bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge management enterprise and RFID systems
Authors: Reyes Pedro M. , Worthington William J. , Collins Jamie D.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to explore the investment of supply chain technology-to-performance path relationship through the lens of the resource-based view (RBV) as illuminated by the organizational learning literature.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study surveyed top-level managers who are registered members of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

Findings

– Using factor analysis and OLS regression on 300+ supply chain professionals, this study confirms that investments in both enterprise- and radio frequency identification (RFID)-specific knowledge management (KM) tools yield substantial benefits to the firm’s knowledge management system (KMS) which is the dependent path to higher supply chain performance.

Research limitations/implications

– This sample was taken with supply chain professionals who are more likely to value supply chain investments as part of their responsibility.

Practical implications

– The authors believe that the empirical study on supply chain investment from a resource-based perspective will contribute to the ongoing RBV theoretical discussions while providing insights for practitioners in the realm of supply chain investment.

Originality/value

– Every investment in supply technology should be driven by an understanding of the inextricably inter-connectedness of knowledge management capabilities and the firm’s ability to effectively implement its corporate strategies. By emphasizing the inter-connection between knowledge management and supply chain technology investments, firms improve their potential for developing a competitive advantage.
Identity after death: how legacy organizational identity and death form each other
Authors: Gerstrøm Anna
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how legacy organizational identity and death relate to each other and, thereby, contribute to closing the gap in knowledge on organizational identity constructions in times of death.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper opted for an exploratory study relying on primary data from in-depth narrative interviews with 20 organizational members of a bank that went bankrupt. The primary data, as well as documents like websites, newspapers, magazines, booklets, minutes, and reports, were complemented by secondary interviews with other members of the financial industry.

Findings

– The paper finds that members of a dead organization construct a bankruptcy narrative that is also a legacy organizational identity narrative including a legacy organizational identity transformation and several identities that have positive and negative aspects and are conflicting but integrated into a coherent narrative. Furthermore, the paper provides empirical insights on how members of a dead organization draw upon their legacy organizational identity to justify their (lack of) past interpretations and responses to an unfolding bankruptcy. Finally, it provides empirical evidence on ways that legacy organizational identity from a dead organization play a substantial role in a living organization.

Research limitations/implications

– Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability.

Practical implications

– The paper holds insight that can help practitioners understand members of a dying organization – including the ways they come to form and perform in a new organizational context; an understanding that is a prerequisite for helping and supporting these members in coming to perform satisfyingly in the new organization.

Originality/value

– This paper addresses an apparent gap in the literature on identity and death; exploring identity narratives in a bankrupted bank, the paper considers constructions of legacy organizational identities in times of disruptive death.
A framework for measuring student and staff satisfaction with university campus facilities
Authors: Kärnä Sami , Julin Päivi
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of the study is to evaluate and discuss the extent of the satisfaction as perceived by the students and staff towards university facilities and services in two campuses in Finland. The aim is to analyse which facility-related factors have the greatest impacts on students’ and staff’s overall satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– The extensive survey was conducted to investigate how the university students and staff assess the university campus and facility services. A framework was developed to prioritise the satisfaction factors towards the facilities in two campuses in the both groups. The study was executed with the statistical assessment method, which combines each question’s mean value and how it affects overall satisfaction.

Findings

– The findings show that there are differences in the main features of the satisfaction as assessed by the groups and between the two campuses. Student satisfaction consist of factors related to comfortable learning environment, where public spaces and campus accessibility play vital roles. Staff satisfaction can be characterised as a comprehensive campus experience and where laboratory and teaching facilities create value to the staff. In general, results show that the factors related to the research and teaching spaces have the greatest impacts on the overall satisfaction in the both groups. The improvement of the quality of these spaces will then directly assist staff and students in achieving their objectives.

Practical implications

– The measurement method developed in the study helps campus facilities’ management to prioritise satisfaction factors and identify the areas of the quality improvements. This information can be used widely, for instance, in the campus development, facilities management and improvement of the university services.

Originality/value

– The framework analyses which factors of the facilities have the greatest impacts on the overall satisfaction as perceived by the students and staff. The outcome of the study will improve the knowledge of which aspects of the facilities created value to the universities’ core functions.
Point‐spread functions for interferometric imaging
Authors: van der Neut Joost , Wapenaar Kees
Published: January 2015

Interferometric redatuming is a data‐driven method to transform seismic responses with sources at one level and receivers at a deeper level into virtual reflection data with both sources and receivers at the deeper level. Although this method has traditionally been applied by cross‐correlation, accurate redatuming through a heterogeneous overburden requires solving a multidimensional deconvolution problem. Input data can be obtained either by direct observation (for instance in a horizontal borehole), by modelling or by a novel iterative scheme that is currently being developed. The output of interferometric redatuming can be used for imaging below the redatuming level, resulting in a so‐called interferometric image. Internal multiples from above the redatuming level are eliminated during this process. In the past, we introduced point‐spread functions for interferometric redatuming by cross‐correlation. These point‐spread functions quantify distortions in the redatumed data, caused by internal multiple reflections in the overburden. In this paper, we define point‐spread functions for interferometric imaging to quantify these distortions in the image domain. These point‐spread functions are similar to conventional resolution functions for seismic migration but they contain additional information on the internal multiples in the overburden and they are partly data‐driven. We show how these point‐spread functions can be visualized to diagnose image defocusing and artefacts. Finally, we illustrate how point‐spread functions can also be defined for interferometric imaging with passive noise sources in the subsurface or with simultaneous‐source acquisition at the surface.
Towards an integrated understanding of the consequences of fungus domestication on the fungus‐growing termite gut microbiota
Authors: Poulsen Michael
Published: January 2015

Approximately 30 million years ago (MYA), the subfamily of higher termitesMacrotermitinae domesticated a fungus,Termitomyces, as the main plant decomposer and food source for the termite host. The origin of fungiculture shifted the composition of the termite gut microbiota, and some of the functional implications of this shift have recently been established. I review reports on the composition of theMacrotermitinae gut microbiota, evidence for a subfamily core gut microbiota, and the first insight into functional complementarity between fungal and gut symbionts. In addition, I argue that we need to explore the capacities of all members of the symbiotic communities, including better solidifyingTermitomycesrole(s) in order to understand putative complementary gut bacterial contributions. Approaches that integrate natural history and sequencing data to elucidate symbiont functions will be powerful, particularly if executed in comparative analyses across the well‐established congruent termite–fungus phylogenies. This will allow for testing if gut communities have evolved in parallel with their hosts, with implications for our general understanding of the evolution of gut symbiont communities with hosts.
Hydrogen export from intertidal cyanobacterial mats: sources, fluxes and the influence of community composition
Authors: Hoffmann Dörte , Maldonado Juan , Wojciechowski Martin F. , Garcia‐Pichel Ferran
Published: January 2015

Microbial mats from marine intertidal settings have been reported to release significant quantities of H2, in a unique trait among other mats and microbial communities. However, the H2 source and ecophysiological mechanisms that enable its export are not well understood. We examined H2 accumulation and export in three types of greenhouse‐reared mats, from the intertidal region of Guerrero Negro, Mexico, and kept under natural light–dark conditions and wetting and drying cycles simulating low‐, mid‐ and high‐tidal height periodicity. All mats released H2 reproducibly and sustainably for 1.5 years. Net H2 export took place in a pulsed daily manner, starting after dusk, and waning in the morning, as photosynthesis resumed. Mid‐ and low‐tidal mats developed high concentrations, capable of sustaining export fluxes that represented 2–4% of the water split through primary productivity. Neither N2 fixation nor direct photolytic hydrogenogenesis was significant to this H2 export, which was fermentative in origin, variable among mats, originating from cyanobacterial photosynthate. Analyses of community composition by pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA and hoxH genes indicate that filamentous non‐heterocystous cyanobacteria (e.g. Lyngbya, Microcoleus) were important in the process of H2 export, as was the relatively low abundance and activity of methanogens and sulfate reducers.
Primary succession ofBistorta vivipara(L.)Delabre (Polygonaceae) root‐associated fungi mirrors plant succession in two glacial chronosequences
Authors: Davey Marie , Blaalid Rakel , Vik Unni , Carlsen Tor , Kauserud Håvard , Eidesen Pernille B.
Published: January 2015

Glacier chronosequences are important sites for primary succession studies and have yielded well‐defined primary succession models for plants that identify environmental resistance as an important determinant of the successional trajectory. Whether plant‐associated fungal communities follow those same successional trajectories and also respond to environmental resistance is an open question. In this study, 454 amplicon pyrosequencing was used to compare the root‐associated fungal communities of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) herbBistorta viviparaalong two primary succession gradients with different environmental resistance (alpine versus arctic) and different successional trajectories in the vascular plant communities (directional replacement versus directional non‐replacement). At both sites, the root‐associated fungal communities were dominated byECMbasidiomycetes and community composition shifted with increasing time since deglaciation. However, the fungal community's successional trajectory mirrored the pattern observed in the surrounding plant community at both sites: the alpine site displayed a directional‐replacement successional trajectory, and the arctic site displayed a directional‐non‐replacement successional trajectory. This suggests that, like in plant communities, environmental resistance is key in determining succession patterns in root‐associated fungi. The need for further replicated study, including in other host species, is emphasized.
Methane‐derived carbon flow through microbial communities in arctic lake sediments
Authors: He Ruo , Wooller Matthew J. , Pohlman John W. , Tiedje James M. , Leigh Mary Beth
Published: January 2015

Aerobic methane (CH4) oxidation mitigates CH4 release and is a significant pathway for carbon and energy flow into aquatic food webs. Arctic lakes are responsible for an increasing proportion of global CH4 emissions, but CH4 assimilation into the aquatic food web in arctic lakes is poorly understood. Using stable isotope probing (SIP) based on phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA‐SIP) and DNA (DNA‐SIP), we tracked carbon flow quantitatively from CH4 into sediment microorganisms from an arctic lake with an active CH4 seepage. When 0.025 mmol CH4 g−1 wet sediment was oxidized, approximately 15.8–32.8% of the CH4‐derived carbon had been incorporated into microorganisms. This CH4‐derived carbon equated to up to 5.7% of total primary production estimates for Alaskan arctic lakes. Type I methanotrophs, including Methylomonas, Methylobacter and unclassified Methylococcaceae, were most active at CH4 oxidation in this arctic lake. With increasing distance from the active CH4 seepage, a greater diversity of bacteria incorporated CH4‐derived carbon. Actinomycetes were the most quantitatively important microorganisms involved in secondary feeding on CH4‐derived carbon. These results showed that CH4 flows through methanotrophs into the broader microbial community and that type I methanotrophs, methylotrophs and actinomycetes are important organisms involved in using CH4‐derived carbon in arctic freshwater ecosystems.
Processing of cell‐surface signalling anti‐sigma factors prior to signal recognition is a conserved autoproteolytic mechanism that produces two functional domains
Authors: Bastiaansen Karlijn C. , Otero‐Asman Joaquín R. , Luirink Joen , Bitter Wilbert , Llamas María A.
Published: January 2015

Cell‐surface signalling (CSS) enables Gram‐negative bacteria to transduce an environmental signal into a cytosolic response. This regulatory cascade involves an outer membrane receptor that transmits the signal to an anti‐sigma factor in the cytoplasmic membrane, allowing the activation of an extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factor. Recent studies have demonstrated that RseP‐mediated proteolysis of the anti‐sigma factors is key to σECF activation. Using the Pseudomonas aeruginosa FoxR anti‐sigma factor, we show here that RseP is responsible for the generation of an N‐terminal tail that likely contains pro‐sigma activity. Furthermore, it has been reported previously that this anti‐sigma factor is processed in two separate domains prior to signal recognition. Here, we demonstrate that this process is common in these types of proteins and that the processing event is probably due to autoproteolytic activity. The resulting domains interact and function together to transduce the CSS signal. However, our results also indicate that this processing event is not essential for activity. In fact, we have identified functional CSS anti‐sigma factors that are not cleaved prior to signal perception. Together, our results indicate that CSS regulation can occur through both complete and initially processed anti‐sigma factors.
Prospects for, and Challenges of, Research Design and Training in Cross‐Disciplinary Environmental Management Research
Authors: ASHBY NICOLE , FRYIRS KIRSTIE , HOWITT RICHARD
Published: January 2015

Research in coupled human and natural systems can be quite a cross‐disciplinary endeavour, requiring the combination of diverse concepts, methods, and approaches. While there is a wide recognition of the importance of incorporating different viewpoints, perspectives, and disciplines in achieving positive environmental and social outcomes, the methods through which such research is designed, specifically the processes engaged in, are largely absent from the literature. This presents challenges in research training for students in the field. This paper uses the example of a recent student project examining the management of Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone to consider how research training might address project design, conceptual challenges, and methodological choices. The goal of this project was to build improved understanding of the role of context in the adaptive management of these endangered ecological communities from Commonwealth to micro‐local scales. The paper explores the complexities of integrating approaches and methods drawn from both social sciences and environmental sciences. Rather than providing a definitive ‘how to guide’ for conducting integrative cross‐disciplinary research, it offers food for thought on the processes involved in creating a research project which transcends boundaries between social science and environmental science that are easily entrenched in research training that is compartmentalised along discipline lines.
Public versus Private Information Provision
Authors: Clements Matthew T.
Published: January 2015

When is it better for the government to provide information, and when is this role better left to the market? I present a simple framework for evaluating this question, where the key factors are the cost of errors based on imperfect information and whether information is eventually revealed to consumers. I then apply the framework to examples.
Root cause analysis of critical events in neurosurgery, New South Wales
Authors: Perotti Vanessa , Sheridan Mark M. P.
Published: January 2015

Background

Adverse events reportedly occur in 5% to 10% of health care episodes. Not all adverse events are the result of error; they may arise from systemic faults in the delivery of health care. Catastrophic events are not only physically devastating to patients, but they also attract medical liability and increase health care costs. Root cause analysis (RCA) has become a key tool for health care services to understand those adverse events.

Method

This study is a review of all the RCA case reports involving neurosurgical patients in New South Wales between 2008 and 2013. The case reports and data were obtained from the Clinical Excellence Commission database. The data was then categorized by the root causes identified and the recommendations suggested by the RCA committees.

Results

Thirty‐two case reports were identified in the RCA database. Breaches in policy account for the majority of root causes identified, for example, delays in transfer of patients or wrong‐site surgery, which always involved poor adherence to correct patient and site identification procedures. The RCA committees' recommendations included education for staff, and improvements in rostering and procedural guidelines.

Conclusion

RCAs have improved the patient safety profile; however, the RCA committees have no power to enforce any recommendation or ensure compliance. A single RCA may provide little learning beyond the unit and staff involved. However, through aggregation of RCA data and dissemination strategies, health care workers can learn from adverse events and prevent future events from occurring.
Rectus sheath block for laparoscopic appendicectomy: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Hamill James K. , Liley Andrew , Hill Andrew G.
Published: January 2015

Background

The rectus sheath block is effective in elective paediatric operations, but has not been previously studied in acute laparoscopic surgery. We investigated its effect on pain after laparoscopic appendicectomy for acute appendicitis.

Methods

Children aged 8–14 years admitted to a paediatric teaching hospital participated in a randomized clinical trial comparing a rectus sheath block using bupivacaine plus adrenaline with saline control. The primary outcomes were pain scores and opiate use, and secondary outcomes were time in the post‐anaesthetic care unit, duration of hospitalization and recovery.

Results

Children in the nerve block group reported significantly reduced global pain scores compared with controls in the first 3 h after surgery, estimated mean 2.22 versus 3.94, effect size −1.80 (P = .008). Pain scores after 3 h did not differ between the groups. The groups did not differ in opiate requirements, length of hospital stay or recovery after discharge.

Conclusions

In children undergoing acute laparoscopic appendicectomy, a rectus sheath block reduced early post‐operative pain, and could contribute to a multimodal recovery programme.
Informed consent in medical decision‐making in commercial gestational surrogacy: a mixed methods study in New Delhi, India
Authors: Tanderup Malene , Reddy Sunita , Patel Tulsi , Nielsen Birgitte Bruun
Published: January 2015

Objective

To investigate ethical issues in informed consent for decisions regarding embryo transfer and fetal reduction in commercial gestational surrogacy.

Design

Mixed methods study employing observations, an interview‐guide and semi‐structured interviews.

Setting

Fertility clinics and agencies in Delhi, India, between December 2011 and December 2012.

Population

Doctors providing conceptive technologies to commissioning couples and carrying out surrogacy procedures; surrogate mothers; agents functioning as links for surrogacy.

Methods

Interviews using semi‐structured interview guides were carried out among 20 doctors in 18 fertility clinics, five agents from four agencies and 14 surrogate mothers. Surrogate mothers were interviewed both individually and in the presence of doctors and agents. Data on socio‐economic context and experiences among and between various actors in the surrogacy process were coded to identify categories of ethical concern. Numerical and grounded theory‐oriented analyses were used.

Main outcome measures

Informed consent, number of embryos transferred, fetal reduction, conflict of interest among the involved parties.

Results

None of the 14 surrogate mothers were able to explain the risks involved in embryo transfer and fetal reduction. The majority of the doctors took unilateral decisions about embryo transfer and fetal reduction. The commissioning parents were usually only indirectly involved. In the qualitative analysis, difficulties in explaining procedures, autonomy, self‐payment of fertility treatment and conflicts of interest were the main themes.

Conclusions

Clinical procedural decisions were primarily made by the doctors. Surrogate mothers were not adequately informed. There is a need for regulation on decision‐making procedures to safeguard the interests of surrogate mothers.
Association between choroidal thickness and the response to intravitreal ranibizumab injection in age‐related macular degeneration
Authors: Shin Joo Youn , Kwon Kye Yoon , Byeon Suk Ho
Published: January 2015

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between the choroidal thicknesses of eyes of patients with age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) and the outcomes of intravitreal ranibizumab injection.

Methods

We reviewed the medical records of 141 consecutive eyes (80 with typical neovascular AMD and 61 with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy [PCV]) treated by intravitreal ranibizumab and 121 normal control eyes matched in terms of age and spherical equivalent (SE). Eyes of patients were divided into three subgroups with thin, medium and thick choroids. We investigated the relationships between choroidal thickness and treatment outcomes of intravitreal ranibizumab.

Results

In eyes with typical neovascular AMD, thin choroids were associated with older age (linear regression; p < 0.0001) and larger choroidal neovascularization (CNV) lesions (p = 0.049). Patients with thin choroids had a higher prevalence of intra‐/subretinal fluid (generalized estimated equation; thin versus medium p < 0.0001; thin versus thick p = 0.003), and less visual gain from baseline to 12 months after treatment, than did other subgroups (linear mixed model; thin versus medium p < 0.0001; thin versus thick p = 0.023). PCV eyes with thick choroids more often had retinal fluid, and eyes with thin choroids experienced more frequent resolution of retinal fluid, from baseline to 12 months after treatment (thick versus medium p < 0.0001, thick versus thin p < 0.0001, thin versus medium p = 0.001). No intergroup difference in post‐treatment functional outcome was noted in eyes with PCV (p = 0.584).

Conclusions

Subfoveal choroidal thickness was associated with functional and anatomical outcomes after intravitreal ranibizumab injection in eyes with typical neovascular AMD and PCV.
Parents report positive experiences about enrolling babies in a cord‐related clinical trial before birth
Authors: Ayers Susan , Sawyer Alexandra , Düring Camilla , Rabe Heike
Published: January 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate parents' perceptions when they were asked to enrol their unborn preterm infant in a randomised trial involving delayed cord clamping or cord milking.

Methods

The parents of 58 infants were asked to take part in a qualitative study using semi‐structured interviews to provide feedback about how they felt about their infants being included in the research project. A total of 37 parents – 15 fathers and 22 mothers – agreed to take part.

Results

Parents were generally positive about their experiences of their baby taking part in the trial, but the findings raised some concerns about the validity of the consent obtained before delivery, as it was given in a hurry, and some participants had difficulty remembering that they had agreed to take part. Four themes were identified from the interviews: implications of taking part, reasons for enrolling infants, experiences of recruitment and suggestions for improvement.

Conclusion

Overall, the parents were positive about their baby taking part in the trial, but the consent process could be improved, by providing information about relevant trials earlier in the pregnancy or implementing continuous consent at key points in the trial.
Quantification of fibrosis by collagen proportionate area predicts hepatic decompensation in hepatitis C cirrhosis
Authors: Calvaruso V. , Di Marco V. , Bavetta M. G. , Cabibi D. , Conte E. , Bronte F. , Simone F. , Burroughs A. K. , Craxì A.
Published: January 2015

Background

It is unclear whether the course of cirrhosis and its prognosis are related to the amount of collagen in the liver.

Aim

To determine whether fibrosis, assessed by collagen proportionate area (CPA) in patients with compensated cirrhosis, is associated with the presence of oesophageal varices, and predict disease decompensation during the follow‐up period.

Methods

We prospectively evaluated 118 consecutive patients with compensated cirrhosis to correlate fibrosis, assessed by CPA in liver biopsies, with the presence of oesophageal varices (OV) and with the rate of liver decompensation (LD) development during a median follow‐up of 72 months.

Results

At baseline 38 (32.2%) patients had OV and during the follow‐up (median 72 months, IQR 47–91), 17 patients (14.4%) developed LD. The mean CPA value was different in patients with and without OV (14.8 ± 5.9% vs. 21.6 ± 9.5%, P < 0.001). The best CPA cut‐off for OV by area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was ≥14% and with multivariate logistic analysis CPA was the only variable associated with OV (OR: 28.32, 95% CI: 6.30–127.28; P < 0.001). By AUROC analysis the best CPA cut‐off to predict LD was 18.0%. By Cox regression multivariate analysis CPA ≥18% (HR: 3.99, 95% CI: 1.04–11.45; P = 0.036), albumin (HR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.04–0.43; P = 0.001) and presence of OV (HR: 8.15, 95% CI: 2.31–28.78; P = 0.001) were independently associated with LD.

Conclusion

Quantification of fibrosis by collagen proportionate area allows identification of patients with compensated HCV cirrhosis with a higher likelihood of clinically relevant portal hypertension and a higher risk of decompensation.
Effects of decontamination solutions on the surface of titanium: investigation of surface morphology, composition, and roughness
Authors: Wheelis Sutton E. , Gindri Izabelle M. , Valderrama Pilar , Wilson Thomas G. , Huang Jessica , Rodrigues Danieli C.
Published: January 2015

Aim

To investigate the impact of treatments used to detoxify dental implants on the oxide layer morphology and to infer how changes in morphology created by these treatments may impact re‐osseointegration of an implant.

Materials and methods

Pure titanium (cpTi) and the alloy Ti6Al4V were subjected to a series of chemical treatments and mechanical abrasion simulating surface decontamination of dental implants. The morphology and roughness of the surface layer before and after treatment with these solutions were investigated with optical and atomic force microscopy (OM, AFM). The solutions employed are typically used for detoxification of dental implants. These included citric acid, 15% hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine gluconate, tetracycline, doxycycline, sodium fluoride, peroxyacetic acid, and treatment with carbon dioxide laser. The treatments consisted of both immersions of samples in solution and rubbing with cotton swabs soaked in solution for 1, 2, and 5 min. Cotton swabs used were analyzed with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).

Results

The microscopy investigation showed that corrosion and pitting of the samples were present in both metal grades with immersion and rubbing methods when employing more acidic solutions, which hadpH<3. Mildly acidic solutions caused surface discoloration when coupled with rubbing but did not cause corrosion with immersion. Neutral or basic treatments resulted in no signs of corrosion with both methods.EDSresults revealed the presence of titanium particles on all rubbing samples.

Conclusion

It was demonstrated in this study that acidic environments coupled with rubbing are able to introduce noticeable morphological changes and corrosion on the surface of both titanium grades.
Depression, self‐esteem and sexual function in laryngeal cancer patients
Authors: Yılmaz M. , Yener M. , Yollu U. , Akil F. , Haciyev Y. , Yargic I. , Karaman E. , Cansiz H.
Published: January 2015

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess sexual function, affective disorders and self‐esteem in patients who were surgically treated for laryngeal cancer.

Design

Retrospective, blind, cross‐sectional study.

Setting

Single tertiary cancer centre.

Participants

Seventy four patients who were operated on Istanbul University Cerrahpasa School of Medicine Otorhinolaryngology Department between 2008 and 2012 were classified according to the type of the operation as total laryngectomy (Group 1) and partial laryngectomy (Group 2).

Main outcome measures

Sexual dysfunction, depression and self‐esteem were evaluated with The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES), respectively.

Results

Average ASEX scores of the Group 1 were (13.98 ± 6.32) and Group 2 were (13.08 ± 4.96) without statistically significant difference (P = 0.537). Mean BDI score of Group 1 was (13.20 ± 10.41) higher than Group 2 (7.76 ± 8.14) and the difference was significant statistically (P = 0.026). Mean RSES scores of Group 1 and Group 2 were 20.68 ± 5.33 and 19.25 ± 4.70, respectively, again without significant difference (P = 0.262). However, when the average scores of each item of Rosenberg Scale were compared, significant difference was found in d4 (2.37 ± 0.78; 1.64 ± 0.99; P = 0.001), d6 (1.22 ± 1.05; 1.84 ± 1.14; P = 0.023), d10 (2.55 ± 2.39; 1.28 ± 1.49; P = 0.018) and d11 (1.35 ± 0.95; 2.00 ± 1.41; P = 0.021). BDI scores were correlated with RSES scores, and ASEX scores were correlated with age.

Conclusion

The patients with total laryngectomy seem to have more psychological problems that must be addressed in the postoperative period.
Patch test results of the European baseline series among patients with occupational contact dermatitis across Europe – analyses of the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergy network, 2002–2010
Authors: Pesonen Maria , Jolanki Riitta , Larese Filon Francesca , Wilkinson Mark , Kręcisz Beata , Kieć‐Świerczyńska Marta , Bauer Andrea , Mahler Vera , John Swen M. , Schnuch Axel , Uter Wolfgang ,   on behalf of the ESSCA network
Published: January 2015

Background

Occupational contact dermatitis is one of the most common occupational diseases in Europe. In order to develop effective preventive measures, detailed and up‐to‐date data on the incidence, main causes and professions at risk of occupational contact dermatitis are needed.

Objectives

To describe the pattern of patch test reactivity to allergens in the European baseline series of patients with occupational contact dermatitis in different occupations.

Methods

We analysed data collected by the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergy (ESSCA) network from 2002 to 2010, from 11 European countries.

Results

Allergens in the European baseline series associated with an at least doubled risk of occupational contact dermatitis include: thiuram rubber chemical accelerators, epoxy resin, and the antimicrobials methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone, methyldibromo glutaronitrile, and formaldehyde. The highest risk of occupational contact dermatitis was found in occupations classified as ‘other personal services workers’, which includes hairdressers, nursing and other healthcare professionals, precision workers in metal and related materials, and blacksmiths, tool‐makers and related trades workers.

Conclusions

In the planning and implementation of measures aimed at preventing occupational contact dermatitis, the focus should be on the identified high‐risk occupational groups and the most common occupational allergies.
Postoperative analgesia with continuous wound infusion of local anaesthesia vs saline: a double‐blind randomized, controlled trial in colorectal surgery
Authors: Fustran N. , Dalmau A. , Ferreres E. , Camprubí I. , Sanzol R. , Redondo S. , Kreisler E. , Biondo S. , Sabaté A.
Published: January 2015

Aim

The aim of this prospective double‐blind randomized clinical trial was to determine whether preperitoneal continuous wound infusion (CWI) of the local anaesthetic ropivacaine after either laparotomy or video‐assisted laparoscopy for colorectal surgery would reduce patient consumption of morphine.

Method

Patients scheduled for colorectal surgery randomly received a 48‐h preperitoneal CWI of either 0.38% ropivacaine or 0.9% saline at rates of 5 ml/h after laparotomy or 2 ml/h after laparoscopy. The primary end‐point was total morphine consumption in surgery and afterwards through a patient‐controlled analgesia device. Results in the laparotomy and laparoscopy subgroups were also compared.

Results

Sixty‐seven patients were included, 33 in the ropivacaine CWI group and 34 in the saline group. Median [interquartile range (IQR)] morphine consumption was lower in the ropivacaine group [23.5 mg (11.25–42.75)] than in the saline group [52 mg (24.5–64)] (P = 0.010). Morphine consumption was also lower in the laparotomy subgroup receiving ropivacaine [21.5 (15.6–34.7)] than in the saline group [52.5 (22.5–65) ml] (P = 0.041). Consumption was statistically similar in laparoscopy patients on ropivacaine or saline. No side effects were observed. Sixteen patients had a surgical wound infection (23.9%); 11 (16.4%) presented wound infection and five (7.5%) organ space infection. Forty‐six catheter cultures were obtained; 10 (21.7%) were positive, assessed to be due to contamination.

Conclusion

Preperitoneal CWI of ropivacaine is a good, safe addition to a multimodal analgesia regimen for colorectal surgery. CWI can reduce morphine consumption without increasing adverse effects.
Myenteric plexitis at the proximal resection margin is a predictive marker for surgical recurrence of ileocaecal Crohn's disease
Authors: Misteli H. , Koh C. E. , Wang L. M. , Mortensen N. J. , George B. , Guy R.
Published: January 2015

Aim

Identifying predictors for the recurrence of Crohn's disease (CD) after surgery to improve disease surveillance or targeted therapy is rational. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between myenteric plexitis (MP) and clinical or surgical recurrence.

Method

Between 2000 and 2010, patients who underwent primary ileocaecal resection for CD at a single tertiary referral centre were identified. The histopathology was retrospectively reviewed for MP at the resection margins. The severity of MP was graded from 0 to 3 using a previously described classification. Information on demographics, surgical details and evidence of clinical or surgical recurrence was obtained from medical records.

Results

There were 86 patients (49 women) of median age 31.5 (interquartile ratio 23.5–41.0) years. Seventy‐six and 77 specimens were assessable for proximal and distal MP. Proximal MP was present in 53 (69.7%) patients and was classified as mild, moderate or severe in 30 (39.5%), 14 (18.4) and nine (11.8%). MP at the distal resection margin was present in 40 (51.9%). Forty (46.5%) patients developed clinical recurrence of whom 16 (18.6%) required surgery. Clinical factors that predicted recurrence included age > 40 (P = 0.001) and the presence of an anastomosis (P = 0.023). On univariate analysis severe plexitis (Grade 3 MP) was also associated with surgical recurrence (P = 0.035).

Conclusion

This retrospective study supports the association between MP at the proximal resection margin and surgical recurrence.
How Board Diversity Affects Firm Performance in Emerging Markets: Evidence on Channels in Controlled Firms
Authors: Ararat Melsa , Aksu Mine , Tansel Cetin Ayse
Published: January 2015

Manuscript Type

Empirical

Research Question/Issue

We investigate the indirect effect of a board's demographic diversity on firm performance via board monitoring in a context where boards are relatively homogeneous with respect to structural diversity, using data from Turkey. We contextualize our investigation by exploring the influence of ownership configurations on the effect of diversity.

Research Findings/Insights

We find a positive and non‐linear relationship between demographic diversity and performance, mediated by the board's monitoring efforts. The effect of monitoring is found to be contingent upon (moderated by) the controlling shareholders’ propensity to expropriate, measured by the deviation of control rights from cash flow rights, i.e. the wedge. We report that demographic diversity enhances firm performance by mitigating the negative effect of the wedge on board monitoring.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

Our results provide empirical support for the importance of contextual factors in the relationship between diversity and performance. Our framework and the compound diversity and board‐monitoring indices we construct may prove useful to researchers.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Regulators can use our findings in formulating recommendations or regulations related to desirable characteristics of boards. Our results are also instructive for investors and proxy advisors and indicate that the mere existence of monitoring vehicles may be insufficient to prevent expropriation by dominant shareholders, but diverse boards may mitigate the propensity to expropriate. Board members and shareholders should also benefit from the findings in creating boards that are more diligent monitors.
Cytomorphological characteristics of low‐grade papillary urothelial carcinoma for differential diagnosis from benign papillary urothelial lesions: logistic regression analysis in SurePath™ liquid‐based voided urine cytology
Authors: Chung Y. R. , Won J. K. , Park I. A. , Moon K. C. , Chung S. Y. , Lee K. , Ryu H. S.
Published: January 2015

Objective

The diagnosis of low‐grade papillary urothelial carcinoma (LGPUC) in urine cytology specimens is challenging because of its subtle, minimally atypical findings. Furthermore, as SurePath™ liquid‐based cytology (LBC) is becoming a widely used method in urine cytology, the inevitable cytomorphological alterations resulting from this technique call for new morphological diagnostic criteria in LGPUC.

Methods

Logistic regression analysis was carried out on SurePath slides from surgically proven voided urine specimens. The study was designed to include a test set (n = 141) and a validation set (n = 61), and evaluated significant discriminative parameters between LGPUC and benign papillary urothelial neoplasm (BPUN).

Results

Of the seven cytological findings that were found to have statistical significance in univariate analysis, five were found to be independent variables: loss of polarity of papillaroid clusters, irregular contours, absence of columnar cells, hobnail features and hyperchromasia. These independent variables had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.781.

Conclusions

The distinctive cytological criteria identified above may prove to be helpful in cases in which other conventional criteria for LGPUC are insufficient for diagnosis.
Cold snare polypectomy: Does snare type influence outcomes?
Authors: Din Said , Ball Alex J. , Riley Stuart A. , Kitsanta Panagiota , Johal Shawinder
Published: January 2015

Background and Aim

Cold snare techniques are widely used for the removal of small and diminutive polyps. The influence of snare type on the effectiveness of cold snare polypectomy is unknown.

Methods

Cold snare polypectomy of 3–7‐mm polyps was undertaken using either a thin wire mini‐snare (0.30 mm) or a thick wire mini‐snare (0.47 mm). Primary outcome was endoscopic completeness of excision. Consensus regarding endoscopic assessment of completeness of excision was standardized and aided by chromoendoscopy. Secondary outcomes included: completeness of histological excision, polyp ‘fly away’, polyp retrieval rate, early or delayed bleeding and perforation.

Results

One hundred and fifty‐seven polyps were removed ranging from 3 to 7 mm, 62% were situated in the left side of the colon and 89.4% were sessile. Endoscopic completeness of excision was significantly higher with the thin wire snare compared to the thick wire snare (90.2% vs 73.3%, P < 0.05). There was a numerical trend towards a higher complete histological excision rate with the thin wire snare, but this did not reach statistical significance (73.3% vs 65.2%, P = 0.4). There was a fair level of agreement (kappa = 0.36) between endoscopic and histological completeness of excision. Polyp ‘fly away’ occurred less often with the thin wire snare (14.6% vs 35.3%, P = 0.002), but there was no significant difference in polyp retrieval rate (84.3% vs 83.8%, P = 0.94). There were no complications with either snare.

Conclusion

Snare type appears to be an important determinant of completeness of excision when removing small polyps by the cold snare technique.
Left Atrial Appendage Wall‐Motion Velocity Associates with Recurrence of Nonparoxysmal Atrial Fibrillation after Catheter Ablation
Authors: Ariyama Miyuki , Kato Ritsushi , Matsumura Makoto , Yoshimoto Harumi , Nakajima Yoshie , Nakano Shintaro , Kasai Takatoshi , Tanno Jun , Senbonmatsu Takaaki , Matsumoto Kazuo , Nishimura Shigeyuki
Published: January 2015

Catheter ablation (CA) for nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is controversial due to its high recurrence rate. The aim of this study was to assess retrospectively the diagnostic value of preprocedural left atrial appendage (LAA) wall‐motion velocity in predicting recurrence of AF within 1 year after CA. We hypothesized that tissue Doppler‐derived measurement of LAA wall‐motion velocity associate with recurrence of AF within 1 year after CA. We retrospectively reviewed 47 consecutive patients with nonparoxysmal AF (defined as AF lasting for 1 week or longer) who underwent both transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography before their first treatment by CA in a single center. Forty‐one patients aged 58 ± 10 years were included, and variables predicting the recurrence of AF within 1 year after CA were evaluated. Seventeen patients (41%) developed recurrence of AF within 1 year after CA. Univariate analyses showed that preprocedural LAA upward wall‐motion velocity at the apex assessed by transesophageal echocardiography was significantly lower in patients with recurrence of AF than those without recurrence (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.13–2.01, P = 0.009). Multivariate logistic analyses including other potential predictors (duration of AF, left ventricular ejection fraction, E‐wave deceleration time, and left atrial wall‐motion velocity) identified LAA upward wall‐motion velocity at the apex as an independent predictor of outcome. These data suggest in patients with nonparoxysmal AF, preprocedural LAA upward wall‐motion velocity at the apex, as determined by tissue Doppler imaging during transesophageal echocardiography, may be a useful indicator for predicting recurrence of AF within 1 year after CA.
BEYOND EDUCATION AND FAIRNESS: A LABOR MARKET TAXATION MODEL FOR THE GREAT GATSBY CURVE
Authors: Lefgren Lars , McIntyre Frank , Sims David P.
Published: January 2015

Applied researchers have been drawn to models that attribute the demonstrated cross‐country differences in intergenerational income transmission to government failures to invest in the human capital of poor children. To highlight another potential mechanism, the disincentive effects of labor market taxation and redistribution, we present a simple model that can explain cross‐country differences in intergenerational mobility and other previously observed empirical patterns. Empirical tests using data on income mobility, tax rates, and public expenditures largely support the model predictions. We conclude that the common presumption that intergenerational mobility largely measures fairness or opportunity, and the resultant policy recommendations, are premature. (JEL D31, J24, J62)
EDUCATION'S GAMBLING PROBLEM: EARMARKED LOTTERY REVENUES AND CHARITABLE DONATIONS TO EDUCATION
Authors: Jones Daniel B.
Published: January 2015

I examine the impact that lotteries introduced to support education have on voluntary contributions to education. State lotteries, and the causes they are introduced to support, are highly publicized. This provides the opportunity to assess whether donors are crowded‐out by government spending of which they are almost certainly aware. Using donor‐level survey data and nonprofits' tax returns, I find that donations to education‐related organizations fall with the introduction of a lottery. This result is driven by donors' response to the new (highly publicized) government revenue source (rather than a decrease in nonprofit fundraising efforts). (JEL D64, H3, H75)
The occupational attainment of migrants and natives in Barcelona, 1930
Authors: Silvestre Javier , Ayuda María Isabel , Pinilla Vicente
Published: January 2015

Very few empirical studies have analysed the labour market performance of migrants in European countries in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This article uses a rich new micro‐dataset to examine the occupational attainment of migrants, mostly internal migrants, in the city of Barcelona, a key destination from the late nineteenth century onwards, adding to the literature on internal migrations in Spain during the period of industrialization. The study shows that the occupational outcomes achieved by early migrants tended to match those of natives, the reference group. However, some groups of migrants who arrived at the end of the period covered by the study show poorer outcomes than natives. The relative underachievement of these groups is explained by changes in the type of migrants and in the characteristics of the labour market. Our estimates also suggest that Spanish migrants did not experience upward occupational mobility after settling in Barcelona.