bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential, challenges and pitfalls of pay-for-performance schemes: a narrative review evaluating the merits for the Australian home care sector
Authors: Veen Alex , Bartram Timothy , Cooke Fang Lee
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This qualitative narrative review aims to identify and evaluate the potential, challenges and pitfalls of pay-for-performance (P4P) schemes for the home care of adults with a disability. Due to a limited experimentation with P4P schemes in the context of the home and disability care sectors, the authors conducted a narrative review focusing on related areas of care, primarily nursing home care, to better understand the effectiveness of P4P schemes as a care intervention and evaluate the challenges associated with the introduction of these schemes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employed a narrative review approach to examine the effectiveness of P4P schemes as a care intervention. The approach included a manual content analysis of the relevant academic and grey literature, focusing on the potential, challenges and pitfalls of P4P for care funders and providers.

Findings

There is some, albeit limited, evidence from other related areas of care to support the effectiveness of P4P to improve the quality of care or the efficiency of its delivery for the home care sector. The results of prior studies are, however, often mixed and inconclusive, due to flaws with the design of schemes, including the nature of the incentives. Limited duration and poor-quality evaluations have further hampered the ability of studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of P4P schemes, which diminishes the credibility of these care interventions. When undertaken systematically, there seems to be some evidence that P4P can work; however, it requires careful design, implementation, measurement and evaluation.

Practical implications

Based on the challenges associated with the successful implementation of P4P schemes, the authors identified lessons for the design, implementation, measurement and evaluation of P4P schemes for care funders and policymakers.

Originality/value

This study critically evaluates the potential of P4P as a care intervention for the home care and disability sectors. By evaluating the potential, challenges and pitfalls associated with P4P in related areas of care, the study provides guidance to home care funders, providers and policymakers in care settings.
Engaging African American parents: insights from a cultural arts after school program
Authors: Brand Brenda , Barksdale Mary Alice , Wallace Tamara , Avent Yolanda Latrice
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Literature indicates African American parents can feel real or perceived discrimination that strains their interactions with teachers, resulting in them feeling alienated from their children’s school.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an exploratory case study of two African American parents, who although guarded in their relationships with teachers, exposed their vulnerabilities to Project ESTEEM faculty as they requested support in resolving behavioral and academic challenges with their children. It is an exploratory case study in that the field notes were taken prior to defining the research question, positioning it as research that sets the stage for a future more comprehensive study. The researchers, as participant observers recorded field notes of events and interactions that occurred. The research question was, “What were the factors that influenced the relationships between the Project ESTEEM faculty and African American Parents? The subquestions were “What were the distinctions of alienation that challenged the parents’ relationships in the schools? and "How were the factors that challenged the parents’ relationships with teachers mitigated in Project ESTEEM faculty’s relationships with the parents?” A constant comparative method was used beginning with open coding, followed by identifying patterns, themes and subthemes reflecting the specific needs of the parents in relationship to the overall theme.

Findings

The stories highlight sociocultural contexts influencing the alienation of some African American parents in their children’s education through an analysis of the relationships fostered with Project ESTEEM faculty.

Research limitations/implications

This case study reports the experiences of two parents from one community and school, participating in a specialized program.

Originality/value

The significance resides in the representation of alternate viewpoints in understanding the alienation experiences of African American parents from schools.
Bidding despite corruption: evidence from Honduras
Authors: Sabet Daniel M.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

In addition to lower value for money and the loss of trust in government, procurement corruption threatens to produce a vicious cycle whereby honest firms self-select out of public procurements, further increasing corruption and decreasing value for money. This paper aims to explore this vicious cycle hypothesis.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a survey of businesses registered with the procurement regulator in Honduras, a country with high grand corruption but low levels of administrative procurement corruption. The study uses the survey to test the effects of experiences and perceptions of corruption and personal connections on perceptions of fairness and intention to bid on future procurements.

Findings

This study finds that experiences with bribery and the perceived importance of personal and party connections undermine perceptions of fairness, particularly for firms bidding with Honduras’s public works agency. While firms that have not bid recently view the process as less merit-based than those that have, the study does not find that perceptions of fairness influence intention to bid in the future as the vicious cycle hypothesis would suggest.

Social implications

This research suggests that even firms that are frustrated with procurement irregularities are willing to tolerate them to access government markets.

Originality/value

The study benefits from a unique survey of businesses on issues of corruption and connections in a challenging procurement environment.
Explaining social networking sites’ use continuance from employees’ perspectives
Authors: Kaba Bangaly
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to better comprehend the psychological elements that drive the adoption of social networking sites (SNS). The paper attempts to explain the reasons why people sustainably use social networking websites in the workplace and how this happens.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey to collect data that was analyzed using structural equation modeling by applying the partial least squares technique.

Findings

The results indicated that SNS use continuance was due more to habit rather than established perceived and normative beliefs such as satisfaction and social norms.

Research limitations/implications

The authors recommend that the model in the study be tested in other technology environments to evaluate the external validity of the research study. The research was based on an unspecific platform, but each SNS may have its singularity that should merit further consideration.

Practical implications

Peers or coworker influences were noticeable in shaping one’s normative beliefs to continue using SNS in the organization. In this regard, it will be interesting to identify the mechanisms that raise the awareness of SNS in the employees’ social networks in the organization. Specifically, it will be an advantage to reach out to peers in promoting SNS use in the organization because they speak the same language as their fellow employees.

Originality/value

Despite several benefits related to SNS use in organizations, studies showed that most of these technologies are boycotted in the workplace. Although extensive studies are dedicated to understanding information and communication technology use continuance in general, this paper aims to inform both academicians interested in the use of enterprise SNS for business purposes and business actors concerned with growing SNS usage and retaining its users in their organizations. The paper will contribute to information systems continuance literature by integrating and extending two major theoretical frameworks.
The influence of green packaging on consumers’ green purchase intention in the context of online-to-offline commerce
Authors: Pan Cheng , Lei Yu , Wu Jiang , Wang Yuee
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework to explore the influence of green packaging on green purchase intention in the context of online-to-offline (O2O) commerce and to discuss the indirect effects of perceived value, perceived risk and green satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

To cast light on the factors affecting consumers’ intention to purchase in the context of O2O commerce, 295 valid questionnaire responses of O2O consumers in China were collected via an online survey. Data analysis was performed based on structural equation modeling.

Findings

The empirical results indicated that green packaging significantly affects consumers’ green purchase intention in the O2O commerce context indirectly through perceived value, perceived risk and green satisfaction. Moreover, green loyalty positively and significantly moderates the effects of perceived value, perceived risk and green satisfaction on green purchase intention.

Originality/value

Research on product packaging has mainly focused on investigating packaging materials, designs, functions and applications but has rarely examined how product packaging affects consumers’ purchase intention in the context of O2O commerce. Moreover, although previous studies have explored the roles of perceived value and perceived risk on purchase intention, they have not investigated the effects of environmental concerns and commerce context. This study attempts to fill these research gaps.
Android application for extractive text summarization
Authors: Hardiyanto Ayi , Fitrianah Devi
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide an automatic text summarization experience using the extractive method within an application implemented on Android.

Design/methodology/approach

Scrum framework is used to keep pace with trends and enhance the development process of this application. The code implementation using Flutter Software Development Kit in client-side and Python with Flask on server-side is aimed to have better integration and maintenance process. The authors had done black-box testing and white-box testing to ensure the application runs as expected for both the behavior and code.

Findings

This application will provide full functionality to perform the summarization process, starting from the input to the presentation of the results of text summarization.

Originality/value

Besides summarizing text, the application is also capable of copying and saving the result into the device.
Screen time-based sedentary behaviour, eating regulation and weight status of university students during the COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Tan Seok Tyug , Tan Seok Shin , Tan Chin Xuan
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the relationships among screen time-based sedentary behaviour, eating self-regulatory skills and weight status among private university students during the Movement Control Order (MCO).

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 186 private university students was enrolled in this cross-sectional study using a combination of snowball and purposive sampling approaches. Anthropometric measurements, including body height, body weight before and during the MCO enforcement were self-reported by the respondents. Screen-time based sedentary behaviour sedentary behaviour was evaluated using HELENA sedentary behaviour questionnaire, whereas the Self-Regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (SREBQ) was used to determine the eating self-regulatory skills in MCO.

Findings

Respondents spent most of the time on the internet for non-study purposes (148 ± 77.7 min). It is also noted that 64.5% of the respondents had medium eating self-regulatory skill during the MCO, with an average score of 3.0 ± 0.5. Findings from path analysis confirmed that poor eating self-regulation significantly contributed to the weight gain during home confinement (ß = −0.24, p = 0.01). In conclusion, eating self-regulation, but not total screen time, emerged as the determinant for weight gain during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Originality/value

According to the authors’ knowledge, this study was among the few that investigated sedentary behaviour, eating self-regulatory skills and weight status of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preparation and characterization of novel Yellow-Green fluorescent polymerizable dye and its copolymer with application of highly selective sensor for cations iron
Authors: Shaki Hanieh
Published: August 2021

Purpose

In this work, A new 4–(2-aminoethylene) amino-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,8-naphthalimide with intense green fluorescent was synthesized. This low molecular weight compound was immobilized by forming a covalent-bond with an acrylonitrile polymer containing carboxylic acid groups. The new prepared dye and self-coloured polymer were characterized by analytical techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

The synthesized compounds were characterized by TLC, DSC, FTIR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, GPC, UV–visible and Fluorometery. The photophysical characteristics of the dye and polymer containing naphthalimide moiety in the side chain, were measured both in the absence and in the presence of Ag+, Cd+2, Co+2, Cr+3, Cu+2, Fe+3, Hg+2, Ni+2, Pb+2 and Zn+2 cations.

Findings

The results showed that the characterization of the synthesized dye and its polymer verified their structural correctness. It is shown that dye and polymer are photo-induced electron transfer (PET) fluorescent sensors which exhibit fluorescence quenching in the presence of metal ions. Among the various metal ions, both dye and polymer are more sensitive to Fe+3 cations.

Originality/value

This study is original. A 4–(2-aminoethylene) amino-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,8-naphthalimide and its self-coloured polymer were synthesized for the first time, successfully.
Removal of reactive orange 16 with nZVI-activated carbon/Ni: optimization by Box-Behnken design and performance prediction using artificial neural networks
Authors: Seyedi Maryam Sadat , Sohrabi Mahmoud Reza , Motiee Fereshteh , Mortazavinik Saeid
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze nano zero-valent iron (nZVI)-activated carbon/Nickel (nZVI-AC/Ni) by a novel method. The synthesized adsorbent was used to degrade reactive orange 16 (RO 16) azo dye.

Design/methodology/approach

The optimum conditions for the highest removal of RO 16 dye were determined. Characterization of nZVI-AC/Ni was done by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The nZVI-AC/Ni were used for the removal of dye RO 16 and the parameters affecting were discussed such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and concentration of dye. To investigate the variables and interaction between them, an analysis of variance test was performed.

Findings

The characterization results show that the synthesis of nZVI-AC/Ni caused no aggregation of nanoparticles. The maximum dye removal efficiency of 99.45% occurred at pH 4, the adsorbent dosage = 0.1 gL-1 and the dye concentration of 10 mgL-1. Among various algorithms of feed-forward backpropagation neural network, Levenberg–Marquardt with mean square error (MSE) = 9.86 × 10–22 in layer = 5 and the number of neurons = 9 was selected as the best algorithm. On the other hand, the MSE of the radial basis function model was 0.2159 indicating the good ability of the model to predict the percentage of dye removal.

Originality/value

There are two main innovations. One is that the novel nZVI-AC/Ni was prepared successfully. The other is that the optimized conditions were obtained for the removal of RO 16 dye from an aqueous solution. Furthermore, to the best of the knowledge, no study has ever investigated the removal of RO 16 by nZVI-AC/Ni produced.
Student satisfaction on the implementation of the online undergraduate thesis examination: a PLS-SEM analysis
Authors: Astuti Sri , Rukmana Diki
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The covid-19 pandemic that hit the world has caused several changes in the higher education service sector, including the implementation of the undergraduate thesis examination, where direct interaction between students and examiners is avoided and replacing it with an online bachelor thesis exam. This study aims to develop a conceptual model regarding the variables that can affect student satisfaction with the quality of the implementation of online undergraduate thesis examinations in higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

The research instrument consisted of 22 survey questions distributed to 583 students taking the thesis trial examination in the even semester of 2019/2020 who came from 12 different study programs. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted to analyze the validity of the instrument and test the hypothesis. The results of the analysis show that the 22 instrument items used have been determined by sufficient variables to check the structure of each.

Findings

SEM analysis results show that the three hypothesized variables (study program service, examiner performance and quality of video conference applications) positively and significantly affect the level of student satisfaction with the online undergraduate thesis examination 0.187, 0.177 and 0.177, respectively. The total effect of these three factors is 0.737.

Research limitations/implications

This finding is a reference for those who want to improve the quality of the online undergraduate thesis examination in higher education.

Originality/value

As the online thesis examination was implemented in higher education in Indonesia as a result of the implementation of the study and work at home policy by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, it is important to conduct research on the implementation of online thesis exams in Indonesia, especially to study the conceptual model of variables affect student satisfaction with the implementation of the online thesis exam. Because even though the implementation of online thesis exams on a large scale is new to some higher education in Indonesia.
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation towards the online component of blended learning in accounting education: evidence from a Malaysian public university
Authors: Liu Tingting , Zainuddin Suria
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore the extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors that affect accounting students’ acceptance behaviour towards the online component of blended learning (OCBL) in the context of COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 354 accounting students from a Malaysian public university was selected. Confirmatory factor analysis, correlation and regression analysis and an independent sample t-test were used for data analysis.

Findings

The results showed that the predictor motivational variables in this study affected the acceptance behaviour of the participants except for perceived ease of use. Moreover, perceived value appeared to be the most influential factor. The results also indicated that postgraduates tend to accept the OCBL more than undergraduates.

Research limitations/implications

As the study participants were from only one public Malaysian university, generalisability is limited. In addition, this study only focussed on accounting students who were already enrolled in blended learning courses. Future studies could expand the population by considering those who have not signed up for such courses. Nevertheless, this study offers many theoretical and practical implications.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the OCBL literature, especially in accounting education, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also offers practical suggestions for educational institutions and technology system designers to expand on the usage of OCBL and improve users’ acceptance of it.
Soft law, institutional signalling – Thai corporate environmental disclosures
Authors: Wichianrak Jittima , Wong Karen , Khan Tehmina , Siriwardhane Pavithra , Dellaportas Steven
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of soft law and institutional signalling on voluntary reporting of environmentally sensitive companies in Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

Environmental disclosures in annual reports and sustainability reports of 108 listed companies for the years 2010–2014 were analysed using a checklist of un-weighted scores combined with panel data modelling.

Findings

The results show increasing trends of voluntary reporting dominated by disclosures on emissions data. Thai sustainability reporting guidelines released in 2012 were found to have a significant effect on the amount of disclosures of companies in the agriculture and food sector only. Results show that the age of the company and media attention have a significant positive relationship with environmental disclosures. Profitability is found to have a negative relationship with the level of environmental disclosures.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds to existing environmental reporting literature from the perspective of soft law and institutional signalling and their impact on environmental reporting in the context of an economically developing, environmentally sensitive and in a Buddhist cultural setting country, Thailand.

Originality/value

This paper looks at Thai environmental disclosures from the perspective of soft law and institutional signalling, which is an original and unique contribution to CSR literature, considered through the lens of institutional legitimacy.
Reflection coefficients of P‐waves in partially saturated fractured media
Authors: Wang Kang , Peng Suping , Lu Yongxu , Cui Xiaoqin
Published: August 2021

Wave‐induced fluid flow, an important mechanism in seismic wave attenuation, is considered in the amplitude variation with the offset technique. In a fractured marine carbonate reservoir, fractures and pores develop simultaneously, such that wave‐induced flow is an important mechanism in attenuation caused by the fluid flow between pores as well as between pores and fractures. However, these two types of attenuation are typically investigated separately or studies assume that the pores and fractures are dry or saturated by the same fluid. Rock pores are usually saturated by a mixture of two or more fluids, such that the fracture and pore filling fluids may be different. During variation with offset reservoir prediction and fluid identification, the influence that the porosity, fracture, and fluid have on the P‐wave reflection coefficient should be considered. The patchy saturation model can describe the seismic wave dissipation caused by the wave‐induced flow between pore fluids, whereas the Norris model can describe seismic wave dissipation caused by the fluid flow between fractures and pores. This study considers both the patchy saturation model and Norris model to calculate the amplitude variation with the offset P‐wave reflection coefficient under different conditions. Combining the saturation and Norris models forms a new model, which is regarded as a transversely isotropic medium with a vertical symmetric axis, and can be extended to any incident angle through the relaxation function and the high‐ and low‐frequency elastic limits of the stiffness tensor, where the complete effective stiffness tensor of the new model can be obtained. Finally, the amplitude variation with offset reservoir technology is used to determine the influence of model parameters on the reflection coefficient of P‐waves under different angles and frequencies, including fracture weakness, fluid saturation and pore fluid saturation.
Young people, living in care and adopted, talk about their experiences of receiving an NHS therapeutic intervention. Qualitative research analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Authors: Herring Nicola
Published: August 2021

This study explores the views and experiences of young people, adopted and in the care of a local authority who had received a therapeutic intervention from an NHS Attachment and Trauma Specialist Agency. Three children were interviewed, aged between 10 and 14 years, using semi‐structured interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The analysis of the results met with the findings in the literature that young people want to have access to non‐judgmental therapy which both meets their needs and is creative. Recommendations for clinicians include giving adequate preparatory information and ensuring on‐going collaboration with young people receiving therapeutic interventions through the use of on‐going feedback about what works for them.

Practitioner points

Practitioners should consider carefully how young people in public care are 'invited' to therapy, and give adequate pre‐session information to help to reduce anxiety.

Children and young people in public care engaging in therapy prefer a practitioner style which is creative, playful and enjoyable.

A systemic framework can be integrated with attachment and trauma focused models of intervention.
Habitus and climate change: Exploring support and resistance to sustainable welfare and social–ecological transformations in Sweden
Authors: Fritz Martin , Koch Max , Johansson Håkan , Emilsson Kajsa , Hildingsson Roger , Khan Jamil
Published: August 2021

We explore peoples' dispositions and practices with regard to social–ecological transformations based on a sustainable welfare policy strategy in Sweden. We draw on Bourdieu's concept of habitus to highlight the relations between social positions, dispositions, and position‐takings. Using data from an own survey, we identify habitus types and place these in the space of social positions. We apply principal component analysis to a large set of questions about social, ecological, and climate change related topics and identify eight underlying eco–social dispositions. These are used for cluster analyses that find typical constellations of eco–social dispositions within the Swedish population: variants of eco–social habitus. We find seven habitus types and describe their social characteristics, political preferences, and practices. Finally, the seven habitus are plotted onto the map of social positions, the Bourdieusian social space, highlighting their relations—proximities, tensions, and contestations—to each other. We find evidence that political struggles around social–ecological transformations reproduce existing social structures but are also connected to new “eco–social” divisions that appear between groups in similar positions. In the conclusion we discuss the implications for social–ecological transformations based on sustainable welfare.
Women's experiences of early pregnancy assessment unit services: a qualitative investigation
Authors: Hall JA , Silverio SA , Barrett G , Memtsa M , Goodhart V , Bender‐Atik R , Stephenson J , Jurkovic D
Published: August 2021

Objective

To explore the experiences of women who had used an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) service in the UK and make recommendations for their improvement.

Design

Qualitative interview study.

Setting

Early Pregnancy Assessment Units in the UK.

Sample

A maximum variation sample of women who had consented to be interviewed having attended one of 26 EPAUs involved in the VESPA study in 2018.

Methods

In‐depth telephone interviews with 38 women. A thematic framework analysis was conducted, with a focus on how experiences varied according to EPAU service configuration and clinical pathway.

Main outcome measures

Women's experiences of EPAU services.

Results

We found that EPAUs are highly valued, and women's experiences were generally positive. However, women reported a range of issues that negatively affected their experience. These included difficulties accessing the service, insensitive management of the investigation and treatment options of pregnancy loss, poor communication, insufficient information and a lack of support for their psychological health. These issues were not strongly associated with EPAU configuration or clinical pathway.

Conclusions

Recommendations to improve women's experiences include the separation of EPAUs from general maternity services, and we make suggestions on how to remove barriers to access by reviewing opening hours, how to provide sensitive patient management, such as automatically cancelling appointments and scans following pregnancy loss, and how to improve communication, both with women and their partners as well as with other parts of the health service.

Tweetable abstract

Early Pregnancy Assessment Units are highly valued by women but aspects of their care experiences, particularly around sensitive management of pregnancy loss, could be improved.
The joy of gratifications: Promotion as a short‐term boost or long‐term success – The same for women and men?
Authors: Otto Siegmar , Dekker Vincent , Dekker Hannah , Richter David , Zabel Sarah
Published: August 2021

Job satisfaction helps create a committed workforce with many positive effects, such as increased organisational citizenship behaviour and reduced absenteeism. In turn, job satisfaction can be increased through gratifications, such as wage increases and promotions. But human satisfaction is prone to being governed by the homeostatic principle and will eventually return to the individual's base level. Thus, we longitudinally examined the effects of promotions to managerial positions and pay raises on job satisfaction across a period of 27 years. Our analyses were based on a large‐scale representative German panel (N = 5978 observations) that allowed us to separate the effect of a promotion from the effect of the corresponding wage increase. We found that promotions positively affected job satisfaction in the short term but diminished after 1 year. Furthermore, the influence of a promotion on job satisfaction was more pronounced for men than for women.
Choledocholithiasis: Long‐term follow‐up in patients without stone clearance at first endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
Authors: Kourounis Georgios , Gall Lewis S. , McArthur Donald , Gibson Simon , Glen Paul
Published: August 2021

Objectives

Complete clearance during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for choledocholithiasis is not always successful and biliary stenting is commonplace. Strategies vary between temporary stent placement (TSP) with interval ERCP or permanent stent placement (PSP) and watchful waiting for recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO). This study aimed to describe outcomes in these two groups and stent patency rates in PSP.

Methods

Patients with incomplete clearance at first ERCP for choledocholithiasis between May 2015 and December 2018 were identified. Clinical outcomes were obtained by retrospective interrogation of the case notes. Median follow‐up duration was 41 months (interquartile range 29‐51 mo).

Results

Of 1263 index ERCP, 199 (15.8%) had no stone clearance, with 53.3% receiving PSP and 46.7% undergoing TSP. The TSP group had repeat ERCP after a median of 8 weeks; 75.3% had clearance on a repeat ERCP. The PSP group was elder than the TSP group (82 y vs 72 y, P < 0.001). The rates of RBO (32.1% vs 16.1%) and emergency readmissions (32.1% vs 19.4%) were higher in the PSP group (both P < 0.05). More patients died without further biliary disease in the PSP group (39.6% vs 12.9%, P = 0.001). PSP stent patency rates at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 61 months were 87.7%, 82.1%, 75.5%, 69.8% and 67.9%, respectively.

Conclusions

Though PSP had higher RBO and emergency readmissions, two‐thirds of patients either died or survived without recurrent biliary disease. Stent patency decreased fastest in the first 12 months. Criteria to guide decision‐making for biliary stenting remain unclear.
Coincidental splenic irradiation and risk of functional hyposplenism in oesophageal cancer treatment
Authors: Ellis Rachel , Cole Aidan J , O’Hare Jolyne , Whitten Glenn , Crowther Karen , Harrison Claire
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) and radical radiotherapy are central to the management of distal oesophageal carcinoma. This study sought to establish whether the spleen receives a significant incidental radiation dose when treating distal oesophageal carcinoma with the standardised dCRT or radical radiotherapy doses.

Methods

In this single‐centre retrospective study, all patients (n = 34) with distal oesophageal cancer, treated with either dCRT or radical radiotherapy over an 18‐month period using a volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) planning technique, were included. The median age was 74 years old: 56% were male; 50% (n = 17) had adenocarcinoma and 41% (n = 14) had squamous carcinoma. The majority (79%) received dCRT with a prescribed dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions while the other 21% of patients were treated with radical radiotherapy alone (55 Gy in 20 fractions). The spleen was retrospectively contoured by one physician, and the V10 Gy and mean splenic dose (MSD) were calculated using Eclipse planning software.

Results

The median MSD was 14.4 Gy with a range of 0.75–28.3 Gy. The median V10 Gy was 62.7%. Of the cohort, 67.6% received an MSD of more than 10 Gy.

Conclusions

Two‐thirds of the patients received a dose of more than the 10 Gy. A review of the literature suggests that higher splenic radiation doses may increase the long‐term risk of infection and impact on other outcomes. This study provides important evidence that the spleen receives a significant dose of radiation when treating distal oesophageal cancer and should be considered as an organ at risk.
Transposable element annotation in non‐model species: The benefits of species‐specific repeat libraries using semi‐automated EDTA and DeepTE de novo pipelines
Authors: Bell Ellen A. , Butler Christopher L. , Oliveira Claudio , Marburger Sarah , Yant Levi , Taylor Martin I.
Published: August 2021

Transposable elements (TEs) are significant genomic components which can be detected either through sequence homology against existing databases or de novo, with the latter potentially reducing the risk of underestimating TE abundance. Here, we describe the semi‐automated generation of a de novo TE library using the newly developed EDTA pipeline and DeepTE classifier in a non‐model teleost (Corydoras fulleri). Using both genomic and transcriptomic data, we assess this de novo pipeline's performance across four TE based metrics: (i) abundance, (ii) composition, (iii) fragmentation, and (iv) age distributions. We then compare the results to those found when using a curated teleost library (Danio rerio). We identify quantitative differences in these metrics and highlight how TE library choice can have major impacts on TE‐based estimates in non‐model species.
Immune‐mediated thrombocytopenia induced with durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy in a non‐small cell lung cancer patient: A case report
Authors: Makiguchi Tomonori , Tanaka Hisashi , Kamata Kosuke , Taima Kageaki , Kurose Akira , Tasaka Sadatomo
Published: August 2021

We describe a case of a 60‐year‐old man with a prolonged thrombocytopenia during a durvalumab maintenance therapy after chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced non‐small cell lung carcinoma. Bone marrow specimen was normoplastic with the marked megakaryocyte depletion, which was assumed to be an acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura. Although hematological disorders as immune‐related adverse events (irAE) are rare, we should pay more attention to hematological disorders with durvalumab especially after concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
Electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy‐guided dye marking to identify the subsegmental bronchus in thoracoscopic anatomic subsegmentectomy
Authors: Xu Rongjian , Zhao Min , Zhao Yandong , Xuan Yunpeng , Qin Yi , Jiao Wenjie
Published: August 2021

Video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) subsegmentectomy has been widely used to resect small‐sized lung lesions in clinical practice. Precise identification of the subsegmental bronchus is one of the essential steps in performing thoracoscopic anatomic subsegmentectomy. Here, we report a thoracoscopic right S2a segmentectomy with preoperative electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy (ENB)‐guided injection of methylene blue to identify the subsegmental bronchus in a 51‐year‐old male. We successfully performed complicated surgery using this method. This ENB‐guided dye marking method may accurately distinguish the subsegmental bronchus to effectively guide surgery.
Atraumatic restorative treatment restorations performed in different settings: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Garbim Jonathan Rafael , Laux Caroline Mariano , Tedesco Tamara Kerber , Braga Mariana Minatel , Raggio Daniela Prócida
Published: August 2021

Background

There are potential barriers to using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach in conventional dental offices, as many professionals assume that it is only used for field conditions. This systematic review and meta‐analysis evaluated the survival data of ART restorations in permanent and primary teeth when performed in and out of the conventional environment.

Methods

Searches were performed on PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Open Grey databases up to April 2020. Studies that evaluated ART restorations were prospective and had survival rate data were included. The risk of bias was evaluated by Rob 2.0 and ROBINS‐I tools. Meta‐analyses were carried out considering as outcome the survival rate of primary and permanent teeth. Subgroups analysis was performed for setting and type of cavity (occlusal or multi‐surface).

Results

Thirty‐four studies were included. For primary teeth, in general, the overall percentage of survival rate was not influenced by setting, ranging up to 71% in 12 months to 65% in 36 months. Similarly, for permanent teeth, the overall percentage of survival rate was not influenced by setting, ranging up to 96% in 12 months to 61% in 36 months.

Conclusion

ART is a feasible approach for field settings as well as conventional dental offices.

PROSPERO: CRD42020184680.
A new era of atopic eczema research: Advances and highlights
Authors: Hülpüsch Claudia , Weins Andreas B. , Traidl‐Hoffmann Claudia , Reiger Matthias
Published: August 2021

Atopic eczema (AE) is an inflammatory skin disease with involvement of genetic, immunological and environmental factors. One hallmark of AE is a skin barrier disruption on multiple, highly interconnected levels: filaggrin mutations, increased skin pH and a microbiome dysbiosis towards Staphylococcus aureus overgrowth are observed in addition to an abnormal type 2 immune response. Extrinsic factors seem to play a major role in the development of AE. As AE is a first step in the atopic march, its prevention and appropriate treatment are essential. Although standard therapy remains topical treatment, powerful systemic treatment options emerged in the last years. However, thorough endotyping of the individual patients is still required for ideal precision medicine approaches in future. Therefore, novel microbial and immunological biomarkers were described recently for the prediction of disease development and treatment response. This review summarizes the current state of the art in AE research.
Morbidity following thyroid and parathyroid surgery: Results from key performance indicator assessment at a high‐volume centre in New Zealand
Authors: Lin Jin Xin , Wen Daniel , Sharma Avinash , van der Werf Bert , Martin Richard C.W. , Harman Richard
Published: August 2021

Background

Complications following thyroid/parathyroid surgery include recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury, hypocalcaemia and return to theatre for haematoma evacuation. Rates of these form the basis of key performance indicators (KPI). An endocrine database, containing results from 1997, was established at the North Shore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. We aimed to measure complication rates by procedure (thyroid and parathyroid), explore a temporal change in our unit and compare our results against international literature.

Methods

A retrospective review of the database between July 1997 and February 2020 was performed. The results for each KPI were analysed in total and over consecutive time periods. A review of the literature was carried out to find international complication rates for comparison. A cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis was performed to give visual feedback on performance.

Results

There were 1062 thyroidectomies and 336 parathyroidectomies from July 1997 to February 2020. Thyroid surgery results found rates of temporary/permanent RLN injury of 1.9%/0.3%, temporary/permanent hypocalcaemia of 22.3/2.5%, and return to theatre for haematoma evacuation of 1.1%. Parathyroid surgery results were, temporary RLN injury of 0.8% (no permanent injury), temporary/permanent hypocalcaemia of 1.7%/0.4%, and return to theatre for haematoma evacuation of 0.3%. CUSUM analysis found KPI results to be comparable with international literature.

Conclusion

Our unit's KPI results are comparable to published results in the literature. The use of this clinical database will help in future monitoring of performance and help drive improvement in the service. Embedding prospective data collection as routine practice allows for continuous improvement for the unit.
Multicentre evaluation of magnetic technology for localisation of non‐palpable breast lesions and targeted axillary nodes
Authors: McCamley Chere , Ruyssers Natacha , To Henry , Tsao Simon , Keane Holly , Poliness Cathie , Mehta Kirti , Rose Allison , Baker Caroline , Mann Gregory B.
Published: August 2021

Background

Magseed technology is a recently introduced localisation technique for impalpable breast lesions with possible advantages over traditional techniques. These include improved theatre logistics, flexibility in incision placement and improved patient experience. This multicentre study evaluates the experience of introducing Magseed technology into routine surgical practice.

Methods

A prospective multicentre study of Magseed localised procedures was performed. Insertion data were recorded by the radiologist including lesion characteristics and Magseed insertion accuracy. The surgical team recorded time from insertion to operation, operating time and surgical satisfaction. Pathology results were reviewed for specimen weight and margins.

Results

Between February 2019 and June 2020, 100 patients were enrolled. Magseed localised procedures included 18 excisional biopsies, 23 wide local excisions (WLE), 50 WLE with axillary surgery and four cases of Magseed localised breast WLE with Magseed localised axillary surgery. There were three therapeutic mammoplasties and two cases of Magseed localised targeted axillary node dissection alone. A total of 90% of Magseeds were radiologically placed within 5 mm of the target lesion/node. Time between incision and specimen removal was 17 min (range 6–40 min). All breast and axillary Magseeds were successfully identified and retrieved during surgery. The target lesion was identified in the specimen in all cases. A total of 10% of cases required further surgery for pathologically positive margins. Overall, surgeons reported that Magseed localisation was “easy” or “very easy” in 77% of cases.

Conclusion

Magseed is a reliable, safe and accurate surgical technique that provides logistical advantages and flexibility of surgical approach. The method was well‐accepted by all users.
Gastric medullary carcinoma: clinicopathological features and prognosis—a single‐center study
Authors: Uprak Tevfik Kıvılcım , Akmercan Ahmet , Coşkun Mümin , Attaallah Wafi
Published: August 2021

Background

Gastric medullary carcinoma (GMC) is a distinct histologic subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma, which prominently associated with Epstein–Barr virus infection. This study aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with medullary carcinoma in one center.

Methods

Data regarding patients with gastric cancer were retrospectively analyzed at Marmara University between 2014 and 2019. Demographics, pathological features, and overall survival of patients with GMC were evaluated. The primary outcome of this study was to compare the pathological features of GMC to non‐GMC (NGMC). The secondary outcome was comparing overall survival between the two groups.

Results

A total of 412 patients were enrolled in the study. Of 412 patients, 19 (5%) were diagnosed with medullary cancer. Compared to NGMC, no significant differences were observed in patient age, gender, tumor macroscopic pattern, size, lymphovascular invasion, pathological stage, location and size of the tumors, and the number of metastatic lymph nodes in GMC. However, perineural invasion and Borrmann ulcerated type rates were significantly higher among NGMC. Whereas the microsatellite instability (MSI) rate was significantly higher in the GMC (64% and 11%, respectively, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that the MSI status was the solely significantly different feature between the two groups.

Conclusion

This study showed that GMC was associated with MSI, which could explain the better prognosis of medullary carcinomas.
Procedure‐specific outcomes following gastrectomy for cancer compared by hospital volume and service capability
Authors: Tian Kevin , Baade Peter D. , Aitken Joanne F. , Narendra Aaditya , Smithers B. Mark
Published: August 2021

Background

International literature recommends centralising gastric cancer surgery, however, with volumes that define ‘high‐volume resection’ being higher than those in most major centres in Australia and New Zealand. These reports rarely focus on the difference between total (TG) and partial gastrectomy (PG). We assessed the impact of resection volume and service capability on operative mortality, morbidity and surgical quality in patients who had a PG and TG.

Methods

Patients who had gastrectomy for adenocarcinoma, between 2001 and 2015, were collected from the Queensland Oncology Repository. Hospitals were characterised by cases‐per‐annum (high‐volume [HV] ≥ 5 and low‐volume [LV] < 5) and hospital service capability as (high‐service [HS] and low‐service [LS]), giving three hospital groups: HVHS, LVHS and LVLS. Chi‐squared tests were used to compare post‐operative mortality, morbidity, failure to rescue (FTR) from complications and surgical quality between these three groups.

Results

There were 426 patients who had a TG and 827 having PG. HVHS centres performed 59% of PG with high surgical quality rates of: HVHS = 53%, LVHS = 34% and LVLS = 46% (p < 0.01). Surgical complications were highest in LVLS (LVLS = 19%, LVHS = 11%, HVHS = 11%; p = 0.02). There was no difference in 30‐day mortality nor in FTR. For TG, HVHS performed 67% of these procedures, with lower 30‐day mortality (2%) and FTR rates (5%) compared with LVHS (7%, 22%) and LVLS (12%, 28%; p < 0.01). There was no difference in operative morbidity and surgical quality between hospital groups.

Conclusion

Despite the ‘high‐volume’ threshold for gastrectomy being the lowest described in the literature, we have shown that centralisation to HVHS centres was associated with lower operative mortality for TG and improved quality of surgery for PG.