Culture Collection Research Articles

ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL POTENCY OF A FURAN DERIVATIVE FROM THE CHLOROFORM CRUDE EXTRACT OF Icacina trichantha oliv TUBER.

Spectroscopic analysis of a pure isolate (OAU 2, a furan derivative) by column chromatography from the chloroform crude extract of Icacina trichantha tuber was done using FT-IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, COSY and was established by literature as well as the investigation of antimycobacterial potency. This anitmycobacterial activity revealed that this isolate actually has activity against DR-TB Strain and H37RV Strain which are American type culture collection strain and multi-drug resistant strains of M. tuberculosis being the test organisms. Hence, confirming the folk believe of the use of I. trichantha tuber in the treatment of “serious cough”

Establishment of Big Bone chicken fibroblast cell bank and study of its biological characteristics

A fibroblast bank of Big Bone chicken was established using tissue adherent culture method. This cell bank included 29 embryo samples, had stocks of 147 cryogenically-preserved vials each containing 2~3Å~106 cells, and met all the cell line quality control standards established by the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). The cells cultured in vitro showed the typical morphology of fibroblasts. The growth curve assumed the “S” shape, and the cell population doubling time (PDT) was about 30h. Cell viability was 98.1% before cryopreservation and 96.6% after recovery. All tests for microbial contamination were negative. The isoenzyme pattern was of species specificity. The frequency of diploid cells was 91%. The transfection efficiency of three fluorescent protein genes fluctuated between 10.6% and 26.5%. These results showed that the cells cultured in vitro grew well and had stable genetic properties. This research thus does not only preserve the poultry genetic resources of Big Bone chicken at the cell level, but also opens new ways for preserving important genetic resources of endangered animals in the form of somatic cells.

How leader-member exchange affects work outcomes in small-and-medium enterprises?

Orientation: Employees with a collectivistic culture want the closeness and support of their leaders. How leader-member exchange (LMX), perceived organisational support (POS), job satisfaction (JS) and organisational commitment (OC) influence each other still requires in-depth research because there are differences between the results of previous studies.Research purpose: This study examined the relationship model of LMX and POS as antecedent, mediator and moderator variables on work outcomes such as JS and OC in small- and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a collectivistic culture and high-power distance.Motivation for the study: Leadership in SMEs gets less attention because of its role in managing and carrying out operational activities.Research approach/design and method: Data were collected from 427 employees using questionnaires with purposive sampling, which was tested for validity and reliability. Structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-group SEM were used to test the relationship model.Main findings: The results of testing four relationship models proved that the LMX relationship did not directly affect JS and OC but was mediated by POS. LMX can also be a mediator and moderator of the relationship model.Practical/managerial implications: This study emphasises the need to minimise the differences between in-group and out-group in the leaders-followers relationship to improve employee performance. Leaders must expand the range of their relationships with followers to improve work outcomes.Contribution/value-add: This study examined LMX as an important predictor of work outcomes with clearer mechanisms. LMX cannot be a predictor if employees do not feel the leader’s support as a representative of the organisation.

Culture, Social Class and the Dynamics of the Self

In an ongoing cycle of mutual constitution, culture, the self, and associated psychological tendencies dynamically interact. Prior studies show that people from Western individualist cultures construe the self in independent terms (stressing their uniqueness and separation from others), promoting analytic, context-independent ways of thinking. In contrast, people from Eastern collectivist cultures emphasize their interdependence and connectedness with others, promoting more holistic, context-sensitive ways of thinking. Recently, this literature has been extended to study within-culture variations by socio-economic status (SES). This work has suggested that higher SES contexts foster the view of the self as an independent agent and analytic cognitive tendencies. By contrast, individuals from lower SES tend to emphasize interdependence with others while displaying more holistic cognitive tendencies. Of importance, these SES differences are embedded in larger socio-cultural contexts differing in individualism and collectivism. Hence, the relationship among SES, self-construal, and cognitive tendencies can sometimes vary dramatically between cultures.

Embracing digital companions: Unveiling customer engagement with anthropomorphic AI service robots in cross-cultural context

The current understanding of anthropomorphic AI service robots (AISR) remains mostly fragmented in literature. Based on related research and CASA framework, this research aims to combine the fragmented insights of AISR literature by taking holistic view of anthropomorphic characteristics of AISR and its impact on customer engagement and intention to use subsequently. Results are based on two cross-cultural studies, the individualistic culture of Canada (n = 318) and the collectivist culture of India (n = 347). The outcomes reveal positive associations between anthropomorphic characteristics of AISR and customer engagement, which further affects intention to use. Empathy significantly moderates the relationship between anthropomorphic characteristics of AISR and customer engagement. The cross-cultural nature of this study lays the foundation for design and development of anthropomorphic AISR in different service context.

Occupations and occupational therapy practice with Chinese older adults living with life-limiting illnesses in Singapore: A focus group study.

While Singapore is rapidly ageing and the need for palliative care services is projected to rise, there has been limited exploration of the occupations of Chinese older adults with life-limiting conditions. This study is the third in a series of three studies aimed to address this issue. This study also sought to discuss future directions for occupational therapy practice with Chinese older adults living with life-limiting illnesses in Singapore. The study adopted a qualitative exploratory design using focus groups. Participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. Inclusion criteria were occupational therapists who had attained full registration status with the Allied Health Professionals Council in Singapore, had two or more years of practice as an occupational therapist, and had a current or recent palliative care caseload. Three focus groups with 16 participants were conducted, and three themes were constructed from the data through reflexive thematic analysis. Reflections on culture and occupations is about the impact of a collectivist culture on occupations, such as tensions new caregivers experience between keeping clients safe and respecting clients' choices. It also highlights that there will always be individual differences within any cultural group. Challenges of occupational therapy practice in palliative care describe the need for therapists to be comfortable with rest and ethical tensions participants faced with billing for sessions that mainly involved time spent conversing with clients and when clients and caregivers' goals differed. Finally, Moving forward is about the importance of having mentors and the learning needs of occupational therapists in palliative care. Occupational therapists experienced in providing services to palliative care clients in Singapore emphasised the collectivist nature of Singaporean Chinese families and contributed more information to its possible impact on occupations and occupational therapy practice and made suggestions for future practice.

Pathogenomes and virulence profiles of representative big six non-O157 serogroup Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) of non-O157:H7 serotypes are responsible for global and widespread human food-borne disease. Among these serogroups, O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145 account for the majority of clinical infections and are colloquially referred to as the "Big Six." The "Big Six" strain panel we sequenced and analyzed in this study are reference type cultures comprised of six strains representing each of the non-O157 STEC serogroups curated and distributed by the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) as a resource to the research community under panel number ATCC MP-9. The application of long- and short-read hybrid sequencing yielded closed chromosomes and a total of 14 plasmids of diverse functions. Through high-resolution comparative phylogenomics, we cataloged the shared and strain-specific virulence and resistance gene content and established the close relationship of serogroup O26 and O103 strains featuring flagellar H-type 11. Virulence phenotyping revealed statistically significant differences in the Stx-production capabilities that we found to be correlated to the strain's individual stx-status. Among the carried Stx1a, Stx2a, and Stx2d phages, the Stx2a phage is by far the most responsive upon RecA-mediated phage mobilization, and in consequence, stx2a + isolates produced the highest-level of toxin in this panel. The availability of high-quality closed genomes for this "Big Six" reference set, including carried plasmids, along with the recorded genomic virulence profiles and Stx-production phenotypes will provide a valuable foundation to further explore the plasticity in evolutionary trajectories in these emerging non-O157 STEC lineages, which are major culprits of human food-borne disease.

Accumulation of docosapentaenoic acid (n-3 DPA) in a novel isolate of the marine ichthyosporean Sphaeroforma arctica.

Currently, there is lack of a consistent and highly enriched source for docosapentaenoic acid (n-3 DPA, C22:5), and this work report the isolation of microorganism that naturally produces n-3 DPA. In this work, we screened microorganisms in our culture collections with the goal to isolate a strain with high levels of n-3 DPA. We isolated a strain of Sphaeroforma arctica that produces up to 11% n-3 DPA in total fatty acid and has a high n-3 DPA to DHA/EPA ratio. The cell growth of the isolated strain was characterized using microscopy imaging and flow cytometer technologies to confirm the coenocytic pattern of cell divisions previously described in S. arctica. Our novel isolate of S. arctica grew more robustly and produced significantly more n-3 DPA compared to previously isolated and described strains indicating the uniqueness of the discovered strain. Overall, this work reports a first isolate n-3 DPA producing microorganism and establishes the foundation for future strain improvement and elucidation of the physiological function of this LC-PUFA for human nutrition and health.

Does Culture Matter in the Tax Compilance Behaviour of SMEs? Evidence from Ghana

Several studies have shown that culture affects individual ethical behaviour, but very few studies have looked at the cultural influences of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on their tax compliance practices. Tax non-compliance has been a major cause of revenue shortfall in many nations including Ghana. SMEs represent the majority of businesses in Ghana, thus non-compliance by SMEs may be the major cause of revenue shortfalls in the country. Scholars have adduced various factors for the non-compliance. Although some of these studies examine how specific cultural values impact tax compliance, there has not been any research in Ghana that examines the possibility of culture impacting SMEs’ tax compliance usingmajor national frameworks such as Hofstede Cultural Dimension theories. The paper uses Hofstede’s (2001) Cultural Dimension theories to examine the relationship between Ghanaian culture and the tax compliance behaviour of SME operators. Data were gatheredthrough a survey of 211 SMEs in the two major regions in Ghana, and analysis was conducted with structural equation modeling and ordinary regression. We found that the SME Owners exhibited some moderate levels of tax compliance behaviours. Again, SMEs arecharacterised by a high degree of uncertainty avoidance, a culture of femininity, a high degree of power distance, a long-term orientation, and a collectivist culture. The findings suggest that the power distance and longterm orientation cultures of SMEs accounted for their tax compliance behaviour. The study also found that older businesses that were very acquainted with the Ghanaian Culture were less likely to be tax-compliant than newer firms. This paper presents the Ghanaian perspective and bridges thecontext and issue gap identified in the body of knowledge.

Eight complete genome sequences of bacteria isolated from laboratory stock of giant kelp gametophytes.

We report whole-genome sequences of eight bacteria isolated from laboratory-kept Macrocystis pyrifera gametophytes. The bacterial culture collection is maintained in cryostorage and will be utilized in future applications as inoculants. The genomes were assembled using Oxford Nanopore Technology long-read sequencing.

Prospective microorganisms for the storage of apple fruitsin the conditions of the refrigerator

Goal. To select prom ising microorganisms from the collection of cultures of microorganisms with agronomically valuable properties of ETI «Biotechnica» of NAAS for storage of apple fruits in the refrigerator.
 Methods. Research was conducted using generally accepted methods and methodical approaches used in microbiology and biotechnology.
 Results. A set of studies was conducted to isolate harmful objects that affect apple fruits when stored in refrigeration conditions. As a result of research, such pathogenic microorganisms as: Botrytis (gray fruit rot); Rhizopus (gray mold); Aspergillus (black mold); Penicillium (green mold). In laboratory conditions, a study of the antagonistic activity of promising strains of microorganisms from the collection of ETI «Biotechnica» of NAAS against phytopathogens that were isolated from affected fruits was conducted. To perform the work, fungal and bacterial strains of microorganisms with fungicidal properties were selected from the institute’s collection.
 Conclusions. It was established that the fungi of the genus Trichoderma showed high antagonistic activity against phytopathogens of fungal etiology. The delay in the growth of harmful objects was at the level of 90—100%. Antagonist fungal strains Gliocladium rozeum and Ampelomuces artemisia pcs. A-1, caused growth retardation zones of phytopathogens in the range of 75—80%, and Soniotirium minitans pcs. C-20 showed absolutely no antagonistic activity against phytopathogens affecting apple fruits. Among the bacterial strains, Pseudomonas aureofaciens pcs. 111 and Pseudomonas fluorenscens pcs. AR33, which suppressed the growth of phytopathogens by 85—90% due to high titers of viable cells and active metabolites. Among the bacterial strains, Pseudomonas aureofaciens pcs. 111 and Pseudomonas fluorenscens pcs. AR33, which suppressed the growth of phytopathogens by 85—90% due to high titers of viable cells and active metabolites.

Moral identity in relation to emotional well-being: a meta-analysis.

This meta-analytic review surveyed previous empirical studies that examined links between moral identity and indicators of emotional well-being. Additionally, this meta-analysis examined cultural origin as a moderator, testing if links between moral identity and emotional well-being differ in collectivistic vs. individualistic countries. A systematic literature review was conducted through ProQuest's 65 databases and PubMed. A random-effect meta-analysis and subgroup analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 4.0 (CMA) software. Drawing on 27 eligible studies, moral identity was associated with greater emotional well-being (r = 0.27, p < 0.001). Follow up analyses on individual dimensions showed medium effect sizes in links between moral identity and greater happiness or positive affect (r = 0.28, p < 0.001), greater sense of purpose or meaning in life (r = 0.29, p < 0.001), and higher self-esteem (r = 0.25, p < 0.001). Moreover, moral identity was associated with greater life satisfaction showing a small effect size (r = 0.15, p = 0.011). Results showed that effect sizes of links between moral identity and overall emotional well-being did not significantly differ by cultural origin. However, effect sizes tended to be larger in the nine studies that were conducted in collectivistic countries (r = 0.30, p < 0.001) as compared to the 15 studies that were conducted in individualistic countries (r = 0.27, p < 0.001). The results of this meta-analysis indicate a robust empirical relationship between moral identity and emotional well-being that is present across various dimensions of emotional well-being and in both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. https://osf.io/94f8b/?view_only=6db54da0fa304c83993d0438ecb5c637.

Green banking adoption in Pakistan: the UTAUT model augmented with green consumption values, environmental concerns, and collectivism culture

The banking industry has received criticism for being one of the major contributors to climate change, either directly or indirectly. In response to this, the concept of “green banking” has emerged as a way to counteract the negative impact that banks are inflicting on the environment. However, there is little research on green banking adoption from customers’ perspectives in emerging countries, particularly Pakistan. Therefore, the current study has explored and examined the different factors that influence customers’ intention to adopt green banking and afterwards use behavior by applying the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. In addition, customers’ green values and collectivist culture were incorporated into the unified model to determine the most influential factor driving green banking proliferation. The study was conducted in Lahore, Pakistan, with the participation of 305 private bank customers. The empirical findings revealed that facilitating conditions and performance expectancy are the most significant driving factors for green banking proliferation, followed by emotional and conditional values, social influence, and effort expectancy. Surprisingly, a country with a 97% Muslim population believed in a collectivist national culture and a joint family system showed an insignificant moderating effect of collective culture on relationships. Bank managers, policymakers, and researchers should take into account these factors while designing and developing green banking products/services and policies to promote green banking proliferation in mainstream markets. The study provides novel theoretical insights on green banking adoption from customers’ perspectives and guides future research in this field.

Deficits in blood culture collection in the emergency department if sepsis is suspected: results of a retrospective cohort study

PurposeBlood cultures (BCs) are key for pathogen detection in septic patients. We investigated the extent to which sampling was performed and what factors were associated with the absence of general or inadequate BC sampling.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients with sepsis admitted to one of three EDs in 2018. Primary outcome was the extent of general BC collection of at least 1 set. Secondary outcome was the extent of adequate BC sampling, defined as ≥ 2 sets before antibiotic therapy (AT). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with deficits in both outcomes.Results1143 patients were analyzed. BCs were collected from 946 patients. Single BCs were taken from 520 patients, ≥ 2 sets from 426 patients. Overall, ≥ 2 BCs were taken from 349 patients before AT. BC sampling before AT occurred significantly more frequently when ≥ 2 BC sets were taken rather than a single one (81.9%, versus 68.4%, p < 0.001) and this also led to the highest pathogen detection rate in our cohort (65.6%). A body temperature of ≥ 38 °C was the a supporting factor for general and adequate BC collection in all three EDs. Retrospective analysis of 533 patients showed that the qSOFA score had no influence on general or adequate BC collection.ConclusionData on everyday clinical practice in the pre-analytical phase of microbiological diagnostics shows considerable deficits and indicates the need for more implementation of best practice. The variations identified in BC sampling between EDs should be further investigated.

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Construction of a Microbial Optimal Growth Temperature Database and Its Impact on Enzyme Optimal Temperature Prediction.

Accurate prediction of enzyme optimal temperature (Topt) is crucial for identifying enzymes suitable for catalytic functions under extreme bioprocessing conditions. The optimal growth temperature (OGT) of microorganisms serves as a key indicator for estimating enzyme Topt, reflecting an evolutionary temperature balance between enzyme-catalyzed reactions and the organism's growth environments. Existing OGT databases, collected from culture collection centers, often fall short as culture temperature does not precisely represent the OGT. Models trained on such databases yield inadequate accuracy in enzyme Topt prediction, underscoring the need for a high-quality OGT database. Herein, we developed AI-based models to extract the OGT information from the scientific literature, constructing a comprehensive OGT database with 1155 unique organisms and 2142 OGT values. The top-performing model, BioLinkBERT, demonstrated exceptional information extraction ability with an EM score of 91.00 and an F1 score of 91.91 for OGT. Notably, applying this OGT database in enzyme Topt prediction achieved an R2 value of 0.698, outperforming the R2 value of 0.686 obtained using culture temperature. This emphasizes the superiority of the OGT database in predicting the enzyme Topt and underscores its pivotal role in identifying enzymes with optimal catalytic temperatures.

Machine Learning-Based Virtual Screening of Antibacterial Agents against Methicillin-Susceptible and Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The application of computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) approaches has enabled the discovery of new antimicrobial therapeutic agents in the past. The high prevalence of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) strains promoted this pathogen to a high-priority pathogen for drug development. In this sense, modern CADD techniques can be valuable tools for the search for new antimicrobial agents. We employed a combination of a series of machine learning (ML) techniques to select and evaluate potential compounds with antibacterial activity against methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and MRSA strains. In the present study, we describe the antibacterial activity of six compounds against MSSA and MRSA reference (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC)) strains as well as two clinical strains of MRSA. These compounds showed minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in the range from 12.5 to 200 μM against the different bacterial strains evaluated. Our results constitute relevant proven ML-workflow models to distinctively screen for novel MRSA antibiotics.

Re-Identification of Aspergillus Subgenus Nidulantes Strains and Description of Three Unrecorded Species From Korea

ABSTRACT: Aspergillus subgenus Nidulantes with nine section forms the second largest subgenus of the fungi that comes under the genus Aspergillus. Species in this group of fungi are important as they are reported to play several important roles in the environment including influencing air quality in confined spaces, food spoilage, production of mycotoxins as well as in human pathogenicity. In the present study, 53 strains of Aspergillus subgenus Nidulantes (section: Nidulantes & Usti) isolated from Korea and preserved at the Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC) were subjected to re-identification by using a combined dataset of partial β-tubulin (BenA), Calmodulin (CaM) gene sequences as well as their morphological data. We confirmed 14 species from 53 isolates in Korea. Of them, eleven species were reported in Korea previously (A. amoenus, A. baeticus, A. calidoustus, A. creber, A. insuetus, A. jensenii, A. nidulans, A. protuberus, A. sydowii, A. tabacinus and A. unguis), and three species (A. griseoaurantiacus, A. puulaauensis and A. sublatus) were previously unreported from Korea. We detailed the characteristic features of these three species, that remain unexplored in Korea.

Metabolomic and taxonomic characterization of Haloleptolyngbya lusitanica sp. nov. (Cyanobacteria, Synechococcales)

ABSTRACT The morphological plasticity of cyanobacteria and their widespread ecological dominance in a wide range of habitats highlights the need for in-depth taxonomic studies. This work focused on the taxonomical revision of Leptolyngbya (Cyanophyceae) strains deposited in the ESSACC culture collection and their metabolomic characterization. Although the studied ESSACC strains were morphologically identified as Leptolyngbya sp., the 16S rRNA gene and 16S–23S rRNA ITS analysis revealed that two strains (LMECYA 079 and LMECYA 173) belong to Haloleptolyngbya and represent a new taxonomical unit, genetically unique, ecologically plastic and adapted to both freshwater and thermal habitats, here described as Haloleptolyngbya lusitanica sp. nov. To perform a suspect screening of cyanometabolites in these strains, we used a non-targeted liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) metabolomic approach. Several metabolites were identified in Haloleptolyngbya lusitanica: micropeptin MM978, spumigin 640, oscillatoxin A and anabaenopeptin D. Strains were maintained and grown under the same conditions, revealing the common production of oscillatoxin A by both H. lusitanica strains. Other identified metabolites, however, were strain-specific, such as anabaenoptin D, which was only detected in LMECYA 173. The different cyanometabolite profiles reinforce the notion that cyanobacteria have the ability to adapt to different habitats, which is maintained under long-term culturing conditions.

Neural substrates of marriage on self-parents processing and the association with a parents-oriented perspective shift in a collectivistic culture

Relationship with parents is a special bond that shapes self-other representations and have an impact on adult-child’s marriage, especially in the early stages of marriage. This study sought to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying self-parents processing as well as their relationship with marriage. Seventy-eight premarital Korean participants were scanned in functional MRI while evaluating traits of the self and parents. Then, 21 of them returned after being married to engage in the identical task three years later. The precuneus and temporoparietal junction were identified to activate stronger for parents than self at both marital statuses. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, parietal operculum, and caudate activated more for self than parents before marriage, but their activities changed during marriage. The activation increase of the parietal operculum between marital statuses in the parents condition was negatively correlated with the level of marital dissatisfaction, and this association only appeared among participants with a child. Self-parents processing may recruit brain regions involved in autobiographical memory and self-other distinction, and marriage has an impact on the way individuals process rewards and multimodal sensory information during this processing. Marriage may lead to changes in brain function that affect the processing of emotions toward parents and a more parents-oriented perspective shift in collectivistic societies.

OPENPichia: licence-free Komagataella phaffii chassis strains and toolkit for protein expression

The industrial yeast Komagataella phaffii (formerly named Pichia pastoris) is commonly used to synthesize recombinant proteins, many of which are used as human therapeutics or in food. However, the basic strain, named NRRL Y-11430, from which all commercial hosts are derived, is not available without restrictions on its use. Comparative genome sequencing leaves little doubt that NRRL Y-11430 is derived from a K. phaffii type strain deposited in the UC Davis Phaff Yeast Strain Collection in 1954. We analysed four equivalent type strains in several culture collections and identified the NCYC 2543 strain, from which we started to develop an open-access Pichia chassis strain that anyone can use to produce recombinant proteins to industry standards. NRRL Y-11430 is readily transformable, which we found to be due to a HOC1 open-reading-frame truncation that alters cell-wall mannan. We introduced the HOC1 open-reading-frame truncation into NCYC 2543, which increased the transformability and improved secretion of some but not all of our tested proteins. We provide our genome-sequenced type strain, the hoc1tr derivative that we named OPENPichia as well as a synthetic, modular expression vector toolkit under liberal end-user distribution licences as an unencumbered OPENPichia resource for the microbial biotechnology community.