bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: Do We Really Need Chemotherapeutics for All Patients?
Authors: Haytoglu Zeliha , Yazici Nalan , Erbay Ayse
Published: January 2017

Because of the acute and life-threatening course of the hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) syndrome, International Histiocyte Society guidelines recommend chemoimmune therapy for the treatment of both primary and secondary HLH (sHLH). To manage children with sHLH, instead of HLH-2004 protocol we considered less immunosuppressive/cytotoxic approach. We assessed 12 children who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for sHLH between January 2009 and March 2015. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that ferritin levels (hazard ratio=1.02, P=0.006), pediatric logistic organ dysfunction scores (hazard ratio=1.01, P=0.001) were the predictors of the survival. The hospital survival was 83% for patients with sHLH who were treated with less immunosuppressive therapy. In conclusion initiation of HLH-specific therapy for the patients with hyperferritinemia-associated sHLH should be delayed while awaiting resolution of systemic inflammation with less immunosuppressive therapy.
Type 2B von Willebrand Disease: An Unusual Cause of Severe Neonatal Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Rotz Seth J. , Palumbo Joseph S. , Ware Russell E.
Published: January 2017

An infant with presumed maternal immune thrombocytopenic purpura had persistent thrombocytopenia with platelet clumping. The patient had no significant bleeding symptoms in the first year of life and von Willebrand antigen and ristocetin cofactor activity were normal. Absent high molecular weight multimers ultimately led to a genetically proven diagnosis of type 2B von Willebrand disease (3964G>A VWF exon 28), highlighting the challenges of establishing this diagnosis in infants.
Factors Associated With Noncompliance With Long-term Follow-up Care Among Pediatric Cancer Survivors
Authors: Devine Katie A. , Viola Adrienne , Capucilli Peter , Sahler Olle Jane Z. , Andolina Jeffrey R.
Published: January 2017

Most childhood cancer survivors do not receive risk-based care through a survivorship program, but factors associated with dropping out of care are unclear. This study aimed to identify characteristics of pediatric cancer survivors who do not return to a cancer center survivorship program for recommended care after at least 1 visit compared with those who continue to attend. Patient characteristics (demographics, school functioning, psychiatric history) and treatment characteristics (diagnosis, treatment) were abstracted from medical records for all eligible patients. Unadjusted and multivariable logistic regression analyses examined the associations among patient and treatment characteristics and nonattendance. The charts of 400 eligible patients (children below 18, n=123; adults, n=277) were reviewed. Of these, 60.3% of patients had not been seen in clinic within 1 year of their last recommended follow-up appointment. Adult-aged survivors were less likely to return to clinic than child-aged survivors (P<0.001). For child survivors, longer time off treatment was associated with noncompliance with follow-up. For adult survivors, current age, nonwhite race, and longer time off treatment were associated with noncompliance. Additional methods to identify survivors at risk for noncompliance with follow-up and interventions for at-risk survivors are needed to improve survivorship care.
Adherence to Treatment, Response and Patterns of Failure in Pediatric Parameningeal Rhabdomyosarcoma: Experience From a Tertiary Cancer Care Center From India
Authors: Roy Soumyajit , Pathy Sushmita , Mohanti Bidhu K. , Chander Subhash , Biswas Ahitagni
Published: January 2017

The study was aimed at evaluating adherence to treatment protocol and outcome in pediatric parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma (PM-RMS). We analyzed the characteristics, treatment administered, outcomes and patterns of failure of pediatric PM-RMS, who were treated with multimodality therapy between January 2005 and December 2013.Univariate and multivariate analysis (MVA) was completed to evaluate the impact of various prognostic factors. Thirty-seven patients were treated at our institution. Majority of them had the primary disease in paranasal sinuses (n=13). Majority of the patients belonged to group III (n=30) and stage III (n=24). The overall response rate to treatment was 52.5% (n=21). At a mean follow-up of 19.1 months, 23 patients developed disease progression. The actuarial rates of failure-free survival and overall survival (OS) at 2 years were 40% and 67.5%, respectively. Patients who received >20 weeks of intended chemotherapy schedule (P=0.02) and had complete response to first-line treatment (P=0.0004) were found to have superior failure-free survival on MVA. Complete response was the lone determinant of superior OS on MVA (P=0.006). Majority of patients with PM-RMS present with advanced stage disease. Response to first-line treatment is a significant predictor of superior progression-free survival and OS in these patients.
Angiokeratoma of Tongue
Authors: Bakshi Satvinder S.
Published: January 2017

A 9 year old male presented with diffuse swelling on his tongue since childhood associated with intermittent bleeding. On examination there was multiple, sessile, firm, pinkish, erythematous, shiny papules on both dorsal and ventral surface of the tongue. Angiokeratomas are vascular malformations of capillaries characterized clinically by asymptomatic, solitary or multiple, keratotic papules or plaques, and histologically by benign vascular ectasia of the papillary dermis. Treatment usually consists of local excision and intralesional injection of steroids.
Fanconi Anemia: A Rarely Considered Cause of Macrocytosis During Childhood
Authors: Aslan Deniz
Published: January 2017

We describe a Turkish boy newly diagnosed with Fanconi anemia with mutation in the FANCA gene. The patient, with normal clinical phenotype and negative chromosomal breakage test result, presented with macrocytosis. No clinical or laboratory changes were observed in a follow-up period of 4 years. The diagnosis was confirmed molecularly after a prolonged and exhaustive investigation. He was found to be a compound heterozygote for 2 mutations in the FANCA gene (1 of which is novel, c.4261-2A>C). We present this experience to alert physicians that Fanconi anemia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of otherwise unexplained macrocytosis during childhood.
Blastic Plasmocytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm With Skin and Myeloid Location
Authors: Mizia-Malarz Agnieszka , Sobol-Milejska Grażyna
Published: January 2017

Blastic plasmocytoid dendritic cell neoplasm is one of the aggressive hematopoietic malignancy with predilection for the skin. It is a tumor derived from the plasmocytoid dendritic precursor cells. Skin is its most common location; however, it may also affect bone marrow, lymph nodes, or spleen. The condition is rarely diagnosed in children; so far only 36 cases have been reported. The diagnosis usually takes time and there are no uniform treatment guidelines. This paper presents a case of a 6-year-old boy with blastic plasmocytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (skin and myeloid location). He has been treated according to the acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment protocol.
Severe Hyponatremia in a Single-Center Series of 84 Homogenously Treated Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Janczar Szymon , Zalewska-Szewczyk Beata , Mlynarski Wojciech
Published: January 2017

Electrolyte abnormalities are hallmark metabolic disturbances during the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Hyponatremia is an ominous laboratory sign in the setting of neoplasia. We analyzed the incidence, risk factors, associations, specific interventions and outcomes of severe hyponatremia in a single-center series of children with ALL. The incidence of severe hyponatremia, defined as serum sodium levels below 130 mmol/L on at least 2 of 3 consecutive days, was 11.9%. History of hyponatremia episode is associated with neurologic complications (P=0.023) and the presence of overt central nervous system leukemia (CNS3) at diagnosis (P=0.005). Most observed hyponatremia episodes resolved relatively quickly, rarely requiring specific treatment. All but 1 hyponatremia episodes occurred in the induction or reinduction phases, but none before the administration of cytotoxic drugs, pointing to the role of therapy complications rather than leukemia per se. Most patients received vincristine shortly before hyponatremia onset, and vincristine has been previously strongly implicated in hyponatremia. We also suggest a role for imatinib. Although every patient with severe hyponatremia requires swift and thorough diagnostics a serious sequelae in the setting of pediatric ALL is rare. Hyponatremia association with neurotoxicity likely points to vincristine hypersensitivity in the subgroup of patients with both complications.
Whole-Body MRI Virtual Autopsy Using Diffusion-weighted Imaging With Background Suppression (DWIBS) at 3 T in a Child Succumbing to Chordoma
Authors: Andronikou Savvas , Kemp Marnie L. , Meiring Michelle
Published: January 2017

Background:

We report the use of diffusion-weighted imaging with background suppression (DWIBS) in pediatric virtual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) autopsy of a child who succumbed to chordoma.

Case Description:

A 10-year-old girl who succumbed to relapse of a chordoma underwent whole-body virtual MRI autopsy 12 hours postmortem with short Tau inversion recovery (STIR) and DWIBS on 3 T, which demonstrated the primary mass, local and cardiac invasion, and metastatic disease to the thorax, abdomen, head/neck, and musculoskeletal system.

Conclusions:

Postmortem virtual MRI autopsy including DWIBS successfully demonstrated the transthoracic spread of chordoma and invasion of the heart, resulting in blood-borne metastases. Motion and respiratory artifact were not factors during virtual autopsy using DWIBS on 3 T, making ideal use of this technology.
Using Simulation to Improve Communication Skills in Nurse Practitioner Preceptors
Authors: Murray Linda Aveni , Buckley Kathleen
Published: January 2017

Role transitions in nursing may lead to stress and anxiety or the novice, which can be decreased with appropriate mentoring by preceptors. However, preceptors commonly describe having a lack of mentoring skills. This project focused on nurse practitioner preceptors and their gap in mentoring communication skills when handling difficult communications with novice nurse practitioners. The use of a simulation as a means for learning communication skills was evaluated for its effect on increasing preceptor skill level in mentoring.
Mobility and Clinic Switching Among Postpartum Women Considered Lost to HIV Care in South Africa
Authors: Clouse Kate , Vermund Sten H. , Maskew Mhairi , Lurie Mark N. , MacLeod William , Malete Given , Carmona Sergio , Sherman Gayle , Fox Matthew P.
Published: January 2017

Objective:

Retention in HIV care, particularly among postpartum women, is a challenge to national antiretroviral therapy programs. Retention estimates may be underestimated because of unreported transfers. We explored mobility and clinic switching among patients considered lost to follow-up (LTFU).

Design:

Observational cohort study.

Methods:

Of 788 women initiating antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy at 6 public clinics in Johannesburg, South Africa, 300 (38.1%) were LTFU (no visit ≥3 months). We manually searched for these women in the South African National Health Laboratory Services database to assess continuity of HIV care. We used geographic information system tools to map mobility to new facilities.

Results:

Over one-third (37.6%) of women showed evidence of continued HIV care after LTFU. Of these, 67.0% continued care in the same province as the origin clinic. Compared with those who traveled outside of the province for care, these same-province “clinic shoppers” stayed out-of-care longer {median 373 days [interquartile range (IQR): 175–790] vs. 175.5 days (IQR: 74–371)} and had a lower CD4+ cell count on re-entry [median 327 cells/μL (IQR: 196–576) vs. 493 cells/μL (IQR: 213–557). When considering all women with additional evidence of care as engaged in care, cohort LTFU dropped from 38.1% to 25.0%.

Conclusions:

We found evidence of continued care after LTFU and identified local and national clinic mobility among postpartum women. Laboratory records do not show all clinic visits and manual matching may have been under- or overestimated. A national health database linked to a unique identifier is necessary to improve reporting and patient care among highly mobile populations.
Perforator Phase Contrast Angiography of Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforators
Authors: Yang Xiangyu , Miller Michael J. , Friel Harry T. , Slijepcevic Allison , Knopp Michael V.
Published: January 2017

Objective

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of in vivo perforator visualization by a newly proposed magnetic resonance–based perforator phase contrast angiography (pPCA) technique for deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap surgery and to prospectively compare its image quality and clinical value with computed tomographic angiography (CTA), the state-of-the-art perforator imaging technique.

Materials and Methods

Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. DIEP pPCA and CTA data were acquired in 10 female patients before DIEP flap surgery. Image findings were compared between the two techniques and with literature reports.

Results

The overall image quality is negatively correlated with patient BMI for CTA, but positively correlated with BMI for pPCA. Compared with CTA, pPCA has significantly better image quality (P = 0.005), signal-to-noise ratio (P < 0.001), and contrast-to-noise ratio (perforator-to-muscle, P < 0.001; perforator-to-fat, P = 0.014). It also has preferable clinical value ratings, although not statistically significant (P = 0.388). There is a good agreement (84%) between perforators detected by pPCA and CTA. Perforator location deviations between pPCA and CTA are compatible with the precision required for plastic surgery. Perforator size measured by pPCA seems to be more accurate than CTA, as it is 0.8 ± 0.3 mm smaller (P < 0.001), consistent with the reported 0.5 to 1.2 mm overestimation by CTA. There is no significant difference in perforator intramuscular course assessment (P = 0.415).

Conclusions

The developed magnetic resonance–based pPCA technique presents superior image quality, better vessel contrast, and more accurate perforator anatomy than the x-ray–based CTA. pPCA has the potential to emerge as the preferred preoperative planning tool for perforator flap reconstructive surgery.
Semaphorin-Plexin signaling influences early ventral telencephalic development and thalamocortical axon guidance
Authors: Mitsogiannis Manuela D. , Little Graham E. , Mitchell Kevin J.
Published: January 2017

Background

Sensory processing relies on projections from the thalamus to the neocortex being established during development. Information from different sensory modalities reaching the thalamus is segregated into specialized nuclei, whose neurons then send inputs to cognate cortical areas through topographically defined axonal connections.

Developing thalamocortical axons (TCAs) normally approach the cortex by extending through the subpallium; here, axonal navigation is aided by distributed guidance cues and discrete cell populations, such as the corridor neurons and the internal capsule (IC) guidepost cells. In mice lacking Semaphorin-6A, axons from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) bypass the IC and extend aberrantly in the ventral subpallium. The functions normally mediated by Semaphorin-6A in this system remain unknown, but might depend on interactions with Plexin-A2 and Plexin-A4, which have been implicated in other neurodevelopmental processes.

Methods

We performed immunohistochemical and neuroanatomical analyses of thalamocortical wiring and subpallial development inSema6aandPlxna2;Plxna4null mutant mice and analyzed the expression of these genes in relevant structures.

Results

InPlxna2;Plxna4double mutants we discovered TCA pathfinding defects that mirrored those observed inSema6amutants, suggesting that Semaphorin-6A–Plexin-A2/Plexin-A4 signaling might mediate dLGN axon guidance at subpallial level.

In order to understand where and when Semaphorin-6A, Plexin-A2 and Plexin-A4 may be required for proper subpallial TCA guidance, we then characterized their spatiotemporal expression dynamics during early TCA development. We observed that the thalamic neurons whose axons are misrouted in these mutants normally express Semaphorin-6A but not Plexin-A2 or Plexin-A4. By contrast, all three proteins are expressed in corridor cells and other structures in the developing basal ganglia.

This could be consistent with the Plexins acting as guidance signals through Sema6A as a receptor on dLGN axons, and/or with an indirect effect on TCA guidance due to functions in morphogenesis of subpallial intermediate targets. In support of the latter possibility, we observed that in bothPlxna2;Plxna4andSema6amutants some IC guidepost cells abnormally localize in correspondence of the ventral path misrouted TCAs elongate into.

Conclusions

These findings implicate Semaphorin-6A–Plexin-A2/Plexin-A4 interactions in dLGN axon guidance and in the spatiotemporal organization of guidepost cell populations in the mammalian subpallium.
Metacognitive impairments extend perceptual decision making weaknesses in compulsivity
Authors: Hauser Tobias U. , Allen Micah ,   NSPN Consortium, Rees Geraint , Dolan Raymond J.
Published: January 2017

Awareness of one’s own abilities is of paramount importance in adaptive decision making. Psychotherapeutic theories assume such metacognitive insight is impaired in compulsivity, though this is supported by scant empirical evidence. In this study, we investigate metacognitive abilities in compulsive participants using computational models, where these enable a segregation between metacognitive and perceptual decision making impairments. We examined twenty low-compulsive and twenty high-compulsive participants, recruited from a large population-based sample, and matched for other psychiatric and cognitive dimensions. Hierarchical computational modelling of the participants’ metacognitive abilities on a visual global motion detection paradigm revealed that high-compulsive participants had a reduced metacognitive ability. This impairment was accompanied by a perceptual decision making deficit whereby motion-related evidence was accumulated more slowly in high compulsive participants. Our study shows that the compulsivity spectrum is associated with a reduced ability to monitor one’s own performance, over and above any perceptual decision making difficulty.
A Two-Process Model for Circadian and Sleep-dependent Modulation of Pain Sensitivity
Authors: Toporikova Natalia , Hagenauer Megan Hastings , Ferguson Paige , Booth Victoria
Published: January 2017

Pain sensitivity is strongly modulated by time of day and by prior sleep behavior. These two factors, governed by the circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep drive, respectively, likewise dictate the timing and duration of sleep. The fields of sleep and circadian research have identified much of the physiology underlying the circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep drive with mathematical modeling playing an important role in understanding how these two processes interact to affect sleep behavior. We hypothesize that the daily rhythm of pain sensitivity and its sleep-dependent modulation reflect an interaction of the circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep drive. To investigate this hypothesis, we adapt the formalism of a classic mathematical model for the regulation of sleep behavior by the circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep drive, called the Two Process model, to simulate the interaction of these two processes on pain sensitivity. To construct the model, we utilize data from experimental reports on the daily rhythmicity of pain sensitivity in humans to define a “daily pain sensitivity” function. We decompose this function into two processes: a sleep-dependent processS(t) that follows the homeostatic sleep drive and a circadian processC(t) that is dictated by the circadian rhythm. By simulating different sleep schedules with the original Two Process model, we compute changes in the sleep-dependent processS(t) that modulates pain sensitivity. By combiningS(t) with the circadian processC(t), our model predicts resultant changes in the daily pain sensitivity rhythm. We illustrate model predictions for changes in pain sensitivity due to sleep deprivation, sleep restriction and shift work schedules. We believe that this model may be a useful tool for pain management by providing predictions of the variations in pain sensitivity due to changing sleep schedules.
Invisible noise obscures visible signal in insect motion detection
Authors: Tarawneh Ghaith , Nityananda Vivek , Rosner Ronny , Errington Steven , Herbert William , Cumming Bruce G. , Read Jenny C. A. , Serrano-Pedraza Ignacio
Published: January 2017

1

The motion energy model is the standard account of motion detection in animals from beetles to humans. Despite this common basis, we show here that a difference in the early stages of visual processing between mammals and insects leads this model to make radically different behavioural predictions. In insects, early filtering is spatially lowpass, which makes the surprising prediction that motion detection can be impaired by “invisible” noise, i.e. noise at a spatial frequency that elicits no response when presented on its own as a signal. We confirm this prediction using the optomotor response of praying mantisSphodromantis lineola. This does not occur in mammals, where spatially bandpass early filtering means that linear systems techniques, such as deriving channel sensitivity from masking functions, remain approximately valid. Counter-intuitive effects such as masking by invisible noise may occur in neural circuits wherever a nonlinearity is followed by a difference operation.
Lineage-specific rediploidization is a mechanism to explain time-lags between genome duplication and evolutionary diversification
Authors: Robertson Fiona M. , Gundappa Manu Kumar , Grammes Fabian , Hvidsten Torgeir R. , Redmond Anthony K. , Lien Sigbjørn , Martin Samuel A.M. , Holland Peter W. H. , Sandve Simen R. , Macqueen Daniel J.
Published: January 2017

The functional divergence of duplicate genes (ohnologues) retained from whole genome duplication (WGD) is thought to promote evolutionary diversification. However, species radiation and phenotypic diversification is often highly temporally-detached from WGD. Salmonid fish, whose ancestor experienced WGD by autotetraploidization ~95 Ma (i.e. ‘Ss4R’), fit such a ‘time-lag’ model of post-WGD radiation, which occurred alongside a major delay in the rediploidization process. Here we propose a model called ‘Lineage-specific Ohnologue Resolution’ (LORe) to address the phylogenetic and functional consequences of delayed rediploidization. Under LORe, speciation precedes rediploidization, allowing independent ohnologue divergence in sister lineages sharing an ancestral WGD event. Using cross-species sequence capture, phylogenomics and genome-wide analyses of ohnologue expression divergence, we demonstrate the major impact of LORe on salmonid evolution. One quarter of each salmonid genome, harbouring at least 4,500 ohnologues, has evolved under LORe, with rediploidization and functional divergence occurring on multiple independent occasions > 50 Myr post-WGD. We demonstrate the existence and regulatory divergence of many LORe ohnologues with functions in lineage-specific physiological adaptations that promoted salmonid species radiation. We show that LORe ohnologues are enriched for different functions than ‘older’ ohnologues that began diverging in the salmonid ancestor. LORe has unappreciated significance as a nested component of post-WGD divergence that impacts the functional properties of genes, whilst providing ohnologues available solely for lineage-specific adaptation. Under LORe, which is predicted following many WGD events, the functional outcomes of WGD need not appear ‘explosively’, but can arise gradually over tens of Myr, promoting lineage-specific diversification regimes under prevailing ecological pressures.
A note on noise suppression in cell-size control
Authors: Singh Abhyudai
Published: January 2017

Diverse cell types employ mechanisms to maintain size homeostasis and minimize aberrant fluctuations in cell size. It is well known that exponential cellular growth can drive unbounded intercellular variations in cell size, if the timing of cell division is size independent. Hence coupling of division timing to size is an essential feature of size control. We formulate a stochastic model, where exponential cellular growth is coupled with random cell division events, and the rate at which division events occur increases as a power function of cell size. Interestingly, in spite of nonlinearities in the stochastic dynamical model, statistical moments of the newborn cell size can be determined in closed form, providing fundamental limits to suppression of size fluctuations. In particular, formulas reveal that the magnitude of fluctuations in the newborn size is determined by the inverse of the size exponent in the division rate, and this relationship is independent of other model parameters, such as the growth rate. We further expand these results to consider randomness in the partitioning of mother cell size among daughters at the time of division. The sensitivity of newborn size fluctuations to partitioning noise is found to monotonically decrease, and approach a non-zero value, with increasing size exponent in the division rate. Finally, we discuss how our analytical results provide limits on noise control in commonly used models for cell size regulation.
Decoding sequence-level information to predict membrane protein expression
Authors: Saladi Shyam M. , Javed Nauman , Müller Axel , Clemons William M.
Published: January 2017

The expression of integral membrane proteins (IMPs) remains a major bottleneck in the characterization of this important protein class. IMP expression levels are currently unpredictable, which renders the pursuit of IMPs for structural and biophysical characterization challenging and inefficient. Experimental evidence demonstrates that changes within the nucleotide or amino-acid sequence for a given IMP can dramatically affect expression; yet these observations have not resulted in generalizable approaches to improved expression. Here, we develop a data-driven statistical predictor named IMProve, that, using only sequence information, increases the likelihood of selecting an IMP that expresses inE. coli.The IMProve model, trained on experimental data, combines a set of sequence-derived features resulting in an IMProve score, where higher values have a higher probability of success. The model is rigorously validated against a variety of independent datasets that contain a wide range of experimental outcomes from various IMP expression trials. The results demonstrate that use of the model can more than double the number of successfully expressed targets at any experimental scale. IMProve can immediately be used to identify favorable targets for characterization.
Crystal structures of a novel NNN pincer ligand and its dinuclear titanium(IV) alkoxide pincer complex
Authors: Pedziwiatr Jakub , Ghiviriga Ion , Abboud Khalil A. , Veige Adam S.
Published: January 2017

This report describes a synthetic protocols and the crystal structures involving a novel pincer-type H3[NNN] ligand, namely di-μ-bromido-μ-{2-(2,2-dimethylpropanimidoyl)-N-[2-(2,2-dimethylpropanimidoyl)-4-methylphenyl]-4-methylaniline}-bis[(diethyl ether)lithium], [Li2Br2(C24H33N3)(C4H10O)2] (1) and a dinuclear metal complex, namely di-μ-bromido-2:3κ4Br:Br-bis{2-(2,2-dimethylpropanimidoyl)-N-[2-(2,2-dimethylpropanimidoyl)-4-methylphenyl]-4-methylaniline}-1κ3N,N′,N′′;4κ3N,N′,N′′-tetra-μ-isopropanolato-1:2κ4O:O;3:4κ4O:O-diisopropanolato-1κO,4κO-2,3-dilithium-1,4-dititanium, [Li2Ti2Br2(C24H32N3)2(C3H7O)6] or {[NHNNH]Ti(OiPr)3(LiBr)2}2(2). Complex1, which sits on a twofold rotation axis, is a rare example of a pincer-type ligand which bears ketimine side arms. A unique feature of complex1is that the ketimine N atoms have an LiBr(Et2O) fragment bonded to them, with the Li atom adopting a distorted tetrahedral geometry. This particular fragment creates an LiBr bridge between the two ketimine sidearms, which leads to a cage-type appearance of the ligand. Complex2consists of the previously described ligand and a TiIVmetal atom in an octahedral environment, and is located on an inversion center. Complex2crystallizes as a dinuclear species with the metal atoms being bridged by an LiBr entity [the Br atoms are disordered and refined in two positions with their site occupation factors refining to 0.674 (12)/0.372 (12)], and the Li cation being bonded to the isopropoxide O atoms (Li having a tetrahedral coordination as in1). The organic ligand of compound2exhibits disorder in its periphery groups; isopropyl andtert-butyl groups (occupation factors fixed at 0.6/0.4). The novel [NNN]H3pincer-type ligand was characterized by multinuclear and multidimensional NMR, HRMS and X-ray crystallography. The dinuclear metal complex2was characterized by X-ray crystallography. Although each structure exhibits donor N—H groups, no hydrogen bonding is found in either one, perhaps due to the bulky groups around them. One of the ethyl groups of the ether ligand of1is disordered and refined in two parts with site-occupation factors of 0.812 (8) and 0.188 (8). One and a half toluene solvent molecules are also present in the asymmetric unit of2. The toluene molecules were significantly disordered and could not be modeled properly, thusSQUEEZE[Spek (2015).Acta Cryst.C71, 9–18] was used to remove their contributions to the overall intensity data.
Crystal structure of (E)-2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-{[2-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}phenol
Authors: Faizi Md. Serajul Haque , Dege Necmi , Haque Ashanul , Kalibabchuk Valentina A. , Cemberci Mustafa
Published: January 2017

The essential part (including all the non-hydrogen atoms except two methyl carbons) of the molecule of the title compound, C21H26N4O5, lies on a mirror plane, which bisects thet-butyl groups. The conformation of the C=N bond of this Schiff base compound isE, and there is an intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond present, forming anS(6) ring motif. In the crystal, molecules are linkedviaO—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming zigzag chains propagating along thea-axis direction. There are no other significant intermolecular contacts present.
Crystal structures of three 3-chloro-3-methyl-2,6-diarylpiperidin-4-ones
Authors: Arulraj R. , Sivakumar S. , Kaur Manpreet , Thiruvalluvar A. , Jasinski Jerry P.
Published: January 2017

The syntheses and crystal structure of 3-chloro-3-methyl-r-2,c-6-diphenylpiperidin-4-one, C18H18ClNO, (I), 3-chloro-3-methyl-r-2,c-6-di-p-tolylpiperidin-4-one, C20H22ClNO, (II), and 3-chloro-3-methyl-r-2,c-6-bis(4-chlorophenyl)piperidin-4-one, C18H16Cl3NO, (III), are described. In each structure, the piperidine ring adopts a chair conformation and dihedral angles between the mean planes of the phenyl rings are 58.4 (2), 73.5 (5) and 78.6 (2)° in (I), (II) and (III), respectively. In the crystals, molecules are linked intoC(6) chains by weak N—H...O hydrogen bonds and C—H...π interactions are also observed.
(E)-2-(5-Chloro-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-N-cyclohexylhydrazine-1-carbothioamide
Authors: Arafath Md. Azharul , Adam Farook , Razali Mohd. R.
Published: January 2017

In the title compound, C14H18ClN3OS, the phenol ring is almost coplanar with the hydrazinecarbothioamide moiety, making a dihedral angle of 6.92 (8)°. The cyclohexane ring has a chair conformation and the conformation about the C=N bond is E. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O and O—H...S hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with an R
2
2(14) ring motif flanked by two R
2
2(6) ring motifs. The dimers are linked by short Cl...Cl interactions, forming layers parallel to the ab plane.
(E)-2-Methyl-6-{[(5-methylpyridin-2-yl)imino]methyl}phenol
Authors: Arafath Md. Azharul , Adam Farook , Razali Mohd. R.
Published: January 2017

In the title compound, C14H14N2O, the dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 5.54 (9)°. The conformation is reinforced by an intramolecular O—H...N hydrogen bond, which closes an S(6) ring. The pyridine N atom and methyl group lie to opposite sides of the molecule. In the crystal, the molecules are linked into a zigzag chain propagating in [0-11] by weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds.
N-Bromo-S-(4-nitrophenyl)-S-phenylsulfimide
Authors: Sheikh Md. Chanmiya , Yoshimura Toshiaki , Fujii Takayoshi , Miyatake Ryuta
Published: January 2017

The title compound, C12H9BrN2O2S, the first crystal structure of an N-halosulfimide, adopts a syn conformation about the S=N bond, with a Br—N—S—C(phenyl) torsion angle of −54.64 (17)°. The dihedral angle between between the phenyl and 4-nitrophenyl rings is 65.04 (14)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H...Br, C—H...N and C—H...O interactions, forming a tape structure along the c axis.
N,N-Dibutylanilinium hydrogen squarate
Authors: Janzen Daron E. , Majerle Rita S. , Novosad Katie L.
Published: January 2017

The title molecular salt, C14H24N+·C4HO4
− [systematic name: N,N-dibutylbenzenaminium 2-hydroxy-3,4-dioxocyclobut-1-en-1-olate], is composed of a protonated N,N-dibutylaniline cation with a hydrogen squarate monoanion (common names). The disparate bond lengths within the squarate anion suggest delocalization of the negative charge over only part of the squarate moiety. In the crystal, the squarate anions are linked by pairs of O—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with an R
2
2(10) ring motif. The dimers are linked to the cations on either side by N—H...O hydrogen bonds, and weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds. These cation–anion–anion–cation units are linked by further C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to (102).
Auditor independence and accounting conservatism
Authors: Crockett Michael , Ali Muhammad Jahangir
Published: January 2017

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of the current legislative provisions that protect auditor independence in Australia. The collapses of several high-profile companies (Enron and WorldCom in the USA, HIH insurance and OneTel in Australia) in the early 2000s has raised questions about audit quality and independence. In response, regulators have introduced new regulations and guidance to improve audit quality. In Australia, the Corporations Act 2001 (2001) was amended via the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program Act 2004. This study poses the question: do non-audit service fees influence the level of accounting conservatism?

Design/methodology/approach

– The sample used in this analysis consists of all available Australian listed companies from the years 2006 till 2010.

Findings

– Using multiple measures of accounting conservatism and the auditor-client economic bond, our results suggest that the level of the economic bond between the auditor and the client does not significantly influence the level of accounting conservatism.

Originality/value

– Our results demonstrate that the combination of intrinsic market mechanisms and regulation in Australia sufficiently protect auditor independence.
Voluntary accounting changes and analyst following
Authors: Huang Tzu-Ling , Wang Tawei , Seng Jia-Lang
Published: January 2017

Purpose

– This study aims to examine the relation between voluntary accounting changes (VACs) and analyst following.

Design/methodology/approach

– A sample of firms was collected with VACs in the period from 1994 to 2008 and their major competitors, as well as industry benchmarking firms without accounting changes. The authors then investigated how VACs affect analysts’ following decisions given accounting choice heterogeneity.

Findings

– The findings demonstrate that VAC is negatively associated with analysts’ following decisions. Such association becomes stronger after taking into account accounting choice heterogeneity before and after VACs.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the literature in the economic consequences of VACs and suggests that analysts presumably are able to comprehend the differences in accounting choices. However, the additional level of effort and the concern of manipulation may affect analysts’ behavior. This study documents whether VAC results in different accounting choices from the firm’s major competitors or industry benchmarking firms.
On the role of government in promoting altruism
Authors: Colombatto Enrico , Tavormina Valerio
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether altruism justifies ad hoc legislation with reference to three different contexts. One is defined by the libertarian notion of liberty; a second framework corresponds to the egalitarian vision; and a third one originates from social-contract theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors review two stylized visions of liberty, and consider to what extent the current legal systems comply with one of these visions. Moreover, the authors analyse the implications of the contractarian approach.

Findings

It is shown that current legislation is rather ambiguous and sometimes even contradictory. By and large, the common-law view tends to favour the libertarian approach, while the civil-law visions are closer to what one might expect from social-contract theory. In these cases, however, it seems that the letter of the law is often questioned by the academic community as well as by the judiciary, and decisions eventually follow the judges’ discretionary power.

Originality/value

This analysis of altruism combines the economic and legal perspectives. Although altruism is always considered an important part of social capital and worthy of privileged treatment, it is shown that policymaking is frequently inconsistent and sometimes contradictory.
Institutional frames for financial inclusion of poor households in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Bongomin George Okello Candiya , Ntayi Joseph Mpeera , Munene John
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine institutional frames for financial inclusion of poor households in a Sub-Saharan Africa context and provide policy implications in solving the persistent problem of limited inclusion of poor households into mainstream formal financial services in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional research design was used in this study. Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 200 poor households located in Mukono District. Statistical program for Social Scientists and Analysis of Moment Structures were used to generate results.

Findings

Results have revealed the presence of regulative, normative, and procedural and declarative cognitive institutional frames, which affect financial inclusion of poor households in rural rural Uganda. The findings and policy implications are discussed in detail in the paper.

Originality/value

This study parallels the World Bank Global Findex survey (2012) on general aspects of financial inclusion around the world. It examines frames, which structure behaviours and actions of poor households towards their financial decisions and choices in attempting to improve financial inclusion with a major focus on rural Uganda.
Public finance regulatory compliance among public secondary schools
Authors: Nakyeyune Gorrettie Kyeyune , Tauringana Venancio , Ntayi Joseph Mpeera , Nkundabanyanga Stephen Korutaro
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between deterrence measures, leadership support and public finance regulatory compliance among public secondary schools in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey of 257 Ugandan public secondary schools was undertaken. Ordinary least squares regression was used to determine whether, in addition to deterrence measures, leadership support also explains variances in public finance regulatory compliance.

Findings

Results based on a hierarchical regression analysis indicate that deterrence measures explain 17.4 per cent of variances in public finance regulatory compliance. In addition, leadership support explains a further 18.2 per cent of the variances in public finance regulatory compliance.

Research limitations/implications

The results imply that in addition to deterrence measures, secondary schools in Uganda should also emphasise leadership support in order to improve their public finance regulatory compliance.

Originality/value

Contrary to previous studies, the authors explain regulatory compliance using deterrence measures and leadership support in a single study while also focussing on institutions and not individuals as a unit of analysis. The authors also extend the predominantly financial institutions compliance studies to the education sector. Thus probably for the first time, the authors show that leadership support complements deterrence measures in explaining public finance regulatory compliance in the education sector. Even with strong deterrence measures, the lack of leadership support may lead to inadequate public finance regulatory compliance.
A finite element analysis of bolted joints loaded in tension: protruding head and countersunk fastener
Authors: Dursun Tolga , Soutis Costas
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of fastener geometry (protruding head and countersunk fastener) and friction coefficient on the stress distributions around the hole of the double-lap single bolted aluminium alloy joints.

Design/methodology/approach

3D finite element analyses of double-lap bolted 7075-T6 aluminium joints were carried out. An elastic-plastic multi-linear kinematic hardening material behaviour was assumed for the Al alloy. Contact was defined using an augmented-Langrange contact algorithm, including the friction effect. Bolt clamping force and remote axial tensile loading were applied in two load steps and their separate and combined effects on the joint behaviour were investigated for two types of fastener configurations.

Findings

It was observed that bolt clamping reduces the axial tensile stress at the hole edge by introducing a through-thickness compressive stress. This reduction in stress concentration may have a beneficial effect on the fatigue life of the joint. Second, bolt clamping reduces the bearing stress at the fastener hole by creating a frictional force between the joint plates. Results showed that the joint with protruding head fastener shows lower tensile stress concentration, and lower bearing stress, near the bolt hole of the middle plate.

Originality/value

Bolt clamping force reduces both the stress concentration near the hole edge and the bearing stress at the hole by creating a frictional force. Joint with a protruding head fastener may lead to higher load carrying capability and improved fatigue life. Friction coefficient affects the stress levels around the bolt hole.
The perceived motivations behind the introduction of the law on external audit in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Phuong Thi , Kend Michael
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Over the past 20 years, external auditing activities and practices in Vietnam have developed quickly. An important milestone is the first Law on External Audit No. 67/2011/QH12 which has been passed by the National Assembly of Vietnam on 29 March 2011. The purpose of this paper is to understand the perceived motivations in regard to the introduction of the Law on External Audit, through the eyes of various key stakeholders. There has been genuine public interest concerns regarding audit quality in Vietnam as prior academic research has indicated, and this is the first study to examine whether the new audit reforms where introduced specifically to deal with those concerns.

Design/methodology/approach

Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 key stakeholders during 2014 in both Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Findings

The study finds that the Law on External Audit was introduced because it holds the highest form of regulatory authority in Vietnam, and the lower level Decrees that existed before the law did not even detail the audit firms’ responsibilities resulting in low audit quality. Also, the new Law was introduced to add more credibility and trust in the external audit function in Vietnam, and to reduce unfair price competition. However, some of our findings indicate that the Governments’ motivations were not all purely public interest related. A theoretical framework is developed to evaluate whether these reforms are substantive enough in nature to effect public confidence in reported financial data and audits.

Originality/value

External auditing plays a crucial role in any market-based economy. In a developing economy, audit quality is often perceived to be lower than in a developed economy. Therefore, it is not uncommon to observe governments in developing economies producing tighter regulations for the auditing and assurance market to help attract more foreign investment and to establish credibility and more trust. In Vietnamese context, the current study conveys that the new audit reforms not only were introduced with genuine public interest concerns but also were a mechanism to protect the government’s interests.
The impact of earnings management on the value relevance of earnings
Authors: Mostafa Wael
Published: January 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the association between earnings management and the value relevance of earnings (the latter is operationalized by earnings response coefficient). Specifically, this study examines whether opportunistic earnings management has a negative impact on the value relevance of earnings for a sample of firms listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange.

Design/methodology/approach

Different from prior work and due to data limitations in the Egyptian market, this paper first examines for the existence of earnings management based on the whole operating performances of the firms by testing whether firms with low/poor operating performance are more likely to choose income-increasing actions (strategies) than firms with high operating performance. After confirming that low operating performance firms manage earnings upward, the authors then assess whether this opportunistic earnings management by these low operating performance firms reduces the value relevance of earnings. This is performed by estimating a model of the relationship between stock returns and accounting earnings with a dummy variable that allows parameter shifts for earnings of low operating performance firms.

Findings

The results show that discretionary accruals are positive and significantly higher for firms with low operating performance than those for firms with high operating performance. These results indicate that low operating performance firms increase the earnings management practices by probably increasing their reported earnings opportunistically to mask their low performance. Furthermore, the results show that the earnings response coefficient is significantly smaller for earnings of low operating performance firms than that for earnings of high operating performance firms. These results suggest that earnings of firms with low operating performance (that are engaged in opportunistic earnings management strategies) have less value relevance than earnings of firms with high operating performance, i.e. the informativeness of managed earnings is lower than that of non-managed earnings.

Practical implications

Based on these results, it is plausible that the presence of opportunistic earnings management adversely affects the value relevance of accounting earnings.

Originality/value

Consistent with previous results from developed countries, this study shows that earnings management is a significant factor that affects value relevance of earnings in Egypt.