bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toric Intraocular Lens Implantation in Cataract Patients with Corneal Opacity
Authors: Ra Ho , Kim Hyun Seung , Kim Man Soo , Kim Eun Chul
Published: July 2019

Aims

To evaluate the effect of toric intraocular lens implantation in cataract patient with corneal opacity and high astigmatism.

Methods

31 eyes of 31 patients who underwent cataract surgery with toric intraocular lens implantation were included. All patients had corneal opacity with regular astigmatism. Preoperative total corneal astigmatism was determined considering posterior astigmatism using a rotating Scheimpflug camera (Pentacam®: Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany). At 2 months after toric intraocular lens implantation, we evaluated residual astigmatism, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Results

Postoperative UCVA and BCVA (0.30 ± 0.17, 0.22 ± 0.16LogMAR) statistically improved compared to preoperative UCVA and BCVA (1.2 ± 0.34, 1.1 ± 0.30LogMAR, respectively) (P<0.01). Postoperative residual refractive astigmatism (1.2 ± 0.35D) was statistically reduced compared to preoperative refractive astigmatism (2.4 ± 0.65D) (P<0.05). Preoperative and postoperative total corneal astigmatism values were not statistically different. All cases achieved visual acuity were as good as or better than that preoperatively. The percentage of corneal opacity covering pupillary area had significant negative correlation with postoperative UCVA and BCVA (logMAR) (R=-0.88 P<0.00001 and R=-0.87 P<0.00001, respectively)

Conclusion

Toric intraocular lens implantation can improve UCVA, BCVA, and refractive astigmatism in cataract patient with corneal opacity. The percentage of central corneal opacity covering pupillary area is the major prognostic factor for postoperative visual improvement. Therefore, toric intraocular lens implantation should be considered for cataract patients who have corneal opacity with high astigmatism.
A protocol to automatically calculate homo-oligomeric protein structures through the integration of evolutionary constraints and ambiguous contacts derived from solid- or solution-state NMR
Authors: Sala Davide , Cerofolini Linda , Fragai Marco , Giachetti Andrea , Luchinat Claudio , Rosato Antonio
Published: July 2019

Protein assemblies are involved in many important biological processes. Solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy is a technique suitable for the structural characterization of samples with high molecular weight and thus can be applied to such assemblies. A significant bottleneck in terms of both effort and time required is the manual identification of unambiguous intermolecular contacts. This is particularly challenging for homo-oligomeric complexes, where simple uniform labeling may not be effective. We tackled this challenge by exploiting coevolution analysis to extract information on homo-oligomeric interfaces from NMR-derived ambiguous contacts. After removing the evolutionary couplings (ECs) that are already satisfied by the 3D structure of the monomer, the predicted ECs are matched with the automatically generated list of experimental contacts. This approach provides a selection of potential interface residues that is used directly in monomer-monomer docking calculations. We validated the protocol on tetrameric L-asparaginase II and dimeric Sod1.
Innate immune recognition of a bacterial MAMP leads to conditional activation of pro- or anti-inflammatory responses
Authors: Park Joo-Hong , Cornick Steve , Nigro Giulia , Sevrin Gwladys , Déjardin François , Smits Ron , Bérard Marion , Langa Francina , Boneca Ivo G. , Gewirtz Andrew , Chassaing Benoit , Barnich Nicolas , Sansonetti Philippe , Eberl Gérard
Published: July 2019

Microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) are recognized by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of the innate immune system. Flagellin, the primary component of bacterial flagella, is recognized by membrane TLR5 and cytoplasmic NLRC4 receptors, which promote a vigorous pro-inflammatory response typically associated with bacterial infection. However, herein, we report that the nature of the flagellin-induced response is highly dependent on the physiological state of the tissue. Specifically, in the steady state, epithelial cell detection of flagellin orchestrates an anti-inflammatory response mediated by IL-33-dependent type 2 regulatory T cells while, in the context of injury, it induces a pro-inflammatory response mediated by myeloid cells, IL-18 and Th17 cells. Likewise, in the absence of infection, bacterial symbionts expressing high levels of flagellin induce a type 2 response. These data demonstrate that, depending on the inflammatory state of the milieu, MAMPs can function both as immunogens or tolerogens.
The impact of gut microbiota on depressive-like behaviors and adult hippocampal neurogenesis requires the endocannabinoid system
Authors: Chevalier Grégoire , Siopi Eleni , Guenin-Macé Laure , Pascal Maud , Laval Thomas , Rifflet Aline , Boneca Ivo Gomperts , Demangel Caroline , Leulier François , Lepousez Gabriel , Eberl Gérard , Lledo Pierre-Marie
Published: July 2019

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Recent observations have revealed an association between mood disorders and alterations of the intestinal microbiota, but causality remains yet to be established. Here, using unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) as a mouse model of depression, we show that the UCMS mice display phenotypic alterations — characterized by an altered gut microbiota composition, a reduced adult hippocampal neurogenesis and a depressive-like behaviors — which could be transferred from UCMS donors to naïve recipient mice by fecal microbiota transplantation. The cellular and behavioral alterations observed in recipient mice were accompanied by a decrease in the endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling due to lower peripheral levels of fatty acid precursors of eCB ligands. The adverse effects of UCMS-transferred microbiota on adult neurogenesis and behavior in naïve recipient mice were alleviated by selectively enhancing the central eCB tone or by adding arachidonic acid, a fatty acid precursor of eCB ligands, to the diet. In the gut of both UCMS donors and recipients, the microbiota composition was characterized by a relative decrease inLactobacilliabundance, and complementation of the UCMS recipient microbiota with a strain of theLactobacilligenus was sufficient to restore normal eCB brain levels, hippocampal neurogenesis and to alleviate depressive-like behaviors. Our findings provide a mechanistic scenario for how chronic stress, diet and gut microbiota dysbiosis generate a pathological feed-forward loop that contributes to despair behavior via the central eCB system.
Sex Differences in Age-related Impairments Vary across Cognitive and Physical Assessments in Rats
Authors: Hernandez Abbi R. , Truckenbrod Leah M. , Campos Keila T. , Williams Sonora A. , Burke Sara N.
Published: July 2019

Inclusion of female subjects in biomedical research is imperative for understanding the mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline, as more than half of individuals older than 65 are female. Few behavioral and physical assays, however, have been conducted in both sexes within the same study. In the current experiments young and aged male and female rats underwent a battery of cognitive and physical assessments to examine for potential sex and age differences. Physical performance was measured with a rotarod test of motor coordination, assessment of maximum grip strength and swim speed. While there were differences between males and females in rotarod and grip strength, there was also a clear age-dependent decline in physical performance in both sexes. Cognitive assessment included the Morris watermaze test of hippocampal dependent spatial navigation and a biconditional association task (BAT) with a working memory (WM) component. Notably, a similar BAT has previously been validated as a more sensitive assay of age-related cognitive decline than the watermaze in male rats, which is replicated here in both female and male rats. Furthermore, young and aged female rats both spent a similar percent of time in each estrus cycle phase and phase did not influence WM/BAT performance. In conclusion, robust age differences in biconditional association task performance are observed in both sexes with no need for increased cohort size. Thus, future studies utilizing similar behavioral paradigms should be representative of the human population they intend to model through the inclusion of female subjects.
The Clp System in Malaria Parasites Degrades Essential Substrates to Regulate Plastid Biogenesis
Authors: Florentin A. , Stephens D.R. , Brooks C.F. , Baptista R.P. , Muralidharan V
Published: July 2019

The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, contains an essential plastid called the apicoplast. Most of apicoplast proteins are encoded by the nuclear genome and it is unclear how the plastid proteome is regulated. Here, we study an apicoplast-localized caseinolytic-protease (Clp) system and how it regulates organelle proteostasis. Using null and conditional mutants, we demonstrated that the Clp protease (PfClpP) has robust enzymatic activity that is essential for apicoplast biogenesis. We developed a CRISPR/Cas9 based system to express catalytically-dead PfClpP, which showed that PfClpP oligomerizes as a zymogen and matured via trans-autocatalysis. The expression of a Clp chaperone (PfClpC) mutant led to the discovery of a functional chaperone-protease interaction essential for plastid function. Conditional mutants of the substrate-adaptor (PfClpS) demonstrated its essential function in plastid biogenesis. A combination of multiple affinity purification screens identified the Clp complex composition as well as putative Clp substrates. This comprehensive study reveals the molecular composition and interactions influencing the proteolytic function of the apicoplast Clp system and demonstrates its central role in the biogenesis of the plastid in malaria parasites.
Symmetry breaking during morphogenesis of a mechanosensory organ
Authors: Erzberger A. , Jacobo A. , Dasgupta A. , Hudspeth A. J.
Published: July 2019

Actively regulated symmetry breaking, which is ubiquitous in biological cells, underlies phenomena such as directed cellular movement and morphological polarization. Here we investigate how an organ-level polarity pattern emerges through symmetry breaking at the cellular level during the formation of a mechanosensory organ. Combining theory, genetic perturbations, and in vivo imaging assisted by deep learning, we study the development and regeneration of the fluid-motion sensors in the zebrafish’s lateral line. We find that two interacting symmetry-breaking events — one mediated by biochemical signaling and the other by cellular mechanics — give rise to a novel form of collective cell migration, which produces a mirror-symmetric polarity pattern in the receptor organ.
Variational autoencoders for cancer data integration: design principles and computational practice
Authors: Simidjievski Nikola , Bodnar Cristian , Tariq Ifrah , Scherer Paul , Andres-Terre Helena , Shams Zohreh , Jamnik Mateja , Liò Pietro
Published: July 2019

International initiatives such as the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) are collecting multiple data sets at different genome-scales with the aim to identify novel cancer bio-markers and predict patient survival. To analyse such data, several machine learning, bioinformatics and statistical methods have been applied, among them neural networks such as autoencoders. Although these models provide a good statistical learning framework to analyse multi-omic and/or clinical data, there is a distinct lack of work on how to integrate diverse patient data and identify the optimal design best suited to the available data.

In this paper, we investigate several autoencoder architectures that integrate a variety of cancer patient data types (e.g., multi-omics and clinical data). We perform extensive analyses of these approaches and provide a clear methodological and computational framework for designing systems that enable clinicians to investigate cancer traits and translate the results into clinical applications. We demonstrate how these networks can be designed, built and, in particular, applied to tasks of integrative analyses of heterogeneous breast cancer data. The results show that these approaches yield relevant data representations that, in turn, lead to accurate and stable diagnosis.
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Antisense Oligonucleotide Modulates Protease-Antiprotease Imbalance without Further Aggravating Smoke-induced Lung Injury
Authors: Xiao Rui , Stearns Kyle , Zelonina Tina , Goldklang Monica , Blomenkamp Keith , Teckman Jeffery , D’Armiento Jeanine
Published: July 2019

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a serum protease inhibitor that prevents lung injury from protease production during cigarette smoking but causes severe liver disease once mutated. A custom AAT antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) was found to be beneficial for the AATD liver disease by blocking the mutated AAT transcripts. Here we hypothesized that knock-down of AAT aggravates murine lung injury during smoke exposure and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups for each of the injury models, smoking (inhale for 3 months at 150mg/m3) and smoke-flu (inhale for 2 weeks and intranasal influenza virus). The ASO and control (No-ASO) were injected subcutaneously at 10ml/kg of body weight, starting with smoking or four days prior to influenza infection weekly at 50mg/kg. ASO treatment during a 3 month smoke exposure significantly increased the expression of Cela1 mRNA and decreased the serum and lung AAT expression. However, despite the decrease in AAT, neither the inflammatory cell counts in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) nor the lung structural changes were significantly affected by ASO treatment. We observed significant differences in inflammation and emphysema due to smoke exposure alone. With the smoke-flu model, similarly the major differences were found between smoke-flu and room air control, with no additional effect with ASO treatment. Off-target effects or compensatory mechanisms may account for this finding. Alternatively, the reduction of AAT with ASO treatment was not robust enough to lead to lung injury. The result also suggest that the AAT ASO approach for treating liver disease is relatively safe at the specified dose as it did not lead to detrimental outcomes in the lung. These potential mechanisms need to be further investigated in order to fully understand the impact of AAT inhibition on protease-antiprotease imbalance in the murine smoke exposure model.
Immune responses in mice induced by multi-epitope DNA vaccine and protein vaccine of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus
Authors: Yusufu Meilipaiti , Shalitanati Alai , Yu Huan , Moming Abulimiti , Li Yijie , Deng Fei , Zhang Yujiang , Sun Surong
Published: July 2019

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), caused by the CCHF virus (CCHFV), is a severe tick borne zoonosis widely distributed in over 30 countries and regions. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine available for CCHF in China. To evaluate the cellular and humoral immune responses induced by multi-epitope DNA and protein vaccine of CCHF in BALB/c mice, a multi-epitope gene (MEPX) segment with tandem including six highly conservative and immunedominant B cell epitopes was designed based on the analysis of hydrophilicity and antigenic determinant sites in amino acid sequences of nucleoprotein and glycoprotein from CCHFV strain YL04057. The single and double-copy multi-epitope gene (MEPX and MEPX2) were respectively cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pVAX I to construct the recombinant (r) plasmid pVAX-MEPX and pVAX-MEPX2as DNA vaccines. The results of immunofluorescence in vitro showed that the pVAX-MEPX and pVAX-MEPX2could be expressed in 293T cells. The recombinant prokaryotic plasmid pET-32a-MEPX and pET-32a-MEPX2constructed previously were transformed them intoE. coli BL21 (DE3), and recombinant multi-epitope proteins (rMEPX and rMEPX2) were obtained and purificated by Nickel affinity chromatography. Western blot results showed that rMEPX and rMEPX2had good antigenicity. BALB/c mice were immunized with DNA vaccine alone, protein vaccine alone, and DNA prime followed by recombinant protein boost immunization strategy, respectively. After three immunizations, MTT assay, cytokine content assay, and ELISA assay for antibody titers were used to evaluate the immune response. The proliferation of mouse specific T lymphocytes in the enhanced by pVAX-MEPX2combined with rMEPX2boosting group was significant, and the expression levels of serum IFN-γ and IL-4 in mice were as high as 118.67 pg/mL and 135.33 pg/mL with significant difference compared to the control group (p<0.01), and serum antibody titer could reach up to 4.1×105. Double-copy multi-epitope vaccines groups (pVAX-MEPX2+ rMEPX2) generated better cellular and humoral immune responses by DNA prime-protein vaccine boost combinatorial immunization. This result could lay the foundation for the development of CCHFV multi-epitope vaccine candidates.
Shigella sonneiinfection of zebrafish reveals that O-antigen mediates neutrophil tolerance and dysentery incidence
Authors: Torraca Vincenzo , Kaforou Myrsini , Watson Jayne , Duggan Gina M. , Guerrero-Gutierrez Hazel , Krokowski Sina , Hollinshead Michael , Clarke Thomas B. , Mostowy Rafal J. , Tomlinson Gillian S. , Sancho-Shimizu Vanessa , Clements Abigail , Mostowy Serge
Published: July 2019

Shigella flexneriis historically regarded as the primary agent of bacillary dysentery, yet the closely-relatedShigella sonneiis replacingS. flexneri, especially in developing countries. The underlying reasons for this dramatic shift are mostly unknown. Using a zebrafish (Danio rerio) model ofShigellainfection, we discover thatS. sonneiis more virulent thanS. flexneri in vivo. Whole animal dual-RNAseq and testing of bacterial mutants suggest thatS. sonneivirulence depends on its O-antigen oligosaccharide (which is unique amongShigellaspecies). We showin vivousing zebrafish andex vivousing human neutrophils thatS. sonneiO-antigen can mediate neutrophil tolerance. Consistent with this, we demonstrate that O-antigen enablesS. sonneito resist phagolysosome acidification and promotes neutrophil cell death. Chemical inhibition or promotion of phagolysosome maturation respectively decreases and increases neutrophil control ofS. sonneiand zebrafish survival. Strikingly, larvae primed with a sublethal dose ofS. sonneiare protected against a secondary lethal dose ofS. sonneiin an O-antigen-dependent manner, indicating that exposure to O-antigen can train the innate immune system againstS. sonnei. Collectively, these findings reveal O-antigen as an important therapeutic target against bacillary dysentery, and may explain the rapidly increasingS. sonneiburden in developing countries.

Author Summary

Shigella sonneiis predominantly responsible for dysentery in developed countries, and is replacingShigella flexneriin areas undergoing economic development and improvements in water quality. UsingShigellainfection of zebrafish (in vivo) and human neutrophils (in vitro), we discover thatS. sonneiis more virulent thanS. flexneribecause of neutrophil tolerance mediated by its O-antigen oligosaccharide acquired from the environmental bacteriaPlesiomonas shigelloides. To inspire new approaches forS. sonneicontrol, we show that increased phagolysosomal acidification or innate immune training can promoteS. sonneiclearance by neutrophilsin vivo. These findings have major implications for our evolutionary understanding ofShigella, and may explain why exposure toP. shigelloidesin low and middle-income countries (LMICs) can protect against dysentery incidence.
THOC1 deficiency leads to late-onset nonsyndromic hearing loss through p53-mediated hair cell apoptosis
Authors: Zhang Luping , Gao Yu , Zhang Ru , Sun Feifei , Cheng Cheng , Qian Fuping , Duan Xuchu , Wei Guanyun , Pang Xiuhong , Chen Penghui , Chai Renjie , Yang Tao , Wu Hao , Liu Dong
Published: July 2019

Apoptosis of cochlear hair cells is a key step towards age-related hearing loss. Although numerous genes have been implicated in the genetic causes of late-onset, progressive hearing loss, few show direct links to the proapoptotic process. By genome-wide linkage analysis and whole exome sequencing, we identified a heterozygous p.L183V variant in THOC1 as the probable cause of the late-onset, progressive, non-syndromic hearing loss in a large dominant family. Thoc1, a member of the conserved multisubunit THO/TREX ribonucleoprotein complex, is highly expressed in mouse and zebrafish hair cells. The Thoc1 mutant zebrafish generated by gRNA-Cas9 system lacks the C-startle response, indicative of the hearing dysfunction. Both Thoc1 mutant and knockdown zebrafish have greatly reduced hair cell numbers, while the latter can be rescued by embryonic microinjection of human wild-type THOC1 mRNA but to significantly lesser degree by the p.L183V mutant mRNA. The Thoc1 deficiency resulted in marked apoptosis in zebrafish hair cells. Consistently, transcriptome sequencing of the mutants showed significantly increased gene expression in the p53-associated signaling pathway. Depletion of p53 or applying the p53 inhibitor Pifithrin-α significantly rescued the hair cell loss in the Thoc1 knockdown zebrafish. Our results suggested that THOC1 deficiency lead to late-onset, progressive hearing loss through p53-mediated hair cell apoptosis. This is to our knowledge the first human disease associated with THOC1 mutations and may shed light on the molecular mechanism underlying the age-related hearing loss.

Significance Statement

For the first time, we found that THOC1 deficiency leads to late-onset nonsyndromic hearing loss. Furthermore, we revealed the hypomorphic THOC1 induced p53-mediated hair cell apoptosis. This is to our knowledge the first human disease associated with THOC1 mutations and may shed light on the molecular mechanism underlying the age-related hearing loss.
Crystal structures of four dimeric manganese(II) bromide coordination complexes with various derivatives of pyridine N-oxide
Authors: Lynch Sheridan , Lynch Genevieve , Lynch Will E. , Padgett Clifford W.
Published: July 2019

Four manganese(II) bromide coordination complexes have been prepared with four pyridine N-oxides, viz. pyridine N-oxide (PNO), 2-methylpyridine N-oxide (2MePNO), 3-methylpyridine N-oxide (3MePNO), and 4-methylpyridine N-oxide (4MePNO). The compounds are bis(μ-pyridine N-oxide)bis[aquadibromido(pyridine N-oxide)manganese(II)], [Mn2Br4(C5H5NO)4(H2O)2] (I), bis(μ-2-methylpyridine N-oxide)bis[diaquadibromidomanganese(II)]–2-methylpyridine N-oxide (1/2), [Mn2Br4(C6H7NO)2(H2O)4]·2C6H7NO (II), bis(μ-3-methylpyridine N-oxide)bis[aquadibromido(3-methylpyridine N-oxide)manganese(II)], [Mn2Br4(C6H7NO)4(H2O)2] (III), and bis(μ-4-methylpyridine N-oxide)bis[dibromidomethanol(4-methylpyridine N-oxide)manganese(II)], [Mn2Br4(C6H7NO)4(CH3OH)2] (IV). All the compounds have one unique MnII atom and form a dimeric complex that contains two MnII atoms related by a crystallographic inversion center. Pseudo-octahedral six-coordinate manganese(II) centers are found in all four compounds. All four compounds form dimers of Mn atoms bridged by the oxygen atom of the PNO ligand. Compounds I, II and III exhibit a bound water of solvation, whereas compound IV contains a bound methanol molecule of solvation. Compounds I, III and IV exhibit the same arrangement of molecules around each manganese atom, ligated by two bromide ions, oxygen atoms of two PNO ligands and one solvent molecule, whereas in compound II each manganese atom is ligated by two bromide ions, one O atom of a PNO ligand and two water molecules with a second PNO molecule interacting with the complex via hydrogen bonding through the bound water molecules. All of the compounds form extended hydrogen-bonding networks, and compounds I, II, and IV exhibit offset π-stacking between PNO ligands of neighboring dimers.
Structures of major pilins inClostridium perfringensdemonstrate dynamic conformational change
Authors: Tamai Eiji , Katayama Seiichi , Sekiya Hiroshi , Nariya Hirofumi , Kamitori Shigehiro
Published: July 2019

Pili in Gram-positive bacteria are flexible rod proteins associated with the bacterial cell surface, and they play important roles in the initial adhesion to host tissues and colonization. The pilus shaft is formed by the covalent polymerization of major pilins, catalyzed by sortases, a family of cysteine transpeptidases. Here, X-ray structures of the major pilins fromClostridium perfringensstrains 13 and SM101 and of sortase from strain SM101 are presented with biochemical analysis to detect the formation of piliin vivo. The major pilin from strain 13 adopts an elongated structure to form noncovalently linked polymeric chains in the crystal, yielding a practical model of the pilus fiber structure. The major pilin from strain SM101 adopts a novel bent structure and associates to form a left-handed twist like an antiparallel double helix in the crystal, which is likely to promote bacterial cell–cell interactions. A modeling study showed that pilin with a bent structure interacts favorably with sortase. The major pilin from strain SM101 was considered to be in an equilibrium state between an elongated and a bent structure through dynamic conformational change, which may be involved in pili-mediated colonization and sortase-mediated polymerization of pili.
Di-μ-acetato-bis{[3-benzyl-1-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]silver(I)}
Authors: Jayaraman Selvakumar , Castillo Guel Roberto Alexander , Malek Kotiba , Arumugam Kuppuswamy
Published: July 2019

The title compound, [Ag2(C2H3O2)2(C19H20N2)2] (2), was readily synthesized by treatment of 3-benzyl-1-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazolium chloride with silver acetate. The solution structure of the complex was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy, while the solid-state structure was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Compound 2 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P\overline{1}, with a silver-to-carbene bond length (Ag—CNHC) of 2.084 (3) Å. The molecule resides on an inversion center, so that only half of the molecule is crystallographically unique. The planes defined by the two imidazole rings are parallel to each other, but not coplanar [interplanar distance is 0.662 (19) Å]. The dihedral angles between the imidazole ring and the benzyl and mesityl rings are 77.87 (12) and 72.86 (11)°, respectively. The crystal structure features π–π stacking interactions between the benzylic groups of inversion-related (−x + 1, −y + 1, −z + 1) molecules and C—H...π interactions.
Does the chief audit executive gender matter to internal audit effectiveness? Evidence from Tunisia
Authors: Oussii Ahmed Atef , Klibi Mohamed Faker
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether chief audit executive (CAE) gender has a significant impact on the internal audit function (IAF) effectiveness as proxied by the extent to which the internal audit function uses quality assurance techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a multivariate regression model to analyze the association between CAE gender and the use of quality assurance techniques in fieldwork as a proxy for IAF effectiveness. Data were collected using a survey of 74 internal auditors from Tunisian listed companies.

Findings

The results indicate that IAFs run by a female CAE are more likely to incorporate quality assurance techniques into fieldwork than IAFs run by male CAEs. Therefore, internal audit departments managed by women tend to be more effective.

Practical implications

Findings highlight to regulators and reform advocates the importance of having women on the CAE position will improve internal audit practices’ quality. Thus, the gender difference in internal auditing should be more strongly emphasized in different cultural and economic contexts.

Originality/value

This study provides new insights which add to the existing gender literature by introducing a North African perspective and simultaneously providing new insights that highlight the importance of having women on top management positions in internal auditing and the positive effects which come with it.
The role of seafood sustainability knowledge in seafood purchase decisions
Authors: Lawley Meredith , Craig Jane F. , Dean David , Birch Dawn
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer knowledge of seafood sustainability and how that knowledge influences the purchase of seafood products.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an online survey (n=1,319), the authors investigated Australian consumer knowledge of seafood sustainability and the drivers of purchase choice. Objective knowledge categories were developed through the qualitative analysis of unprompted, open-ended responses and compared with other surveyed measures of objective knowledge. The relationship between these knowledge categories and the importance of sustainability in the purchase decision was tested.

Findings

A significant group of consumers either had no knowledge of seafood sustainability (17.8 per cent) or gave an incorrect response (15.5 per cent), while 25.1 per cent demonstrated simple and 41.6 per cent complex knowledge. Further, the knowledge was positively related to importance of sustainability when making purchase decisions. Sustainability moved from the lowest ranked attribute for the no knowledge group to the highest ranked attribute for the complex knowledge group.

Research limitations/implications

The results show that the consumer knowledge about sustainable seafood cannot be assumed and that the level of sustainability knowledge influences the importance of sustainability in the purchase decision.

Practical implications

The results suggest that information-based strategies based on a universally shared definition of sustainability in the seafood industry designed to drive sustainable consumer behaviour for seafood must take the account of consumer knowledge.

Originality/value

This paper identifies and provides a classification framework for levels of consumer knowledge about sustainable seafood and demonstrates a positive relationship between knowledge and the importance of sustainability in consumer decisions with regard to purchasing seafood.
Forewarned is forearmed
Authors: Bharathi S. Vijayakumar
Published: July 2019

Purpose

Internet of Things (IoT) interconnects many heterogeneous devices to each other, collecting and processing large volumes of data for decision making without human intervention. However, the information security concern it brings has attracted quite a lot of attention, and, at this stage, the smart step would be to analyze the security issues of IoT platform and get to the state of readiness before embarking upon this attractive technology. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

IoT risk assessment through the application of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), a favorite multi-criteria decision making technique, is proposed. The IoT risks are prioritized and ranked at different layers, before which a well-defined IoT risk taxonomy is defined comprising of 25 risks across six layers of the IoT model for developing control and mitigation plans for information security of IoT.

Findings

People and processes layer, network layer and applications layer are the top three critical layers with risks like the lack of awareness, malware injection, malicious code injection, denial of service and inefficient policies for IoT practice get the highest priority and rank. Pareto analysis of the overall risk factors revealed that the top ten factors contribute to 80 percent of the risks perceived by information security experts.

Research limitations/implications

The study focuses only on certain predefined constructs or layers of the IoT model traced from legacy studies. It is essential to re-look these constructs on a timely basis to prolong the results’ validity. The study’s empirical scope is confined only to the risk perception of select IoT experts and does not encompass a broader segment of the IoT ecosystem. Therefore, the risks assessment may not be sweeping to a bigger audience.

Practical implications

The study implications are two-fold: one it consolidates the earlier siloed works to intensify the need for risk assessment in the IoT domain, and second the study brings yet another contextual avenue of extending the application AHP and Pareto principle combination. The paper also draws specific critical organizational interventions about IoT risks. A comprehensive approach to prioritizing and ranking IoT risks are present in this research paper.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study to the benchmarking of IoT risk assessment is two-fold. One, a comprehensive risk assessment taxonomy is proposed, and two, the risks are prioritized and ranked to give a convincing reference for the organizations while making information security plans for IoT technology.
Industry 4.0: key findings and analysis from the literature arena
Authors: G. Rejikumar , Sreedharan V. Raja , P. Arunprasad , Persis Jinil , K.M. Sreeraj
Published: July 2019

Purpose

In recent years, a new transformation known as Industry 4.0 has drawn much attention throughout the world, and numerous investigations have fundamentally looked into the uprising concept. However, few have concentrated on the literature review. Taking this as motivation, the authors endeavored to assess the different attributes of Industry 4.0. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This review concentrated on linking the articles from different database and distinguishing the attributes of Industry 4.0. The authors assessed 85 articles from scholarly database and peer-reviewed journals on Industry 4.0 through the selection of the Mayring (2004) procedure. The examination included a four-advance process, in particular, material gathering, engaging investigation, classification of the choice and material assessment.

Findings

The study backs experts and readers to comprehend the spread of Industry 4.0 in various ventures. For academicians, this gives an extensive rundown of Industry 4.0 attributes. Besides, the writing review gives a chance to comprehend the idea of Industry 4.0 in detail. Further, the outcome aggregates the success factor, failure factor, business model, potential and difficulties in the context of Industry 4.0.

Research limitations/implications

Many areas such as supply chain, circular economy and healthcare have started exploring Industry 4.0. However, few specific cases have reported about it, and no generic model is found for real-time application.

Practical implications

The study serves as reference material for researchers and practitioners to understand the spread of Industry 4.0 and utilize the concept of Industry 4.0 for real-life application.

Originality/value

The study focuses on reporting the potential, challenges, business model and pre-requites of Industry 4.0.
Ambidextrous workforces for managing market turbulence
Authors: Caputo Francesco , Giacosa Elisa , Mazzoleni Alberto , Ossorio Mario
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence regarding the contributions of ambidextrous workforces as a source of value for dynamic companies and organizations facing emerging market turbulence.

Design/methodology/approach

Using structural equation modeling, the paper analyses the data collected via a semi-structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 1,227 employees from 37 Italian small- to medium-sized enterprises to investigate the effect on companies’ economic performance of ambidextrous workforce-related elements such as study background, previous work experience, work flexibility and soft capabilities.

Findings

The research shows that multidisciplinary human resources’ study background, previous human resources’ work experience and human resources’ soft capabilities are positively linked to companies’ return on sales, providing indirect evidence about the role of ambidextrous workforces in supporting companies facing emerging market turbulence.

Originality/value

The research demonstrates the relevant role of human resources in supporting companies to better align themselves to the emerging social and economic variety.
Sensitivity analysis based on variance decomposition for factors in bat algorithm
Authors: Yin Shi , Zhu Ming
Published: July 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to quantify the dependence relationship of bat algorithm’s (BA) behaviour on the factors that could possibly affect the outputs, and rank the importance of the various uncertain factors thus suggesting research priorities.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducts a sensitivity analysis based on variance decomposition of factors in both of original and improved BA. The data sets for sensitivity analysis are generated by optimal Latin hyper sampling in the design of experiment. The optimal factor sets are screened by stochastic error bar measures for the effective and robust implementation of BA.

Findings

The paper reveals the inner dependent relationship between factors and output in both of original and improved BA. It figures out the weakness in original BA and improves that. It suggests that uncertainty brought about by factors are mainly caused by the interaction effect and all the higher-order term in sensitivity indices for both of original and improved BA. It ranks the main effect and the total effect of factors and screens out some optimal factor sets for BA.

Originality/value

This paper quantifies the dependence relationship of BA’s behaviour on the factors that could affect outputs using sensitivity analysis based on variance decomposition.
An empirical investigation of innovation process in Indian pharmaceutical companies
Authors: Lenka Usha , Gupta Minisha
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework exploring innovation process in research and development units of organizations. Research and development (R&D) teams of pharmaceutical firms operating in India were the unit of analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 352 leaders and equal number of team members working in R&D teams. Responses were collected through questionnaire survey method. Questions to measure variables of members’ proactive personality, emotional intelligence, trust, task reflexivity, team creativity and innovation adoption were answered by team leaders. Similarly, questions on variables, resonant leadership style of team leaders, team information sharing process and climate for innovation were answered by team members. Out of 450 distributed questionnaires, 352 completely filled responses were finally obtained, with a response rate of 78 percent. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling using AMOS 21.0 software package.

Findings

Findings of the study reveal that members’ proactive personality, emotional intelligence and trust enhance members’ learning ability called task reflexivity. This learning is further promulgated with the intervention of team information sharing process and support for innovation. Team creativity enhances innovation implementation in organizations. However, resonant leadership style of team leaders does not support task reflexivity.

Practical implications

Overall, the study highlights that creativity is promulgated when information is disseminated among members in a supportive climate for innovation. Organizations can create and innovate by developing capability of members who are proactive, emotionally intelligent and who trust their colleagues, so that team members can rationally judge organizational priorities, learn from their colleagues, plan and execute novice ideas to serve market needs.

Originality/value

R&D team enhances creativity and innovation in organizations by leveraging their talent and skills. This work is an attempt to develop an innovation process model in Indian pharmaceutical organizations to promulgate creativity and innovation through R&D teams.
Reverse knowledge transfer and innovation in MNCs
Authors: Jiménez-Jiménez Daniel , Martínez-Costa Micaela , Sanz-Valle Raquel
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to study the relationship between reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) and headquarters’ innovation, examining potential moderators of such relationship, and to analyze the role of headquarters’ absorptive capacity (AC) and the coordination mechanisms they adopt as antecedents of RKT.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative data were collected from 104 Spanish multinational companies. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses.

Findings

Findings provide the evidence of a positive relationship between RKT and headquarters’ innovation. This relationship is higher when the knowledge transferred from subsidiaries to parent units is of a more tacit nature, and also when the organizational distance between them is larger. The results also show that the parent unit’s AC and the use of mechanisms for coordinating company units can facilitate RKT.

Practical implications

MNCs that wish to be more innovative should be aware that it is worth the effort of fostering RKT, especially when knowledge is more tacit and comes from subsidiaries with different organizational practices and culture because these two variables increase the positive relationship that it was found between effective RKT and the development of innovation in the headquarters. Additionally, results show that in order to facilitate RKT, the improvement of headquarters’ AC and the use of mechanisms of coordination between them and its subsidiaries can be useful.

Originality/value

Up to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study that examines the link between RKT and headquarters innovation, and one of the few that focuses on headquarters characteristics as determinants of RKT. Thus, the findings contribute to the literature that highlights the benefits of RKT for MNC’s competitiveness, and that seeks to know how to promote RKT.
How R&D originality affects open innovation under knowledge spillovers?
Authors: Wang Zongjun , Jiang Zhenyu
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how R&D originality functions in an open innovation process after the introduction of knowledge spillovers (KSs).

Design/methodology/approach

To examine the research framework, the authors use hierarchical regression based on questionnaire data from 211 emerging enterprises in China.

Findings

Consistent with the proposed framework, the authors find that the KS effect mediates the positive relationship between openness and innovation performance. In addition, R&D originality weakens the impact of the KS effect on innovation performance.

Research limitations/implications

One limitation is that the questionnaire survey the authors choose for data collection has some natural defects; furthermore, the testing method and research framework need to be improved.

Practical implications

Several implications of the findings for managerial practices are discussed.

Originality/value

First, the research expands the existing theoretical construct by introducing the KS effect into the open innovation process; second, the authors reveal the negative impact of R&D originality on the open innovation process.
Recruitment and retention of information professionals: library leaders’ perspectives in Pakistan
Authors: Warraich Nosheen Fatima , Ameen Kanwal , Malik Amara
Published: July 2019

Purpose

This study aims to highlight the issues and concerns specific to information professionals (IPs) in academic libraries of Pakistan. It identifies the problems that academic libraries face in attracting and hiring competent IPs along with the strategies to be used to recruit and retain them in the dynamic environment of academia. Moreover, it provides a list of required skills that employers would look for while hiring IPs in academic settings.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews of 20 library leaders involved in hiring process were conducted from 16 public and private sector universities.

Findings

Findings identified interpersonal skills as the most desired followed by the subject knowledge and IT orientation while hiring IPs for the present and foreseeable future. Good salary package, conducive work environment with opportunities for learning and continuing professional development and speedy promotion were significant perceived factors to attract and retain the talented professionals in university library settings.

Practical implications

The study would be helpful for policymakers and administrators to hire and retain the IPs capable of developing user-centered services in academic libraries.

Originality/value

Practical suggestions made for hiring, retaining and developing IPs in academic libraries would be beneficial for other developing countries with similar context. It addressed an unexplored area in the context of a developing country and reported original research that will assist policy and decision-makers to hire and retain competent human resources.
Community archives in the Manuscript Department of the National Library of Russia
Authors: Poliakov Ivan , Smirnova Maria
Published: July 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to characterize community archives in the common array of the manuscript collection of the National Library of Russia (NLR). The purpose of the paper is to identify the features of organization of the archival system of Russia and the place of community archives in it. The authors intend to characterize the features of origin, history of existence and preservation of archives of public organizations in Russia on the example of the archives of Russian societies of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; to spread knowledge about historical communities of Russia and their archival heritage and to discuss the value of community archives and their information potential.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on the traditional methodology of the academic archival studies. At the same time interdisciplinary approach plays a great role in the field of study of community archives. The findings of the study were obtained as a result of the application of methods of historical research and special historical disciplines: archival heuristics, archive studies, source studies and archeography. The data were complemented by documentary analysis, including materials of nine archives, documents concerning acquisition and storage of these archives.

Findings

As a result of the study of different community archives in the Manuscript Department of the NLR the authors came to the conclusion about poor preservation and diffusion of these archives. It suggests the necessity of developing methods of virtual archive reconstruction.

Originality/value

This is the first study to date on the community archives in Russia. The first attempt to attribute and classify community archives of the NLR.