bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinicians’ ratings of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) show sensitivity/bias that may affect patients’ progress: analyses of routine administrative data
Authors: Williams Jonathan
Published: November 2020

Objectives

(1) To estimate clinician sensitivity/bias in rating the HoNOS. (2) To test if high or low clinician sensitivity determines slower resolution of patients’ problems or earlier inpatient admission.

Design

The primary analysis used many-facet Item Response Theory to construct a multi-level Graded Response Model that teased apart clinician sensitivity/bias from the severity of patients’ problems in routine HoNOS records. Secondary analyses then tested if patients’ outcomes depend on their clinicians’ sensitivity/bias.

Outcome measures

The outcome measures were (1) overall differences in sensitivity/bias between (a) individual clinicians and (b) different Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs); (2) clinical outcomes, comprising (a) the rate of resolution of patients’ problems and (b) the dependence of the time to inpatient admission on clinician sensitivity/bias.

Setting

All archival electronic HoNOS records for all new referrals to all CMHTs providing mental health services in secondary care in a New Zealand District Health Board during 2007-2015.

Participants

The initial sample comprised 2170 adults of working age who received 5459 HoNOS assessments from 186 clinicians. From these initial data, I derived an opportunistic, connected, bipartite, longitudinal network, in which (i) every patient received HoNOS ratings from 2 or more clinicians and (ii) every clinician assessed more than 5 patients. The bipartite network comprised 88 clinicians and 778 patients; 112 patients underwent later inpatient admission.

Results

Sensitivity/bias differed importantly between individual clinicians and CMHTs. Patients whose clinicians had more extreme sensitivity/bias showed slower resolution of their problems and earlier inpatient admission.

Conclusions

Raw HoNOS ratings reflect the sensitivity/bias of clinicians almost as much as the severity of patients’ problems. Additionally, low or high clinician sensitivity can adversely affect patients’ outcomes. Hence, the HoNOS’s main value may be to measure clinician sensitivity. Accounting for clinician sensitivity could enable the HoNOS to fulfil its goal of improving mental health services.

Strengths and limitations of the study

The study derived a connected network of clinicians and patients that approximates a rational design for estimating clinicians’ sensitivity/bias.

The opportunistic network sample was atypical, with chronic patients and experienced clinicians – so the study may under-estimate clinician bias.

The study’s statistical methods were appropriate to the ordinal nature of HoNOS ratings.

The study used earlier estimates of clinician sensitivity/bias to predict later outcomes – so that effects of clinician sensitivity/bias on outcomes may be causal

The study assumed that all HoNOS items tap a single dimension of the severity of patients’ problems.
COVID-19 optimal vaccination policies: a modeling study on efficacy, natural and vaccine-induced immunity responses
Authors: Acuña-Zegarra Manuel Adrian , Díaz-Infante Saúl , Baca-Carrasco David , Liceaga Daniel Olmos
Published: November 2020

At the date, Europe and part of North America face the second wave of COVID-19, causing more than 1 300 000 deaths worldwide. Humanity lacks successful treatments, and a sustainable solution is an effective vaccine. Pfizer and the Russian Gamaleya Institute report that its vaccines reach more than 90 % efficacy in a recent press release. If third stage trial results favorable, pharmaceutical firms estimate big scale production of its vaccine candidates around the first 2021 quarter and the World Health organization fix as objective, vaccinate 20 % of the whole population at the final of 2021. However, since COVID-19 is new to our knowledge, vaccine efficacy and induced-immunity responses remain poorly understood. There are great expectations, but few think the first vaccines will be fully protective. Instead, they may reduce the severity of illness, reducing hospitalization and death cases.

Further, logistic supply, economic and political implications impose a set of grand challenges to develop vaccination policies. For this reason, health decision-makers require tools to evaluate hypothetical scenarios and evaluate admissible responses.

Our contribution answers questions in this direction. According to the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization Working Group on COVID-19 Vaccines, we formulate an optimal controlled model to describe vaccination policies that minimize the burden of COVID-19 quantified by the number of disability-adjusted years of life lost. Additionally, we analyze the reproductive vaccination number according to vaccination profiles depending on coverage, efficacy, horizon time, and vaccination rate. We explore scenarios regarding efficacy, coverage, vaccine-induced immunity, and natural immunity via numerical simulation. Our results suggest that response regarding vaccine-induced immunity and natural immunity would play a dominant role in the vaccination policy design. Likewise, the vaccine efficacy would influence the time of intensifying the number of doses in the vaccination policy.
Transcranial alternating current stimulation at theta frequency to the parietal cortex impairs associative, but not perceptual, memory encoding
Authors: Meng Alyssa , Kaiser Max , de Graaf Tom , Duecker Felix , Sack Alexander T. , de Weerd Peter , van de Ven Vincent
Published: November 2020

Neural oscillations in the theta range (4-6 Hz) are thought to underlie associative memory function in the hippocampal-cortical network. While there is ample evidence supporting a role of theta oscillations in animal and human memory, most evidence is correlational. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can be employed to modulate cortical oscillatory activity to influence brain activity, and possibly modulate deeper brain regions, such as hippocampus, through strong and reliable cortico-hippocampal functional connections. We applied high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) at 6 Hz over left parietal cortex to modulate brain activity in the putative cortico-hippocampal network to influence associative memory encoding. After encoding and brain stimulation, participants completed an associative memory and a perceptual recognition task. Results showed that theta tACS significantly decreased associative memory performance but did not affect perceptual memory performance. These results show that parietal theta tACS modulates associative processing separately from perceptual processing, and further substantiate the hypothesis that theta oscillations are implicated in the cortico-hippocampal network and associative encoding.
CHD7 interacts with the nucleosome acidic patch for its efficient activity via its N-terminal region
Authors: Lee Eunhye , Kang Chanshin , Purhonen Pasi , Hebert Hans , Bouazoune Karim , Hohng Sungchul , Song Ji-Joon
Published: November 2020

Chromodomain-Helicase DNA binding protein 7 (CHD7) is an ATP dependent chromatin remodeler involved in maintaining open chromatin structure. Mutations of CHD7 gene causes multiple developmental disorders, notably CHARGE syndrome. However, there is not much known about the molecular mechanism by which CHD7 remodels nucleosomes. Here, we performed integrative biophysical analysis on CHD7 chromatin remodeler using crosslinking-mass spectrometry (XL-MS), cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) and single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET). We uncover that N-terminal to the Chromodomain (N-CRD) interacts with nucleosome. Importantly, this region is required for efficient ATPase stimulation and nucleosome remodeling activity of CHD7. The cryo-EM analysis on the N-CRD_Chromodomain bound to nucleosome reveals that the N-CRD interacts with the acidic patch of nucleosome. Furthermore, smFRET analysis shows the mutations in the N-CRD result in slow or highly-fluctuating remodeling activity. Collectively, our results uncover the functional importance of a previously unidentified N-terminal region in CHD7 and implicate that the multiple domains in chromatin remodelers are involved in regulating their activities.
Iterative Cochran’s C test as a multivariate method to detect higher than expected variability: a microbiological inter-laboratory ring trial as a case-study
Authors: Monleon-Getino Antonio ,   AC Marca Home Care
Published: November 2020

Introduction

An interlaboratory calibration analysis was carried out to validate a methodology for a European standard for domestic laundry disinfection, using different doses of disinfectant and microorganisms. ISO 5725-2 and ISO 13528 form the basis of interlaboratory validations of quantitative methods, but there is a need for a simple graphical method to detect differences in laboratory behavior in terms of accuracy and variability.

Objective

A novel multivariate method based on the classicalCochran’s C test, as well as PCA and bootstrapping, which allows the inclusion of different correlated variables, was applied to identify higher variability than expected in factor (e.g. laboratories) levels, and the detection of multivariate outliers in a reduced space.

Methods

The proposed method is based on resampling, using the same sample many times but removing cases at random and performing Cochran’s C test for all the variables together in a reduced space.

Results

The method was tested by checking 7 laboratories for high variability in different parameters (logarithmic reduction (LR), cross contamination (RI), and wash water (WW)). After applying the proposed statistical analyses, no reasons were found to reject any of the participating laboratories. Multiple applications of the method are possible and we describe a case study in which the multivariant iterativeCochran’s C testwas used: variability detection with multiple microbiological parameters (with high variability) during an interlaboratory ring trial.
Raman microscopy-based quantification of the physical properties of intracellular lipids
Authors: Uematsu Masaaki , Shimizu Takao
Published: November 2020

The physical properties of lipids, such as viscosity, are homeostatically maintained in cells and are intimately involved in physiological roles. Measurement of the physical properties of plasma membranes has been achieved primarily through chemical or genetically encoded fluorescent probes. However, as most probes target plasma membranes, physical properties of lipids in intracellular organelles, including lipid droplets (LDs) are yet to be analyzed. Here, we present a novel Raman microscopy-based approach for quantifying the physical properties of intracellular lipids under deuterium-labeled fatty acid treatment conditions. Focusing on the fact that Raman spectra of carbon-deuterium vibration are altered depending on the surrounding lipid species, we quantitatively represented the physical properties of lipids as the gauche/trans conformational ratio of the introduced labeled fatty acids, which can be used as an indicator of viscosity. Intracellular Raman imaging revealed that the gauche/trans ratio of cytosolic regions was robustly preserved against perturbations attempting to alter the lipid composition. This was likely due to LDs functioning as a buffer against excess gauche/trans ratio. Our novel approach enables the observation of the physical properties of organelle lipids, which is difficult to perform with conventional probes, and is useful for quantitative assessment of the subcellular lipid environment.
Time-Encoding Migrates from Prefrontal Cortex to Dorsal Striatum During Learning of a Self-Timed Response Duration Task
Authors: Tunes Gabriela Chiuffa , de Oliveira Eliezyer Fermino , Vieira Estevão Uyrá Pardillos , Caetano Marcelo Salvador , Cravo André Mascioli , Reyes Marcelo Bussotti
Published: November 2020

Although time is a fundamental dimension of life, we do not know how the brain encodes the temporal information. Several brain areas underlie the temporal information, such as the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and striatum, but evidence of how they cooperate to process temporal information is scarce. Notably, the analysis of neural activity during learning are rare, mainly because timing tasks usually take a long time to train. Here we investigated how the time encoding evolves when animals learn to time a 1.5 s interval. We designed a novel training protocol where rats go from naive- to proficient-level timing performance within a single session, allowing us to investigate neuronal activity from very early learning stages. We used pharmacological experiments and machine-learning algorithms to evaluate the level of time encoding in the medial prefrontal cortex and the dorsal striatum. Our results show a double dissociation between the roles of the medial prefrontal cortex and the dorsal striatum during temporal learning, where the former commits to early learning stages while the latter become more engaged as animals become more proficient in the task.
Fast reconstruction tools for ptychography at Sirius, the fourth-generation Brazilian synchrotron
Authors: Baraldi Giovanni L. , Dias Carlos S. B. , Silva Francisco M. C. , Tolentino Hélio C. N. , Miqueles Eduardo X.
Published: November 2020

Described here are image reconstruction optimizations for ptychographic coherent X-ray scattering data and X-ray fluorescence, which have been developed for the new fourth-generation synchrotron light source, Sirius, at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory. The optimization strategy has been applied to the standard experimental strategy for ptychographic and fluorescence experiments on the Carnaúba beamline which involves the use of high-speed continuous scans (fly scans) for a fast acquisition time over large areas through the use of a newly proposed trajectory named the alternating linear trajectory. The scientific computing developments presented here target an efficient use of graphical processing units (GPUs) to the point where large fly-scan acquisitions can be processed in real time on a local high-performance computer. Some optimizations involving a custom fast Fourier transform implementation and use of mixed precision can be applied to other algorithms and phase-retrieval techniques, and therefore this work provides a general optimization scheme. Finally, the optimization strategy presented here has improved performance by a factor of ∼2.5 times faster when compared with non-optimized GPU implementations.
A new olanzapine cocrystal obtained from volatile deep eutectic solvents and determined by 3D electron diffraction
Authors: Andrusenko Iryna , Potticary Jason , Hall Simon R. , Gemmi Mauro
Published: November 2020

A previously unknown cocrystal of olanzapine and phenol was identified from a volatile deep eutectic solvent as the intermediate species in the crystallization of olanzapine. This new nanocrystalline phase was investigated by electron diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The structure was determined by simulated annealing using 3D electron diffraction data and confirmed using DFT-D optimizations. Olanzapine and phenol cocrystallize in the triclinic space group P
1, supporting the hypothesis of a dimeric growth unit, where a centrosymmetric dimer is stabilized by multiple weak C—H...π interactions and forms double N—H...N hydrogen bonding with adjacent dimers.
Prevalence and risk of staphylococcal and coliform carcass contamination of chickens slaughtered in the informal market in Gauteng, South Africa
Authors: Adigun Oluwatola , Fasina Folorunso Oludayo , Kidanemariam Awoke , Gcebe Nomakorinte , Adesiyun Abiodun A.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of indicator microorganisms [Staphylococcus aureus, non-S. aureus staphylococci (NSAS), coliforms and aerobic bacteria] for contamination of chicken carcasses, carcass drip and rinse water from the informal chicken market in Gauteng, South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

Chicken swabs, chicken drips and rinse waters were collected from 151 chickens from 47 random outlets. Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to capture the risk factors for bacterial contamination. Standard microbiological procedures were conducted for isolation and enumeration of target bacteria.

Findings

NSAS (64% and 41%) and S. aureus (12% and 31%) were prevalent on carcasses and in carcass drip respectively. Coliforms (62%) and aerobic bacteria (85%) were detected in rinse water. Significant risk factors for contamination of carcasses with NSAS, S. aureus and coliform organisms were: evisceration of chickens on the same location used for sale, cleaning of display counter with dirty clothes/wipes, holding of differently sourced chickens in the same cage prior to slaughter, not cleaning the display table/counter and hands at all, washing knives in rinse water, high turnover of daily slaughter and length of time to display chickens.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of this research were the limited geographical coverage and small sample size.

Practical implications

The isolation of these indicator microorganisms suggests the potential presence of other chicken-borne pathogens not tested for in the study.

Social implications

The findings serve to inform policy on public health and street-vended food and can guide control on good sanitary practices.

Originality/value

This is the first comprehensive report on ready to eat chickens from the informal markets in Gauteng, South Africa.
Aspiration and poverty in an asymmetric information game: a case study of Southern Xinjiang
Authors: Yao Shujie , Wang Jiefei
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the internal mechanism of the deviation of targeted poverty alleviation under the condition of asymmetric information.

Design/methodology/approach

Introducing a traditional signaling game theory model with dynamic asymmetric information, this study uses a dataset covering 813 poor households from Southern Xinjiang, China, to theoretically and empirically study the effect of aspiration of the poor households on poverty alleviation.

Findings

First, there exists asymmetric information between the poor households and village leaders. Second, the “short, arbitrary and fast” poverty alleviation approach may quickly pull people out of poverty, but it may also nurture a dependency culture where poor households lose their aspiration and ability to escape poverty through their own efforts. Third, due to long lasting universal state support, poor households in the national designated poor counties are less able and ambitious to escape poverty by themselves than their counterparts living in the national nondesignated areas.

Originality/value

The research results show that pro-poor development policies should be upheld to improve the residual utility that can benefit all households as a result of the poverty alleviation campaign. Relevant policy recommendations are made for China's continuous effort to fight relative poverty beyond 2020.
Linking geology to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases: a case study of the Voltaian sedimentary basin, Ghana
Authors: Arhin Emmanuel , Kazapoe Raymond Webrah , Salami Fulera
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to define and outline areas prone to disease causing elements by analyzing the spatial distribution and concentration of toxic and essential elements in a section of the Voltaian sedimentary basin.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 2,668 soil samples were analysed by the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique and were re-appraised by comparing with baseline values of elements accepted globally to be in soils. The concentrations of arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) were evaluated. Factor analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis multivariate techniques were used to identify the source patterns of the elements in the soils. The Getis-Ord Gi method was used to generate the optimised maps for these selected elements. These maps spatially defined and outlined high value clusters which imply potential pollution or areas with high background values (hotspots), whereas the low value clusters imply areas with low background values (cold-spots).

Findings

The multivariate analysis supports a dominant geogenic source of these heavy elements with obvious influences from variably metamorphosed mafic–ultramafic rocks known to have contributed to the deposition of sediments in the basin. The hotspots for As were located around Nalerigu and to the east of Nawchugu. A Cr hotspot was located to the east of Nawchugu with Cr cold-spots located within Nalerigu and Yunyuo. Fe hotspots were observed to the south of Nalerigu and the east of Nawchugu with Fe cold-spots around Yunyuo, Bongo-Da and Nagbo. The spatial maps demonstrated the presence of toxic and deficient areas of all the selected elements used in the investigation. Therefore, it suggested the likely health implications depending on the exposed elements, their pathways and recommended the usefulness of using the results displayed in the spatial maps to guide in devising appropriate remediation techniques.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified need to study the distribution of elements and the possible effects it may have on the health and livelihoods of those residing in these areas.
Independence and effectiveness in internal Shariah audit with insights drawn from Islamic agency theory
Authors: Khalid Azam Abdelhakeem , Sarea Adel M.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine bases of effectiveness in internal Shariah auditing undertaken in Islamic financial institutions (IFIs).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is theoretical in approach taking, as its starting-point, an extensive literature review. From a general agency theory, an Islamic agency theory is articulated and then applied to ascertain attributes of internal Shariah audit effectiveness revolving around the concept of independence.

Findings

Effective internal Shariah auditing, as a mechanism of assuring Shariah compliance by IFIs, varies directly with the degree of independence enjoyed by internal Shariah auditors themselves. The research propounds that an articulated Islamic agency theory holds potential to serve as a theoretical foundation to build a multi-dimensional conceptual framework based on independence utile for evaluating internal Shariah audit effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

Evidence is drawn strictly from secondary sources.

Practical implications

To assure effectiveness of internal Shariah auditing, IFIs ought to increase the level of independence of internal Shariah auditors.

Originality/value

Internal Shariah audit effectiveness in IFIs has not been extensively studied in comparison with both studies of external Shariah audit effectiveness in IFIs and internal audit effectiveness undertaken by conventional financial institutions. This research fills that gap.
When should global manufacturers invest in production network upgrades? An empirical investigation
Authors: von Dzengelevski Oliver , Wenking Marian , Netland Torbjørn H. , Friedli Thomas
Published: November 2020

Purpose

In this paper, the authors empirically investigate under which conditions production network management is effective to improve manufacturers' financial performance. For this, the authors explore contingencies between production networks and the three key dimensions of organizational environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey with senior managers was conducted for this research. The authors used a hierarchical regression analysis to test interaction effects and draw on follow-up interviews with chief operating officers (COOs) and senior managers to elaborate and explain the found associations.

Findings

Results indicate that manufacturers' financial performance is only associated with their network capability level if they operate in hostile competitive environments. In moderate competitive environments, improvements in the network capability level are not associated with greater financial performance. In particularly munificent environments, such production network upgrades are even associated with the opposite effect.

Practical implications

Results highlight in which organizational contexts upgrading production networks has positive performance implications and under which circumstances it is ineffective or even counterproductive.

Originality/value

The authors draw on unique survey data to add quantitative evidence to the predominantly conceptual and qualitative literature on global production networks. This is also one of the first studies to connect the topics of production networks and organizational environment.
Extending cumulative capability models: the role of innovation in the accumulation of competitive performance
Authors: Vilkas Mantas , Stankevice Inga , Rauleckas Rimantas
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Cumulative capability models are dominating frameworks explaining how manufacturing organizations gain their performance capabilities, such as quality, delivery, flexibility and cost. When innovation capabilities are excluded from the framework, the models are incapable of explaining how companies sustain substantive capabilities in a changing environment. Responding to this gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose and test a “sand cone” cumulative capability model that includes the innovation competitive performance alongside the competitive performance of quality, delivery flexibility and cost.

Design/methodology/approach

Two competing cumulative models were proposed. The extended cumulative capability model hypothesizes the development of innovation in sequence with other competitive performance dimensions. The affected with innovation cumulative model hypothesizes innovation performance as a predecessor of other performance dimensions. The models were tested using a multimethod approach on a representative sample of 500 manufacturing companies. An analysis of correlations among competitive performance, frequencies of plants following prescribed sequences, fit statistics of covariance-based structural equation modeling and analysis of strength and statistical significance of path coefficients enabled us to select a model that best represents the collected data.

Findings

The findings reveal that innovation competitive performance operates as a predecessor of quality, delivery, flexibility and cost and is developed in relation to these performance dimensions. The modified model also provides a theoretical explanation of how innovation performance helps to sustain reliable production systems that can perform consistently over time within a tolerable range of quality, delivery, flexibility and cost performance.

Practical implications

The results are significant for practitioners, especially for companies that are operating in volatile environments because the results provide insight on how to develop innovation competitive performance in relation to quality, delivery, flexibility and cost performance.

Originality/value

This study extends the cumulative capability models with innovation competitive performance. It advances the contingency approach on cumulative capability models.
Building a measurement system of higher education performance: evidence from a Latin-American country
Authors: Hernandez-Diaz Paula M. , Polanco Jorge-Andrés , Escobar-Sierra Manuela
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper aims to propose and validate a measurement scale for integrating performance in universities with a global and local Latin-American perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This research followed a sequential, mixed-method design which uses quantitative and qualitative approaches. The data collection and analysis used two stages. The first stage was a systematic literature review analysing the data through a bibliometric analysis followed by thematic analysis. From this stage emerged the global universities' performance thematic map, a flow diagram for universities' performance system and a measurement scale. The second stage validated this scale applying a survey to the academic and administrative staff members of two Colombian private universities. A total of 705 useable responses were collected and analysed using exploratory factor analysis and the SPSS software.

Findings

The results validated five dimensions (research, resources, internationalisation, extension and academics) and 15 indicators proposed to determine the performance in universities. This study concluded that the instrument developed for measuring performance is a consistent starting point for the study of universities in Latin-American countries such as Colombia.

Research limitations/implications

This study empirically validated the instrument for measuring performance from a systemic perspective at universities; however, a broader validation of the measurement scale is needed in the context of developing countries in Latin America to generalise the results.

Practical implications

Results provide a starting point considering the Latin-American context. They could help in future studies to improve the understanding of performance management in higher education.

Originality/value

Performance in universities has created multiple parameters and indicators, generating a lack of global consensus for their measurement. Thereof, this paper contributes to filling this gap in Latin-American universities. This work postulates a starting point considering the local context from global reported findings. It integrated the relations visually for sub-dimension and performance indicators into the university performance system. From this research emerged a novel theoretical hierarchical model for measuring university performance.
Benchmarking aircraft maintenance performances using data envelopment analysis
Authors: O'Neal Thomas , Min Hokey , Cherobini Daniel , Joo Seong-Jong
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The authors employed the three different versions (Charnes–Cooper–Rhodes, Banker–Charnes–Cooper and slack-based measure of efficiency) of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the comparative efficiency/inefficiency of aircraft maintenance performance during the previous 41 months in United States Air Force (USAF). As a complimentary tool, the authors also adopted Tobit regression analysis to identify factors affecting efficiencies and inefficiencies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims to measure the relative efficiency of maintenance performances for a type of USAF aircraft in an effort to enhance aviation safety and combat readiness.

Findings

Through this study, the authors have two noteworthy findings. These are (1) an increased number of “cannibalization” (extracting necessary parts from the existing aircraft) practices tended to reduce maintenance efficiency; (2) The number of mission-capable aircraft turned out to be the most important factor for maintenance performance efficiency.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first studies on aircraft maintenance that considered popular but neglected cannibalization practices as a new variable for assessing the maintenance efficiency. In addition, this paper is one of the few studies that performed a post-ad hoc analysis as a follow-up to DEA analysis.
Determinants of organic wine consumption behavior from the perspective of the theory of planned behavior
Authors: Caliskan Aylin , Celebi Duygu , Pirnar Ige
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Focusing only on the characteristics of the wine and the type of production is insufficient to give a holistic idea on consumer’s organic wine consumption behavior. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of attitude, perceived behavioral organic wine consumption, theory of planned behavior (TPB) control and subjective norms on organic wine consumption intention and behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the TPB, a theoretical model was developed and tested by partial least squares structural equation modeling method. The sample of the research consists of 304 participants from the vineyards in Izmir/Turkey.

Findings

The main result of this study reveals that the theoretical model belonging to the TPB is also valid in the case of organic wine consumption behavior. Specifically, research results indicate that attitude has the strongest direct impact on intention and indirect impact on organic wine consumption behavior while perceived behavioral control has the least impact.

Originality/value

Prediction of organic wine consumption behavior from the perspective of the TPB presents the originality of this paper.
Development of a light‐weight deep learning model for cloud applications and remote diagnosis of skin cancers
Authors: Huang Hsin‐Wei , Hsu Benny Wei‐Yun , Lee Chih‐Hung , Tseng Vincent S.
Published: November 2020

Skin cancer is among the 10 most common cancers. Recent research revealed the superiority of artificial intelligence (AI) over dermatologists to diagnose skin cancer from predesignated and cropped images. However, there remain several uncertainties for AI in diagnosing skin cancers, including lack of testing for consistency, lack of pathological proof or ambiguous comparisons. Hence, to develop a reliable, feasible and user‐friendly platform to facilitate the automatic diagnostic algorithm is important. The aim of this study was to build a light‐weight skin cancer classification model based on deep learning methods for aiding first‐line medical care. The developed model can be deployed on cloud platforms as well as mobile devices for remote diagnostic applications. We reviewed the medical records and clinical images of patients who received a histological diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, seborrheic keratosis and melanocytic nevus in 2006–2017 in the Department of Dermatology in Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (KCGMH). We used the deep learning models to identify skin cancers and benign skin tumors in the manner of binary classification and multi‐class classification in the KCGMH and HAM10000 datasets to construct a skin cancer classification model. The accuracy reached 89.5% for the binary classifications (benign vs malignant) in the KCGMH dataset; the accuracy was 85.8% in the HAM10000 dataset in seven‐class classification and 72.1% in the KCGMH dataset in five‐class classification. Our results demonstrate that our skin cancer classification model based on deep learning methods is a highly promising aid for the clinical diagnosis and early identification of skin cancers and benign tumors.
Improving predictions of tropical tree survival and growth by incorporating measurements of whole leaf allocation
Authors: Rubio Vanessa E. , Zambrano Jenny , Iida Yoshiko , Umaña María Natalia , Swenson Nathan G.
Published: November 2020

Individual‐level demographic outcomes should be predictable upon the basis of traits. However, linking traits to tree performance has proven challenging likely due to a failure to consider physiological traits (i.e. hard‐traits) and the failure to integrate organ‐level and whole plant‐level trait information.

Here, we modelled the survival rate and relative growth rate of trees while considering crown allocation, hard‐traits and local‐scale biotic interactions, and compared these models to more traditional trait‐based models of tree performance.

We found that an integrative trait, total tree‐level photosynthetic mass (estimated by multiplying specific leaf area and crown area) results in superior models of tree survival and growth. These models had a lower AIC than those including the effect of initial tree size or any other combination of the traits considered. Survival rates were positively related to higher values of crown area and photosynthetic mass, while relative growth rates were negatively related to the photosynthetic mass. Relative growth rates were negatively related to a neighbourhood crowding index. Furthermore, none of the hard‐traits used in this study provided an improvement in tree performance models.

Synthesis. Overall, our results highlight that models of tree performance can be greatly improved by including crown area information to generate a better understanding of plant responses to their environment. Additionally, the role of the hard‐traits in improving models of tree performance is likely dependent upon the level of stress (e.g. drought stress), micro‐environmental conditions or short‐term climatic variations that a particular forest experiences.
Distribution records of apple snails (Pomacea spp.) in Japan collected during 2017–2019 through a citizen science project for introduced species conducted by the Osaka Museum of Natural History
Authors: Ishida So
Published: November 2020

Apple snails Pomacea canaliculata and Pomacea maculata are herbivorous freshwater gastropods native to South America and are introduced species widespread in western and southern Japan. Although they affect rice culture and are invasive to native ecosystems, high‐resolution distribution data are not available for these species. I mapped the distribution of Pomacea species using the citizen science approach, by asking volunteers to report the geographical location along with the presence or absence of apple snail egg capsules or snail shells during 2017–2019. In total, 1,304 present and 508 absent records were collected, which revealed the distribution outlines of apple snails, especially in the Kansai area. Here, I provide a dataset of observation dates, location coordinates, volunteer names, and supplemental information.

The complete data set for this abstract published in the Data Paper section of the journal is available in electronic format in MetaCat in JaLTER at http://db.cger.nies.go.jp/JaLTER/metacat/metacat/ERDP-2020-19.1/jalter-en.
Traits database of tidal flat macrobenthos along the Northwest Pacific coast of Japan
Authors: Yamakita Takehisa , Yamada Katsumasa , Yokooka Hiroyuki , Kanaya Gen
Published: November 2020

We collected information on the functional traits of the macrobenthos that inhabit mainly tidal flats along the Northwest Pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan, based on the species that were present during a survey after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The dataset contains information on 33 traits of 246 species and includes their taxonomic position, distribution, body length, habitat, reproduction type, and other characteristics such as diet type, migratory type, and invasiveness. Information about most basic traits such as body length, distribution, and habitat characteristics is complete, and more than 50% of trait information is complete for over 100 species, but information about reproduction is relatively limited. Although we did not limit our study to specific taxa and even included vegetation in the database, the majority of the taxa are Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. This file also has a table that compares the traits data to the existing traits database BIOTIC (Biological Traits Information Catalogue) to facilitate transformation and reuse of the data. Because the area of this survey was very adversely impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011 and by post‐disaster anthropogenic activities, this database will be relevant to assessments of post‐disaster changes of the benthic community due to both the tsunami and human activities. The database is expected to fill the gap between the identification of species and assessments of community composition.

The detailed Metadata for this abstract published in the Data Paper section of the journal is available in MetaCat in JaLTER at http://db.cger.nies.go.jp/JaLTER/metacat/metacat/ERDP-2020-23.1/jalter-en.
The Lure of the Past: Ancient Balneology at the Turn of the Eighteenth Century
Authors: Savani Giacomo
Published: November 2020

This article focuses on two central figures in the burgeoning balneological debate at the turn of the eighteenth century: John Floyer (1649‐1734), one of the most fervent supporters of the healing virtues of cold bathing, and Thomas Guidott (1638‐1706), who championed the benefits of the hot springs at Bath. Both men were greatly influenced by ancient practices, and their works abound with references to classical authors. Analysis of the way Floyer and Guidott engaged with historical and antiquarian issues, reveals the role played by the past in the construction of medical discourse in the early eighteenth century.
Association between Graves' disease and risk of incident systemic lupus erythematosus: A nationwide population‐based cohort study
Authors: Lee Cho , Chen Shih‐Fen , Yang Yu‐Cih , Hsu Chung Y. , Shen Yu‐Chih
Published: November 2020

Objective

Previous case reports have linked Graves' disease to incident systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It has also been reported that antithyroid drugs used to treat Graves' disease can induce SLE development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of SLE in patients with Graves' disease.

Methods

A total of 8779 patients with Graves' disease and 8779 controls (without Graves' disease) matched by age, gender, index year, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score were enrolled between 2000‐2012. Patients were then followed until the end of 2013 using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, at which time participants who developed SLE were identified. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of SLE incidence rate between patients with Graves' disease and unaffected controls.

Results

Patients with Graves' disease had a significantly increased risk of SLE than unaffected controls (8.81 vs 2.83 per 10 000 person‐years, HR: 5.45, 95% CI: 1.74‐17.0) after adjusting for antithyroid therapies (antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine ablation, and surgery). Diagnostic bias may be present as patients with Graves' disease may seek more help from healthcare providers. After excluding the first 0.5 and 1 year of observation period, similar results were obtained (excluding 0.5 year ‐ HR: 4.30, 95% CI: 2.78‐8.57; excluding 1 year ‐ HR: 4.63, 95% CI: 2.33‐7.79).

Conclusion

This study shows that Graves' disease is associated with an increased risk of incident SLE. Further studies on the underlying pathogenesis linking Graves' disease and SLE are warranted.
Remote health service vulnerabilities and responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Fitts Michelle S. , Russell Deborah , Mathew Supriya , Liddle Zania , Mulholland Edward , Comerford Clarissa , Wakerman John
Published: November 2020

The rapid response to the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia has highlighted the vulnerabilities of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in terms of the high prevalence of complex chronic disease and socio‐economic factors such as limited housing availability and overcrowding. The response has also illustrated the capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Sector, working with the government, to rapidly and effectively mitigate the threat of transmission into these vulnerable remote communities. The pandemic has exposed persistent workforce challenges faced by primary health care services in remote Australia. Specifically, remote health services have a heavy reliance on short‐term or fly‐in, fly‐out/drive‐in, drive‐out staff, particularly remote area nurses. The easing of travel restrictions across the country brings the increased risk of transmission into remote areas and underscores the need to adequately plan and fund remote primary health care services and ensure the availability of an adequate, appropriately trained local workforce in all remote communities.
Kidney iron deposition by R2* is associated with haemolysis and urinary iron
Authors: Denton Christopher C. , Detterich Jon A. , Coates Thomas D. , Wood John C.
Published: November 2020

Kidney iron deposition measured by R2* (magnetic resonance imaging) MRI is posited to result from tubular reabsorption of filtered haemoglobin due to intravascular haemolysis. In chronically transfused sickle cell disease (SCD), R2* is elevated and positively correlated with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). To account for contributions to renal iron from systemic iron overload, we evaluated kidney R2*, urinary iron and haemolysis markers in 62 non‐transfused SCD patients. On multivariate analysis, kidney R2* was associated with urinary iron and LDH (R2 = 0·55, P < 0·0001). Our study confirms that kidney R2* is associated with intravascular haemolysis and raises important questions regarding the role of iron in SCD nephropathy.
Engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) and apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) as candidate genes for sickle cell nephropathy
Authors: Saraf Santosh L. , Zhang Xu , Shah Binal N. , Raslan Rasha , Tayo Bamidele O. , Lash James P. , Franceschini Nora , Gordeuk Victor R.
Published: November 2020

Sickle cell disease (SCD) and apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) G1/G2 variants increase chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk in African Americans by poorly understood mechanisms. We applied bioinformatics to identify new candidate genes associated with SCD‐related CKD. An interaction network demonstrated APOA1 connecting haemoglobin subunit β (HBB) and APOL1 with 36 other candidate genes. Gene expression revealed upregulation of engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) and downregulation of APOA1 in the kidney cortex of SCD versus non‐SCD mice. Analysis of candidate genes identified ELMO1 rs10951509 to be associated with albuminuria and APOA1 rs11216132 with haemoglobinuria in patients with SCD. A bioinformatic approach highlights ELMO1 and APOA1 as potentially associated with SCD nephropathy.
Trauma‐focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and youth in low and middle‐income countries: A systematic review
Authors: Thomas Fiona C. , Puente‐Duran Sofia , Mutschler Christina , Monson Candice M.
Published: November 2020

Background

Trauma‐focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF‐CBT) has been identified as a gold standard treatment for childhood posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Western countries. More recently, TF‐CBT has emerged in the literature as an area of interest for children and youth affected by conflict and war in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC).

Methods

The present systematic review assesses the current evidence base of TF‐CBT for children and youth in LMIC, with a focus on conflict‐affected countries. A total of 143 articles were identified, of which 11 articles, representing 1,354 participants, met the proposed inclusion criteria.

Results

Results showed that the majority of the studies identified were conducted in low‐resource community settings in East or Central Africa (n = 8). It was also found that cultural considerations were taken into account in TF‐CBT delivery to meet the needs of local populations. Additionally, measures were translated and validated for local use.

Conclusions

Findings of outcome data indicated that TF‐CBT was effective in treating trauma‐related symptoms and improving psychosocial functioning in children and adolescents in LMICs. Given the limited number of published literature available in this area, further studies are needed to conclude when and for whom trauma‐focused interventions are most relevant.