

Findings

Key findings comprise (1) the importance of understanding how to acquire and prepare large system generated data and (2) the need for better large system-generated database validation mechanisms. Finally (3) the importance of process contextual understanding of the LSS project lead is emphasized, together with (4) the need for LSS foundational curriculum developments in order to be effective in digitalized environments.

Originality/value

This study provides a rich prescriptive demonstration of LSS methodology implementation for RPA deployment improvement, and is one of the few empirical demonstrations of LSS based problem solving methodology in industry 4.0 contexts.
Perceptions of non-formal education by gender, level of education and field of study
Authors: Berková Kateřina , Krpálková Krelová Katarína , Kubišová Andrea , Frendlovská Dagmar , Krpálek Pavel
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Many studies point out that a complication in the professional training is connected with the division of education into the formal and non-formal part. There is a need to integrate these two components to achieve a greater learning effect. The aim of the study is to find out whether students perceive non-formal education as important and to identify which form of extracurricular education they prefer. The aim of this study is to find the relationships among the variables of the educational process of young people.

Design/methodology/approach

Around 844 Czech secondary and tertiary students participated in the study. The participants expressed their attitudes towards non-formal education through a questionnaire. Welch’s ANOVA test and Games-Howell’s Post-Hoc test were used to verify the hypotheses. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine correlation relationships.

Findings

Students perceive non-formal education as important. The importance was perceived significantly least by high school and beginning university students in technical fields. Digital forms of education are favoured by students. Significant differences in this area are connected with the different field of study. Students are interested especially in the particular area of non-formal education that is connected with their field of study.

Originality/value

The study provides desirable results in relation to the possible adaptation of education to the needs of students. The article reminds that digital education is promoted because of its flexibility and changing competencies. Specific forms of non-formal education will be appropriate to differentiate according to the fields and the age of students.
Better things to do or doing nothing at all? – the implications of incomplete share repurchase programs
Authors: Vogel Julian U. N.
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Share repurchase programs are the most important form of payout, yet the implications of incomplete share repurchase programs have not been examined in previous literature. This study tests whether incomplete share repurchase programs are seen as a positive or as a negative signal by investors.

Design/methodology/approach

The perception of incomplete share repurchase programs by algorithmic traders, institutional investors and analysts is analyzed with structural equation models, seemingly unrelated regressions, propensity score matching and buy-and-hold abnormal returns on data from share repurchase programs in the United States. In contrast to previous literature, algorithmic trading is appropriately estimated as a latent variable, leading to more reliable results. Furthermore, decisions about share repurchases and dividends are appropriately modeled simultaneously and iteratively, based on findings from previous literature.

Findings

The results show that sophisticated investors such as algorithmic traders, institutional investors and financial analysts avoid incomplete share repurchase programs over a long-term investment horizon. Thus, incomplete share repurchase programs are interpreted as negative signals. Additional analyses reveal that share repurchase programs are not completed due to insufficient cash flow, as a result of financial difficulties. Overall, this implies that financial managers should be careful to announce share repurchase programs they know cannot be completed, similar to dividends that cannot be maintained over a long-term horizon.

Originality/value

This study is the first to consider incomplete share repurchase programs. The findings are of interest to scholars and practitioners, as this study goes beyond narrow repurchase program announcement windows, and instead focuses on the longer-term investment horizon over the life of the share repurchase program, which is often ignored in prior research.
Social innovation for inclusion and sustainable development: a case study on BRAC institute of skills development (BISD)
Authors: Kabir Mohammad Rabiul , Tania Ishrat Jahan , Rubel Mohammad Ahsan Kabir
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The paper aims to understand the stages of the social innovation process and how it can be used for sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

This single case study used multiple sources, especially data from extensive field visits and selective in-depth interviews. Direct observation, web content analysis, journals, annual reports and news articles were also used.

Findings

The findings show that BRAC institute of skills development (BISD) adopted a unique formula for the social innovation process: problem identification, new idea, design prototype, pilot, perfect and scale up. This study also finds that BISD has a significant socio-economic impact in Bangladesh. The impacts of BISD are associated with several United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 on poverty, SDG 4 on inclusive learning, SDG 5 on gender equality and women empowerment, SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth and SDG 16 on social inclusion.

Practical implications

The discussions of this study ultimately pave a clear roadmap for policymakers, practitioners and academics to improve mechanisms for sustainable development through social innovations in emerging countries.

Originality/value

This paper provides a practical application of the social inclusive innovation process theory by which vocational training institutes can scale their sustainable impact. More knowledge is needed on how organisations can implement social innovation projects in emerging countries. This paper provides exploratory evidence to fill this gap. It demands a promising area of interest to investigate further research on the compatibility of social innovation in skills development programmes to gear up the status of an underprivileged community.
The underlying mechanism of user response to AI assistants: from interactivity to loyalty
Authors: Ko Minjeong , Lee Luri , Kim Yunice YoungKyoung
Published: July 2024

Purpose

With the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in everyday life, it is critical to discuss how and why consumers respond in certain ways to AI agents. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms underlying users’ responses to these agents. This study aims to identify such mechanisms and discuss how users form loyalty toward AI agents. Specifically, this study addresses interactivity with AI voice assistants as a key determinant of user loyalty, presenting user perceptions of the human-likeness of AI voice assistants and communication self-efficacy as sequential mediators.

Design/methodology/approach

We investigate the effects of human-likeness and communication self-efficacy on the relationship between interactivity and loyalty to AI voice assistants by developing a sequential mediation model. To estimate the empirical model, data were collected through an online survey with 330 respondents.

Findings

The results indicate that interactivity influences loyalty directly and positively. In addition, interactivity affects loyalty indirectly sequentially through human-likeness and communication self-efficacy.

Originality/value

By uncovering the psychological mechanisms underlying users’ loyalty to AI voice assistants, this study provides new academic and managerial insights that have not been clearly identified in the current literature.
Conspiratorial thinking in the workplace: how it happens and why it matters
Authors: Tam Lisa , Lee Hyelim , Kim Jeong-Nam
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Although belief in conspiracy theories has been researched since the 1970s, specific research on conspiratorial thinking in the workplace is scarce. Conspiratorial thinking could be fostered among employees in workplaces because of unequal power relations resulting from the organizational hierarchy. This study examines workplace conspiracy attribution (WCA) as employees’ attribution of problematic events in the workplace as being plotted by powerful actors within their organizations and tests its antecedents and consequences.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey dataset collected from employees in South Korea (N = 600) was used. This study tested three variables (i.e. two-way communication, employee–organization relationship quality, and perceived ethical orientation) as antecedent conditions of WCA and two outcome variables (i.e. turnover intention and whistleblowing potential) as consequences.

Findings

Perceived ethical orientation mediates the relationship between two-way communication and WCA. WCA was found to be positively associated with turnover intention and whistleblowing potential.

Originality/value

This study adopts a public relations lens to understand the significant roles of WCA in reducing turnover intention and whistleblowing potential. It expands existing knowledge of the significance of power and power disparities in organizations.
Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns
Authors: Rodríguez-Pereira Jessica , Ramalhinho Helena , Sarrà Paula
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The planning of massive vaccination campaigns often falls to nongovernmental organizations that have to face the critical challenge of vaccinating the largest number of people in the shortest time. This study aims to provide an easy tool for minimizing the duration of mass vaccination campaigns in rural and remote areas of developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a linear mathematical model that combines location, scheduling and routing decisions that allows determining where to locate the vaccination centers, as well as the schedule/route that each medical team must follow to meet the target demand in the shortest time possible. In addition, the paper proposes an heuristic approach that can be integrated in a spreadsheet.

Findings

As the numerical experiments show, the proposed heuristic provides good solutions in a short time. Due to its simplicity and flexibility, the proposed approach allows decision-makers to analyze and evaluate several possible scenarios for decision-making by simply playing with input parameters.

Social implications

The integration of the heuristic approach in a spreadsheet provides a simple and efficient tool to help decision-makers while avoiding the need for large investments in information systems infrastructure by user organizations.

Originality/value

Motivated by a real-life problem and different from previous studies, the objective of the planning is to reduce the length of the vaccination campaigns with the available resources and ensure a target coverage instead of planning for minimizing costs or maximizing coverage. Furthermore, for helping implementation to practitioners, the heuristic can be solved in a spreadsheet.
Investigating the key drivers of client affiliation to Islamic banking in Oman
Authors: Abdel-Gadir Sufian , Billah Muhammad Masum
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study to explore the perception, satisfaction, awareness and attitude levels of clients towards Islamic banking in Oman. By recognizing the elements affecting client affiliation with Islamic banks, this examination means to give important experiences to further developing client commitment and fulfilment in the Islamic financial area.

Design/methodology/approach

This study embraces a quantitative methodology, using SPSS@28 programming for information investigation. Information was gathered through studies directed to clients of Islamic banks in Oman. Exploratory factory analysis (EFA) was led to distinguish key variables impacting client affiliation, and dependability examination was performed using Cronbach’s alpha.

Findings

The discoveries uncover that perception arises as the main variable impacting client connection with Islamic banks in Oman, followed intently by satisfaction and awareness. Notwithstanding, the attitude factor displayed lower unwavering quality. Factual tests affirm the vigor of the noticed patterns, featuring the significance of perception, satisfaction and awareness in driving client commitment with Islamic financial establishments.

Research limitations/implications

This study is dependent upon specific constraints, as it centres exclusively around clients’ viewpoints and does not consider the perspectives of non-clients or partners in the Islamic financial industry. Future exploration could investigate these viewpoints to give a more complete comprehension of the variables impacting client connection with Islamic banks in Oman.

Practical implications

The discoveries of this study have commonsense ramifications for Islamic financial foundations in Oman. By understanding the elements impacting client alliance, banks can foster designated methodologies to improve client commitment, fulfilment and steadfastness. This might include further developing correspondence endeavours, improving assistance quality and tending to client concerns to encourage a positive financial encounter.

Originality/value

This study adds to the current writing by giving experimental experiences into the discernments, mentalities, mindfulness and fulfilment levels of clients towards Islamic banking in Oman. The recognizable proof of key elements impacting client affiliation with Islamic banks offers important direction for banking foundations trying to reinforce their associations with clients and work on general execution in the Islamic financial area.
Optimal supply chain performance: risk aversion to green innovation
Authors: Zhang Hao , Li Xingwei , Ding Zuoyi
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Although many countries are focusing on the management of construction and demolition waste (CDW) resource utilization, the effect of risk aversion of the green innovation-led enterprise on the performance of the CDW resource utilization supply chain is unclear when considering different green innovation contexts (green innovation led by the building materials remanufacturer or by the construction waste recycler). This study aims to investigate how the level of risk aversion of the green innovation-led enterprise affects CDW resource utilization under different green innovation contexts based on contingency theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Stackelberg game theory, this study establishes a decision model consisting of a building materials remanufacturer, construction waste recycler and CDW production unit and investigates how the level of risk aversion of the green innovation-led enterprise under different green innovation contexts influences the performance level of the supply chain.

Findings

The conclusions are as follows. (1) For the green innovation-led enterprise, the risk-averse behaviour is always detrimental to his own profits. (2) For the follower, the profits of the construction waste recycler are negatively correlated with the level of risk aversion of the green innovation-led enterprise in the case of a small green innovation investment coefficient. If the green innovation investment coefficient is high, the opposite result is obtained. (3) When the green innovation investment coefficient is low, the total supply chain profits decrease as the level of risk aversion of the green innovation-led enterprise increases. When the green innovation investment coefficient is high, total supply chain profit shows an inverted U-shaped trend with respect to the degree of risk aversion of the green innovation-led enterprise.

Originality/value

(1) This study is the first to construct a green innovation context led by different enterprises in the CDW resource utilization supply chain, which provides a new perspective on green management and operation. (2) This study is the first to explore the operation mechanism of the CDW resource utilization supply chain based on contingency theory, which provides new evidence from the CDW resource utilization supply chain to prove contingency theory. At the same time, this study examines the interactive effects of the green innovation cost coefficient and the degree of risk aversion of green innovation-led enterprises on the performance of supply chain members, expanding the contingency theory research on contingencies affecting enterprise performance. (3) This study will guide members of the CDW resource utilization supply chain to rationally face risks and achieve optimal supply chain performance.