bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of beta-lactam drug-resistance genes in commensal Escherichia coli contaminating ready-to-eat lettuce
Authors: Liao Ningbo , Rubin Julia , Hu Yuan , Ramirez Hector A. , Borges Clarissa Araújo , Zhou Biao , Zhang Yanjun , Zhang Ronghua , Jiang Jianmin , Riley Lee W. 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and beta-lactam drug resistance genes in Escherichia coli isolated from ready-to-eat lettuce, obtained from local supermarkets in Northern California. Bags of lettuce were purchased from 4 chain supermarkets during three different periods—Oct 2018–Jan 2019, Feb 2019–Apr 2019 and May 2019–July 2019. From 91 packages of lettuce, we recovered 34 E. coli isolates from 22 (24%) lettuce samples. All E. coli isolates were genotyped by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and we found 15 distinct sequence types (STs). Five of these genotypes (ST2819, ST4600, ST2432, ST1198 and ST5143) have been reported to cause infection in humans. Twenty (59%) E. coli isolates were found resistant to at least one of the antibacterial drugs. They included resistance to ampicillin (AMP, 85%) and ampicillin/sulbactam (SAM, 50%), cefoxitin (FOX, 40%) and cefuroxime (CXM, 35%). We found 8 (40%) of 20 beta-lactam resistant E. coli isolates to carry blaCTX-M; 5 (25%) tested positive for blaSHV, while only 4 (20%) tested positive for blaTEM. Additionally, we identified a class A broad-spectrum beta-lactamase SED-1 gene, blaSED, reported by others in Citrobacter sedlakii isolated from bile of a patient. This study found that a large proportion of fresh lettuce carry beta-lactam drug-resistant E. coli, which could serve as a reservoir for drug resistance genes that could potentially enter pathogens to cause human infections.
Dopamine modulates prediction error forwarding in the nonlemniscal inferior colliculus
Authors: Valdés-Baizabal Catalina , Carbajal Guillermo V. , Pérez-González David , Malmierca Manuel S. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe predictive processing framework describes perception as a hierarchical predictive model of sensation. Higher-level neural structures constrain the processing at lower-level structures by suppressing synaptic activity induced by predictable sensory input. But when predictions fail, deviant input is forwarded bottom-up as ‘prediction error’ to update the perceptual model. The earliest prediction error signals identified in the auditory pathway emerge from the nonlemniscal inferior colliculus (IC). The drive that these feedback signals exert on the perceptual model depends on their ‘expected precision’, which determines the postsynaptic gain applied in prediction error forwarding. Expected precision is theoretically encoded by the neuromodulatory (e.g., dopaminergic) systems. To test this empirically, we recorded extracellular responses from the rat nonlemniscal IC to oddball and cascade sequences before, during and after the microiontophoretic application of dopamine or eticlopride (a D2-like receptor antagonist). Hence, we studied dopaminergic modulation on the subcortical processing of unpredictable and predictable auditory changes. Results demonstrate that dopamine reduces the net neuronal responsiveness exclusively to unexpected input, without significantly altering the processing of expected auditory events at population level. We propose that, in natural conditions, dopaminergic projections from the thalamic subparafascicular nucleus to the nonlemniscal IC could serve as a precision-weighting mechanism mediated by D2-like receptors. Thereby, the levels of dopamine release in the nonlemniscal IC could modulate the early bottom-up flow of prediction error signals in the auditory system by encoding their expected precision.
Synchronous chromosome segregation in mouse oocytes is ensured by biphasic securin destruction and cyclin B1-Cdk1
Authors: Thomas Christopher , Levasseur Mark D. , Harris Rebecca J. , Davies Owen R. , Madgwick Suzanne 
Published: October 2019

AbstractSuccessful cell division relies on the faithful segregation of chromosomes. If chromosomes segregate prematurely the cell is at risk of aneuploidy. Alternatively, if cell division is attempted in the absence of complete chromosome segregation, non-segregated chromosomes can become trapped within the cleavage furrow and the cell can lose viability. Securin plays a key role in this process, acting as a pseudosubstrate to inhibit the protease separase that functions to cleave the cohesin rings that hold chromosomes together. Consequently, securin must be depleted ahead of anaphase, ensuring chromosome segregation occurs in time with the anaphase trigger. Here we find that MI mouse oocytes contain a large excess of securin over separase and reveal the existence of a novel mechanism that functions to promote the destruction of excess securin in prometaphase. Critically, this mechanism relies on key residues that are only exposed when securin is not bound to separase. We suggest that the majority of non-separase bound securin is removed by this mechanism, allowing for separase activity to be protected until just before anaphase. In addition, we further demonstrate the importance of complementary mechanisms of separase inhibition by directly measuring cleavage activity in live oocytes, confirming that both securin and inhibition by cyclin B1-Cdk1 are independently sufficient to prevent premature separase activation.
Reanalysis And Integration Of Public Microarray Datasets Reveals Novel Host Genes Modulated In Leprosy
Authors: Leal-Calvo Thyago , Moraes Milton Ozório 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundLeprosy is an insidious disease caused primarily by mycobacteria. The difficulties in culturing this slow-growing bacteria together with the chronic progression of the disease have hampered the development of accurate methods for diagnosis. Host gene expression profiling is an important tool to assess overall tissue activity, whether in health or disease conditions. High-throughput gene expression experiments have become popular over the last decade or so, and public databases have been created to easily store and retrieve these data. This has enabled researchers to reuse and reanalyze existing datasets with the aim of generating novel and or more robust information. In this work, after a systematic search, nine microarray datasets evaluating host gene expression in leprosy were reanalyzed and the information was integrated to strengthen evidence of differential expression for several genes.ResultsReanalysis of individual datasets revealed several differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Then, five integration methods were tested, both at the P-value and effect size level. In the end, random effects model (REM) and ratio association (sdef) were selected as the main methods to pinpoint DEGs. Overall, some classic gene/pathways were found corroborating previous findings and validating this approach for analysis. Also, various original DEGs related to poorly understood processes in leprosy were described. Nevertheless, some of the novel genes have already been associated with leprosy pathogenesis by genetic or functional studies, whilst others are, as yet, unrelated or poorly studied in these contexts.ConclusionsThis study reinforces evidences of differential expression of several genes and presents novel genes and pathways associated with leprosy pathogenesis. Altogether, these data are useful in better understanding host responses to the disease and, at the same time, provide a list of potential host biomarkers that could be useful in complementing leprosy diagnosis based on transcriptional levels.
Dectin-1 Molecular Aggregation and Signaling is Sensitive to β-Glucan Structure and Glucan Exposure on Candida albicans Cell Walls
Authors: Anaya Eduardo U. , Amin Akram Etemadi , Wester Michael J. , Danielson Michael E. , Michel Kyle S. , Neumann Aaron K. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractDectin-1A is a C-type Lectin innate immunoreceptor that recognizes β-(1,3;1,6)-glucan, a structural component of Candida species cell walls. The higher order structure of β-glucans ranges from random coil to insoluble fiber due to varying degrees of tertiary (helical) and quaternary structure. Model Saccharomyces cerevisiae β-glucans of medium and high molecular weight (MMW and HMW, respectively) are highly structured. In contrast, low MW glucan (LMW) is much less structured. Despite similar affinity for Dectin-1A, the ability of glucans to induce Dectin-1A mediated calcium influx and Syk phosphorylation positively correlates with their degree of higher order structure. Chemical denaturation and renaturation of MMW glucan showed that glucan structure determines agonistic potential, but not binding affinity, for Dectin-1A. We explored the role of glucan structure on Dectin-1A oligomerization, which is thought to be required for Dectin-1 signaling. Glucan signaling decreased Dectin-1A diffusion coefficient in inverse proportion to glucan structural content, which was consistent with Dectin-1A aggregation. Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) measurements revealed that molecular aggregation of Dectin-1 occurs in a manner dependent upon glucan higher order structure. Number and Brightness analysis specifically confirmed an increase in the Dectin-1A dimer and oligomer populations that is correlated with glucan structure content. Comparison of receptor modeling data with FRET measurements confirms that in resting cells, Dectin-1A is predominantly in a monomeric state. Super Resolution Microscopy revealed that glucan-stimulated Dectin-1 aggregates are very small (<15 nm) collections of a few engaged receptors. Finally, FRET measurements confirmed increased molecular aggregation of Dectin-1A at fungal particle contact sites in a manner that positively correlated with the degree of exposed glucan on the particle surface. These results indicate that Dectin-1A senses the solution conformation of β-glucans through their varying ability to drive receptor dimer/oligomer formation and activation of membrane proximal signaling events.
Determinants of bank efficiency: evidence from the Latin American banking industry
Authors: Jiménez-Hernández Ignacio , Palazzo Gabriel , Sáez-Fernández Francisco Javier 
Published: October 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze a variety of factors that can explain the differences in commercial bank efficiency among 17 countries in Latin America (LatAm).Design/methodology/approachIn a first stage, data envelopment analysis (DEA) and conditional efficiency analysis techniques are used to assess the relative efficiency level of 409 banks for the 2014-2016 period. The conditional efficiency approach considers environmental variables (that are beyond the manager’s control), which could influence the shape and the level of the boundary of the attainable set. In the second stage, the resulting conditional efficiency scores are correlated with internal variables (those that are under the manager’s control), which might affect the distribution of the inefficiencies. For this purpose, an econometric approach developed by Simar and Wilson (2007) is used.FindingsFirst stage scores reveal the heterogeneity of average efficiency within the region. Regarding the factors that may explain the differences in performance in the LatAm banking sector, the results allow us to state that certain internal variables such as bank size, the ratio of loans to total assets and the ratio of non-performing loans show the expected relationship to efficiency, in line with much of the previous literature.Originality/valueThis is the first time that conditional efficiency and Simar and Wilson (2007) approaches have been applied at the same time to analyse the LatAm banking industry.
The role of entrepreneurial orientation and family control of the firm in the economic recovery of underperforming firms
Authors: Capelleras Joan-Lluís , Contin-Pilart Ignacio , Garcés-Galdeano Lucia , Larraza-Kintana Martin 
Published: October 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and the family control of the company influence the performance of underachieving firms and how they contribute to economic recovery.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test the authors’ predictions on a unique and representative sample of 1,500 Spanish small firms in high and medium technology manufacturing and service industries. Given the nature of the dependent variable, the authors estimate a series of regression models to test the hypotheses. In addition, the authors consider two interaction terms where the underperforming firms’ variable is interacted with family firms and EO.FindingsThe results of analyses show that both EO and family ownership separately increase subsequent performance for underachieving firms.Originality/valueThe study contributes to expand the literature on underperforming firms analysing how strategic and structural factors affect the performance of firms that face an economic downturn. It also provides some guidance for practitioners on the decision and contexts that better serve the economic recovery of underperforming firms.
Software warranty cost optimization under imperfect debugging
Authors: Verma Vibha , Anand Sameer , Aggarwal Anu Gupta 
Published: October 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and quantify the key components of the overall cost of software development when warranty coverage is given by a developer. Also, the authors have studied the impact of imperfect debugging on the optimal release time, warranty policy and development cost which signifies that it is important for the developers to control the parameters that cause a sharp increase in cost.Design/methodology/approachAn optimization problem is formulated to minimize software development cost by considering imperfect fault removal process, faults generation at a constant rate and an environmental factor to differentiate the operational phase from the testing phase. Another optimization problem under perfect debugging conditions, i.e. without error generation is constructed for comparison. These optimization models are solved in MATLAB, and their solutions provide insights to the degree of impact of imperfect debugging on the optimal policies with respect to software release time and warranty time.FindingsA real-life fault data set of Radar System is used to study the impact of various cost factors via sensitivity analysis on release and warranty policy. If firms tend to provide warranty for a longer period of time, then they may have to bear losses due to increased debugging cost with more number of failures occurring during the warrantied time but if the warranty is not provided for sufficient time it may not act as sufficient hedge during field failures.Originality/valueEvery firm is fighting to remain in the competition and expand market share by offering the latest technology-based products, using innovative marketing strategies. Warranty is one such strategic tool to promote the product among masses and develop a sense of quality in the user’s mind. In this paper, the failures encountered during development and after software release are considered to model the failure process.
Structure optimization of the frame based on response surface method
Authors: Wang Ya-hui , Zhang Cai , Su Yong-qiang , Shang Li-yang , Zhang Tao 
Published: October 2019

Purpose
As a key part of the algae removal equipment in the middle route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the static analysis and dynamic analysis are carried out for the structural characteristics of the frame. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach
First, the model is constructed for analysis. Second, finite element analysis are carried out. And finally, test designed is used for the construction.

Findings
The optimization scheme that minimizes the quality under the condition of satisfying the allowable stress is found, and the quality is reduced by 6.88 percent.

Originality/value
The paper is based on the occurrence of seasonal algae in the main channel of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, an automatic algae-removing equipment was designed.
Internal mechanism of brand app recommendation from the integrated cross-channel perspective
Authors: Chen Qian , Lu Yaobin , Gong Yeming 
Published: October 2019

PurposeMany service organizations use brand apps as an important mobile-end service channel and expect to increase brand app use through customer recommendations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the internal mechanism of brand app recommendation from the cross-channel perspective.Design/methodology/approachBased on value–satisfaction–loyalty (VSL) framework, this study examines how brand app’s unique cross-channel features influence customer recommendations, and the effect of involvement in the framework. The authors conduct a research survey in airline industry and questionnaires are developed and distributed to respondents who have experiences with air travel and have used the corresponding airlines’ brand apps. Finally, the authors collect 399 valid questionnaires to test the research model.FindingsThe results show that brand app usability mediates the relationship between offline service satisfaction and brand app satisfaction, which finally leads to brand app recommendation. Brand app usability and satisfaction significantly affect involvement, which also lead to brand app recommendation.Originality/valueThis study distinguishes the features of brand apps from those of ordinary apps and fills the research gap in the internal mechanism of app recommendation from the integrated cross-channel perspective. Besides, this study extends the VSL value in the context of brand app use. Based on the results, this study also provides the practical suggestions of enhancing offline service quality and brand app usability to increase brand app recommendation.
Managing digital transformation through hybrid business models
Authors: Endres Herbert , Stoiber Kristina , Wenzl Nina Magdalena 
Published: October 2019

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how hybrid business models can help companies to survive in a constantly evolving digital world. The hybridization of business models is a promising approach to innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors discuss the key elements of a successful business model hybridization along the Business Model Canvas (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010). In particular, the elements of value propositions, customer segments, channels and a company’s cost structures demonstrate the individual steps toward a hybridized business model. Using Paddy Power Betfair as an example, the authors showcase how the concept of a hybrid business model can be successfully implemented in practice.FindingsBy hybridizing its business model, Betfair not only expanded existing customer value propositions but also introduced new ways of co-creating value with customers. Simultaneously, the hybridization positively affects a company’s revenue model, hence evolving in new ways of capturing value.Originality/valueTo effectively hybridize and thus innovate a company’s business model, the two key factors are successful value creation and value capture. By hybridizing elements of existing business models, new value for customers can be generated. Companies capturing this additional value may achieve sustainable and successful business models and thereby gain a competitive advantage.
Outcome-based education in accounting
Authors: Gunarathne Nuwan , Senaratne Samanthi , Senanayake Shashiprabha 
Published: October 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the operationalization of the outcome-based education (OBE) model in an accountancy study program in Sri Lanka and the impact of education frameworks on OBE.

Design/methodology/approach
This study follows the case study approach to the first academic accounting study program in a Sri Lankan public sector university. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews and secondary data through a content analysis of various relevant documents. The data were analyzed thematically using the theory of constructive alignment.

Findings
In accounting, the most significant imperative for the OBE stems from normative pressures. Since the accounting education frameworks have closely followed the approach suggested in constructive alignment, the normative institutionalization of professional standards in accounting supports OBE in accounting education. The OBE approach with its diverse range of teaching and learning activities and assessment methods in accounting has yielded multi-stakeholder benefits while posing some challenges in operationalization.

Research limitations/implications
The paper’s insights are based on a single case study in Sri Lanka and may be difficult to generalize to other countries.

Originality/value
This is the first empirical attempt to study the operationalization of the theory of constructive alignment of OBE in accounting for a study program.
A new empirical approach for balance sheet management effects on performance and financial variables development
Authors: Amedzro St-Hilaire Walter 
Published: October 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to estimate empirically and by empirical means, the empirical effect of the balance sheet management at the zero lower bound on the interest rate on performance and financial variables.Design/methodology/approachThe paper has an empirical approach to examine whether the movement in the balance sheet has had a spillover effect on the performance and financial variable. The empirical method used is a “structural panel management,” being appropriate for the analysis. This has never been used in strategic and management development.FindingsThe paper presents the following interesting results: the balance sheet management explains a significant portion of the changes in performance and financial variable during the non-conventional strategy approach; the performance fundamentals as the development and the opening of the financial market deal with the heterogeneity of the business in relation to the responses of the balance sheet shocks; the positive advantage of the balance sheet management may not be profitable in context characterized by low liquidity, low exposure to global markets and low stability of performance fundamentals.Originality/valueBased on a heterogeneous structural panel data management over a sample spanning the balance sheet management model, the author find some evidence of small cross-border effects on the decline of long-term bond yield, an increase in performance, an increase in the stock market prices, local currency appreciation and increase in credit growth. Yet, the quantile responses show that there is substantial heterogeneity in the Asia pacific business market responses to the governance’s shocks over all response periods. Accordingly, the effects vary across Asia pacific market and are time-varying, depending on their performance fundamentals, exposure to global markets and financial market depth. The balance sheet management on performance and financial variables could be an excellent reference for future researches and practices in Schools of Management and Finances.