bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Well-Being and Arthritis Incidence: The Role of Inflammatory Mechanisms. Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Authors: Okely Judith A. , Weiss Alexander , Gale Catharine R.
Published: June 2017

Objective

Higher levels of well-being are associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers in healthy populations; however, it is unclear whether this association translates into a reduced risk of disease. In the current study, we tested whether the association between well-being and inflammation results in a lower risk of arthritis.

Methods

The sample consisted of 5622 participants 50 years or older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and included six waves of data collection. We used a structural equation modeling approach to test whether inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP] or fibrinogen) mediated the association between well-being and arthritis risk for a 10-year follow-up period.

Results

Higher levels of well-being were associated with a decrease in arthritis risk (hazard ratio = 0.97 per unit, 95% confidence interval = 0.96 to 0.98, p < .001). Of the two inflammatory markers, only CRP was associated with arthritis risk. Mediation analysis revealed that the indirect effect of well-being (at wave 1) on arthritis risk via CRP (at wave 2) was significant (hazard ratio = 0.996, 95% confidence interval = 0.995 to 0.998, p < .001). This effect remained significant after adjustment for demographic and health behavior variables and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

CRP accounts for a small proportion of the association between well-being and a reduced risk of arthritis.
Evaluation of a Low-Fidelity Surgical Simulator for Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ)
Authors: Wilson Erin B. , Beckmann Michael M. , Hewett David G. , Jolly Brian C. , Janssens Sarah
Published: June 2017

Introduction

Large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) is a common gynecological treatment for cervical dysplasia but can be challenging to teach. There is no widely adopted simulator for this procedure in Australia, so a new low-fidelity simulator was designed and evaluated.

Method

A simulator for a LLETZ procedure was developed. Doctors (N = 29), varied in experience level in gynecology at a tertiary hospital, performed a LLETZ procedure using the simulator. The procedures were filmed, and two independent assessors rated the deidentified videos. The assessment involved a checklist (of crucial procedural steps) and global rating scale to evaluate whether the simulator facilitated the demonstration of LLETZ procedure skills. Participants completed a questionnaire evaluating the performance and utility of the simulator to determine participant perceptions of simulator realism and acceptability.

Results

The participant questionnaire revealed positive evaluations of realism and acceptability of the simulator. Performance scores were significantly different across experience levels (P < 0.001) with post hoc pairwise comparison between levels confirming significant differences between each group in assessed simulator performance for global rating scale and overall performance scores. The interrater reliability of the assessors was high (0.84).

Conclusions

A low-fidelity simulator for a LLETZ procedure seems to adequately demonstrate procedural performance reflecting doctor experience level. Participant questionnaire responses were positive, supporting further evaluation of the simulator for use in training.
Efficacy of the Laparoendoscopic “Rendezvous” to Treat Cholecystocholedocholithiasis in 210 Consecutive Patients: A Single Center Experience
Authors: La Greca Gaetano , Pesce Antonio , Vitale Marco , Mannino Maurizio , Di Marco Federica , Di Blasi Michele , Lombardo Rosario , Puleo Stefano , Russello Domenico , Latteri Saverio
Published: June 2017

Objective:

The simultaneous laparoendoscopic “rendezvous” (LERV) represents an alternative to sequential or totally laparoscopic approaches for patients affected by cholecystocholedocholithiasis. The aim of this study was to analyze the results in a large series of 210 consecutive patients.

Materials and Methods:

From 2002 to 2016 all patients affected by cholecystocholedocholithiasis were treated with a standardized “tailored” LERV. The relevant technical features of the procedure were recorded. An analysis of feasibility, effectiveness in stone clearance, and safety was performed.

Results:

Among 214 patients with common bile duct stones, 210 were treated with LERV and 4 with open rendezvous approach. Intraoperative cholangiography confirmed common bile duct stones in 179 patients (85.2%) or sludge in 18 (8.5%) and in 98.9% stone clearance was obtained endoscopically. Endoscopic papilla cannulation was feasible in 161 patients (76.7%), whereas in 49 (23.3%) a transcystic guidewire was needed. The overall LERV feasibility was 96.6%. The conversion rate to open surgery was 3.3%. Minor morbidity was observed in 1.9% of cases, mortality in 0.47%, and the mean hospital stay was 4.3 days.

Conclusions:

These results confirm the high effectiveness of LERV. This approach to treat cholecystocholedocholithiasis should be preferred and therefore implemented where a strong collaboration between surgeons and endoscopists is possible.
Donor Diabetes and Prolonged Cold Ischemia Time Synergistically Increase the Risk of Graft Failure After Liver Transplantation
Authors: Brüggenwirth Isabel M.A. , Dolgin Natasha H. , Porte Robert J. , Bozorgzadeh Adel , Martins Paulo N.A.
Published: June 2017

Background

Both prolonged cold ischemia time (CIT) and donor history of diabetes mellitus (DM) are associated with reduced graft survival after liver transplantation. However, it is unknown whether the adverse effect of prolonged CIT on posttransplant graft survival is more pronounced after transplant with DM versus non-DM donor grafts.

Methods

The study sample included 58 226 liver transplant recipients (2002-2015) from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Multivariable Cox survival regression with interaction analysis was used to quantify the extent to which history of donor DM (n = 6478) potentiates the adverse effect of prolonged (≥8 hours) CIT (n = 18 287) on graft survival.

Results

Donor DM and CIT 8 hours or longer were each associated with increased risk of graft failure (GF) (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.35 and aHR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.32-1.53, respectively) compared with transplanted grafts without either risk factor. However, the combination of DM and CIT 8 hours or longer was associated with a higher risk of GF than either factor alone (aHR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.55-2.06) and had a synergy index of 1.30. The interaction was significant on a multiplicative scale in the later postoperative period, days 31 to 365 (P = 0.047).

Conclusions

These results suggest that liver grafts from DM donors are more susceptible to the adverse effects of prolonged CIT than livers from non-DM donors. We need to be cognizant that they are more susceptible to ischemic injury, and this may be considered during the allocation process.
Rapid Detection of Sepsis using CESDA: theCaenorabditis elegansSepsis Detection Assay
Authors: Tee Ling Fei , Tan Toh Leong , Neoh Hui-min , Jamal Rahman
Published: June 2017

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition which could be alleviated by rapid diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic administration. However, currently available laboratory tests for sepsis diagnosis lacks sensitivity and specificity; they also have long turn-around times. In this proof-of-concept study, the nematodeCaenorhabditis eleganswas used as a biological sensor to detect urine of sepsis patients in an assay designated as theC. elegansSepsis Detection Assay (CESDA). From January to June 2016, 45 patients who were admitted to the Emergency Department of a university hospital due to suspected sepsis were included into the study. Urine samples were obtained from these patients and healthy controls and spotted onto CESDA assay plates. Subsequently,C. eleganswere aliquoted onto the centre of the plates and allowed to migrate freely. Number of worms found in either spots or quadrants of the plates containing control or suspected sepsis samples were scored in 10 minute intervals in a 60-minute duration. The CESDA index was then calculated for each sample, where an index near +1 represented attraction of the worms towards the sample, while an index near -1 signified repulsion. Confirmatory diagnosis for suspected sepsis samples was determined using a combination of clinical criteria assessment and standard laboratory protocols. All patients who were positive for sepsis were found to have a CESDA index of > 0.1 (positive predictive value, PPV ≥87%). In addition, the worms were able to differentiate urine of sepsis patients from control as early as 20 minutes (p=0.012). Interestingly, the assay was also able to identify infection within 40 minutes of the test (AUROC = 0.80, p= 0.016). The rapidity of CESDA in sepsis and infection identification as well as the usability of urine samples which are non-invasive towards the patient in this method makes it an interesting protocol to be further explored for sepsis diagnosis.
Reverse-Correlation Analysis of the Mechanosensation Circuit and Behavior inC. elegansReveals Temporal and Spatial Encoding
Authors: Porto Daniel A. , Giblin John , Zhao Yiran , Lu Hang
Published: June 2017

Animals must integrate the activity of multiple mechanoreceptors to navigate complex environments. InCaenorhabditis elegans, the general roles of the mechanosensory neurons have been defined, but most studies involve end-point or single-time-point measurements, and thus lack dynamical information. Here, we formulate a set of unbiased quantitative characterizations of the mechanosensory system by using reverse correlation analysis on behavior. We use a custom tracking, selective illumination, and optogenetics platform to compare two mechanosensory systems: the gentle-touch (TRNs) and harsh-touch (PVD) circuits. This method yields characteristic linear filters that allow for prediction of behavioral responses. The resulting filters are consistent with previous findings, and further provide new insights on the dynamics and spatial encoding of the systems. Our results suggest that the tiled network of the gentle-touch neurons has better resolution for spatial encoding than the harsh-touch neurons. Additionally, linear-nonlinear models can predict behavioral responses based only on sensory neuron activity. Our results capture the overall dynamics of behavior induced by the activation of sensory neurons, providing simple transformations that quantitatively characterize these systems. Furthermore, this platform can be extended to capture the behavioral dynamics induced by any neuron or other excitable cells in the animal.
Mutations in theDrosophilasplicing regulatorPrp31as a model for Retinitis pigmentosa 11
Authors: Lehmann Malte , Hebbar Sarita , Brandl Holger , Leng Weihua , Lakshmanaperumal Naharajan , Winkler Sylke , Knust Elisabeth
Published: June 2017

Retinitis pigmentosa is a clinically heterogeneous disease affecting 1.6 million people worldwide. A growing number of identified disease-causing genes are associated with the spliceosome, but the molecular consequences that link defects in splicing factor genes to the aetiology of the disease remain to be elucidated. In this paper, we present aDrosophilamodel for Retinitis pigmentosa 11, a human disease caused by mutations in the splicing factor PRPF31. Here, we induced mutations in theDrosophilaorthologuePrp31. Mutant flies are viable and show a normal eye phenotype when kept under regular light conditions. However, when exposed to constant light, photoreceptors of mutant flies degenerate, thus resembling the human disease phenotype. Degeneration could be shown to be associated with increased oxidative stress. This increase was in agreement with severe dysregulation of genes involved in oxidation/reduction processes, as revealed by high throughput transcriptome sequencing. In fact, light induced photoreceptor cell degeneration could be attenuated by experimentally reducing oxidative stress. A comparable decrease in retinal degeneration was achieved by raising mutant larvae on a vitamin A-depleted medium, thereby reducing rhodopsin levels. Finally, transcriptome data further uncovered an overall retention of introns in mRNAs. Among those, mRNAs of genes involved in synapse assembly, growth and stability were most prominent. These results point to a multifactorial genesis of light induced degeneration in retinae ofPrp31mutant flies, including transcriptional and splicing dysregulation, oxidative stress and defects in vitamin A metabolism.
pulse2percept: A Python-based simulation framework for bionic vision
Authors: Beyeler Michael , Boynton Geoffrey M. , Fine Ione , Rokem Ariel
Published: June 2017

By 2020 roughly 200 million people worldwide will suffer from photoreceptor diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, and a variety of retinal sight restoration technologies are being developed to target these diseases. One technology, analogous to cochlear implants, uses a grid of electrodes to stimulate remaining retinal cells. Two brands of retinal prostheses are currently approved for implantation in patients with late stage photoreceptor disease. Clinical experience with these implants has made it apparent that the vision restored by these devices differs substantially from normal sight. To better understand the outcomes of this technology, we developedpulse2percept, an open-source Python implementation of a computational model that predicts the perceptual experience of retinal prosthesis patients across a wide range of implant configurations. A modular and extensible user interface exposes the different building blocks of the software, making it easy for users to simulate novel implants, stimuli, and retinal models. We hope that this library will contribute substantially to the field of medicine by providing a tool to accelerate the development of visual prostheses.
Indoril: An I-PV Add-On for Visualization of Point Mutations on 3D Cartesian Coordinates
Authors: Tanyalcin Ibrahim , Ferte Julien , Khan Taushif , Assaf Carla Al
Published: June 2017

One of the main goals of proteomics is to understand how point mutations impact on the protein structure. Visualization and clustering of point mutations on user-defined 3 dimensional space can allow researchers to have new insights and hypothesis about the mutation’s mechanism of action.

Availability and Implementation

We have developed an interactive I-PV add-on called INDORIL to visualize point mutations. Indoril can be downloaded fromhttp://www.i-pv.org.

Contact

ibrahim.tanyalcin@i-pv.org║support@i-pv.org

Supplementary Information

Please refer to the supplementary section andhttp://www.i-pv.org.
Near-Atomic Resolution Structure Determination in Over-Focus with Volta Phase Plate by Cs-corrected Cryo-EM
Authors: Fan Xiao , Zhao Lingyun , Liu Chuan , Zhang Jin-Can , Fan Kelong , Yan Xiyun , Peng Hai-Lin , Lei Jianlin , Wang Hong-Wei
Published: June 2017

Volta phase plate (VPP) is a recently developed transmission electron microscope (TEM) apparatus that can significantly enhance the image contrast of biological samples in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) therefore impose the possibility to solve structures of relatively small macromolecules at high resolution. In this work, we performed theoretical analysis and found that using phase plate on objective lens spherical aberration (Cs)-corrected TEM may gain some interesting optical properties, including the over-focus imaging of macromolecules. We subsequently evaluated the imaging strategy of frozen-hydrated apo-ferritin with VPP on a Cs-corrected TEM and obtained the structure of apo-ferritin at near atomic resolution from both under- and over-focused dataset, illustrating the feasibility and new potential of combining VPP with Cs-corrected TEM for high resolution cryo-EM.

Highlights

The successful combination of volta phase plate and Cs-corrector in single particle cryo-EM.

Near-atomic structure determined from over-focused images by cryo-EM. VPP-Cs-corrector coupled EM provides interesting optical properties.

In Brief

We took the unique advantage of the optical system by combining the volta phase plate and Cs-corrector in a modern TEM to collect high resolution micrographs of frozen-hydrated apo-ferritin in over-focus imaging conditions and determined the structure of apo-ferritin at 3.0 Angstrom resolution.
Quantifying the impact of rare and ultra-rare coding variation across the phenotypic spectrum
Authors: Ganna Andrea , Satterstrom Kyle F. , Zekavat Seyedeh M , Das Indraniel , Kurki Mitja I. , Churchhouse Claire , Alfoldi Jessica , Martin Alicia R. , Havulinna Aki S. , Byrnes Andrea , Thompson Wesley K. , Nielsen Philip R. , Karczewski Konrad J. , Saarentaus Elmo , Rivas Manuel A. , Gupta Namrata , Pietiläinen Olli , Emdin Connor A , Lescai Francesco , Bybjerg-Grauholm Jonas , Flannick Jason ,   on behalf of GoT2D/T2D-GENES consortium, Mercader Josep , Udler Miriam ,   on behalf of SIGMA consortium, Helmsley IBD Exome Sequencing Project, FinMetSeq Consortium, iPSYCH-Broad Consortium, Laakso Markku , Salomaa Veikko , Hultman Christina , Ripatti Samuli , Hämäläinen Eija , Moilanen Jukka S , Körkkö Jarmo , Kuismin Outi , Nordentoft Merete , Hougaard David M. , Mors Ole , Werge Thomas , Mortensen Preben Bo , MacArthur Daniel , Daly Mark J. , Sullivan Patrick F. , Locke Adam E. , Palotie Aarno , Børglum Anders D. , Kathiresan Sekar , Neale Benjamin M.
Published: June 2017

There is a limited understanding about the impact of rare protein truncating variants across multiple phenotypes. We explore the impact of this class of variants on 13 quantitative traits and 10 diseases using whole-exome sequencing data from 100,296 individuals. Protein truncating variants in genes intolerant to this class of mutations increased risk of autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, intellectual disability, ADHD. In individuals without these disorders, there was an association with shorter height, lower education, increased hospitalization and reduced age. Gene sets implicated from GWAS did not show a significant protein truncating variants-burden beyond what captured by established Mendelian genes. In conclusion, we provide the most thorough investigation to date of the impact of rare deleterious coding variants on complex traits, suggesting widespread pleiotropic risk.

Main abbreviations

PTV

= Protein Truncating Variants

PI

= Protein Truncating Intolerant

PI-PTV

= Protein Truncating Variant in genes that are Intolerant to Protein Truncating Variants
OneD: increasing reproducibility of Hi-C Samples with abnormal karyotypes
Authors: Vidal Enrique , Dily François le , Quilez Javier , Stadhouders Ralph , Cuartero Yasmina , Graf Thomas , Martí-Renom Marc A. , Beato Miguel , Filion Guillaume J.
Published: June 2017

The three-dimensional conformation of genomes is an essential component of their biological activity. The advent of the Hi-C technology enabled an unprecedented progress in our understanding of genome structures. However, Hi-C is subject to systematic biases that can compromise downstream analyses. Several strategies have been proposed to remove those biases, but the issue of abnormal karyotypes received little attention. Many experiments are performed in cancer cell lines, which typically harbor large-scale copy number variations that create visible defects on the raw Hi-C maps. The consequences of these widespread artifacts on the normalized maps are mostly unexplored. We observed that current normalization methods are not robust to the presence of large-scale copy number variations, potentially obscuring biological differences and enhancing batch effects. To address this issue, we developed an alternative approach designed to take into account chromosomal abnormalities. The method, calledOneD, increases reproducibility among replicates of Hi-C samples with abnormal karyotype, outperforming previous methods significantly. On normal karyotypes,OneDfared equally well as state-of-the-art methods, making it a safe choice for Hi-C normalization.OneDis fast and scales well in terms of computing resources for resolutions up to 1 kbp.OneDis implemented as an R package available athttp://www.github.com/qenvio/dryhic.
Listening to speech induces coupling between auditory and motor cortices in an unexpectedly rate-restricted manner
Authors: Assaneo M. Florencia , Poeppel David
Published: June 2017

The relation between perception and action remains a fundamental question for neuroscience. In the context of speech, existing data suggest an interaction between auditory and speech-motor cortices, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely characterized. We fill a basic gap in our understanding of the sensorimotor processing of speech by examining the synchronization between auditory and speech-motor regions over different speech rates, a fundamental parameter delimiting successful perception. First, using MEG we measure synchronization between auditory and speech-motor regions while participants listen to syllables at various rates. We show, surprisingly, that auditory-motor synchrony is significant only over a restricted range and is enhanced at ~4.5 Hz, a value compatible with the mean syllable rate across languages. Second, neural modeling reveals that this modulated coupling plausibly emerges as a consequence of the underlying neural architecture. The findings suggest that the auditory-motor interaction should be interpreted rather conservatively when considering phase space.
Reciprocal Control of Motility and Biofilm Formation by the PdhS2 Two-Component Sensor Kinase ofAgrobacterium tumefaciens
Authors: Heindl Jason E. , Crosby Daniel , Brar Sukhdev , Singletary Tiyan , Merenich Daniel , Eagan Justin L. , Buechlein Aaron M. , Bruger Eric L. , Waters Christopher M. , Fuqua Clay
Published: June 2017

A core regulatory pathway that directs developmental transitions and cellular asymmetries inAgrobacterium tumefaciensinvolves two overlapping, integrated phosphorelays. One of these phosphorelays putatively includes four histidine sensor kinase homologues, DivJ, PleC, PdhS1, and PdhS2, and two response regulators, DivK and PleD. In several different alphaproteobacteria, this pathway influences a conserved downstream phosphorelay that ultimately controls the phosphorylation state of the CtrA master response regulator. The PdhS2 sensor kinase reciprocally regulates biofilm formation and swimming motility. In the current study the mechanisms by which theA. tumefacienssensor kinase PdhS2 directs this regulation are delineated. PdhS2 lacking a key residue for phosphatase activity is markedly deficient in proper control of attachment and motility phenotypes, whereas a kinase-deficient PdhS2 mutant is only modestly affected. A genetic interaction between DivK and PdhS2 is revealed, unmasking one of several connections between PdhS2-dependent phenotypes and transcriptional control by CtrA. Epistasis experiments suggest that PdhS2 can function independently of the CckA sensor kinase, the cognate sensor kinase for CtrA which is inhibited by DivK. PdhS2 dynamically localizes to the daughter cell pole in dividing cells. Global expression analysis of thepdhS2mutant reveals a restricted regulon, functioning through CtrA to separately control motility and regulate levels of the intracellular signal cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (cdGMP), thereby affecting production of adhesive polysaccharides and attachment. We hypothesize that inA. tumefaciensthe CtrA regulatory circuit has expanded to include additional inputs through addition of PdhS-type sensor kinases, likely fine-tuning the response of this organism to the soil microenvironment.

IMPORTANCE

Bacterial developmental processes, such as morphological transformations and behavioral transitions, are tightly regulated. In many alphaproteobacteria cell division and development are coordinated by a specific suite of conserved histidine kinases and their partnered regulatory proteins. Here we describe how the histidine kinase PdhS2 ofAgrobacterium tumefaciensregulates complex phenotypes including biofilm formation and motility. PdhS2 genetically interacts with a single-domain response regulator, DivK, and the intracellular signal cyclic diguanylate monophosphate. PdhS2 dynamically localizes to the new pole of recently divided cells, contributing to the regulatory processes that dictate whether these cells remain motile or initiate biofilm formation. These findings expand our understanding of the complex network that integrates cell division and developmental control inA. tumefaciensand related alphaproteobacteria.
Accurate Phasing of Pedigree Genotypes Using Whole Genome Sequence Data
Authors: Blackburn A.N. , Kos M.Z. , Blackburn N.B. , Peralta J.M. , Stevens P. , Lehman D.M. , Blondell L. , Blangero J. , Göring H.H.H.
Published: June 2017

Phasing, the process of predicting haplotypes from genotype data, is an important undertaking in genetics and an ongoing area of research. Phasing methods, and associated software, designed specifically for pedigrees are urgently needed. Here we present a new method for phasing genotypes from whole genome sequencing data in pedigrees: PULSAR (PhasingUsingLineageSpecificAlleles /Rare variants). The method is built upon the idea that alleles that are specific to a single founding chromosome within a pedigree, which we refer to as lineage-specific alleles, are highly informative for identifying haplotypes that are identical-by-decent between individuals within a pedigree. Through extensive simulation we assess the performance of PULSAR in a variety of pedigree sizes and structures, and we explore the effects of genotyping errors and presence of non-sequenced individuals on its performance. If the genotyping error rate is sufficiently low PULSAR can phase > 99.9% of heterozygous genotypes with a switch error rate below 1 x 10-4in pedigrees where all individuals are sequenced. We demonstrate that the method is highly accurate and consistently outperforms the long-range phasing approach used for comparison in our benchmarking. The method also holds promise for fixing genotype errors or imputing missing genotypes. The software implementation of this method is freely available.
An overview of construction procurement methods in Australia
Authors: Rahmani Farshid , Maqsood Tayyab , Khalfan Malik
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the use of various construction procurement systems in the past and present, specifically within the Australian construction industry and to overview the historical development of procurement both globally and in the Australian context through the existing literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an in-depth literature review of various construction procurement systems used in the past and present, both in general and within the context of Australian construction industry.

Findings

The findings suggest that even though relationship-based procurement (RBP) systems offer significant benefits to all project participants, they are unproved by many decision makers because of lack of robust theoretical concept and inability in demonstrating value for money (VfM) for public projects, which would be one of the factors causing move away from RBP in the future.

Originality/value

This review is one of its kind. There is no such review done before within the context of Australian construction industry in such a detail. This review is a part of a recently completed PhD study.
Openness and innovation performance
Authors: Lazzarotti Valentina , Bengtsson Lars , Manzini Raffaella , Pellegrini Luisa , Rippa Pierluigi
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Focusing on some relevant constructs defined by the open innovation (OI) literature (i.e. determinants of openness; openness choices operationalized in terms of collaboration depth with scientific and business partners; organizational and social context; innovation performance in terms of novelty and efficiency), this paper investigates the relationships among such constructs. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse two types of relationships: between some contextual factors and firms’ openness choices; and among openness choices, a set of organizational-managerial and social factors, and OI performance outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors carried out a theory testing survey, involving four European countries (Finland, Italy, Sweden and the UK). The authors applied descriptive statistics and a series of regressions.

Findings

The authors analysed the impact exerted by external and internal variables on the collaboration depth with scientific and business partners: technological trends are relevant to move firms towards external collaborations, with both types of partners; efficiency goals pursued in collaborations are related to the collaboration depth with both types of partners, while an aggressive innovation strategy is positively related only to scientific-partner depth. Besides, collaboration depths with both partners are positively related to the both sides of innovation performance (i.e. novelty and efficiency), but the organizational-managerial and social contexts emerge as relevant mediator variables. Organizational-managerial and external relational social capital exert a beneficial role on the both types of innovation performance, while internal relational social capital benefits only novelty.

Research limitations/implications

The work shows important limitations such as the low level of the explanatory values in the regression models. Therefore, the results must be considered as preliminary explorative insights that may be useful to encourage further studies.

Practical implications

This work serves to raise managers’ awareness on the opportunity of developing organizational-managerial mechanisms, as well as on the importance of social capital to profit from collaborations.

Originality/value

Although during the last decade many researchers have claimed that we are in the era of OI, empirical works, which provide both a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the phenomenon, are still few. Moreover, the specific action of the context (managerial, organizational and social) as possible mediator of the performance outcomes of openness is empirically under-studied. The authors’ work attempts to fulfil these gaps.
Interventions to support and develop clinician-researcher leadership in one health district
Authors: Fry Margaret , Dombkins Anthony
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Clinical leadership, researcher capacity and a culture of clinical inquiry are needed in the clinical workforce. The purpose of this paper is to report on a program which was used to develop and support clinicians to explore practice, implement innovation, translate evidence and build researcher capacity.

Design/methodology/approach

This pragmatic paper presents a case study of a nursing and midwifery clinician-researcher development program. The multi-site, multi-modal program focused on education, mentoring and support, communication networks, and clinician-university partnerships strategies to build workforce capacity and leadership.

Findings

Over 2,000 staff have been involved in the program representing a range of health disciplines. The study day program has been delivered to 500 participants with master classes having over 1,500 attendees. The research mentor program has demonstrated that participants increased their confidence for research leadership roles and are pursuing research and quality assurance projects. Communication strategies improved the visibility of nursing and midwifery.

Research limitations/implications

This case study was conducted in one health district, which may not have relevance to other geographical areas. The small numbers involved in the research mentor program need to be considered when reviewing the findings.

Practical implications

The program has been a catalyst for developing a research culture, clinical leadership and research networks that strengthen workforce capacity. Building researcher skills in the workforce will better support quality healthcare and the examination of everyday practice.

Social implications

Building a culture of healthcare that is based on inquiry and evidence-based practice will lead to more appropriate and consistent healthcare delivery. Consumers have the right to expect health clinicians will challenge everyday practice and have the skills and capability to translate or generate best evidence to underpin professional and service delivery.

Originality/value

This paper provides strategies for building workforce researcher capacity and capability. The program provides opportunity for building research networks and role modeling the value and importance of research to practice and quality improvement.
Satisfaction of tuberculosis patients with health services in Ghana
Authors: Bonsu Frank , Afutu Felix , Hanson-Nortey Nii Nortey , Ahiabu Mary-Anne , Amo-Adjei Joshua
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Within human services, client satisfaction is highly prioritised and considered a mark of responsiveness in service delivery. A large body of research has examined the concept of satisfaction from the perspective of service users. However, not much is known about how service providers construct client satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to throw light on healthcare professionals’ perspectives on patient satisfaction, using tuberculosis (TB) clinics as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 TB clinic supervisors purposively sampled from six out of the ten regions of Ghana. An unstructured interview guide was employed. The recorded IDIs were transcribed, edited and entered into QSR NVivo 10.0 and analysed inductively.

Findings

Respondents defined service satisfaction as involving education/counselling (on drugs, nature of condition, sputum production, caregivers and contacts of patients), patient follow-up, assignment of reliable treatment supporters as well as being attentive and receptive to patients, service availability (e.g. punctuality at work, availability of commodities), positive assurances about disease prognosis and respect for patients.

Practical implications

Complementing opinions of health service users with those of providers can offer key performance improvement areas for health managers.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a first study that has examined healthcare providers’ views on what makes their clients satisfied with the services they provide.
Adjusting patients streaming initiated by a wait time threshold in emergency department for minimizing opportunity cost
Authors: Kim Byungjoon B.J. , Delbridge Theodore R. , Kendrick Dawn B.
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Two different systems for streaming patients were considered to improve efficiency measures such as waiting times (WTs) and length of stay (LOS) for a current emergency department (ED). A typical fast track area (FTA) and a fast track with a wait time threshold (FTW) were designed and compared effectiveness measures from the perspective of total opportunity cost of all patients’ WTs in the ED. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This retrospective case study used computerized ED patient arrival to discharge time logs (between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010) to build computer simulation models for the FTA and fast track with wait time threshold systems. Various wait time thresholds were applied to stream different acuity-level patients. National average wait time for each acuity level was considered as a threshold to stream patients.

Findings

The fast track with a wait time threshold (FTW) showed a statistically significant shorter total wait time than the current system or a typical FTA system. The patient streaming management would improve the service quality of the ED as well as patients’ opportunity costs by reducing the total LOS in the ED.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study were based on computer simulation models with some assumptions such as no transfer times between processes, an arrival distribution of patients, and no deviation of flow pattern.

Practical implications

When the streaming of patient flow can be managed based on the wait time before being seen by a physician, it is possible for patients to see a physician within a tolerable wait time, which would result in less crowded in the ED.

Originality/value

A new streaming scheme of patients’ flow may improve the performance of fast track system.
The impact on mental and physical health of human rights as they relate to gender and sexual minority adolescents and emerging adults
Authors: Tellier Pierre-Paul
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the human rights issues pertinent to adolescents of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities and the health consequences resulting for the transgression of these rights. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution endorsing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, 73 member states criminalize the activities of these individuals. The other member states do not impose legal penalties on these activities, yet sexual and gender minority youth within these states continue to experience acts of physical and psychological aggression.

Design/methodology/approach

A commissioned position paper grounded in a convenient scholarly literature review on this topic.

Findings

Human rights transgressions by states or individuals lead to minority stress affecting the mental health and physical health of these youth.

Originality/value

The author makes a number of recommendations to address some of the impact resulting from the transgression of human rights in the world.
Youth violence and mental health: repeating exposures
Authors: Oscós-Sánchez Manuel Ángel
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discover and describe salient repeating and less common features of the recent medical literature about youth violence as it relates to mental health. How the relationship between youth violence and mental health is commonly conceptualized, investigated, and reported is summarized. Negative cases, unique approaches, and concepts are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

An Ovid Medline literature search was conducted with the search parameters of “adolescent and violence” and “psychiatry or psychology or mental health.” In total, 66 articles met inclusion criteria and were analyzed using grounded theory procedures and techniques.

Findings

In all, 49 articles were reports of original research, 14 were literature reviews, and three were editorials. The articles included discussions of youth violence and mental health among young people in 49 countries. Most original research used cross-sectional designs that tested and supported the core hypothesis that greater exposure to violence is associated with more mental health issues. The relationship is robust even though characterizations of “exposure to violence” and “mental health” were highly variable. Meta-analytic and intervention studies were rare.

Originality/value

The core feature of the last decade of medical research has been the repeated testing and confirmation that a relationship between exposure to violence and mental health exists. Future youth violence research should move beyond continuing to test this hypothesis with cross-sectional study designs.
Re-uniting families in the chaos of the refugee crisis: medico-legal assessment of unaccompanied refugee minors in the Calais Jungle (mental health and legal perspectives)
Authors: Ellis Jacob , Fairweather Susannah , Scott Mark , Griffiths Laura
Published: June 2017

Purpose

In total, 90,000 of the 1.26 million people applying for asylum in the EU in 2015 were unaccompanied children. The Dublin III Regulations provided a unique legal situation where unaccompanied young people in the Calais Jungle potentially had the right to be reunited with family in the UK. The purpose of this paper is to explore the substantial challenges presented by carrying out medico-legal assessment of this group in the Calais Jungle.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider the refugee crisis from a mental health and legal perspective. The authors provide two case examples to contextualise and describe the work. The authors draw from the observations and the literature to discuss the impact of living in the Calais Jungle on young people, the challenges the authors overcame to carry out the assessments and the needs of refugees following settling in the UK.

Findings

The authors conclude that the Calais Jungle was a toxic environment not suitable for young refugees’ continued emotional development or recovery from trauma. The current legal process to relocate a young person to the UK is time consuming and labour intensive. The authors note that these concerns are not unique to the Jungle, nor have they ended with its demolition. The difficulties young refugees face with mental illness continues following their arrival to the UK.

Originality/value

This was the first successful attempt since the Dublin III Regulations to seek a legal route to bring unaccompanied refugee minors from France to the UK. This paper was co-written by both the legal and mental health professionals involved in the cases providing a broad opinion across both disciplines.
The impact of cash transfer programs on Brazilian’s well-being
Authors: Bagolin Izete Pengo
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate if there is any evidence of differentials in the well-being achievements of two groups which will be called the “artificially” and the “truly” not poor; and second, to test the hypothesis that income from work is a better entitlement than income received from social programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The author used data from the 2008 Brazilian Household Budget Survey and selected two groups. Both groups are composed of people living between the absolute and the relative poverty line. The group that is living above the absolute poverty line only due to cash transfer programs will be considered the “artificially” not poor. And people who are out of absolute poverty but not receiving any help from social program are considered the “truly” (and not absolutely) poor. The hypothesis was tested using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results support the hypothesis that people who are not receiving income from cash transfer programs achieve a higher level of well-being in the dimensions of housing and food. Food and housing capabilities affect each other and such result reinforces the multidimensionality of the Brazilian poverty.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations refers to the restrict number of dimensions and to the necessity to adapt the indicators available to answer the paper objectives.

Practical implications

The paper results can help the policy makers to better understand the cash transfer programs attainment and boundaries.

Social implications

The paper results highlight that the cash transfer programs, even being useful to improve people well-being, are not sufficient to promote human capabilities and are not truly undertaking the multidimensional deprivations of the poor.

Originality/value

The paper compares two groups of people living with identical amount of income acquired from different origins.
Sisyphean Dilemmas of Development: Contrasting Urban Infrastructure and Fiscal Policy Trends in Maputo, Mozambique
Authors: Carolini Gabriella Y.
Published: June 2017

In sub‐Saharan African (SSA) cities like Maputo, land commodification is predictably fueled by plans for aspirational infrastructure serving elites. What is rather more peculiar, however, is the way in which the promotion of some fiscal policy reforms can also inadvertently support land commodification and the uneven development it (re)produces. This article describes how efforts to host both democratic fiscal reforms (via localized exercises like participatory budgeting) and to tap into international capital circuits to stir economic development (via aspirational infrastructure and urban redevelopment plans) can produce a Sisyphean dilemma. While gains in ordinary infrastructure investments (e.g. wells, water pumps) were achieved democratically in Maputo's KaTembe district with the participatory budget, these material (and political) improvements have been rendered irrelevant by better funded aspirational infrastructure projects for KaTembe (e.g. bridges, high‐rise residential buildings, tourist facilities) supported by more opaque decisions made by the national government without residential input. Given the wide embrace of participatory budgeting in contexts of weak democracy across SSA cities and elsewhere, Maputo's experience serves as a timely alert of the risks run when this popular exercise is prematurely promoted, especially when wider‐scaled property tax reforms could better redress uneven and undemocratic urban development.
Solanum Muricatum Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of Rat Bone Marrow Stromal Cells
Authors: Wang Nan , Wang Feng , Gao Youshui , Zhou Zubin , Liu Wei , Pan Chenhao , Yin Peipei , Tang Mingjie , Yu Xiaowei
Published: June 2017

Solanum muricatum (SM), also known as pepino, is known for its antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of SM extract in promoting osteogenic differentiation and regulating the Wnt and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathways. Ingredients of pepino were extracted and identified. SM extracts were used to treat rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), followed by evaluating alkaline phosphatase activities and mineralization levels. The mRNA levels of osteogenic biomarkers, including OPN and Collagen I, were also evaluated with real‐time polymerase chain reaction. After treatment with SM extracts, the expressions of key proteins in the Wnt and BMP signaling pathways were assessed. DKK‐1 and noggin, which are Wnt and BMP inhibitors, respectively, were added with SM extracts to investigate the role of Wnt and BMP pathways in the ameliorating effects of SM extract in osteogenesis. Treatment of BMSCs with SM extract promoted osteogenesis. Meanwhile, upregulations in the Wnt and BMP pathways were also observed. However, inhibiting both pathways compromised the effects of SM extract in promoting osteogenic differentiation. SM extract promotes osteogenic differentiation in BMSCs via promoting the Wnt and BMP signaling pathways.