bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Surviving the COVID-19 pandemic: European and African SMEs and domestic public policies compared
Authors: Croucher Richard , Moe Chit Myint , Osabutey Ellis , Rizov Marian 
Published: December 2024

Purpose The paper investigates factors that contribute to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) surviving major exogenous shocks. Global crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have increasingly heightened scholarly interest in post-crises responses. However, studies that compare the relative responses to external shocks and the outcomes for SMEs operating in different institutional settings are limited. We examine the relative degrees of success European and African SMEs experienced in avoiding the worst consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachWe use the resource dependency theory (RDT) with variants of institutional theory since the RDT has been shown in practice to have greater explanatory power when used in this way. We augment our framework with a feminist theory dimension. To test our hypotheses, we apply regression analyses using cross-sectional data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES), which include responses from private enterprises in 26 European and eight African countries. We construct our data by combining the COVID-19 follow-up surveys with relevant firm-specific characteristics from the WBES conducted in 2020–2021 using firm-specific unique IDs. After removing the firms with missing observations, the sample number of SMEs is 15,178.Findings Our empirical findings support the theoretically posited positive effects of innovativeness, institutional connectedness and governance capability on SMEs’ survival in the face of external shocks. Further, we confirm the importance of firm-specific characteristics (financial status, size and age) for SMEs’ survival. Female-owned SMEs are more likely to suffer during COVID-19, especially in Africa. The results are more nuanced when we consider industry specificity and heterogeneity of government support.Originality/value Our article helps answer the theoretical (and policy-relevant) question of whether SMEs that are resilient to major exogenous shocks may share certain characteristics despite operating in different institutional environments. If that is so, then it may be that lessons from one continent may have at least some relevance for the other. Our approach’s broad value lies in its capacity to test the degree to which established bodies of theory developed in the Northern Hemisphere may be deployed in Africa, well beyond the contexts which provided their initial empirical basis. This paper also contributes to the literature on the effect of environmental-change shocks on entrepreneurship performance outcomes.
Comprehensive propagation of errors for the prediction of woody biomass
Authors: Roxburgh Stephen H. , Paul Keryn I. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Managing vegetation to sequester carbon in biomass requires estimates to meet standards for accuracy, with methods that are transparent, verifiable and cost‐effective. Allometric models are commonly used to predict biomass from non‐destructive field inventory data. Although a number of studies have addressed biomass error propagation, none have provided a general set of methods for linking errors all the way from initial allometric model development through to the final site‐based biomass prediction, for both above‐ and below‐ground biomass.

Error sources in total biomass (above‐ + below‐ground) were quantified using a combination of analytical and Monte Carlo methods, illustrated with four contrasting case studies using either site‐ and‐species‐specific, species‐specific or generalised allometric models.

Sampling error was found to be the most important contributor to site‐level biomass uncertainty, arising from the interaction between spatial variability and the field sampling design. The contribution of allometric model covariance to total error was also quantified, with errors in the determination of moisture content during allometric model development identified as a potentially important yet often overlooked error source. Application of different allometric models to the same inventory data suggested the error from generalised models was no greater than that from site‐ or species‐specific models, with increases in the generalised model prediction error balanced by decreases in other error sources associated with the increased sample size on which generalised models are based.

Recommendations for reducing errors in predicted biomass include increasing field survey sample size, adopting field survey designs that ensure spatial representativeness and improving moisture content measurement protocols and increasing the moisture content sample size during allometric model development. To reduce costs while maintaining acceptable accuracy, the use of generalised allometric models is recommended, with the caveat that additional biomass sampling for model validation may be required to limit the potential for biased predictions.
Cyclophosphamide‐Induced Infertility and the Impact of Antioxidants
Authors: Abdi Morteza , Fadaee Manouchehr , jourabchi Amirreza , Karimzadeh Hadi , Kazemi Tohid 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTAn important drawback of anticancer chemotherapy is the harm it causes to healthy cells. Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a widely used chemotherapeutic alkylating agent that is regularly used in cancer treatment. However, it can cause severe side effects, including genotoxicity, due to its ability to damage DNA. This toxicity is thought to be associated with oxidative stress induced by an excessive amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, there is a specific focus on the potential effects of anticancer treatments on fertility. Due to the increasing life expectancy of cancer patients, those desiring parenthood may face the negative impacts of therapies. Utilizing substances with antioxidant and cytoprotective characteristics to protect the reproductive system from harmful consequences during chemotherapy would be highly beneficial. This review introduces the physiological and pathological roles of ROS in the reproductive systems of both males and females, then we address the adverse effects of CP administration on infertility and discuss how antioxidants can reverse these effects.
Immunophenotyping and Activation Status of Maternal Lymphocytes to Predict Spontaneous Preterm Birth in Women With Threatened Preterm Labor: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Wendremaire Maeva , Hadi Tarik , Lopez Tatiana E. , Guy Julien , Neiers Fabrice , Garrido Carmen , Simon Emmanuel , Jaffal Zohra , Bernigal Virginie , Bardou Marc , Lirussi Frédéric 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTProblemPreterm birth (PTB) remains the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Identifying women at high risk of spontaneous preterm labor (PTL) is challenging due to limited efficient diagnostic markers. Since human parturition involves inflammatory immune processes, we hypothesized that phenotyping of maternal peripheral lymphocytes might predict PTL. Therefore, we aimed to explore the relationship between maternal lymphocyte subpopulations and labor onset characterized by delivery within 7 days of admission in women hospitalized for PTL between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation.Methods of StudyLymphocyte subpopulations were obtained from peripheral blood samples and characterized by flow cytometry: activated and regulatory T cells, natural killer and B cells, and TH1/TH2/TH17 lymphocytes. Data analysis was conducted retrospectively based on the delivery within 7 days of admission.ResultsAmong 167 women admitted for PTL, less than 10% delivered within 7 days post‐admission. HLA‐DR expression was significantly increased on CD4+CD8−, CD4−CD8+, and CD4+CD8+ lymphocytes in women who delivered within 7 days. Subset levels below 5% of CD4+CD8−HLA‐DR+ lymphocytes and 20% of CD4+CD8+HLA‐DR+ lymphocytes were associated with no probability of delivering within 7 days.ConclusionOur study suggests that combining these two consecutive markers allowed us to identify 57% of women hospitalized for PTL with no probability of delivering within 7 days while retaining patients who delivered within 7 days. If prospectively validated, these markers may be able to identify patients at high risk of PTB and avoid a significant number of unnecessary admissions and healthcare costs.Trial RegistrationANSM number: 2010‐A00516‐33; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01340222
Mechanism of Endometrial Receptivity Affected by Fibroids
Authors: Sun Ping , Zhang Chunyan , Wang Weisha , Ma Huagang 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTFibroids are the most common benign tumors of the female reproductive system. Most patients with fibroids are asymptomatic, but the presence of fibroids can still cause some abnormal clinical symptoms, such as increased menstrual volume, abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain, urinary tract and gastrointestinal tract compression symptoms, etc. The impact of fibroids on pregnancy is worth discussing. At present, it is believed that submucosal myoma and intramural myoma affecting uterine cavity shape affect the pregnancy outcome of patients, while the impact of type III intramural myoma on pregnancy is still controversial. A number of studies have found that in addition to direct contact with the endometrial compression, uterine myoma also affects the endometrial flexibility through other ways. In this review, we summarized the effects of fibroids on endometrial receptivity and discussed in depth the mechanisms of such effects, including secretion of cytokines, changes in endometrial blood flow and angiogenesis, effects on endometrial peristalsis and mechanical stress conduction, changes in uterine microecological environment, and abnormal signal transduction pathways. Understanding the mechanism of endometrial receptivity affected by fibroids is significant for exploring the treatment of fibroids, improving the pregnancy outcome of patients with fibroids and increasing the clinical pregnancy rate.
Inter‐rater agreement for detection of potentially inappropriate medication according to explicit and implicit STOPP criteria
Authors: Parodi López Naldy , Svensson Staffan A. , Wallerstedt Susanna M. 
Published: December 2024

The Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions (STOPP) is used to detect potentially inappropriate medication. Version 2 includes 80 criteria, whereof two can be considered implicit as their detection primarily relies on the assessor's expertise: (A1) drugs without indication and (A2) drug treatment beyond recommended duration. To explore the inter‐rater agreement for detection of explicit and implicit criteria, data on consecutive primary care patients from a previous study (n = 302, 65–99 years of age) were used, including independent assessments of the 78 explicit criteria (23 556 assessments) and the two implicit criteria (604 assessments) by two specialist physicians. Overall, 123 (0.5%) explicit and 10 (2%) implicit criteria were fulfilled according to both physicians. The positive agreement for a criterion being fulfilled was 56% for explicit and 16% for implicit criteria, with kappa values of 0.56 and 0.09. Discordant detection of furosemide and proton pump inhibitors was common using explicit and implicit criteria.
New Light on the Squiggle Game: The Unexpected in Sufficient Safety in the Treatment of an Adolescent
Authors: Velt Johanna , Tirilly Anne 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTIn this article, we discuss the technique of the Squiggle Game (SG) and aim to shed new light on it by illustrating it with a clinical vignette. We present the case of a depressed adolescent for whom the use of SG as a wildcard avoids traumatic repetition and allows the creation of a therapeutic space that contains the paradox of guaranteed safety and the use of the unexpected. We begin by recalling the SG technique invented by Winnicott and then our own use of this technique. We then describe the clinical situation of a young depressed adolescent. We then discuss the therapeutic effects observed, linking them to the recognition of the need for security. We describe how the SG joker reduces patient–therapist asymmetry, helps to moderate interpretation and encourages a side‐by‐side situation. In the case of adolescents, their narcissistic fragility makes psychotherapeutic approaches difficult, so long‐term SG offers a technical way of taking account of the need for security that this fragility entails. We depart from Winnicott by offering the SG technique over a long period of therapy, and we make theoretical and clinical suggestions based on our original use of SG.
Smoking‐independent DNA methylation markers for lung cancer risk: External validation in a large population‐based cohort study
Authors: Zhao Zitong , Bhardwaj Megha , Fan Ziwen , Li Xianzhe , Schrotz‐King Petra , Brenner Hermann 
Published: December 2024

AbstractSmoking‐associated epigenetic changes have been linked to lung cancer (LC) risk; however, the role of epigenetic alterations independent of smoking is yet to be fully understood. This study aimed to validate 16 previously reported CpG sites that are independent of smoking yet associated with LC risk within a population‐based prospective cohort. Using the Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip kit or the Infinium HumanMethylation450K BeadChip Assay, DNA methylation (DNAm) in whole blood was assessed in four subsets (n = 736, 1027, 997, and 312) of a population‐based cohort from Germany. The DNAm levels of the 16 smoking‐independent CpG sites were analyzed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to assess associations of DNAm at the 16 CpG sites with LC risk, adjusting for multiple covariates, including smoking habits and a smoking‐associated DNAm score. Over 17 years of follow‐up, a total of 199 LCs were observed. Among the 16 CpGs, cg02211449 showed a negative association with LC risk (HR [95% CI] per SD increase, = 0.70 [0.63–0.78]), while cg11385536 (1.04 [1.01–1.07]), cg09736286 (1.64 [1.10–2.44]), cg19907023 (1.64 [1.01–2.66]), and cg22032485 (1.52 [1.04–2.21]) displayed positive associations with LC risk. Five of the 16 suggested smoking‐independent CpGs could be externally validated as predictors of LC risk. Further research should address their potential contribution to enhanced LC risk stratification.
On the Interplay Between Interpretation and Reasoning in Compelling Fallacies
Authors: Picat Léo , Mascarenhas Salvador 
Published: December 2024

AbstractWe investigate the articulation between domain‐general reasoning and interpretive processes in failures of deductive reasoning. We focus on illusory inferences from disjunction‐like elements, a broad class of deductive fallacies studied in some detail over the past 15 years. These fallacies have received accounts grounded in reasoning processes, holding that human reasoning diverges from normative standards. A subset of these fallacies, however, can be analyzed differently: human reasoning is not to blame, instead the premises were interpreted in a nonobvious, yet perfectly predictable and reasonable way. Once we consider these interpretations, the apparent fallacious conclusion is no mistake at all. We give a two‐factor account of these fallacies that incorporates both reasoning‐based elements and interpretive elements, showing that they are not in real competition. We present novel experimental evidence in favor of our theory. Cognitive load such as induced by a dual‐task design is known to hinder the interpretive mechanisms at the core of interpretation‐based accounts of the fallacies of interest. In the first experiment of its kind using this paradigm with an inferential task instead of a simpler truth‐value‐judgment task, we found that the manipulation affected more strongly those illusions where our theory predicts that interpretive processes are at play. We conclude that the best way forward for the field to investigate the elusive line between reasoning and interpretation requires combining theories and methodologies from linguistic semantics and the psychology of reasoning.
Intellectually Rigorous but Morally Tolerant: Exploring Moral Leniency as a Mediator Between Cognitive Style and “Utilitarian” Judgment
Authors: Gouiran Manon D. , Cova Florian 
Published: December 2024

AbstractPast research on people's moral judgments about moral dilemmas has revealed a connection between utilitarian judgment and reflective cognitive style. This has traditionally been interpreted as reflection is conducive to utilitarianism. However, recent research shows that the connection between reflective cognitive style and utilitarian judgments holds only when participants are asked whether the utilitarian option is permissible, and disappears when they are asked whether it is recommended. To explain this phenomenon, we propose that reflective cognitive style is associated with a greater moral leniency—that is, a greater tendency to be tolerant of moral violations, and that moral leniency predicts utilitarian judgment when utilitarian judgment is measured through permissibility. In Study 1 (N = 192), we design a set of vignettes to assess moral leniency. In Studies 2 and 3 (N = 455, 428), we show that reflective cognitive style is indeed associated with greater moral leniency, and that moral leniency mediates the connection between cognitive style and utilitarian judgment. We discuss the implication of our results for the interpretation of the relationship between utilitarianism and reflective cognitive style.
Myosteatosis Is Associated With Frailty and Poor Physical Function in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplant Evaluation: A Cohort Study
Authors: Johnston Heidi E. , Andelkovic Melita , Mayr Hannah L. , Chen Yanyan , Thrift Aaron P. , Macdonald Graeme A. , Hickman Ingrid J. 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTIntroductionMyosteatosis is fat infiltration within skeletal muscle. The impact of myosteatosis on physical function and clinical outcomes in patients referred for liver transplantation (LT) is unclear. We explored associations between myosteatosis and sarcopenia, frailty, physical function, and pre‐ and early post‐LT outcomes.MethodsMyosteatosis was assessed by computed tomography (CT) in 237 patients referred for LT (March 2018 to September 2022). Chi‐square/Fishers exact tests and multivariable regression compared myosteatosis and sarcopenia, frailty (liver frailty index), physical function (short physical performance battery, SPPB); and associations with pre‐LT unplanned hospitalizations, post‐LT surgical complications (Clavien–Dindo grade ≥ 3), and LT admission length of stay (LOS). Kaplan–Meier and Cox‐proportional hazards models explored myosteatosis and time to LT and unplanned admission. Fine–Gray model evaluated the competing risks of receiving an LT.ResultsMyosteatosis was present in 74 (31%) patients. Patients with myosteatosis were 2.5 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–5.7, p = 0.03) more likely to be frail, and 3.0 times (95% CI 1.6–5.6, p < 0.001) more likely to have a poor physical function (SPPB ≤ 9/12) than those without myosteatosis. Patients with myosteatosis versus those without were more likely to have a pre‐LT unplanned hospitalization (51% vs. 36%, p = 0.03), but significance was lost after adjusting for age, sex, Model for End‐stage Liver Disease (MELD), and the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Myosteatosis did not impact the likelihood of receiving an LT (p = 0.39), post‐LT complications (p = 0.93), or LOS in intensive care unit (ICU) (p = 0.66) or hospital (p = 0.34).ConclusionsMyosteatosis is prevalent in patients referred for LT and is associated with impaired physical function. Using existing CTs to assess myosteatosis in practice may help identify physically compromised patients.
Core Laboratory Versus Center‐Reported Echocardiographic Assessment of the Native and Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve
Authors: Velders Bart J. J. , Vriesendorp Michiel D. , Weissman Neil J. , Sabik Joseph F. , Reardon Michael J. , Dagenais Francois , Moront Michael G. , Rao Vivek , Fukuhara Shinichi , Günzinger Ralf , van Leeuwen Wouter J. , Brown W. Morris , Groenwold Rolf H. H. , Klautz Robert J. M. , Asch Federico M. 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundInsights into quantitative differences between core laboratory and center‐reported echocardiographic assessment of the native and bioprosthetic aortic valve are lacking. We aimed to explore clinically relevant differences between these evaluations.MethodsData were used from the PERIcardial SurGical AOrtic Valve ReplacemeNt (PERIGON) Pivotal Trial for the Avalus valve. In this trial, patients with an indication for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) due to aortic stenosis or regurgitation (AR) were enrolled. Serial echocardiographic examinations were performed at each center and blindly reanalyzed by an independent echocardiographic core laboratory (ECL). For the bioprosthetic valve analysis, postoperative data throughout the 5‐year follow‐up were pooled. Differences between the ECL and the centers in continuous parameters were quantified in mean differences and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Agreement on AR, paravalvular leak (PVL), and prosthesis‐patient mismatch (PPM) classification was investigated using Cohen's kappa coefficients.ResultsThe analysis on the native aortic valve was performed on 1118 echocardiograms. The relative mean difference was largest for the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) area, followed by stroke volume and effective orifice area (index), with center‐reported values being 11%–7% higher. High ICCs of around 0.90 were observed for the parameters peak aortic jet velocity, mean pressure gradient, and the velocity‐time integral across the aortic valve. Over 5000 echocardiograms were available for the bioprosthetic valve analysis. Therein, comparable results were observed. The kappa coefficient was 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56, 0.63) for agreement on native AR, 0.28 (95% CI 0.18, 0.37) for PVL, and 0.42 (95% CI 0.40, 0.44) for PPM.ConclusionsThere is high agreement between the ECL and clinical centers on continuous‐wave Doppler‐related measurements. In contrast, agreement is low for parameters that involve measurement of the LVOT diameter. These results provide important context for the interpretation of aortic valve performance in studies that lack central ECL evaluation.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02088554