bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Pregnancy on PrEP uptake and Adherence Amongst HIV-Negative High-Risk Young Women in Kampala, Uganda: A Qualitative Assessment
Authors: Joshi Shivali , Namuddu Catherine , Kasujja Francis Xavier , Mirembe Miriam , Homsy Jaco , Seeley Janet , King Rachel
Published: April 2022

Background

Pregnant young women who engage in high-risk sexual activity are at elevated biological and social risk for HIV acquisition. PrEP serves as an effective means of HIV prevention, including during pregnancy. This study aimed to explore attitudes, experiences and challenges with PrEP to understand what motivates or limits PrEP uptake and adherence during pregnancy among this population of young women.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants, recruited from the Prevention on PrEP (POPPi) study in the Good Health for Women Project clinic in Kampala, Uganda. POPPi’s inclusion criteria comprised of HIV-uninfected women, aged 15-24, who engaged in high-risk sexual activity. Interviews focused on experience with PrEP and pregnancy. Data were analyzed utilizing a framework analysis approach.

Findings

Key themes were comprised of participant barriers to and facilitators of PrEP uptake and adherence. Reasons for PrEP initiation included desire for autonomy and agency, mistrust of partners, and social support. Participants expressed challenges with initiating or sustaining their use of PrEP, including PrEP access and perceived or felt stigma. During pregnancy, participants’ primary motivators for altering PrEP use were either understanding of PrEP safety for their baby or changes in perceptions of their HIV risk. Many of these factors were similar across participants who had experience with pregnancy and those who did not.

Interpretation

This study highlights the importance of addressing barriers to and facilitators of PrEP adherence, especially during pregnancy where risk is elevated, with a multi-level approach. Community-oriented education, stigma reduction activities alongside access to PrEP, can serve as means for adherence. The development of robust PrEP adherence support guidelines regarding PrEP use during pregnancy among high-risk women, and strategies for their implementation, are of utmost importance for the control of HIV in key populations and the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The effect of population migration on the diffusion of cholera outbreaks in metapopulations
Authors: Demir Mahir
Published: April 2022

In this study, an improved Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) epidemic diffusion model for cholera is extended by including migration for susceptible people. This model is applied to a metapopulation that consists of two isolated cities where just susceptible individuals can migrate between the cities. The disease-free equilibrium, the endemic equilibrium points, and the basic reproductive number with unequal migration rates are analyzed for this metapopulation. Firstly, the study showed that the basic reproductive number depends on the migration rates between the cities. Then, showed that when the epidemic SIR system is stable, then the infected cases for cholera outbreak can reach zero in one city, but the infected cases in the other city still can stay positive. Finally, discussed three scenarios that depend on population sizes and migration rates of susceptible people between the cities and showed how important the migration rates are in the diffusion of the cholera outbreak by visualizing these three scenarios.

Mathematics Subject Classification

Primary: 92B05; Secondary: 92D40
Markers of Fungal Translocation Are Elevated During Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Induce NF-κB Triggered Inflammation
Authors: Giron Leila B. , Peluso Michael J. , Ding Jianyi , Kenny Grace , Zilberstein Netanel F , Koshy Jane , Hong Kai Ying , Rasmussen Heather , Miller Greg , Bishehsari Faraz , Balk Robert A. , Moy James N. , Hoh Rebecca , Lu Scott , Goldman Aaron R. , Tang Hsin-Yao , Yee Brandon C. , Chenna Ahmed , Winslow John W. , Petropoulos Christos J. , Kelly J. Daniel , Wasse Haimanot , Martin Jeffrey N. , Liu Qin , Keshavarzian Ali , Landay Alan , Deeks Steven G. , Henrich Timothy J. , Abdel-Mohsen Mohamed
Published: April 2022

Long COVID, a type of Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), has been associated with sustained elevated levels of immune activation and inflammation. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms that drive this inflammation remain unknown. Inflammation during acute Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be exacerbated by microbial translocation (from the gut and/or lung) to the blood. Whether microbial translocation contributes to inflammation during PASC is unknown. We found higher levels of fungal translocation – measured as β-glucan, a fungal cell wall polysaccharide – in the plasma of individuals experiencing PASC compared to those without PASC or SARS-CoV-2 negative controls. The higher β-glucan correlated with higher levels of markers of inflammation and elevated levels of host metabolites involved in activatingN-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors (such as metabolites within the tryptophan catabolism pathway) with established neuro-toxic properties. Mechanistically, β-glucan can directly induce inflammation by binding to myeloid cells (via the Dectin-1 receptor) and activating Syk/NF-κB signaling. Using anin vitroDectin-1/NF-κB reporter model, we found that plasma from individuals experiencing PASC induced higher NF-κB signaling compared to plasma from SARS-CoV-2 negative controls. This higher NF-κB signaling was abrogated by the Syk inhibitor Piceatannol. These data suggest a potential targetable mechanism linking fungal translocation and inflammation during PASC.
Improved MALDI-TOF MS based antimicrobial resistance prediction through hierarchical stratification
Authors: Weis Caroline , Rieck Bastian , Balzer Sebastian , Cuénod Aline , Egli Adrian , Borgwardt Karsten
Published: April 2022

Motivation

Predicting antimicrobial resistance using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry based machine learning is a fast-growing field of research. Recent advances in machine learning methods specifically designed for MALDI-TOF mass spectra have outperformed established classification approaches. However, classification performance was observed to have a large standard deviation between different train–test splits. We hypothesise that this variance is caused by the underlying phylogenetic structure between microbial samples, which is implicitly reflected in their MALDI-TOF MS profiles, but not taken into account during the training of a model.

Results

In this paper, we propose to infer this structure from the dataset—using agglomerative hierarchical clustering—and consider it during the dataset splitting between train and test. We show that incorporating such phylogenetic structure into the antimicrobial resistance prediction scenario leads to an improved classification performance. Average precision was increased from 42.3 to 47.1 for ciprofloxacin resistance prediction in Escherichia coli and from 44.6 to 50.8 for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid resistance prediction in Staphylococcus aureus using a Gaussian process classifier with a MALDI-TOF MS specific kernel. We envision that these results will support the quick and reliable identification of antimicrobial resistances, thus increasing patient well-being and reducing healthcare costs.

Availability

All data is available for download and code available as an easy-to-use Python package under https://github.com/BorgwardtLab/maldi_PIKE at branch maldi_stratification.

Contact

caroline.weis@bsse.ethz.ch, karsten.borgwardt@bsse.ethz.ch

Supplementary information

Supplementary information at the end of document.
Murine blastocysts generated by in vitro fertilization show increased Warburg metabolism and altered lactate production
Authors: Lee Seok Hee , Liu Xiaowei , Jimenez-Morales David , Rinaudo Paolo F.
Published: April 2022

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has resulted in the birth of over 8 million children. Although most of IVF-conceived children are healthy, several studies suggest an increased risk of altered growth rate, cardiovascular dysfunction, and glucose intolerance in this population compared to naturally conceived children. However, a clear understanding of how embryonic metabolism is affected by culture condition and how embryos reprogram their metabolism is unknown.

Here, we studied oxidative stress and metabolic alteration in blastocysts conceived by natural mating or by IVF and culture in physiologic (5%) or atmospheric (20%) oxygen. We found that IVF-generated blastocyst manifest increased reactive oxygen species, oxidative damage to DNA/lipid/proteins, and reduction in glutathione. Metabolic analysis revealed IVF-generated blastocysts display decreased mitochondria respiration and increased glycolytic activity suggestive of enhanced Warburg metabolism. These findings were corroborated by altered intracellular and extracellular pH and increased intracellular lactate levels in IVF-generated embryos. Comprehensive proteomic analysis and targeted immunofluorescence showed reduction of LDH-B and MCT1, enzymes involved in lactate metabolism. Importantly, these enzymes remained downregulated in tissues of adult IVF-conceived mice, suggesting that metabolic alterations in IVF-generated embryos may result in alteration in lactate metabolism. These findings suggest that alterations in lactate metabolism is a likely mechanism involved in genomic reprogramming and could be involved in the developmental origin of health and disease.
Transcriptomics based prediction of survival and response to therapy in malignant mesothelioma
Authors: Nair Nishanth Ulhas , Jiang Qun , Wei Jun Stephen , Misra Vikram Alexander , Morrow Betsy , Kesserwan Chimene , Hermida Leandro C. , Lee Joo Sang , Mian Idrees , Zhang Jingli , Lebensohn Alexandra , Sengupta Manjistha , Khan Javed , Ruppin Eytan , Hassan Raffit
Published: April 2022

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Better understanding of mesothelioma genomics and transcriptomics could advance novel therapies. We performed whole-exome and RNA-sequencing of germline and tumors of 122 patients with pleural, peritoneal, and tunica-vaginalis mesothelioma. We identify a 48 gene prognostic signature that is highly predictive of mesothelioma patient survival including CCNB1, whose expression is highly predictive of patient survival on its own. Using a synthetic-lethality (SL) based pipeline for analyzing the patients’ transcriptomic data, we identified SL-based signatures predictive of response to an anti-PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitor and combination therapies with pemetrexed. These SL-profiles successfully predict the overall patient-response observed across targeted, immuno- and chemotherapies in 11 independent mesothelioma clinical trials spanning 7 different treatments. These findings lay a basis for future studies aimed specifically at testing the ability of these SL profiles to serve as treatment biomarkers in mesothelioma.
Genomic analyses of wild and cultivated bacanora agave (Agave angustifoliavar.pacifica) reveal inbreeding, few signs of cultivation history and shallow population structure
Authors: Klimova Anastasia , Mondragón Karen Y. Ruiz , Freaner Francisco Molina , Aguirre-Planter Erika , Eguiarte Luis E.
Published: April 2022

Due to the recent increase in demand for agave-based beverages, many wild agave populations have experienced rapid decline and fragmentation; whereas cultivated plants are now managed at monocultural plantations, in some cases involving clonal propagation. We examined the relative effect of migration, genetic drift, natural selection and human activities on the genetic repertoire ofAgave angustifolia var. pacifica, an agave used for bacanora (an alcoholic spirit similar to tequila) productionin northwesternMexico. We sampled 34 wild and cultivated sites and used over eleven thousand genome-wide SNPs. We found shallow genetic structure among wild samples, although, detected differentiation between coastal and inland sites. Surprisingly, no differentiation was found between cultivated and wild populations. Moreover, we detected moderate inbreeding (FIS∼ 0.13) and similar levels of genomic diversity in wild and cultivated agaves. Nevertheless, the cultivated plants had almost no private alleles and presented evidence of clonality. The overall low genetic structure inA. angustifoliavar.pacificais apparently the result of high dispersibility promoted by pollinators and possibility of clonal reproduction. Incipient cultivation history and reliance on wild seeds and plants are probably responsible for the observed patterns of high genetic connectivity and considerable diversity in cultivated samples.
Speed and correctness guarantees for programmable enthalpy-neutral DNA reactions
Authors: Wang Boya , Thachuk Chris , Soloveichik David
Published: April 2022

Molecular control circuits embedded within chemical systems to direct molecular events have transformative applications in synthetic biology, medicine, and other fields. However, it is challenging to understand the collective behavior of components due to the combinatorial complexity of possible interactions. Some of the largest engineered molecular systems to date have been constructed from DNA strand displacement reactions, in which signals can be propagated without a net change in base pairs. For linear chains of such enthalpy-neutral displacement reactions, we develop a rigorous framework to reason about interactions between regions that must be complementary. We then analyze desired and undesired properties affecting speed and correctness of such systems, including the spurious release of output (leak) and reversible unproductive binding (toehold occlusion), and experimentally confirm the predictions. Our approach, analogous to the rigorous proofs of algorithm correctness in computer science, can guide engineering of robust and efficient molecular algorithms.
Free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFAR4) regulates cardiac oxylipin balance to promote inflammation resolution in a model of heart failure preserved ejection fraction secondary to metabolic syndrome
Authors: Zhang Naixin , Murphy Katherine A. , Harsch Brian , Zhang Michael , Gyberg Dylan J. , Wagner Brandon M. , Mendelson Jenna , Patterson Michael T. , Orchard Devin A. , Healy Chastity L. , Williams Jesse W. , Shearer Gregory C. , O’Connell Timothy D.
Published: April 2022

Free fatty acid receptor 4 (Ffar4) is a G-protein coupled receptor for long-chain fatty acids that improves metabolism and attenuates inflammation. Heart failure preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex clinical syndrome, but a predominant subset of patients has meta-bolic syndrome (MetS). Mechanistically, systemic, non-resolving inflammation associated with MetS might promote HFpEF. Interestingly, we recently demonstrated that Ffar4 is cardioprotective in pressure overload. The beneficial effects of Ffar4 on metabolism/inflammation, the high incidence of MetS in HFpEF patients, and the cardioprotective effects of Ffar4 led us to hypothesize that loss of Ffar4 would worsen remodeling in HFpEF secondary to MetS (HFpEF-MetS). To test this, mice with systemic deletion of Ffar4 (Ffar4KO) were fed a high-fat/high-sucrose diet with L-NAME in their water (HFpEF-MetS diet) to induce HFpEF-MetS. In male Ffar4KO mice, the HFpEF-MetS diet induced similar metabolic deficits, but worsened diastolic function and microvascular rarefaction compared to wild-type mice. Conversely, in female Ffar4KO mice, the diet produced greater obesity but no worsening of HFpEF. Loss of Ffar4 in males altered the balance of inflammatory oxylipins in the heart, decreasing the eicosapentaenoic acid derived, pro-resolving oxylipin 18-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (18-HEPE), while increasing the arachadonic acid derived, proinflammatory oxylipin 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE). This increased 12-HETE/18-HEPE ratio, reflecting a more proinflammatory state, was associated with increased macrophage numbers, which in turn correlated with worsened ventricular remodeling in male Ffar4KO hearts. In summary, our data suggest that Ffar4 controls the pro/anti-inflammatory oxylipin balance in the heart to modulate macrophage function and attenuate HFpEF remodeling.
Fast, Efficient, and Accurate Neuro-Imaging Denoising via Deep Learning
Authors: Chaudhary Shivesh , Moon Sihoon , Lu Hang
Published: April 2022

Volumetric functional imaging is widely used for recording neuron activities in vivo, but there exist tradeoffs between the quality of the extracted calcium traces, imaging speed, and laser power. While deep-learning methods have recently been applied to denoise images, their applications to downstream analyses, such as recovering high-SNR calcium traces, have been limited. Further, these methods require temporally-linked pre-registered data with ultrafast rates. Here, we demonstrate supervised deep-denoising methods to circumvent these tradeoffs for several applications, including whole-brain imaging, large field-of-view imaging in freely moving animals, and recovering complex neurite structures in C. elegans. Our framework has 30x smaller memory footprint, and is fast in training and inference (50-70ms); it is highly accurate and generalizable, and further, only small, non-temporally-sequential, independently-acquired training datasets (∼500 images) are needed. We envision that the framework will enable faster and long-term imaging experiments necessary to study neuronal mechanisms of many behaviors.
A structural database of chain-chain and domain-domain interfaces of proteins
Authors: Sen Neeladri , Madhusudhan M.S.
Published: April 2022

In this study, we have mined the PDB and created a structural library of 178,465 interfaces that mediate protein-protein or domain-domain interactions. Interfaces involving the same CATH fold(s) were clustered together. Our analysis of the entries in the library reveals the similarity between chain-chain and domain-domain interactions. The library also illustrates how a single protein fold can interact with multiple folds using similar interfaces. The library is hence a useful resource to study the types of interactions between protein folds. Analyzing the data in the library reveals various interesting aspects of protein-protein and domain-domain interactions such as how proteins belonging to folds that interact with many other folds also have high EC values. These data could be utilized to seek potential binding partners. It can also be utilized to investigate the different ways in which two or more folds interact with one another structurally. We constructed a statistical potential of pair preferences of amino acids across the interface for chain-chain and domain-domain interactions separately. They are quite similar further lending credence to the notion that domain-domain interfaces could be used to study chain-chain interactions. Lastly and importantly, the library includes predicted small molecule binding sites at the protein-protein interfaces. This has applications as interfaces containing small molecule binding sites can be easily targeted to prevent the interaction and perhaps form a part of a therapeutic strategy.
ModA phasevarions regulate adherence of non-typeableHaemophilus influenzaeto the host airway in a tissue-specific manner
Authors: Garai Preeti , Atack John M. , Wills Brandon M. , Jennings Michael P. , Bakaletz Lauren O. , Brockman Kenneth L.
Published: April 2022

Adherence of non-typeableHaemophilus influenzae(NTHi) to the host airway is an essential initial step for asymptomatic colonization of the nasopharynx, as well as development of disease. NTHi relies on strict regulation of multiple adhesins for its pathogenesis. The ModA phasevarion is a bacterial regulatory system important for virulence of NTHi. However, the role of the ModA phasevarion in adherence of NTHi to the host airway is not understood well. This study addressed the role of the ModA phasevarion in the regulation of adherence of NTHi to multiple substrates of the host airway. Assessment of adherence of themodAvariants of four clinical isolates of NTHi showed that ModA phasevarions regulated adherence of NTHi to mucus, middle ear epithelial cells, and vitronectin in a substrate-specific manner. The adhesins Protein E and P4 were found to contribute to the ModA-regulated adherence of NTHi to distinct substrates. A better understanding of such tissue-specific regulation of NTHi adherence by the ModA phasevarion will allow identification of virulent NTHi populations at the site of disease within the host airway and facilitate more directed development of vaccines or therapeutics.
9p21.3 Microdeletion involving CDKN2A/2B in a young patient with multiple primary cancers and review of the literature
Authors: Jensen Marlene Richter , Stoltze Ulrik , Hansen Thomas Van Overeem , Bak Mads , Sehested Astrid , Rechnitzer Catherine , Mathiasen René , Scheie David , Larsen Karen Bonde , Olsen Tina Elisabeth , Muhic Aida , Skjøth-Rasmussen Jane , Rossing Maria , Schmiegelow Kjeld , Wadt Karin
Published: April 2022

Germline pathogenic variants in CDKN2A predispose to various cancers, including melanoma, pancreatic cancer, and neural system tumors, whereas CDKN2B variants are associated with renal cell carcinoma. A few case reports have described heterozygous germline deletions spanning both CDKN2A and CDKN2B associated with a cancer predisposition syndrome (CPS) that constitutes a risk of cancer beyond those associated with haploinsufficiency of each gene individually, indicating an additive effect or a contiguous gene deletion syndrome. We report a young woman with a de novo germline 9p21 microdeletion involving the CDKN2A/CDKN2B genes, who developed six primary cancers since childhood, including a very rare extraskeletal osteosarcoma (eOS) at the age of 8. To our knowledge this is the first report of eOS in a patient with CDKN2A/CDKN2B deletion.
Social media perceptions, readiness and usage in fostering sustainable growth of micro and small enterprises in Uganda
Authors: Sendawula Kasimu , Kimuli Saadat Nakyejwe Lubowa , Turyakira Peter , Kibanja Grace
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of social media, perception, readiness and usage on sustainable growth of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is cross-sectional and adopted a mixed method approach. Data was gathered through a questionnaire survey of 212 business owner–managers that are members of the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA) and engaging 8 business managers in the in-depth interviews to support and strengthen the quantitative results. Data analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS.24) and Atlas ti.8.

Findings

The study reveals that social media perception, readiness and usage positively influence sustainable growth of MSEs in Uganda. However, the insufficient soft and technical skills, lack of devices such as computers and smartphones and the high cost of Internet data undermine the usage of social media by business owner–managers for sustainable growth of their businesses.

Practical implications

The findings demonstrate what policymakers, social media operators and business owner–managers need to do to enhance integration of social media platforms and channels into the operations of MSEs in Uganda.

Originality/value

This study adds to existing literature on social media technology in MSEs with evidence from Uganda. The study results are likely to foster usage of social media as policymakers and social media providers will come up with appropriate strategies to unlock the social media potential of the business owner–managers for sustainable business growth in Uganda.
Disability therapy and Valerie Sinason
Authors: O'Driscoll David
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the work of Dr Valerie Sinason and her contribution to working with people with an intellectual disability with psychotherapy.

Design/methodology/approach

Dr Valerie Sinason is a psychoanalyst, and the author is trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Findings

The author believes there is important value in reading Valerie Sinason's contribution to the literature of psychotherapy with people with intellectual disabilities.

Originality/value

It is a review of Sinason’s contribution, and the author believes she's very original and important thinker.
Truths and unfreedoms of regimes of insecurity and the resistance of the commons
Authors: Jagannathan Srinath , Selvaraj Patturaja
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to explore narratives of insecurity to understand how the casualisation of the employment relationship makes life more fragile and precarious. The authors engage in an inquiry about how multinational enterprises (MNEs) structure precariousness for workers in emerging economies. The authors attempt to understand how workers analyse their experiences of precariousness and what form their resistance takes as a result of their analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors engage with the narratives of eight Indian workers/trade union activists working in different marginal spaces of the Indian economy to uncover a commons where we are the multitude. By commons, the authors imply shared forms of property, which stand against the concept of private property that is central to the social relations of capitalism. The authors are performing the data of workers by interspersing them in an analysis of angst and hope.

Findings

Workers understand their experiences of precariousness as emerging from a complex political economy structured by MNEs, which involves multiple fronts of marginalisation. Workers realize that they need to engage in comprehensive forms of resistance to undo the regimes of precariousness. Workers create shared universes of grief to relate to each other’s experiences of precariousness. The unfreedoms experienced by workers lead to a sharing of the social relations of commons where workers can resist by expressing solidarity with each other.

Practical implications

The authors contribute to practice by arguing that workers’ collectives should not accept the naturalisation of precariousness. By staging a dialogue about the injuries of precariousness, they can craft a politics of resistance that begins the process of commoning.

Social implications

Workers’ politics of resistance can significantly democratise the global political economy in important ways by advancing the potential for commons.

Originality/value

The authors make an original contribution to the study of precariousness in the context of international business by arguing that the experience of precariousness can lead to a commons where workers resist structures of injustice.
Project management for sustainable buildings: a comprehensive insight into the relationship to project success
Authors: Phung Quan , Erdogan Bilge , Nielsen Yasemin
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The paper aims to identify core components for managing sustainability in construction-building projects and to understand how these components support each other to achieve project success. It proposes a model for sustainable project management (SPM) to achieve sustainable project success (SPS).

Design/methodology/approach

The research utilised structural equation modelling to empirically test the conceptual model and the hypotheses associated to the 35 project-management related success factors and 24 performance criteria identified in literature review. Data was collected through 143 questionnaires carried out with construction professionals who have minimum two years' experience in sustainable building projects across the UK. Mediation analysis was used to identify the inter-relationships between the variables and components in the model.

Findings

The paper developed a model for SPM which consists of five components: (1) sustainability goal definition, (2) project team enhancement toward sustainability, (3) planning for sustainability, (4) sustainability assessment and (5) stakeholder management. Stakeholder management and sustainability goal definition were found to have a significant and direct impact to the achievement of SPS. The other three were found to generate an indirect but important impact on the SPS. The results showed that attention should be paid to all five components to fully support the development of sustainability in projects.

Research limitations/implications

Regarding the research approach, the generalisation of this research's findings is limited to the construction industry in the UK and similar developed countries.

Originality/value

This paper provides a further understanding of the inter-related effects of SPM and their impact on SPS.
Choreograph postpartum care experiencescapes in a resort setting
Authors: Lin Ingrid Y. , Mattila Anna
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of holistic wellness to a postpartum care resort experiencescape to enhance women’s health and well-being. Several relevant theories are highlighted to demonstrate how to design a soothing postpartum care experiencescape. This paper also discusses the notion of regenerative business practices to achieve a win-win-win (customer–resort–community) strategy composed of collaborative networks that serve people and the planet.

Design/methodology/approach

A multidisciplinary literature review discusses the lack of postpartum care in the USA and shows how resorts could help improve women’s health and well-being by offering postpartum care services. This is a theory synthesis paper that seeks to achieve conceptual integration across multiple frameworks.

Findings

This conceptual model displays the interconnected relationships of holistic wellbeing, postpartum care experiencescape design and regenerative practices.

Research limitations/implications

The essence of this conceptual paper is to address postpartum care in the USA and to develop a conceptual model for designing postpartum care experiencescapes in a resort setting.

Practical implications

The authors offer suggestions on how resorts and health-care services can co-design a postpartum care resort experiencescape to transform the mother’s postpartum period to the joy of parenthood.

Social implications

This paper discusses how postpartum care experiencescapes in the resort context would contribute to solving some prevalent societal issues while advancing the future of hospitality research and businesses.

Originality/value

No research within the hospitality literature has yet discussed how the hospitality industry can collaborate with the health-care sector to establish postpartum care services to be at the forefront in leading the age of regeneration.
Linking organization design to supply chain responsiveness: the role of dynamic managerial capabilities
Authors: Roh Joseph , Swink Morgan , Kovach Jeremy
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how managers' abilities to design and implement organizational change initiatives affects supply chain (SC) responsiveness. Extant research focuses on specific process and resource options to address responsiveness, with only limited reference to managers' capabilities in adapting to new organization designs that organize processes and resources. Consequently, organizational theory that characterizes the implications of developing and implementing various designs is ignored. The study directly leverages organization adaption, organization design and the dynamic managerial capabilities literature to address the question of how to improve SC responsiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative data are used to identify specific dynamic managerial capability constructs, as well as the expected relationships depicted in our conceptual model. The authors test these relationships using quantitative survey data collected from 199 SC leaders.

Findings

The authors find that capabilities in organization design, functional leader negotiations and workforce communications foster SC responsiveness via improved structural adaptability (SA). The findings explain how and when organization design actions impact SA and responsiveness, and more importantly, why managers should invest in developing a workforce communication capability as the foundation for organizational adaptability.

Originality/value

By applying organization adaption, organization design and dynamic managerial capabilities concepts, the research expands the existing study of responsiveness in the SC organizational context.
A study of the impact of COVID-19 on construction workforce productivity in Malaysia
Authors: Tan Caryn Khye Lyn , Abdul-Samad Zulkiflee
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to study the reaction of construction project managers in coping with workforce productivity challenges that arise from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative research via questionnaires targeting the project managers from G7 contractor companies in Malaysia was carried out in the data collection process. In total, 182 responses have been analysed descriptively and inferentially using SPSS software.

Findings

The research discovers that most of the construction projects and their workforce productivity were adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the strategies adopted by project managers in Malaysia and the ranking of strategies based on their effectiveness were indicated.

Originality/value

The findings of this research have contributed to a new understanding of the construction workforce productivity during the COVID-19 era from the perspective of project managers in Malaysia. A guideline established from the ranking of strategies would be useful to ensure the survival of the industry in Malaysia aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exploring the wellness dimensions of wine tourism experiences: a netnographic approach
Authors: Kotur Anupama S.
Published: April 2022

Purpose

In a post-COVID world, tourists seeking wellness through unique tourism experiences is expected to intensify. The purpose of this study is twofold – to provide baseline information to explore interlinkages between wine tourism and wellness and to identify wine tourism experiences that create a sense of wellness among wine tourists.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a netnographic approach by analysing user-generated content collected from the TripAdvisor platform. A total of 2,117 reviews of seven wineries in Maharashtra, India, were coded.

Findings

Fourteen interpretive codes were identified and positioned within Dunn’s (1959) four dimensions of wellness, namely, body, mind, spirit and environment. The findings suggest that wine tourism experiences allow wine tourists to rejuvenate their mind, body and spirit, enhancing a sense of holistic wellness.

Practical implications

Proposed wellness dimensions of the wine tourism framework can be used by practitioners to enhance the quality and variety of their wine tourism offerings, extending into the realm of wellness.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, based on the literature review, there are few studies examining wine tourism through the lens of wellness. Also, the study uses Indian wineries as the study site, offering an insight into tourist experiences of this growing wine tourism market.
Impact of corporate governance on corporate social responsibility disclosure of the UAE listed banks
Authors: Al Maeeni Fatima , Ellili Nejla Ould Daoud , Nobanee Haitham
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the extent and trend of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure by UAE listed banks and the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on this disclosure.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis of banks’ annual reports from 2009 to 2019 was applied to investigate the CSR disclosure level by constructing a disclosure index. Panel data regressions were applied to analyze the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on CSR disclosure.

Findings

UAE banks show an improving trend in the CSR disclosures. In addition, the board of directors and ownership structure are significantly and positively associated with the CSR disclosures. The results vary across the banking systems.

Research limitations/implications

This study considers the extent of the CSR disclosure in UAE banks’ annual reports, and future research should consider more industries and communication channels.

Practical implications

This study sheds light on the extent of the CSR disclosure of UAE listed banks and assists UAE policymakers in implementing appropriate corporate governance mechanisms.

Social implications

The findings provide banks with a better understanding of the benefits of strengthening corporate governance to improve their CSR disclosure.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by constructing a more comprehensive disclosure index and examining the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on CSR disclosure by considering both the conventional and Islamic banking systems.
Time-varying herding spillover for emerging countries: evidence from BRIC countries and Turkey
Authors: Yasir Muhammad , Önder A. Özlem
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate herding spillover in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries and Turkey under different regimes by using a time-varying approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used the structural change model of Bai and Perron (1998).

Findings

The results indicate that there is an evidence of herding behaviour in the Chinese stock market in two different regimes. These regimes cover the recent global financial crisis and the period of Hong Kong protests. We also report the evidence of herding behaviour in the Turkish stock market in the regime covering the COVID-19 period. Findings of herding spillover show that there is a two-way herding among Russia and China during crises and high volatile regimes. Similarly, there exists a cross-country herding among Brazil and India during crisis regimes. Also, there is herding spillover from Turkey to Russia, China and Brazil during the global financial crisis, post-European debt crisis and COVID-19 periods respectively. Furthermore, it is also evident that there is a herding spillover from Russia and China to India during the period covering COVID-19.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that uses structural change approach to identify herding behaviour spillovers from the US stock market to BRIC countries and Turkey and to investigate the cross-country herding behaviour among BRIC countries and Turkey.
Can performance of modern virtual teams measure up to co-located teams?
Authors: Liska Radek
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Global virtual teams are omnipresent entities within the majority of international companies. Ongoing research debate presents multiple open questions on the impact of virtuality. Especially whether virtual teams can be as effective as their co-located counterparts. This paper aims to address the performance aspects of fully and semi-virtual in comparison with co-located teams.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents quantitative research based on computer logged data sets tracking the behaviour of individuals in multiple virtual, semi-virtual and co-located teams. The analysis features a comparison of key performance indicators and evaluates teamwork results while putting the observations into the context of virtual organisational behaviour.

Findings

Findings based on a sample of 42,168 work items from 48 teams of various virtuality levels show that co-located teams still outperform the virtual ones despite technological advances. This comes as an important reminder and practical implication during times of rapid shift towards virtual work in recent years.

Originality/value

Drawn conclusions are valuable, mainly due to the nature of data set extraction (unbiased and error-free source) from a real business environment with a unique combination of various cross-cultural compositions. The sample includes teams from the same company working on similar tasks, allowing control for many factors limiting previously published papers on virtual team performance.
Discordance between hemodialysis patients' reports and their physicians' estimates of adherence to dietary restrictions in Japan
Authors: Sugisawa Hidehiro , Shimizu Yumiko , Kumagai Tamaki , Shinoda Toshio , Shishido Kanji , Koda Yutaka
Published: April 2022

Introduction

This study examined the discordance between hemodialysis patients' reports and their physicians' estimates of dietary restriction adherence and related factors in Japan.

Methods

In a cross‐sectional survey of 6644 outpatients, physicians who estimated higher and lower adherence than their patients' self‐reported were categorized as overestimation and underestimation in terms of discordance, respectively. Possible factors included clinical indicators, patient characteristics related to negative stereotypes, and health beliefs related to statistical discrimination.

Results

The concordance rate was 0.069 based on the weighted kappa coefficient. The coefficients of acceptable serum potassium, prevalence of diabetes, and self‐efficacy on overestimates were 0.663, −0.126, and −0.132, respectively. The coefficients of these factors on underestimates were −0.589, 0.338, and 0.145, respectively. All these coefficients were significant.

Conclusions

The discordance may be high and is related to physicians' clinical data reliance, negative stereotypes about patient characteristics, and a lack of understanding of patients' health beliefs.
Fragile connections: Community computer networks, human infrastructures, and the consequences of their breakdown in Havana
Authors: Köhn Steffen , Siré Nestor
Published: April 2022

To compensate for their lack of internet access, Cuban video game enthusiasts and programmers have built vast grassroots computer networks, the biggest of which, SNET (Street Network), at one point connected tens of thousands of households across Havana. This vernacular infrastructure generated not only new means of access but also new relations between people and fostered new political subjectivities. SNET is heavily shaped by a local cultural ideology of resolver, of collectively navigating resources and limitations in a context of scarcity. Using the metaphor of modding (modifying), a communal practice within gaming cultures that describes alterations by players or fans that change the look or functionality of a video game, we show how SNET makers were forced to constantly adapt to the shifting technical, political, and social frameworks in Cuba. Expanding anthropological theory on infrastructures that shows how breakdown in many parts of the world is a constitutive part of how people experience them, we argue that makers of human infrastructures such as SNET must not only deal with material breakdown but also navigate the breakdown of social relationships.
Erectile and sexual dysfunction in male and female patients with celiac disease: A cross‐sectional observational study
Authors: Romano Lorenzo , Pellegrino Raffaele , Sciorio Carmine , Barone Biagio , Gravina Antonietta Gerarda , Santonastaso Antonio , Mucherino Caterina , Astretto Silvia , Napolitano Luigi , Aveta Achille , Pandolfo Savio Domenico , Loizzo Davide , Del Giudice Francesco , Ferro Matteo , Imbimbo Ciro , Romano Marco , Crocetto Felice
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Sexual function is often impaired in patients with chronic illnesses. Several patients with chronic gastrointestinal and liver disorders have been shown to suffer from sexual dysfunction, and celiac disease is a highly prevalent gastroenterological disorder.

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual function incidence and the risk factors for sexual dysfunction in both male and female celiac disease patients.

Methods

Two hundred and eighty‐four patients (170 females, 114 males) participated in this cross‐sectional observational study in an anonymous manner. Female sexual function was assessed through the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire. Male sexual function was assessed through the International Index of Erectile Function‐5 questionnaire. Clinical‐demographic variables were recorded. We investigated differences in the patient‐reported outcomes among the different subgroups and whether there were clinical‐demographic predictors of sexual dysfunction in our setting.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence and assessment of sexual dysfunction in celiac disease patients.

Results

In the female group, 85 subjects (50%) had a total score compatible with sexual dysfunction: 43 (61.42%) showed low desire, 79 (46.47%) showed arousal disorder, 66 (38.82%) lubrication disorder, and 84 (49.41%) inability of obtaining an orgasm. Also, a large proportion of our female patients, 161 (94.70%), showed sexual discomfort during intercourse. In the male group, 79 patients (62.2%) showed scores compatible with normal erectile function, eight (7.01%) had mild erectile dysfunction, 24 (21.05%) mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, and three (2.63%) presented severe erectile dysfunction. Altered body mass index was significantly associated with sexual dysfunction both in male and female patients. Early age at diagnosis was a significant predictor of sexual dysfunction in male celiac disease patients.

Conclusions

A significant proportion of celiac disease patients present sexual dysfunction. Early age at diagnosis and high body mass index seem to predict sexual dysfunction in this clinical setting. Assessment of sexual function should be part of the initial evaluation of celiac disease patients in order to establish a prompt diagnosis and early treatment.
Internal anatomy and ultrastructure of the male reproductive organization of the Sesarmid crab Muradium tetragonum (1798)—(Decapoda: Brachyura)
Authors: Kumarasamy Pothiappan , Sasipriya Manickam , Ganapiriya Viswambaram , Muthukumaravel Kannayiram , Pradhoshini Kumara Perumal , Ahmed Munawar Suhail , Musthafa Mohamed Saiyad , Faggio Caterina
Published: April 2022

Sesarmid crab, Muradium tetragonum, considered a key detritus consumer plays a significant role in the nutrient cycling and energy flow in most of the mangrove environments. Morphological and ultrastructural organization of the M. tetragonum male reproductive system are characterized through transmission electron microscopic studies. Adult males (3.2–4.2 cm) with dark violet carapace and white‐tipped cheliped were procured alongside the coastal areas of Tanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. The morphological analysis highlights the male gonads to be bilaterally symmetrical and anterolaterally located inside the cephalothorax. A pair of elongated testes lying attached to the hypodermis of the carapace leads to a long highly coiled vas deferens categorized into three distinct regions (Proximal vas deferens, Middle vas deferens and distal vas deferens) structurally and functionally with Posterior vas deferens receiving sac‐like accessory glands. It gets followed by an ejaculatory duct and ends with the penile papillae at the coxae's base of the fifth peripod. Structural modifications were observed in the ultrastructure of vas deferens envisage (considering) its functional role in storing spermatophores, active absorption and assisting the secretory activity. Spermatophores, witnessed as spherical bodies are bounded by a dense double wall. Aflagellate, immotile and spherical spermatozoa that measuring 3.6 μm in diameter encompasses a complex acrosome cupped by a nucleus. Moreover, perforatorium and the extending nuclear arms with chromatin, as displayed in the experimental organism M. tetragonum, are in synergy with that of certain brachyurans as specified in the study. Hence, the current study assessing the morphology and ultrastructure parameters of the male gonads could be useful in understanding the physiology of sexual maturation, annual cyclic changes, tracing the phylogenetic relationship among species and enhancing the brood‐stock management.