bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of sertraline on depression severity and prolactin levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a placebo-controlled randomized trial
Authors: Masoudi Maryam , Ansari Sahar , Kashani Ladan , Tavolinejad Hamed , Hossein Rashidi Battool , Esalatmanesh Sophia , Ghazizadeh-Hashemi Maryam , Noorbala Ahmad Ali , Akhondzadeh Shahin
Published: May 2021

There is a paucity of data regarding the safety and efficacy of antidepressant therapy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and depression. The effect of antidepressant medications on circulating prolactin levels is of concern in this patient population. We aimed to evaluate the effect of sertraline on depression severity and serum prolactin levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and mild-to-moderate depression. In a parallel-design, two-center, randomized controlled trial, we stratified participants according to their baseline prolactin level into normal (<25 ng/mL) and high (≥25 ng/mL) prolactin groups. Each group was randomized to receive 50 mg daily sertraline (up-titrated after 25 mg daily for 1 week) or placebo. The enrolling physicians, outcome assessors, and study subjects were all blind to the treatment. Depression severity was assessed by the Hamilton depression rating scale at baseline, the third, and the sixth weeks. The primary efficacy outcome was a change in depression severity. Prolactin levels were checked at baseline and after 6 weeks, and the safety outcome was the alteration in prolactin levels. Overall, 513 women were screened for eligibility in two outpatient clinics. Ultimately, 74 (38 normal prolactin and 36 high prolactin level) individuals were randomized. After 6 weeks of follow-up, depression severity was significantly reduced among patients who received sertraline regardless of the baseline prolactin levels (all between subjects P < 0.001). Furthermore, there was no difference in prolactin levels between the sertraline and placebo arms in normal (P = 0.80) or high prolactin (P = 0.21) groups. Sertraline is a well-tolerated and effective choice for treating depression in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Future studies with longer follow-up periods are required to draw more robust conclusions.
The nematic-isotropic transition of the Lebwohl–Lasher model revisited
Authors: Skačej Gregor , Zannoni Claudio
Published: May 2021

We revisited the nematic-isotropic (NI) transition of the Lebwohl–Lasher lattice model with a detailed investigation of samples containing 200 × 200 × 200 particles. The large-scale Monte Carlo (MC) simulations involved were carried out following the standard Metropolis, as well as the cluster MC Wolff algorithms. A notable free-energy barrier was observed between the isotropic and nematic phase, leading to long-lived metastable states and hysteresis. We provide an improved estimate of the nematic-isotropic transition temperatureTNI, of the supercooling and superheating temperatures, of the temperature of divergence of pretransitional effectsTC∗as well as an analysis of the size distribution of the ordered domains aboveTNI, contributing to a better understanding of this transition of key importance for liquid crystals.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Topics in mathematical design of complex materials’.
Are we allowed to visit now? Concerns and issues surrounding vaccination and infection risks in UK care homes during COVID-19
Authors: Giebel Clarissa , Hanna Kerry , Cannon Jacqueline , Marlow Paul , Tetlow Hilary , Mason Stephen , Shenton Justine , Rajagopal Manoj , Gabbay Mark
Published: May 2021

Background

Vaccination uptake in the UK and increased care home testing are likely affecting care home visitation. With scant scientific evidence to date, the aim of this longitudinal qualitative study was to explore the impact of both (vaccination and testing) on the conduct and experiences of care home visits.

Methods

Family carers of care home residents with dementia and care home staff from across the UK took part in baseline (October/November 2020) and follow-up interviews (March 2021). Public advisers were involved in all elements of the research. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Across 62 baseline and follow-up interviews with family carers (n=26; 11) and care home staff (n=16; 9), five core themes were developed: Delayed and inconsistent offers of face-to-face visits; Procedures and facilitation of visits; Frustration and anger among family carers; Variable uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine; Misinformation, education, and free choice. The variable uptake in staff, compared to family carers, was a key factor seemingly influencing visitation, with a lack of clear guidance leading care homes to implement infection control measures and visitation rights differently.

Conclusions

We make five recommendations in this paper to enable improved care home visitation in the ongoing, and in future, pandemics. Visits need to be enabled and any changes to visiting rights must be used as a last resort, reviewed regularly in consultation with residents and carers and restored as soon as possible as a top priority, whilst more education needs to be provided surrounding vaccination for care home staff.
Dynamical Systems Modeling of Early-Term Immune Reconstitution with Different Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) Administration Schedules in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Zelikson Viktoriya , Simmons Gary , Raman Natasha , Krieger Elizabeth , Rebiero Anatevka , Hawks Kelly , Aziz May , Roberts Catherine , Reed Jason , Gress Ronald , Toor Amir
Published: May 2021

Alloreactivity forms the basis of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), with donor derived T cell response to recipient antigens mediating clinical responses either in part or entirely. These encompass the different manifestations of graft vs. host disease (GVHD), infection risk as well as disease response. Whilst the latter is contingent upon disease biology and thus may be less predictable, the former two are more likely to be directly proportional to the magnitude of donor derived T cell recovery. Herein we explore the quantitative aspects of immune cell recovery following allogeneic HCT and clinical outcomes in two cohorts of HLA matched allograft recipients who received rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) on different schedules (days -9 to -7 vs. -3 to -1). Monocyte as well as donor derived T cell (ddCD3) recovery was superior in those given ATG early in their course (days -9/-7). This difference was related to a more rapid rate of ddCD3 recovery, largely driven by CD3+/8+ cells in the first month following transplantation. Early monocyte recovery was associated with later T cell recovery, improved survival, and less chronic GVHD. In contrast rapid and early ddCD3 expansion out of proportion to monocyte recovery was associated with a high likelihood of acute GVHD and poor survival. This analytic methodology demonstrates that modelling ‘early-term immune reconstitution’ following HCT yields insights that may be useful in management of post-transplant immunosuppression and adaptive cellular therapy to optimize clinical outcomes.

Highlights

ATG given early (day -9 to -7) prior to HCT leads to improved survival and non-relapse mortality. Improved monocyte counts as well as donor-derived T cell counts are seen in recipients of early ATG. Improved clinical outcomes are observed in patients with enhanced monocyte and T cell recovery after HCT.
Disease-specific contribution of pulvinar dysfunction to impaired emotion recognition in schizophrenia
Authors: Martínez Antígona , Tobe Russell H. , Gaspar Pablo A. , Malinsky Daniel , Dias Elisa C. , Sehatpour Pejman , Lakatos Peter , Patel Gaurav H. , Silipo Gail , Javitt Daniel C.
Published: May 2021

One important aspect for managing social interactions is the ability to rapidly and accurately perceive and respond to facial expressions, which is highly dependent upon intact processing within both cortical and subcortical components of the early visual pathways. Social cognitive deficits, including face emotion recognition (FER) deficits, are characteristic of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (Sz) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Here, we investigated potential visual sensory contributions to FER deficits in Sz (n=28) and adult ASD (n=20) participants compared to neurotypical (n=30) controls using task-based fMRI during an implicit static/dynamic FER task. Compared to neurotypical controls, both Sz and ASD participants had significantly lower FER scores which interrelated with diminished activation of the superior temporal sulcus (STS). In Sz, STS deficits were predicted by reduced activation of both early visual regions and the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus, along with impaired cortico-pulvinar interaction. By contrast, ASD participants showed patterns of increased early visual cortical and pulvinar activation. Large effect-size structural and histological abnormalities of pulvinar have previously been documented in Sz. Moreover, we have recently demonstrated impaired pulvinar activation to simple visual stimuli in Sz. Here, we provide the first demonstration of a disease-specific contribution of impaired pulvinar activation to social cognitive impairment in Sz.
M-DATA: A Statistical Approach to Jointly Analyzing De Novo Mutations for Multiple Traits
Authors: Xie Yuhan , Li Mo , Dong Weilai , Jiang Wei , Zhao Hongyu
Published: May 2021

Recent studies have demonstrated that multiple early-onset diseases have shared risk genes, based on findings from de novo mutations (DNMs). Therefore, we may leverage information from one trait to improve statistical power to identify genes for another trait. However, there are few methods that can jointly analyze DNMs from multiple traits. In this study, we develop a framework called M-DATA (Multi-trait framework for De novo mutation Association Test with Annotations) to increase the statistical power of association analysis by integrating data from multiple correlated traits and their functional annotations. Using the number of DNMs from multiple diseases, we develop a method based on an Expectation-Maximization algorithm to both infer the degree of association between two diseases as well as to estimate the gene association probability for each disease. We apply our method to a case study of jointly analyzing data from congenital heart disease (CHD) and autism. Our method was able to identify 23 genes for CHD from joint analysis, including 12 novel genes, which is substantially more than single-trait analysis, leading to novel insights into CHD disease etiology.

Author Summary

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect. With the development of new generation sequencing technology, germline mutations such as de novo mutations (DNMs) with deleterious effects can be identified to aid in discovering the genetic causes for early on-set diseases such as CHD. However, the statistical power is still limited by the small sample size of DNM studies due to the high cost of recruiting and sequencing samples, and the low occurrence of DNMs given its rarity. Compared to DNM analysis for other diseases, it is even more challenging for CHD given its genetic heterogeneity. Recent research has suggested shared disease mechanisms between early-onset neurodevelopmental diseases and CHD based on findings from DNMs. Currently, there are few methods that can jointly analyze DNM data on multiple traits. Therefore, we develop a framework to identify risk genes for multiple traits simultaneously for DNM data. The new method is applied to CHD and autism as a case study to demonstrate its improved power in identifying risk genes compared with single-trait analysis. Our results lead to new insights on the disease etiology of CHD, and the shared etiological mechanisms between CHD and autism.
Theory of local k-mer selection with applications to long-read alignment
Authors: Shaw Jim , Yu Yun William
Published: May 2021

Motivation

Selecting a subset of k-mers in a string in a local manner is a common task in bioinformatics tools for speeding up computation. Arguably the most well-known and common method is the minimizer technique, which selects the ‘lowest-ordered’ k-mer in a sliding window. Recently, it has been shown that minimizers are a sub-optimal method for selecting subsets of k-mers when mutations are present. There is however a lack of understanding behind the theory of why certain methods perform well.

Results

We first theoretically investigate the conservation metric for k-mer selection methods. We derive an exact expression for calculating the conservation of a k-mer selection method. This turns out to be tractable enough for us to prove closed-form expressions for a variety of methods, including (open and closed) syncmers, (α, b, n)-words, and an upper bound for minimizers. As a demonstration of our results, we modified the minimap2 read aligner to use a more optimal k-mer selection method and demonstrate that there is up to an 8.2% relative increase in number of mapped reads.

Availability and supplementary information

Simulations and supplementary methods available at https://github.com/bluenote-1577/local-kmer-selection-results. os-minimap2 is a modified version of minimap2 and available at https://github.com/bluenote-1577/os-minimap2.

Contact

jshaw@math.toronto.edu
Simultaneous pure T2 and varying T2′-weighted BOLD fMRI using Echo Planar Time-resolved Imaging for mapping cortical-depth dependent responses
Authors: Wang Fuyixue , Dong Zijing , Wald Lawrence L. , Polimeni Jonathan R. , Setsompop Kawin
Published: May 2021

Spin-echo (SE) BOLD fMRI has high microvascular specificity, and thus provides a more reliable means to localize neural activity compared to conventional gradient-echo BOLD fMRI. However, the most common SE BOLD acquisition method, SE-EPI, is known to suffer from T2′ contrast contamination with undesirable draining vein bias. To address this, in this study, we extended a recently developed distortion/blurring-free multi-shot EPI technique, Echo-Planar Time-resolved Imaging (EPTI), to cortical-depth dependent SE-fMRI at 7T to test whether it could provide purer SE BOLD contrast with minimal T2′ contamination for improved neuronal specificity. From the same acquisition, the time-resolved feature of EPTI also provides a series of asymmetric SE (ASE) images with varying T2′ weightings, and enables extraction of data equivalent to conventional SE EPI with different echo train lengths (ETLs). This allows us to systematically examine how T2′-contribution affects different SE acquisition strategies using a single dataset. A low-rank spatiotemporal subspace reconstruction was implemented for the SE-EPTI acquisition, which incorporates corrections for both shot-to-shot phase variations and dynamic B0 drifts. SE-EPTI was used in a visual task fMRI experiment to demonstrate that i) the pure SE image provided by EPTI results in the highest microvascular specificity; ii) the ASE EPTI series, with a graded introduction of T2′ weightings at time points farther away from the pure SE, show a gradual sensitivity increase along with increasing draining vein bias; iii) the longer ETL seen in conventional SE EPI acquisitions will induce more draining vein bias. Consistent results were observed across multiple subjects, demonstrating the robustness of the proposed technique for SE-BOLD fMRI with high specificity.
Rapid genome editing by CRISPR-Cas9-POLD3 fusion
Authors: Reint Ganna , Li Zhuokun , Labun Kornel , Keskitalo Salla , Soppa Inkeri , Mamia Katariina , Tölö Eero , Szymanska Monika , Meza-Zepeda Leonardo A. , Lorenz Susanne , Cieslar-Pobuda Artur , Hu Xian , Bordin Diana L. , Staerk Judith , Valen Eivind , Schmierer Bernhard , Varjosalo Markku , Taipale Jussi , Haapaniemi Emma
Published: May 2021

Precision CRISPR gene editing relies on the cellular homology-directed DNA repair (HDR) to introduce custom DNA sequences to target sites. The HDR editing efficiency varies between cell types and genomic sites, and the sources of this variation are incompletely understood. Here, we have studied the effect of 450 DNA repair protein - Cas9 fusions on CRISPR genome editing outcomes. We find the majority of fusions to improve precision genome editing only modestly in a locus- and cell-type specific manner. We identify Cas9-POLD3 fusion that enhances editing by speeding up the initiation of DNA repair. We conclude that while DNA repair protein fusions to Cas9 can improve HDR CRISPR editing, most need to be optimized to the particular cell type and genomic site, highlighting the diversity of factors contributing to locus-specific genome editing outcomes.
Local structure-function relationships in human brain networks across the lifespan
Authors: Esfahlani Farnaz Zamani , Faskowitz Joshua , Slack Jonah , Mišić Bratislav , Betzel Richard F.
Published: May 2021

The human connectome is the set of physical pathways linking brain regions to one another. Empirical and in silico studies have demonstrated that the structure of this network helps shape patterns of functional coupling between brain regions. To better understand this link between structure and function, a growing number of studies have derived geometric, dynamic, and topological predictors from structural connectivity in order to make predictions about correlation structure. These studies, however, have typically focused on global (whole-brain) predictions using a restricted set of predictors. Here, we investigate a wide range of predictors and shift focus onto predictions of local (regional) patterns of functional coupling. We show that, globally, no individual predictor performs well and, that even the best predictors are largely driven by their ability to predict functional coupling between directly connected regions. We then use the same predictors to make predictions of local coupling and find marked improvement. Notably, the most predictable local FC is linked to sensorimotor regions, which are best predicted by measures based on topological similarity, mean first passage times of random walkers, and the brain’s embedding in Euclidean space. We then show that by combining the predictive power of more than one predictor using multi-linear models, we can further improve local predictions. Finally, we investigate how global and local structure-function coupling differences across the human lifespan. We find that, globally, the magnitude of coupling decreases with biological age, which is paralleled by an increase in the number of multi-step pathways. We also show that, locally, structure-function coupling is preserved in higher order cognitive systems, but preferentially decreases with age in sensorimotor systems. Our results illuminate the heterogeneous landscape of structure-function coupling across the cerebral cortex and help clarify its differences with age.
A cell-penetrant peptide blockingC9ORF72-repeat RNA nuclear export suppresses neurodegeneration
Authors: Castelli Lydia M. , Sanchez-Martinez Alvaro , Lin Ya-Hui , Upadhyay Santosh Kumar , Higginbottom Adrian , Cooper-Knock Johnathan , Gül Aytac , Walton Amy , Montmasson Claire , Cohen Rebecca , Bauer Claudia S. , De Vos Kurt J. , Azzouz Mimoun , Shaw Pamela J. , Dominguez Cyril , Ferraiuolo Laura , Whitworth Alexander J. , Hautbergue Guillaume M.
Published: May 2021

Hexanucleotide repeat expansions inC9ORF72are the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a spectrum of incurable debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we report a novel ALS/FTD drug concept within vivoandin vitrotherapeutic activity in preclinical models of C9ORF72-ALS/FTD. Our data demonstrate that supplementation or oral administration of a cell-penetrant peptide, which competes with the SRSF1:NXF1 interaction, confers neuroprotection by inhibiting the nuclear export of pathologicalC9ORF72-repeat transcripts in various models of disease including primary neurons, patient-derived motor neurons andDrosophila. Our drug-like rationale for disrupting the nuclear export of microsatellite repeat transcripts in neurological disorders provides a promising alternative to conventional small molecule inhibitors often limited by poor blood-brain barrier penetrance.
Tripeptide loop closure: a detailed study of reconstructions based on Ramachandran distributions
Authors: O’Donnell T. , Robert C. H. , Cazals F.
Published: May 2021

Tripeptide loop closure (TLC) is a standard procedure to reconstruct protein backbone conformations, by solving a zero dimensional polynomial system yielding up to 16 solutions. In this work, we first show that multiprecision is required in a TLC solver to guarantee the existence and the accuracy of solutions. We then compare solutions yielded by the TLC solver against tripeptides from the Protein Data Bank. We show that these solutions are geometrically diverse (up to 3Å RMSD with respect to the data), and sound in terms of potential energy. Finally, we compare Ramachandran distributions of data and reconstructions for the three amino acids. The distribution of reconstructions in the second angular space (φ2,ψ2) stands out, with a rather uniform distribution leaving a central void.

We anticipate that these insights, coupled to our robust implementation in the Structural Bioinformatics Library (https://sbl.inria.fr/doc/Tripeptide_loop_closure-user-manual.html), will boost the interest of TLC for structural modeling in general, and the generation of conformations of flexible loops in particular.
Interplay between receptor binding, immune escape and protein stability determines the natural selection of SARS-CoV-2 variants
Authors: Upadhyay Vaibhav , Lucas Alexandra , Panja Sudipta , Miyauchi Ryuki , Mallela Krishna M.G.
Published: May 2021

Emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants has raised concerns at the effectiveness of vaccines and antibody therapeutics developed against the unmutated wild-type virus. We examined the effect of 12 most commonly occurring mutations in the receptor binding domain on its expression, stability, activity, and antibody escape potential-some of the factors that may influence the natural selection of mutants. Recombinant proteins were expressed in human cells. Stability was measured using thermal denaturation melts. Activity and antibody escape potential were measured using isothermal titration calorimetry in terms of binding to ACE2 and to a neutralizing human antibody CC12.1, respectively. Our results show that variants differ in their expression levels with the two least stable variants showing lesser expression. Out of the 8 well-expressed mutants, only 2 (N501Y and K417T/E484K/N501Y) showed stronger affinity to ACE2, 4 (Y453F, S477N, T478I and S494P) have similar affinity, whereas the other 2 (K417N and E484K) have weaker affinity when compared to the wild-type. In terms of CC12.1 binding, when compared to the wild-type, 4 variants (K417N, Y453F, N501Y and K417T/E484K/N501Y) have weaker affinity, 2 (S477N and S494P) have similar affinity, and 2 (T478I and E484K) have stronger affinity. Taken together, these results indicate that multiple factors contribute towards the natural selection of variants, and all these factors need be considered to understand the evolution of the virus. In addition, since not all variants can escape a given neutralizing antibody, antibodies to treat new variants can be chosen based on the specific mutations in that variant.
Label-free three-dimensional analyses of live cells with deep-learning-based segmentation exploiting refractive index distributions
Authors: Choi Jinho , Kim Hye-Jin , Sim Gyuhyeon , Lee Sumin , Park Wei Sun , Park Jun Hyung , Kang Ha-Young , Lee Moosung , Heo Won Do , Choo Jaegul , Min Hyunseok , Park YongKeun
Published: May 2021

Visualisations and analyses of cellular and subcellular organelles in biological cells is crucial for the study of cell biology. However, existing imaging methods require the use of exogenous labelling agents, which prevents the long-time assessments of live cells in their native states. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate three-dimensional segmentation of subcellular organelles in unlabelled live cells, exploiting a 3D U-Net-based architecture. We present the high-precision three-dimensional segmentation of cell membrane, nucleus membrane, nucleoli, and lipid droplets of various cell types. Time-lapse analyses of dynamics of activated immune cells are also analysed using label-free segmentation.
Fine-scale heterogeneity in population density predicts wave dynamics in dengue epidemics
Authors: Romeo-Aznar Victoria , Freitas Laís Picinini , Cruz Oswaldo Gonçalves , King Aaron A , Pascual Mercedes
Published: May 2021

The spread of dengue and other arboviruses constitutes an expanding global health threat. The daunting heterogeneity in population distribution and movement in megacities of the developing world frustrates predictive modeling, even as its importance to disease spread is clearer than ever. Using surveillance data at fine resolution from Rio de Janeiro, we document a scale-invariant pattern in the size of successive epidemics following DENV4 emergence. This pattern emerges from the combined effect of herd immunity and seasonal transmission, and is strongly driven by variation in population density at sub-kilometer scales. It is apparent only when the landscape is stratified by population density and not by spatial proximity as has been common practice. Models that exploit this emergent simplicity should afford improved predictions of epidemic waves.
Describing small angle scattering profiles by a limited set of intensities
Authors: Grant Thomas D.
Published: May 2021

Small angle scattering (SAS) probes the size and shape of particles at low resolution through the analysis of the scattering of X-rays or neutrons passing through a solution of particles. One approach to extracting structural information from SAS data is the indirect Fourier transform (IFT). The IFT approach parameterizes the real space pair distribution function (P(r)) of a particle using a set of basis functions, which simultaneously determines the scattering profile (I(q)) using corresponding reciprocal space basis functions. This article presents an extension of an IFT algorithm proposed by Moore which used a trigonometric series to describe the basis functions, where the real space and reciprocal space basis functions are Fourier mates. An equation is presented relating the Moore coefficients to the intensities of the SAS profile at specific positions as well as a series of new equations that describe the size and shape parameters of a particle from this distinct set of intensity values. An analytical real space regularizer is derived to smooth the P(r) curve and ameliorate systematic deviations caused by series termination, commonly used in IFT methods though not described in Moore’s original approach, which is particularly susceptible to such effects. The algorithm is provided as a script, denss.fit_data.py, as part of the DENSS software package for SAS, which includes both command line and interactive graphical interfaces. Results of the program using experimental data show that it is as accurate, and often more accurate, than existing tools.
Islamic bank trust: the roles of religiosity, perceived value and satisfaction
Authors: Abror Abror , Patrisia Dina , Engriani Yunita , Idris Idris , Dastgir Shabbir
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between trust and its antecedents, i.e. customer satisfaction, perceived value and religiosity. The moderating roles of religiosity on the relationships between perceived value, satisfaction and trust also have been investigated in this study.

Design/methodology/approach

This research has carried out in West Sumatra Indonesia. The respondents of this study are Islamic bank customers from five areas in West Sumatra Indonesia. Data have been collected through Survey method. After some preliminary analyses, we employed 390 useable responses in the analysis. Covariance Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) was employed to analyze the data.

Findings

This study found that religiosity has significant impacts on perceived value, customer satisfaction and trust. Perceived value and customer satisfaction are also significant antecedents of trust. Moreover, it found the significant moderating impact of religiosity on the link between perceived value and trust, and also on the link between customer satisfaction and trust.

Research limitations/implications

This cross-sectional study has been conducted in a single country. Accordingly, this study may have a limitation in result generalization. Moreover, this study only focused on three antecedents of trust, including religiosity, satisfaction and perceived value. Therefore, for future research, we suggest conducting a longitudinal study in some Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Middle East countries. We also suggest employing other antecedents of customer trust, such as customer engagement and customer sociocultural.

Practical implications

Based on the research findings, the managers of Islamic banks will have input on how to improve their customers' trust by giving more attention to customer religiosity, perceived value and satisfaction. They can develop programs to increase customer perceived value and satisfaction such as a reward program to increase customer trust.

Originality/value

A more comprehensive model of the relationship between religiosity, perceived value, satisfaction and trust has been addressed in this study. This study also highlighted the significant moderating role of religiosity on the link between perceived value, satisfaction and trust which are neglected previously have also been highlighted in this study.
Using e-wallet for business process development: challenges and prospects in Malaysia
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , Awawdeh Ala Eldin , Muhamad Azim Izzuddin Bin
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore the challenges and prospects of using e-wallets in Malaysia, and what it means for businesses and customers. Suggested here are strategies to leverage the strengths and opportunities as well as overcome the weaknesses and threats. Suggested here are strategies to leverage the strengths and opportunities as well as overcome the weaknesses and threats.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyses the e-wallet phenomenon using a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis to assess Malaysian business development. It is supported with findings from the literature and secondary data. The relevant secondary data were collected from Bank Negara Malaysia and the World Bank.

Findings

This study shows that e-wallets in Malaysia have still not achieved their purpose but there is huge potential to do so. The SWOT analysis identified several strengths (e.g. financial incorporation, easy to access, protection and safety, simple for other accounts to connect to, product and consumer service management, quick to implement/administer), weaknesses (e.g. lack of infrastructure and the “tapping” of devices already cornered by the mobile phone market, opportunities (e.g. eliminating fraud, better customer service, promotion/loyalty that can be built into customer experience) and threats (e.g. attacks from viruses, frequent inquiries whether multiple wallets can be used by clients, the concerns of reckless spending behaviour of the e-wallet users).

Research limitations/implications

This study is crucial for assessing the current situation and the prospects of e-wallets in Malaysia. This study also offers significant insights for policymakers and e-wallet service providers to develop appropriate strategies to enhance e-wallet services in Malaysia.

Originality/value

This paper is the first of its kind to integrate a SWOT analysis and the rapid development of the e-wallet market in Malaysia. Hence, the findings could broaden our knowledge on the fintech industry and enable firms to participate in the e-wallet market.
Past, present, and future research on self-service merchandising: a co-word and text mining approach
Authors: Muñoz-Leiva Francisco , Rodríguez López María Eugenia , Liebana-Cabanillas Francisco , Moro Sérgio
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to discern emerging trends and provide a longitudinal perspective on merchandising research by identifying relationships between merchandising-related subdomains/themes.

Design/methodology/approach

This study sourced 657 merchandising-related articles published since 1960, from the Scopus database and 425 from Web of Science. After processing and normalizing the data, this study performed co-word and thematic network analyses. Taking a text mining approach, this study used topic modeling to identify a set of coherent topics characterized by the keywords of the articles.

Findings

This study identified the following merchandising-related themes: branding, retail, consumer, behavior, modeling, textile and clothing industry and visual merchandising. Although visual merchandising was the first type of merchandising to be used in-store, only recently has it become an emerging topic in the academic literature. There has been a further trend over the past decade to understand the adoption of simulation technology, such as computer-aided design, particularly in supply chain management in the clothing industry. These and other findings contribute to the discussion of the merchandising concept, approached from an evolutionary perspective.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions of this study hold implications at the intersection of merchandising, sectors, new technologies, research methodologies and merchandising-practitioner education. Research trends suggest that, in the future, virtual reality and augmented reality using neuroscientific methods will be applied to the e-merchandising context.

Practical implications

The different dimensions of merchandising can be used to leverage store managers’ decision-making process toward an integrated store-management strategy. In particular, by adopting loyalty merchandising tactics, the store can generate emotional attachment among consumers, who will perceive its value and services as unique, thanks to merchandising items designed specifically with that aim in mind. The stimulation of unplanned purchases, the strategic location of products and duration of each merchandising activity in the store, the digitalization of merchandising and the application of findings from neuroscience studies are some of the most relevant practical applications.

Originality/value

This study provides the first-ever longitudinal review of the state of the art in merchandising research, taking a holistic perspective of this field of knowledge spanning a 60-year period. The work makes a valuable contribution to the development of the marketing discipline.
The conformation of the disciplinary and professional field of pedagogy in Spain before the Civil War
Authors: Alvarez-Gonzalez Yasmina
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This article focuses on the study of the shaping of pedagogy as a discipline in Spain prior to the Civil War. Its aim is to identify those elements that helped pedagogy become constituted as a distinct field of knowledge that could offer rigorous insight into the world of education.

Design/methodology/approach

The article uses the framework proposed by Rita Hofstetter and Bernard Schneuwly for the shaping of a disciplinary field. Finally, it briefly examines the process of professionalization, using the approach advocated by the sociologist Elliott Freidson.

Findings

The analysis carried out concludes that at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936 the process of professionalization and consolidation of pedagogy as a discipline had been completed in Spain.

Originality/value

The article presents the originality of reinterpreting the elements offered by Spanish history of education in the light of an international theoretical framework. This allows a new understanding of the process of constitution of pedagogy as a disciplinary field while offering the international public a case study according to international standards.
A web browsing interface for people with severe speech and motor impairment
Authors: Sinha Manjira , Dasgupta Tirthankar
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The Web has become an indispensable medium used by people across the world for education, information, entertainment, social interaction as well as for various daily activities involving shopping and employment-related tasks. It is therefore becoming increasingly essential that the Web must be accessible to all people to provide equal access and equal opportunity. This is specifically more important for people with various kind of disabilities. Several initiatives such as development of Web accessibility guidelines, tools and technologies have been undertaken to make the Web usable for people with different disabilities. However, only a handful of them are aimed at people with Severe Speech and Motor Impairment (SSMI). This paper aims to present a Web browsing interface for people with severe speech and motor impairment.

Design/methodology/approach

The browser allows easy dissemination of information through World Wide Web for people with SSMI. The browser is augmented with both automatic as well as manual scanning mechanisms through which a motor disorder person can access the browser graphical user interface (GUI). Further, the browser provides an intelligent content scanning mechanism through which the Web contents can be accessed with less time and cognitive effort. Along with the desktop version, WebSanyog is successfully ported on Android-based tablets to make the system portable.

Findings

The system has been exhaustively field tested by people with SSMI. The browser has been deployed at the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP), Kolkata. The performance of the browser has been measured in terms of three parameters: The Task execution time (TET); Error rates analysis (ER); and Overall usability score by the subject. The evaluation results suggests that the proposed Web browsing interface is effective in terms of task execution time, cognitive effort and overall user satisfaction.

Originality/value

The browser GUI is integrated with an automatic scanning mechanism as an alternate way to access and navigate through Web pages, instead of using keyboard and mouse. The browser provides novel content access mechanisms that makes navigating through Web page contents like links, images and embedded videos easier and faster. To facilitate text entry, the browser provides two different options, namely, the predictive virtual scanning keyboard and a novel icon-based query entry scheme that allows generating search queries through the selection of multiple icons.
A volatility-match approach to measure performance: the case of socially responsible exchange traded funds (ETFs)
Authors: Lobato Manuel , Rodríguez Javier , Romero Herminio
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study examines the risk-adjusted performance of socially responsible exchange traded funds (SR ETFs) in comparison to conventional ETFs.

Design/methodology/approach

The main empirical result is based on a risk-adjusted performance metric that does not rely on a linear framework. It measures the difference between the returns of an ETF and the returns of a volatility-match and efficient portfolio. In addition, performance is measured using alpha based on single and multifactor formulations.

Findings

Results show that the performance of SRI ETFs is not different from the performance of conventional ETFs.

Originality/value

Given the results of the study, socially aware investors can choose to invest in SRI ETFs without sacrificing performance.
Paradoxical leadership and organizational citizenship behaviour: the serial mediating effect of a paradoxical mindset and personal service orientation
Authors: Pan Zhenlin
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between paradoxical leadership and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), including the serial mediating role of a paradoxical mindset and personal service orientation, by applying social cognitive theory and planned behaviour theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses proposed in this study were empirically tested using data from 411 supervisor–subordinate paired samples from six Chinese enterprises at two time points. The bootstrap method was applied using PROCESS macro v 3.3 for SPSS 24.0 software.

Findings

The results demonstrate the following relationships: paradoxical leadership positively affects OCB; paradoxical mindset significantly mediates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and OCB; personal service orientation significantly mediates the relationship between paradoxical leadership and OCB; and paradoxical mindset and personal service orientation play serial mediating roles in the relationship between paradoxical leadership and employees' OCB.

Practical implications

The results of this study show that managers' paradoxical leadership behaviours can effectively stimulate employees' OCB, which in turn influence employees' attitudes and behavioural intentions towards conflict.

Origin/value

This study enriches the antecedents of OCB and the consequences of paradoxical leadership. From an attitude and behaviour perspective, this study explores the internal transmission path of the impact of paradoxical leadership on employee behaviour and expands existing research on intermediary mechanisms.
Protean career attitude and organisational commitment in learning organisation climate
Authors: Oh Seok-Young , Koo Seonhui
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to identify the relationship between protean career attitude (PCA) and organisational commitment (OC) in a learning organisation (LO) climate. The study also identified whether negative relationships exist between the structure dimension of LO (SDLO) and PCA, and between PCA and OC, and whether such relationships can be moderated by the people dimension of LO (PDLO).

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected from 305 employees of 26 firms were analysed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Findings

This study found that SDLO had a negative relationship with PCA, whereas PCA was negatively associated with OC. Furthermore, this study found that PDLO moderated these relationships, in that the negative relationships were absent when PDLO activities were stronger, in contrast to when they were weaker.

Originality/value

The study is among the first to identify the negative relationships that exist between SDLO and PCA and between PCA and OC in Korean firms. An important implication for managers or OD professionals is that PDLO plays an important role in not only reducing the negative mediation effects of PCA in the relationships but also making the relationships positive.
Integrating a transfer perspective into evaluations of leadership training
Authors: Tafvelin Susanne , Hasson Henna , Nielsen Karina , von Thiele Schwarz Ulrica
Published: May 2021

Purpose

In previous studies, outcomes of leadership training have varied, with some studies suggesting large effects and others small. Although the transfer of training literature suggests a number of factors that influence training outcomes, this knowledge has seldom been used when evaluating the outcomes of leadership training. The purpose of the present study is therefore to examine how factors related to transfer of training influence outcomes of leadership training.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present research, follower-rated outcomes of a leadership training program in Denmark (N = 298) was examined from a transfer of training perspective.

Findings

Using Baldwin and Ford's transfer of training model as a framework, analyses revealed that leaders' utility reactions (i.e. perception of usefulness) and learning were linked to transfer of training. In addition, leaders' perceptions of transfer were associated with post-intervention follower-rated transformational leadership and collective self-efficacy.

Practical implications

Making sure that leaders find the training useful for their everyday activities (i.e. positive utility reactions) and that they have time to learn the training content is important to enable transfer and for leaders to use trained skills back at work.

Originality/value

The findings indicate the importance of understanding how leaders' perception of training content influences leadership training outcomes and that these perceptions need to be a part of the evaluation of leadership training. In addition, the findings suggest that factors predicting transfer of leadership training differ from other types of training.
A prospective, phase II study on the safety and efficacy of negative pressure closure for the stabilization of split‐thickness skin graft in large or muscle‐exposing defects: The NPSG study
Authors: Nakamura Yoshiyuki , Ishitsuka Yosuke , Sasaki Katsuhito , Ishizuki Shoichiro , Tanaka Ryota , Okiyama Naoko , Furuta Junichi , Fujimoto Manabu , Yamada Takeshi , Fujisawa Yasuhiro
Published: May 2021

Several studies have demonstrated the usefulness of negative pressure closure (NPC) for the stabilization of skin grafts because it provides a uniform pressure to the graft. The results of our previous retrospective study also suggested the superiority of NPC over tie‐over methods for the stabilization of split‐thickness skin graft (STSG) in large or muscle‐exposing defects. However, the usefulness of NPC for graft stabilization is yet to be fully established. This prospective, phase II clinical study was conducted to investigate the safety and efficacy of NPC for the stabilization of STSG in large or muscle‐exposing defects. Patients who would require STSG for reconstruction of defects in the trunk and extremities other than hands and feet measuring >10 cm in the longest diameter or with muscle exposure were enrolled. NPC was applied for skin graft stabilization. Seven patients who had received wide excision of malignant tumors and resulted in muscle‐exposed skin defects were included. All patients underwent meshed STSG. The mean size of the defect was 94.5 cm2 (range 63.6–164.9). The mean time from the skin graft harvesting to the NPC stabilization was 15.6 min (range 10.7–19.5). The mean survival rate of the skin graft at postoperative day 7 and 10 was 98.7% (range 97–100) and 96.5% (range 89.4–98.4), respectively. No adverse events associated with the procedure were observed. This prospective study provided further evidence of the safety and efficacy of NPC for STSG stabilization in patients with large or muscle‐exposing skin defects.