bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of characteristics of audit committee and board on corporate profitability in Iran
Authors: Salehi Mahdi , Tahervafaei Mohammad , Tarighi Hossein
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between the characteristics of the audit committee and the board and profitability among the companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the companies listed on the TSE during the period from 2010 to 2015 are investigated. The Linear panel regression method is employed for this purpose. The independent variables of the study are composed of some corporate governance mechanisms including audit committee size, audit committee expertise, board size, board independence, chief executive officer (CEO) duality, and institutional ownership.

Findings

In spite of the fact that there does not exist any significant association between audit committee size and corporate financial performance, the results indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between audit committee financial expertise and profitability. The authors found that the number of board members cannot affect corporate performance; moreover, duality of CEO role in Iranian companies does not affect company performance. However, the outcomes showed a positive and significant association between the proportion of outside directors on the board (board independence) and profitability at 99 percent confidence level. This implies that the role of non-executive directors in Iran is inconsistent with the stewardship theory. This is due to the fact that independent directors understand the status of business and market better than the board’s executive members. Finally, the results indicated that there is no significant association between institutional owners and Iranian companies’ performance.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will reveal more than ever the role of corporate governance mechanisms for society and users of financial statements because as tools on the CEO actions, they always have to pay attention to the implementation of corporate principles in the economic entity’ operation.

Originality/value

This is one of the most important studies that simultaneously examine the impacts of characteristics of the audit committee and the board on profitability in an emerging market, and the results of the study may give strength to Iranian as well other developing countries.
An investigation of stock market volatility: evidence from Dubai financial market
Authors: Salameh Hussein Mohammad , Alzubi Bashar
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the sources of Dubai Financial Market Index volatility shocks if they are from its own or previous shocks on the one hand, or if they are out board shocks (FSTE and S&P500) on the other.

Design/methodology/approach

A daily time series data were collected over the period 1st January 2014-31st December 2015 and the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) methodology was implemented.

Findings

Empirically, the authors find that the current volatility of Dubai Financial Market Index is largely dependent on its own shocks and part of the external shock; in particular, S&P500. However, other external volatility (FSTE) cannot contribute to this volatility. Furthermore, our findings indicate that Abu Dhabi stock Exchange (APX) affects Dubai Financial Market Index.

Practical implications

These results conclude that Securities Regulation Department in the federal state of United Arab Emirates had captured the effect of outside shocks from the UK only, but not from USA; this is basically due to the strong ties between the two countries. Accordingly, UAE investors seek capital outside their home country within a climate of increasing overseas’ investment options in the UK. More transparency of transactions via information technology will increase the efficiency of Dubai Financial Market.

Originality/value

To the best of the knowledge, this is the first work that shows the external and internal sources of volatility shocks at once; previous studies have focused almost exclusively on one type of shocks. To investigate DFM volatility shocks, the authors employed GARCH methodology; this method is an advanced econometric method and is often a preferred method to depict actual effects because it provides a more real-world context than other forms when trying to predict volatility shocks of financial instruments.
Experience as a source of knowledge in divestiture decisions: emerging issues and knowledge management implications
Authors: Peruffo Enzo , Marchegiani Lucia , Vicentini Francesca
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the idea that experience acts as an antecedent in divestiture and triggers an organisational learning process that enables the divesting firm to convert experience into knowledge, increasing the probability that a firm will undertake subsequent divestitures.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is quantitative. The research project used a case–control design, with a sample consisting of 274 divesting and non-divesting firms. Given the dichotomous nature of the dependent variable, the relations of the research model are tested using logistic regression.

Findings

The likelihood of a divestiture increases when firms have already had past experience of divestitures. Firm performance and firm size act as moderating variables, that is, the learning effects are weaker in firms with better past performance and also in larger firms.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the literature on organisational learning and divestiture. In particular, the knowledge obtained from previous divestitures is positively related to subsequent ones. The results on firm size and performance as contingency factors make it possible to distinguish between the different learning mechanisms in proactive and reactive divestitures, as well as in larger and smaller firms. Accordingly, a two-level framework of experience and knowledge is proposed.

Practical implications

The results are of interest for practitioners who need a better understanding of the antecedents of their strategic actions in terms of past experience and knowledge. The study also offers insights into the knowledge management practices that fit into the proposed two-level framework of knowledge accumulation.

Originality/value

The originality of the study consists in the strong evidence of learning effects in divestitures that it finds. This study augments a promising line of research on the effect of experience in rare strategic decisions, enriching our understanding of the learning mechanisms associated with complex experiences.
A framework for development of advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in glass container industry
Authors: Fachini Ramon Faganello , Esposto Kleber Francisco , Camargo Victor Claudio Bento
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a new framework for designing and implementing simple but effective advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in glass container industry by means of spreadsheets.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual framework for APS system design is developed by integrating principles of end-user computing and mixed-integer programming (MIP). This framework comprises the APS implementation and its integration with enterprise resource planning systems. Such a proposal is applied in a real-world glass bottle manufacturer and its performance assessment is carried out by using metrics of the well-known supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model.

Findings

The case study shows that the framework application can improve the responsiveness of glass container supply chain (SC) as well as reduce significantly SC planning costs. A further assessment of the end-user computing satisfaction highlights the general acceptance of the framework.

Practical implications

The proposed framework can assist glass industry managers and practitioners to solve their complex production planning problem since custom solutions are not available for this sector. Another important implication is the possible generalization of the framework given that MIP models for production planning are currently available in the literature for different industries.

Originality/value

On the one hand, the new framework successfully integrates concepts of end-user computing and MIP bridging the gap between theory of aforementioned areas and their practical applications. On the other hand, the paper contributes to the scarce literature on performance evaluation of APS systems and their impact on production system performance. The novel APS gain analysis based on SCOR metrics ensures that the system potential benefits are aligned with the modern concepts of supply chain management.
Meeting the needs of the Millennials and Generation Z: gamification in tourism through geocaching
Authors: Skinner Heather , Sarpong David , White Gareth R.T.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework based on an understanding of the principles of popular mobile-enabled games, indicating how organisations in the tourism sector could meet the needs of Millennials and Generation Z through engaging with the existing gamified location-based practice of geocaching as an information and communication technology enabled gamified enhancement to the destination experience.

Design/methodology/approach

As a primarily conceptual paper, the authors take an inductive qualitative approach to theory building based on the understanding of an existing practice (geocaching) that is undertaken among a community of practitioners (geocachers), which results in the presentation of a conceptual framework, which is the theory itself that the authors have constructed from the understanding of what is going on and which principles can then be applied across other tourism practices.

Findings

Findings indicate that through engaging with geocaching, smaller entrepreneurial businesses even in non-urban destinations that fall outside of the remit of smart city developments, and in tourism destinations on the less technologically enabled or resource-rich side of the digital divide, can reap the benefits associated with employing the principles and practices associated with smart tourism to meet the needs of this new generation of tourism consumers who seek richer digital and often gamified tourism experiences.

Originality/value

This paper fills a gap in the literature regarding the way many different types of tourism destinations could meet the needs of Millennials and Generation Z tourists.
Mitigating divestment stigma: a legitimation perspective
Authors: Panibratov Andrei , Brown Tashauna
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Foreign divestment (FD) has often different roles such as being a corporate diversification strategy, and of such divestment may have effects on a company’s image and reputation. Ongoing businesses trends including internationalization, deregulation and diversification have forced executives to exploit image and reputation as strategic corporate resources, which make them the target of a firm’s active management. The paper aims at developing the understanding of the framing techniques of discursive legitimation and of the strategies used by companies when signalizing their FD decision.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine the framing strategies used by companies to legitimize their FD decisions, the authors used the case study methodology using a critical discursive analysis. Using companies’ press releases regarding FD of Western multinational companies (MNCs), the authors examined for the specific frame used in each release. After identification through initial coding, the dominant frames were recognized by recording patterns in technique, content, themes, patterns of keywords, quotes and semantic method.

Findings

This study demonstrated that legitimation is an integral part of framing press release. Companies framing of their FD decisions can be interpreted as an attempt to not only prevent negative repercussion from stakeholders but also to legitimize the FD decisions to protect the company’s image and reputation.

Originality/value

By examining the elements of FD press releases, the authors uncovered the microelements of the framing techniques used by MNCs to legitimize their decision.
The interaction of strategy and technology in an era of business re-invention
Authors: Berman Saul , Dalzell-Payne Philip
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The authors extensive field experience and analysis suggests that the traditional strategy approach is increasingly ill equipped for a business environment that is being radically changed by new digital technology.

Design/methodology/approach

They explore some of the ways in which strategy development approaches need to be revised to remain relevant in the world of artificial intelligence, digital reengineering and cognitive computing.

Findings

Digital technology is both a means to tactical advantage and the key to transformational strategic opportunities.

Practical implications

Today’s strategies need to allow companies to proactively discover what is going to drive customer value, and also spontaneously react to changing market conditions.

Originality/value

Re-conceptualizing the future with advanced digital technologies -- “Digital Reinvention” -- starts with working with customers to anticipate and characterize what, how, when and where they wish to engage in the future.
How hyper-collaboration accelerates ecosystem innovation
Authors: Kolk Michaël , Eagar Rick , Boulton Charles , Mira Carlos
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Hyper-collaboration means managing ecosystems not just as candy stores full of opportunities, but as fiercely competitive arenas in which companies fight for the best partners, technologies and networks to create, build and defend added value.

Design/methodology/approach

To address the challenges inherent in the dynamic world of hyper-collaboration, the authors identify the five pillars of ecosystem management and the priorities for implementing them.

Findings

To be successful, establish a clear vision and sense of purpose that guides the ecosystem evolution but is robust enough to deal with rapid changes.

Practical implications

Setting out clear IP principles is important, but it should be based on how best to maximize the overall value of the collaboration to all parties, rather than just protection.

Originality/value

Many of the world’s greatest technological challenges and opportunities, such as urbanization and mobility, are impossible to solve without forming a vast network of private and public organizations that work seamlessly together. Hyper-collaboration implies adopting a mindset that assumes it’s likely someone somewhere in the world already knows what you need to know to address such challenges– and it is unlikely that this person works in your company.
How major corporations are making sense of Agile
Authors: Denning Stephen
Published: February 2018

Purpose

“Agile management” refers to a set of management goals, principles, values and practices that emerged to speed up software. Now its tools and culture are spreading to all kinds of organizations throughout the world—from R&D to top management teams. As some corporations race to become “agile” they can lose sight of the essential ideas and practices of Agile methodology

Design/methodology/approach

In September 2016, a group of large firms came together in New York to see whether they could agree on what Agile stood for in their own organizations. They aspired to create workplaces that draw on everyone’s creative talents and kindle everyone’s potential in workplaces that respect individuals and are highly productive and profitable. The firms involved were members of the SD Learning Consortium (SDLC)—a non-profit corporation.

Findings

As it is being adopted in a wide variety of corporate settings since 2001, the core concept of Agile has evolved.

Practical implications

To be fully entrepreneurial, the whole organization needs to embrace the Agile mindset and function as an interactive network, not a top-down bureaucracy with just a few teams implementing Agile tools and processes.

Originality/value

As Agile is being increasingly adopted by all corporate functions and levels of management it is essential to focus the whole organization on creating value for the customer.
Ethosuximide‐induced Stevens–Johnson syndrome: Beneficial effect of early intervention with high‐dose corticosteroid therapy
Authors: Tachibana Kota , Hamada Toshihisa , Tsuchiya Hiroki , Shibata Takashi , Fujii Kazuyasu , Kobayashi Katsuhiro , Iwatsuki Keiji
Published: February 2018

We report two rare cases of childhood epilepsy patients who developed ethosuximide‐induced Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS). Unlike typical SJS, the initial eruption of both patients presented well‐demarcated, infiltrating firm papules mainly on the cheeks and the extensor aspects of the arms (case 1), and multiple vesicles on the soles and oral aphthosis (case 2), which closely mimicked viral exanthema. We diagnosed both patients with ethosuximide‐induced SJS, based on the dosing period and the positive results of drug‐induced lymphocyte stimulation test. Systemic corticosteroids are usually selected as a standard therapy for SJS, despite controversial results regarding their effectiveness. In case 1, an i.v. pulse therapy of methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg, 3 days consecutively) was initiated on day 7 from the onset of illness, and an i.v. immunoglobulin (400 mg/kg, 5 days consecutively) was added the following day. In case 2, an i.v. prednisone treatment (1 mg/kg, for 1 week) was initiated on day 4 from the onset. Eventually, the early therapeutic interventions resulted in good outcomes in both patients.
Impacts of deforestation‐induced warming on the metabolism, growth and trophic interactions of an afrotropical stream fish
Authors: Fugère Vincent , Mehner Thomas , Chapman Lauren J.
Published: February 2018

In ectotherms, anthropogenic warming often increases energy requirements for metabolism, which can either impair growth (when resources are limiting) or lead to higher predator feeding rates and possibly stronger top–down trophic interactions. However, the relative importance of these effects in nature remains unclear because: (1) thermal adaptation or acclimation could lower metabolic costs; (2) greater prey production at warmer temperatures could compensate for higher predator feeding rates; and/or (3) temperature effects on trophic interactions via altered biological rates could be small relative to other, temperature‐unrelated human impacts on food webs.

Here, we examined effects of deforestation‐associated warming on the minnow Enteromius neumayeri, occurring in both forested (cool) and deforested (warm) streams located inside or nearby an afrotropical rainforest. Combining approaches from physiological and community ecology, we quantified impacts of anthropogenic warming on the metabolism, growth and trophic interactions of this tropical ectotherm. We then compared these effects with impacts of land use unrelated to temperature.

In a long‐term laboratory acclimation experiment quantifying the temperature dependence of growth and metabolism in E. neumayeri, warming increased metabolic rates and decreased growth (at a limited ration). We found no evidence of local (thermal) adaptation, with warming affecting farm and forest populations similarly.

Then, using mark–recapture methods to quantify impacts of warming on performance in situ, we found similar growth rates in fish from deforested and forested streams despite their distinct thermal environments. This suggests higher prey consumption at deforested sites to compensate for greater metabolic costs, which could strengthen fish–invertebrate interactions.

Finally, we developed a bioenergetics model to estimate fish–invertebrate interaction strength and quantify temperature‐related and unrelated impacts of land use on this interaction. We found that although warming increased fish consumption, it apparently increased invertebrate production even more and thus had a net‐weakening effect on estimated interaction strength. Most importantly, variation in both fish and invertebrate density not directly related to temperature had a much stronger influence on estimated interaction strength than temperature effects on predator consumption and prey growth.

We conclude that ectotherms can sometimes offset the metabolic costs of warming with a small increase in consumption that hardly effects food web interactions compared to non‐metabolic impacts of anthropogenic disturbances. Future research should assess whether this is a common feature of heavily impacted ecosystems facing multiple stressors.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Monitoring temporal variations in instrument responses in regional broadband seismic network using ambient seismic noise
Authors: Ye Fang , Lin Jun , Shi Zhaomin , Lyu Shixue
Published: February 2018

High‐quality broadband data are required to promote the development of seismology research. Instrument response errors that affect data quality are often difficult to detect from visual waveform inspection alone. Here, we propose a method that uses ambient noise data in the period range of 5−25 s to monitor instrument performance and check data quality in situ. Amplitude information of coda waves and travel time of surface waves extracted from cross‐correlations of ambient noise are used to assess temporal variations in the sensitivity and poles–zeros of instrument responses. The method is based on an analysis of amplitude and phase index parameters calculated from pairwise cross‐correlations of three stations, which provides multiple references for reliable error estimates. Index parameters calculated daily during a two‐year observation period are evaluated to identify stations with instrument response errors in real time. During data processing, initial instrument responses are used in place of available instrument responses to simulate instrument response errors, which are then used to verify our results. The coda waves of noise cross‐correlations help mitigate the effects of a non‐isotropic field and make the amplitude measurements quite stable. Additionally, effects of instrument response errors that experience pole–zero variations on monitoring temporal variations in crustal properties appear statistically significant of velocity perturbation and larger than the standard deviation. Monitoring seismic instrument performance helps eliminate data pollution before analysis begins.
Prospective Validation and Refinement of a Decision Rule to Obtain Chest X‐ray in Patients With Nontraumatic Chest Pain in the Emergency Department
Authors: Newsom Case , Jeanmonod Rebecca , Woolley Wendy , Shah Nirali , Asher Shellie , Bruno Eric , Silberman Michael , Reiter Mark , Jeanmonod Donald
Published: February 2018

Objectives

The objective was to prospectively validate and refine previously published criteria to determine the potential utility of chest x‐ray (CXR) in the evaluation and management of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with nontraumatic chest pain (CP).

Methods

A prospective observational study was performed of patients presenting to three EDs in the United States with a chief complaint of nontraumatic CP. Previously defined high‐risk history and examination elements were combined into a refined decision rule and these elements were recorded for each patient by the ED physician. CXR results were reviewed and analyzed to determine the presence of clinically significant findings including pneumonia, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, congestive heart failure, or the presence of a new mass. Odds ratios for each history and examination element were analyzed as well as sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (NPV) of the rule overall.

Results

A total of 1,111 patients were enrolled and 1,089 CXRs were analyzed. There were 70 (6.4%) patients with clinically relevant findings on CXR. The refined decision rule had a sensitivity of 92.9% (confidence interval [CI] = 83.4%–97.3%) and specificity of 30.4% (CI = 27.6%–33.4%) to predict clinically relevant findings on CXR, with a NPV of 98.4% (CI = 96.1%–99.4%). Five CXRs with clinically significant findings would have been missed by application of the refined rule (three pneumonias and two pleural effusions). Applying these criteria as a CXR decision rule to this population would have reduced CXR utilization by 28.9%.

Conclusions

This study validates previous research suggesting a low clinical yield for CXR in the setting of nontraumatic CP in the ED. This refined clinical decision rule has a favorable sensitivity and NPV in a patient population with low incidence of disease. Further validation is needed prior to use in practice.
Efficacy and safety of antidepressant augmentation of continued antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Galling B. , Vernon J. A. , Pagsberg A. K. , Wadhwa A. , Grudnikoff E. , Seidman A. J. , Tsoy‐Podosenin M. , Poyurovsky M. , Kane J. M. , Correll C. U.
Published: February 2018

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of antidepressant augmentation of antipsychotics in schizophrenia.

Methods

Systematic literature search (PubMed/MEDLINE/PsycINFO/Cochrane Library) from database inception until 10/10/2017 for randomized, double‐blind, efficacy‐focused trials comparing adjunctive antidepressants vs. placebo in schizophrenia.

Results

In a random‐effects meta‐analysis (studies = 42, n = 1934, duration = 10.1 ± 8.1 weeks), antidepressant augmentation outperformed placebo regarding total symptom reduction [standardized mean difference (SMD) = −0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.57 to −0.17, P < 0.001], driven by negative (SMD = −0.25, 95% CI = −0.44–0.06, P = 0.010), but not positive (P = 0.190) or general (P = 0.089) symptom reduction. Superiority regarding negative symptoms was confirmed in studies augmenting first‐generation antipsychotics (FGAs) (SMD = −0.42, 95% CI = −0.77, −0.07, P = 0.019), but not second‐generation antipsychotics (P = 0.144). Uniquely, superiority in total symptom reduction by NaSSAs (SMD = −0.71, 95% CI = −1.21, −0.20, P = 0.006) was not driven by negative (P = 0.438), but by positive symptom reduction (SMD = −0.43, 95% CI = −0.77, −0.09, P = 0.012). Antidepressants did not improve depressive symptoms more than placebo (P = 0.185). Except for more dry mouth [risk ratio (RR) = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.04–2.36, P = 0.03], antidepressant augmentation was not associated with more adverse events or all‐cause/specific‐cause discontinuation.

Conclusions

For schizophrenia patients on stable antipsychotic treatment, adjunctive antidepressants are effective for total and particularly negative symptom reduction. However, effects are small‐to‐medium, differ across antidepressants, and negative symptom improvement seems restricted to the augmentation of FGAs.
Association between GOLGB1 tag‐polymorphisms and nonsyndromic cleft palate only in the Brazilian population
Authors: Machado Renato Assis , Martelli‐Júnior Hercílio , de Almeida Reis Silvia Regina , Persuhn Darlene Camati , Coletta Ricardo D.
Published: February 2018

Nonsyndromic oral clefts are common congenital birth defects that exhibit variable prevalence around the world, often influenced by population‐dependent genetic predisposition. Few studies have been performed with nonsyndromic cleft palate only (NSCPO), limiting the knowledge of the genetic risk factors related to this type of oral cleft. Genetic variants in golgin subfamily B member 1 (GOLGB1), a gene that is essential for normal murine palatogenesis, were analyzed in this study to establish its potential association with NSCPO risk in the Brazilian population. Five tag‐single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of GOLGB1 (rs1169, rs7153, rs9968051, rs9819530, and rs6794341), which capture the majority of alleles spanning within gene, were genotyped in a case–control study with 270 patients with NSCPO and 284 unrelated healthy controls. The samples were also genotyped for 40 biallelic polymorphic markers to characterize the genetic ancestry. After adjustment for co‐variants, the GOLGB1 tag‐SNPs and the haplotypes formed by those SNPs were not significantly associated with NSCPO in this Brazilian case–control cohort. Our results suggest that common polymorphisms of GOLGB1 are not associated NSCPO susceptibility in the Brazilian population.
Feasibility and validity of frailty measurement in geriatric rehabilitation
Authors: Arjunan Aparna , Peel Nancye M , Hubbard Ruth E
Published: February 2018

Objectives

The measurement of frailty using a Frailty Index (FI) has been criticised as too time‐consuming for use in hospital settings. We aimed to assess the feasibility and characteristics of an FI derived from routinely collected data.

Methods

A total of 258 participants aged 65 and older were included in a single‐centre prospective cohort study conducted in inpatient geriatric rehabilitation wards. The functional independence measure (FIM™), medication count and comorbidities were coded as deficits.

Results

An FI could be derived in all participants. It was normally distributed with a mean (SD) of 0.42 (0.13) and reached a submaximal limit of 0.69. Adjusting for age and sex, the odds ratio of a poor outcome (death/discharge to higher care) was 1.38 (confidence interval 1.11–1.70) per unit (0.1) increase in FI.

Conclusion

Derivation of an FI from routinely collected data is feasible in geriatric rehabilitation settings and is predictive of poor outcomes.
Sovereign intimacies: The lives of documents within US state‐noncitizen relationships
Authors: ABARCA GRAY ALBERT , COUTIN SUSAN BIBLER
Published: February 2018

In the United States, the doctrine of plenary power grants the federal government considerable discretion in formulating US immigration policies. With only limited court review, the executive and legislative branches of government can create or abrogate immigration policies quite suddenly. This produces extreme uncertainty in the lives of noncitizens, who must collect check stubs, bills, medical records, and other documents in hopes of eventually being able to submit them as part of a legalization case. Such record‐keeping practices enable noncitizens to speak back to the state in its own language, thus exploiting opportunities to challenge illegalization. The discretion that has been deemed key to US sovereignty therefore makes not only immigrants but also the state vulnerable as it endows documents with transformative potential. [immigration, sovereignty, documents, vulnerability, intimacy, law, United States]
A politics of respect: Reconfiguring democracy in Afro‐Brazilian religious activism in Salvador, Brazil
Authors: HARTIKAINEN ELINA I.
Published: February 2018

Alternative politics of democracy shape and are shaped by dominant forms of democracy in circular fashion. In 2009 practitioners of Brazil's many Afro‐Brazilian religions gathered in Salvador to develop a religiously grounded mode of democratic politics. Mobilizing a religious formulation of respect, participants in the gathering subsumed government ideals of democratic practice under Afro‐Brazilian religious norms of hierarchy and the social order that they presupposed. These efforts were predicated on an artful combining and adapting of democratic and religious discourses and interactional practices. The Afro‐Brazilian religious politics of democracy that was articulated by this political project did not only reflect religious valorizations of hierarchy but it also established a new foundation for democratic politics in Brazil. [alternative democracy,active citizenship,deliberation,religious activism,respect,Afro‐Brazilian religions,Brazil]
Iron and Infection: The Clinical Evidence
Authors: OPPENHEIMER S.J.
Published: February 2018

Oppenheimer, S. J. (Department of Paediatrics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia). Iron and infection: The clinical evidence.

Iron deficiency is prevalent in childhood in the developed and developing countries. Programs of presumptive therapy, mass supplementation and food fortification have been introduced in many countries. The unresolved debate over the interaction of iron and infection in the clinical setting prompts re‐evaluation of these practices. Situations of iron overload are associated with increased susceptibility to certain infections, although the exact mechanisms may vary with the main pathology. Iron treatment has been associated with acute exacerbations of infection, in particular malaria. In most instances parenteral iron was used. In the neonate parenteral iron is associated with serious E. coli sepsis. In one country, with endemic malaria, parenteral iron was associated with increased rates of malaria and increased morbidity due to respiratory disease in infants. In contrast in non‐malarious countries studies of oral iron supplementation have if anything shown a reduction in infectious morbidity. Methodological problems in the latter reports indicate the need for further controlled prospective studies with accurate morbidity recording if informed recommendations are to be made.
Effects of Exogenous Insulin‐Like Growth Factor I on Insulin‐Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins in a Case of Growth Hormone Insensitivity (Laron‐Type)
Authors: GOURMELEN M. , PERIN L. , BINOUX M.
Published: February 2018

The electrophoretic profiles of serum insulin‐like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) from an 18‐year‐old patient with growth hormone (GH) insensitivity were analysed by Western ligand blotting before and after administration of recombinant human insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I). Under basal conditions, the profile was the same as that observed in all cases of GH deficiency or insensitivity, that is, low IGFBP‐3 (seen as two bands of 41.5 and 38.5 kDa) and enhanced IGFBP‐2 and, to a lesser extent, IGFBP‐L Subcutaneous injection of IGF‐I, 40 μg/kg, provoked an increase in serum IGF‐I levels to close Jo the lower limits of the normal range and a small increase in IGFBP‐3, suggesting that IGF‐I has a direct effect on the synthesis of this GH/IGF‐I‐dependent IGFBP. Moderate increases were also observed in IGFBP‐2 and IGFBP‐4. Repeated doses of IGF‐I over 7 days had no further effect on these changes, which persisted for a few days after the last injection.
Perceptions of Self and Short Stature: Effects of Two Years of Growth Hormone Treatment
Authors: BOULTON T.J.C. , DUNN S.M. , QUIGLEY C.A. , TAYLOR J.J. , THOMPSON L. ,   Members of the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group
Published: February 2018

A cohort study was carried out to determine whether childrens' perception of the problem of short stature changed over 2 years of growth hormone (GH) therapy. A total of 66 children (age range, 5–15 years; mean 10.2 years) were selected on the basis of height below the 3rd centile for chronological age, height velocity below the 25th centile for bone age, prepubertal status, and absence of any organic condition causing growth failure or likely to interfere with GH action. The children were taking part in a 2‐year multicentre trial to assess the effect of authentic recombinant GH on short, slowly growing children without Gil deficiency (GHD). The childrens' and parents' attitudes and emotional adjustment to shortness were assessed before GH therapy commenced, and at 6 months and 2 years, using a growth‐specific psychological instrument, the Attitude to Growth scale (ATG). The children were also assessed using the Piers Harris Children Self Concept Scale at 2 years. The mean ATG scores increased from 34.2 (95% confidence interval, 33.2–35.2) at intake to 37.2 (95% confidence interval, 36.2–38.2) at 2 years. Younger subjects had a greater increase (p < 0.05). No sex differences occurred. Two separate factors were identified in the childrens' attitudes: emotional preoccupation with stature and a concrete focus on practical aspects. No differences were present between childrens' and parents' mean scores, though parents' estimates differed on selected items. The mean Piers Harris score at 2 years was within the normal range, and was positively correlated to the ATG but was unrelated to height. It is concluded that GH treatment may have a beneficial effect on childrens' attitudes to being short, particularly in the younger child. It is recommended that parents undergo careful evaluation before their children are offered long‐term treatment with GH, so that their understanding of their child's perceptions is clarified, and their own hopes and expectations of treatment become realistic and supportive to the child.
Pharmacokinetic Interaction between Faldaprevir and Cyclosporine or Tacrolimus in Healthy Volunteers: A Prospective, Open‐Label, Fixed‐Sequence, Crossover Study
Authors: Huang Fenglei , Voelk Claudia , Trampisch Matthias , Rowland Lois , Schultz Armin , Sabo John P.
Published: February 2018

Faldaprevir (FDV) is a potent, orally administered inhibitor of hepatitis C virus. In this single‐centre, open‐label, fixed‐sequence, crossover study of 32 healthy adult male and female volunteers, subjects received either a single dose of cyclosporine (CsA) 50 mg (N = 16) or tacrolimus (TAC) 0.5 mg (N = 16), followed by a washout of at least 14 days. Each subject then received a loading dose of FDV 240 mg followed by 120 mg FDV once daily for 6 days. FDV 120 mg was then co‐administered with an additional single dose of CsA (50 mg) or TAC (0.5 mg), followed by an additional 6 days of FDV 120 mg once daily. Intensive blood sampling was performed to assess the PK interaction potential. Assessment of relative BA indicated that exposure to CsA co‐administered with FDV was similar to CsA alone. However, the AUCτ,ssandCmax,ssof FDV were increased by 23% and 41%, respectively, when FDV was co‐administered with CsA. Exposure to TAC was slightly increased (AUC0‐∞increased by 27%, no change inCmax) when TAC was co‐administered with FDV. In contrast, exposure to FDV co‐administered with TAC was similar to FDV alone. No unexpected safety findings arose from the trial. The limitations of the study (use of single, low dose of TAC and CsA, and only healthy volunteers in the trial) are discussed.
“Stop talking about my disability, I am a mother”: Adapting video interaction guidance to increase sensitive parenting in a young mother with intellectual disability
Authors: Pethica Stefania , Bigham Katie
Published: February 2018

Accessible Summary

Parents with intellectual disabilities often have their children placed under child protection.

People with intellectual disabilities can find it difficult to access universal parenting programmes and can find it difficult to get professional help for their problems.

Video Interaction Guidance is an approach designed to help parents care for their children.

This case study shows that Video Interaction Guidance really helped a young mother with intellectual disability.

Background

Parenting can be challenging for people with intellectual disabilities. The nature of the parents' intellectual disability as well as past experiences of institutionalisation, insensitive care and inadequate support can interfere with parents' capacity to provide responsive and appropriate parenting to their own children. This can result in parents with intellectual disabilities being investigated under child protection procedures. There is little evidence for parenting interventions to improve attachment in parents with intellectual disability.

Method

This is a case report of “Sarah,” a young mother with mild intellectual disability, whose children were placed on the child protection register. A behavioural video‐feedback approach that focused on Sarah's strengths, Video Interaction Guidance, was adapted to Sarah's intellectual disability.

Results

Sarah demonstrated a noticeable increase in the frequency of sensitive interactions with her children as well as increased engagement with support services and request for more instructional parenting input.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the feasibility of using Video Interaction Guidance with parents with an intellectual disability and offers suggestions on adapting the intervention to suit individual parents' needs. Further systematic research is, however, necessary to prove the effectiveness of this approach.
Mental health care needs and preferences for mothers of children with a disability
Authors: Gilson K.‐M. , Davis E. , Johnson S. , Gains J. , Reddihough D. , Williams K.
Published: February 2018

Background

Mothers of children with a disability are at increased risk of poor mental health compared with mothers of typically developing children. The aim of the study was to describe the mental health care needs and preferences for support of mothers of children and young people aged 0–25 years with a disability.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was used, using an online survey with 294 mothers of children with a disability. Questions were asked about mental health, perceived need for support, barriers to accessing mental health care, and preferences for support. Descriptive and chi‐squared analyses were performed.

Results

High rates of mental ill health were self‐identified in the previous 12 months, with reported clinically significant depression (44%), anxiety (42%), and suicidality (22%). Nearly half (48%) of the mothers reported high to very high psychological distress. Although 75% of mothers perceived a need for professional support, only 58% attempted to access this. Key barriers to accessing support were caregiving duties making it difficult to schedule appointments (45%) and not perceiving the mental health problem as serious enough to require help (36%). Individual counselling was the preferred type of support (66%) followed by professionally guided relaxation (49%) and education about mental health (47%). Support was considered most critical at the time of diagnosis and during medical intervention for their child.

Conclusions

Although mental health problems were common and mothers perceived the need for professional help, several key barriers were preventing mothers from accessing help. Our study suggests that improving mothers' knowledge of when and where to seek help (mental health literacy) may encourage their access to support. There also needs to be more accessible treatment to mothers given the high care demands that are placed upon them.
Important and specific role for basophils in acute allergic reactions
Authors: Korošec P. , Gibbs B. F. , Rijavec M. , Custovic A. , Turner P. J.
Published: February 2018

IgE‐mediated allergic reactions involve the activation of effector cells, predominantly through the high‐affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) on mast cells and basophils. Although the mast cell is considered the major effector cell during acute allergic reactions, more recent studies indicate a potentially important and specific role for basophils and their migration which occurs rapidly upon allergen challenge in humans undergoing anaphylaxis. We review the evidence for a role of basophils in contributing to clinical symptoms of anaphylaxis and discuss the possibility that basophil trafficking during anaphylaxis might be a pathogenic (to target organs) or protective (preventing degranulation in circulation) response. Finally, we examine the potential role of basophils in asthma exacerbations. Understanding the factors that regulate basophil trafficking and activation might lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in anaphylaxis and asthma.
Intrafamiliar clinical variability of circumferential skin creases Kunze type caused by a novel heterozygous mutation of N‐terminal TUBB gene
Authors: Dentici M.L. , Terracciano A. , Bellacchio E. , Capolino R. , Novelli A. , Digilio M.C. , Dallapiccola B.
Published: February 2018

Circumferential skin creases Kunze type (CSC‐KT; OMIM 156610, 616734) is a rare disorder characterized by folding of excess skin, which leads to ringed creases, known as Michelin Tire Baby Syndrome (MTBS). CSC‐KT patients also exhibit facial dysmorphism, growth retardation, intellectual disability (ID) and multiple congenital malformations. Recently, 2 heterozygous mutations in TUBB gene and 4 mutations (both homozygous and heterozygous) in MAPRE2 gene were identified in 3 and 4 CSC‐KT patients, respectively. In the 3 TUBB gene‐related CSC‐KT patients, all mutations fall in the N‐terminal gene domain and were de novo. Mutations in the C‐terminal of TUBB gene have been associated to microcephaly and structural brain malformation, in the absence of CSC‐KT features. We report a 9‐year‐old boy with a diagnosis of CSC‐KT based on MTBS, facial dysmorphism, microcephaly, severe ID, cortical atrophy and corpus callosum hypoplasia. Sanger sequencing identified a novel heterozygous c.218T>C (p.Met73Thr) mutation in the N‐terminal of TUBB gene, that was inherited from the mother affected by isolated MTBS. This is the first report of inherited TUBB gene‐related CSC‐KT resulting from a novel heterozygous mutation in the N‐terminal domain. Present data support the role of TUBB mutations in CSC‐KT and definitely includes CSC‐KT syndrome within the tubulinopathies.
The assessment of online health videos for surgery in Crohn's disease
Authors: Marshall J. H. , Baker D. M. , Lee M. J. , Jones G. L. , Lobo A. J. , Brown S. R.
Published: February 2018

Aim

YouTube™ is an open‐access, nonpeer‐reviewed video‐hosting site and is used as a source of publicly available healthcare information. This study aimed to assess the thematic content of the most viewed videos relating to surgery and Crohn's disease and to explore the viewer interactions with these videos.

Method

A search of YouTube™ was carried out using one search string. The 50 most viewed videos were identified and categorized by source and content themes and assessed for viewer interactions. Video comments were used to describe the usefulness of the video content to viewers.

Results

The majority of videos were uploaded by patients (n = 21).The remainder were uploaded by individual healthcare professionals (n = 9), hospital/speciality associations (n = 18) and industry (n = 2). The median number of likes for patient videos was significantly higher than for hospital/speciality association videos (P < 0.001). Patient videos received more comments praising the video content (n = 27) and more comments asking for further information (n = 14). The median number of likes for ‘experience of surgery’ (P < 0.001) and ‘experience of disease’ (P = 0.0015) themed videos were significantly higher than for ‘disease management’ themed videos.

Conclusion

Crohn's disease patients use YouTube™ as a surgical information source. The content of patient‐sourced videos focused on surgical and disease experience, suggesting that these themes are important to patients. Current patient developed videos provide limited information, as reflected by viewers requesting further information. Storytelling patient‐centred videos combined with clinical evidence may be a good model for future videos.