bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relational capital and supply chain collaboration for radical and incremental innovation
Authors: Thi Mai Anh Nguyen , Hui Lei , Khoa Vu Dinh , Mehmood Sultan
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between relational capital and supply chain collaboration (SCC) and how this relationship relates to innovation. The authors propose a theoretical framework to illustrate the effect of relational capital on three dimensions of collaboration and radical and incremental innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper has a quantitative approach. The authors conducted the survey to collect the data from 225 suppliers in the Hunan province of China. The proposed model is tested with exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.

Findings

The findings show that relational capital can facilitate information sharing and benefit/risk sharing when firms work together to achieve innovation. Furthermore, the results indicate that relational capital leads to radical innovation through facilitating information sharing among firms and helps in generating incremental innovation by encouraging firms to share risks and benefits with their partners.

Practical implications

The findings of this study give some suggestions for managers of the firms in terms of building their collaborative strategies. Managers should exploit relational capital to build successful and long-term collaboration. Also, through relational capital, managers can share information to create radical innovation or pool risks and share benefits with their customers to achieve incremental innovation.

Originality/value

This study provides a nuanced understanding of the relationship between relational capital, different dimensions of SCC and innovation in the context of a developing economy. Moreover, the findings provide a clearer understanding of the collaborative mechanism of relational capital and collaboration to achieve radical and incremental innovation.
E­commerce structures for retail and service franchises
Authors: Kremez Zhanna , Frazer Lorelle , Weaven Scott , Quach Sara
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth investigation of e-commerce strategy implementation in mature franchise organisations from both franchisor and franchisee perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This research employed a multiple case study method where the e-commerce strategies of two mature franchise organisations were investigated in depth. Franchising experts were interviewed to provide an additional dimension to this study.

Findings

This research found that e-commerce must be integrated with the overall business strategy for optimal franchise performance. Since all parties to the franchising relationship are affected by the introduction of e-commerce, both the franchisees’ and the franchisor’s interests must be considered when the strategy is being developed. In addition, the consumer’s perspective is central to how e-commerce is structured, and franchisees are best placed to know their customers’ needs because they are directly involved in operating their business and interfacing with customers.

Practical implications

A preliminary model for e-commerce structures in service and retail franchising has been developed that depends on the nature of the business, the distribution arrangements and the order fulfilment arrangements. The two main avenues in e-commerce structuring were centralisation and decentralisation.

Originality/value

This study contributes to knowledge through an in-depth investigation of the internal process of e-commerce implementation in franchise networks from both franchisor and franchisee perspectives.
Dynamic capabilities of logistics service providers: antecedents and performance implications
Authors: Chen Ivy S.N. , Fung Patrick K.O. , Yuen Simon S.M.
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Dynamic capabilities (DC) have been linked to firm competitive advantage, but the ways in which firms can create and build these DC are still not clear. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model with organizational learning (OL) and supply chain orientation (SCO) as antecedents of dynamic logistics capabilities and firm performance as the outcome. The study tests this model on a sample of logistics service firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data collected from 103 logistics firms drawn from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation of Hong Kong.

Findings

Results show that OL directly enhances DC and indirectly through SCO. The relationship between OL and SCO is stronger than the relationship between OL and DC. DC are positively related to logistics firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study relied on perceptual and self-reported data from senior management. Relationships among variables may also be inflated by common method variance but efforts were taken to reduce this threat.

Practical implications

Logistics firms should promote a learning culture in the organization. Organization learning enhances a firm’s willingness to change and innovate. It also helps employees to gain a better understanding of clients’ supply chains and possibilities. SCO helps the firm to direct its reconfiguration and renewal efforts where the returns are the highest.

Originality/value

There is scant empirical research on the antecedents of DC outside of manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services. The study focused on the logistics services industry. SCO, a necessary strategic orientation for firms in the supply chain, has not been empirically investigated in the previous research. This study addressed these gaps in the literature and contributes to the understanding of the factors giving rise to DC.
Homogenization of multi-turn coil with elliptic cross-section using complex permeability
Authors: Fujita Shogo , Igarashi Hajime
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The tensor complex permeability of a multi-turn coil with elliptic cross-section is analytically expressed. In field analysis, a multi-turn coil can be modeled by the uniform material that has the present tensor complex permeability. It is shown that the frequency characteristic of the present tensor complex permeability is in good agreement with that evaluated by finite element method applied to a unit cell of the multi-turn coil region.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors introduce a new method to evaluate the complex permeability of a multi-turn rectangular coil. To obtain the complex permeability of a rectangular coil in a closed form, it is approximated as an elliptic coil. Because the rectangular coil has different complex permeabilities in the vertical and horizontal directions, the complex permeability have to be defined in a tensor form. It suffices to discretize the coil region into rather coarse finite elements without considering the skin depth in contrast to the conventional finite element method.

Findings

The proposed method is shown to give the impedance of multi-turn coils which is in good agreement with results obtained by the conventional finite element (FE) analysis. By extending the proposed approach, the authors can easily perform 3D FE analysis without difficulty in discretization of the coil region with fairly fine finite elements. Moreover, they found that the approximation of rectangular coils as the elliptic coils is valid for analysis of quasi-static fields using this homogenization method.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study is in the approximation of the rectangular coils with elliptic coils, and the complex permeability for them is formulated here in a closed form. The proposed formula includes that for the round coils. Using the present method, the authors analyze the rectangular coils without fine discretization.
High-frequency displacement current transformer with just one winding
Authors: Achour Yahia , Starzyński Jacek
Published: May 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a new concept of transformer based on the displacement current. The paper shows how this idea can be translated into reality and presents an example of a working design.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors replace the primary winding of the transformer with a capacitor. The displacement current between the capacitor plates induces a magnetic flux in the core. This flux in turn induces electromotive force in the classical secondary winding.

Findings

The basic mathematical aspects illustrated by results obtained from a simulation developed using a commercial software ANSYS-HFSS are given. The saturation of the magnetic core due to the applied high-frequency range is investigated and simulated using a finite difference time domain code implemented in MATLAB. A prototype transformer was built and tested; the obtained results confirm the previous ones from simulations.

Originality/value

A new concept of the single winding transformer was used as a pulse forming circuit.
Analysis of the field monitoring data on soil movements and adjacent building settlement due to shield tunnelling
Authors: Ding Zhi , Wei Xinjiang , Zhang Xiao , Yin Xinsheng
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The shield tunnels closely constructed near the foundations have an inevitable influence on the structures, even results in the large settlement or uplift of the structures.

Design/methodology/approach

The comparison of structural deformation of three different foundations is presented based on the field monitoring data.

Findings

Shield tunnelling parameters vary for the different types of foundations. For the long pile foundations, the recommended speed is 3 to 4 cm/min, the grouting pressure is about 0.3 MPa and the grouting rate ranges from 150 to 180.

Originality/value

The study based on the field monitoring data is rarely reported, especially the topic about the structural deformation of different types of the foundations.
A kinematic approach for error modelling in drilling
Authors: Polini Wilma , Corrado Andrea
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to model how geometric errors of a machined surface (or manufacturing errors) are related to locators’ error, workpiece form error and machine tool volumetric error. A kinematic model is presented that puts into relationship the locator error, the workpiece form deviations and the machine tool volumetric error.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a general and systematic approach for geometric error modelling in drilling because of the geometric errors of locators positioning, of workpiece datum surface and of machine tool. The model can be implemented in four steps: (1) calculation of the deviation in the workpiece reference frame because of deviations of locator positions; (2) evaluation of the deviation in the workpiece reference frame owing to form deviations in the datum surfaces of the workpiece; (3) formulation of the volumetric error of the machine tool; and (4) combination of those three models.

Findings

The advantage of this approach lies in that it enables the source errors affecting the drilling accuracy to be explicitly separated, thereby providing designers and/or field engineers with an informative guideline for accuracy improvement through suitable measures, i.e. component tolerancing in design, machining and so on. Two typical drilling operations are taken as examples to illustrate the generality and effectiveness of this approach.

Research limitations/implications

Some source errors, such as the dynamic behaviour of the machine tool, are not taken into consideration, which will be modelled in practical applications.

Practical implications

The proposed kinematic model may be set by means of experimental tests, concerning the industrial specific application, to identify the values of the model parameters, such as standard deviation of the machine tool axes positioning and rotational errors. Then, it may be easily used to foresee the location deviation of a single or a pattern of holes.

Originality/value

The approaches present in the literature aim to model only one or at most two sources of machining error, such as fixturing, machine tool or workpiece datum. This paper goes beyond the state of the art because it considers the locator errors together with the form deviation on the datum surface into contact with the locators and, then, the volumetric error of the machine tool.
APRT-FMEA buffer sizing method in scheduling of a wind farm construction project
Authors: Zohrehvandi Shakib , Khalilzadeh Mohammad
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an efficient model for project buffer sizing by taking failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) into account to reach a more realistic schedule.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first phase of the project, several turbines were installed according to the primary schedule with an average duration of 142 days. Then, some of critical chain project management algorithms were separately applied in the implementation and installation of the other wind turbines. The adaptive procedure with resource tightness (APRT) method turned out to be the best method in terms of obtaining a more realistic schedule in this case study. Finally, FMEA was simultaneously applied with APRT.

Findings

Applying the hybrid method to the scheduling of the wind turbines, yielded the more realistic schedule than traditional.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed hybrid APRT-FMEA algorithm was implemented on a real wind farm construction project which was completed with 37 percent shorter duration than the initial estimation; in spite of the initial estimation of 142 days, the project completed in 103 days.

Practical implications

Introducing and implementing a new algorithm which is a combination of buffer sizing algorithms and one of the well-known and mostly used risk assessment methods in order to provide the more realistic project schedule in the construction of wind turbines.

Originality/value

Introducing and implementing a novel algorithm which is a combination of conventional buffer sizing method and one of the efficient risk assessment methods in order to make the schedule more realistic.
Evaluating the preventability of conflicts arising from change occurrence in construction projects
Authors: Charkhakan Mohammad Hadi , Heravi Gholamreza
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Although several studies have evaluated effective factors for conflict occurrence, researchers have developed few methods of determining preventive capacities and determining preventive measures on the basis of an analysis of chain of risks that cause conflict. The purpose of this paper is to devise a mechanism for conflict prevention by evaluating chain of risks that cause conflict and different conflict types.

Design/methodology/approach

Efforts centered on facilitating the prevention conflicts through analyzing the effects of chain of risks on change causes, decomposing the mixture of conflict types in each conflict and determining the contribution of each conflict type to conflict creation.

Findings

The paper expands the existing body of knowledge on conflict management through the determination of complex relationships, namely, the relationship between conflict causes and project parties and the coherence between project parties and conflict types.

Originality/value

A practical example is analyzed to demonstrate the proposed approach capabilities. The results showed that using the developed approach to determine conflict type can serve as a means of control in projects and the developed approach can be incorporated into construction contracts as a conflict resolution mechanism. This paper presents an understanding of complex relationships among the chain of risks which cause conflict, the important players in conflict management process and different conflict types. It also provides a basis to select an effective management method for each conflict.
The impacts of intra-organizational structural elements on supply chain integration
Authors: Zhang Yanming , Zhao Xiande , Huo Baofeng
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Following resource-based view, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of three intra-organizational structural elements on supply chain integration (SCI).

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data collected from ten countries, this study employs the structural equation modeling method to test the proposed model.

Findings

The results demonstrate that teamwork culture is positively related to three dimensions of SCI. Organizational commitment has positive effects on internal and customer integration (CI), whereas it has no significant effect on supplier integration (SI). Human goodness is only positively related to internal integration, but has no significant effect on SI or CI.

Originality/value

This study contributes to both structural elements literature and SCI enabler literature by operationalizing three human-related components of structural elements and empirically investigating relationships between intra-organizational structural elements and SCI.
Care coordination in the health-care service delivery: an elderly care perspective
Authors: Srivastava Shefali , Prakash Gyan
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between patient-centricity, care coordination and delivery of quality care for older people with multiple chronic conditions. Care coordination is defined as a process where physicians, nurses and allied professionals work together to clarify responsibilities, care objectives, treatment plans and discharge plans for delivery of unified care. Patient-centricity is defined as an approach of delivering quality care to patients that focuses on creating a positive experience for them.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was used to identify measures of care coordination and then partial least square structural equation modeling was used to assess interrelationship among patient-centricity, measures of care coordination and delivery of quality care.

Findings

Results reveal that care coordinated pathways consist of IT-enabled coordination, interprofessional teamwork, information sharing and facilitative infrastructure requirements and are influenced by patient-centricity. These are deliberate requisites for delivering of quality care. Results of this study present a validated model of care coordination for older people, which may be further explored to refine the concept of care coordination.

Practical implications

Based on these results, practitioners may develop an overarching strategy to deliver seamless care and to achieve better health outcomes. Measures of care coordination may be used as a performance benchmarking tool and will also help in the process mapping of hospitals.

Social implications

This paper highlights how patient-centricity may be achieved by focusing on coordinated care processes. This understanding may help in designing processes, which in turn deliver health as a social good in an effective manner.

Originality/value

Results of this study present such a validated model for care coordination, which can be used by researchers.
Proposal for a new method for analyzing the domino effect in an oil refinery and its impact on the environment
Authors: Smaiah Meriem , Djebabra Mebarek , Boubaker Leila
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new managerial method to integrate the environmental dimension in the domino effects (DEs) analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed method is a three-step approach: identification of primary hazards in the form of potential events causing the DE, a mixed quantification (deterministic and probabilistic) of the risk of the DEs with a view to its control and capitalizing the results from the BLEVESOFT software as well as those relating to the probability of occurrence of the DEs in the form of a prioritized action plan dedicated to surrounding environments (proximity territory).

Findings

The primary hazards are technologically manageable at the studied system but are unpredictable if triggered at the environmental subsystem because they are difficult to be managed and often cause panic, which is a form of a very catastrophic DE.

Research limitations/implications

The research could affect members of the engineering and construction industry, and can be applied in several domains since it studies the DE phenomenon. which is a common problem especially in industrials plants.

Practical implications

The proposal method is applied in an industrial terminal in Algeria.

Originality/value

This paper presents an exploratory study of using a new managerial method that aims to combine the potentialities of geomatic sciences that allow the spatial representation of nearby territories to assess the severity of DEs through a deterministic approach, and the modeling of DEs as well as their analysis by a probabilistic approach.
Unveiling the relationship between e-HRM, impersonal trust and employee productivity
Authors: Iqbal Naveed , Ahmad Mansoor , Allen Matthew M.C.
Published: May 2019

Purpose

This study draws upon social exchange theory to explore the role of impersonal trust as an intermediate value-creating factor between electronic human resource management (e-HRM) and productivity. The purpose of this paper is to seek the antecedents and consequences of impersonal trust within organisations to provide a holistic view of e-HRM and employee productivity. This is the first study to examine how impersonal trust mediates the relationship between e-HRM and employee productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through a large-scale survey of 700 line managers in Pakistani banks. The data were analysed using structure equation modelling.

Findings

The empirical results validate all of the study’s hypotheses, including the role of impersonal trust, which partially mediates the relationship between e-HRM and employee productivity. The results provide empirical evidence that technology-enabled HRM supports organisations by enhancing organisational trust and productivity outcomes.

Originality/value

Such findings contribute to the HRM literature: e-HRM and organisational trust are key predictors for improving employee productivity. The existing literature suggests that e-HRM has a positive impact on employees’ trust in the HRM department. The results provide valuable insights for HR practitioners allowing them to enhance employee productivity by using e-HRM to improve employees’ trust in the organisation.
Business schools’ competitive strategies: whose goals, which aims?
Authors: Ojala Anu M.
Published: May 2019

Purpose

This study reviews the literature on business-school (b-school) competition and competitiveness to extend our understanding of b-schools’ competitive strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Both content and network analysis were used in the examination of the scholarly discourse.

Findings

The analyses distinguish three literature streams. The first concentrates on resources, capabilities and competencies; the second focuses on measures of competitiveness; and the third includes competitive dynamics and strategy discourse. The analysis shows that the conceptions of competitiveness are quite coherent concerning resources, capabilities and competencies. However, in the “measures of competitiveness” and “industry dynamics and strategy,” discourses were more diverse, indicating greater ambiguity in how the core competencies, capabilities and resources are portrayed as competitiveness outside the institutions. The literature suggests that the measures and indicators of competitiveness are ambiguous to external stakeholders and, furthermore, reflect institutional goal ambiguity.

Originality/value

The question of how, and to what extent, increasing competition in management education and research catalyzes unwelcome changes in the industry has been of great concern to management educators and scholars. This has given rise to a considerable body of literature referring to b-school competition. Despite its topicality, this discourse has remained theoretically fragmented and separate from the mainstream strategy literature. Therefore, this study provides a review and critical discussion of the current state of research on b-school competition, as well as proposes avenues for future research and tools for strategic management of b-schools.
Leadership styles and workplace ostracism among frontline employees
Authors: Kanwal Irsa , Lodhi Rab Nawaz , Kashif Muhammad
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine critical associations of transformational leadership, Laissez-faire leadership, transactional leadership, and authoritative leadership styles to predict perceived workplace ostracism among frontline employees (FLEs).

Design/methodology/approach

A snow-ball sampling technique is employed to collect data from 250 FLEs working in the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. The data are collected by means of a self-reported questionnaire.

Findings

All of the hypotheses are supported by the results. The authoritative leadership, transactional leadership, and Laissez-Faire leadership styles are found to positively relate to workplace ostracism while transformational leadership style is found to negatively relate to workplace ostracism.

Practical implications

The managers working in customer service organizations in general and telecom sector in particular should offer leadership training programs to transform supervisors (i.e., in their roles as being the leaders) by re-shaping their thinking as visionary leaders of future. Furthermore, the study has implications to strengthen the communication mechanisms by seeking opinions from FLEs about the leadership styles of their supervisors. This is to ensure that leaders actually transform themselves from being a highly traditional leader to more participative and positive leaders.

Originality/value

The relationships of different leadership styles to study their impact on workplace ostracism and the context of telecommunication service sector of Pakistan are unique to this study.
Microbial “gardening” by a seaweed holobiont: Surface metabolites attract protective and deter pathogenic epibacterial settlement
Authors: Saha Mahasweta , Weinberger Florian
Published: May 2019

Epimicrobial communities on seaweed surfaces usually contain not only potentially pathogenic but also potentially beneficial micro‐organisms. Capacity of terrestrial plants for chemically mediated recruitment, that is, “gardening” of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere was recently demonstrated. Empirical evidence directly linking such chemical “gardening” with the beneficial role of gardened microbes in terrestrial plants is rare and largely missing for aquatic macrophytes.

Here, we demonstrate that our model invasive seaweed holobiont Agarophyton vermiculophyllum possesses beneficial microbiota on its surface that provide protection from bacterial pathogens. Metabolites from the algal holobiont’s surface reduced settlement of opportunistic pathogens but attracted protective epibacterial settlement.

We tested 58 different bacterial species (isolated from the surface of A. vermiculophyllum) individually in tip bleaching assays. Kordia algicida was identified as a “significant pathogen” inducing a bleaching disease. In addition, nine other species significantly reduced the risk of algal bleaching and were thus “significantly protective”. Additionally, two “potential pathogens” and 10 “potential protectors” were identified. When 19 significant and potential protectors and 3 significant and potential pathogens were tested together, the protective strains fully prevented bleaching, suggesting that a component of A. vermiculophyllum’s epimicrobiome provides an associational defence against pathogens. Chemically mediated selective recruitment of microbes was demonstrated in bioassays, where A. vermiculophyllum surface metabolites attracted the settlement of protective strains, but reduced settlement of pathogens.

Synthesis. The capacity of an aquatic macrophyte to chemically “garden” protective micro‐organisms to the benefit of strengthened disease resistance is demonstrated for the first time. Such a role of surface chemistry in “gardening” of microbes as found in the current study could also be applicable to other host plant—microbe interactions. Our results may open new avenues towards manipulation of the surface microbiome of seaweeds via chemical “gardening,” enhancing sustainable production of healthy seaweeds.
An Empirical Analysis of Double Round Auctions
Authors: Kallberg Jarl G. , Liu Crocker H. , Nowak Adam
Published: May 2019

This article analyzes auctions that can feature two bidding rounds for the sale of a single good. In the first round, the seller, after analyzing the received bids, may elect to have k bidders rebid. The highest bidder in the second round then acquires the asset at the highest bid price. We use a sample of 67 properties that sold through this auction process. The 40 hotels in this sample are matched to a control group of 157 hotel properties that were sold in the conventional manner in order to develop a hedonic model for “conventional” sale prices. Using this model, we find that the double round auction mechanism increases the seller's expected revenue significantly: Specifically, in our sample, we estimate that the expected value of a double round auction bid is 8.4% higher than the estimated price if the property were sold using traditional methods. In addition, we show that the average bid is not significantly different from the estimated sale price. We further find (controlling for property characteristics) that the average bid increases by 3.7% from the first to the second round.
Global DNA Methylation and Histone Posttranslational Modifications in Human and Nonhuman Primate Brain in Association with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Authors: Jarmasz Jessica S. , Stirton Hannah , Basalah Duaa , Davie James R. , Clarren Sterling K. , Astley Susan J. , Del Bigio Marc R.
Published: May 2019

Background

Based upon experimental animal studies, the neurodevelopmental abnormalities associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (PNAE)/fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have been attributed, at least in part, to epigenetic modifications. However, there are no direct analyses of human brain tissue.

Methods

Immunohistochemical detection of global epigenetic markers was performed on temporal lobe samples of autopsied fetuses and infants with documented PNAE. They were compared to age‐, sex‐, and postmortem delay‐matched control cases (18 pairs; 20 to 70.5 weeks postconception). Temporal lobe tissue from a macaque monkey model of PNAE was also studied (5.7 to 6 months of age). We used antibodies targeting 4 DNA cytosine, 4 histone methylation, and 6 histone acetylation modifications and assigned scores based upon the semiquantitatively graded intensity and proportion of positively labeled nuclei in the ventricular and subventricular zones, ependyma, temporal cortex, temporal white matter, dentate gyrus (DG), and CA1 pyramidal layer.

Results

Temporal changes were identified for almost all marks according to the state of maturation in the human brain. In the DG (and 3 other brain regions), a statistically significant increase in H3K9ac was associated with PNAE. Statistically significant decreases were seen among 5mC, H3K4me3, H3K9ac, H3K27ac, H4K12ac, and H4K16ac in select regions. In the macaques, H3K36me3 decreased in the DG, and the ependyma showed decreases in 5fC and H3K36me3.

Conclusions

In human brain, global intranuclear epigenetic modifications are brain region and maturation state‐specific. These exploratory results support the general hypothesis that PNAE is associated with a global decrease in DNA methylation, a global decrease in histone methylation, and a global increase in histone acetylation. Although the human and monkey subjects are not directly comparable in terms of brain maturation, considering the rapid temporal changes in global epigenetic modifications during brain development, interspecies comparisons may be extremely difficult.
Methanol Poisoning as an Acute Toxicological Basal Ganglia Lesion Model: Evidence from Brain Volumetry and Cognition
Authors: Mana Josef , Vaneckova Manuela , Klempíř Jiří , Lišková Irena , Brožová Hana , Poláková Kamila , Seidl Zdeněk , Miovský Michal , Pelclová Daniela , Bukačová Kateřina , Maréchal Bénédicte , Kober Tobias , Zakharov Sergey , Růžička Evžen , Bezdicek Ondrej
Published: May 2019

Background

Acute methanol poisoning leads to optic neuropathy and necrotic lesions of basal ganglia (BG) and subcortical white matter. Survivors of methanol poisoning exhibit long‐term executive and memory deficits. Associations between brain volumetry parameters and cognitive sequelae of methanol poisoning are not known. The aim of our study was to identify long‐term associations between the cognitive performance of survivors of methanol poisoning and the volume of the brain structures that are selectively vulnerable to methanol.

Methods

We conducted a cross‐sectional follow‐up study on a sample of patients (n = 33, age 50 ± 14 years, 82% males) who survived acute methanol poisoning during methanol mass poisoning outbreak from September 2012 till January 2013 in the Czech Republic. A battery of neuropsychological tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging were included in the clinical examination protocol. Specific brain structures (putamen, globus pallidus, nucleus caudatus, and frontal white matter) were selected as regions of interest, and their volumes were estimated using the MorphoBox prototype software.

Results

In robust multiple regression models, sustained visual attention performance (as assessed by Trail Making Test and Prague Stroop Test) was positively associated with BG structures and frontal white matter volumes (Wald = 9.03 to 85.50,p < 0.01), sensitivity to interference (as assessed by Frontal Battery Assessment) was negatively associated with frontal white matter volume (Wald = 35.44 to 42.25,p < 0.001), and motor performance (as assessed by Finger Tapping Test) was positively associated with globus pallidus and frontal white matter volumes (Wald = 9.66 to 13.29,p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that smaller volumes of elements of BG–thalamocortical circuitry, namely the BG and frontal white matter, relate to attention and motor performance in methanol poisoning from a long‐term perspective. Disruption of those functional circuits may underlie specific cognitive deficits observed in methanol poisoning.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis in the Australian regional population
Authors: Paleri Sarang , Tham Jodie Li‐Mei , Jin David , Chan Yee Sen , Wright Christine , Baradi Arul , Whitbourn Robert J. , Adams Heath S. L. , Palmer Sonny C.
Published: May 2019

Objective

To compare clinical and functional outcomes of regional and urban patients after transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis.

Methods

Data were collected at patient follow‐up post‐transcatheter aortic valve implantation at 30 days and 12 months. Patients were stratified by residential postcodes into remoteness areas using the Australian Statistical Geography Standard.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Single‐centre tertiary referral hospital.

Participants

Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (n = 142) from 2009 to 2018 were analysed, with 77 patients (54.2%) residing in regional Victoria and New South Wales.

Main outcome measures

Procedural success, adverse event rates, readmission rates, mortality rates, loss to follow‐up and functional improvement.

Results

Patients residing in regional areas had a lower mean age (81.8 vs 83.7 years) and proportion of Stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (1.3% vs 9.2%), compared with urban patients. Procedural characteristics and immediate post‐procedural outcomes were similar between both groups. There was no statistically significant difference in mortality, readmission rates or loss to follow‐up between the two cohorts. Regional patients demonstrated poorer rates of functional improvement at 30 days (50.7% vs 67.7%); however, this difference was not sustained at 12 months (79.2% vs 71.0%). Frailty was demonstrated to be an independent predictor of poor 30‐day functional improvement.

Conclusion

Regional patients treated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis have non‐inferior 30‐day and 12‐month outcomes, when compared with urban patients. Frailty is a predictor of poor functional improvement post‐transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
Prevalence and risk factors for hearing loss in high‐risk neonates in Germany
Authors: Thangavelu Kruthika , Martakis Kyriakos , Fabian Silke , Venkateswaran Mahima , Roth Bernhard , Beutner Dirk , Lang‐Roth Ruth
Published: May 2019

Aim

Hearing loss in infants is often diagnosed late, despite universal screening programmes. Risk factors of hearing impairment in high‐risk neonates, identified from population‐based studies, can inform policy around targeted screening. Our aim was to determine the prevalence and the risk factors of hearing loss in a high‐risk neonatal population.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of neonates hospitalised at the University Hospital Cologne, Germany from January 2009 to December 2014 and were part of the newborn hearing screening programme. Multivariable regression analyses using the lasso approach was performed.

Results

Data were available for 4512 (43% female) neonates with a mean gestational age at birth of 35.5 weeks. The prevalence of hearing loss was 1.6%, and 42 (0.9%) neonates had permanent hearing loss. Craniofacial anomalies, hyperbilirubinaemia requiring exchange transfusion, oxygen supplementation after 36 weeks of gestation and hydrops fetalis showed associations with permanent hearing loss.

Conclusion

Our findings of risk factors for hearing loss were consistent with other studies. However, some commonly demonstrated risk factors such as perinatal infections, meningitis, sepsis and ototoxic drugs did not show significant associations in our cohort. Targeted screening based on risk factors may help early identification of hearing loss in neonates.
Editorial: collagen proportionate area as a prognostic indicator in NAFLD—authors’ reply
Authors: Buzzetti Elena , Tsochatzis Emmanuel A.
Published: May 2019

Linked Content

This article is linked to Buzzetti et al and Ravaioli and Anstee papers.
To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15219 and
https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15249.
Editorial: tailoring mycophenolate mofetil rescue therapy for success in autoimmune hepatitis—authors' reply
Authors: Nicoll Amanda J. , Roberts Stuart K. , Strasser Simone I. ,   the Tapestry Investigators of the Australian Liver Association Clinical Research Network
Published: May 2019

Linked Content

This article is linked to Nicoll et al and Czaja papers. To view these
articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15248 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15272.
Prospective longitudinal study: use of faecal gluten immunogenic peptides to monitor children diagnosed with coeliac disease during transition to a gluten‐free diet
Authors: Comino Isabel , Segura Verónica , Ortigosa Luis , Espín Beatríz , Castillejo Gemma , Garrote José Antonio , Sierra Carlos , Millán Antonio , Ribes‐Koninckx Carmen , Román Enriqueta , Rodríguez‐Herrera Alfonso , Díaz Jacobo , Silvester Jocelyn Anne , Cebolla Ángel , Sousa Carolina
Published: May 2019

Background

Treatment for coeliac disease is a lifelong strict gluten‐free diet. Although guidelines recommend regular follow‐up with dietary interviews and coeliac serology, these methods may be inaccurate.

Aim

To evaluate the usefulness of faecal gluten immunogenic peptides to support the diagnosis and to determine the adherence to the gluten‐free diet in coeliac children.

Methods

Multicentre prospective observational study including 64 coeliac children. Faecal gluten peptides, and tissue transglutaminase and deamidated gliadin peptide antibodies were analyzed at diagnosis, and 6, 12 and 24 months thereafter. Gluten consumption was estimated from gluten peptide levels.

Results

Most children (97%) had detectable gluten peptides at diagnosis. On a gluten‐free diet, the rate of gluten peptides increased from 13% at 6 months to 25% at 24 months. Mean estimated gluten exposure dropped from 5543 mg/d at diagnosis to 144 mg/d at 6 months, then increased to 606 mg/d by 24 months. In contrast, deamidated gliadin peptide antibodies normalised and only 20% had elevated tissue transglutaminase antibody by 24 months. The elevation of tissue transglutaminase antibody was more prolonged in patients with detectable gluten peptides (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, absolute levels of tissue transglutaminase antibody had low sensitivity to identify patients with detectable gluten peptides (P > 0.1). Dietitian assessment was only moderately correlated with gluten peptide detection (κ = 0.5).

Conclusions

Faecal gluten peptides testing may guide treatment of coeliac disease prior to diagnosis and during the assessment diet adherence. Further studies could determine if early identification of gluten exposure reduces the need for expensive/invasive investigations for non‐responsive coeliac disease. ClinicalTrials.gov Number: NCT02711397.
Lifelong learning ecologies in online higher education: Students' engagement in the continuum between formal and informal learning
Authors: Peters Mitchell , Romero Marc
Published: May 2019

Lifelong learning opportunities are readily accessible through the hybridization of digital learning contexts—from formal to informal—in today's globally networked knowledge society. As such, expanded learning opportunities generate a continuum of learning contexts and experiences mediated through digital technology. Consequently, there is an urgent need to actively examine the interconnections and complex relations between what is learned in formal university scenarios and the everyday learning that happens outside of the classroom, particularly the informal learning that is afforded through expanded and emerging digital contexts. The current research problem illustrates that expanded and emerging professional development scenarios require new pedagogical designs for empowering lifelong learners to harness the affordances of the web across both formal and informal contexts and practices. This study outlines ways in which students shape their learning ecologies in virtual contexts to support formal academic learning in online higher education. The paper presents qualitative results from a larger mixed methods interpretive case study. The multicase and multisite study examines three fully online graduate programmes in Education and Digital Technology during the 2017–18 academic year, collecting data in the form of online programme documentation, student interviews and online participant observation. Purposeful and criterion sampling were used to select 13 participants across three sites in Spain, the UK and the USA. The study was underpinned by a lifelong learning ecologies theoretical perspective to analyse learning processes across a continuum of practices and contexts. Findings illustrate how students conceive of, as well as how they organize their learning ecologies through a unique configuration of activities, digital resources and networked social support, indicating that academic programmes and teachers have an essential role in empowering student learning ecologies across contexts, recognizing past trajectories and supporting the development of valued disciplinary practices and perspectives across a continuum of learning.
Free trade and economic growth: The role of talent diversity
Authors: Fang Chen , Kuo Kuo‐Hsing , Lee Cheng‐Te
Published: May 2019

To analyse the impact of the diversity of talent distribution on the equilibrium growth rate, this paper develops an equilibrium growth model with heterogeneous labor. We show that the growth effect after free trade depends on the diversity effect and the trade effect. In addition, we prove that if talent diversity is great enough then opening trade will stimulate economic growth. In contrast, if talent diversity is small enough then trade openness is detrimental to economic growth.
Clinical utility and effectiveness of a training programme in the application of a new classification of narrow‐band imaging for vocal cord leukoplakia: A multicentre study
Authors: Ni Xiao‐Guang , Wang Gui‐Qi , Hu Feng‐Ying , Xu Xin‐Mao , Xu Ling , Liu Xiao‐Qin , Chen Xue‐Song , Liu Lin , Ren Xue‐Lian , Yang Yong , Guo Li , Gu Ya‐Jun , Hou Jin , Zhang Jun‐Wei , Yang Yan , Xing Biao , Ren Jia , Guo Hong‐Qiang
Published: May 2019

Objective

To analyse the application of a new narrow‐band imaging (NBI) classification in the diagnosis of vocal cord leukoplakia by laryngologists with different levels of laryngoscopic experience and to explore the impact of NBI training programmes on laryngologists’ identification of benign and malignant leukoplakia.

Design

Prospective multicentre study.

Setting

Tertiary hospitals.

Participants

Sixteen laryngologists were divided into less‐experienced and experienced groups and received NBI training course. Thirty cases of vocal cord leukoplakia were investigated.

Main outcome measures

Diagnostic accuracy and interobserver agreement under white light imaging (WLI), before and after NBI training, were analysed among doctors with varying levels of experience.

Results

The accuracy in the less‐experienced group was significantly lower than that of experience group (0.59 vs 0.69) under WLI. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy between the less‐experienced group and the experienced group before NBI training (0.75 vs 0.74) and after NBI training (0.79 vs 0.83). NBI training could improve the interobserver agreement from fair or moderate to good agreement.

Conclusion

The new NBI diagnostic classification is helpful for identifying benign and malignant vocal cord leukoplakia. In addition, the NBI training programme can improve the diagnostic accuracy and interobserver agreement of less‐experienced doctors to the level of experienced laryngologists.
Quality of life with or without sphincter preservation for rectal cancer
Authors: Feddern M.‐L. , Emmertsen K. J. , Laurberg S.
Published: May 2019

Aim

The aim of this investigation was to examine quality of life after surgical treatment for low rectal cancer.

Method

This was a population‐based, cross‐sectional study on quality of life in patients treated for rectal cancer from 2001 to 2007. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ‐C30) and a single question on the impact of bowel/stoma function on quality of life were sent to patients who had undergone abdominoperineal excision (APE) or low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer with tumours below 10 cm from the anal verge.

Results

Informative answers were obtained from 898 patients (87%). EORTC QLQ‐C30 outcomes were very similar for APE and LAR patients in univariate analysis. When adjusted for neoadjuvant radiotherapy and gender, multivariate analysis showed that LAR patients had lower global health status (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.03; 1.68, P = 0.026) and higher occurrence of constipation (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.32; 0.69, P < 0.001) and diarrhoea (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.35; 0.64, P < 0.001). Analysis of the anchor question showed that LAR patients had significantly higher negative impact of bowel function on quality of life in both univariate (OR 3.38, 95% CI 2.62; 4.37, P < 0.001) and multivariate analysis (OR 3.71, 95% CI 2.86; 4.83, P < 0.001) compared with APE.

Conclusion

For patients with low rectal cancer, we found LAR patients had worse global health status and problems with diarrhoea and constipation compared with APE patients.