bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Purification and some properties of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase
Authors: Sztajer H. , Borkowski J. , Sobiech K.
Published: October 2023

Lipase (triacylglycerol lipase, EC 3.1.1.3) has been purified from Pseudomonas fluorescens wild strain by chromatography on DEAE‐cellulose and octyl‐Sepharose CL‐4B. The yield was 21% and the specific activity of the purified enzyme 4780 U/mg protein. It showed a Mr of about 45 times 10(4) by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme is active over a wide pH range and at 50–55 degrees C.
Covalent binding of enzymes to synthetic membranes containing acrylamide units, using formaldehyde
Authors: Krysteva MA , Shopova BI , Yotova LY , Karasavova MI
Published: October 2023

Synthetic membranes containing 10% acrylamide units were subjected to activation with formaldehyde at pH 7.5 and 45 degrees C. Trypsin, invertase, and urease were bound to this activated membrane and the kinetic properties of immobilized enzymes were studied. The permeability of the membrane for distilled water manifests certain differences depending on the enzyme bound. The membranes with immobilized enzymes stored at 4 degrees C in a moist state showed no change in their activity for 6 months. The membrane with immobilized invertase has preserved its activity even after 20 operations with 2% sucrose solution at 25 degrees C. The proposed method of binding enzymes to synthetic membranes containing acrylamide groups, through the introduction of N‐hydroxymethyl groups, possesses several advantages with respect to the activation of the membrane in a one‐step reaction with cheap and accessible reagent, high operative stability of the immobilized enzymes, no danger of bacterial rotting, and long shelf life of the membrane.
Immunoaffinity partitioning: synthesis and use of polyethylene glycol‐oxirane for coupling to bovine serum albumin and monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Elling L. , Kula MR
Published: October 2023

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐oxirane was synthesized by reacting aminated monomethoxy‐PEG 5000 (NH2‐MPEG 5000) with butanediol diglycidyl ether and used to derivatize bovine serum albumin (BSA) and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and porcine lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme 5, respectively. Determination of oxirane end groups revealed a very high number, which arise from the chain breaks of the polymer. Covalent coupling of PEG‐oxirane to BSA resulted in 30–50 times higher partition coefficients under optimized conditions. The mAb investigated could be modified with PEG‐oxirane while retaining its binding properties and could be used as an affinity ligand for selective extraction of Ag in immunoaffinity partitioning. However, a high degree of modification results in a lower binding constant of mAb anti‐HRP and higher [mAb]/[Ag] concentration ratios in immunoaffinity partition experiments.
Further characterization of carboxymethylated aspartic acid agarose. Purification of human alpha 2‐macroglobulin and hemopexin
Authors: Mantovaara T. , Pertoft H. , Porath J.
Published: October 2023

alpha 2‐Macroglobulin and hemopexin were purified by affinity chromatography on a recently introduced chelating matrix, i.e., carboxymethylated aspartic acid agarose, coupled with cobalt(II). Adsorption was performed at neutral pH and the proteins were eluted by lowering the pH to 5.0. An alternative method for desorption as well as comparison with iminodiacetic acid agarose coupled with cobalt(II) is also described.
Gangliosides administration causes sugar moiety‐specific enzymatic changes in brain
Authors: Aoyagi T. , Osanai T. , Wada T. , Kojima F. , Nagai M. , Harada S. , Takeuchi T. , Nagai Y.
Published: October 2023

Exogenous gangliosides are known to affect the metabolism when administered to the body. To study the mechanism of this effect three types of gangliosides were administered intraperitoneally to mice and the changes in the enzyme activity of the cerebral tissues studied. The effect of GM2 from bovine brain was characterized by a decrease in the activity of various aminopeptidases, while GD3 from cow's milk caused an increase in the activity of sugar‐related enzymes such as sialidase, glucosidase, and fucosidase. GM3 from horse erythrocytes showed intermediate effects between GM2 and GD3. Multivariate analysis showed that the effects of the three gangliosides are clearly separable statistically. These results which demonstrate the sugar moiety‐specificity of gangliosides are discussed in relation to the A and B pathways of ganglioside synthesis.
Human red blood cells as bioreactors for the inactivation of harmful xenobiotics
Authors: Fazi A. , Mancini U. , Piatti E. , Accorsi A. , Magnani M.
Published: October 2023

Human red blood cells are able to inactivate lipophilic electrophiles by conjugation with reduced glutathione. This metabolic ability was found to be limited by the rate of permeation of the xenobiotic into erythrocytes and by the amount of available reduced glutathione. By a procedure of hypotonic dialysis, isotonic resealing and reannealing human red blood cells were overloaded with increasing amounts of reduced glutathione up to three‐ to fourfold the normal level without modification of their metabolic functions or of their energetic state. These overloaded erythrocytes were able to conjugate increasing amounts of xenobiotics and to export the resulting conjugates from the cells. These properties of glutathione overloaded erythrocytes are significant for the use of carrier erythrocytes in cases of acute intoxication by lipophilic electrophiles.
Metal affinity chromatography of recombinant HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase containing a human renin cleavable metal binding domain
Authors: Sharma SK , Evans DB , Vosters AF , McQuade TJ , Tarpley WG
Published: October 2023

A metal binding peptide, hexahistidine, preceding a renin cleavage sequence (Pro‐Phe‐His‐Leu‐Val‐Ile‐His‐) was engineered on to the N‐terminus of HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase (RT). The chimeric protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized after purification by DEAE chromatography and HPLC. Amino‐terminal sequencing confirmed the presence of the first 15 amino acids of the chimeric protein. The chimeric exhibited RT activity like that of HIV‐1 RT and was cleaved by human renin at the expected site. The potential of a hexa‐histidine fusion in the purification of recombinant HIV‐1 RT by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) on the commonly used resin (IDA‐Ni2+) was investigated. The chimeric gene product from a crude E. coli extract was strongly retarded on a immobilized nickel column, while most of the contaminating E. coli proteins were eliminated after elution with 20–35 mM imidazole. The bound chimeric protein was eluted with 300 mM imidazole and appeared predominantly as a single band on an SDS‐polyacrylamide gel. The remarkable specificity of this affinity tail was further demonstrated by separating the chimeric protein from HIV‐1 RT in a crude extract prepared by mixing extracts from cells expressing HIV‐1 RT and the hexahistidine recombinant chimeric protein. The usefulness of a enzymatically cleavable metal binding peptide in the rapid purification and production of HIV‐1 RT without proteolysis to a heterodimer is discussed.
Mutual recognition between polymerized liposomes. III. Association processes between avidin and biotin on polymerized liposome surfaces
Authors: Kitano H. , Kato N. , Ise N.
Published: October 2023

Association processes between avidin and biotin in various liposome systems were studied. By incorporating biotin onto the polymerized liposome surface, association processes with free avidin were largely decelerated. When the number of binding sites on the liposome surface was taken into account, the corrected association rate constant was 4.3% of the theoretical value for binary collision. The association rate constant between avidin‐ and biotin‐carrying polymerized liposomes was much smaller than those for both the free avidin‐free biotin system and the free avidin/biotin‐liposome system, probably due to the repulsive hydration phenomenon. The results are discussed both in terms of our understanding of cell‐cell recognition phenomena and for the development of drug delivery systems.
Thermostabilization of carboxypeptidase A by interaction with its monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Solomon B. , Balas N.
Published: October 2023

The effect of interaction of carboxypeptidase A (CPA) with three monoclonal antibodies, each with a different epitope (CP 10, CP 9, and CP 8), on the heat stabilization of enzymes is described. These monoclonal antibodies bind to CPA with a relatively high binding constant (approximately 10(8) M‐1) and do not affect its catalytic properties. Intact carboxypeptidase A lost more than 95 and 90% of its esterase and peptidase activities within 120 min at 50 degrees C. The monoclonal antibodies increased the thermal stability of the enzyme by 90 and 60%, as compared with the peptidase and esterase initial activities, respectively. Binding of these monoclonal antibodies, alone or in pairs, to the enzyme epitopes that are supposedly involved in heat denaturation of CPA result in stabilization of the conformation of the enzyme. The effect of thermostabilization by monoclonal antibodies was more pronounced with respect to peptidase activity than to esterase activity, indicating that these activities follow different reaction mechanisms. Since properly selected monoclonal antibodies can be prepared against virtually any enzyme, their immunocomplexation may provide a general and convenient method for stabilization of the enzyme conformation to heat denaturation, without affecting the catalytic properties.
Preparative isolation of polyphosphoinositides and other anionic phospholipids from natural sources using chromatography on adsorbents containing primary amino groups
Authors: Klyashchitsky BA , Mezhova IV , Krasnopolsky Yu M , Shvets VI
Published: October 2023

A new method for the preparative isolation of anionic phospholipids with the use of chromatography on adsorbents containing primary amino groups has been developed. The method combines elements of bioaffinity and ion‐exchange chromatography. Synthesis of adsorbents based on Spheron and silica supports with immobilized neomycin, L‐lysine, or aminoalkyl groups was carried out. Optimal conditions for the separation of phospholipid mixtures on aminosorbents were determined. Separation of rat brain bis‐ and trisphosphoinositides and preparative isolation of bovine heart cardiolipin and baker's yeast phosphatidylinositol are described. The chromatographic behavior of anionic phospholipids on three types of adsorbent was studied. The contribution of biospecific interactions to the adsorption of polyphosphoinositides on aminosorbents is noted.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibition by pitofenone: a spasmolytic compound
Authors: Punekar NS , Kulkarni AV
Published: October 2023

Pitofenone, a spasmolytic compound, inhibited the acetylcholinesterase activity from bovine erythrocytes and from electric eel. It is a potent inhibitor of this enzyme from the two sources, with Ki values of 36 and 45 microM, respectively. Of the five compounds structurally related to pitofenone, only those containing a piperidine moiety show acetylcholinesterase inhibition. All these inhibitions are reversible, linear, and noncompetitive in nature. A qualitative correlation between the anticholinesterase and the corresponding antimuscarinic activity for some of these compounds was apparent. Good separation of these two effects would be a desirable feature for newer muscarinic antagonists.
Quantitative changes of wall polysaccharides in an immobilized yeast
Authors: Jirku V.
Published: October 2023

Whole cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were covalently linked to modified polyphenyleneoxide. The immobilization was accompanied by retention of cell division and increased concentrations of wall alkali‐insoluble glucans and mannan.
Positive effect of GAC gene product on the mRNA level of glyoxalase I gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Inoue Y. , Yano H. , Ginya H. , Tsuchiyama H. , Murata K. , Kimura A.
Published: October 2023

A DNA fragment carrying a part of the structural gene for yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) glyoxalase I was cloned from a lambda gt11 expression library using anti‐glyoxalase IIgG as a probe. By Northern blotting analysis, the amount of glyoxalase I mRNA was found to increase in yeast cells containing plasmids carrying the GAC gene, which is a positive regulator for yeast glyoxalase I activity. This suggests that the GAC gene product may accelerate the transcription of glyoxalase I gene or may have some positive effects on the accumulation of glyoxalase I mRNA in yeast cells.
Beta‐glucosidase from Penicillium purpurogenum: purification and properties.“
Authors: Hidalgo M. , Steiner J. , Eyzaguirre J.
Published: October 2023

beta‐Glucosidase was purified from the culture supernatant of Penicillium purpurogenum. The purified enzyme was homogeneous on both nondenaturing and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme is a monomeric glycoprotein with M(r) of 90,000 as determined by gel filtration on Bio‐Gel P‐300 and SDS‐polyacrylamide gels. Two enzyme forms were resolved by chromatofocusing and isoelectric focusing, and the pI values obtained with both methods were 4.2 (major form) and 6.0. The major form was characterised further. Enzyme activity was optimal at pH 3.5 and at 60 degrees C. The enzyme was stable in the pH range 2.5–9.5 for 24 h at 4 degrees C. Kinetic analysis gave Kms of 0.8 mM for cellobiose and 85 microM for p‐nitrophenyl‐beta‐D‐glucopyranoside. The enzyme hydrolyses a wide range of substrates including aryl‐beta‐glucosides, cellobiose, and amygdalin. Glucose inhibits competitively and glucono‐delta‐lactone is a mixed inhibitor of the enzyme.
Assessing Vulnerability to Suicide
Authors: Furst Janice , Huffine Carol L.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: Three hundred members of the American Association of Suicidology (30% of those who apparently received the questionnaire) participated in a survey in which case histories of two men who had committed suicide and two who had not were presented. Respondents assessed the vulnerability to suicide of each man, recorded their levels of confidence in their assessments, and provided information about themselves. The two men who killed themselves were rated as less vulnerable to suicide than the other two men, and as less vulnerable than one would expect by chance. Respondent characteristics that predicted to accuracy in assessing vulnerability were gender and level of involvement in research. The findings are discussed in terms of the limitations of theoretical models as well as characteristics of the respondents and nature of the study design.
Positive and Negative Attitudes Mediating Suicide Ideation
Authors: Dyck Murray J.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: Both the presence of negative expectancies (Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974) and the absence of positive reasons for living (Linehan, Goodstein, Nielsen & Chiles, 1983) have been offered as partial explanations for why individuals consider suicide. The independent viability of these two explanations is evaluated in three studies that assess: (1) the distinctiveness of the nomological networks of measures of these two approaches; and (2) the latent variables that might account for any observed distinctiveness and for how two relatively independent constructs could both be related to suicide. Results obtained from both nonclinical and clinical samples consistently indicate distinct nomological nets for measures of “hopelessness” and “reasons for living.” Results suggest that these measures are both related to suicide because measured suicide intent is a bi‐factorial construct and measures of hopelessness and reasons for living are related to different underlying factors. Suicide intent is related to latent variables labelled “neuroticism” and “psychoticism;” hopelessness is related to these two factors and to “extra‐version;” reasons for living is primarily related to psychoticism.
Identification of Coping Ideation and Strategies Preventing Suicidality in a College‐Age Sample
Authors: Kralik Kathleen M. , Danforth Walter J.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: This study attempts to identify coping mechanisms relevant to the prevention of progressive lethality in suicidal behavior among youth. College students (N = 296) aged 18 to 24, self‐identified as having no past suicidal ideation, mild ideation, severe ideation, or having attempted suicide, completed the Reasons for Living Inventory (Linehan, Goodstein, Nielson, & Chiles, 1983), a similarly derived instrument for age‐specific coping cognitions, and a scale of coping strategies for diminishing suicidality. Discriminant functions analyses of the mean factor scores for each scale were used to assess the pertinence of various coping mechanisms among the 4 groups. Patterns of similarities and differences in mechanisms were identified.
Sex‐Role Change, Anomie and Female Suicide: A Test of Alternative Durkheimian Explanations
Authors: Austin Roy L. , Bologna Marie , Dodge Hiroko Hayama
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: Durkheim's influential book, Suicide, provides general (economic) anomie, conjugal anomie, and sex‐role convergence explanations of changes in suicide rates under conditions of social change. We use trend analyses of American suicide rates and female/male suicide ratios from 1950 to 1984 and the regression of the ratios on female educational attainment, white female labor force participation, white fertility rates, and divorce rates to examine these explanations. The general anomie explanation of female suicide trends is supported for the middle‐aged (30 to 54 years) but not for the young (10 to 30 years) or the elderly (55 to 74 years). The conjugal anomie proposition is at best supported for age groups between 15 and 44 when general anomie is not pronounced. The role convergence explanation is rejected for all 13 5‐year‐age‐groups. General anomie may not be a viable explanation of suicide trends for groups actively supporting relevant social changes or not yet tradition‐bound or for groups whose retirement status reduces the importance of some social changes.
The Effect of the Media on Suicide: The Great Depression
Authors: Stack Steven
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: Previous work on the media and suicide has neglected the mood of the audience in its models. The present study tests the thesis from symbolic interaction theory that the degree of media influence is contingent on audience receptivity. Audience receptivity to suicide stories is assumed to be high in the Great Depression given widespread unemployment, a condition thought to promote suicidogenic mood such as anomie. A taxonomy of stories is developed using classic imitation, social learning, and differential identification theories. Analysis of monthly data on suicide and publicized stories finds, however, little supporting evidence. Only stories concerning political leaders were associated with suicide. Stories concerning other categories of victims, such as villains, entertainers, and foreigners, were not associated with suicide. Possibly the potential impact was offset by other factors such as the absence of television to echo for the messages carried by the newspapers and radio and heightened political integration.
3 Social and Economic Correlates of the Elderly Suicide Rate
Authors: Lester David , Yang Bijou
Published: October 2023

A review of research found that the suicide rates of the elderly show similar regional social correlates as the suicide rates of younger groups and that these rates can be explained using similar sociological theories. Time‐series studies in the USA indicate that the impact of economic prosperity on the suicide rate of the elderly is beneficial, whereas the impact on the suicide rate of younger adults is detrimental. The issues raised by this research are discussed.
8 The Role of Social Supports in the Bereavement Process of Surviving Spouses of Suicide and Natural Deaths
Authors: Farberow Norman L. , Gallagher‐Thompson Dolores , Gilewski Michael , Thompson Larry
Published: October 2023

This report examines the changing role of social supports in the bereavement of spouses of elderly suicide and natural deaths, focusing on differences and similarities in relation to gender, time, and mode of death. Measurements were obtained 4 times after death (within 2 months, at 6 months, at 12 months, and at 2 to 2 1/2 years) on 79% of the 108 survivors of elderly suicide, 89% of the 199 natural death survivors, and 79% of the nonbereaved controls. The results indicated that the suicide survivors received significantly less emotional support for their feelings of depression and grief than the natural death survivors, and that they did not confide in the persons in their network any more than the nonbereaved controls did. Women report receiving more support overall than men. A low spot in social supports occurred at the 6‐month point after loss for both bereaved groups, but primarily in practical help received by natural death survivors. By the end of the second year, both practical and emotional supports had increased to at least the same level as immediately after death.
9 Rational Suicide Among the Elderly
Authors: Humphry Derek
Published: October 2023

Old age, in and of itself, should never need to be a cause for self‐destruction. But suicide and assisted suicide carried out in the face of terminal illness causing unbearable suffering should be ethically and legally acceptable. This paper outlines a perspective on rational suicide—the final exit—among the elderly.
11 Case Consultation: Mary Catherine
Authors: Berman Alan L. , Leenaars Antoon A. , McIntosh John , Richman Joseph
Published: October 2023

A case of the attempted suicide of a 66‐year‐old female is presented. Comment based on the chapters in this volume is presented. Specific topics of demographics, psychiatric—psychological, object relations, the attempt, and concluding comments provide an idiographic illustration of suicidal behavior in an older adult.
Intensive Follow‐up Does Not Decrease the Risk of Repeat Suicide Attempts
Authors: Allard Robert , Marshall Marilyn , Plante Marie‐Carmen
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: We carried out a randomized controlled trial to determine whether an intensive intervention after a suicide attempt could decrease by half the risk of a repeat attempt in the following two years. After initial assessment and randomization, experimental subjects attended 18 therapy appointments over one year, including one home visit, and measures to improve attendance. Control subjects received the usual care. Of 63 experimental subjects, 35% made a repeat attempt, and so did 30% of 63 control subjects. The study had a 99% power to detect the desired decrease of risk (30% to 15%). Clearly, the intervention did not achieve its objective.
Adolescents' Experience with and Response to Suicidal Peers
Authors: Kalafat John , Elias Maurice
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: The present study investigated a sample of 325 suburban high school students' knowledge of suicidal peers, whether they had ever talked to a suicidal peer, and, if so, what they actually did in that situation. Sixty‐eight percent of the females and 42.5% of the males reported knowing a teen who had committed or attempted suicide. Ninety‐seven students reported having talked to a peer who was definitely considering suicide; of these, 63% talked to their peer about his or her concerns, 24.7% told an adult, and 12% did nothing in response to the encounter. Ninth graders were significantly more likely to do nothing as compared to eleventh graders. A mixed pattern of results was found as to the relationship of the response of youth to suicidal peers and their general experience with suicidal peers. The results confirm the importance of adolescents themselves for the prevention of youth suicide, and the need to convince adolescents to report at‐risk peers to an adult.
A Suicide Epidemic in a Psychiatric Hospital
Authors: Taiminen Tero , Salmenperä Tuuli , Lehtinen Klaus
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: The authors report in detail on an epidemic of six inpatient suicides in a psychiatric hospital in Finland. Suggestion and identification had an effect on the timing as well as on the method of four of the suicides. The epidemic is viewed from individual, network, and organizational perspectives. The authors speculate on how such epidemics could be avoided. An increase in inpatient suicide rates has been reported from many countries, and the Werther effect may thus become a topic of considerable importance in psychiatric hospitals in the future.
A Reliability Investigation of the Eight Clinical Scales of the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire
Authors: Rogers James R. , DeShon Richard P.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) has been employed in a variety of settings as a measure of attitudes toward suicidal behavior. However there has been a lack of consensus across these studies with regard to the underlying factor structure of the measure. In addition there has been little empirical information reported in the literature regarding the scale's reliability. This article presents a psychometric investigation of the 8‐factor clinical model of the SOQ as representing the most appropriate interpretive model for the SOQ. Factor‐analytic and internal consistency reliability results failed to support the hypothesized 8‐factor model. An alternative factor scheme and suggestions for future research on the SOQ are discussed.
Development of the College Student Reasons for Living Inventory
Authors: Westefeld John S. , Cardin Denise , Deaton William L.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: Two studies were carried out in an effort to develop and evaluate an instrument designed to assess suicidal risk in college students. Study 1 describes the development of the College Student Reasons for Living Inventory (CSRLI), an instrument that measures the extent to which college students place importance on various reasons for living even when contemplating suicide. The impetus for the current study was provided by Linehan et al., who in 1983 developed the Reasons for Living Inventory for use with adults. In the current study college students generated a series of 84 “reasons for living” items, which were reduced through factor analysis to a final inventory of 46 items. Six factors were extracted as follows: Survival and Coping Beliefs, College and Future‐Related Concerns, Moral Objections, Responsibility to Friends and Family, Fear of Suicide, and Fear of Social Disapproval. Five of these factors reflect the same basic themes contained in the Linehan et al. (1983) study. The sixth factor (College and Future‐Related Concerns) appears to be unique to college students. Linehan et al.'s Child‐Related Concerns factor expectedly did not appear in this college sample. In Study 2 initial evaluation of the CSRLI was carried out through the use of correlational, confirmatory factor, and discriminant analyses. Results indicate that the CSRLI holds promise as an instrument to predict suicidal risk among college students.
Does asymptomatic atrial fibrillation exist?
Authors: Carneiro Herman A. , Knight Bradley
Published: October 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently defined as symptomatic by asking patients if they are aware of when they are in AF and if they feel better in sinus rhythm. However, this approach of defining AF as symptomatic and asymptomatic fails to adequately consider the adverse effects of AF in patients who are unaware of their rhythm including progression from paroxysmal to persistent AF, and the development of dementia, stroke, sinus node dysfunction, valvular regurgitation, ventricular dysfunction, and heart failure. Labeling these patients as asymptomatic falsely suggests that their AF requires less intense therapy and puts into question the notion of truly asymptomatic AF. Because focusing on patient awareness ignores other important consequences of AF, clinical endpoints that are independent of symptoms are being developed. The concept of AF burden has more recently been used as a clinical endpoint in clinical trials as a more clinically relevant endpoint compared to AF‐related symptoms or time to first recurrence, but its correlation with symptoms and other clinical outcomes remains unclear. This review will explore the impact of AF on apparently asymptomatic patients, the use of AF burden as an endpoint for AF management, and potential refinements to the AF burden metric. The review is based on a presentation by the senior author during the 2023 16th annual European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society (ECAS) congress in Paris, France.
Customers driving a firm's responsible innovation response for grand challenges: A co‐active issue‐selling perspective
Authors: Degbey William Y. , Pelto Elina , Öberg Christina , Carmeli Abraham
Published: October 2023

Grand challenges vary across industries and call for firms to craft a responsible innovation response to effectively address them. However, key questions concerning why firms embrace responsible innovation and the process by which they respond to grand challenges have yet to be fully answered. We integrate an issue‐selling theoretical lens and the customer role from an innovation perspective to theorize about the different influencing motives that customers exert on their corresponding supplying firm to craft a more responsible innovation response to grand challenges. Based on qualitative data collected in almost a 10‐year period from multiple respondents across eight customer firms and two supplying firms, we identify three core motives—regulatory, business opportunity, and socio‐environmental motives—that propel customers to influence supplying firms to craft different forms of responsible innovation responses. Our research also reveals three vital socio‐human capital pathways—human capital, socio‐behavioral, and relationship—which, in turn, foster a co‐active engagement in addressing grand challenges innovatively and responsibly. In so doing, this research advances novel theorizing on co‐active engagement in responsible innovation where the customer acts as the primary champion and the supplier as the implementer. We discuss the important implications for customers and other stakeholders.
First buckthorn (Rhamnaceae) fossil flowers from India
Authors: Patel Raman , Rana Rajendra Singh , Ali Ashif , Hazra Taposhi , Khan Mahasin Ali
Published: October 2023

Fossil leaves, fruits, and woods assigned to Rhamnaceae have been recorded from India, however, there are no previous reports of rhamnaceous fossil flowers from India. Here, we report the first fossil flowers in appreciable numbers from the early Eocene (Palana Formation) sedimentary sequences of Gurha Lignite Mine, Rajasthan, western India, and show that they are attributable to Rhamnaceae. We examined variation in flower morphology among extant and extinct rhamnaceous species as a basis for interpreting our fossil flowers. The specimens are small star‐like, pentamerous, actinomorphic, gamosepalous flowers with triangular, keeled sepals with acute apices, spathulate, short‐clawed petals alternating with sepals, shallow, five‐lobed nectary disc with prominent pentagonal outer margin, and a centrally placed globose ovary with stigma scar. The flowers co‐occur with ziziphoid leaves and are recognized as a new speciesEopaliura indicaPatel, Rana & Khan sp. nov. Because of aforesaid characteristics, fossil flowers are easily identifiable as Rhamnaceae and should provide a reliable means of documenting the evolutionary history of this family during the Cenozoic.
Molecular and morphometric study of Brazilian populations of Psychodopygus davisi
Authors: Rodrigues Bruno Leite , da Silva Costa Glaucilene , Godoy Rodrigo Espíndola , Pereira Júnior Antonio Marques , Cella Wilsandrei , Ferreira Gabriel Eduardo Melim , de Medeiros Jansen Fernandes , Shimabukuro Paloma Helena Fernandes
Published: October 2023

In this study, we analysed the molecular and morphometric differences of several populations of the putative sand fly vector Psychodopygus davisi (Root, 1934) (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) in Brazil. We amplified the 658 base pair fragments of the DNA barcoding region—cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene—for 57 specimens of P. davisi and three specimens of Psychodopygus claustrei (Abonnenc, Léger & Fauran, 1979). We merged our data with public sequences of the same species available from GenBank. Then, the combined dataset—87 sequences and 20 localities—was analysed using population structure analysis and different species delimitation approaches. Geometric morphometry of wings was performed for 155 specimens of P. davisi populations from the North, Midwest and Southeast Brazilian regions, analysing the differences in centroid sizes and canonical variates. Molecular analysis indicated high intraspecific genetic distance values for P. davisi (maximum p distance = 5.52%). All algorithms identified P. davisi and P. claustrei as distinct molecular taxonomic units, despite the low interspecific distance (p distance to the nearest neighbour = 4.79%). P. davisi sequences were split into four genetic clusters by population structure analysis and at least five genetic lineages using intermediate scenarios of the species delimitation algorithms. The species validation analysis of BPP strongly supported the five‐species model in our dataset. We found high genetic diversity in this taxon, which is in agreement with its wide geographic distribution in Brazil. Furthermore, the wing analysis showed that specimens from the Southeast Region of Brazil are different from those in the North and the Midwest. The evolutionary patterns of P. davisi populations in Brazil suggest the presence of candidate species, which need to be validated in future studies using a more comprehensive approach with both genomic data and morphological characters.
Emerging Donors' Engagements in Africa: China, India, and the Localizing Peacebuilding and Development Interventions
Authors: Paczyńska Agnieszka
Published: October 2023

Today's development and peacebuilding donor landscape is much more complex than it was just a few decades ago. In addition to traditional donors, emerging donors have come to play much more prominent roles in development and peacebuilding assistance. This article explores these shifting dynamics of the donor landscape by analyzing China's and India's engagements with African states. In particular, it investigates whether these two emerging donors' development and peacebuilding interventions are framed around the localization of aid concerns that have animated traditional donors. The article shows that nationally led and nationally owned development and peacebuilding priorities are central to the provision of aid by these emerging donors. However, neither China nor India has explicitly joined the localization of aid debate. The term “localization” does not appear in the key documents produced by the government agencies that oversee these countries' development and peacebuilding interventions. Moreover, neither China nor India has signed onto the various international agreements that place localization at the forefront of traditional donor agendas. This article argues that the local is important to both China and India. However, for these two countries, localization is reflected in the emphasis on nationally led and nationally owned development and peacebuilding priority setting; and the promotion of state capacity and strength rather than as a way of working with civil society and nongovernmental organizations. These engagements with the local by China and India in the context of Africa have shifted over time as their footprints across the continent have expanded and their global aspirations have shifted.
Peripherally‐active mu‐opioid receptor antagonists for constipation in critically ill patients receiving opioids: A case‐series and a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the literature
Authors: Umbrello Michele , Venco Roberto , Palandri Chiara , Racagni Milena , Muttini Stefano
Published: October 2023

Background

Constipation is frequent in critically ill patients, and potentially related to adverse outcomes. Peripherally‐active mu‐opioid receptor antagonists (PAMORAs) are approved for opioid‐induced constipation, but information on their efficacy and safety in critically ill patients is limited. We present a single‐center, retrospective, case‐series of the use of naldemedine for opioid‐associated constipation, and we systematically reviewed the use of PAMORAs in critically ill patients.

Methods

Case‐series included consecutive mechanically‐ventilated patients; constipation was defined as absence of bowel movements for >3 days. Naldemedine was administered after failure of the local laxation protocol. Systematic review: PubMed was searched for studies of PAMORAs to treat opioid‐induced constipation in adult critically ill patients. Primary outcomes: time to laxation, and number of patients laxating at the shortest follow‐up. Secondary outcomes: gastric residual volumes and adverse events.

Key Results

A total of 13 patients were included in the case‐series; the most common diagnosis was COVID‐19 ARDS. Patients had their first bowel movement 1 [0;2] day after naldemedine. Daily gastric residual volume was 725 [405;1805] before vs. 250 [45;1090] mL after naldemedine, p = 0.0078. Systematic review identified nine studies (two RCTs, one prospective case‐series, three retrospective case‐series and three case‐reports). Outcomes were similar between groups, with a trend toward a lower gastric residual volume in PAMORAs group.

Conclusions & Inferences

In a highly‐selected case‐series of patients with refractory, opioid‐associated constipation, naldemedine was safe and associated to reduced gastric residuals and promoting laxation. In the systematic review and meta‐analysis, the use of PAMORAs (mainly methylnaltrexone) was safe and associated with a reduced intolerance to enteral feeding but no difference in the time to laxation.
Morphometric analysis of papillary synovial metaplasia‐like changes in oral mucoceles
Authors: Pandiar Deepak , Sutharshan G. S. , Krishnan Reshma Poothakulath
Published: October 2023

Background

Oral mucoceles (OMs) are common cystic lesions seen mainly on the lower lip in young males. Histologically, OMs show variegated features such as clear cell changes, myxoglobulosis, calcifications, and papillary synovial metaplasia (PSM)‐like changes. The aim of the present paper is to morphometrically analyze PSM‐like changes seen in OMs.

Methodology

Seventy‐two cases of histologically proven OMs were retrospectively retrieved and divided into two groups: group I without PSM‐like changes and group II with PSM‐like changes. The internal area was measured using Image J software. SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the data.

Results

There were 50 cases in group I (mean age 19.23 years) and 22 cases in group II (mean age 30.25 years). The lower lip was the most commonly affected site for both groups. The mean age in group II was significantly higher than group I. In contrast, the mean internal area was significantly higher in group I.

Conclusion

We speculate that PSM‐like changes in OMs represent an incomplete repair phenomenon. Knowledge of such an innocuous process is essential for differentiation from malignant histopathological mimickers.
An ancient cis‐element targeted by Ralstonia solanacearum TALE‐like effectors facilitates the development of a promoter trap that could confer broad‐spectrum wilt resistance
Authors: Gallas Niels , Li Xiaoxu , von Roepenack‐Lahaye Edda , Schandry Niklas , Jiang Yuxin , Wu Dousheng , Lahaye Thomas
Published: October 2023

Ralstonia solanacearum, a species complex of bacterial plant pathogens that causes bacterial wilt, comprises four phylotypes that evolved when a founder population was split during the continental drift ~180 million years ago. Each phylotype contains strains with RipTAL proteins structurally related to transcription activator‐like (TAL) effectors from the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas. RipTALs have evolved in geographically separated phylotypes and therefore differ in sequence and potentially functionality. Earlier work has shown that phylotype I RipTAL Brg11 targets a 17‐nucleotide effector binding element (EBE) and transcriptionally activates the downstream arginine decarboxylase (ADC) gene. The predicted DNA binding preferences of Brg11 and RipTALs from other phylotypes are similar, suggesting that most, if not all, RipTALs target the Brg11‐EBE motif and activate downstream ADC genes. Here we show that not only phylotype I RipTAL Brg11 but also RipTALs from other phylotypes activate host genes when preceded by the Brg11‐EBE motif. Furthermore, we show that Brg11 and RipTALs from other phylotypes induce the same quantitative changes of ADC‐dependent plant metabolites, suggesting that most, if not all, RipTALs induce functionally equivalent changes in host cells. Finally, we report transgenic tobacco lines in which the RipTAL‐binding motif Brg11‐EBE mediates RipTAL‐dependent transcription of the executor‐type resistance (R) gene Bs4C from pepper, thereby conferring resistance to RipTAL‐delivering R. solanacearum strains. Our results suggest that cell death‐inducing executor‐type R genes, preceded by the RipTAL‐binding motif Brg11‐EBE, could be used to genetically engineer broad‐spectrum bacterial wilt resistance in crop plants without any apparent fitness penalty.
Low water availability increases susceptibility to peanut smut (Thecaphora frezzii) in peanut crop
Authors: Paredes Juan A. , Guzzo M. Carla , Monguillot Joaquin H. , Asinari Florencia , Posada Gisella A. , Oddino Claudio M. , Giordano Damian F. , Morichetti Sergio A. , Torres Adriana M. , Rago Alejandro M. , Monteoliva Mariela I.
Published: October 2023

Peanut smut (causal agentThecaphora frezzii) and seasonal drought are the two main factors reducing peanut yields in Argentina. There are no previous studies about the effect of drought on peanut smut occurrence. We evaluated the effect of soil water limitation on smut symptoms in greenhouse and field assays. Additionally, we analysed the biochemical responses of plants to the combined stress caused by water limitation and smut infection in greenhouse experiments. We found that a moderate water deficit (30% of soil water‐holding capacity) increased smut symptoms and differentially increased proline and reduced chlorophylls in the host. Subsequently, we studied the correlation between field precipitation data and smut damage from 2015 to 2020 in naturally infected fields with a highT.frezziispore load in the soils. Strong correlations between precipitation and severely affected pods, severity disease index and incidence were found from January to March (susceptibility window forT.frezziiinfections). We suggest a strategy of irrigation in a specific time frame to mitigate smut damage when there is a water deficit in the growing season.
Against Human Rights Skeptics
Authors: Sobek Tomáš
Published: October 2023

The main goal of my text is to generalize Alexy's explicative argument against human rights skeptics in order to minimize the overall room for their escape. This argument tries to show that any attempt to intersubjectively justify the nonexistence of human rights as moral rights necessarily commits the so‐called performative self‐contradiction. Alexy worries that the effect of his argument can be weakened by a group reduction of discourse. But I will argue that this worry is overstated because the price of such a reduction is much higher than Alexy estimates. I will then turn to the issue of moral relativism. I will try to show that the explicative argument, if suitably generalized, can cope even with human rights skeptics who think in terms of moral relativism.
Financial inclusion, vulnerability coping strategies and multidimensional poverty: Does conceptualisation of financial inclusion matter?
Authors: Bukari Chei , Koomson Isaac , Annim Samuel Kobina
Published: October 2023

Policy emphasis on financial inclusion and deepening has shifted away from measures capturing formal financial services only and towards the development of more inclusive financial markets which account for both formal and informal services. This study examines the effect of financial inclusion and vulnerability coping strategies on multidimensional poverty, where the conceptualisation of financial inclusion is based on four perspectives—(i) one that focuses on only the formal financial sector, (ii) another that concentrates on only the informal financial sector, (iii) one that considers only the mobile money sector and (iv) finally, one that combines all financial markets (i.e., formal and informal including mobile money). Findings show that the conceptualisation of financial inclusion does not only matter in identifying the financially included but also has an implication on how financial inclusion influences multidimensional poverty. Financial inclusion measures that use only formal financial products and services understate their potential effects on multidimensional poverty, thus, justifying the need for a financial inclusion measure that considers both formal and informal sectors. Incorporating informal financial products and services in the measure reduces multidimensional poverty more for female‐headed households and those in rural settings. Households' adoption of vulnerability coping strategies has the potential to reduce the likelihood of being multidimensionally poor.
Quantification at a distance and grammatical illusions in French
Authors: Pasquereau Jérémy , Dillon Brian , Frazier Lyn
Published: October 2023

Recent research in psycholinguistics supports the hypothesis that retrieval from working memory is a key component of establishing syntactic dependencies in comprehension. This can result in so‐called grammatical illusions. These illusions have been modeled as the result of a content‐addressable retrieval process in sentence comprehension that allows grammatically inaccessible licensing elements to be reactivated, creating a spurious perception of acceptability. This article reports five studies that establish the existence of a new grammatical illusion involving quantification at a distance and the licensing of so‐called de NPs in French. Our results suggest that this grammatical illusion is interestingly constrained by syntactic properties of the licensors. Specifically, quantifiers that independently participate in quantification‐at‐a‐distance constructions were seen to create grammatical illusions to a greater extent than quantifiers that do not participate in that construction. Consistent with previous work on the nature of cues in memory retrieval, we suggest that this is the result of fairly specific abstract syntactic cues that guide retrieval of a licensing element. This article thus brings further evidence that syntax is crucially used to structure working memory over the course of a parse.