Acquired hemophilia A secondary to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: a case report

The acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a life-threatening condition. The incidence of AHA is extremely low, which requires a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment. This is case report of 73-year-old man who presented with AHA secondary to severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia. The patient had extensive skin bleeding and hematomas. In the coagulation screening tests activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was prolonged with normal prothrombin time (PT), which was indication for further investigation. The APTT in a mixing study with normal plasma did not correct so clotting factors inhibitors were suspected. With signs of bleeding, extremely low factor VIII (FVIII) activity (2%) and presence of FVIII inhibitors, AHA was diagnosed and treatment initiated. Patient was treated with factor eight inhibitor bypassing agent (FEIBA) for three days, followed by long-term corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide therapy. Malignant and autoimmune diseases as the most common causes of AHA were ruled out. The patient had a good response to therapy with gradual normalization of APTT and FVIII activity. To the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first reported case of de novo AHA after SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. The diagnosis of AHA should be suspected in a patient with bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes without a previous personal and family history of bleeding, and with isolated prolonged APTT. It is important to investigate any isolated prolongation of APTT in cooperation with clinical laboratory experts.     

Humanistic knowledge management perspective： The case of Croatia

The paper promotes people-focused, in other words, HKM （humanistic knowledge management） perspective. In the theoretical part of this paper, HKM perspective is being elaborated. In the empirical part of this paper, the status of KM （knowledge management） holders as KM factor is assessed. Precisely, the quality of 5 areas （KM infrastructure, KM holders, organizational culture, IT （information technology） and measuring KM） which are important for KM success was evaluated in order to position people factor in Croatia. Therefore, Croatian organizations and Croatian employees were asked about their KM practice and their perceptions of its quality.     

Listening text comprehension in preschoolers: a longitudinal study on the role of semantic components

A longitudinal study analyzed (a) which lower- and higher-level semantic components uniquely predicted listening text comprehension and (b) the nature of the relation (i.e., direct and indirect) between the predictors and listening text comprehension in preschoolers. One-hundred and fifty-two children participated in the present study (68 females; mean age = 4;10 years/months and 5;5 years/months at Time 1 and Time 2, respectively). Participants were administered measures to evaluate listening text comprehension (Time 1 and Time 2) and (a) expressive and receptive word knowledge (lower-level semantic components), and (b) inferential skills and the ability to use context (higher-level semantic components) (Time 1). Verbal short-term and working memory were also included as control variables. Data were analyzed using path analysis models. Results showed that both types of semantic components (a) accounted for unique variance in listening text comprehension at Time 2, with lower-level semantic components explaining a larger proportion of variance than higher-level semantic components; (b) were related to later listening text comprehension through direct and indirect relations. Memory resources did not significantly contribute to listening text comprehension. The results are discussed in light of their theoretical relevance and educational/practical implications.     

Endothelins -- clinical perspectives

Endothelins (ET) are a group of endogenous peptides, which have a strong and long-lasting vasoconstrictive effect. Three isoforms of endothelins coded by three different genes have been identified to date. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is the most potent vasoconstrictive agent currently identified, and it was originally isolated and characterized from the culture media of aortic endothelial cells. Two other isoforms, named endothelin-2 (ET-2) and endothelin-3 (ET-3), were subsequently identified, along with structural homologues isolated from the venom ofActractapis engaddensis known as the sarafotoxins. The biological effects of endothelin production are determined via activation of one or two G-protein coupled receptors, endothelin receptors A (ETRA) and B (ETRB1 and ETRB2). Recently endothelin receptor C (ETRC) was discovered, however, its functions and distribution still remain unclear. The effects mediated by ET-1 via ETRA are vasoconstriction, bronchoconstriction and secretion of aldosterone. Agonists related to the ETRB1 activation cause vasodilatation by stimulating NO, PGI2 and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). In contrast, coupling to ETRB2 causes vasoconstriction. Involvement of ET has been demonstrated in the pathophysiology of certain disorders. In this review, we discuss the physiological and pathophysiological role of endothelium-derived ET-1, the pharmacology of its two receptors, focusing on the role of ET-1 in the development of some pathophysiological conditions.     

'Average Stray Aliens': An Average Australian Conversation on Eurocentrism

Prompted by a recent error in an Australian newspaper, by which voice-recognition technology inadvertently transformed ‘average Australians’ into ‘average stray aliens’, this paper appears as a conversation about Eurocentrism between five participants, all of whom work in European studies as teachers and researchers in Australia, the place of ‘stray aliens’. Our dialogue proceeded cumulatively in August 2001, with e-mail responses circulating between contributors. Our aim was to dislocate the debate about ‘Europe’ and ‘Eurocentrism’ away from the Eurocentre to one of Europe's blind spots, Australia. Emerging in the debate is a strong sense of the ways in which power and privilege inevitably accrue centrifugally: Eurocentrism affects and re-writes itself on us in ways perhaps unimagined in the Eurocentre. As a bid toward resistant practice against the centre, we have refrained self-consciously from explaining every local reference in our self-reflective, dialogic, and open-ended discussion about the ways ‘Europe’ and ‘Eurocentrism’ touch us as teachers, researchers and ‘average stray aliens’.     

Comparison of the citation distribution and h-index between groups of different sizes

Evaluating the performance of institutions with different resources is not easy, any citation distribution comparisons are strongly affected by the differences in the number of articles published. The paper introduces a method for comparing citation distributions of research groups that differ in size. The citation distribution of a larger group is reduced by a certain factor and compared with the original distribution of a smaller group. Expected values and tolerance intervals of the reduced set of citations are calculated. A comparison of both distributions can be conveniently viewed in a graph. The size-independent reduced Hirsch index – a function of reducing factor that allows the comparison of groups within a scientific field – is calculated in the same way. The method can be used for comparing groups or units differing in full-time equivalent, funding or the number of researchers, for comparing countries by population, gross domestic product, etc. It is shown that for the calculation of the reduced Hirsch index, the upper part of the original citation distribution is sufficient. The method is illustrated through several case comparisons.     

Resolution of parent–child conflicts in the adolescence

The aims of the study were: (1) to examine whether adolescents’ attachment and the perceived quality of the communication with their parents relate to effective resolution of parent–child conflicts and (2) to determine whether the pattern of associations changes with adolescents’ gender and age. The sample consisted of 295 adolescents who filled the questionnaires. Structural Equations Models showed that secure attachment predicted a positive communicative climate, which in turn, predicted a more frequent use of negotiation. Secure attachment was related to the use of withdrawal strategies. Anxious attachment was related to high levels of criticism and disputes with parents, which, in turn, predicted the use of all conflict resolution styles. Avoidant attachment was not related to any of the conflict resolution styles. No differences were found in the pattern of associations by gender and age. The relevance of the findings for the social relational perspective to conflict resolution is discussed.     

Robust and specific personality traits as predictors of adolescents’ final grades and GPA at the end of compulsory schooling

The study investigated the predictive value of robust and specific personality traits in adolescents (M _age?=?14.7 years), in explaining their academic achievement at the end of basic compulsory schooling. Personality data were obtained through self, maternal, and peer reports using the Inventory of Child/Adolescent Individual Differences. Adolescent gender and maternal education predicted 36, 26, 19, and 26 % of the variance in the final grades in Slovene, English, and mathematics and the overall GPA, respectively. Personality ratings by each of the three groups of informants substantially improved the prediction of students’ academic achievements, over and beyond gender and maternal education. The robust trait scores contributed to significant increments in the variance explained, across the academic achievement indicators, ranging from 8 to 17 % (self-report), 15 to 24 % (maternal report), and 20 to 32 % (peer report). Conscientiousness was consistently the most powerful predictor of students’ academic success and extraversion was negatively associated with all achievement indicators. The study provided support for a relatively stronger predictive utility of specific, rather than robust personality traits. Likewise, peer ratings of the students’ personality provided relatively larger increments in variance explained in academic achievements than maternal and self-ratings; in general, the personality trait ratings added more to the prediction of mathematics grades and the GPA relative to the prediction of success in languages. Among specific traits, subjectively perceived student intelligence was the most powerful and consistent predictor of final grades and GPA.     

Team learning: through the relational dynamics of co‐operation and rivalry in team communities

This paper explores the constructive links between cooperation, rivalry, and learning within the structure of team communities. Drawing upon social learning theory and qualitative data from case studies conducted in Danish team‐based firms, the main purpose is to argue that both cooperation and rivalry are important triggers for mobilizing learning processes within and between teams. However, social learning theory tends to disregard the positive aspects of rivalry. Instead, the paper suggests that rivalry is often critical for learning to take place, and identifies four recurrent stories of rivalry as a trigger of learning based on two case studies of teamwork dynamics in firms. Consequently, this paper argues for the need to extend social learning theory beyond its rather harmonious learning perspective.