bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A familial case of Syndactyly type IV due to a novel duplication of ~222.23 kb covering exons 2-17 of the LMBR1 gene: a case report
Authors: Shi Lijing , Huang Hui , Jiang Qiuxia , Huang Rongsen , Fu Wanyu , Mao Liangwei , Wei Xiaoming , Cui Huanhuan , Lin Keke , Cai Licheng , Yang You , Wang Yuanbai , Wu Jing
Published: September 2018

Syndactyly is one of the most frequent hereditary limb malformations with clinical and genetical complexity. Autosomal dominant Syndactyly type IV (SD4) is a very rare form of syndactyly, occurring as a result of heterozygous mutation in an SHH regulatory element (ZRS) that resides in intron 5 of the LMBR1 gene on chromosome 7q36.3. The SD4 is characterized by complete cutaneous syndactyly of all fingers, cup-shaped hands due to flexion of the fingers and accompanied by polydactyly. Here, we firstly reported a big Chinese family, manifesting cup-shaped hands consistent with SD4 and intrafamilial heterogeneity in clinical phenotype of tibial and fibulal shortening, triphalangeal thumb-polysyndactyly syndrome (TPTPS). Genetically, we identified a novel duplication of ∼222.23 kb covering exons 2-17 of the LMBR1 gene in this family by next generation sequencing. This case expands our new clinical understanding of SD4 phenotype.
Disturbance observer-based sliding mode control for multi-agent systems with mismatched uncertainties
Authors: Wang Qing , Sun Changyin , Chai Xiaofeng , Yu Yao
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to develop sliding mode control (SMC) methods for second-order multi-agent systems (MAS) in the presence of mismatched uncertainties.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the disturbance observer (DOB), discontinuous and continuous sliding mode protocols are designed to achieve finite-time consensus in spite of the disturbances.

Findings

Compared with integral SMC, numerical simulation results show that the proposed control methods exhibit better performance with respect to reduction of chattering.

Originality/value

The main contributions are the following: MAS described with mismatched uncertainties are considered; both discontinuous and continuous sliding mode controllers are considered; with the proposed sliding mode controller, the desired sliding surface can be reached in finite time and the DOB is introduced in the controller to alleviate the chattering phenomenon.
Two-agent cooperative search model with Petri nets
Authors: Hazra Tanmoy , Kumar C.R.S. , Nene Manisha
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for a two-agent multi-target-searching scenario in a two-dimensional region, where some places of the region have limited resource capacity in terms of the number of agents that can simultaneously pass through those places and few places of the region are unreachable that expand with time. The proposed cooperative search model and Petri net model facilitate the search operation considering the constraints mentioned in the paper. The Petri net model graphically illustrates different scenarios and helps the agents to validate the strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors have applied an optimization approach to determine the optimal locations of base stations, a cooperative search model, inclusion–exclusion principle, Cartesian product to optimize the search operation and a Petri net model to validate the search technique.

Findings

The proposed approach finds the optimal locations of the base stations in the region. The proposed cooperative search model allows various constraints such as resource capacity, time-dependent unreachable places/obstacles, fuel capacities of the agents, two types of targets assigned to two agents and limited sortie lengths. On the other hand, a Petri net model graphically represents whether collisions/deadlocks between the two agents are possible or not for a particular combination of paths as well as effect of time-dependent unreachable places for different combination of paths are also illustrated.

Practical implications

The problem addressed in this paper is similar to various real-time problems such as rescue operations during/after flood, landslide, earthquake, accident, patrolling in urban areas, international borders, forests, etc. Thus, the proposed model can benefit various organizations and departments such as rescue operation authorities, defense organizations, police departments, etc.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the problem addressed in this paper has not been completely explored, and the proposed cooperative search model to conduct the search operation considering the above-mentioned constraints is new. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no paper has modeled time-dependent unreachable places with the help of Petri net.
Unmanned machine vision system for automated recognition of mechanical parts
Authors: Jain Tushar , Gupta Meenu , Sardana H.K.
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The field of machine vision, or computer vision, has been growing at fast pace. The growth in this field, unlike most established fields, has been both in breadth and depth of concepts and techniques. Machine vision techniques are being applied in areas ranging from medical imaging to remote sensing, industrial inspection to document processing and nanotechnology to multimedia databases. The goal of a machine vision system is to create a model of the real world from images. Computer vision recognition has attracted the attention of researchers in many application areas and has been used to solve many ranges of problems. The purpose of this paper is to consider recognition of objects manufactured in mechanical industry. Mechanically manufactured parts have recognition difficulties due to manufacturing process including machine malfunctioning, tool wear and variations in raw material. This paper considers the problem of recognizing and classifying the objects of such parts. RGB images of five objects are used as an input. The Fourier descriptor technique is used for recognition of objects. Artificial neural network (ANN) is used for classification of five different objects. These objects are kept in different orientations for invariant rotation, translation and scaling. The feed forward neural network with back-propagation learning algorithm is used to train the network. This paper shows the effect of different network architecture and numbers of hidden nodes on the classification accuracy of objects.

Design/methodology/approach

The overall goal of this research is to develop algorithms for feature-based recognition of 2D parts from intensity images. Most present industrial vision systems are custom-designed systems, which can only handle a specific application. This is not surprising, since different applications have different geometry, different reflectance properties of the parts.

Findings

Classification accuracy is affected by the changing network architecture. ANN is computationally demanding and slow. A total of 20 hidden nodes network structure produced the best results at 500 iterations (90 percent accuracy based on overall accuracy and 87.50 percent based on κ coefficient). So, 20 hidden nodes are selected for further analysis. The learning rate is set to 0.1, and momentum term used is 0.2 that give the best results architectures. The confusion matrix also shows the accuracy of the classifier. Hence, with these results the proposed system can be used efficiently for more objects.

Originality/value

After calculating the variation of overall accuracy with different network architectures, the results of different configuration of the sample size of 50 testing images are taken. Table II shows the results of the confusion matrix obtained on these testing samples of objects.
The conceptual view of unmanned aerial vehicle implementation as a mobile communication node of active data transmission network
Authors: Kuleshov Sergey V. , A. Zaytseva Alexandra , Aksenov Alexey Y.
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose the basis for the unification of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) group control protocols for the fast deployment of communication network on territories unsuitable for stationary nodes placement.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proposes the application of active data (AD) conception in which the data exist in a form of executable code allowing data packets to control its own propagation through network. The implementation is illustrated for some scenarios of UAV data communication network deployment, i.e., transmission of the AD using navigation functions and dynamic reconfiguration of the nodes.

Findings

The conception of AD expands the range of possible UAV group operations due to on-the-fly adaptation abilities to changes in existing or forthcoming group behavior protocols. This allows the real-time change of data transmission formats, frequency ranges, modulation types, radio network topologies which, in turn, provides the ability to dynamically form the special data transmission networks from a general purpose device temporarily reconfiguring them for data transmission task between transmitter and receiver beyond radio visibility range.

Practical implications

The paper includes use cases for some situation of UAV data communication network deployment.

Originality/value

The paper aims to expand the UAV group control principles by implementing by rapid adaptation to changes in existing or forthcoming group behavior protocols.
Evolutionary-learning framework: improving automatic swarm robotics design
Authors: Mukhlish Faqihza , Page John , Bain Michael
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of proceedings in the research area of automatic swarm design and discusses possible solutions to advance swarm robotics research.

Design/methodology/approach

First, this paper begins by reviewing the current state of proceedings in the field of automatic swarm design to provide a basic understanding of the field. This should lead to the identification of which issues need to be resolved in order to move forward swarm robotics research. Then, some possible solutions to the challenges are discussed to identify future directions and how the proposed idea of incorporating learning mechanism could benefit swarm robotics design. Lastly, a novel evolutionary-learning framework for swarms based on epigenetic function is proposed with a discussion of its merits and suggestions for future research directions.

Findings

The discussion shows that main challenge which is needed to be resolved is the presence of dynamic environment which is mainly caused by agent-to-agent and agent-to-environment interactions. A possible solution to tackle the challenge is by incorporating learning capability to the swarm to tackle dynamic environment.

Originality/value

This paper gives a new perspective on how to improve automatic swarm design in order to move forward swarm robotics research. Along with the discussion, this paper also proposes a novel framework to incorporate learning mechanism into evolutionary swarm using epigenetic function.
The historic wooden model of Solomon’s Temple
Authors: Kersten Thomas Peter , Tschirschwitz Felix , Lindstaedt Maren , Deggim Simon
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Recent advances in contemporary virtual reality (VR) technologies are going to have a significant impact on everyday life. Through VR it is possible to virtually explore a computer-generated environment as a different reality, and to immerse oneself into the past or in a virtual museum without leaving the current real-life situation. For such an ultimate VR experience, the user should only see the virtual world. Currently, the user must wear a VR headset which fits around the head and over the eyes to visually separate himself from the physical world. Via the headset images are fed to the eyes through two small lenses. The purpose of this paper is to present the generation of a virtual 3D model of the wooden model of Solomon’s Temple, located at the Hamburg museum (Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte), and its processing for data integration into the two game engines Unity and Unreal.

Design/methodology/approach

Cultural heritage (CH) monuments are ideally suited for both thorough multi-dimensional geometric documentation and realistic interactive visualisation in immersive VR applications. Additionally, the game industry offers tools for interactive visualisation of objects to motivate users to virtually visit objects and places.

Findings

The project has been carried out by the Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning Lab of the HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany to demonstrate an immersive and interactive visualisation using the VR System HTC Vive.

Originality/value

The workflow from data acquisition to VR visualisation, including the necessary programming for navigation and interaction, is described. Furthermore, the use (including simultaneous multiple users environments) of such a VR visualisation for a CH monument is discussed in this contribution.
Libraries in Internet of Things (IoT) era
Authors: Liang Xueling , Chen Yong
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Internet of Things (IoT) has been widely adopted in the commercial sector. Although IoT enables traditional libraries to convert into digital ones, the implementation of the IoT in libraries is slow. The purpose of this paper is to report on the current state of research on applications of IoT in libraries, describe challenges that IoT applications face in libraries and discus directions of adopting IoT in libraries in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

To conduct this research, the literature of IoT and its application in libraries were reviewed by examining existing literature in Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Xplore.

Findings

The literature review finds that radio-frequency identification has been adopted by digital libraries. The slow implementation of IoT is caused by security and privacy issues, lack of standards and the lack of financial, technological and organizational resources. This study provides a prospective for the application of IoT in libraries; the technologies of IoT have the potential in betterment of library services.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this study is that only IEEE Xplore is included. Other database should be explored in future research.

Originality/value

The application of IoT in libraries is an emerging issue; a systematic and extensive review of recent research on applications of IoT in libraries is unavailable. This paper presents an overview of IoT in libraries, findings and potential research opportunities.
The Global Reporting Initiative: do application levels matter?
Authors: Simmons Jr James Michael , Crittenden Victoria L. , Schlegelmilch Bodo B.
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Widespread adoption of reporting frameworks has contributed to current global practices undertaken by firms to report social, environmental and economic impact. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the most widely used of those frameworks, has produced several generations of guidelines. Their third-generation guidelines (G3), which had the most widespread and long-term use, relied on a series of application levels to convey the quantity and quality of disclosures. The firm’s choice of application level exemplified its corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure strategy. The purpose of this study is to answer the call of scholars for a comprehensive explanation of a firm’s CSR disclosure strategy and suggested researching of the conceptual underpinnings of legitimacy, stakeholder, resource dependence and institutional theories.

Design/methodology/approach

Given this call, a comprehensive model is tested that explores relationships arising from these four major theories and the choice of GRI application levels. The model includes four constructs: non-financial corporate characteristics, firm financial performance, stakeholder involvement and environmental turbulence.

Findings

Unexpectedly, the findings do not show differences with respect to the theoretical underpinnings of CSR disclosure and the GRI disclosure levels.

Originality/value

Despite their widespread use, GRI was concerned that the G3’s application levels could be misunderstood and that the framework needed conceptual improvement. These concerns led to the elimination of application levels with the launch of GRI’s fourth-generation guidelines (G4) in 2013. The findings support the need for conceptual improvement and the discontinuation of the application level system in the G4 guidelines. They also suggest the need for additional research to examine disclosure choices over time, to make understand corporate disclosure strategies.
Australian wine industry competitiveness: why so slow to emerge?
Authors: Anderson Kym
Published: September 2018

Despite favourable growing conditions, Australia's production or exports of wine did not become significant until the 1890s. Both grew in the 1920s, but only because of government support. Once that support was removed in the late 1940s, production plateaued and exports diminished: only two per cent of wine production was exported during 1975–1985. Yet over the next two decades, Australia's wine production quadrupled and the share exported rose to two‐thirds – before falling somewhat in the next 10 years. This paper explains why it took so long for Australia's production and competitive advantage in wine to emerge, why it took off spectacularly after the mid‐1980s and why it fell in the 10 years to 2016. It concludes that despite the recent downturn in the industry's fortunes, the country's international competitiveness is now firmly established and commensurate with its ideal wine‐growing climate, notwithstanding the likelihood of further boom‐slump cycles in the decades ahead.
Egg Yolk Extracts as Potential Liposomes Shell Material: Composition Compared with Vesicles Characteristics
Authors: Kondratowicz Anna , Neunert Grażyna , Niezgoda Natalia , Bryś Joanna , Siger Aleksander , Rudzińska Magdalena , Lewandowicz Grażyna
Published: September 2018

Our aim was to propose simple extraction process to obtain phospholipids along with yolk‐derived vitamins and fats. Five extracts marked as ethanol/acetone, methanol‐chloroform/acetone, hot ethanol, hexane, and cold ethanol were developed and compared. Extracts' compositions were analyzed in terms of phospholipid, polar and nonpolar fraction, cholesterol, carotenoids, and tocopherols content. Further, liposomes prepared from extracts were characterized. The highest extraction efficiency was achieved by a one‐step hexane procedure. However, that sample, in contrast to the other four extracts, revealed distinctively lower permeability when used for liposomes membrane formation. Principal component analysis proved that major components contents were decisive for liposomes membranes permeability, whereas minor constituents’ content controlled zeta potential and Z‐average size.

Practical Application

Liposomes are nanocarriers widely used in pharmaceutical industry. Due to intravenous route of administration, they have to be produced from phospholipids of very fine purity. On the other hand, there is increasing interest in nanoencapsulation of labile, bioactive substances for manufacturing of health promoting food. Unfortunately, high‐price pure phospholipids are prohibitive for food applications. The use of raw material obtained by simple extraction procedure instead of highly purified phospholipids could be an attractive alternative for food industry.
Effect of root canal debridement on inflammatory cytokine levels
Authors: Soh Jue Ann , Sheriff Sultan Omer , Ramar Nivasheni A/P. , Pulikkotil Shaju J. , Nagendrababu Venkateshbabu , Neelakantan Prasanna , Amalraj Fabian Davamani
Published: September 2018

In endodontic infections, inflammatory mediators such as cytokines are released, recruited and retained until the infection is eradicated. Root canal therapy is performed to prevent the spread of infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of root canal debridement (cleaning and shaping) on periapical inflammation by measuring the levels of inflammatory cytokines, Interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) and Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10). The study includes twenty patients with pulp necrosis and asymptomatic apical periodontitis. Periradicular sample was collected using paper points before and after root canal debridement. Cytokine levels were determined by Sandwich Enzyme‐Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Data were analysed using paired t‐test (PASW Statistics 18) (P = 0.05). All samples showed the presence of IL‐8 and IL‐10 prior to root canal debridement. Significantly reduced levels (P < 0.05) of IL‐8 and IL‐10 were detected after root canal debridement. In conclusion, root canal debridement significantly decreased the levels of the tested pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokine in the periradicular interstitial fluid.
Efficacy of different irrigation methods on dentinal tubule penetration of Chlorhexidine, QMix and Irritrol: A confocal laser scanning microscopy study
Authors: Küçük Meltem , Kermeoğlu Fatma
Published: September 2018

The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the percentage of penetration of three final irrigant into the dentinal tubules after application of several irrigation techniques. Mandibular premolars were divided into nine groups (n:10): chlorhexidine (CHX) + conventional syringe irrigation (CI), CHX + EndoActivator (SI), CHX + Er,Cr:YSGG laser (LAI), QMix + CI, QMix + SI, QMix + LAI, Irritrol + CI, Irritrol + SI and Irritrol + LAI. Following irrigation, all roots were horizontally sectioned at 2 mm and 5 mm from the apex and examined using a confocal laser scanning microscopy. QMix exhibited a significantly higher penetration percentage than CHX at the apical section (P < 0.05). In the Irritrol group, SI displayed a significantly higher penetration area than CI in the middle section. Statistically significant differences were also determined between middle and apical section (P < 0.05). Use of QMix with different agitation technique seems advantageous in dentinal tubule penetration.
Gene set enrichment analysis of SNP data in dairy and beef cattle with bovine respiratory disease
Authors: Neupane M. , Kiser J. N. ,   the Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex Coordinated Agricultural Project Research Team, Neibergs H. L.
Published: September 2018

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a complex disease that is associated with infection by bacterial and viral pathogens when cattle fail to adequately respond to stress. The objective of this study was to use gene set enrichment analysis of SNP data (GSEA‐SNP) and a network analysis (ingenuity pathway analysis) to identify gene sets, genes within gene sets (leading‐edge genes) and upstream regulators associated with BRD in pre‐weaned dairy calves and beef feedlot cattle. BRD cases and controls were diagnosed using the McGuirk health scoring system. Holstein calves were sampled from commercial calf‐raising facilities in California (1003 cases and 1011 controls) and New Mexico (376 cases and 372 controls). Commercial feedlot cattle were sampled from Colorado (500 cases and 499 controls) and Washington (504 cases and 497 controls). There were 102 and 237 unique leading‐edge genes identified in the dairy calf and beef cattle populations respectively. Six leading‐edge genes (ADIPOQ, HTR2A, MIF, PDE6G, PRDX3 and SNCA) were associated with BRD in both dairy and beef cattle. Network analysis identified glucose as the most influential upstream regulator in dairy cattle, whereas in beef cattle, TNF was the most influential upstream regulator. The genes, gene sets and upstream regulators associated with BRD have common functions associated with immunity, inflammation and pulmonary disease and provide insights into the mechanisms that are critical to BRD susceptibility in cattle.
Conflict in Jenin
Authors: Forte Tania
Published: September 2018

In 2002, Conflict in Jenin scholars talked about the impact of Palestinian‐Israeli tensions and conflict on the West Bank town of Jenin. Among the topics they addressed were the role the media played in the conflict, reporting on incidents of violence, and the varying perspectives on events in the Middle East. Following their remarks, they answered questions from the audience.
3D‐Printed PCL/rGO Conductive Scaffolds for Peripheral Nerve Injury Repair
Authors: Vijayavenkataraman Sanjairaj , Thaharah Siti , Zhang Shuo , Lu Wen Feng , Fuh Jerry Ying Hsi
Published: September 2018

The incidence of peripheral nerve injuries is on the rise and the current gold standard for treatment of such injuries is nerve autografting. Given the severe limitations of nerve autografts which include donor site morbidity and limited supply, neural guide conduits (NGCs) are considered as an effective alternative treatment. Conductivity is a desired property of an ideal NGC. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) possesses several advantages in addition to its conductive nature such as high surface area to volume ratio due to its nanostructure and has been explored for its use in tissue engineering. However, most of the works reported are on traditional 2D culture with a layer of rGO coating, while the native tissue microenvironment is three‐dimensional. In this study, PCL/rGO scaffolds are fabricated using electrohydrodynamic jet (EHD‐jet) 3D printing method as a proof of concept study. Mechanical and material characterization of the printed PCL/rGO scaffolds and PCL scaffolds was done. The addition of rGO results in softer scaffolds which is favorable for neural differentiation. In vitro neural differentiation studies using PC12 cells were also performed. Cell proliferation was higher in the PCL/rGO scaffolds than the PCL scaffolds. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry results reveal that PCL/rGO scaffolds support neural differentiation of PC12 cells.
Remote sensing of β‐diversity: Evidence from plant communities in a semi‐natural system
Authors: Hoffmann Samuel , Schmitt Thomas M. , Chiarucci Alessandro , Irl Severin D. H. , Rocchini Duccio , Vetaas Ole R. , Tanase Mihai A. , Mermoz Stéphane , Bouvet Alexandre , Beierkuhnlein Carl
Published: September 2018

Question

Do remote sensing signals represent β‐diversity? Does β‐diversity agree with community types?

Location

UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve, La Palma, Canary Islands.

Methods

We recorded perennial, vascular plant species abundances in 69 plots (10 m × 10 m) in three pre‐defined community types along an elevational gradient of 2,400 m: succulent scrubland, Pinus canariensis forest and subalpine scrubland. The remote sensing data consists of structural variables from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and multispectral variables from a time series of Sentinel‐2 (S2) images. Non‐metric Multidimensional Scaling was used to assess β‐diversity between plots. K‐means unsupervised clustering was applied to remote sensing variables to distinguish three community types. We subsequently quantified the explanatory power of S2 and LiDAR variables representing β‐diversity via the Mantel test, variation partitioning and multivariate analysis of variance. We also investigated the sensitivity of results to grain size of remote sensing data (20, 40, 60 m).

Results

The β‐diversity between the succulent and pine community is high, whereas the β‐diversity between the pine and subalpine community is low. In the wet season, up to 85% of β‐diversity is reflected by remote sensing variables. The S2 variables account for more explanatory power than the LiDAR variables. The explanatory power of LiDAR variables increases with grain size, whereas the explanatory power of S2 variables decreases.

Conclusion

At the lower ecotone, β‐diversity agrees with the pre‐defined community distinction, while at the upper ecotone the community types cannot be clearly separated by compositional dissimilarity alone. The high β‐diversity between the succulent scrub and pine forest results from positive feedback switches of P. canariensis, being a fire‐adapted, key tree species. In accordance with the spectral variation hypothesis, remote sensing signals can adequately represent β‐diversity for a large extent, in a short time and at low cost. However, in‐situ sampling is necessary to fully understand community composition. Nature conservation requires such interdisciplinary approaches.
The value of work: Addressing the future of work through the lens of solidarity
Authors: Prainsack Barbara , Buyx Alena
Published: September 2018

Designing the future of work is crucial to the health and well‐being of people and societies. Experts predict that developments such as the advancement of digital technologies, automation, and the movement of manufacturing jobs to low‐wage countries will lead to major transformations in the labour market, and some foresee significant job losses. Due to the close relationship between employment and health, major job losses would have significant negative impacts on the health and well‐being of individuals and societies. Job losses would also pose a major challenge to solidaristic support within societies because they would negatively affect the recognition of similarities among people, which is vital for solidaristic practice and institutions. To prevent these negative effects, a fundamental redesign of the relationship between work and income is necessary. And for this project to succeed, we need to reconsider of the value of work. Building on definitions of flourishing people and societies, we argue that the value of work should not be determined by the labour market, but according to its importance for society. Using a solidarity‐based framework we argue that such a re‐valuation of work will help to ensure social cohesion and increase reciprocity in our societies. It will serve as a foundation upon which we can reconfigure the relationship between work and income without risking the loss of social cohesion and solidarity.
Antecedents of team innovation in health care teams
Authors: Moser Karin S. , Dawson Jeremy F. , West Michael A.
Published: September 2018

We extend previous research on team innovation by looking at team‐level motivations and how a prosocial team environment, indicated by the level of helping behaviour and information‐sharing, may foster innovation. Hypotheses were tested in two independent samples of health care teams (N1 = 72 teams, N2 = 113 teams), using self‐report measures. The examples of team innovation given by the individual team members were then rated for innovativeness by independent health care experts to avoid common method bias for the outcome variable. Subsequently, the data was aggregated and analysed at team level. The study was part of a larger data‐gathering effort on health care teams in the UK. Results supported the hypotheses of main effects of both information‐sharing and helping behaviour on team innovation and interaction effects with team size and occupational diversity. Differences in findings between types of health care teams can be attributed to differences in team tasks and functions. The results suggest ways in which helping and information‐sharing may act as buffers against constraints in team work, such as large team size or high occupational diversity in cross‐functional health care teams, and potentially turn these into resources supporting team innovation rather than acting as barriers.
Asking Children to “Be Helpers” Can Backfire After Setbacks
Authors: Foster‐Hanson Emily , Cimpian Andrei , Leshin Rachel A. , Rhodes Marjorie
Published: September 2018

Describing behaviors as reflecting categories (e.g., asking children to “be helpers”) has been found to increase pro‐social behavior. The present studies (N = 139, ages 4–5) tested whether such effects backfire if children experience setbacks while performing category‐relevant actions. In Study 1, children were asked either to “be helpers” or “to help,” and then pretended to complete a series of successful scenarios (e.g., pouring milk) and unsuccessful scenarios (e.g., spilling milk while trying to pour). After the unsuccessful trials, children asked to “be helpers” had more negative attitudes. In Study 2, asking children to “be helpers” impeded children's helping behavior after they experienced difficulties while trying to help. Implications for how category labels shape beliefs and behavior are discussed.
The impact of preoperative anaemia and anaemic subtype on patient outcome in colorectal cancer
Authors: Tokunaga R. , Nakagawa S. , Miyamoto Y. , Ohuchi M. , Izumi D. , Kosumi K. , Taki K. , Higashi T. , Miyata T. , Yoshida N. , Baba H.
Published: September 2018

Aim

Preoperative anaemia is associated with adverse outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC). To clarify the reason for this we aimed to comprehensively assess the association of preoperative anaemia with tumour characteristics, host systemic inflammation and nutrition status, and perioperative blood transfusion.

Method

We used an integrated database of 592 CRC patients. The association of preoperative anaemic subtype, calculated from haemoglobin and erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume levels, with patient outcome, preoperative serum data relating to systemic inflammation and nutrition and perioperative blood transfusion was analysed.

Results

Preoperative anaemia was significantly associated with poorer overall survival and relapse‐free survival (RFS); in particular microcytic anaemia had a trend to poorer RFS than other forms of anaemia (P = 0.0648). In addition, preoperative anaemia was significantly correlated with right‐sided tumours, greater depth of tumour invasion, use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, poorer prognostic nutritional index and higher modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS). Microcytic anaemia in particular had a strong association with a greater depth of tumour invasion (P = 0.0072) and higher mGPS (P = 0.0058) than other causes of anaemia. Perioperative blood transfusion for CRC patients with anaemia was associated with adverse outcomes.

Conclusions

Preoperative anaemia, especially microcytic anaemia, was associated with poor patient outcomes, possibly due to poor systemic inflammatory and nutritional status, and it was not improved by perioperative blood transfusion. Our data suggest that preoperative anaemia and the anaemic subtype may serve as an easily available predictor of outcome in CRC.
Exercise interventions to improve balance for young people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Maïano Christophe , Hue Olivier , Morin Alexandre J S , Lepage Geneviève , Tracey Danielle , Moullec Grégory
Published: September 2018

Aim

To conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the effects of exercise interventions designed to improve balance in young people with intellectual disabilities.

Method

A systematic literature search was performed on 10 databases. Studies in press or published in English in a peer‐reviewed journal were included if: (1) participants were young people with intellectual disabilities; (2) exercise interventions were designed to improve balance; and (3) they used quasi‐experimental or experimental designs. Studies focusing only on a specific subpopulation of young people with intellectual disabilities or having a specific physical characteristic were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed for randomization, allocation sequence concealment, blinding, incomplete outcome data, selective outcome reporting, and other biases.

Results

The search strategy identified 937 articles and 15 studies, published between 1991 and 2017, that met the inclusion criteria. Exercise intervention groups showed a significant and larger improvement in static (pooled effect size, Hedges’ g=0.98) and dynamic (g=1.34) balance compared with the control groups. However, although the pooled improvement of static–dynamic balance was large (g=2.80), the result was non‐significant. None of the subgroup analyses were significant, except for the improvement in: (1) static balance (higher in quasi‐experimental than in experimental studies); and (2) dynamic balance (higher in young people with a mild vs a mild–moderate intellectual disability).

Interpretation

The reviewed exercise interventions seem to represent an effective means for improving the static and dynamic balance of young people with intellectual disabilities. However, the present findings should be considered as preliminary given the small number of studies and their limitations.

What this paper adds

Exercise intervention results in large and significant improvements in static and dynamic balance in young people with intellectual disabilities.

Exercise intervention results in a large but non‐significant improvement in static–dynamic balance.

Static balance improvement was significantly higher in quasi‐experimental versus experimental studies.

Dynamic balance improvement was significantly higher in young people with mild versus mild–moderate intellectual disability.

No significant differences related to age group, balance measures, and components of exercise intervention were found.
Changes in mitral annular velocities after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation
Authors: Park Kyungil , Park Tae‐Ho , Kim Soo‐Jin , Cho Young‐Rak , Park Jong‐Sung , Kim Moo‐Hyun , Kim Young‐Dae
Published: September 2018

Aims

The early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e′) and mitral E/e′ criteria for clinically evaluating diastolic dysfunction in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are almost the same as in patients with sinus rhythm. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether e′ is useful to assess diastolic function in AF patients.

Methods

Thirty patients who underwent successful electric cardioversion (EC) due to persistent AF and who maintained sinus rhythm for 1 month after EC were enrolled in this study. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed on all patients before and 1 month after EC. Standard diastolic parameters, the global longitudinal strain (GLS), and left ventricular (LV) twist were measured.

Results

Conventional Doppler parameters measured before EC were not significantly different from 1 month after EC. However, the lateral and septal e′ were significantly decreased 1 month after EC (from 12.8 ± 2.5 to 9.8 ± 2.3 cm/s and from 9.5 ± 1.9 to 7.1 ± 1.5 cm/s, respectively, P < 0.001). Likewise, the lateral and septal E/e′ were also significantly increased 1 month after EC (P < 0.001). The GLS was significantly improved from −15.9 ± 2.2% to −19.4 ± 2.4% after EC (P < 0.001), as was the LV twist (from 5.8 ± 1.7° to 9.1 ± 2.4°, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

We demonstrated that e′ was significantly higher in AF compared with during sinus rhythm in the same patients. Thus, in AF patients, diastolic dysfunction should be suspected even when e′ values are normal.
Left atrium function and deformation in very preterm infants with and without volume load
Authors: de Waal Koert , Phad Nilkant , Boyle Andrew
Published: September 2018

Background

Left atrium (LA) function can be assessed by volumetric measurements, conventional and tissue Doppler, and more recently, deformation imaging using two‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE). 2DSTE allows for measurement of volume and deformation and can quantify the contribution of the reservoir, conduit, and contraction phase. A common cause for LA dysfunction in very preterm infants is volume overload with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility and reliability of LA 2DSTE in preterm infants, and describe LA function with and without PDA volume load.

Methods

We prospectively recruited preterm infants <30 weeks of gestation referred for assessment of a possible PDA. A cardiac ultrasound was performed at day 3 and in week 4 of life and analyzed using conventional techniques and 2DSTE.

Results

Forty‐eight infants (32 with PDA) were included. LA 2DSTE analysis was feasible in 96% of measurements with good reliability of strain and volume parameters. Strain rate was less reliable. Poorer LA contraction and reservoir function was associated with larger LA volume index, higher inflow over the mitral valve at early diastole, higher EA ratio, and higher Ee’ ratio. Poorer conduit function was associated with higher Ee’ ratio. A larger PDA diameter was found to be an independent contributor to deteriorating LA contraction and reservoir function.

Conclusion

LA 2DSTE analysis is feasible in preterm infants and provides detailed information on atrium mechanics. Further studies are needed to explore the clinical value of these new parameters in this population.
Ten‐year retrospective review of the incidence of serious infections in patients on biologic disease modifying agents for rheumatoid arthritis in three tertiary hospitals in Western Australia
Authors: Sharma Chanakya , Keen Helen
Published: September 2018

Background

Biologic disease modifying anti‐rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) have significantly improved the prognosis for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, due to their immunosuppressive nature, concerns remain about the potential for infection in patients receiving these medications.

Aims

To evaluate the incidence of serious infections (SI) in a Western Australian cohort of patients with RA who are receiving bDMARDs. The role of confounders including age, gender, comorbidities and use of glucocorticoids was also evaluated. The incidence of SI was defined as any infection necessitating admission to the hospital and the use of antibiotics.

Methods

A 10‐year retrospective review was conducted of all patients with RA who were receiving bDMARDs at three tertiary hospitals in Western Australia. Discharge summaries and all available clinic letters were reviewed and patient demographics and clinical data were collected. Pearson Chi‐squared test and Student’s t‐test were used for comparing demographic factors and clinical variables between the groups with SI and those without.

Results

One hundred and two patients met the inclusion criteria for the period 2006–2016, 25 of whom had been admitted with SI, accounting for a total of 46 admissions. Skin and soft tissue infections were the most common (28%) followed by respiratory infections (26%) and urinary tract infections (20%). The incidence rate of SI was 8.98 per 100 person years. The rate was lowest with adalimumab (5.27 per 100 person years) and highest with infliximab (34.5 per 100 person years). Those with SI were older (68 years vs 60 years; P = 0.02) and had been on bDMARDs for longer period of time (6.05 years vs 4.68 years; P = 0.04). There was no significant increase in length of stay due to co‐administration of glucocorticoids. The presence of comorbidities did not play a significant role in increasing the risk of SI.

Conclusion

Age and duration of bDMARD use were statistically significant factors associated with an increased risk of SI. Comorbidities did not play a significant role in increasing the incidence of SI. Patients who were on both glucocorticoids and bDMARDs did not have a significant increase in length of stay when compared with patients who were just on bDMARDs. More research is needed in this area with larger numbers to draw statistically significant conclusions regarding the role of comorbidities in SI risk and the individual infection risk associated with each bDMARD.
Outcomes of an initiative to improve inpatient safety of small bore thoracostomy tube insertion
Authors: Santos Conceição , Gupta Saurabh , Baraket Melissa , Collett Peter J. , Xuan Wei , Williamson Jonathan P.
Published: September 2018

Background

Intercostal chest catheter (ICC) insertion is a common hospital procedure with attendant risks including life‐threatening complications such as pneumothorax and visceral damage.

Aim

To investigate the effect of a quality improvement (QI) initiative on complications associated with inpatient thoracostomy tube insertion.

Methods

Following an audit of ICC complications in inpatients over a 2‐year period we implemented a comprehensive QI programme. This involved formal training in and mandatory use of thoracic ultrasound, standardisation of the procedure and documentation, a dedicated procedure room with nurses trained in assisting ICC insertion and senior supervision for medical staff. An audit over 2 years post‐implementation of the QI protocol was compared with pre‐implementation results.

Results

A total of 103 cases were reviewed pre‐implementation and 105 cases were reviewed post‐implementation of the QI programme. All procedures following the QI initiative were image guided compared to 23.3% of cases pre‐implementation. The rate of developing a pneumothorax requiring intervention post‐implementation was less than pre‐implementation (1.9% vs 5.8% (P = 0.023). Post‐implementation, there were no instances of dry taps, viscera perforation, clinically significant bleeding or wrong side ICC insertion and documentation improved.

Conclusion

QI initiative applied to thoracostomy tube insertion in hospital inpatients can reduce complications and improve procedure documentation.
Front‐line management of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma in Australia. Part 1: follicular lymphoma
Authors: Trotman Judith , Cheah Chan Y. , Marlton Paula , Opat Stephen
Published: September 2018

Outcomes with follicular lymphoma (FL) have improved in the modern era and median survival is now beyond 15 years. Therapeutic decisions need to consider this increased survival as well as recent clinical trial data and emerging treatments. In this context, we present here current approaches to front‐line management of FL in Australia. Treatment choices depend on the disease stage, tumour burden, the patient's age, symptoms, comorbidities and preferences. Only about 10–15% of patients with FL are diagnosed with early stage disease. For patients with low‐grade, early stage disease, radiotherapy (RT) is recommended. The addition of chemotherapy has been shown to increase progression‐free survival (PFS) but without demonstrated overall survival advantage. For patients with low‐tumour‐burden, advanced‐stage FL, immediate treatment may not be required and we recommend considering active monitoring. For stage III/IV disease that is symptomatic and/or with high tumour burden, established first‐line treatment is chemotherapy in combination with rituximab, often followed by rituximab maintenance. The listing of bendamustine and now obinutuzumab on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has expanded the first‐line treatment options in Australia to include bendamustine in combination with rituximab (without rituximab maintenance permitted) or with obinutuzumab plus 2 years obintuzumab maintenance. In the FL subgroup of the Study group indolent Lymphomas (StiL) trial, therapy with bendamustine plus rituximab significantly increased PFS compared with rituximab in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone, without rituximab maintenance. Initial tolerability may be more favourable with bendamustine in combination with anti‐CD20 antibody therapy than other therapies overall, but clinical vigilance is still required because of concerns of late infectious toxicities associated with prolonged T‐cell depletion.
Some Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Empirical Likelihood Methods for Complex Surveys
Authors: Zhao Puying , Wu Changbao
Published: September 2018

This paper provides an overview on two parallel approaches to design‐based inference with complex survey data: the pseudo empirical likelihood methods and the sample empirical likelihood methods. The general framework covers parameters defined through smooth or non‐differentiable estimating functions for analytic use of survey data as well as descriptive finite population parameters, and the theory focuses on point estimation, hypothesis tests and variable selection under an arbitrary sampling design. Major practical issues for the implementation of the methods, including computational algorithms, are briefly discussed. Results from simulation studies to compare the finite sample performances of the two approaches are presented.