bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Childhood Invasive Bacterial Disease in Kathmandu, Nepal (2005–2013)
Authors: Carter Michael J. , Gurung Meeru , Pokhrel Bhishma , Bijukchhe Sanjeev Man , Karmacharya Sudhir , Khadka Bijay , Maharjan Anju , Bhattarai Suraj , Shrestha Swosti , Khadka Bibek , Khulal Animesh , Gurung Sunaina , Dhital Bijaya , Prajapati Krishna G. , Ansari Imran , Shah Ganesh P. , Wahl Brian , Kandasamy Rama , Pradhan Rahul , Kelly Sarah , Voysey Merryn , Murdoch David R. , Adhikari Neelam , Thorson Stephen , Kelly Dominic , Shrestha Shrijana , Pollard Andrew J.
Published: December 2021

Background:

Invasive bacterial disease (IBD; including pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children in low-income countries.

Methods:

We analyzed data from a surveillance study of suspected community-acquired IBD in children <15 years of age in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 2005 to 2013 before introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV). We detailed the serotype-specific distribution of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and incorporated antigen and PCR testing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from children with meningitis.

Results:

Enhanced surveillance of IBD was undertaken during 2005–2006 and 2010–2013. During enhanced surveillance, a total of 7956 children were recruited of whom 7754 had blood or CSF culture results available for analysis, and 342 (4%) had a pathogen isolated. From 2007 to 2009, all 376 positive culture results were available, with 259 pathogens isolated (and 117 contaminants). Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi was the most prevalent pathogen isolated (167 cases, 28% of pathogens), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (98 cases, 16% pathogens). Approximately, 73% and 78% of pneumococcal serotypes were contained in 10-valent and 13-valent PCV, respectively. Most cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) were among children ≥5 years of age from 2008 onward. Antigen and PCR testing of CSF for pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae type b and meningococci increased the number of these pathogens identified from 33 (culture) to 68 (culture/antigen/PCR testing).

Conclusions:

S. enterica serovar Typhi and S. pneumoniae accounted for 44% of pathogens isolated. Most pneumococcal isolates were of serotypes contained in PCVs. Antigen and PCR testing of CSF improves sensitivity for IBD pathogens.
Changes in Exanthema Subitum Incidence and Patient Age Distribution During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan
Authors: Tachikawa Jun , Aizawa Yuta , Ikuse Tatsuki , Kon Miyako , Saitoh Akihiko
Published: December 2021

Incidences of community-acquired infectious diseases other than COVID-19 decreased during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic; however, exanthema subitum incidence before (2016–2019) and during the pandemic (2020) in Niigata, Japan, did not substantially differ, although the proportion of age less than 1-year-old was lower in 2020. These findings suggest that exanthema subitum is transmitted mainly among family members, not in the community.
HIV Drug Resistance in Kenyan Infants Diagnosed With HIV and Their Mothers
Authors: Khamadi Samoel , Lwembe Raphael , Maosa Nicodemus , Maloba May , Wexler Catherine , Sandbulte Matthew , Goggin Kathy , Babu Shadrack , Finocchario-Kessler Sarah
Published: December 2021

The presence and type of HIV drug resistance mutations among 5 infants diagnosed with HIV were assessed and compared with their mothers’ viral mutations. Mother and infant blood samples were sequenced and screened for HIV drug resistance mutations using the Stanford HIV Sequence Database. Three of 5 (60%) mother-infant pairs harbored HIV drug resistance mutations.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in a 12-Year-old Boy After mRNA-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination
Authors: Abdelgalil Abobakr A. , Saeedi Fajr A
Published: December 2021

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) following SARS-CoV-2 infection is well known. We describe a 12-year-old child developing MIS-C after receiving 2 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines without clinical evidence of COVID-19 infection. A possible association between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and MIS-C cannot be excluded.
Venomous Snake and Spider Bites in Pregnancy
Authors: Chen Emily , Dotters-Katz Sarah , Kuller Jeffrey A. , Varvoutis Megan
Published: December 2021

Importance

Venomous snake and spider bites are relatively rare in the Unites States and even more so in the pregnant population. However, the impact of a venomous bite, also known as an envenomation, can be serious in a pregnant patient. Thus, providers in endemic and high-risk areas must be familiar with the management of envenomation in the pregnant population.

Objective

The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on the most common snake and spider envenomations in the United States, the effects of envenomation on maternal and fetal health, and the management of envenomation in pregnancy.

Evidence Acquisition

Original research articles, review articles, and guidelines on snake and spider envenomation were reviewed.

Results

Snake envenomation carries higher risks of maternal morbidity and fetal morbidity and mortality than spider envenomation. Although the data are limited, current literature suggests that both snake and spider antivenom can be used in the pregnant population without significant adverse outcomes. However, the risks of an adverse hypersensitivity reaction with antivenom administration should be weighed carefully with the benefits.

Conclusions and Relevance

The use of antivenom therapy in the symptomatic envenomated pregnant population is likely safe with the appropriate monitoring and follow-up. Knowledge of the indications for antivenom therapy and proper escalation of care are vital to optimizing maternal and fetal outcomes. More research is needed to determine the effects of both envenomation and antivenom therapy on the pregnant patient and their fetus.

Target Audience

Obstetricians and gynecologists, family physicians

Learning Objectives

After participating in this activity, the provider should be better able to identify the most common venomous snakes and spiders in the United States; describe the maternal presentation and potential maternal and fetal effects of envenomation; and explain the appropriate use of antivenom therapy in pregnancy.
Interventions Using mHealth Strategies to Improve Screening Rates of Cervical Cancer: A Scoping Review
Authors: Bhochhibhoya Shristi , Dobbs Page D. , Maness Sarah B.
Published: December 2021

(Abstracted from Prev Med 2021;143:106387)

Despite significant improvement through the past decade in implementation and adoption of cervical cancer screening and prevention worldwide, in 2018, the global age standardized incidence and mortality rates were 13.1 and 6.9 per 100,000 women, respectively. Current screening guidelines suggest a papillomavirus test (Papanicolaou test) every 3 years for women aged 21 through 65 years.
Does Aspirin Prescribed to Women Deemed High Risk for Preterm Pre-Eclampsia at 11–13+6 Weeks Gestation Affect the Prevalence of Small for Gestational Age Neonates?
Authors: Park Felicity , O'Brien Cecelia , Phung Jason , Emeto Theophilus , Hyett Jon
Published: December 2021

(Abstracted from Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2021;61:347–353)

Previous studies have reported that aspirin can be used to reduce the prevalence of both early-onset preeclampsia (ePET) and fetal growth restriction (FGR). The prevention of FGR would improve both pregnancy and infant outcomes and could also reduce costs to the health care system.
Association of Maternal Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy With Early Childhood Health Outcomes
Authors: Mehrabadi Azar , Dodds Linda , MacDonald Noni E. , Top Karina A. , Benchimol Eric I. , Kwong Jeffrey C. , Ortiz Justin R. , Sprague Ann E. , Walsh Laura K. , Wilson Kumanan , Fell Deshayne B.
Published: December 2021

(Abstracted from JAMA 2021;325:2285–2293)

Vaccination for seasonal influenza is an important health intervention, even for pregnant women. Influenza vaccination helps to reduce the risk of severe influenza illness for the mother and child.
Association of Simulation Training With Rates of Medical Malpractice Claims Among Obstetrician-Gynecologists
Authors: Schaffer Adam C. , Babayan Astrid , Einbinder Jonathan S. , Sato Luke , Gardner Roxane
Published: December 2021

(Abstracted from Obstet Gynecol 2021;138:246–252)

In the United States, adverse events occur in approximately 2% to 16% of deliveries. Root cause analysis and medical malpractice claims data point to issues in communication as the most common problem in these cases.
Imaging-based Machine-learning Models to Predict Clinical Outcomes and Identify Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Janssen Boris V. , Verhoef Severano , Wesdorp Nina J. , Huiskens Joost , de Boer Onno J. , Marquering Henk , Stoker Jaap , Kazemier Geert , Besselink Marc G.
Published: December 2021

Objective:

To perform a scoping review of imaging-based machine-learning models to predict clinical outcomes and identify biomarkers in patients with PDAC.

Summary of Background Data:

Patients with PDAC could benefit from better selection for systemic and surgical therapy. Imaging-based machine-learning models may improve treatment selection.

Methods:

A scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses-scoping review guidelines in the PubMed and Embase databases (inception-October 2020). The review protocol was prospectively registered (open science framework registration: m4cyx). Included were studies on imaging-based machine-learning models for predicting clinical outcomes and identifying biomarkers for PDAC. The primary outcome was model performance. An area under the curve (AUC) of ≥0.75, or a P-value of ≤0.05, was considered adequate model performance. Methodological study quality was assessed using the modified radiomics quality score.

Results:

After screening 1619 studies, 25 studies with 2305 patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria. All but 1 study was published in 2019 and 2020. Overall, 23/25 studies created models using radiomics features, 1 study quantified vascular invasion on computed tomography, and one used histopathological data. Nine models predicted clinical outcomes with AUC measures of 0.78–0.95, and C-indices of 0.65–0.76. Seventeen models identified biomarkers with AUC measures of 0.68–0.95. Adequate model performance was reported in 23/25 studies. The methodological quality of the included studies was suboptimal, with a median modified radiomics quality score score of 7/36.

Conclusions:

The use of imaging-based machine-learning models to predict clinical outcomes and identify biomarkers in patients with PDAC is increasingly rapidly. Although these models mostly have good performance scores, their methodological quality should be improved.
Underlying Bias in the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Lopez-Verdugo Fidel , Fong Zhi Ven , Lillemoe Keith D. , Blaszkowsky Lawrence S. , Parikh Aparna R. , Wo Jennifer Y. , Hong Theodore S. , Ferrone Cristina R. , Fernandez-Del Castillo Carlos , Qadan Motaz
Published: December 2021

Objective:

To identify disparities in access to NAT for PDAC at the prehospital and intrahospital phases of care.

Summary of Background Data:

Delivery of NAT in PDAC is susceptible to disparities in access. There are limited data that accurately locate the etiology of disparities at the prehospital and intrahospital phases of care.

Methods:

Retrospective cohort of patients ≥18 years old with clinical stage I-II PDAC from the 2010–2016 National Cancer Database. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess 2 sequential outcomes: (1) access to an NAT facility (prehospital phase) and (2) receipt of NAT at an NAT facility (intrahospital phase).

Results:

A total of 36,208 patients were included for analysis in the prehospital phase of care. Higher education, longer travel distances, being treated at academic/research or integrated network cancer programs, and more recent year of diagnosis were independently associated with receipt of treatment at an NAT facility. All patients treated at NAT facilities (31,099) were included for the second analysis. Higher education level and receiving care at an academic/research facility were independently associated with increased receipt of NAT. NonBlack racial minorities (including American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islanders), being Hispanic, being uninsured, and having Medicaid insurance were associated with decreased receipt of NAT at NAT facilities.

Conclusions:

Non-Black racial minorities and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive NAT at NAT facilities compared to White and non-Hispanic patients, respectively. Discrepancies in administration of NAT while being treated at NAT facilities exist and warrant urgent further investigation.
Effect of positive emotions on perceptual processing of visual probes
Authors: Kurohara Genya , Ogawa Keiko
Published: December 2021

Objectives

The late positive potential (LPP) is an event-related potential that increases in response to emotional stimuli. Brown et al. investigated the functional significance of LPP. They induced the LPP by presenting unpleasant pictures and reported that N1 in response to a visual probe, which reflects perceptual processing in the visual cortex, was attenuated compared to N1 when neutral pictures induced the LPP. This finding suggested that visual cortex activity is inhibited during LPP elicitation (global inhibition hypothesis). However, they did not examine the activity of the visual cortex during LPP induced by pleasant pictures. Based on previous research reporting that positive emotions enhance motivation and cognitive activity (e.g. broaden and build theory), we hypothesize that perceptual processing of visual probes during LPP is enhanced by pleasant pictures, which increase N1 to the visual probe.

Methods

We investigated this hypothesis by presenting visual probes during LPP generated by emotional pictures following Brown et al.

Results

The results demonstrated that the N1 amplitude increased, and response times to visual probes decreased during the LPP induced by pleasant pictures compared to unpleasant pictures.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that positive emotions elicited by pleasant pictures enhanced the perceptual processing of visual probes, which is suggestive of the approach function of LPP during positive emotional experiences.
Morphine may have a role in telomere shortening
Authors: Darvishi Fatemeh Zahra , Saadat Mostafa
Published: December 2021

Morphine/heroin may increase oxidative stress in drug-dependent persons. The imbalance between oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms can accelerate the shortening of telomere length. This article reports two sets of data; comparison of relative telomere length between heroin-dependent patients and healthy control group, as well as, investigation of the effect of morphine on the relative telomere length of human SH-SY5Y cells treated by morphine. Study participants were composed of 163 heroin-dependent patients and 166 unrelated healthy controls. SH-SY5Y cells were treated with (5 μM) morphine hydrochloride and incubated for 40 and 60 days. The relative telomere length was calculated as the T/S (telomere/single-copy gene) ratio using 36B4 as a reference for each sample, using quantitative real-time PCR. The mean (± SE) value of relative telomere length was 4.81 ± 0.21 and 6.38 ± 0.23 in leukocytes of heroin-dependent and control groups, respectively. The telomere length was significantly decreased in heroin-dependent participants (t = 4.97; df = 327; P < 0.0001). The relative telomere length in cells treated with morphine for 60 days was 4.50 ± 0.14 and in untreated cells was 5.75 ± 0.08. The difference was highly significant (t  =  7.68; df = 4; P = 0.002). Our present findings indicate that morphine and dependency on heroin are significantly associated with shorter telomeres. The present findings may help to explain some of the adverse effects of drug dependency on health such as accelerating biologic processes related to aging.
Neuroscience needs evolution
Authors: Cisek Paul , Hayden Benjamin Y.
Published: December 2021

The nervous system is a product of evolution. That is, it was constructed through a long series of modifications, within the strong constraints of heredity, and continuously subjected to intense selection pressures. As a result, the organization and functions of the brain are shaped by its history. We believe that this fact, underappreciated in contemporary systems neuroscience, offers an invaluable aid for helping us resolve the brain's mysteries. Indeed, we think that the consideration of evolutionary history ought to take its place alongside other intellectual tools used to understand the brain, such as behavioural experiments, studies of anatomical structure and functional characterization based on recordings of neural activity. In this introduction, we argue for the importance of evolution by highlighting specific examples of ways that evolutionary theory can enhance neuroscience. The rest of the theme issue elaborates this point, emphasizing the conservative nature of neural evolution, the important consequences of specific transitions that occurred in our history, and the ways in which considerations of evolution can shed light on issues ranging from specific mechanisms to fundamental principles of brain organization.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.
The whole prefrontal cortex is premotor cortex
Authors: Fine Justin M. , Hayden Benjamin Y.
Published: December 2021

We propose that the entirety of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can be seen as fundamentally premotor in nature. By this, we mean that the PFC consists of an action abstraction hierarchy whose core function is the potentiation and depotentiation of possible action plans at different levels of granularity. We argue that the apex of the hierarchy should revolve around the process of goal-selection, which we posit is inherently a form of optimization over action abstraction. Anatomical and functional evidence supports the idea that this hierarchy originates on the orbital surface of the brain and extends dorsally to motor cortex. Accordingly, our viewpoint positions the orbitofrontal cortex in a key role in the optimization of goal-selection policies, and suggests that its other proposed roles are aspects of this more general function. Our proposed perspective will reframe outstanding questions, open up new areas of inquiry and align theories of prefrontal function with evolutionary principles.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.
The evolution of brain architectures for predictive coding and active inference
Authors: Pezzulo Giovanni , Parr Thomas , Friston Karl
Published: December 2021

This article considers the evolution of brain architectures for predictive processing. We argue that brain mechanisms for predictive perception and action are not late evolutionary additions of advanced creatures like us. Rather, they emerged gradually from simpler predictive loops (e.g. autonomic and motor reflexes) that were a legacy from our earlier evolutionary ancestors—and were key to solving their fundamental problems of adaptive regulation. We characterize simpler-to-more-complex brains formally, in terms ofgenerative modelsthat include predictive loops of increasing hierarchical breadth and depth. These may start from a simple homeostatic motif and be elaborated during evolution in four main ways: these include themultimodal expansionof predictive control into an allostatic loop; itsduplicationto form multiple sensorimotor loops that expand an animal's behavioural repertoire; and the gradual endowment of generative models withhierarchical depth(to deal with aspects of the world that unfold at different spatial scales) andtemporal depth(to select plans in a future-oriented manner). In turn, these elaborations underwrite the solution to biological regulation problems faced by increasingly sophisticated animals. Our proposal aligns neuroscientific theorising—about predictive processing—with evolutionary and comparative data on brain architectures in different animal species.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.
Experts in action: why we need an embodied social brain hypothesis
Authors: Barrett Louise , Henzi S. Peter , Barton Robert A.
Published: December 2021

The anthropoid primates are known for their intense sociality and large brain size. The idea that these might be causally related has given rise to a large body of work testing the ‘social brain hypothesis'. Here, the emphasis has been placed on the political demands of social life, and the cognitive skills that would enable animals to track the machinations of other minds in metarepresentational ways. It seems to us that this position risks losing touch with the fact that brains primarily evolved to enable the control of action, which in turn leads us to downplay or neglect the importance of the physical body in a material world full of bodies and other objects. As an alternative, we offer a view of primate brain and social evolution that is grounded in the body and action, rather than minds and metarepresentation.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.
As soon as there was life, there was danger: the deep history of survival behaviours and the shallower history of consciousness
Authors: LeDoux Joseph E.
Published: December 2021

It is often said that fear is a universal innate emotion that we humans have inherited from our mammalian ancestors by virtue of having inherited conserved features of their nervous systems. Contrary to this common sense-based scientific point of view, I have argued that what we have inherited from our mammalian ancestors, and they from their distal vertebrate ancestors, and they from their chordate ancestors, and so forth, is not a fear circuit. It is, instead, a defensive survival circuit that detects threats, and in response, initiates defensive survival behaviours and supporting physiological adjustments. Seen in this light, the defensive survival circuits of humans and other mammals can be conceptualized as manifestations of an ancient survival function—the ability to detect danger and respond to it—that may in fact predate animals and their nervous systems, and perhaps may go back to the beginning of life. Fear, on the other hand, from my perspective, is a product of cortical cognitive circuits. This conception is not just of academic interest. It also has practical implications, offering clues as to why efforts to treat problems related to fear and anxiety are not more effective, and what might make them better.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.
Reactive oxygen species signalling is involved in alkamide-induced alterations in root development
Authors: Campos-García Tonatiu , Molina-Torres Jorge , Overmyer Kirk
Published: December 2021

Alkamides are alpha unsaturated N-acylamides structurally related to N-acyl ethanolamides (NAEs) and N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones (AHLs). Studies have shown that alkamides induce prominent changes in root architecture, a significant metabolic readjustment, and transcriptional reprogramming. Some alkamide responses have been associated with redox signalling; however, this involvement and ROS sources have not been fully described. We utilized a genetic approach to address ROS signalling in alkamide-induced processes and found that in Arabidopsis, treatment with the alkamide affinin (50µM) increased the in-situ accumulation of H2O2 in lateral root emergence sites and reduced H2O2 accumulation in primary root meristems implying that altered root growth was dependent on endogenous H2O2. Results show that ROS sourced from PRX34, RBOHC and RBOHD were involved in promotion of lateral root emergence by alkamides. RBOHC was required for affinin-induced enhanced root hair expansion. Furthermore, affinin-induced changes in lateral root emergence, but not root hair length, were dependent on a change in extracellular pH. Finally, reverse genetic experiments suggest heterotrimeric G-proteins were involved in plant response to alkamides; nevertheless, further studies with additional higher order G-protein mutants will be required to resolve this question. These results support that alkamides recruit specific ROS signaling programs to mediate alterations in root architecture.

Highlight

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in alkamide-induced altered root development. Heterotrimeric G-protein complex, extracellular acidification, and ROS sourced from peroxidases and NADPH-oxidases are involved in these processes.
A subset of Memory B-derived antibody repertoire from 3-dose vaccinees is ultrapotent against diverse and highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron
Authors: Wang Kang , Jia Zijing , Bao Linlin , Wang Lei , Cao Lei , Chi Hang , Hu Yaling , Li Qianqian , Jiang Yinan , Zhu Qianhui , Deng Yongqiang , Liu Pan , Wang Nan , Wang Lin , Liu Min , Li Yurong , Zhu Boling , Fan Kaiyue , Fu Wangjun , Yang Peng , Pei Xinran , Cui Zhen , Qin Lili , Ge Pingju , Wu Jiajing , Liu Shuo , Chen Yiding , Huang Weijin , Qin Cheng-Feng , Wang Youchun , Qin Chuan , Wang Xiangxi
Published: December 2021

Omicron, the most heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 variant so far, is highly resistant to neutralizing antibodies, raising unprecedented concerns about the effectiveness of antibody therapies and vaccines. We examined whether sera from individuals who received two or three doses of inactivated vaccine, could neutralize authentic Omicron. The seroconversion rates of neutralizing antibodies were 3.3% (2/60) and 95% (57/60) for 2- and 3-dose vaccinees, respectively. For three-dose recipients, the geometric mean neutralization antibody titer (GMT) of Omicron was 15, 16.5-fold lower than that of the ancestral virus (254). We isolated 323 human monoclonal antibodies derived from memory B cells in 3-dose vaccinees, half of which recognize the receptor binding domain (RBD) and show that a subset of them (24/163) neutralize all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), including Omicron, potently. Therapeutic treatments with representative broadly neutralizing mAbs individually or antibody cocktails were highly protective against SARS-CoV-2 Beta infection in mice. Atomic structures of the Omicron S in complex with three types of all five VOC-reactive antibodies defined the binding and neutralizing determinants and revealed a key antibody escape site, G446S, that confers greater resistance to one major class of antibodies bound at the right shoulder of RBD through altering local conformation at the binding interface. Our results rationalize the use of 3-dose immunization regimens and suggest that the fundamental epitopes revealed by these broadly ultrapotent antibodies are a rational target for a universal sarbecovirus vaccine.

One sentence summary

A sub-set of antibodies derived from memory B cells of volunteers vaccinated with 3 doses of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine work individually as well as synergistically to keep variants, including Omicron, at bay.
Transcriptional signatures of clonally derivedToxoplasmatachyzoites reveal novel insights into the expression of a family of surface proteins
Authors: Theisen Terence C. , Boothroyd John C.
Published: December 2021

Toxoplasma gondiihas numerous, large, paralogous gene families that are likely critical for supporting its unparalleled host range: nearly any nucleated cell in almost any warm-blooded animal. TheSRS(SAG1-related sequence) gene family encodes over 100 proteins, the most abundant of which are thought to be involved in parasite attachment and, based on their stage-specific expression, evading the host immune response. For most SRS proteins, however, little is understood about their function and expression profile. Single-parasite RNA-sequencing previously demonstrated that across an entire population of lab-grown tachyzoites, transcripts for over 70SRSgenes were detected in at least one parasite. In any one parasite, however, transcripts for an average of only 7SRSgenes were detected, two of which,SAG1andSAG2A, were extremely abundant and detected in virtually all. These data do not address whether this pattern of sporadicSRSgene expression is consistently inherited among the progeny of a given parasite or arises independently of lineage. We hypothesized that ifSRSexpression signatures are stably inherited by progeny, subclones isolated from a cloned parent would be more alike in their expression signatures than they are to the offspring of another clone. In this report, we compare transcriptomes of clonally derived parasites to determine the degree to which expression of the SRS family is stably inherited in individual parasites. Our data indicate that in RH tachyzoites,SRSgenes are variably expressed even between parasite samples subcloned from the same parent within approximately 10 parasite divisions (72 hours). This suggests that the pattern of sporadically expressedSRSgenes is highly variable and not driven by inheritance mechanisms, at least under our conditions.
Genomic environments scale the activities of diverse core promoters
Authors: Hong Clarice K.Y. , Cohen Barak A.
Published: December 2021

A classical model of gene regulation is that enhancers provide specificity whereas core promoters provide a modular site for the assembly of the basal transcriptional machinery. However, examples of core promoter specificity have led to an alternate hypothesis in which specificity is achieved by core promoters with different sequence motifs that respond differently to genomic environments containing different enhancers and chromatin landscapes. To distinguish between these models, we measured the activities of hundreds of diverse core promoters in four different genomic locations and, in a complementary experiment, six different core promoters at thousands of locations across the genome. Although genomic locations had large effects on expression, the intrinsic activities of different classes of promoters were preserved across genomic locations, suggesting that core promoters are modular regulatory elements whose activities are independently scaled up or down by different genomic locations. This scaling of promoter activities is nonlinear and depends on the genomic location and the strength of the core promoter. Our results support the classical model of regulation in which diverse core promoter motifs set the intrinsic strengths of core promoters, which are then amplified or dampened by the activities of their genomic environments.
Oyster shell powder (Crassostrea gasar): evaluation of its potential as a natural and sustainable source of calcium in bread
Authors: Fernandes Maria Thereza Medeiros , Silva Wilma Fabiana Ferreira da , Tavares Romayana Medeiros Oliveira , Bezerra Breno Gustavo Porfírio , Carvalho Rodrigo Antônio Ponce de Leon Ferreira de , Damasceno Karla Suzanne Florentino da Silva Chaves
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The study aims to analyze the composition and mineral profile of oyster shell powder (OSP) and assess its potential as a sustainable source of calcium.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of two batches of OSP with different particle sizes had been evaluated for centesimal and mineral composition and microbiological quality. OSP with smaller particles (0.85 mm) was used in the production of bread: standard bread (SB) (0%), fortified bread (FB1) (3%) and FB2 (4%). Centesimal and mineral composition and sensory acceptance had been performed. The internal preference map had been constructed using principal component analysis. The Just About Right data and the influence of sensory attributes on bread acceptance had been assessed by a penalty analysis test.

Findings

OSP-0.85 mm had calcium content (478.47 ± 2.37 mg.g-1) lower than OSP-1.00 mm (521.15 ± 0.99 mg.g-1) due to retention of particles. In both batches, heavy metals such as chromium, nickel and copper had not detected. FB1 and FB2 had the best nutritional content compared to SB, with higher calcium content (mg.g-1) 0.69 ± 0.07; 13.76 ± 0.72 and 19.47 ± 1.99 for SB, FB1 and FB2, respectively. The internal preference map showed better acceptance of FB1 compared to FB2. The penalty test showed that this acceptance was penalized (p < 0.05) due to the sandy texture.

Originality/value

The large number of shells generated in the processing of oysters is an environmental problem and generates waste of a natural source of calcium. It has been demonstrated that oyster shell powder can be used as a natural and sustainable source of calcium in bread, requiring further studies to assess the bioavailability of calcium.
Consumer sophistication as an enhancer of innovation in the food industry: measurement development and validation
Authors: Lee Dongmin , Moon Junghoon , Jeong Jaeseok
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Recently, the role of consumers in firms' innovation processes has increased. Prior literature asserts that qualitative aspects of consumers serve as crucial factors shaping the even competitiveness of a specific industry. This study focuses on measuring home demand conditions that enhance local firms' innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study describes the development of a 12-item measure to assess consumer sophistication in the food industry. The items assess the general knowledge, experience, skills and abilities needed to purchase a specific food category. A second-order construct with three distinct first-order constructs emerged, which were termed opinion formulation, sensitivity and exposure with variety. The reliability and validity of the scale were assessed with pilot survey data using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The developed measure was tested to investigate its effect on individuals' grocery buying behaviors using grocery receipt panel data from 723 consumers.

Findings

The results indicate that consumer sophistication has a positive effect on new and the variety of grocery purchases. The more sophisticated a consumer is, the more they buy new and a variety of products. The newly developed consumer sophistication measure has a variety of potential applications to predict consumers' variety-seeking and new product purchase behavior.

Originality/value

This study is the first to develop a measure for assessing demand quality, namely, consumer sophistication of a specific food product. This approach may offer insights to practitioners regarding the relevant consumer sophistication levels to target when launching a new product or service in the food industry.
Impact of emotional intelligence on the stress and safety of construction workers' in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alsulami Hemaid , Serbaya Suhail H. , Rizwan Ali , Saleem Muhammad , Maleh Yassine , Alamgir Zobia
Published: December 2021

Purpose

In a country like Saudi Arabia, where the construction industry is witnessing an impressive growth in the post-oil era, it is important to examine the occupational health and safety behaviors of construction workers (CWs).

Design/methodology/approach

The present study aims to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on workers' stress and safety behaviors. Data were collected from CWs (n = 265) at a major construction site in the city of Jeddah. Two questionnaires comprising 25 and 32 questions were used to measure their EI and stress levels, respectively. Furthermore, structured interviews were conducted with the managers and supervisors to inquire about the safety behavior of their respective workers. Descriptive statistics, simple and companion regression were used for data analysis.

Findings

The findings indicate that EI plays an important role to enhance the safety behaviors of the CWs besides reducing their workplace stresses. Furthermore, workers' stress levels are found to negatively impact their safety behaviors, indicating that any reduction in occupational stress can reciprocally enhance their safety compliance. The findings are further discussed with the concerned stakeholders to recommend a seven-point therapeutic role of EI for the safety of CWs.

Originality/value

Results of the study can be used by managers and supervisors of the Saudi construction industry to reduce workplace accidents and improve the productivity of their organizations.
Off-centered stagnation point flow of an experimental-based hybrid nanofluid impinging to a spinning disk with low to high non-alignments
Authors: Dinarvand Saeed , Mahdavi Nejad Alireza
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to model and solve numerically the three-dimensional off-centered stagnation point flow and heat transfer of magnesium oxide–silver/water hybrid nanofluid impinging to a spinning disk.

Design/methodology/approach

The applied effective thermophysical properties of hybrid nanofluid including thermal conductivity and dynamics viscosity are according to the reported experimental relations that would be expanded by a mass-based algorithm. The single phase formulations coupled with experimental-based hybrid nanofluid model is implemented to derive the governing partial differential equations which are then transferred to a set of dimensionless ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with the use of the similarity transformation method. Afterward, the reduced ODEs are solved numerically by bvp4c function from MATLAB that is a trustworthy and efficient code according to three-stage Lobatto IIIa formula.

Findings

The effect of spinning parameter and nanoparticles masses (mMgO, mAg) on the hydrodynamics and thermal boundary layers behavior and also the quantities of engineering interest are presented in tabular and graphical forms. The recent work demonstrates that the analysis of flow and heat transfer becomes more complicated when there is a non-alignment between the impinging flow and the disk axes. From computational results demonstrate that, the radial and azimuthal velocities are, respectively, the increasing and decreasing functions of the disk spinning parameter. Further, for the greater values of the spinning parameter, an overshoot of the radial velocity owing to the centrifugal forces of the spinning disk is observed. Besides, the quantities of engineering interest gently enhance with first and second nanoparticle masses, while comparing their absolute values illustrates the fact that the effect of second nanoparticle mass (mAg) is greater. Further, it is inferred that the second nanoparticle’s mass enhancement results in the amplification of the heat transfer; although, the high skin friction and the relevant shear stress should be controlled.

Originality/value

The combination of experimental thermophysical properties with theoretical modeling of the problem can be the novelty of the present work. It is evident that the experimental relations of effective thermophysical properties can be trustable and flexible in the theoretical/mathematical modeling of hybrid nanofluids flows. Besides, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no one has ever attempted to study the present problem through a mass-based model for hybrid nanofluid.
The impact of external debt on total factor productivity and growth in HIPCs: non-linear regression approaches
Authors: Beyene Sisay Demissew , Kotosz Balázs
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide an empirical analysis of the impact of external debt on total factor productivity (TFP) and growth along with the TFP channel through which external debt affects the growth of heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs).

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses panel data econometrics; basically, the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) and alternative non-linear (panel threshold) models. For robustness check, it also uses panel-corrected standard errors, feasible generalized least squares and SUR (using alternative variables).

Findings

External debt significantly reduces both TFP and growth. Besides, it confirms that the relationship between external debt and TFP and gross domestic product growth is non-linear. Further external debt can affect the growth of HIPCs through the TFP channel. However, the threshold model result reveals weak evidence of threshold values although there are some threshold values of 67 and 54 for TFP and growth models, respectively.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on most concerned countries (HIPCs) that shows a detailed and complete analysis of the TFP channel and the impact of external debt on growth. Thus, it provides appropriate and sound policies that consider the unique characteristics of the countries. Unlike most previous findings, this study does not support an inverted U-shape relationship between external debt and growth. Further, it provides insights into the relationships among TFP, external debt and growth. Moreover, it considers basic panel econometric tests like cross-sectional dependence, uses a non-linear simultaneous equations model along with the alternative non-linear model and is supported by different robustness checks.
Factors influencing customers’ selection of Islamic home financing: a systematic review
Authors: Ibrahim Norhazlina , Mohd Sapian Safeza
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This study, using systematic literature review (SLR) aims to highlight and summarise current studies on the factors influencing customers’ Islamic home financing (IHF) selection and Islamic banking product preference, which has gained popularity within the banking sector over the past three decades. The SLR could map evolution and research fields, recommend a particular categorisation and determine primary issues to demonstrate current trends, future research directions and theoretical development.

Design/methodology/approach

The SLR was performed with a four-step reporting standard for the systematic evidence syntheses review method (research question formulation, systematic searching, quality assessment and data extraction) using 33 screened articles between 2008 and 2020 from two primary databases (Scopus and Web of Science) and one supporting database (Google Scholar).

Findings

The resulting factors could be categorised into four primary themes: consumer behaviour, consumer attributes, bank attributes and bank attributes (Islamic). The themes were subsequently divided into 16 sub-themes. Notably, all the factors proved essential for consumers’ evolving preferences and product competitiveness in the market.

Research limitations/implications

This study encountered two limitations based on database selection and research period.

Practical implications

This SLR aimed to offer useful insights into the factors that should be prioritised by financial institutions for marketing approaches by investigating consumer behaviours.

Originality/value

This study pioneered an SLR on the study area for useful insights into the current research limitations and recommendations on future study directions. Specifically, the study method facilitated critical discussions and comparisons to past research outcomes and objectivity with triangulation from distinct perspectives.
Elucidating the effect of information technology capabilities on organizational performance in UAE: a three-wave moderated-mediation model
Authors: Alkatheeri Haseena Bader , Jabeen Fauzia , Mehmood Khalid , Santoro Gabriele
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate information technology capabilities (ITC)’s influence on organizational performance (OP) within the hospitality industry. Specifically, it analyzes the indirect effects of sustainability practices (SP) and service quality (SQ) on the relationship between ITC and OP. The moderating effect of top management support (TMS) is also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a three-wave time-lagged design, 507 UAE hotels' managers took part in the study. Hierarchical regression bootstrapping approach was used to examine the hypothesis.

Findings

This study suggests that ITC are positively related to OP. Furthermore, the study found that SP and SQ mediate the ITC-OP relationship. TMS moderates the positive relationship between ITC and OP and also moderates the relationship between SQ and OP. Additionally, TMS moderates the indirect effect of SQ on the association between ITC and OP, such that the mediating effect is stronger when TMS is at a high level.

Research limitations/implications

The study shall assist the practitioners of the hospitality firms to focus their attention on ITC to improve SQ and hence achieve optimal performance.

Originality/value

The novelty of this research lies in the presentation of an integrated framework based on a resource-based view to solve the contemporary challenges facing hospitality firms operating in emerging markets in integrating ITC and SP for better organizational results.
Lifetime estimation of tantalum capacitor for mobile applications using empirical and experimental techniques: a DOE approach
Authors: Bhargava Cherry , Sharma Pardeep Kumar , Kotecha Ketan
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Capacitors are one of the most common passive components on a circuit board. From a tiny toy to substantial satellite, a capacitor plays an important role. Untimely failure of a capacitor can destruct the entire system. This research paper targets the reliability assessment of tantalum capacitor, to reduce e-waste and enhance its reusable capability.

Design/methodology/approach

The residual lifetime of a tantalum capacitor is estimated using the empirical method, i.e. military handbook MILHDBK2017F, and validated using an experimental approach, i.e. accelerated life testing (ALT). The various influencing acceleration factors are explored, and experiments are designed using Taguchi's approach. Empirical methods such as the military handbook is used for assessing the reliability of a tantalum capacitor, for ground and mobile applications.

Findings

After exploring the lifetime of a tantalum capacitor using empirical and experimental techniques, an error analysis is conducted, which shows the validity of empirical technique, with an accuracy of 95.21%.

Originality/value

The condition monitoring and health prognostics of tantalum capacitors, for ground and mobile applications, are explored using empirical and experimental techniques, which warns the user about its residual lifetime so that the faulty component can be replaced in time.