bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Rare Case of Invasive Gastric Mucormycosis in a Patient With Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Spiewak Ted Andrew , Eskandari Armen , Gui Dorina , Cogdill Asha Gupta
Published: July 2020

Mucormycosis is a rare but life-threatening opportunistic fungal infection, associated with high mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Gastrointestinal mucormycosis is uncommon compared with more frequently seen rhinocerebral and pulmonary forms. We report a case of invasive gastric mucormycosis in an 88-year-old man with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, who presented with complaints of fever, coffee-ground emesis, and abdominal pain. On admission, he was hemodynamically unstable, severely malnourished, and somnolent. Abdominal tenderness was present in addition to neutropenia and severe anemia, requiring numerous transfusions. Endoscopy was performed showing multiple necrotic ulcers within the stomach. Histopathology revealed tissue-invasive mucormycosis. This patient was too ill for treatment and was discharged with hospice. Cases of invasive mucormycosis associated with hematological malignancy have been on the rise. Gastrointestinal infection is uncommon, which typically presents nonspecifically and can lead to devastating complications. Although this patient was too ill to undergo antifungal therapy and aggressive surgical debridement, early recognition, especially in high-risk patients, is imperative for improving overall prognosis.
Big Data in Transplantation Practice—the Devil Is in the Detail—Fontan-associated Liver Disease
Authors: Kim Michelle H. , Nguyen Ailene , Lo Mary , Kumar Subramanyan Ram , Bucuvalas John , Glynn Earl F. , Hoffman Mark A. , Fischer Ryan , Emamaullee Juliet
Published: July 2020

Background.

As a result of the Fontan procedure, the prognosis of congenital single-ventricle heart disease has improved, with many affected children surviving into adulthood. However, the unanticipated consequences of chronic exposure to Fontan hemodynamics have revealed a new set of secondary noncardiac complications. Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is characterized by progressive hepatic fibrosis in nearly all patients post-Fontan, with the potential to develop cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and the need for liver transplantation. A lack of data regarding FALD-related prognosis makes consideration of indications for and timing of heart alone versus combined heart-liver transplantation challenging.

Methods.

A multidisciplinary group within the American Society for Transplantation analyzed several administrative datasets to study the epidemiology of FALD.

Results.

This approach presented several obstacles, and efforts to characterize FALD were limited by a lack of Fontan- and FALD-specific diagnostic codes and an inability to follow individual patients through multiple health systems. Several ongoing Fontan registries were also reviewed but these do not adequately capture FALD-related variables. Such barriers highlight the need for large-scale data collection in patients post-Fontan to better understand and care for this complex population.

Conclusions.

This study emphasizes the challenges of studying emerging transplant-related diagnoses in existing datasets and the need for mechanisms to adapt registries to appropriately identify patients with rare or emerging conditions.
Liver Transplantation of HCV-viremic Donors Into HCV-negative Recipients in the United States: Increasing Frequency With Profound Geographic Variation
Authors: Cotter Thomas G. , Aronsohn Andrew , Reddy K. Gautham , Charlton Michael
Published: July 2020

Background.

Direct-acting antiviral therapy made possible the novel practice of utilizing hepatitis C virus (HCV)-viremic (HCV RNA-positive) donors into HCV-negative recipients in the United States. Although initial reports of outcomes have been satisfactory, higher-quality longer-term outcomes remain to be elucidated.

Methods.

National data were examined from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network on adult patients in the United States who underwent a primary, single organ, deceased donor liver transplant from January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2020. Outcomes of HCV-negative recipients (R−) who received an allograft from donors who were HCV RNA-positive (D HCV+) donors were compared with HCV RNA-negative (D HCV−) donors.

Results.

There has been a 35-fold increase in D HCV+/R− liver transplants over the past 4 y in the United States, from 8 in 2016 to 280 in 2019. There was an almost 6-fold difference in this practice among UNOS geographic regions. Graft survival following D HCV+/R− liver transplantation was excellent, with 1-y rates being 91% and 90% and 2-y rates being 88.5% and 87% for D HCV+/R− and D HCV−/R−, respectively (P = 0.672). In multivariate analysis, adjusting for other donor and recipient attributes, D HCV+/R− was not associated with patient or graft survival.

Conclusions.

The practice of D HCV+/R− continues to increase without discernible impact on medium-term outcomes. Notable geographic variation exists, suggesting inconsistent perceptions about the impact of D HCV+/R− transplantation on outcomes. These results strengthen the perceived safety in utilizing HCV-viremic donor organs as a donor pool expansion strategy, not only in the United States, but also worldwide.
The Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor Dimethyl Oxalyl Glycine Decreases Early Gastrointestinal GVHD in Experimental Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Authors: Palaniyandi Senthilnathan , Kumari Reena , Venniyil Radhakrishnan Sabarinath , Strattan Ethan , Hakim Natalya , Munker Reinhold , Kesler Melissa V. , Hildebrandt Gerhard C.
Published: July 2020

Background.

Prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (PHI) promote stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha and affect signaling cascades of inflammation and cell death. Their beneficial use in experimental models of ulcerative colitis and lung allograft rejection led us to test the effect of the PHI dimethyl oxalyl glycine (DMOG) in the pathophysiology of graft versus host disease (GVHD).

Methods.

Acute GVHD was induced in lethally irradiated BALB/c mice. DMOG was administered intraperitoneally on alternate days for the first 2-weeks posttransplant, and then twice a week till day +50, while controls received vehicle only. Animals were monitored for clinical GVHD and analyzed at day +7 and at day +50.

Results.

DMOG treatment of allogeneic recipients improved survival by day +50, which was associated with decreased early gut injury and serum tumor necrosis factor-α compared with allogeneic controls. DMOG treatment of allogeneic recipients resulted in increased hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha expression and reduced apoptosis in the terminal ileum via Fas-associated protein with death domain protein repression along with decreased T-cell infiltration. Reduced pathology in colon after DMOG treatment associates with intestinal epithelium integrity and reduced damage caused by diminished recruitment of neutrophils.

Conclusions.

Taken together, we show protective effects of DMOG on early gut GVHD and improved survival in a model of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, providing the rationale for further evaluation of PHIs, in the prevention and treatment of acute GVHD.
The neural correlates of context retrieval in false recognition
Authors: Liu Hanyue , Gao Qianyun , Zheng Li , Wu Yuyan , Wang Chenggong , Weng Xue , Guo Xiuyan
Published: July 2020

Previous research has demonstrated that some false recognitions are accompanied by retrieval of contexts in which the corresponding semantic associates were presented during the study phase. What kind of neural processes support context retrieval in false recognition? Using functional MRI (fMRI), we tested the hypothesis that context retrieval in false recognition might be supported by brain areas in the core recollection network which also support context retrieval in true recognition. During the study, lists of semantically associated words were presented together with scene pictures that served as contexts. During test, participants judged whether the presented word was old or new. If old, they judged which scene picture was its context and rated memory strength for the context. The results revealed that several regions in the core recollection network, including the bilateral hippocampus, left angular gyrus, and left anterior cingulate cortex, showed greater activations for true recognitions with strong context memory than those with weak context memory. More importantly, these same regions also showed greater activations for false recognitions with strong context memory than those with weak context memory. These findings helped account for why some false recognitions are vivid and accompanied by retrieval of context.
Heat inactivating and reusing of virus-contaminated disposable medical mask
Authors: Song Wuhui , Pan Bin , Kan Haidong , Xu Yanyi , Yi Zhigang
Published: July 2020

As the prevalence of COVID-19 in all the area of China and continuous spread to many other countries, it is in urgent need of medical mask for community people. We have reported a simple method to inactivate artificially influenza virus-contaminated medical mask without affecting the filterability of mask by heating with hair dryer for 30min. In this study, we extended our studies to optimize our protocols and evaluate the filterability of mask after several-rounds of heat treatment. We found that baking at 70°C for 30min almost completely inactivated virus as hair dryer treatment for 30min described before. One-round of heat treatment with hair dryer for 30min or baking at 70°C for 30min did not affect filterability of mask whilst two-rounds of treatment slightly but significantly reduced filterability of mask. Thus, heating with hair dryer for 30min or baking at 70°C for 30min can inactive contaminated medical mask and the treated mask can be reused at least once.
Scaled Recoupling of Chemical Shift Anisotropies at High Magnetic Fields under MAS with InterspersedC-elements
Authors: Fritzsching Keith J. , Keeler Eric G. , He Chengming , McDermott Ann E.
Published: July 2020

The power of chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) measurements for probing structure and dynamics of molecules has been long recognized. NMR pulse sequences that allow measurement of CSA values in an indirect dimension of a protein correlation spectrum have been employed for aliphatic groups, but for practical reasons carbonyl functional groups have been little studied, despite the fact that carbonyls are expected to give particularly varied and informative CSA values. Specifically, the wide spectral widths of carbonyl tensors make their measurements difficult with typically attainable spectrometer settings. We present here an extended family of experiments that enable the recovery of static CSA lineshapes in a indirect dimension of magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR experiments, except for various real valued scaling factors. The experiment is suitable for uniformly labeled material, at moderate MAS rates (10-30 kHz), and at higher magnetic fields (ν0H> 600 MHz). Specifically, the experiments are based on pulse sequence elements from a previous commonly used pulse sequence for CSA measurement, ROCSA, while modification of scaling factors is achieved by interspersing different blocks ofC-elements of the samecycle. Using experimental conditions similar to the parent ROCSA sequence, a CSA scaling factor between 0 and 0.272 can be obtained, thus allowing a useful practical range of possibilities in experimental conditions for measurement of larger CSA values. Using these blocks it is also possible to make a constant-time CSA recoupling sequence. The utility and effectiveness of this approach,fROCSA, is shown on model compounds 1-13C-Gly, U-13C,15N-l-His, and microcrystalline U-13C,15N-Ubiquitin.
Computational fluid dynamic (CFD), air flow-droplet dispersion, and indoor CO2 analysis for healthy public space configuration to comply with COVID 19 protocol
Authors: Adwibowo Andrio
Published: July 2020

The droplet has a limited travel distance. Nonetheless, especially in the indoor public space the air flow can propagate the droplet to travel long distance. Based on this situation, this paper aims to study the relationships of seat configuration-social distance-air flow-droplet dispersions. The analysis was based on the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) using lattice-Boltzmann model (LBM). The result confirms that by modifying public space configuration in this case by providing more space and increasing seating distance can reduce the vulnerability towards droplet dispersions. Whereas, providing shield including adding protection is far more effective in avoiding dispersions. The public space reconfiguration including increasing seat distance and reducing seating capacity also has an effect in reducing the indoor CO2. Capacity reduction from full capacity to 30% can decrease the CO2 from 5722 to 2144 ppm.
Global Assessment of the Relationship between Government Response Measures and COVID-19 Deaths
Authors: Hale Thomas , Hale Andrew J. , Kira Beatriz , Petherick Anna , Phillips Toby , Sridhar Devi , Thompson Robin N. , Webster Samuel , Angrist Noam
Published: July 2020

Objective

To provide an early global assessment of the impact of government stringency measures on the rate of growth in deaths from COVID-19. We hypothesized that the overall stringency of a government’s interventions and the speed of implementation would affect the growth and level of deaths related to COVID-19 in that country.

Design

Observational study based on an original database of global governmental responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily data was collected on a range of containment and closure policies for 170 countries from January 1, 2020 until May 27, 2020 by a team of researchers at Oxford University, UK. These data were combined into an aggregate stringency index (SI) score for each country on each day (range: 0-100). Regression was used to show correlations between the speed and strength of government stringency and deaths related to COVID-19 with a number of controls for time and country-specific demographic, health system, and economic characteristics.

Interventions

Nine non-pharmaceutical interventions such as school and work closures, restrictions on international and domestic travel, public gathering bans, public information campaigns, as well as testing and contact tracing policies.

Main outcomes measures

The primary outcome was deaths related to COVID-19, measured both in terms of maximum daily deaths and growth rate of daily deaths.

Results

For each day of delay to reach an SI 40, the average daily growth rate in deaths was 0.087 percentage points higher (0.056 to 0.118, P<0.001). In turn, each additional point on the SI was associated with a 0.080 percentage point lower average daily growth rate (−0.121 to −0.039, P<.001). These daily differences in growth rates lead to large cumulative differences in total deaths. For example, a week delay in enacting policy measures to SI 40 would lead to 1.7 times as many deaths overall.

Conclusions

A lower degree of government stringency and slower response times were associated with more deaths from COVID-19. These findings highlight the importance of non-pharmaceutical responses to COVID-19 as more robust testing, treatment, and vaccination measures are developed.
Global pattern of COVID-19 research
Authors: Zhu Xunzhi , Jin Qi , Jiang Xiyi , Dan Yuanyuan , Zhang Aimin , Qiu Guangming , Lou Jianlin , Yu Hualong
Published: July 2020

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, a large number of studies have been conducted in a short period. However, it is unclear whether countries involved in this crisis have made adequate efforts and allocated resources to cutting-edge SARS-CoV-2 research. We analyzed the dynamics of and professional fields represented by papers about this novel coronavirus published before June 15, 2020. High-infection countries produced more scientific output than low-infection countries, and high-income and upper-middle-income countries were the main contributors. However, the research areas overlapped substantially, indicating a waste of resources. Our findings also suggest that international cooperation among countries is still relatively lacking, and all countries should make better use of their strengths to face the epidemic jointly.
Copper nanoparticles prompt the activity of estuarine denitrifying bacterial communities at relevant environmental concentrations
Authors: Costa Joana , Sousa António G.G. , Carneiro Ana Carolina , Mucha Ana Paula , Almeida C. Marisa R. , Magalhães Catarina , Baptista Mafalda S.
Published: July 2020

Effects of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) to the estuarine biota have mostly been shown for concentrations higher than those actually measured or predicted in these environments. To address this gap, a range of concentrations expected to occur in estuarine environments (from 0.01 to 1 μg g-1) was employed in microcosms studies to assess the impact of Cu NPs in the denitrification pathway. That was achieved by quantifying gene expression and the potential denitrification rate in estuarine sediments exposed to Cu NPs for up to six days. Expression of nitrite (nirS) and nitrous oxide (nosZ) reductase genes was enhanced in a timewise manner. For the highest Cu NPs (1 μg g-1) an increase in gene expression could be seen immediately after 1 h of exposure, and continuing to be enhanced up until 7 h of exposure. For the lowest Cu NPs (0.01 μg g-1) an increase in gene expression could only be seen after 4 h or 7 h of exposure; however it continued to rise up until 24 h of exposure. In any case, after 48 h the expression levels were no longer different from the non-exposed control. Concomitantly to increased gene expression the potential denitrification rate was increased by 30 %. Our results suggest that deposition and adsorption of Cu NPs to estuarine sediments promotes the immediate and transient expression of key genes of the denitrification pathway. The long term impact of continuous inputs of Cu NPs into estuaries deserves renewed analysis to account for their effects, not just on the biota, but especially on ecosystems services.

Environmental significance

Interactions of metallic nanoparticles with microbial communities of estuarine sediments are poorly characterized and its impact towards ecosystem services even less. By assessing the effect of copper nanoparticles on the expression of key genes of the denitrification pathway, an essential step for nitrogen (N) removal, we were able to show that denitrifying communities are immediately activated after exposure, increasing the denitrification rates in estuaries. The importance of denitrification lies in its release of dinitrogen (N2) to the atmosphere but also in the emissions of N2O (a potent greenhouse gas). The results obtained in this study gather data that contribute information on the denitrification dynamics in estuaries, invaluable for a timely response to the expected upcoming changes in coastal areas.

Table of contents

In estuaries the deposition upon the sediments of copper nanoparticles can contribute to change metal availability and promote the activity of denitrifying bacteria
Cadmium interference with iron sensing reveals transcriptional programs sensitive and insensitive to reactive oxygen species
Authors: McInturf Samuel A. , Khan Mather A. , Gokul Arun , Castro-Guerrero Norma A. , Hoehner Ricarda , Li Jiamei , Margault Henri , Kunz Hans Henning , Goggin Fiona L. , Keyster Marshall , Nechushtai Rachel , Mittler Ron , Mendoza-Cózatl David G.
Published: July 2020

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient whose uptake is tightly regulated to prevent either deficiency or oxidative stress. Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential heavy metal that induces both Fe-deficiency and oxidative stress; however, the mechanisms underlying these Cd-induced responses are still elusive. Here we explored Cd-induced Fe-associated responses in wildtypeArabidopsisandopt3-2, a mutant that over-accumulates Fe. Gene expression profiling revealed a large overlap between transcripts induced by Fe-deficiency and Cd exposure in wildtype plants and theopt3mutant. Interestingly, vascular-localized Fe-responsive genes were found to be highly induced by Cd even in the presence of high Fe and H2O2levels, suggesting that Cd impairs Fe sensing. It was recently shown that Fe-S cluster-containing proteins AtNEET, play a role in Fe sensing. Our data shows that Cd negatively impacts both the stability and Fe-S transfer activity of AtNEET. Altogether, our data indicate that Fe-deficiency responses are governed by multiple inputs and that a hierarchical regulation of Fe-deficiency responses prevents the induction of specific gene networks when Fe and H2O2levels are high. Other Cd/Fe-responsive genes however, are insensitive to this negative feedback regulation suggesting that their induction is the result of an impaired Fe sensing as opposed to the traditional view of Cd/Fe uptake competition at the root level.

Highlight

Cadmium induces an iron-deficiency response often explained by root uptake competition; here we show that Cd also impairs Fe sensing in leaves, even when Fe is in sufficient quantities.
The effect of investment in green technology in a two echelon supply chain under strict carbon-cap policy
Authors: Ghosh Arindam , Sarmah S P , Kanauzia Radhey Krishna
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Strict carbon-cap policy is one of the basic policies proposed by the regulatory bodies to reduce the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether it is beneficial for a company to invest in green technology or not under the strict carbon-cap policy and for that a two echelon supply chain model is developed. This paper gives insight about judicious decision about investment on green technology.

Design/methodology/approach

Mathematical modeling approach has been adopted to understand the effect of investment on green technology. All the cost and emissions parameters have been derived and the total cost (TC) and total emission equations have been formulated mathematically. Two constrained mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems have been formulated and solved considering with or without green investment. Further, supply chain cost is optimized without carbon constraint to understand the effect of carbon constraint.

Findings

The investment in green technology can reduce the total supply chain cost. The study reveals that handling different parameters optimally can reduce both cost and emissions.

Originality/value

This paper tries to assess the effectiveness of green investment on technology under strict carbon-cap policy on a supply chain and, thereby, added value to the existing work. It examines the role played by various parameters under strict carbon-cap policy to draw insights, which will be beneficial for the academic community and managers.
“Process of strategic planning and cognitive diversity as determinants of cohesiveness and performance”
Authors: Nowak Radoslaw
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the process of strategic planning on cohesiveness and performance in cognitively diverse units.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze an original dataset collected from employees working in healthcare organizations in the United Sates.

Findings

This study finds the negative effects of cognitive differences among employees on a unit's cohesiveness and performance and the positive moderating effects of the process of strategic planning on such relationships. Consequently, revealing the cohesiveness enhancing function of the process of strategic planning.

Originality/value

The study contributes to past research by revealing that business organizations could use the process of strategic planning to enhance their internal cohesiveness, in turn improving their business performance. This study explains that when the process of planning clearly defines an organization's mission, goals and implementation plans, employees working in highly diverse units will be more likely to better understand, accept and in turn also support their organization as a whole and its critical strategic goals. This should increase internal cohesiveness and lead leading to better performance.
Simulation and optimization for improving performance of maintenance
Authors: Ershadi Mohammad Mahdi , Shams Shemirani Hossein
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to design an applied mathematical model to maximize the profits of maintenance activities in manufacturing organizations, also providing an efficient solution method for that.

Design/methodology/approach

Reviewing published articles in the field of maintenance planning and then trying to model the problem to optimal decision making in this field.

Findings

Maintenance optimization can be done more appropriately by the accurate use of mathematical programming.

Research limitations/implications

The existence of probabilistic parameters in this problem leads to hard stochastic programming.

Practical implications

Designing and organizing maintenance activities will increase productivity. This paper attempts to use mathematical models to optimize this matter.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the importance of using optimization methods for maintenance planning.
“The map is not the territory”: a boundary objects perspective on supply chain mapping
Authors: Fabbe-Costes Nathalie , Lechaptois Lucie , Spring Martin
Published: July 2020

Purpose

To empirically examine the usefulness and value of supply chain mapping (SC mapping), which has been neglected despite its importance in research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on three combined theoretical perspectives, we conducted a case study on a car manufacturer's managers mapping their downstream supply chain (SC). We conducted semi-structured interviews and a mapping exercise with them, followed by a focus group.

Findings

We find differences between individual and corporate SC maps and between how managers define the outbound SC, the SC map they draw and what they say when mapping. The three theoretical perspectives allow us to enrich SC mapping thinking. We focus on boundary objects to formulate propositions. SC mapping and maps are discussed with respect to contemporary SCs and SCM.

Research limitations/implications

Based on a single case study on one firm's outbound SC. Research could be expanded to the company's external partners and follow the development and use of maps in real time.

Practical implications

Highlights the usefulness and difficulties of SC mapping, for individuals and organisations. For the company, it opens avenues for further development and use of SC mapping to improve inter-functional and inter-organisational collaboration.

Social implications

Confirms the need for SC mapping competences in SCM and consequently the usefulness of teaching SC mapping courses in logistics and SCM programs.

Originality/value

Highlights the usefulness of SC mapping and rekindles interest in SC mapping and maps in SCM. Introduces boundary objects into SCM research.
Tell me more: how salespeople encourage customer disclosure
Authors: Niemi Jarkko , Pullins Ellen Bolman
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore salesperson–customer interactions to identify actual behaviors that result in enhanced customer disclosure and classify them as disclosure tactics, and to explore whether certain tactics are more likely to lead to salesperson–customer relationship advancement.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative research uses conversation analysis to identify salesperson disclosure tactics that result in customer disclosure, using 12 video-recordings of authentic business-to-business initial sales meetings between a salesperson and customer.

Findings

Findings showed four disclosure tactics that salespeople use to get customers to disclose information: embedded expertise claims, tailored references, demonstrations of preparation and customer orientation and benevolence. These tactics appear more often and are executed differently in sales meetings that successfully advance.

Originality/value

The research addresses an unexplored area of specific salesperson behaviors and their connection to customer disclosure and relationship advancement in the exploration phase. Additionally, this fills a gap that cannot be addressed with traditional survey or interview data and brings conversation analysis to this particular area.
Do performance indicators predict Ofsted ratings? An exploratory study of children’s services in England
Authors: Wilkins David , Antonopoulou Vivi
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore whether performance indicators in children’s services can be used to predict the outcome of Ofsted inspections. Every local authority in England is inspected by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, children’s services and skills) and given a single, overall rating – outstanding, good, requirements improvement or inadequate. These ratings carry immense significance. Persistently inadequate authorities are liable to have legal responsibility for providing services outsourced to another organisation. Ofsted have been criticised in the past for focusing too much on procedure, and previous research has highlighted the importance of deprivation and spending levels. In this paper, we describe a new study using more recent Ofsted and local authority data to see what patterns there might be now between performance indicators and inspection results.

Design/methodology/approach

We report an analysis of 45 variables in relation to children in need, children in care and young adults with care experience. Using statistical analysis, we consider to what extent performance measured by these variables differs between authorities based on their Ofsted ratings and which of the variables can be used to predict Ofsted inspection outcomes.

Findings

We identified no consistent patterns of difference between local authorities in relation to Ofsted ratings. Deprivation was the best single predictor of Ofsted inspection outcomes.

Originality/value

This study uses relatively recent Ofsted and local authority data and builds on previous research findings which are increasingly highlighting the significance of deprivation as a factor to help explain variable performance between different authorities.
Renovation in hospitals: a case study on the use of control cubes for local repairs in health-care facilities
Authors: Mousavi Ehsan , Sharma Vivek , Gajjar Dhaval , Shoai Naini Shervin
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the control cubes for dust control in health-care facilities. Research shows that more than 80% of pathogenic agents in hospitals are spread into the air, where they either remain airborne or deposit on the surface. At the same time, renovation and repair activities, including regular maintenance, are a necessity in active health-care facilities and a multitude of studies have documented their impact on indoor air quality. The dust that is generated by construction activities may potentially carry pathogenic agents, varying from coarse particles (≤10 µm, PM10) to fine particles (≤2.5 µm, PM2.5), including airborne bacteria, and fungal spores linked to high patient mortality in immune-compromised patients.

Design/methodology/approach

This study measures the impact and effectiveness of one such preventative measure, namely, the control cube (CC), on air quality during renovation and repair. CC is a temporary structure, typically made from stainless steel, around the local repair zone to minimize the spread of dust and potential microorganisms. The current paper presents a comparative analysis to identify the effectiveness of a CC equipped with the high-efficiency particulate filtration (HEPA) filter in a hospital setting by simulating construction renovation and repair work.

Findings

A baseline was established to measure the effectiveness of CCs and the impact of negative pressure on the indoor air quality in a hospital during simulated renovation work. Results showed that CCs are very effective in minimizing the spread of dust due to construction activities in the hospital. However, it is imperative to ensure that the air inside the CC is cleaned via filtration.

Originality/value

CCs are very effective, and this paper investigates the best approach for facility managers to implement this strategy.
Information commissioning: bridging the gap between digital and physical built assets
Authors: Kim Soojung , Poirier Erik A. , Staub-French Sheryl
Published: July 2020

Purpose

As the use of building information modeling (BIM) for facilities management (FM) continues to grow, questions remain around the quality and completeness of digital assets to support FM practices. This paper aims to examine the current gap between digital and physical assets in the absence of formal information requirements and its impact on the handover process.

Design/methodology/approach

An action-research was carried out with a large public organization to understand the challenges of their current FM processes and the steps required in developing an asset information model (AIM) from a project information model (PIM). A mixed method approach was employed with interviews, document analysis and an exploratory pilot case study.

Findings

This paper investigates the process, the challenges and the level of effort of the information commissioning process to create a fit-for-use AIM. Four distinct steps were identified in the process as follows: analyzing the handover PIM and documents, extracting FM-specific information, populating the model with the information and attaching operations and maintenance (O&M) documents. The research highlights the significant amount of effort that is required when no specific asset information requirements are formulated at the project onset.

Practical implications

The paper presents an information commissioning process that helps to develop an AIM from a PIM. Understanding the impact of the lack of requirements on the information commissioning process can help asset owners understand the importance of defining and articulating their information requirements up front.

Originality/value

This paper provides empirical evidence of the impact of the absence of formal information requirements on the development of a fit-for-use AIM.
Providing urban birds nutritious food to feed chicks reduces urban versus rural breeding success disparities
Authors: Derryberry Elizabeth P. , Coomes Casey M.
Published: July 2020

In Focus: Seress, G, Sándor, K, Evans, KL, Liker, A. (2020) Food availability limits avian reproduction in the city: An experimental study on great tits Parus major . Journal of Animal Ecology. 89. Animals in urban areas face a multitude of stressors, but how each stressor impacts survival and fitness can be difficult to disentangle. We need experimental manipulations of suspected stressors to examine causal relationships with traits of free‐living urban and rural animals. In this issue, Seress and colleagues take on an intensive experimental approach to test whether one potential stressor—limited natural food sources in cities—can explain reduced avian reproductive success in urban areas. They employ a full factorial design, including both food supplemented and control broods in both urban and forest great tit Parus major populations. The findings are clear. Reduced food availability is the key factor limiting urban offspring growth and survival, at least in this well‐studied species. Indeed, the extra insects fed to urban chicks greatly reduced the significant differences in survival rates and body sizes between urban and forest broods. The findings are also sobering. Urban insect populations would need to more than double to erase differences in reproductive success between urban and rural bird populations, an unlikely outcome with the ever‐increasing urbanization of habitats.
Urbanization can increase the invasive potential of alien species
Authors: Santana Marques Piatã , Resende Manna Luisa , Clara Frauendorf Therese , Zandonà Eugenia , Mazzoni Rosana , El‐Sabaawi Rana
Published: July 2020

Alien species often flourish and become invasive in urban ecosystems. How and why invaders succeed in urban systems is an important, yet poorly understood, question. We investigate whether the success of urban invaders is related to changes in species traits that enhance invasive potential. We also explore whether a trophic mechanism helps explain the success of invaders in urban systems. We use the guppy Poecilia reticulata, a globally distributed alien species that has invaded both urban and non‐urban systems, as our model.

We first characterize the effect of urbanization on streams where guppies are present. We measure guppy invasion success using their population density and size‐frequency. Then we assess how traits that are related to the potential of guppies to invade (life history and condition) respond to urbanization. Next, we explore how urbanization affects the availability of food for guppies and their diets. We also test if the presence of other fish species grants biological resistance to invasion by dampening guppy invasive potential.

We find that urban streams have high concentrations of ammonium and faecal coliforms, indicating contamination from sewage. On average, guppy populations from urban streams have 26× higher density and larger body sizes than non‐urban populations. Urban guppies are in better condition and have on average five more offspring than non‐urban guppies. Urbanization increases the availability and consumption of highly nutritious food (chironomid larvae) by guppies. We find a positive relationship between the consumption of chironomids and both fecundity and condition. The presence of other fish species in urban streams often has a negative but small effect on guppy traits and density.

Our data suggest a relaxation of trade‐offs that shape life‐history traits which is related to increased food resources in urban streams. These indicate that urbanization enhances the invasive potential of guppies through a trophic mechanism that simultaneously increases reproduction and somatic investment. Such mechanism is likely widespread because chironomids are often highly abundant in urban systems. Thus, not only guppies but also other invasive species can take advantage of such a resource to invest in traits that enhance invasion success.
Chronic anthropogenic disturbance on Caatinga dry forest fragments
Authors: Antongiovanni Marina , Venticinque Eduardo M. , Matsumoto Marcelo , Fonseca Carlos Roberto
Published: July 2020

Understanding how chronic anthropogenic disturbances are distributed in space leads to more effective conservation and management practices. This study provides a large‐scale overview of how the Caatinga dry forest is potentially altered by chronic anthropogenic disturbance. In particular, we investigate how the intensity of the potential disturbance varies (a) among geographic regions, (b) among fragment sizes, and (c) as a function of distance to the fragment edge.

A chronic anthropogenic disturbance index (CDI) was derived to represent five anthropogenic disturbance vectors: human population, infrastructure, grazing, logging and fire. CDI was spatialized for the whole Caatinga landscape (826,411 km2) and posteriorly averaged for c. 47,100 remaining fragments.

Chronic anthropogenic disturbance was unevenly distributed across the Caatinga landscape, with more conserved sites on the western and southern regions. Larger fragments were, on average, as disturbed as smaller ones. However, smaller fragments varied from highly disturbed to very well preserved depending on the regional context. Strong edge effects were recognized for the CDI and its five vectors.

Policy implications. Although half of the original Caatinga vegetation remains, most remaining fragments probably suffer with chronic anthropogenic disturbances. This suggests that a large portion of the Caatinga can be currently threatened, and its biodiversity and natural resources eroded by processes that are less evident than habitat loss. Proper management practices and expansion of the existing protected area network are needed to halt the Caatinga biodiversity decline. Conservation and management actions in tropical ecosystems seem to be more urgent than previously assumed.
A profile of Australian occupational therapy academic workforce job satisfaction
Authors: McKinstry Carol , Gustafsson Louise , Brown Ted , Poulsen Anne A.
Published: July 2020

Introduction

There has been an increase in the number of Australian occupational therapy education programmes and student enrolment numbers in existing programmes, whereas there is a perceived current and predicted future workforce shortage of qualified university academics. The aim of the study was to map the current Australian occupational therapy academic workforce and investigate the group's job satisfaction.

Methods

The research was a cross‐sectional online survey of Australian occupational therapy academics employed part‐time or full‐time in fixed or ongoing positions. The survey included the Job Satisfaction Survey. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman rho correlations, and linear and multi‐linear regressions.

Results

Responses were received from 120 participants who met inclusion criteria, with 89% of the sample being women, 83% employed in ongoing positions and 61% employed full‐time. Over half had a PhD or professional doctorate and similarly, over half were employed in lecturer or level B positions. One quarter of respondents were in teaching‐only positions and 58% were in combined teaching and research positions. Nearly half were over 46 years of age. Respondents reported that they were satisfied with supervision, the nature of the work, and co‐workers; however, were dissatisfied with operating conditions and were ambivalent about pay, contingent rewards, opportunities for promotion, communication, and fringe benefits. Most participants were motivated by teaching students but reported unrealistic workload requirements as their greatest challenge.

Conclusion

The Australian occupational therapy academic workforce is relatively stable with most in ongoing positions; however, there are fewer in senior positions. The majority of respondents were in lecturer or level B positions, with lowest levels of satisfaction, particularly those who had been at this level longer. Workload expectations and lack of opportunities for promotion contributed to marked job dissatisfaction. Workforce planning, including recruitment and retention strategies, is needed to address predicted increased demands.
Specialised vestibular physiotherapy in the emergency department: A pilot safety and feasibility study
Authors: Lloyd Melanie , Luscombe Allison , Grant Catherine , Karunajeewa Harin , Klim Sharon , Wijeratne Tissa , Kelly Anne‐Maree
Published: July 2020

Objective

To evaluate the safety and feasibility of vestibular physiotherapy in the ED, and its impact on adherence to evidence‐based clinical practice.

Methods

This prospective pre‐post implementation study of adults presenting with dizziness symptoms of potential vestibular aetiology measured the proportion of participants safely completing vestibular physiotherapy assessment and treatment.

Results

A total of 52 participants were recruited (20 usual care and 32 vestibular physiotherapy). Thirty (93.8%) of 32 completed all components of physiotherapy assessment, and there were no adverse events recorded.

Conclusion

The results of the present study support extending the role of physiotherapists to managing peripheral vestibular dysfunction in the ED.
Galectin‐7 overexpression destroys airway epithelial barrier in transgenic mice
Authors: TIAN Jing , HE Ruxuan , FAN Yimu , ZHANG Qianqian , TIAN Baolin , ZHOU Chunju , LIU Chunyan , SONG Mingjing , ZHAO Shunying
Published: July 2020

When the integrity of airway epithelium is destroyed, the ordered airway barrier no longer exists and increases sensitivity to viral infections and allergens, leading to the occurrence of airway inflammation such as asthma. Here, we found that galectin‐7 transgenic(+) mice exhibited abnormal airway structures as embryos and after birth. These abnormalities included absent or substantially reduced pseudostratified columnar ciliated epithelium and increased monolayer cells with irregular arrangement and widening of intercellular spaces. Moreover, airway tissue from galectin‐7 transgenic(+) mice showed evidence of impaired cell–cell junctions and decreased expression of zonula occludens‐1(ZO‐1) and E‐cadherin. When treated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or ovalbumin (OVA), galectin‐7 transgenic(+) mice developed substantially increased bronchial epithelial detachment and apoptosis, airway smooth muscle and basement membrane thickening, and enhanced airway responsiveness. We found that Galectin‐7 localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus of bronchial epithelial cells, and that increased apoptosis was mediated through mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and upregulated JNK1 activation and expression of caspase‐3 in galectin‐7 Tg(+) mice. These findings suggested that Galectin‐7 causes airway structural defects and destroys airway epithelium barrier, which predispose the airways to RSV or OVA‐induced epithelial apoptosis, injury, and other asthma responses.
Analysis of the association between kidney injury biomarkers concentration and nephritis in immunoglobulin A vasculitis: A pediatric cohort study
Authors: Dyga Katarzyna , Machura Edyta , Świętochowska Elżbieta , Szczepańska Maria
Published: July 2020

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical course, selected biochemical parameters and concentrations of renal injury biomarkers such as neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule‐1 (KIM‐1) and liver‐fatty acid binding protein (L‐FABP) in patients with immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV) to identify the markers associated with nephritis in the course of the disease (IgAVN).

Methods

The study involved 29 children with IgAV and 34 healthy controls. Eleven (38%) patients had renal involvement (IgAV‐N) and 18 (62%) did not exhibit nephritis (IgAV‐noN). Initial laboratory tests, determining the concentrations of NGAL, KIM‐1 and L‐FABP in serum and urine, were conducted on children from the study group in an acute phase of IgAV as well as after an average of 6 months, during a follow‐up visit. The interconnection between renal involvement, anthropometric measurements, epidemiological data, laboratory parameters and levels of examined biomarkers have been thoroughly evaluated.

Results

The serum and urine levels of NGAL, KIM‐1 and L‐FABP were significantly higher in children with an acute phase of IgAV as compared to the control group (P < .001) and markedly lower during follow‐up retesting in comparison with the values obtained at inclusion (P < .001). However, the concentration of none of the evaluated biomarkers correlated with nephrological indices. Among all examined parameters, only male subjects were associated with nephritis (P = .017).

Conclusions

We have established no evident association between the concentrations of NGAL, KIM‐1 and L‐FABP and nephritis in the course of IgAV in children. Additionally, we confirmed a significant male predominance in patients with nephritis.