bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender sensitive responses to climate change in Nigeria: the role of multinationals’ corporate social responsibility in oil host communities
Authors: Uduji Joseph Ikechukwu , Okolo-Obasi Nduka Elda Nduka
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) on gender-sensitive responses to climate change in oil host communities in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a survey research technique aimed at gathering information from a representative sample of the population, as it is essentially cross-sectional, describing and interpreting the current situation. A total of 1,200 rural women were sampled across the Niger Delta region.

Findings

The results from the use of a combined propensity score matching and logit model indicate a significant relationship between GMoU model and women, gender and climate change in the Niger Delta, Nigeria.

Practical implications

This implies that CSR of a multinational oil companies is a critical factor in the need for gender-sensitive responses to the effect of climate change.

Social implications

It suggests that, for adaptation to climate change effects, understanding gender dimensions and taking gender responsive steps be incorporated into GMoU policies and action plans of multinational enterprises.

Originality/value

This research contributes to gender debate in climate change from a CSR perspective in developing countries and rationale for demands for social projects by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.
Servitisation and performance in the business-to-business context: the moderating role of Industry 4.0 technologies
Authors: Bortoluzzi Guido , Chiarvesio Maria , Romanello Rubina , Tabacco Raffaella , Veglio Valerio
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This article aims to contribute to the digital servitisation literature by investigating the interrelations amongst Industry 4.0 technologies, servitisation and the performance of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses survey data drawn from 200 manufacturing SMEs operating in the metals and machinery sector in Italy.

Findings

The study shows that Industry 4.0 technologies – Internet of Things (IoT), advanced simulation, cloud computing and Big Data Analytics (BDA) – positively moderate the relationship between servitisation and the performance of SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The study supports the need for firm managers of manufacturing SMEs to align servitisation and technological investments, suggesting that the synergic deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies supports servitisation performance.

Practical implications

The study supports the need for firm managers operating in business-to-business contexts to align their technological investments and servitisation strategies, suggesting that the synergic deployment of these Industry 4.0 technologies empower the effectiveness of servitisation strategies in terms of performance achieved.

Originality/value

The study highlights the moderating role played by specific Industry 4.0 technologies in the servitisation–performance relationship, opening avenues for future research exploring the mechanisms that underpin this complex relationship.
What determines 3D printing adoption in the GCC region?
Authors: Almahamid Soud Mohammad , Almurbati Nehal , Al-Alawi Adel Ismail , Fataih Mohammed Al
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The study aims to develop an integrated model for three-dimensional (3D) printing adoption in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) context to form a baseline for more theoretical and empirical debate from emerging markets.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach with a convenience sample is adopted since there is no formal body that has accurate data about the number of companies, governmental bodies, nongovernmental organizations, universities, labs, etc. that already have adopted 3D printing.

Findings

The results indicate that the technological usefulness of 3D printing and its ease-of-use factor were found to be lacking among community members and governmental officials. Yet, these factors were the most influential factor affecting the spread of 3D printing technology adoption in the GCC countries. Nevertheless, the adaptation of 3D printing is not yet at the level of its global markets, nor is it used within leading companies’ assembly lines. In addition, the 3D printing awareness and use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the adaptation rate is still below expectations due to several challenges that face the growth of the 3D printing market in the GCC countries. The most vital challenge facing 3D printing growth is manifested in governmental policies and regulations.

Practical implications

Companies’ managers can benefit from the current study results by focusing on the factors that facilitate 3D adoption and avoiding bottle-neck factors that hinder the speed of the 3D adoption. 3D providers can also benefit by understanding the factors that affect 3D adoption and designing their machine and marketing strategy in a way that helps the intended companies to easily adopt 3D printing.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explored 3D printing adoption on the GCC countries’ level. It also adds a new flavor to the literature by exploring 3D adoption during the COVID-19 crisis.
Knowledge mapping of research data in China: a bibliometric study using visual analysis
Authors: Yan Chunlai , Li Hongxia , Pu Ruihui , Deeprasert Jirawan , Jotikasthira Nuttapong
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This study aims to provide a systematic and complete knowledge map for use by researchers working in the field of research data. Additionally, the aim is to help them quickly understand the authors' collaboration characteristics, institutional collaboration characteristics, trending research topics, evolutionary trends and research frontiers of scholars from the perspective of library informatics.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopt the bibliometric method, and with the help of bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace and VOSviewer, quantitatively analyze the retrieved literature data. The analysis results are presented in the form of tables and visualization maps in this paper.

Findings

The research results from this study show that collaboration between scholars and institutions is weak. It also identified the current hotspots in the field of research data, these being: data literacy education, research data sharing, data integration management and joint library cataloguing and data research support services, among others. The important dimensions to consider for future research are the library's participation in a trans-organizational and trans-stage integration of research data, functional improvement of a research data sharing platform, practice of data literacy education methods and models, and improvement of research data service quality.

Originality/value

Previous literature reviews on research data are qualitative studies, while few are quantitative studies. Therefore, this paper uses quantitative research methods, such as bibliometrics, data mining and knowledge map, to reveal the research progress and trend systematically and intuitively on the research data topic based on published literature, and to provide a reference for the further study of this topic in the future.
Parametric optimization for dimensional correctness of 3D printed part using masked stereolithography: Taguchi method
Authors: Borra N. Dhanunjayarao , Neigapula Venkata Swamy Naidu
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Masked stereolithography (MSLA) or resin three-dimensional (3D) printing is one of the most extensively used high-resolution additive manufacturing technologies. Even though, the quality of 3D printing is determined by several factors, including the equipment, materials and slicer. Besides, the layer height, print orientation and exposure time are important processing parameters in determining the quality of the 3D printed green state specimen. The purpose of the paper is to optimize the printing parameters of the Masked Stereolithography apparatus for its dimensional correctness of 3D printed parts using the Taguchi method.

Design/methodology/approach

The acrylate-based photopolymer resin is used to produce the parts using liquid crystal display (LCD)-type resin 3D printer. This study is mainly focused on optimizing the processing parameters by using Taguchi analysis, L-9 orthogonal array in Minitab software. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the most influencing factors, and a regression equation was built to predict the best potential outcomes for the given set of parameters and levels. The signal-to-noise ratios were calculated by using the smaller the better characteristic as the deviations from the nominal value should be minimum. The optimal levels for each factor were determined with the help of mean plots.

Findings

Based on the findings of ANOVA, it was observed that exposure time plays an important role in most of the output measures. The model’s goodness was tested using a confirmation test and the findings were found to be within the confidence limit. Also, a similar specimen was printed using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique; it was compared with the quality and features of MSLA 3D printing technology.

Practical implications

The study presents the statistical analysis of experimental results of MSLA and made a comparison with FFF in terms of dimensional accuracy and print quality.

Originality/value

Many previous studies reported the results based on earlier 3D printing technology such as stereolithography but LCD-based MSLA is not yet reported for its dimensional accuracy and part quality. The presented paper proposes the use of statistical models to optimize the printing parameters to get dimensional accuracy and the good quality of the 3D printed green part.
Women Directors’ Turnover Following Financial Misconduct: What's Social Environment Got to Do with It?
Authors: Saeed Abubakr , Riaz Hammad
Published: July 2022

In this study, we consider the role of social environment in boards’ decisions whether to replace women directors or not following corporate financial misconduct. To explain the board's decision, two competing hypotheses are presented. The immunity perspective suggests that women directors benefit from growing social pressures to increase women's representation on boards, resulting in a lower turnover, while the susceptibility perspective proposes that societal gender stereotypes that give rise to biased boards’ decisions result in a higher turnover. Using a sample of Chinese firms involved in financial misconduct during 2011–2019, we find strong support for the susceptibility perspective and show a higher turnover of women directors following financial wrongdoing. Further, we find that board gender diversity and a firm's belonging to male‐dominated industries increase women directors’ turnover. Our findings make important contributions to directors’ turnover literature and practice.
State Racism and Surveillance in Xinjiang (People's Republic of China)
Authors: Roche Gerald , Leibold James
Published: July 2022

Racism, as a truly global phenomenon, requires a comparative approach that can account for its diverse forms and their commonalities. Despite the prevalence and relevance of racism throughout Asia, much scholarship on the topic remains parochially focussed on the north Atlantic world. This article aims to help address this issue in two ways. First, it discusses surveillance and racialisation practices in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, based on an examination of leaked police files from the city of Urumqi. It examines how racialisation processes are carried out through surveillance, who these impact, and how. Second, these empirical materials are put in a broader comparative framework, drawing on Michel Foucault's concept of state racism, which sees racism as a technique of governance common to all contemporary states. The conclusions reflect on what it means to undertake anti‐racist scholarship in a world of racist states.
The 2022 World Cup and Migrants' Rights in Qatar: Racialised Labour Hierarchies and the Influence of Racial Capitalism
Authors: Babar Zahra , Vora Neha
Published: July 2022

Since winning the bid to host the 2022 World Cup, the Qatari government has channelled billions of dollars into infrastructural development to prepare for the tournament, which has ramped up the country's already high reliance on migrant labour. The international spotlight on migrant labour abuse has also become more intense as the date of the event approaches. Yet, human rights discourses surrounding World Cup 2022 continue to paint a simplistic and incomplete picture of migrant labour in the Gulf, where racism and its correctives are defined through the white gaze, with undercurrents of Orientalism and Islamophobia. In contrast, we offer a historical and transnational framework for understanding contemporary racialised labour and immigration systems in the Gulf. Effectively improving everyday life for migrant workers in the Gulf requires engaging both local stakeholders and the multiple actors and institutions—both inside and outside Qatar—involved in reproducing these systems.
Aiding Marital Childlessness: Christian Religious Responses to Husband and Donor Insemination in Belgium and Britain, 1940–1980*
Authors: Claes Tinne , Hilevych Yuliya
Published: July 2022

This article compares religious responses to artificial insemination in Belgium and Britain from circa 1940 to 1980. Belgium was predominantly Catholic, whereas Britain was religiously diverse, combining Anglicanism, Protestantism, and Catholicism as the main Christian denominations. Despite these differences, religious actors in both countries became more permissive towards artificial insemination in the period under study. This article reveals that religious actors were adapting their morals to medical and societal challenges of the time. In the 1940s, doctors and theologians argued that artificial insemination by husband was moral if masturbation was avoided, and in the 1970s, even artificial insemination by donor became a subject of open discussion in both contexts. By then, the supposedly harmonious relationship between infertility and adoption had crumbled due to the widespread use of the pill. Against a background of secularisation and faced with a growing visibility of involuntary childlessness, different roads to parenthood became acceptable.
Beyond Narratives of Conflict. Modern Medicine, Reproduction and Catholicism in Contemporary Historiography*
Authors: Wils Kaat , Betta Emmanuel , Devos Isabelle , Van Osselaer Tine , Wall Barbra Mann
Published: July 2022

Over the last two decades, the topic of Western biomedicine and religion has gained firm ground among historians. While taking distance from both confessional approaches and interpretations of the past that were implicitly informed by a narrative of conflict between medicine and religion, historians have recently integrated phenomena of separate coexistence and examples of mutual influence and collaboration in their work. In this article, we discuss the state of the art and the future agenda of the historiography of Catholicism and biomedicine in Europe and the United States, with a special interest in questions of reproduction. We thereby take into account the different levels on which this encounter has been studied: from the Vatican's prescriptions to the collective reproductive behavior of Catholic populations, from the negotiations of medical professionals such as Catholic doctors and nurses to individual bodily experiences of the faithful.
The effect of non‐financial performance measures, organisational politics and political skill on job performance: Evidence from China
Authors: Chong Vincent K. , Wang Isabel Z. , Monroe Gary S. , Strike Liam , Zhang Feida (Frank)
Published: July 2022

We investigate the role of organisational politics (i.e., general political behaviour, going along to get ahead and pay and promotion policies) and political skill on the relationship between non‐financial performance measures and job performance, relying on a sample of manufacturing firms in China. Results suggest that non‐financial performance measures positively affect managers' job performance, and non‐financial performance measures reduce general political behaviour and pay and promotion policies. Results further suggest that managers' political skill positively affects job performance, and political skill also moderates the relationships between (1) general political behaviour and (2) pay and promotion policies, and job performance.
Genetics, epigenetics, and transcriptomics of preterm birth
Authors: Jain Viral G. , Monangi Nagendra , Zhang Ge , Muglia Louis J.
Published: July 2022

Preterm birth contributes significantly to neonatal mortality and morbidity. Despite its global significance, there has only been limited progress in preventing preterm birth. Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) results from a wide variety of pathological processes. Although many non‐genetic risk factors influence the timing of gestation and labor, compelling evidence supports the role of substantial genetic and epigenetic influences and their interactions with the environment contributing to sPTB. To investigate a common and complex disease such as sPTB, various approaches such as genome‐wide association studies, whole‐exome sequencing, transcriptomics, and integrative approaches combining these with other ‘omics studies have been used. However, many of these studies were typically small or focused on a single ethnicity or geographic region with limited data, particularly in populations at high risk for sPTB, or lacked a robust replication. These studies found many genes involved in the inflammation and immunity‐related pathways that may affect sPTB. Recent studies also suggest the role of epigenetic modifications of gene expression by the environmental signals as a potential contributor to the risk of sPTB. Future genetic studies of sPTB should continue to consider the contributions of both maternal and fetal genomes as well as their interaction with the environment.
Severe maternal morbidity in Scotland
Authors: Masterson J. A. , Adamestam I. , Beatty M. , Boardman J. P. , Johnston P. , Joss J. , Lawrence H. , Litchfield K. , Walsh T. S. , Wise A. , Wood R. , Weir C. J. , Denison F. C. , Lone N. I.
Published: July 2022

Using a cohort study design, we analysed 17 diagnoses and 9 interventions (including critical care admission) as a composite measure of severe maternal morbidity for pregnancies recorded over 14 years in Scotland. There were 762,918 pregnancies, of which 7947 (10 in 1000 pregnancies) recorded 9345 severe maternal morbidity events, 2802 episodes of puerperal sepsis being the most common (30%). Severe maternal morbidity incidence increased from 9 in 1000 pregnancies in 2012 to 17 in 1000 pregnancies in 2018, due in part to puerperal sepsis recording. The odds ratio (95%CI) for severe maternal morbidity was higher for: older women, for instance 1.22 (1.13–1.33) for women aged 35–39 years and 1.44 (1.27–1.63) for women aged > 40 years compared with those aged 25–29 years; obese women, for instance 1.13 (1.06–1.21) for BMI 30–40 kg.m‐2 and 1.32 (1.15–1.51) for BMI > 40 kg.m‐2 compared with BMI 18.5–24.9 kg.m‐2; multiple pregnancy, 2.39 (2.09–2.74); and previous caesarean delivery, 1.52 (1.40–1.65). The median (IQR [range]) hospital stay was 3 (2–5 [1–8]) days with severe maternal morbidity and 2 (1–3 [1–5]) days without. Forty‐one women died during pregnancy or up to 42 days after delivery, representing mortality rates per 100,000 pregnancies of about 365 with severe maternal morbidity and 1.6 without. There were 1449 women admitted to critical care, 807 (58%) for mechanical ventilation or support of at least two organs. We recorded an incidence of severe maternal morbidity higher than previously published, possibly because sepsis was coded inaccurately in our databases. Further research may determine the value of this composite measure of severe maternal morbidity.
Epidemiology of paediatric severe sepsis and septic shock in Turkey: Prevalence, results and treatments study
Authors: Evren Gultac , Karaarslan Utku , Yildizdas Dincer , Şik Guntulu , Azapağası Ebru , Konca Capan , Kendirli Tanil , Udurgucu Muhammed , Koroglu Tolga Fikri ,   Epidemiology of Pediatric Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Study Group
Published: July 2022

Aim

This study was aimed at characterising the prevalence, management and outcomes of paediatric severe sepsis and septic shock in tertiary paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in Turkey.

Methods

A point prevalence study was conducted on 5 days over the course of 1 year in 29 PICUs in Turkey. Outcomes included severe sepsis and septic shock point prevalence, therapies used, duration of PICU stay and mortality at day 28.

Results

Of the 1757 children who were admitted to the PICU during the study period, 141 (8.0%) children met the consensus criteria for severe sepsis and 23 (1.3%) children met the criteria for septic shock. Paediatric severe sepsis and septic shock accounted for 8% and 1.3% of all PICU admissions, respectively. The median age of the patients was 2.6 years (interquartile range [IQR], 0.7–8.6 years). Enteral nutrition (79.3%) was preferred compared to parenteral nutrition (31.1%) for the first 3 days after PICU admission. A total of 39 patients died while in the PICU, for a 23.8% mortality rate, which did not vary by age.

Conclusion

The mortality rate was similar to that in other studies. Hematologic‐immunologic comorbidity, parenteral nutrition and the use of vasoactive drugs were independently associated with mortality.
Robot‐assisted transperitoneal reconstruction of a retrocaval ureter: A report of two cases
Authors: Mine Yuta , Yamasaki Toshinari , Kambe Takanari , Hagimoto Hiroki , Kokubun Hidetoshi , Hattori Yuto , Abe Yohei , Kubota Masashi , Tsutsumi Naohumi , Kawakita Mutsushi
Published: July 2022

A retrocaval ureter (RCU) is a rare cause of congenital ureteral obstruction that often requires surgical repair. We report two cases of RCU in adults treated with robot‐assisted laparoscopic surgery. In both cases, we performed robotic ureteroureterostomy with dissection of the entire length of the retrocaval portion of the right ureter without complications. In the second case, renal stone removal was simultaneously performed. The robot‐assisted procedure we performed could be considered safe and feasible for the surgical repair of an RCU.
Corporate social responsibility and COVID‐19: Prior reporting experience and assurance
Authors: Poursoleyman Ehsan , Mansourfar Gholamreza , Nazari Jamal , Homayoun Saeid
Published: July 2022

The novel COVID‐19 has created an exogenous shock to capital markets and, hence, an ideal opportunity for researchers to assess whether CSR‐related activities provide an insurance‐like mechanism to protect firms against the shock. Using a large sample of 4361 firms domiciled in 40 countries, we investigate the roles of CSR reporting and assurance in the negative consequences of COVID‐19 on firm value. The results confirm that prior CSR reporting experience buffers firms against the adverse effects of the health crisis. The results also support that not only does the assurance on CSR reports create a buffering effect against the health crisis, but it also intensifies the buffering effects of prior CSR reporting experience against the pandemic. Moreover, using difference‐in‐difference method for testing the link between CSR reporting and firm value, we show that the positive association of reporting and assurance with firm value is more pronounced during the pandemic as compared with the years preceding it. The results of this study are robust to various analyses. Replicating the analyses to the context of the global financial crisis, we find that prior CSR reporting experience and assurance provide similar buffering effects when a market is exposed to various exogenous shocks. The results also hold for the mandatory disclosure regimes. By distinguishing first and subsequent reports and assurance, we show that, unlike subsequent CSR reports and assurance, the initial ones cannot mitigate the negative effects of the crisis on firm value, indicating that stakeholders take into account longer‐term CSR reporting experiences. Aside from reporting and assurance aspects of CSR, we analyze the role of CSR report's quality and accuracy and show that the adoption of Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) frameworks can enhance socially responsible firms' resilience against systematic shocks.
Advances in acne clinical research: a new class of topical treatment for moderate-to-severe facial acne
Authors: Dessinioti Clio
Published: July 2022

Linked Article:  Picardo et al. Br J Dermatol 2022; 187:507–514.
Liposomal doxorubicin supercharge‐containing front‐line treatment in patients with advanced‐stage diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma or classical Hodgkin lymphoma: Preliminary results of a single‐centre phase II study
Authors: Picardi Marco , Giordano Claudia , Pugliese Novella , Esposito Maria , Fatigati Melania , Muriano Francesco , Rascato Maria G. , Della Pepa Roberta , D'Ambrosio Alessandro , Vigliar Elena , Troncone Giancarlo , Russo Daniela , Mascolo Massimo , Esposito Giovanni , Prastaro Mariella , Esposito Roberta , Tocchetti Carlo G. , Fonti Rosa , Mainolfi Ciro , Del Vecchio Silvana , Pane Fabrizio
Published: July 2022

We evaluated the impact of liposomal doxorubicin (NPLD) supercharge‐containing therapy on interim fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (interim‐FDG‐PET) responses in high‐risk diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or classical Hodgkin lymphoma (c‐HL). In this phase II study (2016–2021), 81 adult patients with advanced‐stage DLBCL (n = 53) and c‐HL (n = 28) received front‐line treatment with R‐COMP‐dose‐intensified (DI) and MBVD‐DI. R‐COMP‐DI consisted of 70 mg/m2 of NPLD plus standard rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone for three cycles (followed by three cycles with NPLD de‐escalated at 50 mg/m2); MBVD‐DI consisted of 35 mg/m2 of NPLD plus standard bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine for two cycles (followed by four cycles with NPLD de‐escalated at 25 mg/m2). Patients underwent R‐COMP‐DI and MBVD‐DI with a median dose intensity of 91% and 94% respectively. At interim‐FDG‐PET, 72/81 patients (one failed to undergo interim‐FDG‐PET due to early death) had a Deauville score of ≤3. At end of treatment, 90% of patients reached complete responses. In all, 20 patients had Grade ≥3 adverse events, and four of them required hospitalisation. At a median 21‐months of follow‐up, the progression‐free survival of the entire population was 77.3% (95% confidence interval 68%–88%). Our data suggest that the NPLD supercharge‐driven strategy in high‐risk DLBCL/c‐HL may be a promising option to test in phase III trials, for improving negative interim‐FDG‐PET cases incidence.
Selective block of adenosine A2A receptors prevents ischaemic‐like effects induced by oxygen and glucose deprivation in rat medium spiny neurons
Authors: Coppi Elisabetta , Gibb Alasdair J.
Published: July 2022

Background and Purpose

Ischaemia is known to cause massive neuronal depolarization, termed anoxic depolarization (AD), due to energy failure and loss of membrane ion gradients. The neuromodulator adenosine accumulates extracellularly during ischaemia and activates four metabotropic receptors: A1, A2A, A2B and A3. Striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) express high levels of A2A receptors and are particularly vulnerable to ischaemic insults. A2A Receptor blockade reduces acute striatal post‐ischaemic damage but the cellular mechanisms involved are still unknown.

Experimental Approach

We performed patch‐clamp recordings of MSNs in rat striatal slices subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) to investigate the effects of A2A receptor ligands or ion channel blockers on AD and OGD‐induced ionic imbalance, measured as a positive shift in Erev of ramp currents.

Key Results

Our data indicate that the A2A receptor antagonist SCH58261 (10 μM) significantly attenuated ionic imbalance and AD appearance in MSNs exposed to OGD. The K+ channel blocker Ba2+ (2 mM) or the Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin (1 μM) exacerbated and attenuated, respectively, OGD‐induced changes.

Spontaneous excitatory post‐synaptic current (sEPSC) analysis in MSNs revealed that the A2A receptor agonist CGS21680 (1 μM) prevented OGD‐induced decrease of sEPSCs within the first 5 min of the insult, an effect shared by the K+ channel blocker Ba2+, indicating facilitated glutamate release.

Conclusion and Implications

Adenosine, released during striatal OGD, activates A2A receptors that may exacerbate OGD‐induced damage through K+ channel inhibition. Our results could help to develop A2A receptor‐selective therapeutic tools for the treatment of brain ischaemia.
‘I bring her up with love:’ Perspectives of caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental delays in western Kenya
Authors: Heng Yi Yan , Nafiseh Amira , Oyungu Eren , Ombitsa Ananda Roselyne , Cherop Carolyne , McHenry Megan S.
Published: July 2022

Objective

This study aims to understand the challenges and perspectives of caregivers with neurodevelopmental delays (NDD) in rural Kenya.

Methods

Semi‐structured interviews and the Affiliate Stigma Scale were administered to the primary caregivers of children with NDDs recruited from the communities near Eldoret, Kenya. Constant comparison and triangulation methods were used to inductively develop relevant themes and concepts.

Results

Sixteen caregivers participated. Challenges, which included hardships related to safety and supervision, challenging emotions and financial difficulties, were compounded by a lack of social support and community stigma towards these children. However, caregivers still felt deep love for their children, desired acceptance from the community and found sources of strength from faith and religious institutions.

Conclusion

The study uncovered crucial insights into the perspectives of caregivers within this population and revealed a paucity of disability awareness and understanding within the community, possibly informing future programmes and intervention policies.
Relations between children's exploration in a children's museum and their reflections about their exploration
Authors: Sobel David M. , Stricker Laura W. , Weisberg Deena Skolnick
Published: July 2022

We examined 6‐ to 9‐year‐olds' (N = 60, 35 girls, 34% White, 23% Hispanic, 2% Black/African American, 2% Asian/Asian American, 22% Mixed Ethnicity/Race, 17% Unavailable, collected April–September 2019 in Providence, RI, USA) first‐person perspectives on their exploration of museum exhibits. We coded goal setting, goal completion, and behaviors that reflected changes to how goals were accomplished. Whether children played collaboratively related to how often they revised behaviors to accomplish goals (OR = 2.14). When asked to reflect on their play, older children related talk about goals with behavioral revisions, demonstrating that children develop the ability to reflect on their goals when they watch their behaviors change (OR = 1.23). We discuss how these results inform the development of metacognitive reflection on learning through exploration.
Microleakage assessment of CAD‐CAM Cobalt‐Chrome and Zirconia abutments on a conical connection dental implant: A comparative in vitro study
Authors: Molinero‐Mourelle Pedro , Roccuzzo Andrea , Yilmaz Burak , Lam Walter Yu Hang , Pow Edmond H. N. , Highsmith Jaime Del Río , Gómez‐Polo Miguel
Published: July 2022

Objective

To assess the marginal and bacterial microleakage in zirconia and CAD‐CAM or cast Co‐Cr implant abutments.

Methods

Sixty‐four conical connection implants with their respective abutments were divided into four groups (Co‐Cr (milled, laser‐sintered, and cast) and Zirconia (milled)). All specimens were subjected to a chewing simulation and thermocycling. After aging process, specimens were submerged in a 0.2% methylene blue solution with Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g) for 48 h. The marginal microleakage was measured using a 40× optical microscopy at the internal part of the implant, and when positive microleakage was observed, a DNA isolation with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was used. The microbiological assessment was based on colony forming units (CFUs).

Results

Thirty (47%) implant‐abutments presented microleakage and the PCR was performed on those specimens (1 Zirconia, 1 Co‐Cr milled, 14 Co‐Cr laser‐sintered and 14 cast). Seven specimens (1 Co‐Cr laser‐sintered and six cast) presented values below the PCR detection limit (< 100 CFUs). The lowest CFUs count occurred in the Co‐Cr milled group (5.17E+02 CFUs/ml) followed by zirconia (7.70E+03 CFUs/ml). The Co‐Cr cast (9.39E+03 CFUs/ml) and laser‐sintered (2.4E+05 CFUs/ml) groups had higher bacterial count. The CFU count comparison performed between Co‐Cr cast and laser‐sintered resulted in a statistically significant differences in favor of Co‐CrCL (p < .05).

Conclusions

The abutment material and fabrication technique affected the implant‐abutment microleakage. Although the CAD‐CAM abutments presented favorable results, all tested groups presented microleakage.
Microscopic colitis in Northern Ireland: an updated clinicopathological audit and assessment of compliance with European guidelines
Authors: Moore Michelle , Coleman Helen G. , Allen Patrick B. , Loughrey Maurice B.
Published: July 2022

Aim

We previously reported the first population‐based study of the epidemiology of microscopic colitis in Northern Ireland. The aim of the current study is to provide updated data on incidence, diagnostic methods and clinicopathological associations, following dissemination of the previous report. A further aim was to compare the findings against relevant recommendations from the 2020 European guidelines.

Method

Study cases were identified via the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust pathology laboratory system for new cases of collagenous colitis or lymphocytic colitis diagnosed from 2017 to 2020 inclusive. Demographic and clinical information was collated from electronic healthcare records.

Results

Two hundred and seventeen new diagnoses of microscopic colitis were made between 2017 and 2020, comprising 89 (41%) collagenous colitis and 128 (59%) lymphocytic colitis. The overall incidence of microscopic colitis, expressed per 100,000 adult population, ranged from 7.6 to 11.5 (5.9 to 9.0 per 100,000 total population). The 2019 peak of 11.5 cases per 100,000 adult population represents a 71.6% increase in incidence compared with the mean incidence of 6.7 per 100,000 adult population from previous data for 2008–2016. There has also been a significant increase in number of cases diagnosed on separate sampling from the right and left colon (85% in 2019–2020 compared with 30% in 2008–2016; p < 0.001). Overall compliance with coeliac serology testing has improved, with 89% tested in 2017–2018 compared with 75% in 2008–2016.

Conclusion

Clinicopathological communication has contributed to an increased incidence of microscopic colitis in Northern Ireland through better endoscopic diagnostic sampling and pathology coding practices. Coeliac serology testing has also improved, although continued clinical awareness is required of the need for coeliac serology testing in all patients diagnosed with microscopic colitis.
Epilepsy and proxy‐reported health‐related quality of life in children and young people with non‐ambulatory cerebral palsy
Authors: Ostendorf Adam P. , Axeen Erika T. , Eschbach Krista , Fedak Romanowski Erin , Morgan Lindsey A. , Gross Paul , Narayanan Unni G. , Glader Laurie , Noritz Garey ,   For the Cerebral Palsy Research Network
Published: July 2022

Aim

To assess the association between epilepsy characteristics and proxy‐reported health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and young people with non‐ambulatory cerebral palsy (CP) and seizures.

Method

This was a cross‐sectional study of 164 children and young people (74 females, 90 males; mean age 10 years 6 months, range 2–21 years, SD 5 years 5 months). Caregivers completed the Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities (CPCHILD) in an outpatient setting. We utilized univariable linear regression and multivariable modeling to study relationships between variables and CPCHILD scores.

Results

Gross Motor Function Classification System levels were 37% IV and 63% V. Sociodemographic factors included the Child Opportunity Index (median 51, interquartile range [IQR] 25–80). A median of 2 (IQR 1–3) antiseizure medications (ASMs) were used, and days with seizures ranged from 0 (30%) to 28 (20%) days in the previous 4 weeks. Total CPCHILD scores decreased 2.3 points for each ASM (95% confidence interval [CI] –4.1 to −0.42). Compared to persons with focal epilepsy, those with generalized epilepsy had lower total CPCHILD scores (−5.7; 95% CI –11 to −0.55). Number of days with seizures was not associated with total CPCHILD scores.

Interpretation

Proxy‐reported HRQoL was affected by epilepsy‐specific features in children and young people with severe CP.

What this paper adds

Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) was lower with increasing numbers of antiseizure medications.

Overall quality of life (QoL) scores were lower by a similar amount, independent of seizure frequency.

HRQoL was lower in persons with recent hospital admissions for epilepsy.
Effet utile and the (re)organisation of national judiciaries: A not so unique institutional response to a uniquely important challenge?
Authors: O'Neill Ruairi
Published: July 2022

The current repurposing of the principle of effet utile of European Union law can be found in the revolutionary steps taken by the Court of Justice in its application of Article 19 TEU. The implicit goal of this recent body of case‐law is to equip national judges with the tools to resist domestic judicial reforms that affect their freedom to adjudicate independently. Considering Simmenthal to Unibet, Associação Sindical dos Juízes Portugueses to the latest case‐law relating to the organisation of national judiciaries, this article contends that, while the case‐law on judicial independence is unprecedented, the Court of Justice has gone to great lengths to ensure that the developments in EU law precipitated by its rulings are grounded in established doctrine. They follow a line of case‐law that builds on the principle of primacy of EU law and the obligation to guarantee the effectiveness of EU law in the domestic legal order. Further, the current trajectory is for Article 19 TEU to form the operational basis of review of any judicially minded reforms, whether they be organisational (Article 19 TEU, together with Article 47 CFREU), limit actually or potentially the freedom for dialogue between national courts and the Court of Justice (Article 19 TEU together with Article 267 TFEU and Article 47 CFREU) or where they reduce the protection of the value of the rule of law (Article 19 TEU, Article 2 TEU, Article 49 TEU and Article 47 CFREU), with potential implications for the effective application in EU law of the principle of mutual trust.
Mixed evidence for nest masquerading in the Blue Manakin (Chiroxiphia caudata)
Authors: Zima Paulo V. Q. , Perrella Daniel F. , Francisco Mercival R.
Published: July 2022

Masquerading is a camouflage strategy in which the prey (here, the nests) have visual similarities to inedible objects or structures present in the surrounding environment to avoid correct identification by visually oriented predators. Here we investigate whether masquerading occurs in nests of the Atlantic Forest endemic Blue ManakinChiroxiphia caudata, whose nests resemble pendent tufts of moss or debris. The number of tufts in a 3‐m radius was the main parameter explaining nest‐site choice, and nest monitoring with infra‐red digital camera‐traps revealed that the main nest predators were visually oriented. However, daily nest survival rate was negatively associated with the number of tufts around nests. Despite the mixed evidence for nest masquerading in this situation, it remains possible that this strategy is involved in the evolution of nest characteristics and of nest‐site choice in bird species whose nests resemble nest‐like structures present in their habitats, and we suggest developing further studies to test for the occurrence of masquerading.
Factors determining nest‐site selection of surface‐nesting seabirds: a case study on the world's largest pelagic bird, the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans)
Authors: Momberg Mia , Ryan Peter G. , Hedding David W. , Schoombie Janine , Goddard Kyle A. , Craig Ken J. , Le Roux Peter C.
Published: July 2022

Several factors may drive bird nest‐site selection, including predation risk, resource availability, weather conditions and interaction with other individuals. Understanding the drivers affecting where birds nest is important for conservation planning, especially where environmental change may alter the distribution of suitable nest‐sites. This study investigates which environmental variables affect nest‐site selection by the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans, the world's largest pelagic bird. Here, wind characteristics are quantitatively investigated as a driver of nest‐site selection in surface‐nesting birds, in addition to several topographical variables, vegetation and geological characteristics. Nest locations from three different breeding seasons on sub‐Antarctic Marion Island were modelled to assess which environmental factors affect nest‐site selection. Elevation was the most important determinant of nest‐site selection, with Wandering Albatrosses only nesting at low elevations. Distance from the coast and terrain roughness were also important predictors, with nests more generally found close to the coast and in flatter terrain, followed by wind velocity, which showed a hump‐shaped relationship with the probability of nest occurrence. Nests occurred more frequently on coastal vegetation types, and were absent from polar desert vegetation (generally above c. 500 m elevation). Of the variables that influence Wandering Albatross nest location, both vegetation type and wind characteristics are likely to be influenced by climate change, and have already changed over the last 50 years. As a result, the availability of suitable nest‐sites needs to be considered in light of future climate change, in addition to the impacts that these changes will have on foraging patterns and prey distribution. More broadly, these results provide insights into how a wide range of environmental variables, including wind, can affect nest‐site selection of surface‐nesting seabirds.
Transcriptomics for child and adolescent tuberculosis*
Authors: Kaforou Myrsini , Broderick Claire , Vito Ortensia , Levin Michael , Scriba Thomas J. , Seddon James A.
Published: July 2022

Tuberculosis (TB) in humans is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). It is estimated that 70 million children (<15 years) are currently infected with Mtb, with 1.2 million each year progressing to disease. Of these, a quarter die. The risk of progression from Mtb infection to disease and from disease to death is dependent on multiple pathogen and host factors. Age is a central component in all these transitions. The natural history of TB in children and adolescents is different to adults, leading to unique challenges in the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. The quantification of RNA transcripts in specific cells or in the peripheral blood, using high‐throughput methods, such as microarray analysis or RNA‐Sequencing, can shed light into the host immune response to Mtb during infection and disease, as well as understanding treatment response, disease severity, and vaccination, in a global hypothesis‐free manner. Additionally, gene expression profiling can be used for biomarker discovery, to diagnose disease, predict future disease progression and to monitor response to treatment. Here, we review the role of transcriptomics in children and adolescents, focused mainly on work done in blood, to understand disease biology, and to discriminate disease states to assist clinical decision‐making. In recent years, studies with a specific pediatric and adolescent focus have identified blood gene expression markers with diagnostic or prognostic potential that meet or exceed the current sensitivity and specificity targets for diagnostic tools. Diagnostic and prognostic gene expression signatures identified through high‐throughput methods are currently being translated into diagnostic tests.
Antistaphylococcal and antioxidant activities of bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria and essential oil in goat coalho cheese
Authors: Almeida Tássio José de Oliveira , de Oliveira Anay Priscilla David , Santos Tamires Marques Bezerra , Dias Francesca Silva
Published: July 2022

Aims

Bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates and Croton heliotropiifolius essential oil (EO) were used to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus and enhance the antioxidant action in goat coalho cheese (GCC).

Methods and Results

Lactic acid bacteria isolates were selected for their inhibitory capacity against S. aureus subsp. aureus, safety, existence of bacteriocin-encoding genes, bacteriocinogenic activity, and its antistaphylococcal action. The staphylococcal inhibition capacity of C. heliotropiifolius EO was also verified. Three cheeses were prepared containing S. aureus subsp. aureus (GCC SA), S. aureus subsp. aureus + LAB (GCC SA + LAB), and S. aureus subsp. aureus + EO (GCC SA + EO). Samples were analysed on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. Based on the screening, three LAB isolates were selected and identified as Enterococcus faecium. In GCC, the smallest population of S. aureus subsp. aureus was found until the 17th in the GCC SA + EO and from the 18th in the GCC SA + LAB. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity increased over time in GCCs.

Conclusions

Autochthonous bacteriocinogenic LAB and C. heliotropiifolius EO are natural resources of the Caatinga, an exclusively Brazilian biome that predominates in the northeast of the country, with the potential to reduce the presence of S. aureus and increase the antioxidant activity in the GCC.

Significance and Impact of the Study

Goat coalho cheese is a product of cultural importance in northeastern Brazil. The process of obtaining the GCC is manual, and there is a high frequency of S. aureus in the product. Resources of the Caatinga with biofunctional properties can be tested to reduce the risk of staphylococcal toxins, and contribute to the nutritional value of the GCC, maintaining regional characteristics and respecting the local cultural tradition. LAB and C. heliotropiifolius EO contribute to the incorporation of bioactive substances and microbiological quality, generating a value-added GCC with exclusive resources of the Caatinga.