bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of pK
a in establishing the crystal structures of six hydrogen-bonded compounds of 4-methylquinoline with different isomers of chloro- and nitro-substituted benzoic acids
Authors: Ishida Hiroyuki
Published: October 2021

The structures of the six hydrogen-bonded 1:1 compounds of 4-methylquinoline (C10H9N) with chloro- and nitro-substituted benzoic acids (C7H4ClNO4), namely, 4-methylquinolinium 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoate, C10H10N+·C7H3ClNO4
−, (I), 4-methylquinoline–2-chloro-5-nitrobenzoic acid (1/1), C10H9N·C7H4ClNO4, (II), 4-methylquinolinium 2-chloro-6-nitrobenzoate, C10H9.63N0.63+·C7H3.37ClNO4
0.63−, (III), 4-methylquinolinium 3-chloro-2-nitrobenzoate, C10H9.54N0.54+·C7H3.46ClNO4
0.54−, (IV), 4-methylquinolinium 4-chloro-2-nitrobenzoate, C10H10N+·C7H3ClNO4
−, (V), and 4-methylquinolinium 5-chloro-2-nitrobenzoate, C10H10N+·C7H3ClNO4
−, have been determined at 185–190 K. In each compound, the acid and base molecules are linked by a short hydrogen bond between a carboxy (or carboxylate) O atom and an N atom of the base. The O...N distances are 2.5652 (14), 2.556 (3), 2.5485 (13), 2.5364 (13), 2.5568 (13) and 2.5252 (11) Å, respectively, for compounds (I)–(VI). In the hydrogen-bonded acid–base units of (III) and (IV), the H atoms are each disordered over two positions with O site:N site occupancies of 0.37 (3):0.63 (3) and 0.46 (3):0.54 (4), respectively, for (III) and (IV). The H atoms in the hydrogen-bonded units of (I), (V) and (VI) are located at the N-atom site, while the H atom in (II) is located at the O-atom site. In all the crystals of (I)–(VI), π–π stacking interactions between the quinoline ring systems and C—H...O hydrogen bonds are observed. Similar layer structures are constructed in (IV)–(VI) through these interactions together with π–π interactions between the benzene rings of the adjacent acid molecules. A short Cl...Cl contact and an N—O...π interaction are present in (I), while a C—H...Cl hydrogen bond and a π–π interaction between the benzene ring of the acid molecule and the quinoline ring system in (II), and a C—H...π interaction in (III) are observed. Hirshfeld surfaces for the title compounds mapped over d
norm and shape index were generated to visualize the weak intermolecular interactions.
The influence of the quality criteria on the quality cost of suppliers in SMEs
Authors: Masoudi Ehsan , Shahin Arash
Published: October 2021

Purpose

After quality costing, most companies do not know how to invest in supplier quality improvement. This study aims to develop a comprehensive model for the effect of supplier quality criteria on supplier quality costs.

Design/methodology/approach

The independent variable of supplier quality criteria and the dependent variable of supplier quality costs have been identified based on a literature review. Then a model has been developed for the effect of the variables. A questionnaire has been designed and distributed to 158 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jey Industrial Town located in the Isfahan Province. Structural equation modeling and partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) have been used for data analysis.

Findings

Supplier quality criteria influenced supplier quality costs (with a value of 0.711). The results also implied that organizational quality had the highest impact. The appraisal costs and the internal failure costs of purchasing received most of the influence. Also, process quality and consequential costs of failure purchasing had the lowest influencing and influenced values.

Practical implications

The findings of this research encourage the managers of SMEs to evaluate and rank the most appropriate quality criteria related to quality costs for selecting a supplier as one of the most fundamental decisions in supply chain management.

Social implications

Appropriate selection of quality criteria influencing quality costs results in reduced quality cost. Quality cost reduction also results in decreased products' fixed prices. Ultimately, the company will have more competitive pricing, and consumers will benefit from such a significant advantage.

Originality/value

Studying the influence of supplier quality criteria on supplier quality costs is relatively new in the manufacturing industry. The comprehensiveness of the investigated variables is also another advantage of the proposed model.
Learning processes and knowledge transfer in the upward spiral model: an empirical assessment of springboard multinational enterprises
Authors: Torrecillas Celia , Brandão Fischer Bruno
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The springboard theory for multinational enterprises and the upward spiral model address the expansion of emerging countries’ multinational enterprises (MNEs) abroad as a set of resource-building stages. This paper aims to analyze this model by qualifying knowledge flows in three domains: learning effects, transfer flows and global connections.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use 2018 data from the ORBIS database to identify evidence concerning the springboard MNE (SMNE) phenomenon. The authors select MNE firms from 93 emerging economies with presence in 71 developed and 93 developing countries. In addition, the authors differentiate between the levels of technological intensity of emerging market MNEs’ sectors.

Findings

The results highlight the existence of learning processes taking place in subsidiaries and feeding back into parent firms, as well as the existence of capability transfer from home to host units.

Originality/value

The main contribution is the addition of empirical evidence on the SMNE and specifically the upward spiral model, considering the micro-level and the productivity differences between parent firm and subsidiaries.
Abduction and entrepreneurial learning
Authors: Davidsen Helle Munkholm , Højlund Christina
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to describe the similarities between abductive reasoning and entrepreneurial learning processes in order to contribute to the conceptual understanding of learning as an entrepreneurial process in itself.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is theoretically rooted in a conceptual development of the understanding of entrepreneurial learning processes as abductive reasoning inspired by the philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. The theoretical explication of the connection between entrepreneurial learning processes and abductive reasoning is additionally illustrated by a hypotheses-based didactic model, developed by the authors to scaffold abducting reasoning into learning processes.

Findings

The authors found in the theoretical investigation of abductive reasoning a conceptualisation of entrepreneurial learning processes that connects entrepreneurial learning processes to basic cognitive human competences, and the authors found that key concepts in entrepreneurship, such as hunches and experiments, can be understood in a broader philosophical framework as basic cognitive competences.

Practical implications

The authors exemplify how abductive reasoning can be used in practice through a hypothesis-based didactic approach designed as a loop model.

Originality/value

The authors have discovered that abduction is closely related to entrepreneurship and can be a central conceptual link in understanding the relationship between entrepreneurship and learning. The athors also believe that Peirce's concept of abduction can contribute to the philosophical understanding of entrepreneurship as another name for a constant rethinking of the world.
Do controlling shareholders share pledging affect goodwill impairment? Evidence from China
Authors: Li Yanxi , Ouyang Shanshan
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of controlling shareholders’ share pledging on goodwill impairment.

Design/methodology/approach

This study empirically investigates the effect of controlling shareholders’ share pledging on both the decision and amount of goodwill impairment for Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2017.

Findings

This study finds that the proportion of controlling shareholders’ share pledging is negatively related to both impairment decisions and amounts; these negative relationships are intensified when firms face high stock price crash risks. In addition, the empirical results show that firms with larger share pledging are less likely to recognize goodwill impairment or are likely to record relatively smaller impairment amounts when they are followed by fewer financial analysts.

Originality/value

Most of the relevant literature has focused on managers’ behaviors toward goodwill impairments, while less attention has been given to goodwill impairments from the perspective of controlling shareholders. In fact, controlling shareholders may have strong incentives to protect their control rights when they exercise disproportionate control rights, especially in China. Given the high ownership concentration, prior studies may not have adequately explained the agency problem of controlling shareholders in goodwill impairment. This study uses share pledging as a case to fill this gap. Specifically, it investigates whether both goodwill impairment decisions and amounts are affected by controlling shareholders’ share pledging.
Cybersecurity and the new firm: surviving online threats
Authors: Chandna Vallari , Tiwari Praneet
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Nascent firms and startups are often subject to challenges that their more mature counterparts can avoid. While cybersecurity is an issue that all firms contend with, it is especially challenging for new entrepreneurial ventures who lack the resources and capabilities of established firms. The purpose of this paper is to seek to delve deeper into the cybersecurity and risk management needs of small firms and startups.

Design/methodology/approach

Extant literature and available tools are explored to develop a usable framework applicable to small firms and new entrepreneurial ventures.

Findings

The liabilities of newness and smallness make entrepreneurial ventures a unique context in which to study the significance of cybersecurity and data privacy risk management. The authors offer an overview of issues and potential solutions relevant to entrepreneurial ventures.

Research limitations/implications

While offering practical insights, the work is a theoretical framework. The framework will enable researchers to develop more nuanced theory when it comes to cybersecurity and data privacy risk management.

Practical implications

The framework illustrates four distinct contexts for cybersecurity and risk management when it comes to the needs of small firms and startups. Adoption levels are explained, and small business operators and entrepreneurs can thus use the framework to determine the most appropriate approach for their enterprise.

Originality/value

The authors develop a framework illustrating adoption of different security and risk management practices by entrepreneurial ventures based on their specific needs and context. The authors thus offer practical solutions for startups and nascent firms regarding cybersecurity and privacy management.
Uncovering the impediments to successful built heritage management using stakeholder analysis
Authors: Bashir Asma , Sawhney Vikas
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand various organizational and operational impediments to successful built heritage management at a regional level from the perspective of stakeholder theory.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory study was conducted in Jammu city of India wherein total of 16 interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire were done with officials (N = 6), organization members (N = 7), local organization heads (N = 3) and 30 local residents. Thematic analysis and stakeholder analysis were used to identify themes and examine the relationships between stakeholders.

Findings

Six themes were derived from thematic analysis. The results from stakeholder attribute analysis and studying stakeholder interactions show that lack of trust, skewed power relation and lack of communication among stakeholders are some of the factors that hinder successful heritage management at the Mubarak Mandi heritage complex. The study emphasizes the dimension of “authenticity” be added to existing discourse of heritage management in India ensuring commoditization does not override authenticity and integrity of heritage site.

Originality/value

The results of this study are useful in understanding challenges of heritage management in India at regional level. Using stakeholder analysis the study adds a managerial perspective to the existing heritage management discourse in India by providing empirical insights into developing stakeholder collaboration.
Female Afghan engineers’ perceptions of chokepoints along the career trajectory to entrepreneurship
Authors: Mehrzad Muzhda , Dasanayaka S.W.S.B. , Gleason Kimberly , Wijesinghe Praneeth , Al Serhan Omar
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Afghan female engineers regarding opportunities and barriers to starting their own engineering/construction company in Kabul through three career trajectory chokepoints related to training through higher education, the engineering workplace and entrepreneurship, through the lens of feminist theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted. A Web-based survey was also conducted to collect data from participants who were not able to participate in the in-depth interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the collected data.

Findings

As a result of the analysis, three main themes were developed related to “chokepoints” that Afghan female engineers face along the path to starting their own construction companies: “entering and studying engineering,” “career development” and “starting her own engineering business”; the authors address the subthemes of barriers and opportunities confronted by Afghan women at each chokepoint.

Research limitations/implications

Due to civil unrest, the authors are only able to reach a sample of Afghan female engineers working in the capital city of Kabul.

Practical implications

Afghanistan shows, perhaps, the most severe underrepresentation of female engineers of all countries in the world, yet no research gives them a voice to explain the challenges their face to starting their own engineering/construction businesses. The authors are able to report their perceptions and articulate recommendations to encourage female entrepreneurship in the engineering/construction sector in Afghanistan.

Social implications

Afghan women face significant barriers to having meaningful careers in the science, technology, engineering and medicine professions. The findings provide information for regulators regarding why Afghan women do not start their own engineering firms.

Originality/value

As physical security and resource constraints generate difficulty in accessing Afghan women in general, this is the first paper to report the perceptions of Afghan female engineers regarding the barriers and opportunities they perceive on the path to engineering entrepreneurship.
Behavioral response bias and event‐related brain potentials implicate elevated incentive salience attribution to alcohol cues in emerging adults with lower sensitivity to alcohol
Authors: Cofresí Roberto U. , Kohen Casey B. , Motschman Courtney A. , Wiers Reinout W. , Piasecki Thomas M. , Bartholow Bruce D.
Published: October 2021

Aims

This study used a behavioral approach‐avoidance task including images of alcoholic beverages to test whether low sensitivity to alcohol (LS) is a phenotypical marker of a dispositional propensity to attribute bottom‐up incentive value to naturally conditioned alcohol cues.

Design, setting and participants

Experimental study with a measured individual difference variable at a university psychology laboratory in Missouri, MO, USA. Participants were 178 emerging adults (aged 18–20 years) varying in self‐reported sensitivity to alcohol's acute effects.

Measurements

Participants completed the alcohol approach‐avoidance task while behavior (response time; RT) and the electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded. Stimulus‐locked event‐related potentials (ERPs) provided indices of integrated (top‐down and bottom‐up) stimulus incentive value (P3 amplitude) and conflict between top‐down task demands and bottom‐up response propensities (N450 amplitude).

Findings

Linear mixed models showed faster RT for ‘alcohol‐approach’ relative to ‘alcohol‐avoid’ trials for lower‐sensitivity (LS) [meanD ± standard errorD (MD ± SED) = 29.51 ± 9.74 ms, t(328) = 3.03, P = 0.003] but not higher‐sensitivity (HS) individuals (MD ± SED = 2.27 ± 9.33 ms, t(328) = 0.243, P = 0.808). There was enhanced N450 amplitude (response conflict) for alcohol‐avoid relative to alcohol‐approach trials for LS participants (MD ± SED = 0.811 ± 0.198 μV, Z = 4.108, P < 0.001) and enhanced N450 amplitude for alcohol‐approach relative to alcohol‐avoid for HS participants (MD ± SED = 0.419 ± 0.188 μV, Z = 2.235, P = 0.025). There was also enhanced P3 amplitude for alcohol‐approach relative to alcohol‐avoid for LS (MD ± SED = 0.825 ± 0.204 μV, Z = 4.045, P < 0.001) but not HS (MD ± SED = 0.013 ± 0.194 μV, Z = 0.068, P = 0.946).

Conclusions

Findings from a human laboratory study appear to support the notion that low sensitivity to alcohol indexes a propensity to attribute bottom–up incentive value to naturally conditioned alcohol cues.
Influence of operator expertise on glide path and root canal preparation of curved root canals with rotary and reciprocating motions
Authors: Dablanca‐Blanco Ana Belén , Arias Ana , Ginzo‐Villamayor María José , Pérez María Consuelo , Castelo‐Baz Pablo , Martín‐Biedma Benjamín
Published: October 2021

This study intended to help practitioners selecting the appropriate motion according to their level of expertise for glide path and complete root canal preparation of curved canals in terms of instrument fracture and preparation time. A total of 160 curved root canals (angle >30°, radius <6 mm) were allocated randomly to 4 groups: A/B for expert operators and C/D for nonexpert operators. A/C were shaped with rotary and B/D with reciprocating instruments. Preparation time was registered and compared with Kruskal–Wallis non‐parametric test and Dunn’s post hoc test. Instrument separation was also registered and compared with chi‐square test. A fractographic analysis was performed with scanning electron microscopy. The use of reciprocation motions allowed nonexpert operators to avoid instrument breakage during glide path and to prepare root canals faster. Experts were equally effective in rotary/reciprocating root canal shaping and faster with rotary motions than nonexpert operators, who also fractured significantly more rotary instruments.
The Belt and Road Initiative as Multiple Geographies of Knowledge Production
Authors: Yang Yang
Published: October 2021

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has attracted wide scholarly attention. However, discussions among social scientists on BRI have largely premised on the academic infrastructure in English language contexts. Academic research on BRI in China has often been only briefly mentioned as background information in English language publications. This disjuncture between scholarship on BRI inside and outside China reflects the multiple geographies of BRI. Thinking through BRI in English and Chinese scholarship, this paper considers how existing and future factors such as funding sources, language politics, political framing of the research and institutional surveillance may yield different intellectual spaces for understanding the knowledge production of BRI.
The Belt and Road as method: Geopolitics, technopolitics and power through an infrastructure lens
Authors: Oakes Tim
Published: October 2021

Although infrastructures may be material manifestations of state territorial power, the political effects of infrastructures are seldom straightforward. And yet, many accounts of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) assume a relatively conventional approach to politics, and to political power. Geopolitical intentionality and top‐down policy and strategic planning tend to be emphasised over project‐level analyses. In response to what might be viewed as an invented BRI geopolitics, this essay suggests a more technopolitical framing of the Belt and Road and seeks to apply an infrastructural analytic to the question of how political power is realised or frustrated, enhanced or diverted, by the distributed and relational nature of infrastructure projects. It argues that our understanding of the socio‐technical complexities of infrastructure is poorly served by viewing them through a conventional geopolitical lens. Instead, it seeks to lay out a research agenda and analytical framework for addressing the questions of how infrastructure projects grow and evolve, how they are embedded within the social‐political‐cultural contexts in which they develop and how they produce political effects that at times align with broader‐scale geopolitical agendas and at other times do not.
BRI and beyond: Comparative possibilities of extended Chinese urbanisation
Authors: Bunnell Tim
Published: October 2021

In terms of spatial imaginaries and as physical infrastructure, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) spurs new geographies of comparative urban study. Irrespective of whether it is the primary driver for developments carried out in its name, ‘the BRI’ is a label that serves to bring previously unassociated project sites and non‐place‐based infrastructural developments into comparative relation. This paper considers some of the possibilities presented by the BRI for comparative urban studies in – and from – Asia. Building upon insights from postcolonial urban studies, planetary urbanisation and inter‐Asia cultural studies, I sketch two key possibilities of the BRI as (comparative urban) method. The first concerns the BRI as a series of openings to much (spatially) wider and historically deeper forms of comparison. Second, I argue that BRI as method impels forms of urban comparison beyond conventionally territorialised units of analysis at a variety of scales, including both the city and the (area studies) region.
Identification of a novel GOLGA4–JAK2 fusion gene in B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Authors: Downes Charlotte E. J. , Rehn Jacqueline , Heatley Susan L. , Yeung David , McClure Barbara J. , White Deborah L.
Published: October 2021

Rearrangements of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2r) form a subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) associated with poor patient outcomes. We present a high‐risk case of B‐cell ALL (B‐ALL) where retrospective mRNA sequencing identified a novel GOLGA4–JAK2 fusion gene. Expression of GOLGA4–JAK2 in murine pro‐B cells promoted factor‐independent growth, implicating GOLGA4–JAK2 as an oncogenic driver. Cells expressing GOLGA4–JAK2 demonstrated constitutive activation of JAK/STAT signalling and were sensitive to JAK inhibitors. This study contributes to the diverse collection of JAK2 fusion genes identified in B‐ALL and supports the incorporation of JAK inhibitors into treatment strategies to improve outcomes for this subtype.
Tracing erosion patterns in South Tibet: Balancing sediment supply to the Yarlung Tsangpo from the Himalaya versus Lhasa Block
Authors: Liang Wendong , Garzanti Eduardo , Hu Xiumian , Resentini Alberto , Vezzoli Giovanni , Yao Wensheng
Published: October 2021

The Yarlung Tsangpo, draining the Himalayan‐Tibetan orogen along the Indus‐Yarlung suture zone, receives detritus from the deformed remnants of both Indian margin to the south and Asian margin to the north. High resolution petrographic, heavy‐mineral and geochemical datasets, combined with published geochronological data, allow us to monitor compositional changes, estimate erosion rates and investigate lithologic, climatic and anthropic controls on sediment fluxes along this large sediment‐routing system entirely developed within high mountain areas. Sediment generated from the Lhasa Block along the southern margin of Asia is characterized by abundant feldspar and volcanic rock fragments, amphibole‐dominated transparent heavy mineral suite and high concentrations of K, Rb, Be, Th and Pb. Himalayan‐derived sand, instead, is characterized by sedimentary to low‐rank metasedimentary rock fragments, poor transparent heavy mineral suite dominated by durable recycled (zircon, tourmaline) or metamorphic minerals (chloritoid, garnet) and high Ca concentration. Sand from the ophiolitic suture is distinguished by serpentinite grains and mafic volcanic or metavolcanic detritus, transparent heavy mineral suite including olivine, Cr‐spinel, enstatite and clinopyroxene, and high Mg, Cr, Ni and low rare earth elements. Himalayan detritus is prominent in Yarlung Tsangpo upper reaches, whereas detritus from the Lhasa Block becomes progressively predominant in the middle and lower reaches. Provenance budgets based on integrated petrographic, heavy‐mineral and geochemical datasets indicate that ca. 83% of the detritus is supplied by the Lhasa Block and the rest mostly from the Himalaya (ca. 12%) and subordinately from the ophiolitic suture (5%). A low average erosion rate of ca. 0.06 mm/a was estimated for the Yarlung Tsangpo catchment upstream of the Namche Barwa syntaxis, which resulted from dry climate, relatively mild average relief and sediment storage in wide valley tracts of the middle and lower reaches. The decrease in sediment flux recorded in recent decades is mainly ascribed to growing human activities, which are becoming a prominent control on sediment generation and transportation even in the high‐mountain area of South Tibet.
Middle to late Miocene growth of the North Pamir
Authors: Li Lin , Dupont‐Nivet Guillaume , Najman Yani , Kaya Mustafa , Meijer Niels , Poujol Marc , Aminov Jovid
Published: October 2021

How and when the Pamir formed remains an open question. This study explores Pamir tectonics recorded in a sedimentary section in the eastern Tajik Basin. A prominent lithofacies change that has been recognised regionally is assigned to the middle Miocene (13.5 Ma based on preferred magnetostratigraphic correlation). Closely following this change, detrital zircon U‐Pb age spectra and mudstone bulk‐rock εNd values exhibit a sediment source change from the Central to the North Pamir estimated ca. 12 Ma. At the same time, the stable oxygen and carbon isotopic values of carbonate cements show negative and positive shifts, respectively. Combined with previous studies in both the Tajik and Tarim basins, these results suggest that the North Pamir experienced a middle–late Miocene phase of deformation and surface uplift. This supports models proposing middle–late Miocene Pamir tectonism, and climate models implying that coeval Pamir orogenesis deflected Westerly moisture and affected Asian environments.
Improving the probability that small‐scale science will benefit conservation
Authors: LeFlore Monica , Bunn David , Sebastian Peter , Gaydos Joseph K.
Published: October 2021

The foundational objective of conservation science is to maximize benefits to people and to biodiversity, but ensuring research translates into conservation action is not straightforward. We, retrospectively, evaluated nearly 20 years of small‐scale, competitively funded research to identify parameters most closely associated with science that produced conservation benefits. All projects were funded to help improve the health of marine and coastal flora and fauna within the Salish Sea but only 40% resulted in a positive conservation outcome. Analysis showed that projects that collaborated with personnel from government agencies, and prioritized networking and stakeholder engagement before, during and after the research, were more likely to result in a conservation action. Publication of a peer‐reviewed article did not increase the chance of success. Credible research that includes government collaborators and prioritizes networking and stakeholder engagement increases the probability that scientific findings will inform conservation management.
Experience and consensus on stimulation of the anterior nucleus of thalamus for epilepsy
Authors: Fasano Alfonso , Eliashiv Dawn , Herman Susan T. , Lundstrom Brian N. , Polnerow Dara , Henderson Jaimie M. , Fisher Robert S.
Published: October 2021

Deep brain stimulation of the anterior nuclei of thalamus (ANT‐DBS) is effective for reduction of seizures, but little evidence is available to guide practitioners in the practical use of this therapy. In an attempt to fill this gap, a questionnaire with 37 questions was circulated to 578 clinicians who were either engaged in clinical trials of or known users of DBS for epilepsy, with responses from 141, of whom 58.2% were epileptologists and 28.4% neurosurgeons. Multiple regions of the world were represented. The survey found that the best candidates for DBS were considered those with temporal or frontal seizures, refractory to at least two medicines. Motivations for renewing therapy upon battery depletion were reduced convulsive, impaired awareness, and severe seizures and improved quality of life. Targeting of leads mainly was by magnetic resonance imaging, sometimes with intraoperative imaging or microelectrode recording. The majority used transventricular approaches. Stimulation parameters mostly imitated the SANTE study parameters, except for initial stimulation amplitudes in the 2–3‐V or ‐mA range, versus 5 V in the SANTE study. Stimulation intensity was most often increased or reduced, respectively, for lack of efficacy or side effects, but changes in active contacts, cycle time, and pulse duration were also employed. Mood or memory problems or paresthesias were the side effects most responsible for adjustments. Off‐label sites stimulated included centromedian thalamus, hippocampus, neocortex, and a few others. Several physicians used DBS in conjunction with vagus nerve stimulation or responsive neurostimulation, although our study did not track efficacy for combined use. Experienced users varied more from published parameters than did inexperienced users. In conclusion, surveys of experts can provide Class IV evidence for the most prevalent practical use of ANT‐DBS. We present a flowchart for one protocol combining common practices. Controlled comparisons will be needed to choose the best approach.
Adverse drug reactions induced by cotrimoxazole: Still a lot of preventable harm
Authors: Coppry Maïder , Duret Stéphanie , Berdaï Driss , Miremont‐Salamé Ghada , Fourrier‐Réglat Annie , Haramburu Françoise , Rogues Anne‐Marie , Noize Pernelle
Published: October 2021

Owing to a broad spectrum and low cost antimicrobial, cotrimoxazole is largely prescribed. However, its use is associated with various adverse drug reactions (ADRs) that warrant to ensure rational prescribing. This study aimed to describe spontaneous reports of cotrimoxazole ADRs and to evaluate the quality of prescription in patients who had ADRs. Suspected cotrimoxazole‐induced ADRs cases reported to the Bordeaux regional pharmacovigilance center (France) during a 5‐year period were described. Seriousness was assessed according to international criteria. Quality of prescription was assessed by compliance with the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) and relevance of cotrimoxazole indication. Then, an ADR was considered as preventable if the cotrimoxazole indication was not relevant, or potentially preventable if indication was relevant but the prescription was not compliant with the SPC. A total of 96 cases were analyzed: median age was 60.5 years (range: 4–94); 59.4% of patients were male. ADRs were mostly cutaneous disorders (n = 46) and hematological disorders (n = 25). A total of 60 serious ADRs occurred in 55 patients. Prescribers complied with all SPC recommendations in 21.9% of cases. Indication of cotrimoxazole was relevant or highly relevant in 41 cases. In 58% of cases, the occurrence of a cotrimoxazole‐induced ADR would have been preventable or potentially preventable. In a context of increasing interest for this antibiotic to treat infections due to resistant bacteria, physicians should be more aware of the potential consequences of inappropriate prescribing cotrimoxazole and reserve its use when there is no alternative and under suitable monitoring.
Pathological changes and expression of lysine oxidases and matrix metalloproteinases ‐1, ‐2, and ‐3 in ligaments of patients with haemophilic arthritis
Authors: Zheng Liujie , Luo Dasheng , Li Jiale , Ye Houlong , Han Zhiwei , Feng Ru , Zhong Qigang , Jing Juehua , Yao Yunfeng
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Studying the pathological changes of ligaments in patients with haemophilic arthritis (HA) has important significance for guiding the release of ligaments during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and exploring interventions to prevent ligament lesions.

Aim

This study was conducted to show the pathological changes and investigate the lysine oxidase (LOX) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐1, ‐2, and ‐3 levels in the ligaments of patients with HA compared with those of patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

Ligaments obtained during the TKA were stained with Masson trichrome, Verhoeff‐Van Gieson and haematoxylin and eosin to show the basic pathological changes. Collagen I, elastin, LOXs and MMP‐1, ‐2, and ‐3 expression levels were detected via western blot. LOX and MMP‐1, ‐2, and ‐3 mRNA expression levels were analysed via quantitative real‐time PCR.

Results

Compared with OA ligaments, HA ligaments were constructed more loosely with wider gaps, more breaks, haemocytodeposition and local hypertrophy among the fibres. LOXs and MMP mRNA expression levels were upregulated in the HA tissues, which was consistent with the western blot results. Collagen I and elastin levels were also higher in patients with HA.

Conclusions

The metabolism of the ligaments in patients with HA is more complex than in those with OA, and the ligaments of patients with HA have stronger healing and destruction processes. This pathology is related to iron overload and imbalanced inflammatory factors due to repeated intra‐articular bleeding.
Variations in clinical presentation and biomarkers among biopsy‐proven lupus nephritis patients: a Top End retrospective cohort study
Authors: Xu Chi , Goh Kim Ling , Abeyaratne Asanga , Mogulla Manohar , Majoni William , Priyadarshana Kelum
Published: October 2021

Background

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and affects 50% of patients with SLE. Racial differences in incidence and prevalence have been well documented worldwide. In Australia, higher incidence and prevalence of SLE had been previously reported in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Australians compared with non‐Indigenous Australians.

Aim

To describe the differences in clinical features and lupus biomarkers between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian and non‐Indigenous Australian patients with LN.

Methods

We retrospectively identified all consecutive biopsy‐proven LN patients in our institution and compared the clinical features and lupus biomarkers between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and non‐Indigenous Australians.

Results

Of the 33 consecutive biopsy‐proven LN patients, 26 self‐identified as of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. The estimated incidence of LN in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian and non‐Indigenous Australians were 5.08 and 0.47 per 100 000 patient‐years respectively. Neurological manifestations (23.08% vs 0%), haematological manifestations (46.50% vs 16.67) and right‐heart catheter proven pulmonary arterial hypertension (23.08% vs 0%) were more frequently observed among Indigenous Australian patients compared with non‐Indigenous Australian patients. The incidence of positive extractable nuclear antigen was also higher among Indigenous Australian patients (84.62% vs 57.14%).

Conclusion

The present study further supports the observation that lupus in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were of a ‘distinct phenotype’ compared with non‐Indigenous Australians. Future research should be aimed at delineating the reason for this observed difference.
HIF‐1α promotes the proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells via activation of Cx43
Authors: Han Xiao‐Jian , Zhang Wei‐Fang , Wang Qin , Li Min , Zhang Chun‐Bo , Yang Zhang‐Jian , Tan Ren‐Jie , Gan Li‐Jun , Zhang Le‐Ling , Lan Xue‐Mei , Zhang Fang‐Lin , Hong Tao , Jiang Li‐Ping
Published: October 2021

The proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) is an important cause of pulmonary vascular remodelling in hypoxia‐induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH). However, its underlying mechanism has not been well elucidated. Connexin 43 (Cx43) plays crucial roles in vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in various cardiovascular diseases. Here, the male Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to hypoxia (10% O2) for 21 days to induce rat HPH model. PASMCs were treated with CoCl2 (200 µM) for 24 h to establish the HPH cell model. It was found that hypoxia up‐regulated the expression of Cx43 and phosphorylation of Cx43 at Ser 368 in rat pulmonary arteries and PASMCs, and stimulated the proliferation and migration of PASMCs. HIF‐1α inhibitor echinomycin attenuated the CoCl2‐induced Cx43 expression and phosphorylation of Cx43 at Ser 368 in PASMCs. The interaction between HIF‐1α and Cx43 promotor was also identified using chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Moreover, Cx43 specific blocker (37,43Gap27) or knockdown of Cx43 efficiently alleviated the proliferation and migration of PASMCs under chemically induced hypoxia. Therefore, the results above suggest that HIF‐1α, as an upstream regulator, promotes the expression of Cx43, and the HIF‐1α/Cx43 axis regulates the proliferation and migration of PASMCs in HPH.
Assessment of sleep disturbance in oral lichen planus and validation of PSQI: A case‐control multicenter study from the SIPMO (Italian Society of Oral Pathology and Medicine)
Authors: Adamo Daniela , Calabria Elena , Coppola Noemi , Lo Muzio Lorenzo , Giuliani Michele , Azzi Lorenzo , Maurino Vittorio , Colella Giuseppe , Rauso Raffaele , Montebugnoli Lucio , Gissi Davide Bartolomeo , Gabriele Mario , Nisi Marco , Sardella Andrea , Lodi Giovanni , Varoni Elena Maria , Giudice Amerigo , Antonelli Alessandro , Cabras Marco , Gambino Alessio , Vescovi Paolo , Majorana Alessandra , Bardellini Elena , Campisi Giuseppina , Panzarella Vera , Spadari Francesco , Marino Sonia , Pentenero Monica , Sutera Samuele , Biasotto Matteo , Gobbo Margherita , Guarda Nardini Luca , Romeo Umberto , Tenore Gianluca , Serpico Rosario , Lucchese Alberta , Lajolo Carlo , Rupe Cosimo , Aria Massimo , Gnasso Agostino , Mignogna Michele Davide ,   SIPMO (Italian Society of Oral Pathology, Medicine)
Published: October 2021

Background

The wellbeing of oral lichen planus patients (OLPs) may be strongly influenced by a poor quality of sleep (QoS) and psychological impairment. The aims were to analyze the prevalence of sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression in OLPs and to validate the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in OLPs.

Methods

Three hundred keratotic OLPs (K‐OLPs), 300 with predominant non‐keratotic OLP (nK‐OLPs), and 300 controls were recruited in 15 Italian universities. The PSQI, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and Anxiety (HAM‐D and HAM‐A), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Total Pain Rating Index (T‐PRI) were administered.

Results

Oral lichen planus patients had statistically higher scores than the controls in the majority of the PSQI sub‐items (p‐values < 0.001**). Moreover, OLPs had higher scores in the HAM‐D, HAM‐A, NRS, and T‐PRI (p‐values < 0.001**). No differences in the PSQI sub‐items’ scores were found between the K‐OLPs and nK‐OLPs, although nK‐OLPs suffered from higher levels of anxiety, depression, and pain (p‐values: HAM‐A, 0.007**, HAM‐D, 0.009**, NRS, <0.001**, T‐PRI, <0.001**). The female gender, anxiety, depression (p‐value: 0.007**, 0.001**, 0.020*) and the intensity of pain, anxiety, and depression (p‐value: 0.006**, <0.001**, 0.014*) were independent predictors of poor sleep (PSQI > 5) in K‐OLPs and nK‐OLPs, respectively. The PSQI’s validation demonstrated good internal consistency and reliability of both the total and subscale of the PSQI.

Conclusions

The OLPs reported an overall impaired QoS, which seemed to be an independent parameter according to the regression analysis. Hence, clinicians should assess QoS in OLPs and treat sleep disturbances in order to improve OLPs management.
First detection and molecular characterization of grapevine phytoplasmas in Kosovo
Authors: Bunjaku Agron , Alsaheli Zeinab , Mehle Nataša , Xhemali Bekri , Gjinovci Gazmend , Mehmeti Arben , Elbeaino Toufic
Published: October 2021

A search for phytoplasma‐associated diseases was conducted for the first time in the main grapevine‐growing localities of the Dukagjini plain in Kosovo. A total of 144 samples were collected from grapevine cultivars displaying leaf yellowing, reddening, discolouration and irregular wood ripening, and analysed using nested and quantitative PCR assays. These assays showed that 35.4% of samples belonging to eight cultivars were positive to the presence of phytoplasmas in the 16SrXII group. The 16S rDNA phytoplasma sequences obtained from 15 samples shared identity greater than 99.5% with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’. Sequence analysis of the tuf gene showed that the strains found in Kosovar grapevines are in the tuf‐type b1 group, sharing 99.6% to 99.8% identity with ‘Ca. P. solani'‐related strains associated with the “bois noir” grapevine disease in many European countries; the secY gene sequences, on the other hand, shared 100% identity with ‘Ca. P. solani' strains from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Turkey. This study constitutes the first report on the presence and molecular characterization of phytoplasmas in Kosovar vineyards. Based on these results, it is recommended that testing for phytoplasma be included in the certification program for grapevine in Kosovo.
Relationships Between Phonological Awareness and Reading in Spanish: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Míguez‐Álvarez Carla , Cuevas‐Alonso Miguel , Saavedra Ángeles
Published: October 2021

Previous meta‐analyses of the relationship between phonological awareness (PA) and reading have been conducted mostly in children who speak English, a language with an opaque writing system. In this study, we present a meta‐analysis that examined mean correlations between three PA tasks testing phonemic, syllabic, and intrasyllabic awareness and three reading tasks testing word reading, nonword reading, and reading comprehension in Spanish, a language with a near‐transparent writing system. A random‐effects model of 47 articles (N = 7,956) was used for a multiple correlation study that showed a significantly moderate correlation between some of the PA subcategories and the reading tasks in Spanish‐speaking children. The largest correlation values were found between syllabic awareness and reading, which highlights the importance of syllable recognition during reading acquisition. In addition, we found that intrasyllabic awareness also plays an important role in reading in Spanish. The findings are discussed from a cross‐linguistic perspective.
Stoichiometric constraints modulate temperature and nutrient effects on biomass distribution and community stability
Authors: Sentis Arnaud , Haegeman Bart , Montoya José M.
Published: October 2021

Temperature and nutrients are two of the most important drivers of global change. Both can modify the elemental composition (i.e. stoichiometry) of primary producers and consumers. Yet their combined effect on the stoichiometry, dynamics and stability of ecological communities remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, we extended the Rosenzweig–MacArthur consumer–resource model by including thermal dependencies, nutrient dynamics and stoichiometric constraints on both the primary producer and the consumer. We found that stoichiometric and nutrient conservation constraints dampen the paradox of enrichment and increased persistence at high nutrient levels. Nevertheless, stoichiometric constraints also reduced consumer persistence at extreme temperatures. Finally, we also found that stoichiometric constraints and nutrient dynamics can strongly influence biomass distribution across trophic levels by modulating consumer assimilation efficiency and resource growth rates along the environmental gradients. In the Rosenzweig–MacArthur model, consumer biomass exceeded resource biomass for most parameter values whereas, in the stoichiometric model, consumer biomass was strongly reduced and sometimes lower than resource biomass. Our findings highlight the importance of accounting for stoichiometric constraints as they can mediate the temperature and nutrient impact on the dynamics and functioning of ecological communities.
Brain abscesses due to odontogenic infection: Case series
Authors: Da Silva Ana Cristina Corrêa , Viera Patrícia Verónica Aulestia , Bittencourt Augusto Arcemiro , Cavalcante Juliana Vieira , Blanco Tathiana Marinho , Matias Diogo Toledo , Rocha André Caroli , De Melo Peres Maria Paula Siqueira , Franco Juliana Bertoldi
Published: October 2021

Brain abscesses due to odontogenic infection are infrequent, but they deserve attention due to the high incidence of serious complications and the high mortality rate. This article aimed to report five cases of cerebral abscess due to odontogenic infection, of patients attended in the Clinical Hospital of Medical School of the University of São Paulo (HCFMUSP). In all cases, treatment consisted of draining the brain abscess, antibiotic therapy and extraction of all teeth responsible for the infection. Streptococcus spp. was the causative agent of all the cases reported in this article. The purpose of the study was to highlight the importance of the dental approach for the resolution of cases.
Choosing a CRRT machine and modality
Authors: Macedo Etienne , Cerdá Jorge
Published: October 2021

Expanded use and steady improvements in continuous renal replacement techniques (CRRT) have enhanced the safety of the application of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) to hemodynamically unstable intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The longer duration of therapy and the personalized prescription provided by continuous therapies are associated with greater hemodynamic stability and a modestly higher likelihood of kidney recovery than standard intermittent hemodialysis (IHD). Studies designed to evaluate the effect on mortality over intermittent therapies lack evidence of benefit. A lack of standardization and considerable variation in how CRRT is performed leads to wide variation in how the technique is prescribed, delivered, and optimized. Technology has progressed in critical care nephrology, and more progress is coming. New CRRT machines are equipped with a friendly user interface that allows easy performance and monitoring, permitting outcome measurements and improved patient quality control. This review discusses the key concepts necessary to guide nephrologists to prescribe and deliver KRT to critically ill ICU patients.