bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An empirical analysis of supply and manufacturing risk and business performance: a Chinese manufacturing supply chain perspective
Authors: Kumar Vikas , Bak Ozlem , Guo Ruizhi , Shaw Sarah Louise , Colicchia Claudia , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo , Kumari Archana
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This study aims to explore the importance and impact of supply and manufacturing risk management upon business performance within the context of Chinese manufacturing supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-phased multi-method approach was adopted, which included a survey questionnaire to practitioners in Chinese manufacturing supply chains followed by semi-structured interviews. The findings included 103 valid survey responses complemented by six semi-structured interviews.

Findings

The results indicate that in Chinese manufacturing context supply risk and manufacturing risk management are both vital for business performance. A high correlation between business and manufacturing risk management performance exists; however, no significant impact of supplier dependency, systematic purchasing, maturity of production and supply chain and human resources was found despite previously these elements being regarded as key influencers for supply and manufacturing risk management performance. The Chinese manufacturing supply chain indicated that elements such as the supplier and customer orientation, flexibility, manufacturing and supply risk highly connotes with business performance.

Practical implications

In the current unpredictable and volatile business environment, the competitiveness of manufacturing supply chains to a large extent depend on their ability to identify, assess and manage the manufacturing and supply risks. The findings of this study will assist supply chain managers in taking decision on manufacturing and supply risk management and reducing the uncertainty upon their business performance.

Originality/value

The supply chain risk has been widely explored within the context of individual case studies, or standalone models focusing on either supply or manufacturing risk in supply chains; however, to what extent this has been applicable to a wider context and its impact upon business process has not been explored. Hence, this study simultaneously has analysed manufacturing risk and supply risk and its impact upon Chinese manufacturing supply chains business performance. Moreover, this study uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, which is often limited in this area. Finally, the institutional theory lens offers novel insights in better understanding the factors that can affect the impact of supply and manufacturing risk management upon business performance in those contexts, such as China, where the institutional aspect presents specific features.
Retooling leadership development
Authors: Couch Michael A. , Citrin Richard
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to describes how properly designed and executed leadership development can make a difference, an approach the authors call intentional development.

Design methodology/approach

By building unique connections among recent advancements in human capital management and neuroscience, this paper proposes the components that any organization can use to significantly improve the return on their investment in leadership development.

Findings

It is estimated that US companies spend over US$13bn annually on leadership development. Match that number to the abundant research that finds most leadership development to be ineffective, and the conclusion is a phenomenal amount of waste. The situation does not need to be that dire.

Originality/value

Following the practices of yesterday are not sufficient to build leaders needed for now and the future. It is time to retool leadership development.
The Quiet Revolution? The Labour Party and Welfare Conditionality
Authors: Sage Daniel
Published: October 2018

Labour's 2017 general election manifesto contained a pledge to ‘end the punitive sanctions regime’ in the British welfare state. Whilst the specific implications of this pledge were not elaborated, such a policy would nevertheless constitute a profound break with a welfare consensus spanning over twenty years. The depth of the suggested changes on welfare are also evident in the scale of reform proposed to disability benefits, as well as plans—confirmed in August 2018 by the Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell—to pilot universal basic income. Collectively, these policies would seemingly be deeply at odds with public opinion on the benefits system, which over the course of the last two decades has significantly hardened. Yet despite the seemingly radical and controversial nature of the policy, it received very little media or public attention during the election campaign. This article explores Labour's ‘quiet revolution’ on welfare, examining whether Labour's new welfare approach is indeed a bold attempt to reshape public opinion on welfare or, alternatively, a mostly pragmatic reaction to changing social attitudes. The argument presented is that whilst there are persuasive explanations that Labour is responding to a change in the public mood, there is also evidence of a more ambitious goal at stake: the aim of reshaping, not simply responding to, public opinion on the welfare state.
Groups and individuals: conformity and diversity in the performance of gendered identities
Authors: Evans Robert , Collins Harry , Weinel Martin , Lyttleton‐Smith Jennifer , O'Mahoney Hannah , Leonard‐Clarke Willow
Published: October 2018

The nature and role of social groups is a central tension in sociology. On the one hand, the idea of a group enables sociologists to locate and describe individuals in terms of characteristics that are shared with others. On the other, emphasizing the fluidity of categories such as gender or ethnicity undermines their legitimacy as ways of classifying people and, by extension, the legitimacy of categorization as a goal of sociological research. In this paper, we use a new research method known as the Imitation Game to defend the social group as a sociological concept. We show that, despite the diversity of practices that may be consistent with self‐identified membership of a group, there are also shared normative expectations – typically narrower in nature than the diversity displayed by individual group members – that shape the ways in which category membership can be discussed with, and performed to, others. Two claims follow from this. First, the Imitation Game provides a way of simultaneously revealing both the diversity and ‘groupishness’ of social groups. Second, that the social group, in the quasi‐Durkheimian sense of something that transcends the individual, remains an important concept for sociology.
Firm Valuation Over Lifecycle: A Perspective on Growth Option
Authors: Liu Hao , Li Qiang , Zeng Yong
Published: October 2018

This paper investigates the roles of the dynamic of growth options in determining possible change trends of firm valuation over a firm's lifecycle. The theoretical results show that the gradual exercising of endowed growth options will cause a downward trend of firm valuation over lifecycle, while the creating of new growth options can mitigate the downward trend. In particular, there may be an upward trend of firm valuation for firms able to continually create growth options over time. The evidence on 2354 Chinese listed firms during the period of 1998–2015 supports theoretical predictions well.
The evolving role of neuro‐immune interaction in brain repair after cerebral ischemic stroke
Authors: Wang Xin , Xuan Wei , Zhu Zi‐Yu , Li Yan , Zhu Hao , Zhu Ling , Fu Dan‐Yun , Yang Li‐Qun , Li Pei‐Ying , Yu Wei‐Feng
Published: October 2018

Stroke is the world's leading cause of disability with limited brain repair treatments which effectively improve long‐term neurological deficits. The neuroinflammatory responses persist into the late repair phase of stroke and participate in all brain repair elements, including neurogenesis, angiogenesis, synaptogenesis, remyelination and axonal sprouting, shedding new light on post–stroke brain recovery. Resident brain glial cells, such as astrocytes not only contribute to neuroinflammation after stroke, but also secrete a wide range of trophic factors that can promote post–stroke brain repair. Alternatively, activated microglia, monocytes, and neutrophils in the innate immune system, traditionally considered as major damaging factors after stroke, have been suggested to be extensively involved in brain repair after stroke. The adaptive immune system may also have its bright side during the late regenerative phase, affecting the immune suppressive regulatory T cells and B cells. This review summarizes the recent findings in the evolving role of neuroinflammation in multiple post–stroke brain repair mechanisms and poses unanswered questions that may generate new directions for future research and give rise to novel therapeutic targets to improve stroke recovery.
Governing trade‐offs in ecosystem services and disservices to achieve human–wildlife coexistence
Authors: Ceauşu Silvia , Graves Rose A. , Killion Alexander K. , Svenning Jens‐Christian , Carter Neil H.
Published: October 2018

Sustaining wildlife populations, which provide both ecosystem services and disservices, represents a worldwide conservation challenge. The ecosystem services and Ostrom's social–ecological systems frameworks have been adopted across natural and social sciences to characterize benefits from nature. Despite their generalizability, individually they do not include explicit tools for addressing the sustainable management of many wildlife populations. For instance, Ostrom's framework does not specifically address competing perspectives on wildlife, whereas the ecosystem services framework provides a limited representation of the social and governance context wherein such competing perspectives are embedded. We developed a unified social–ecological framework of ecosystem disservices and services (SEEDS) that advances both frameworks by explicitly acknowledging the importance of competing wildlife perspectives embedded in the social and governance contexts. The SEEDS framework emulates the hierarchical structure of Ostrom's social–ecological systems, but adds subsystems reflecting heterogeneous stakeholder views and experiences of wildlife‐based services and disservices. To facilitate operationalizing SEEDS and further broader analyses across human–wildlife systems, we devised a list of variables to describe SEEDS subsystems, such as types and level of services and disservices, cost and benefit sharing, and social participation of stakeholders. Steps to implement SEEDS involve engaging local communities and stakeholders to define the subsystems, analyze interactions and outcomes, and identify leverage points and actions to remedy unwanted outcomes. These steps connect SEEDS with other existing approaches in social–ecological research and can guide analyses across systems or within individual systems to provide new insights and management options for sustainable human–wildlife coexistence.
Riddles in the dark: Assessing diversity patterns for cryptic subterranean fauna of the Pilbara
Authors: Mokany Karel , Harwood Thomas D. , Halse Stuart A. , Ferrier Simon
Published: October 2018

Aim

Spatial modelling can provide new understanding of patterns in biodiversity and help inform policy, planning and management decisions. However, for many taxa, in many regions, issues with currently available biological data curtail the application of spatial biodiversity models. Here we develop techniques to model spatial patterns of diverse subterranean invertebrate fauna (troglofauna and stygofauna) in the Pilbara region, to better inform biodiversity planning and management for these groups. In this context, the available data are highly biased in their distribution, with specimens often identified only at coarse taxonomic resolution, and individual community surveys sampling a relatively small proportion of the total assemblage at a location.

Location

Pilbara bioregion, NW Australia.

Methods

To overcome the challenges presented by the subterranean fauna data sets, we developed a community‐level spatial biodiversity modelling framework, and applied this to model and project patterns in species richness and compositional turnover, for both troglofauna and stygofauna, using fine‐resolution (~30 m) environmental layers.

Results

While there was a large amount of inherent noise in the collated data, our spatial models detected potential environmental drivers of community diversity that align with existing knowledge. For troglofauna, species richness was associated with iron‐bearing geologies, while community compositional turnover was most strongly related to geographic distance. For stygofauna, groundwater depth was the primary predictor for richness and turnover, alongside other physicochemical groundwater attributes. We identified areas of high biodiversity significance by combining richness and turnover predictions.

Main Conclusions

The spatial projections from our biodiversity models indicate the importance of the central Hamersley Range in harbouring unique and diverse subterranean assemblages. These models and projections provide an advanced platform for various biodiversity assessments, including identifying priorities for new surveys, and assessing the likely impacts of proposed development activities on the long‐term persistence of subterranean species in the Pilbara.
Non‐diadromous life history and limited movement in northern lineages of Australian smelt: Evidence from otolith chemistry analysis
Authors: Islam Md Rakeb‐Ul , Schmidt Daniel J. , Crook David A. , Hughes Jane M.
Published: October 2018

A comprehensive knowledge of migratory behaviour is paramount for the effective management and conservation of fishes in coastal drainages. The Australian smelt (Retropinna semoni) is a common fish distributed throughout coastal and inland drainages in south‐eastern Australia. Multiple life history patterns (potamodromy, facultative diadromy, estuarine residence) in the southern regions of its geographic distribution have been reported, and it is possible that some of these differences reflect characteristic behaviours of cryptic species within the group. To elucidate the life history patterns of smelt at the northern extent of their range and to identify any differences in migratory behaviour between two genetically distinct lineages (“SEQ‐N”, “SEQ‐S”) in this region, the movement patterns of Australian smelt were assessed using otolith chemistry. No evidence of marine residence was found based on otolith Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca transects for either group, suggesting that both are non‐diadromous. Significant differences in multi‐elemental otolith chemistry signatures were found among rivers and between paired sites within some rivers, suggesting no connectivity among drainages and limited dispersal of individuals over large spatial scales within rivers. These findings provide key insights into the migratory patterns of northern Australian smelt populations and, in combination with previous research, suggest that life history variation in the Australian smelt complex may occur primarily at the intra‐population level rather than among genetically distinct lineages. Conservation and management strategies for Australian smelt should take limited dispersal and individual life history variation into consideration in order to protect the components of this important species complex.
Upper limb onset of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is common in non‐endemic areas
Authors: Théaudin M. , Lozeron P. , Algalarrondo V. , Lacroix C. , Cauquil C. , Labeyrie C. , Slama M. S. , Adam C. , Guiochon‐Mantel A. , Adams D. ,   French FAP Network (CORNAMYL) Study Group
Published: October 2018

Background and purpose

The aim is to describe an uncommon phenotype of hereditary ATTR neuropathy with upper limb onset.

Methods

The French TTR Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy database was used for a retrospective evaluation of 32 consecutive patients with upper limb onset of the neuropathy (study group) and they were compared to 31 Portuguese early‐onset patients and 99 late‐onset patients without upper limb onset.

Results

Initial upper limb symptoms were mostly sensory. Lower limb symptoms began 2.3 ± 3 years after upper limb symptoms. Twenty‐four (75%) patients were initially misdiagnosed, with 15 different diagnoses. More patients in the study group had a Neuropathy Impairment Score upper limb/lower limb ratio > 1 compared to the late‐onset patient group. The study group had significantly more pronounced axonal loss in the median and ulnar motor nerves and the ulnar sensory and sural nerves. On radial nerve biopsies (n = 11), epineurial vessels were abnormal in six cases, including amyloid deposits in vessel walls (3/11), with vessel occlusion in two cases.

Conclusion

Upper limb onset of hereditary ATTR neuropathy is not rare in non‐endemic areas. It is important to propose early TTR sequencing of patients with idiopathic upper limb neuropathies, as specific management and treatment are required.
TTTCA repeat expansion causes familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy
Authors: Lei X. X. , Liu Q. , Lu Q. , Huang Y. , Zhou X. Q. , Sun H. Y. , Wu L. W. , Cui L. Y. , Zhang X.
Published: October 2018

Background and purpose

The aim was to investigate whether abnormal TTTTA and TTTCA repeat expansions in introns of SAMD12, TNRC6A and RAPGEF2 are involved in the pathogenesis of familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy (FCMTE).

Methods

Five families diagnosed with FCMTE were included in the current genetic analysis. Whole‐exome sequencing was performed in selected patients of each family. TTTTA and TTTCA expansions were examined by repeat‐primed polymerase chain reaction. The clinical features of FCMTE were elicited as defined by the common genetic mechanism of 14 patients.

Results

Abnormal TTTCA expansion was identified and co‐segregated in all five FCMTE families, four inserted in SAMD12 and one in RAPGEF2. The insertion of expanded TTTCA was not found in 116 control alleles. TTTTA expansion in SAMD12 was detected in 90.9% (10/11) of patients or mutation carriers; TTTTA expansion in RAPGEF2 was not found. The onset age of myoclonic tremor was 27.4 ± 5.9 (19–37) and epilepsy usually presented around age 34. Focal and generalized seizures were witnessed with various origins recorded by electroencephalogram. Cognitive deficits were not common within the first 3 years after epilepsy onset. Emotional instability was reported by most patients. No patients showed any cerebellar deficits. Valproate added with clonazepam is effective in controlling seizures but cannot guarantee a complete remission of tremor. Repeat length showed intergenerational instability and was inversely correlated with age at onset of myoclonic tremor and epilepsy.

Conclusions

TTTCA expansion insertion is associated with FCMTE in Chinese families. The homogenous genetic mechanism allowed for a higher precision of FCMTE description.
Insights into the genetic epidemiology of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: prevalence estimation and multiple founder haplotypes in the Veneto Italian region
Authors: Bertolin C. , Querin G. , Martinelli I. , Pennuto M. , Pegoraro E. , Sorarù G.
Published: October 2018

Background and purpose

Literature data on spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) epidemiology are limited and restricted to specific populations. The aim of our study was to accurately collect information about SBMA patients living in the Veneto region in Italy to compute reliable epidemiological data. Androgen receptor (AR) lineages were genotyped to evaluate the presence of a founder effect.

Methods

A prevalence survey considering all SBMA patients diagnosed in the Italian Veneto region on 31 January 2018 was carried out. The presence of different haplotypes obtained genotyping 15 polymorphic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms and short tandem repeats) around the AR gene was evaluated.

Results

Based on 68 patients, the punctual prevalence of the disease on 31 January 2018 was 2.58/100 000 (95% confidence interval 1.65–3.35) in the male population. Five different haplotypes were identified, confirming the existence of multiple founder effects. It was also observed that, within the same haplotype, patients had a similar CAG repeat number (P‐value < 0.001).

Conclusions

A reliable estimation of SBMA prevalence in the Italian Veneto region was calculated which does not seem to be affected by a strong founder effect. Moreover, our data suggest that the length of the CAG expansion could be preserved in patients harbouring the same haplotype.
Tetracycline, nicotinamide, and lesionally administered clobetasol as a therapeutic option to prednisone in patients with bullous pemphigoid: a comparative, retrospective analysis of 106 patients with long‐term follow‐up
Authors: Kalinska‐Bienias Agnieszka , Kowalczyk Emilia , Jagielski Pawel , Kowalewski Cezary , Wozniak Katarzyna
Published: October 2018

Background

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease associated with preexisting comorbidities and higher mortality. The interest in using therapy other than oral steroids in BP management results from severe complications and increased risk of death. The efficacy of oral doxycycline or whole‐body application of topical clobetasol has been proven in randomized controlled trials. The case series study suggested that combination of tetracycline, nicotinamide, and lesionally administered clobetasol may also be useful.

Methods

We conducted a clinical 3‐year retrospective study of treatment with tetracycline, nicotinamide, and lesionally administered clobetasol (TNC) in comparison to prednisone (P). Out of 106 patients (mean age 78 ± 9.9 years) with newly diagnosed BP, 59 received tetracycline 1.5 g/daily, nicotinamide 1.2 g/daily, and 0.05% lesionally administered clobetasol cream, and 47 patients – prednisone 0.5 mg/kg daily.

Results

The median time to disease control was achieved after 7 days in both groups. At 4 weeks, 93.2% of patients treated with TNC and 89.1% from P group achieved disease control. The median period between complete remission and relapse was 60 days in the TNC group and 90 days in the P group (P = 0.84). At least one relapse within 1 year was noted in 32.1% of patients from the TNC group and 50% from the P group (P = 0.09). The 1‐year survival for the TNC and P groups was 83% and 65.9%, respectively (P = 0.04), and the 3‐year survival was 71.2% and 48% (P = 0.019), respectively.

Conclusions

Tetracycline and nicotinamide combined with lesionally administered clobetasol is an alternative, effective treatment with better survival rates compared to prednisone in BP.
A novel approach to childhood obesity: circulating chemokines and growth factors as biomarkers of insulin resistance
Authors: Rivera P. , Martos‐Moreno G. Á. , Barrios V. , Suárez J. , Pavón F. J. , Chowen J. A. , Rodríguez de Fonseca F. , Argente J.
Published: October 2018

Background

Insulin resistance (IR) in children with obesity constitutes a risk factor that should be precisely diagnosed to prevent further comorbidities.

Objective

Chemokines were evaluated to identify novel predictors of IR with clinical application.

Methods

We analysed the levels of cytokines (tumour necrosis factor [TNF] α and interleukins [ILs] 1β, 4, 6 and 10), chemokines (stromal cell derived factor 1α, monocyte chemoattract protein [MCP] 1, eotaxin and fractalkine) and growth factors (brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, pro‐fibrotic platelet‐derived growth factor [PDGF‐BB] and insulin‐like growth factor 1) in serum of prepubertal children with obesity (61 girls/59 boys, 50% IR and 50% non‐IR) and 32 controls. Factor analysis, correlation, binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analysis of combined biomarkers were used to validate their capability for preventive interventions of IR.

Results

Changes in MCP1, eotaxin, IL1β and PDGF‐BB were observed in IR children with obesity. Bivariate correlation between stromal cell derived factor 1α, MCP1, eotaxin, TNFα, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and/or PDGF‐BB explained the high variance (65.9%) defined by three components related to inflammation and growth that contribute towards IR. The combination of leptin, triglyceride/high‐density lipoprotein, insulin‐like growth factor 1, TNFα, MCP1 and PDGF‐BB showed a sensitivity and specificity of 93.2% for the identification of IR. The percentage of correct predictions was 89.6.

Conclusions

Combined set of cytokines, adipokines and chemokines constitutes a model that predicts IR, suggesting a potential application in clinical practice as biomarkers to identify children with obesity and hyperinsulinaemia.
Interstitial lung abnormalities in the Queensland Lung Cancer Screening Study: prevalence and progression over 2 years of surveillance
Authors: Mackintosh John A. , Marshall Henry M. , Slaughter Richard , Reddy Taryn , Yang Ian A. , Bowman Rayleen V. , Fong Kwun M.
Published: October 2018

Background

We report the prevalence and progression of incidentally detected interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) in the Queensland Lung Cancer Screening Study cohort.

Methods

About 256 volunteers aged 60–74, with ≥30 pack years smoking history and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) ≥50% predicted underwent low‐dose computed tomography (CT) chest screening. Electronic search of baseline (T0) and 2‐year follow‐up (T2) CT reports identified candidate cases using Fleischner Society interstitial terminology. Candidate CT were reviewed in a randomised order by two experienced radiologists and a senior respiratory medicine trainee blinded to the existing reports. Scans were evaluated for the presence and extent of ILA using an in‐house score, and graded for progression.

Results

ILA were detected in 20/256 baseline cases (7.8%) with no incident cases detected at T2 surveillance imaging. Of these 20 cases, 9 (45%) had reticulation, 18 (90%) had ground glass change, 1 had traction bronchiectasis and 1 had randomly distributed nodularity. Seven cases with ground glass changes also had areas of reticulation, and only two had reticulation alone. All ILA were graded as minor except for traction bronchiectasis, which was moderate. Only one case progressed on T2 imaging. ILA were associated with the presence of auscultatory crackles (50% vs 11.6%, P = 0.001) and a lesser degree of emphysema (mean % volumetric emphysema 6.7% vs 9.8%, P = 0.009). No relationship was observed between baseline and serial lung function parameters.

Conclusion

ILA are frequent incidental findings in lung cancer screening. In the majority of cases these abnormalities do not appear to change significantly over a 2‐year period of surveillance.
Carrier Bidding Behavior in Truckload Spot Auctions
Authors: Scott Alex
Published: October 2018

When a shipper urgently needs truckload service, they often utilize the spot market. But despite its importance, little is known about this market. I analyze a longitudinal data set of auctions for spot truckload service where I observe invitations for carriers to bid, whether a bid is placed, and the bid price if one is placed, and augment this with information about the bidding carriers. Drawing upon auction theory, I suggest that a carrier's a priori characteristics (size, market specialization) explain the two primary decisions made in the auctions—whether to bid and how much to bid. I find that brokers, who act as intermediaries between shippers and asset‐based carriers, bid much more frequently and higher than asset‐based carriers. Price indexes show that broker bid prices follow similar patterns, but asset‐based carrier prices do not. The results suggest that an online marketplace linking shippers directly with the thousands of asset‐based carriers could add considerable value to the for‐hire trucking industry, a development which appears to be happening.
Comparison of different schedules of nocturnal home blood pressure measurement using an information/communication technology‐based device in hypertensive patients
Authors: Fujiwara Takeshi , Nishizawa Masafumi , Hoshide Satoshi , Kanegae Hiroshi , Kario Kazuomi
Published: October 2018

The objective of this study was to test our hypothesis that nocturnal home blood pressure (BP) measurement adapted to the chosen bedtime of participants (measurement at 2, 3, and 4 hour after the chosen bedtime) would be more reliable than measurement at fixed time points (2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 am). Forty‐eight hypertensives were randomized to two groups undergoing two seven‐night measurement phases in a crossover manner and were asked to measure nocturnal home BP for 14 consecutive nights using a validated automatic information/communication technology‐based device. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of systolic BP (SBP) obtained by a single measurement per night over two nights showed lower agreement than those of systolic BP obtained by multiple measurements based on a participant‐specified bedtime (0.539‐0.625 vs 0.675‐0.768) and multiple measurements at fixed times (0.468‐0.505 vs 0.661‐0.790). The ICCs obtained using specific bedtime‐based time points and those obtained using fixed time points showed major agreement when SBP was obtained by multiple measurements. The standard errors of measurement for SBP were similar between the bedtime‐based measurement phase (1.4‐1.7 mm Hg) and the fixed‐time measurement phase (1.2‐1.6 mm Hg). Neither a fixed bias nor a proportional bias was observed between the SBP values measured by the specific bedtime‐based time points and those measured by the fixed‐time measurement phase. In conclusion, the reliability of nocturnal home BP measurement appeared to be similar between nocturnal home BP adapted to the chosen bedtime of participants and that measured at fixed time points.
Retracted: Pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus in hospital food samples; prevalence and antimicrobial resistance properties
Authors: Safarpoor Dehkordi Farhad , Basti Afshin Akhondzadeh , Gandomi Hassan , Misaghi Ali , Rahimi Ebrahim
Published: October 2018

The present investigation was done to study the prevalence and antibiotic resistance properties of S. aureus strains isolated from hospitals foods. Four‐hundred and fifty‐seven raw and cooked hospital food samples were collected and transferred to laboratory. Samples were cultured and S. aureus isolates were subjected to disk diffusion method. Forty‐seven out of 457 (10.28%) hospital food samples harbored S. aureus. Chicken meat (27.02%), meat barbecue (16.12%) and salad (7.14%) were the most commonly contaminated samples. S. aureus strains exhibited the highest levels of resistance against penicillin (70.21%), tetracycline (59.57%) and trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole (51.06%). Prevalence of resistance against ceftaroline (25.53%) and chloramphenicol (27.65%) were low. High prevalence of S. aureus in raw and cooked hospital food samples showed insufficiency of cooking time and temperature in the kitchens of hospitals as well as lack of personal hygiene. Further studies are essential to assess other microbiological and epidemiological aspects of the S. aureus.

Practical applications

Due to the general weakness of hospitalized patients, hospital food samples should have a high microbial quality. Staphylococcus aureus is common foodborne bacteria with an emergence of antibiotic resistance. This study emphasizes the importance of multidrug resistant S. aureus in hospital food sample. Results represented that hospital food samples may act as a reservoir of S. aureus with ability to transfer antibiotic resistance.
Autologous pure platelet‐rich plasma injections for facial skin rejuvenation: Biometric instrumental evaluations and patient‐reported outcomes to support antiaging effects
Authors: Everts Peter A , Pinto Pedro Contreiras , Girão Leonor
Published: October 2018

Background

During skin aging, a degeneration of connective tissue and decrease in hyaluronic acid polymers occur. Since platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) contains growth factors and various cytokines, it was hypothesized that it could play a role in fibroblast activation and type I collagen expression in human fibroblasts.

Objectives

This study was performed to assess the efficacy of autologous PRP injections for facial skin rejuvenation, measured by biometric instrumental evaluations and patient‐reported outcomes.

Patients and Methods

Patients signed an informed consent form. The EmCyte PurePRP® system technology was used to produce neutrophil‐poor PurePRP. The efficacy of the procedures was assessed by biometric parameters, and a patient outcome a self‐assessment questionnaire on each visit and at 6‐month follow‐up.

Results

Eleven volunteers were included in the study, receiving 3 PurePRP® treatments. A significant decrease in brown spot counts and area (P < 0.05) was seen after 3 months. Wrinkle count and volume were significantly reduced (P < 0.05 for total wrinkle appearance). Skin firmness parameters were significantly improved. Skin redness was significantly improved after 169 days post‐therapy for both the nasolabial and malar areas. A decrease in SLEB thickness was already noted at 2 months after the first injection, with an increase in SLEB density (P < 0.05 for both parameters), without affecting subcutaneous fat thickness. Self‐assessment at 6‐month follow‐up revealed an average satisfaction score of >90%.

Conclusions

A series of 3 PurePRP injections at 6‐month follow‐up resulted in significant skin rejuvenation as demonstrated by biometric parameters and confirmed by patient self‐assessment score.
Early Implant Failure Associated With Patient Factors, Surgical Manipulations, and Systemic Conditions
Authors: Carr Alan B. , Arwani Noura , Lohse Christine M. , Gonzalez Ricardo L. Vidal , Muller Olivia M. , Salinas Thomas J.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Systematic monitoring of important clinical outcomes is increasingly important for health‐care decision making, especially in the context of continuous quality improvement. Dental implant failure within the first year (early failure) has been previously shown to be more common than subsequent failure. The purpose of this study was to identify associations between early implant failure and patient factors, surgical manipulations, and systemic conditions.

Materials and Methods

The authors retrospectively identified the records of consecutive adult patients with dental implants seen between 2000 and 2014 in the Department of Dental Specialties, at the Mayo Clinic. Demographic, surgical, and medical data were extracted from the database and individual medical records to determine time to first implant failure. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess associations of demographic, surgical, and systemic conditions with implant failure during the first year post‐implantation, summarized as hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]).

Results

Among 8540 implants identified during the study period, 362 (4.2%) failed within the first year of placement at a mean (SD) of 129 (96) days after placement. On univariate analysis, most candidate predictors were not shown to influence first‐year failure. Preplacement surgical manipulations associated with increased early implant failure were bone augmentation only (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.02‐2.05; p = 0.04), socket preservation (HR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.33‐5.38; p = 0.006), and xenogenic material (HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.11‐4.04; p = 0.02). Alveoloplasty only at placement was associated with decreased early implant failure (HR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17‐0.65; p = 0.001). Overall, 318 implants (3.7%) had surgical complications within the first year of placement at a mean (SD) of 110 (114) days after placement; any surgical complication was significantly associated with early implant failure (hazard ratio, 15.84; 95% CI, 11.10‐22.61; p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, and implant era, no single or multiple medical condition(s) and no single or multiple medication(s) increased patient risk of implant failure in the first year after placement.

Conclusions

These findings support a targeted effort to reduce the incidence of surgical complications to reduce early failure of dental implants.
The Acquisition of Conventional Expressions as a Pragmalinguistic Resource in Chinese as a Foreign Language
Authors: BARDOVI–HARLIG KATHLEEN , SU YUNWEN
Published: October 2018

This study investigates the role of proficiency in the acquisition of conventional expressions as a pragmalinguistic resource in second‐language (L2) Chinese. One hundred and four undergraduates, including 57 learners of Chinese as a foreign language at 3 levels of university instruction and 47 native speakers completed an aural–oral discourse completion task presented in Chinese. Native‐speaker responses show that there are conventional expressions associated with specific situations and learner responses show that learners are increasingly able to produce the expressions as proficiency increases. En route to mastering the conventional expressions, learners develop sociopragmatic competence that allows them to produce the same speech‐act and content as native speakers in the same situations, thus creating contexts for the conventional expressions. Interlanguage analysis of learner production also reveals that learners attempt the pragmatically conventional expressions prior to full mastery, using key words of the expressions called lexical cores.
“An injury to shame”
Authors: Weitzman Erica
Published: October 2018

This article looks at the discourse of obscenity in mid‐ to late nineteenth‐century German legal and aesthetic thought and its implications for both historical and contemporary hermeneutical practices. The article proceeds genealogically from definitions of obscenity in German law (particularly the controversial and widely consequential Lex Heinze of 1893), to the aesthetician Karl Rosenkranz's definition of obscenity as “the intentional injury to shame,” to the programmatic realism of the late nineteenth‐century literary historian and critic Julian Schmidt. Within this genealogy, the obscene emerges as a concept that extends far beyond either legal pragmatics or emotional susceptibility to delineate a particularly suspect play of exposure and concealment, isolation and integration, presence and significance, absorption and theatricality. For the aesthetic thinkers of the late nineteenth century, art and literature must be perpetually on their guard against a certain gratuitous form of sensual spectacle, which not only violates moral conventions, but also threatens a particular idea of the human being and its relationship to the external world in a way that is not merely historical, but continues to be relevant to literary and philosophical debates today.
Delayed granulomatous reaction and cutaneous fistula induced by retained electrodes from a cardiac pacemaker in a child
Authors: Sánchez‐Los Arcos Leire , Feito‐Rodríguez Marta , Rodríguez Bandera Ana Isabel , González‐López Guillermo , de Lucas‐Laguna Raúl
Published: October 2018

Permanent epicardial pacing wires are sometimes left in place and can lead to long‐term complications. We report on a case of a granulomatous reaction with a cutaneous fistula secondary to the retained epicardial pacing wires in a child and highlight the relevance of sonography as an additional tool in the diagnosis and management of dermatologic conditions.
Intermediary roles in regulatory programs: Toward a role‐based framework
Authors: Kourula Arno , Paukku Markus , Peterman Andrew , Koria Mikko
Published: October 2018

This paper develops a role‐based framework of intermediaries in regulatory programs. In examining the types of roles that organizations adopt in regulation and governance, we argue that roles have important implications for understanding organizational and program level dynamism and outcomes. We use the Regulator–Intermediary–rule‐Taker framework to describe how organizational roles can be adopted through assignment, appropriation, or promotion. We then go deeper into how intermediaries adopt a variety of different roles in key regulatory programs. We examine generic intermediary roles across programs that involve four main groups of activities: creating and/or organizing, coordinating between programs, supporting implementation, and voicing an opinion. All in all, our role‐based framework allows for a novel relational way to understand interorganizational and institutional dynamism in complex, interactive, and ever‐changing regulatory regimes.
Trust and foreign ownership: Evidence from intra‐European foreign direct investments
Authors: Da Rin Marco , Di Giacomo Marina , Sembenelli Alessandro
Published: October 2018

We use a novel firm‐level dataset to test whether trust affects the volume and the ownership structure FDI across Europe. Our methodology deals with the endogeneity of trust from the investor to the recipient country. We expect such a trust measure to affect investment decisions, and the associated knowledge capital, differently across types of foreign investors. In particular, this effect is expected to be stronger for industrial investors who possess transferable knowledge capital. The data confirm our predictions. Higher trust increases the number and volume of FDIs, but also the probability of co‐investing with a partner from the recipient country.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of a custom‐made toothbrush in maintaining oral hygiene and gingival health in cerebral palsy patients
Authors: Rai Trupthi , YM Karuna , Rao Ashwin , P Anupama Nayak , Natarajan Srikant , Joseph Rose Maria
Published: October 2018

Aim

To evaluate and compare the efficacy of customized toothbrushes in maintenance of oral hygiene and gingival health with that of conventional toothbrushes in children with cerebral palsy.

Methods

Thirty patients with cerebral palsy in the age group of 6 to 18 years were randomly divided into two groups—group I (normal toothbrush) and group II (customized toothbrush). Common oral hygiene instructions were given to both the groups. Before beginning the study, plaque index (PI) and modified gingival index (MGI) were recorded, following which patients were made to practice their routine twice a day brushing with either normal toothbrush or custom‐made toothbrush for 3 weeks. At the end of 3 weeks, PI and MGI were rerecorded. The subjects belonging to group II were also made to perform muscle exercises using the modified brush head.

Results

Significantly high percentage drop between the pre‐ and post‐PI as well as MGI (31.55% and 30.23%, respectively) was observed in the custom‐made toothbrush group, while the percentage drop of only 8.34% (PI) and 14.51% (MGI) was seen in the normal toothbrush group.

Conclusions

Custom‐made tooth brushes increased the efficiency of maintaining oral hygiene and gingival health of individuals with cerebral palsy.
Association between breaks in sitting time and adiposity in Australian toddlers: Results from the GET‐UP! study
Authors: Sousa‐Sá Eduarda , Pereira João R. , Zhang Zhiguang , Veldman Sanne L. C. , Okely Anthony D. , Santos Rute
Published: October 2018

Background

In youth, research on the health benefits of breaking up sitting time is inconsistent. Our aim was to explore the association between the number of breaks in sitting time and adiposity in Australian toddlers.

Methods

This study comprised 266 toddlers (52% boys), aged 19.6 ± 4.2 months from the GET‐UP! Study, Australia. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and z‐scores by age and sex were computed for waist circumference (WC). Participants were classified as overweight according to the WHO criteria for BMI. For WC, participants with a z‐score≥1SD were considered overweight. Sitting time was assessed with activPALs during childcare hours and participants were classified by tertiles of the number of breaks/h in sitting time: <26 breaks/h; 26‐39 breaks/h, and >39 breaks/h. Logistic regression assessed odds ratios for non‐overweight (BMI or waist circumference categories) by number of breaks in sitting time/h, controlling for age, sex, and socioeconomic status.

Results

The number of breaks in sitting time significantly predicted a lower weight status (non‐overweight) according to WC values (P for trend = 0.032) after adjustments.

Conclusions

Breaking up sitting time was positively associated with toddlers’ waist circumference. Future studies are needed to determine whether breaking up sitting time is a protective for cardiometabolic health in toddlers.
Decline in cardiorespiratory fitness in the Swedish working force between 1995 and 2017
Authors: Ekblom‐Bak Elin , Ekblom Örjan , Andersson Gunnar , Wallin Peter , Söderling Jonas , Hemmingsson Erik , Ekblom Björn
Published: October 2018

Background

Long‐term trend analyses of cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) in the general population are limited.

Objectives

To describe trends in VO2max from 1995 to 2017 in the Swedish working force and to study developments across categories of sex, age, education, and geographic regions.

Methods

A total of 354 277 participants (44% women, 18‐74 years) who participated in a nationwide occupational health service screening between 1995 and 2017 were included. Changes in standardized mean values of absolute (L/min) and relative (mL/min/kg) VO2max, and the proportion with low (<32) relative VO2max are reported. VO2max was estimated using a submaximal cycle test.

Results

Absolute VO2max decreased by −6.7% (−0.19 L/min) in the total population. Relative VO2max decreased by −10.8% (−4.2 mL/min/kg) with approximately one‐third explained by a simultaneous increase in body mass. Decreases in absolute fitness were more pronounced in men vs women (8.7% vs 5.3%), in younger vs older (6.5% vs 2.3%), in short (11.4%) vs long (4.5%) education, and in rural vs urban regions (6.5% vs 3.5%), all P < 0.001. The proportions with low VO2max increased from 27% to 46% (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Between 1995 and 2017, there was a steady and pronounced decline in mean cardiorespiratory fitness in Swedish adults. Male gender, young age, short education, and living in a rural area were predictive of greater reductions. The proportion with low cardiorespiratory fitness almost doubled. Given the strong associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and multiple morbidities and mortality, preventing further decreases is a clear public health priority, especially for vulnerable groups.
Voter ID Laws: A View from the Public*
Authors: Gronke Paul , Hicks William D. , McKee Seth C. , Stewart Charles , Dunham James
Published: October 2018

Objective

The proliferation of voter identification (ID) laws in the American states has spawned a growing literature examining their causes and effects. We move in a different direction, focusing on public opinion toward these laws.

Methods

Drawing on a battery of questions in the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we explore why some respondents believe these laws prevent fraud while others believe they disadvantage political participation.

Results

We find that partisanship shapes respondents’ attitudes about the effects of voter ID laws, but in different ways. Democrats, whose opinions vary according to ideology, education, attention to politics, and racial resentment, are divided. Republicans, however, are markedly more united in their support of voter ID laws.

Conclusions

These differences, we argue, are consistent with an elite‐to‐mass message transmission reflecting the current context of polarized party politics and the variation in the voter coalitions comprising the Democratic and Republican parties.