bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Knowledge awareness and practice with antimicrobial stewardship programmes among healthcare providers in a Ghanaian Tertiary Hospital
Authors: Kpokiri Eneyi E. , Ladva Misha , Dodoo Cornelius C. , Orman Emmanuel , Alalbila Thelma , Mensah Adelaide , Jato Jonathan , Mfoafo Kwadwo A. , Folitse Isaac , Hutton-Nyameaye Araba , Okon-Ben Inemesit , Mensah-Kane Paapa , Sarkodie Emmanuel , Awadzi Benedict , Jani Yogini 
Published: November 2021

AbstractAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant problem in global health today, particularly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) where antimicrobial stewardship programmes are yet to be successfully implemented. We established a partnership between AMR pharmacists leads from a UK NHS hospital and in Ho Teaching Hospital with the aim to by enhance antimicrobial stewardship knowledge and practice among healthcare providers through an educational intervention. We employed a mixed method approach including an initial before and after training survey on knowledge and awareness, followed by qualitative interviews with healthcare providers conducted six months after delivery of training. This study was carried out in Ho teaching hospital with 18 healthcare professionals including pharmacists, medical doctors, nurses and medical laboratory scientists. Ethical approval was obtained prior to data collection. In the first phase, we surveyed 50 health care providers including nurses (33%), pharmacists (29%) and biomedical scientists (23%). Of these, 58% of participants had engaged in continuous professional development on AMR/AMS, and above 95% demonstrated good knowledge on the general use of antibiotics. A total of 18 participants, which included 4 medical doctors, 5 pharmacists, 4 nurses, 2 midwives and 3 biomedical scientists, were interviewed in the second stage and demonstrated greater awareness of AMS practices, particularly the role of education for patients as well as healthcare professionals. We found that knowledge and practice with AMS was markedly improved six months after the training session. There is limited practice of AMS in LMICs, however through AMR focused training we demonstrate improved AMS skills and practice among health care providers in Ho Teaching hospital. There is need for continuous AMR training sessions for health care professionals in resource limited settings.
Estimation of R0 for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany from Excess Mortality
Authors: Prada Juan Pablo , Maag Luca Estelle , Siegmund Laura , Bencurova Elena , Chunguang Liang , Koutsilieri Eleni , Dandekar Thomas , Scheller Carsten 
Published: November 2021

AbstractFor SARS-CoV-2, R0 calculations report usually 2-3, biased by PCR testing increases. Covid-19-induced excess mortality is less biased.We used data from Robert Koch Institute on Covid incidence, deaths, and PCR tests and excess mortality to determine early, policy-free R0 estimates with a serial interval of 4.7 days.The PCR-based R0 value was 2.56 (95% CI 2.52-2.60) for Covid-19 cases and 2.03 (95%CI 1.96-2.10) for Covid-19-related deaths. As the number of PCR tests increased, R0 values were corrected accordingly, yielding 1.86 for Covid-19 cases and 1.47 for Covid-19 deaths, excess deaths were 1.34 (95% CI 1.32-1.37).R0 is much lower than previously thought. This fits the observed seasonal pattern of infection across Europe in 2020-2021, including emergence of more contagious escape variants such as delta.One-Sentence SummaryExcess mortality reveals infection speed in Covid-19 is surprisingly low with seasonal infection patterns and escape variants.
Human genetic evidence supports MAP3K15 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for diabetes
Authors: Nag Abhishek , Dhindsa Ryan S. , Harper Andrew R. , Vitsios Dimitrios , Ahnmark Andrea , Bilican Bilada , Madeyski-Bengtson Katja , Zarrouki Bader , Wang Quanli , Smith Katherine , Smith Dave , Challis Benjamin , Paul Dirk S. , Bohlooly-Y Mohammad , Snowden Mike , Baker David , Fritsche-Danielson Regina , Pangalos Menelas N. , Petrovski Slavé 
Published: November 2021

AbstractDiabetes mellitus is a chronic health condition that can result in significant end-organ complications and is estimated to impact at least 8.5% of the global adult population. Here, we performed gene-level collapsing analysis on exome sequences from 454,796 multi-ancestry UK Biobank participants to detect genetic associations with diabetes. Rare non-synonymous variants in GCK, GIGYF1, HNF1A, and HNF4A were significantly associated (P<1×10-8) with increased risk of diabetes, whereas rare non-synonymous variants in MAP3K15 were significantly associated with reduced risk of diabetes. Recessive carriers of rare non-synonymous variants in the X chromosome gene MAP3K15 had a 30% reduced risk of diabetes (OR=0.70, 95% CI: [0.62,0.79], P=5.7×10-10), along with reduced blood glucose (beta=-0.13, 95% CI: [-0.15,-0.10], P=5.5×10-18) and reduced glycosylated haemoglobin levels (beta=-0.14, 95% CI: [-0.16,-0.11], P=1.1×10-24). Hemizygous males carrying protein-truncating variants (PTVs) in MAP3K15 demonstrated a 40% reduced risk of diabetes (OR=0.60, 95% CI: [0.45,0.81], P=0.0007). These findings were independently replicated in FinnGen, with a MAP3K15 PTV associating with decreased risk of both type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (p<0.05). The effect of MAP3K15 loss on diabetes was independent of body mass index, suggesting its protective effect is unlikely to be mediated via the insulin resistance pathway. Tissue expression profile of MAP3K15 indicates a possible involvement of pancreatic islet cell or stress response pathways. No safety concerns were identified among heterozygous or recessive MAP3K15 PTV carriers across over 15,719 studied endpoints in the UK Biobank. Human population genetic evidence supports MAP3K15 inhibition as a novel therapeutic target for diabetes.
Genome-wide H3K9 Acetylation Level Increases with Age-Dependent Senescence of Flag Leaf in Rice (Oryza sativa)
Authors: Zhang Yu , Li Yanyun , Zhang Yuanyuan , Zhang Zeyu , Zhang Deyu , Wang Xiaonan , Lai Binfan , Huang Dandan , Gu Lianfeng , Xie Yakun , Miao Ying 
Published: November 2021

AbstractFlag leaf senescence is an important biological process that drives the remobilization of nutrients to the growing organs of rice. Leaf senescence is controlled by genetic information via gene expression and epigenetic modification, but the precise mechanism is as of yet unclear. Here, we analyzed genome-wide acetylated lysine residue 9 of histone H3 (H3K9ac) enrichment by chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) and examined its association with transcriptomes by RNA-seq during flag leaf aging in rice (Oryza sativa). We found that genome-wide H3K9 acetylation levels increased with age-dependent senescence in rice flag leaf, and there was a positive correlation between the density and breadth of H3K9ac and gene expression and transcript elongation. A set of 1,249 up-regulated, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 996 down-regulated DEGs showing a strong relationship between temporal changes in gene expression and gain/loss of H3K9ac was observed during rice flag leaf aging. We produced a landscape of H3K9 acetylation-modified gene expression targets that includes known senescence-associated genes, metabolism-related genes, as well as miRNA biosynthesis-related genes. Our findings reveal a complex regulatory network of metabolism- and senescence-related pathways mediated by H3K9ac and also elucidate patterns of H3K9ac-mediated regulation of gene expression during flag leaf aging in rice.Significance statementGenome-wide H3K9 acetylation levels increased with age-dependent senescence in rice flag leaf, and positively correlation the density and breadth of H3K9ac with transcript elongation and expression. Identified numerous H3K9 acetylation-modified gene expression targets reveal a complex regulatory network and metabolism-mediated senescence network that are associated with H3K9ac during leaf aging in rice.
Structure-activity studies ofStreptococcus pyogenesenzyme SpyCEP reveal high affinity for CXCL8 in the SpyCEP C-terminal
Authors: Pearson Max , Haslam Carl , Fosberry Andrew , Jones Emma J , Reglinski Mark , Edwards Robert J. , Lawrenson Richard Ashley , Brown Jonathan C , Mossakowska Danuta , Pease James Edward , Sriskandan Shiranee 
Published: November 2021

AbstractTheStreptococcus pyogenescell envelope protease (SpyCEP) is vital to streptococcal pathogenesis and disease progression. Despite its strong association with invasive disease, little is known about enzymatic function beyond the ELR+CXC chemokine substrate range. As a serine protease, SpyCEP has a catalytic triad consisting of aspartate (D151), histidine (H279), and serine (S617) residues which are all thought to be mandatory for full activity. We utilised a range of SpyCEP constructs to investigate the protein domains and catalytic residues necessary for enzyme function. We designed a high-throughput mass spectrometry assay to measure CXCL8 cleavage and applied this for the first time to study the enzyme kinetics of SpyCEP.Results revealed a remarkably low Michaelis-Menton constant (KM) of 82 nM and a turnover of 1.65 molecules per second. We found that an N-terminally-truncated SpyCEP C-terminal construct containing just the catalytic dyad of H279 and S617 was capable of cleaving CXCL8 with a similar KMof 55 nM, albeit with a reduced substrate turnover of 2.7 molecules per hour, representing a 2,200- fold reduction in activity. We conclude that the SpyCEP C-terminus plays a key role in high affinity substrate recognition and binding, but that the N-terminus is required for full catalytic activity.
Hypoxia classifier for transcriptome datasets
Authors: Puente-Santamaría Laura , Sanchez-Gonzalez Lucia , Ramos-Ruiz Ricardo , del Peso Luis 
Published: November 2021

AbstractMolecular gene signatures are useful tools to characterize the physiological state of cell populations, but most have developed under a narrow range of conditions and cell types and are often restricted to a set of gene identities.Focusing on the transcriptional response to hypoxia, we aimed to generate widely applicable classifiers sourced from the results of a meta-analysis of 69 differential expression datasets which included 425 individual RNA-seq experiments from 33 different human cell types exposed to different degrees of hypoxia (0.1-5%O2) for 2-48h.The resulting decision trees include both gene identities and quantitative boundaries, allowing for easy classification of individual samples without control or normoxic reference. Each tree is composed by 3-5 genes mostly drawn from a small set of just 8 genes (EGLN1, MIR210HG, NDRG1, ANKRD37, TCAF2, PFKFB3, BHLHE40, and MAFF). In spite of their simplicity, these classifiers achieve over 95% accuracy in cross validation and over 80% accuracy when applied to additional challenging datasets. Our results indicate that the classifiers are able to identify hypoxic tumor samples from bulk RNAseq and hypoxic regions within tumor from spatially resolved transcriptomics datasets. Moreover, application of the classifiers to histological sections from normal tissues suggest the presence of a hypoxic gene expression pattern in the kidney cortex not observed in other normoxic organs. Finally, tree classifiers described herein outperform traditional hypoxic gene signatures when compared against a wide range of datasets. This work describes a set of hypoxic gene signatures, structured as simple decision tress, that identify hypoxic samples and regions with high accuracy and can be applied to a broad variety of gene expression datasets and formats.
Effectiveness of customer social participation for academic purposes: a case of informal WhatsApp groups
Authors: Lakmali A.A.I. , Abeysekera Nalin , Silva D.A.C. Suranga 
Published: November 2021

PurposeCustomer social participation (CSP) is a new phenomenon that has emerged with the evolution of social media. Current literature designates customer participation in social media as “CSP”. Although CSP has been investigated in the online brand community context in social media, it has been little investigated in the context of student customers using WhatsApp – a highly trending social media platform among learners. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of CSP in informal WhatsApp groups for academic purposes among undergraduate students of management studies.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a single cross-sectional survey design. A structured online questionnaire was employed. Using convenience sampling technique, data were collected from 170 undergraduates of the Bachelor of Management Studies programme at the Open University of Sri Lanka.FindingsThe results revealed significant positive effects of functional, social and hedonic benefits with CSP. Meanwhile, the relationship between psychological benefits and CSP was insignificant. Furthermore, there is no influence of age and level of study on CSP among the learners in informal WhatsApp groups. Moreover, at present, the level of CSP in WhatsApp for academic purposes among students is moderate.Originality/valueThe role of the student as the customer and student behaviour in informal WhatsApp groups established for academic purposes have been little investigated in the field of open and distance education services. In this context, this study empirically validated the model of participation benefits and CSP in WhatsApp groups informally established for academic purposes.
Cointegration test for the long-run economic relationships of East Africa community: evidence from a meta-analysis
Authors: Yussuf Yussuf Charles 
Published: November 2021

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to test and analyze the equilibrium economic relationships of the East Africa Community (EAC).Design/methodology/approachTo attain the study's purpose the authors applied the Johansen cointegration test, including long-run structural modeling (LRSM), vector-error-correlation-model (VECM) and variance-decomposition (VDC).FindingsAt I(1), both Philips‐Peron (PP) and Kwiatkowski–Phillips–Schmidt–Shin (KPSS) tests show that the East Africa member states' economies are cointegrated. The result was further substantiated by the tests based on Johansen cointegration and VECM procedures, showing significant long-run and short-run economic relations. The result further reveals that despite some uncommon issues among member states such as Tanzania and Kenya, however, their economic relationships remain significant though it is negative. Moreover, the finding revealed positive and significant short-run economic relationships between Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda.Originality/valueThe paper applies the cointegration techniques in the context of EAC. The result is likely to be adding value to the policymaker and also to the existing literature on the subject. This may trigger policy implications and open new research direction within the region and out.
Willingness-to-pay for robot-delivered tourism and hospitality services – an exploratory study
Authors: Ivanov Stanislav , Webster Craig 
Published: November 2021

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate potential consumers’ willingness to pay for robot-delivered services in travel, tourism and hospitality, and the factors that shape their willingness to pay.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey yielded a sample of 1,573 respondents from 99 countries. Independent samplest-test, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), cluster, factor and regression analyses were used.FindingsRespondents expected to pay less for robot-delivered services than human-delivered services. Two clusters were identified: one cluster willing to pay nearly the same price for robotic services as for human-delivered services, whilst the other expected deep discounts for robotic services. The willingness-to-pay was positively associated with the attitudes towards robots in tourism, robotic service experience expectations, men and household size. It was negatively associated to travel frequency, age and education.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper’s main limitation is its exploratory nature and the use of a hypothetical scenario in measuring respondents’ willingness to pay. The data were gathered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and do not reflect the potential changes in perceptions of robots due to the pandemic.Practical implicationsPractitioners need to focus on improving the attitudes towards robots in tourism because they are strongly and positively related to the willingness to pay. The marketing messages need to form positive expectations about robotic services.Originality/valueThis is one of the first papers to investigate consumers’ willingness to pay for robot-delivered services in travel, tourism and hospitality and factors that shape their willingness to pay.
MOEAGAC: an energy aware model with genetic algorithm for efficient scheduling in cloud computing
Authors: Marri Nageswara Prasadhu , Rajalakshmi N.R. 
Published: November 2021

PurposeMajority of the research work either concentrated on the optimization of scheduling length and execution cost or energy optimization mechanism. This research aims to propose the optimization of makespan, energy consumption and data transfer time (DTT) by considering the priority tasks. The research work is concentrated on the multi-objective approach based on the genetic algorithm (GA) and energy aware model to increase the efficiency of the task scheduling.Design/methodology/approachCloud computing is the recent advancement of the distributed and cluster computing. Cloud computing offers different services to the clients based on their requirements, and it works on the environment of virtualization. Cloud environment contains the number of data centers which are distributed geographically. Major challenges faced by the cloud environment are energy consumption of the data centers. Proper scheduling mechanism is needed to allocate the tasks to the virtual machines which help in reducing the makespan. This paper concentrated on the minimizing the consumption of energy as well as makespan value by introducing the hybrid algorithm called as multi-objective energy aware genetic algorithm. This algorithm employs the scheduling mechanism by considering the energy consumption of the CPU in the virtual machines. The energy model is developed for picking the task based on the fitness function. The simulation results show the performance of the multi-objective model with respect to makespan, DTT and energy consumption.FindingsThe energy aware model computes the energy based on the voltage and frequency distribution to the CPUs in the virtual machine. The directed acyclic graph is used to represent the task dependencies. The proposed model recorded 5% less makespan compared against the MODPSO and 0.7% less compared against the HEFT algorithms. The proposed model recorded 125 joules energy consumption for 50 VMs when all are in active state.Originality/valueThis paper proposed the multi-objective model based on bio-inspired approach called as genetic algorithm. The GA is combined with the energy aware model for optimizing the consumption of the energy in cloud computing. The GA used priority model for selecting the initial population and used the roulette wheel selection method for parent selection. The energy model is used as fitness function to the GA for selecting the tasks to perform the scheduling.
An integrated approach to organizational resilience: a quality perspective
Authors: Madani Farshad , Parast Mahour Mellat 
Published: November 2021

PurposeThe main components of resiliency, including resilience capacities, resilience activities and resilience measures, are identified, extracted and redefined by designing their ontologies. The integrated model is developed by adapting the PDCA (plan, do, check and act) model to resilience management and implementing the developed concepts in the model.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses systems theory to define the main concepts discussed in the literature on resilience. This study then uses systems engineering theory and a resource-based view of the firm to develop an integrated framework to demonstrate how a resilient firm operates.FindingsThe revised terminologies and the integrated model address the current theoretical issues in the literature, and they also provide a reference model for practical implementation of resilience management at the firm level. Also, the integrated model addresses the role of innovation in resilience management.Originality/valueThe study examines the concept of resilience form a quality perspective and also examines how resilience and innovation are related.
The effect of ecotourism knowledge on residents' attitudes in Otavalo, Ecuador: the knowledge theory of attitude–behavior consistency
Authors: Yoon Sang-Eun (Amelia) , Lee Kyoung-Joo 
Published: November 2021

PurposeResidents' supportive attitudes are essential for the successful development of ecotourism. Although existing literature has heavily relied on social exchange theory to explain residents' attitudes, this study explores a new theoretical direction by focusing on the cognitive process of residents' attitude formation. This study adopts the knowledge theory of attitude–behavior consistency that emphasizes the amount, relevance and complexity of ecotourism knowledge in shaping residents' positive attitudes toward tourism development in the regional community.Design/methodology/approachBased on a survey of 394 residents of Otavalo, Ecuador, this study confirmed the reliability and validity of measurements, used PLS-SEM for statistical analysis, and evaluated the effect of ecotourism knowledge on residents' attitudes toward ecotourism.FindingsUnder the control of community attachment and fair distribution of economic benefits supported by existing literature, this study finds that ecotourism knowledge has a positive and significant effect on residents' supportive attitudes toward tourism development.Research limitations/implicationsBy elucidating the cognitive process of residents' attitude formation and change, this paper shows the applicability of a knowledge-based theory to residents' attitudes toward tourism development, and offers practical implications for ecotourism policymakers and educational program developers.Originality/valueThis study adopts the knowledge theory of attitude–behavior consistency and shows the positive influence of ecotourism knowledge on residents' attitudes.