bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Short-Term Meditation Training Alters Brain Activity and Sympathetic Responses at Rest, but not during the meditation
Authors: Rusinova Anna , Volodina Maria , Ossadtchi Alexei 
Published: December 2023

AbstractNumerous studies have shown that meditation has a number of positive effects on the physical and psychological well-being of practitioners. As a result, meditation has become widely practiced not only as a religious practice but also as a self-regulation technique to achieve specific measurable goals. This raises the question of how quickly physiological changes can be noticed in individuals for whom meditation is not the main focus of their lives but rather a wellbeing keeping technique. Another question is whether it is possible to observe changes occurring directly during meditation and use bio- or neuro-feedback to enhance such meditation training and achieve tangible results.In our study, the experimental group of individuals with no previous meditation experience underwent eight weeks of training in Taoist meditation (2 sessions lasting 1 hour each week), under the guidance of a certified instructor. Participants in the control group attended offline group meetings during the same period, where they listened to audio books. All participants performed meditation testing before and after the intervention, following audio instructions. During the meditation practice, participants’ EEG, photoplethysmogram, respiratory rate, and skin conductance were recorded.The meditation training, but not the control group activity, resulted in topically organized changes of the resting state brain activity and heart rate variability. Specifically, we observed an increase in EEG power in multiple frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta) and changes in the heart rate variability indicators associated with sympathetic system activation. However, no significant changes were observed when we compared the physiological indicators during the actual meditation process performed prior and post the 8-week training. We interpret these changes as signs of increased alertness and possibly accelerated resting metabolic rate. Importantly, these changes were observed after only 16 hours of meditation training performed during the 8-week period of time. The absence of difference in the band-specific power profiles between the experimental and control groups during the process of meditation conceptually complicates the development of assistive devices aimed at “guiding” the novice meditators during the actual meditation. Our results suggest that the focus in creating such digital assistants should rather be shifted towards monitoring neurophysiological activity during the time intervals outside of the actual meditation. The apparent changes occur not only in the EEG derived parameters but are also detectable based on the markers of autonomous nervous system activity that can be readily registered with a range of wearable gadgets which renders hope for a rapid translation of our results into practical applications.
On interaction of proteinoids with simulated neural networks
Authors: Mougkogiannis Panagiotis , Adamatzky Andrew 
Published: December 2023

AbstractProteinoids are thermal proteins which swell into microspheres in solution. The proteinoid microspheres show spiking of electrical potential similar to that to that of living neurons. Rich spectrum of proteinoids’ spiking responses to optical and electrical stimulation makes them promising candidates for neuromorphic unconventional computing devices. We decided to evaluate neuron-like activity of proteinoids in the experimental setups of their interaction with simulate neuronal network of Izhikevich neurons. The simulated neural networks stimulate and modulate electrical activity of proteinoid ensembles by interacting with them via arbitrary form programmable function generator. Different amino-acid compositions of proteinoids responded uniquely to input spiking from simulated neurons. We demonstrated that patterns of electrical spiking activity of proteinoids and complexity of the activity can be tuned by patterns of spikes generated by simulated neurons. The research opens novel venues to establishing interacting between nanobrains – brain-like organoids made from molecules, not animal cells — and real nervous systems.
Strain Differences in Bloodstream and Skin Infection MRSA isolated between 2019-2021 in a Single Health System
Authors: Hofstetter Katrina S. , Jacko Natasia F. , Shumaker Margot J. , Talbot Brooke M. , Petit Robert A. , Read Timothy D. , David Michael Z. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractS. aureusis a common cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and has recently become the most common cause of bloodstream infections (BSIs), but whether the strains causing these two clinical syndromes overlap has not been studied adequately. USA300/500 (clonal complex [CC] 8-ST8) and USA100 (CC5-ST5) have dominated among methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA) strains in the U.S. since the early 2000s. We compared the genomes of unselected MRSA isolates from 131 SSTIs with those from 145 BSIs at a single U.S. center in overlapping periods in 2018-2021. CC8 MRSA was more common among SSTIs and CC5 was more common among BSIs, consistent with prior literature. Based on clustering genomes with a threshold of 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we identified clusters limited to SSTI patients and separate clusters exclusively comprising BSI patients. However, we additionally identified 8 outbreak clusters that included at least one SSTI and one BSI isolate. This suggests that virulent MRSA strains are transmitted from person-to-person locally in the healthcare setting and the community and that single lineages are often capable of causing both SSTIs and BSIs.
Multiple genome-wide association studies of type 2 diabetes implicate several genes are associated with diabetic retinopathy based on UK Biobank
Authors: Cai Tengda , Pan Qi , Tao Yiwen , Nangia Charvi , Rajendrakumar Aravind Lathika , Dottorini Tania , Haque Mainul , Palmer Colin , Meng Weihua 
Published: December 2023

AbstractPurposeTo identify the genetic variants associated with diabetic retinopathy in type 2 patients from the UK Biobank cohort (n= 17,015) and supporting replication cohorts GODARTS (n= 5,013), GOSHARE (n= 1,754), Caucasian Australians (n= 518), FinnGen (n= 206,664) and Chinese (n = 1,007).MethodsTotally eleven genome-wide association studies were applied to search for significant genetic variants.ResultsWe found 5 different loci associated with type 2 diabetic retinopathy in or nearest geneEYA2,MPDZ,NTNG1,CTAGE14PandMREGP1. In the primary GWAS, a significant SNP rs6066146 located in geneEYA2showed apvalue of 4.21 × 10−8and may play a role in the development of the disease, with “spleen” reaching a significant level produced by tissue expression analysis. Corresponding heritability of DR was estimated to be 26.73% by SumHer. Among five genes, we found that genesEYA2,MPDZ,NTNG1had genetic interactions and may affect the complex development of retinal blood vessels.ConclusionDiabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that affects the eyes. It is highly likely to occur when high blood sugar damages the retinal blood vessels. There is limited awareness regarding the pathogenesis of DR. Our study identified multiple loci associated with diabetic retinopathy, which may lead to personalized treatments to reduce the burden of the disease.
Benchmarking computational methods to identify spatially variable genes and peaks
Authors: Li Zhijian , M.Patel Zain , Song Dongyuan , Yan Guanao , Li Jingyi Jessica , Pinello Luca 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSpatially resolved transcriptomics offers unprecedented insight by enabling the profiling of gene expression within the intact spatial context of cells, effectively adding a new and essential dimension to data interpretation. To efficiently detect spatial structure of interest, an essential step in analyzing such data involves identifying spatially variable genes. Despite researchers having developed several computational methods to accomplish this task, the lack of a comprehensive benchmark evaluating their performance remains a considerable gap in the field. Here, we present a systematic evaluation of 14 methods using 60 simulated datasets generated by four different simulation strategies, 12 real-world transcriptomics, and three spatial ATAC-seq datasets. We find that spatialDE2 consistently outperforms the other benchmarked methods, and Moran’s I achieves competitive performance in different experimental settings. Moreover, our results reveal that more specialized algorithms are needed to identify spatially variable peaks.
Effectiveness of Bivalent Boosters Over Nine and Half Months in Nebraska
Authors: Paritala Sai , Xu Yangjianchen , Du Yi , Donahue Matthew , Maloney Patrick , Lin Dan-Yu 
Published: December 2023

AbstractOn September 1, 2022, Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech bivalent vaccines replaced existing monovalent vaccines as booster doses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for persons aged 12 and older in the United States. We assessed the effectiveness of these bivalent boosters against Omicron infection and severe outcomes (COVID-19 hospitalization and death) over a 9.5-month period using line-level data from the state of Nebraska. We found that the relative effectiveness of bivalent boosters, compared with one fewer vaccine dose, against Omicron infection and subsequent death was 39.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35.7 to 42.2) and 70.0% (95% CI, 38.8 to 85.3), respectively, at four weeks post administration and gradually waned afterward. Vaccine effectiveness was broadly similar against different Omicron subvariants.
Systematic comparison of sequencing-based spatial transcriptomic methods
Authors: You Yue , Fu Yuting , Li Lanxiang , Zhang Zhongming , Jia Shikai , Lu Shihong , Ren Wenle , Liu Yifang , Xu Yang , Liu Xiaojing , Jiang Fuqing , Peng Guangdun , Kumar Abhishek Sampath , Ritchie Matthew E. , Liu Xiaodong , Tian Luyi 
Published: December 2023

AbstractRecent advancements of sequencing-based spatial transcriptomics (sST) have catalyzed significant advancements by facilitating transcriptome-scale spatial gene expression measurement. Despite this progress, efforts to comprehensively benchmark different platforms are currently lacking. The extant variability across technologies and datasets poses challenges in formulating standardized evaluation metrics. In this study, we established a collection of reference tissues and regions characterized by well-defined histological architectures, and used them to generate data to compare six sST methods. We highlighted molecular diffusion as a variable parameter across different methods and tissues, significantly impacting the effective resolutions. Furthermore, we observed that spatial transcriptomic data demonstrate unique attributes beyond merely adding a spatial axis to single-cell data, including an enhanced ability to capture patterned rare cell states along with specific markers, albeit being influenced by multiple factors including sequencing depth and resolution. Our study assists biologists in sST platform selection, and helps foster a consensus on evaluation standards and establish a framework for future benchmarking efforts that can be used as a gold standard for the development and benchmarking of computational tools for spatial transcriptomic analysis.
Socioeconomic Status and Depression – A Systematic Review
Authors: Jespersen Anders , Madden Rebecca , Whalley Heather C. , Reynolds Rebecca , Lawrie Stephen M. , McIntosh Andrew M. , Iveson Matthew 
Published: December 2023

AbstractObjectiveLow socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with an increased risk of depression and psychiatric disorders in general. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to provide an estimate of the risk of clinical depression associated with low SES across cultures, age groups and study designs. Finally, we tested whether associations between SES and depression differed by the income of the country in which the study was conducted.MethodsA literature search across five databases returned 7,943 studies. Title, abstract and full text screening resulted in 162 included studies of which 122 were meta-analysed, 22 were included in a cross-sectional narrative review and 19 studies were included in a longitudinal narrative review. Meta-analyses were divided into risk estimates for composite SES, income, education, and employment. Sensitivity analyses based on differences in economic situation in the country of study origin were performed to investigate a possible source of between study heterogeneity.ResultsLow SES was associated with an increased risk of depression across all measures of SES. Low income was associated with the highest odds ratio for depression (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.53-2.52). Sensitivity analyses revealed no significant differences in between-study heterogeneity or risk of depression between high- and low-income economy groups.ConclusionsComparable risks of depression across economy groups suggest that income relative to your peers, rather than absolute income, is a risk factor for depression. Preventative measures and possible policy interventions are discussed.Strengths and limitations of this studyThis systematic review provides the largest and most comprehensive review and meta-analysis of the association between socioeconomic status and depression.The included studies span a broad range of ages, cultures, and country economies, allowing for better generalisation of the results.The inclusion of component parts of socioeconomic status (income, education, and employment) in the meta-analysis allows for comparisons of the different risk estimates.The broad inclusion criteria are likely to allow for increased between-study heterogeneity.Due to the observational nature of the studies included it is difficult to make conclusions on the direction of causality between socioeconomic status and depression. However, the inclusion of a longitudinal narrative review may give an indication of a direction of causality.
Factors influencing artificial intelligence adoption in the accounting profession: the case of public sector in Kuwait
Authors: Al Wael Hasan , Abdallah Wael , Ghura Hasan , Buallay Amina 
Published: December 2023

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the organizational and individual factors that influence the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Kuwait's public accounting sector.

Design/methodology/approach
The methodology of this study is a cross-sectional survey of 393 experienced accounting professionals, using partial least square structural equation modeling to analyze the data.

Findings
The findings show that organizational culture, regulatory support, perceived usefulness and ease of use have a direct positive effect on AI adoption, while perceived usefulness and ease of use also have an indirect positive effect through accounting profit and behavioral intention. However, the availability of resources, effective communication channels and competition pressure have an insignificant impact on AI adoption.

Originality/value
This study pioneers a structural framework to elucidate the perceived enhancement of accounting quality through AI system integration. Further, this research adds to the literature on AI adoption in accounting. This study also offers empirical evidence regarding how organizations in Kuwait's public accounting sector view AI systems in accounting.
Refugees at home: the role of hospitableness in fostering pro-social attitudes and behaviours towards refugees
Authors: Alrawadieh Zaid , Altinay Levent , Urbančíková Nataša , Hudec Oto 
Published: December 2023

Purpose
This study aims to examine the role of hospitableness towards refugees, as embraced by local hosts, in engendering positive social outcomes, including fostering favourable attitudes and empathy towards refugees, satisfaction from hosting refugees in private dwellings and advocacy for hosting them.

Design/methodology/approach
Rooted in the contact theory and drawing on a hospitality social lens framework, the study uses a mixed-methods approach using a sequential quantitative-qualitative design to understand the interface between hospitableness, attitudes and empathy towards refugees, satisfaction from hosting refugees in private dwellings and advocacy for hosting them. A conceptual model is proposed and tested using 160 valid surveys collected from individuals hosting Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia. SEM-PLS is used to test the proposed model. A total of 25 in-depth interviews with Slovakian individuals hosting refugees in private dwellings were also conducted to explain and further explore the initial quantitative results.

Findings
The findings indicate that hospitableness has a positive effect on attitudes towards refugees, fosters a sense of empathy and results in satisfaction from hosting refugees. Interestingly, while hospitableness per se does not directly affect advocacy for hosting refugees, it does so indirectly via favourable attitudes towards refugees and satisfaction from the hosting experience. While qualitative findings largely support and further explain the quantitative results, interesting insights are also obtained.

Practical implications
The study advocates that hospitableness should be addressed through a social lens beyond its traditional commercial boundaries. Several implications for policymakers, NGOs and other stakeholders involved in hosting refugees are proposed. Overall, policies need to be oriented towards harnessing the power of refugee hosting schemes, thus increasing the role of hospitableness in addressing societal challenges such as the refugee crisis.

Originality/value
While not new, private hosting of refugees has recently gained momentum following the outbreak of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. In spite of some valuable research delving into hosting experiences from the refugees’ and hosts’ perspectives, this research stream is notably fragmented and largely exploratory. Specifically, there seems to be no comprehensive understanding of how hospitableness towards refugees, as embraced by hosts, can engender positive social outcomes, including fostering favourable attitudes and empathy towards refugees, satisfaction from hosting refugees and advocacy for hosting refugees in private dwellings. Overall, hospitality research is notably biased towards commercial settings, focusing on instrumental benefits rather than societal outcomes. This study focuses on the societal outcomes of hospitableness as a tool to address the refugee crisis.
Do KM and TQM have an impact on employee effectiveness and supply chain performance?
Authors: Lehyani Fatma , Zouari Alaeddine , Ghorbel Ahmed , Tollenaere Michel 
Published: December 2023

Purpose
Companies should enhance their market position and competitiveness by improving staff effectiveness, skills, resource commitment, and applying relevant managerial methods. This study aims to examine the impact of knowledge management (KM) and total quality management (TQM) on employee effectiveness (EE) and supply chain performance (SCP) in emerging economies.

Design/methodology/approach
The used methodology consists on conducting a survey within Tunisian companies, where the authors gathered 206 responses. Collected data was analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software, enabling the authors to establish a conceptual model. This model was further examined through structural equation modeling, using analysis of moment structures (AMOS) software for hypothesis validation. Additionally, the authors’ research aimed to enhance SCP and boost EE while minimizing costs through a nonlinear mathematical model and the quality function deployment method.

Findings
The results indicate that TQM and KM positively impact EE, and KM and EE positively impact SCP. However, the significance of employee performance on SCP varies depending on company location and industry sector studied.

Originality/value
This work emphasized the involvement of small- and medium-sized enterprise managers from emerging economies in the studied concepts and confirmed the effects of KM and TQM practices on EE and SCP.
Perceptions and attitudes of black Sub-Saharan African migrants from war-torn zones towards accessing health services in the English West Midlands region, UK
Authors: Nyashanu Mathew , Mbalinda Scovia Nalugo , Madziva Roda , Ekpenyong Mandu Stephen 
Published: December 2023

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of black Sub-Saharan African (BSSA) migrants from war-torn zones in accessing health services in the West Midlands region of the UK. This may help to inform on factors influencing the uptake of health services for new migrant communities.

Design/methodology/approach
This study explored the experiences of BSSA migrants from war-torn zones in accessing health services in the West Midlands using an explorative qualitative approach. Ten focus groups made up of seven participants each were followed up with three in-depth one-to-one interviews from each focus group using a conversational approach where research participants were encouraged to direct and shape the discussion in accordance with their own experiences, views and particular concerns (Kvale, 1996) as opposed to responding to a pre-determined agenda.

Findings
Following transcription, coding and analysis of the focus group discussions and follow-up interviews, this study found that perceptions and attitudes of BSSA communities in accessing health services included difficulties in navigating the health system, intrusive and embarrassing questions from clinicians, stigmatisation through offering an HIV test, culturally unfriendly counselling support, unconfidently services and episodes of trauma flashbacks.

Originality/value
The experiences of BSSA migrants who sought health services in the West Midlands in the UK demonstrated important implications for future practice and informed service delivery. There is a need to consider cultural education for both BSSA migrants and health professionals to enhance understanding and trust between the groups. Basic professional training for health professionals should also encompass the needs of the growing ethnic populations in the UK.