bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using the cost of construction work to trigger legislative duties for WHS: the Australian experience
Authors: Shooshtarian Salman , Lingard Helen , Wong Peter S.P.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

In an attempt to create national harmonisation of legislation, a set of model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations were developed in Australia. These regulations require principal contractors to undertake specific WHS planning and coordination activities if the construction works to be completed cost AU $250,000 or more. However, there are some doubts about the usefulness of this monetary threshold. This study aimed to investigate how effective this threshold can be in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

To evaluate the performance and operation of this threshold in the Australian construction industry, this study modelled the costs of construction for four construction project scenarios – small classroom, two-storey home renovation with adjacent pool, small commercial warehouse and single-storey house (volume home builder) – under various conditions based on historical data (2011–2017) and in eight Australian jurisdictions.

Findings

Among the six study factors (i.e. the types for construction, geographical location, design specification, delivery method, contracting approach and inflation), the research found considerable variation in the operation and performance of the monetary threshold.

Originality/value

The research highlights some potential challenges associated with the use of a monetary threshold in the regulation of WHS planning in construction projects. Thus, the results are expected to contribute to addressing these challenges, leading to the development of an appropriate balance to achieve efficient and effective WHS regulation in Australia.
Effect of utilitarian and hedonic values on consumer willingness to buy and to pay for organic olive oil in Tunisia
Authors: Ghali Zohra Zinoubi
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to study the influence of organic food perceived values (utilitarian vs hedonic) on consumer willingness to buy and willingness to pay in a developing country.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilized a survey of 467 Tunisian consumers of organic olive oil. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the reliability and validities of constructs, as wells as model fit and the structural model.

Findings

The findings indicate that both utilitarian and hedonic values have significant influence on consumer willingness to buy and to pay for organic olive oil. The hedonic value has a stronger influence on willingness to buy while the utilitarian value has a stronger influence on willingness to pay.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to knowledge regarding the relationships between organic food perceived value and consumer willingness to buy and to pay. Findings provide clear ways for practitioners to communicate the perceived values of their organic foods in order to increase their consumption.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the rare studies that focuses on willingness to buy and to pay for organic food in a developing country. In addition, it is a first attempt to test the consumer perceived values of organic olive oil in the context of one of the biggest producer countries of this type of food.
Other’s place or othering space
Authors: Jayawardena Dhammika
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the dialectical relationship between place-making and identity formation of factory women in a free trade zone (FTZ) in the Global South.

Design/methodology/approach

Inspired by Judith Butler’s notions of performative acts and performativity, the paper uses poststructuralist discourse analysis to analyze data – oral and written texts – generated through a fieldwork study conducted in an FTZ in Sri Lanka.

Findings

Performative acts and the performativity of the occupants in the FTZ demarcate the boundary of the zone and articulate the identities of its occupants. Furthermore, the study shows that, in this process, such performativity and performative acts function as a form of “glue” to amalgamate the places of the zone space askalape, a complex socio-geographical landscape in flux.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides a new insight into the relationships between discursive-performative acts, place-making and identity formation of (factory) women in the neoliberalized (zone) space(s) of the Global South.

Originality/value

By articulating the FTZ as a (neoliberalized) space in a perpetual present, the study provides new insight into the relationships between performative acts, place-making and identity formation (of factory women) in the zone space.
Multichannel versus omnichannel: a price-segmented comparison from the fashion industry
Authors: Silva Susana C. , Duarte Paulo , Sundetova Anel
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore and compare how fashion and apparel brands are using the multiple available channels to increase the number of touchpoints with clients by evaluating the use of multichannel and omnichannel strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

To determine the differences between fashion and apparel brands in terms of marketing channel used, a multiple case study approach was selected based on a sample of nine well-known and successful fashion brands from three different price segments. The research was carried out by analysing the online and mobile presence of the brands, company reports, news, magazines, and other types of articles.

Findings

The results illustrate that fashion brands tend to act in the same way and have only slight differences concerning the number of channels and features available to clients despite the price segment they belong. The findings indicate that the brands under study have good channel integration, order tracking, on-line communication, and social media. Overall, the findings allow concluding that irrespective of the price segment, all fashion brands act almost in the same way and present only slight differences between the number of channels used and features available.

Originality/value

The current study provides an innovative price-segmented comparison on channel use and integration by fashion brands' and additional valuable information about channel strategy that can be used to guide new comparative research and helps new brands defining points-of-parity and points-of-difference with regard to market standards.
Static field test on flexural behavior of reinforced concrete T-beam bridge strengthened with MPC-PSWR
Authors: Gao Hongshuai , Sun Quansheng
Published: March 2020

Purpose

With the rapid development of transportation and the continuous increase of traffic volume and load level, some bridges cannot meet the use requirements, and the demand for bridge strengthening is growing. Furthermore, bridges are affected by factors such as structure and external environment. With the increase of service time, the deterioration of bridges is also increasing. In order to avoid the waste caused by demolition and reconstruction, it is necessary to strengthen the bridge accurately and effectively to improve the bearing capacity and durability, eliminate the hidden dangers, and ensure the normal operation of the bridge. It is of great significance to study the strengthening methods. Compared with traditional strengthening methods, the advantages of using new materials and new technology to strengthen bridges are more obvious. This paper introduces a new method for bridge active strengthening, called modified polyurethane cement with prestressed steel wire rope (MPC-PSWR).

Design/methodology/approach

Relying on the actual bridge strengthening project, five T-beams of the superstructure of the bridge are taken as the research object, and the T-beams before and after strengthening are evaluated, calculated, and analyzed by finite element simulation and field load test. By comparing the numerical simulation and load test data, the strengthening effect of modified polyurethane cement with prestressed steel wire rope on stiffness, strength, and bearing capacity is verified, which proves that the strengthening effect of MPC-PSWR is effective for strengthening.

Findings

MPC-PSWR can effectively reduce deflection, cracks, and strain, thereby significantly improving the flexural capacity of existing bridges. Under the design load, the deflection, crack width, and stress of the strengthened beams decrease in varying degrees. The overall performance of the beams strengthened by MPC-PSWR has been improved, and the flexural performance meets the requirements of the code.

Originality/value

MPC-PSWR is an innovative bridge-strengthening method. Through the analysis of its MPC-PSWR effect, the MPC-PSWR method with reference to significance for the design and construction of similar bridges is put forward.
Seeing is not always believing: an exploratory study of clickbait in WeChat
Authors: Zhang Wenping , Du Wei , Bian Yiyang , Peng Chih-Hung , Jiang Qiqi
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to unpack the antecedents and consequences of clickbait prevalence in online media at two different levels, namely, (1) Headline-level: what characteristics of clickbait headlines attract user clicks and (2) Publisher-level: what happens to publishers who create clickbait on a prolonged basis.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the proposed conjectures, the authors collected longitudinal data in collaboration with a leading company that operates more than 500 WeChat official accounts in China. This study proposed a text mining framework to extract and quantify clickbait rhetorical features (i.e. hyperbole, insinuation, puzzle, and visual rhetoric). Econometric analysis was employed for empirical validation.

Findings

The findings revealed that (1) hyperbole, insinuation, and visual rhetoric entice users to click the baited headlines, (2) there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the number of clickbait headlines posted by a publisher and its visit traffic, and (3) this non-linear relationship is moderated by the publisher's age.

Research limitations/implications

This research contributes to current literature on clickbait detection and clickbait consequences. Future studies can design more sophisticated methods for extracting rhetorical characteristics and implement in different languages.

Practical implications

The findings could aid online media publishers to design attractive headlines and develop clickbait strategies to avoid user churn, and help managers enact appropriate regulations and policies to control clickbait prevalence.

Originality/value

The authors propose a novel text mining framework to quantify rhetoric embedded in clickbait. This study empirically investigates antecedents and consequences of clickbait prevalence through an exploratory study of WeChat in China.
Are we ready for Education 4.0 within ASEAN higher education institutions? Thriving for knowledge, industry and humanity in a dynamic higher education ecosystem?
Authors: Jamaludin Rozinah , McKAY Elspeth , Ledger Susan
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception, readiness and change involved in the implementation of Education 4.0 within the region of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) among policymakers, enablers (lecturers) and receivers (students), within globalisation, referred here as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a mixed method research design using quantitative data from a Likert scale of 1–5, involving: (1) Not Ready; (2) Ready; (3) No Sure; (4) Quite Ready and (5) Extremely Ready. Open-ended questions formed the qualitative approach taken by the researchers to uncover the richness of the respondents' perceptions of Education 4.0. The test items reliability index of 0.744 drew quantitative data from the perspective of the educational policymakers, enablers and receivers to reveal their collective definition of each construct (knowledge, industry and humanity).

Findings

This study has exposed the importance of knowing and capturing the interrelated components of an educational ecosystem that exists in higher education (HE) within the ASEAN region. The personal readiness of respondents towards Education 4.0 is very high; yet concern was raised about the financial and managerial readiness of institutions across the region.

Originality/value

This study highlighted the dynamic nature of the HE ecosystem and the connectivity between the elements of Education 4.0 – knowledge, industry and humanity within the ASEAN region.
The information work of community archives: a systematic literature review
Authors: Poole Alex H.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper scrutinizes the scholarship on community archives' information work. Community archives and archiving projects represent unprecedentedly democratic venues for information work centering on essential documentary concepts such as custody, collection development and appraisal, processing, arrangement and description, organization, representation and naming, collaboration, resource generation and allocation, activism and social justice, preservation, reuse, and sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Unearthed through databases searches, citation chaining, and browsing, sources examined include peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters published in the English language between 1985 and 2018.

Findings

The literature on community archives’ information work shows considerable geographical (six continents), topical, and (inter)disciplinary variety. This paper first explores scholars' efforts to define both community and community archives. Second, it unpacks the ways in which community archives include new stakeholders and new record types and formats even as they leverage alternative archival principles and practices. Third, it discusses community archives as political venues for empowerment, activism, and social justice work. Fourth, this paper delves into the benefits and challenges of partnerships and collaborations with mainstream institutions. Fifth, it documents the obstacles community archives face: not only tensions within and among communities, but also sustainability concerns. Finally, it sets forth six directions for future research.

Originality/value

This paper is the first systematic review of the community archives literature.
Understanding barriers to circular economy: cases from the manufacturing industry
Authors: Jaeger Bjoern , Upadhyay Arvind
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Most companies include a commitment for sustainable growth involving a switch towards the circular economy (CE) model. The purpose of this paper is to present barriers to CE adoption identified by a literature review. The paper also addresses the particular challenges faced by manufacturers by answering the research question: What are the dominant barriers faced by the manufacturing industry in moving towards a CE?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a literature review of research identifying barriers for adopting to CE in the manufacturing sector. The literature review is followed by a case study identifying barriers to CE as seen by ten companies within manufacturing, including the GS1 global information standardisation agency used by all manufacturers.

Findings

The manufacturers investigated focus mostly on recycling and waste reduction. These policies have low or very low CE effect. High CE effect policies like maintenance and reuse targeting the CE ideal of no waste, are nearly non-existent. The results identified seven main barriers to the CE: (1) high start-up costs, (2) complex supply chains, (3) challenging business-to-business (B2B) cooperation, (4) lack of information on product design and production, (5) lack of technical skills, (6) quality compromise and (7) disassembly of products is time-consuming and expensive.

Research limitations/implications

The data come from participants in a single country, Norway, although the manufacturers are multinational companies adhering to enterprise policies.

Practical implications

This research shows that all the companies interviewed are well aware of the growing need for their company to move towards more sustainable operations involving CE concepts. The barriers identified are explored, and the findings could guide such companies in their efforts to move to maintenance, reuse, remanufacture and recycle (M+3R) operational model.

Social implications

The study has found that the major barriers for implementation of CE are quality issues in recycled materials, supply chain complexities, coordination problems between companies, design and production of the product, disassembly of products and high start-up/ investment costs.

Originality/value

The research shows how the transition towards a CE takes place in manufacturing industries by studying the manufacturing sector.
Benefits of formalized computational modeling for understanding user behavior in online privacy research
Authors: Schürmann Tim , Gerber Nina , Gerber Paul
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Online privacy research has seen a focus on user behavior over the last decade, partly to understand and explain user decision-making and seeming inconsistencies regarding users' stated preferences. This article investigates the level of modeling that contemporary approaches rely on to explain said inconsistencies and whether drawn conclusions are justified by the applied modeling methodology. Additionally, it provides resources for researchers interested in using computational modeling.

Design/methodology/approach

The article uses data from a pre-existing literature review on the privacy paradox (N = 179 articles) to identify three characteristics of prior research: (1) the frequency of references to computational-level theories of human decision-making and perception in the literature, (2) the frequency of interpretations of human decision-making based on computational-level theories, and (3) the frequency of actual computational-level modeling implementations.

Findings

After excluding unrelated articles, 44.1 percent of investigated articles reference at least one theory that has been traditionally interpreted on a computational level. 33.1 percent of all relevant articles make statements regarding computational properties of human cognition in online privacy scenarios. Meanwhile, 5.1 percent of all relevant articles apply formalized computational-level modeling to substantiate their claims.

Originality/value

The findings highlight the importance of formal, computational-level modeling in online privacy research, which has so far drawn computational-level conclusions without utilizing appropriate modeling techniques. Furthermore, this article provides an overview of said modeling techniques and their benefits to researchers, as well as references for model theories and resources for practical implementation.
Leading the experience ecosystem revolution: innovating offerings as interactive platforms
Authors: Ramaswamy Venkat
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The author explains how networked interaction, propelled by the internet and the forces of digitalization, ubiquitous connectivity, globalization and social media has become the new locus for creating value. And how that networked interaction is accelerating the shift of value creation towards the experiences of individuals who want to define choices in a manner that reflects their view of value and their own expressions of personalization. 10;

Design/methodology/approach

The article explains that every enterprise is now faced with the challenge of learning how to create valuable impacts of experienced outcomes through smarter, connected offerings and the networked interactions of individuals.

Findings

Instead of having fixed economic value, offerings are increasingly a means for the dynamic creation of experience value through ongoing and new types of networked interactions.

Practical implications

Rather than simply elevating the user experience of a good or service, the co-created experience itself becomes the product.

Originality/value

The Starbucks and Burberry examples suggest how offerings are being enhanced by interactive technologies that open up new sources and avenues of experience value creation. The article explains how any enterprise can now adopt a strategy of ‘capabilities as a service’ by innovating its own ecosystems of customer and stakeholder experiences.
Plant performance and survival across transplant experiments depend upon temperature and precipitation change along elevation
Authors: Midolo Gabriele , Wellstein Camilla
Published: March 2020

Understanding how plant individuals perform in non‐local sites is key in the context of contemporary range shifts along elevation. Transplant experiments conducted in mountain ecosystems are rising as key tools to measure the intraspecific response of individuals transplanted across contrasting elevations. However, a synthesis quantifying patterns of plant performance in response to changes in abiotic factors across different species and mountain ranges is still lacking.

We conducted a meta‐analysis to quantitatively summarize patterns of plant species' performance variation in response to changes in temperature and precipitation within their elevation range across multiple transplant experiment studies. We compiled a dataset obtained from 38 studies and 49 vascular plant species in total addressing intraspecific performance variation in terms of survival, germination, biomass, height, number of vegetative organs, number of reproductive units, SLA and leaf size. We both compared pairs of transplanted individuals to those growing at their site of origin (‘away vs. home’) and to the local individuals found at the site of transplant (‘foreign vs. local’).

Overall, individuals transplanted downward showed larger biomass and height compared to their site of origin but failed to adjust these traits and survival to that of local individuals. Individuals transplanted upward adjusted their traits by decreasing plant growth and number of reproductive units to that of local individuals but showed lower survival. Importantly, changes in survival, biomass, height, leaf size, number of vegetative organs and reproductive units increased linearly with the difference in mean annual temperature between site of transplant and site of origin in the ‘away vs. home’ comparison. Conversely, changes in biomass, leaf size, number of vegetative organs and reproductive units increased with mean annual precipitation difference between sites in the ‘foreign vs. local’ comparison.

Synthesis. We detected common trends in survival and intraspecific trait variation across different species and transplant experiments conducted along elevational gradients. Because plasticity and adaptation play a crucial role in plant shift, establishment and persistence under non‐local environmental conditions, our meta‐analysis contributes to better understand how rapid plant shifts are constrained by climatic conditions within species' elevational range.
Retrospective observational cohort study of out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest outcomes in Tasmania 2010–2014
Authors: Morgan Dominic P , Muscatello David , Travaglia Joanne , Hayen Andrew
Published: March 2020

Objective

This study aims to present overall survival rates to hospital discharge for out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Tasmania and to identify predictors of survival.

Methods

A retrospective observational cohort study was undertaken from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014. A probabilistically linked data set was created from paramedic electronic medical records and hospital patient records. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with survival of OHCA.

Results

During the study, 2949 incidents of OHCA were reviewed and 1146 had emergency management provided, with an overall survival rate to hospital discharge of 135 (12%). A number of independent factors are associated with improved outcomes including if the initial presenting cardiac rhythm was either ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 8.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.15–14.89) (P < 0.0001) relative to those who were found in a non‐shockable rhythm. Another factor was age group (overall P < 0.001). Those aged 85+ years had a reduced overall survival rate (2.9%), which was lower than those <16 years of age (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.07–1.94; adjusted OR 0.38, CI 0.03–1.00) (P < 0.001). The odds of surviving OHCA decreased by 9% for every minute defibrillation of a shockable rhythm was delayed were witnessed by a bystander (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.85–0.95).

Conclusion

Time to defibrillation for witnessed arrests, other than paramedic witnessed arrest was associated with better overall survival rates than unwitnessed OHCA. Further factors such as the event being of cardiac aetiology, bystander cardio‐pulmonary resuscitation performed, initial presenting cardiac rhythm of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia and decreasing age were all associated with increased probability of survival.
LC‐MS/MS for simultaneous detection and quantification of Amadori compounds in tomato products and dry foods and factors affecting the formation and antioxidant activities
Authors: Yang Cheng , Zhang Shuqin , Shi Rundongdong , Yu Jiahao , Li Shuo , Tao Guanjun , Tsao Rong , Zhang Jian , Zhang Lianfu
Published: March 2020

In order to establish an efficient detection method to evaluate the formation of Amadori compounds (ACs) in food products and study the potential health effects, an ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometric (UPLC‐MS/MS) method using caffeine as internal standard was developed to determine eight ACs. The detection limits ranged from 0.0179 to 0.0887 mg/L for the ACs. The accuracy of the method was tested through measuring recovery of the spiked samples that varied from 81.90 ± 2.98% to 108.74 ± 2.34%. This method was further applied to detect ACs in 10 food products. Results showed that dry fruits and vegetables were rich in ACs, the total content of ACs varied from 1.36 ± 0.26 to 3415.91 ± 147.96 mg/100 g. The total amount of ACs in tomato juice heated under vacuum condition showed significant increment (P < 0.05) in 25 min at 80 °C comparing with that under atmospheric pressure due to the rapid loss of water. Besides, the amino acid content shows positive correlation with the corresponding AC formation in Maillard reaction during food drying. After heated at fixed water activity (Aw) for 4 hr by sous‐vide process, the ACs content in tomato powder increased significantly and the antioxidant activity improved as well.

Practical Application

Results of this study provided a valuable tool to evaluate the formation of ACs in complex dry food products, facilitated the quality control of food products. The knowledge obtained will offer useful information to food processors. The synthesized ACs would facilitate further study into the antioxidant activities and potential health effects of specified AC.
Can Emergency Physicians Accurately Rule Out a Central Cause of Vertigo Using the HINTS Examination? A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Ohle Robert , Montpellier Renee‐Anne , Marchadier Virginie , Wharton Aidan , McIsaac Sarah , Anderson Mackenzie , Savage David
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Dizziness is a common complaint presented in the emergency department (ED). A subset of these patients will present with acute vestibular syndrome (AVS). AVS is a clinical syndrome defined by the presence of vertigo, nystagmus, head motion intolerance, ataxia, and nausea/vomiting. These symptoms are most often due to benign vestibular neuritis; however, they can be a sign of a dangerous central cause, i.e., vertebrobasilar stroke. The Head Impulse test, Nystagmus, Test of Skew (HINTS) examination has been proposed as a bedside test for frontline clinicians to rule out stroke in those presenting with AVS. Our objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the HINTS examination to rule out a central cause of vertigo in an adult population presenting to the ED with AVS. Our aim was to assess the diagnostic accuracy when performed by emergency physicians versus neurologists.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Medline, Embase, the Cochrane database, and relevant conference abstracts from 2009 to September 2019 and performed hand searches. No restrictions for language or study type were imposed. Prospective studies with patients presenting with AVS using criterion standard of computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging were selected for review. Two independent reviewers extracted data from relevant studies. Studies were combined if low clinical and statistical heterogeneity was present. Study quality was assessed using the QUADAS‐2 tool. Random effects meta‐analysis was performed using RevMan 5 and SAS 9.3.

Results

A total of five studies with 617 participants met the inclusion criteria. The mean (±SD) study length was 5.3 (±3.3) years. Prevalence of vertebrobasilar stroke ranged 9.3% to 44% (mean ± SD = 39.1% ± 17.1%). The most common diagnoses were vertebrobasilar stroke (mean ± SD = 34.8% ± 17.1%), peripheral cause (mean ± SD = 30.9% ± 16%), and intracerebral hemorrhage (mean ± SD = 2.2% ± 0.5%). The HINTS examination, when performed by neurologists, had a sensitivity of 96.7% (95% CI = 93.1% to 98.5%, I2 = 0%) and specificity of 94.8% (95% CI = 91% to 97.1%, I2 = 0%). When performed by a cohort of physicians including both emergency physicians (board certified) and neurologists (fellowship trained in neurootology or vascular neurology) the sensitivity was 83% (95% CI = 63% to 95%) and specificity was 44% (95% CI = 36% to 51%).

Conclusions

The HINTS examination, when used in isolation by emergency physicians, has not been shown to be sufficiently accurate to rule out a stroke in those presenting with AVS.
Clinical performance of non‐invasive prenatal testing for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in twin pregnancies: A cohort study and a systematic meta‐analysis
Authors: He Yuting , Wang Yichong , Li Zhuyu , Chen Haitian , Deng Jiankai , Huang Hao , He Xiaohong , Zeng Wentao , Liu Min , Huang Bin , Chen Peisong
Published: March 2020

Introduction

The objective of this study was to report on the clinical performance of non‐invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in twin pregnancies and to define the performance of NIPT by combining our cohort study results with published studies in a systematic meta‐analysis.

Material and methods

A cohort study was carried out in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen University and Kanghua Hospital. Meanwhile, searches of PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science for all relevant peer‐reviewed articles were performed with a restriction to English language publication before 15 June 2019. Quality assessments were conducted with the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies‐2 checklist. Data analysis, heterogeneity, subgroup analysis and publication bias were carried out using META‐DISC 1.4 and STATA 12.0.

Results

In all, 141 twin pregnancies included in our cohort study; confirmation revealed one true‐positive case for trisomy 21 and 140 true‐negative cases. The sensitivity and specificity for trisomy 21 by NIPT were both 100%. Twenty‐two eligible studies were enrolled in this meta‐analysis together with our study. There were 199 cases of trisomy 21, 58 cases of trisomy 18, 14 cases of trisomy 13 and 6347 cases of euploids in total. For trisomy 21, NIPT showed the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.99, 1.00, 145.81, 0.06 and 1714.09, respectively. For trisomy 18, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.88, 1.00, 200.98, 0.19 and 483.68, respectively.

Conclusions

The performance of NIPT for trisomy 21 in twin pregnancy was excellent and it was similar to that reported in singleton pregnancy. However, due to publication bias (trisomy 18) and small number of cases (trisomy 13), accurate assessment of the predictive performance of NIPT for trisomies 18 and 13 could not be achieved.
Programmed cell death ligand‐1: A dynamic immune checkpoint in cancer therapy
Authors: Kalim Muhammad , Iqbal Khan Muhammad Saleem , Zhan Jinbiao
Published: March 2020

Antibody‐based immunotherapies play a pivotal role in cancer research with efficient achievements in tumor suppression. Tumor survival is assisted by modulation of immune checkpoints to create imbalances between immune cells and cancer cell's environment. The modulation results in T‐cell signal inhibition ultimately inert its proliferation and activation against various tumor cells. PD‐L1, a 40 kDa transmembrane protein of B7 family, binds with PD‐1 on the membrane of T cells which results in inhibition of T‐cell proliferation and activation. PD‐L1/PD‐1 pathway has generated novel target sites for antibodies that can block PD‐L1/PD‐1 interactions. The blockage results in T‐cell proliferation and tumor cell suppression. The PD‐L1 immune checkpoint strategies’ development, expression and regulations, signal inhibitions, and developmental stages of PD‐L1/PD‐1 antibodies are briefly discussed here in this review. All this information will provide a base for new therapeutic development against PD‐L1 and PD‐1 immune checkpoint interactions and will make available promising treatment options.
Intervention for children with developmental coordination disorder: How robust is our recent evidence?
Authors: Miyahara Motohide , Lagisz Malgorzata , Nakagawa Shinichi , Henderson Sheila
Published: March 2020

Background

The evaluation of methods of intervention for children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is an ongoing process. Systematic and meta‐analytical reviews play an important role in this process. Before 2015, only four reviews of this type were published on this topic. By 2019, the number had tripled, raising the question of whether the increase in quantity is accompanied by a similar increase in quality. The aim of this meta‐review was to evaluate eight new review studies published during this time period with particular focus on the consistency of the inclusion criteria, the coverage of primary studies and the quality of evidence on which the conclusions were based.

Method

Methodological quality was evaluated using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews, Second Edition (AMSTAR 2).

Results

The eight reviews differed in the inclusion criteria employed, the sources of primary evidence cited and in the quality of evidence provided. Using AMSTAR 2 terminology, the overall methodology of the reviews was judged to be acceptably high for only one. All others contained serious flaws. The conclusions drawn were not consistent.

Conclusions

In spite of the increase in the number of reviews on intervention for children with DCD, quality remains an issue. Persistent methodological problems mean that consumers still cannot be confident in any of the claims made for intervention effects.
Effect of Rifampin‐Mediated OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 Transporter Inhibition on the Pharmacokinetics of the P2Y12 Receptor Antagonist Selatogrel
Authors: Schilling Uta , Dingemanse Jasper , Voors‐Pette Christine , Romeijn Christel , Dogterom Peter , Ufer Mike
Published: March 2020

In vitro studies have indicated that the P2Y12 receptor antagonist selatogrel is a substrate of organic anion‐transporting‐polypeptide (OATP)1B1 and OATP1B3 that are known to mediate hepatic uptake. Selatogrel is primarily eliminated via the biliary route. Therefore, the study aim was to investigate the effect of rifampin‐mediated OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 inhibition on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of selatogrel. This was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, two‐period, crossover study in 14 healthy subjects. In each period, a single subcutaneous dose of 4 mg selatogrel was administered, either immediately after a single intravenous 30 minutes infusion of 600 mg rifampin or after placebo. Plasma samples were collected for 36 hours and analyzed using a validated liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry method. PK parameters of selatogrel were calculated using noncompartmental analysis. The effect of rifampin was explored based on geometric mean peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration curve from zero to infinity (AUC0–∞) ratios and for time of maximum plasma concentration (Tmax) by Wilcoxon signed rank test. In addition, the safety and tolerability of the study treatments were evaluated. The geometric mean ratios of Cmax and AUC0–∞ were 1.19 (90% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.28) and 1.43 (90% CI 1.36–1.51), respectively, indicating a minor selatogrel exposure increase when administered after an infusion of rifampin compared with placebo. Rifampin administration did not affect terminal half‐life (t½) or Tmax of selatogrel. All study treatments were safe and well‐tolerated. A single dose of 600 mg rifampin, a potent OATP1B1/1B3 inhibitor, did not impact the PK of selatogrel to a clinically relevant extent suggesting that OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 transporters do not play a major role in the elimination of selatogrel.
Reimbursement Lag of New Drugs Under Taiwan's National Health Insurance System Compared With United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea
Authors: Shih Yi‐Ru , Liao Kai‐Hsin , Chen Yen‐Hui , Lin Fang‐Ju , Hsiao Fei‐Yuan
Published: March 2020

Drug lag—delayed approval or reimbursement—is a major barrier to accessing cutting‐edge drugs. Unlike approval lag, reimbursement lag is under‐researched. We investigated the key determinants of reimbursement lag under Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI), and compared this lag with those in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. Using retrospective data on 190 new NHI‐reimbursed drugs from 2007 to 2014, we studied reimbursement lag in Taiwan vs. other countries, and investigated associated factors using generalized linear models (GLMs). The median reimbursement lags during before (“first‐generation”) and after (“second‐generation”) NHI drug reimbursement scheme in Taiwan were 378 and 458 days, respectively. The “first‐generation” lag was shorter only than that in South Korea, whereas the “second‐generation” lag only exceeded those of the United Kingdom and Japan. In GLM models, higher drug expenditure and the introduction of the “second‐generation” NHI were two statistically significant parameters associated with reimbursement lag among antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents. For other drug classes, the reimbursement price proposed by pharmaceutical companies and use of price‐volume agreements were two statistically significant parameters associated with longer reimbursement lags. The current reimbursement lag in Taiwan is longer than 1 year, but only longer than those of the United Kingdom and Japan. The determinants differ between drug categories. A specific review process for antineoplastic and immunomodulating drugs may expedite reimbursement. There is a clear need for systematic data collection and analysis to ascertain factors associated with reimbursement lag and thereby inform future policy making.
A new technique linking cognitive impairment to raised intracranial pressure in syndromic craniosynostosis
Authors: Hayward Richard
Published: March 2020

This commentary is on the original article by Wilson et al. on pages 799–805 of this issue.
Effectiveness of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors on ischaemic heart disease
Authors: Shen Yun , Zhou Jian , Shi Lizheng , Nauman Elizabeth , Katzmarzyk Peter T. , Price‐Haywood Eboni G. , Horswell Ronald , Chu San , Yang Shengping , Bazzano Alessandra N. , Nigam Somesh , Hu Gang
Published: March 2020

Aim

To compare the cardiovascular risks between users and non‐users of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT2) inhibitors based on electronic medical record data from a large integrated healthcare system in South Louisiana.

Materials and methods

Demographic, anthropometric, laboratory and medication prescription information for patients with type 2 diabetes who were new users of SGLT2 inhibitors, either as initial treatments or as add‐on treatments, were obtained from electronic health records. Mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the association of use of SGLT2 inhibitors and changes of metabolic risk factors with the risk of incident ischaemic heart disease.

Results

A total of 5338 new users of SGLT2 inhibitors were matched with 13 821 non‐users. During a mean follow‐up of 3.26 years, 2302 incident cases of ischaemic heart disease were defined. After adjusting for multiple confounding factors, patients using SGLT2 inhibitors had a lower risk of incident ischaemic heart disease compared to patients not using SGLT2 inhibitors (hazard ratio [HR] 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.54–0.73). Patients using SGLT2 inhibitors also had a lower risk of incident ischaemic heart disease within 6 months (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.25–0.44), 12 months (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.32–0.49), 24 months (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.43–0.60) and 36 months (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.54–0.73), respectively. Reductions in systolic blood pressure partly mediated lowering risk of ischaemic heart disease among patients using SGLT2 inhibitors.

Conclusions

The real‐world data in the present study show the contribution of SGLT2 inhibitors to reducing risk of ischaemic heart disease, and their benefits beyond glucose‐lowering.
Impaired coronary microcirculation is associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in end‐stage chronic kidney disease patients
Authors: Papamichail Nikos , Bechlioulis Aris , Lakkas Lampros , Bougiakli Mara , Giannitsi Sophia , Gouva Chariklia , Katopodis Kostas , Michalis Lampros K. , Naka Katerina K.
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Coronary vascular dysfunction, as assessed by coronary flow reserve (CFR) in the left anterior descending coronary artery, is found in various conditions including end‐stage chronic kidney disease (CKD). Currently, we investigated the associations of CFR with echocardiographic indices of systolic and diastolic cardiac function and identified independent predictors of CFR in hemodialysis patients.

Methods

End‐stage CKD patients treated with hemodialysis (n = 29) without known cardiovascular disease were recruited from a Hemodialysis Unit in Northwestern Greece. A thorough echocardiographic evaluation including CFR measurement following dipyridamole infusion was performed in all participants. Arterial stiffness was assessed by measurement of carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity and aortic augmentation index.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 63 years, and mean duration of hemodialysis was 2.9 years. CFR was 1.60 ± 0.37 while dipyridamole caused a significant increase in E'sep, Slat, E'lat, and Stroke volume (P < .05 for all). Independent predictors of CFR were posterior wall thickness (B −0.408, P = .013) and dipyridamole‐induced changes in Tei index (B −0.425, P = .007). A severely decreased CFR < 1.5 was observed in 52% of the patients. E/E' ratio (B 10.84, P = .014) was the single independent predictor of severely decreased CFR.

Conclusions

In end‐stage CKD patients on hemodialysis without known cardiovascular disease, impaired coronary vascular function was prevalent and related to increased left ventricular wall thickness, increased filling pressures, and dipyridamole‐induced deteriorated myocardial function independently of the presence of wall‐motion abnormalities. Further studies are required to clarify the prognostic role of dipyridamole‐induced cardiac changes in hemodialysis patients.
First molecular detection of Lecanosticta acicola from Poland on Pinus mugo
Authors: Raitelaitytė Kristina , Markovskaja Svetlana , Paulauskas Algimantas , Hsiang Tom , Oszako Tomasz
Published: March 2020

The presence of quarantine pathogen Lecanosticta acicola, the causal agent of brown spot needle blight, was confirmed using molecular methods for the first time in northern part of Poland on the coastal area adjacent to the Baltic Sea. This area includes sandy beaches, where Pinus mugo and P. sylvestris were planted. Symptomatic needles were collected in 2017 from 20 P. mugo trees growing in one stand in Ustka. Typical symptoms of brown spot needle blight infection, including dead needle tips and central zones with yellow or reddish brown, circular spots in green tissue, were observed on all samples. Only, the asexual stage of L. acicola was obtained during this work. The pathogen species identity was confirmed using classical morphological methods (microscopic examination of the infected needles), real‐time and species‐specific priming (SSPP) PCR, and ITS sequencing. Analysis of mating‐type (MAT) genes showed the presence of both mating types in northern Poland.
Predation risk shapes the degree of placentation in natural populations of live‐bearing fish
Authors: Hagmayer Andres , Furness Andrew I. , Reznick David N. , Dekker Myrthe L. , Pollux Bart J. A.
Published: March 2020

The placenta is a complex life‐history trait that is ubiquitous across the tree of life. Theory proposes that the placenta evolves in response to high performance‐demanding conditions by shifting maternal investment from pre‐ to post‐fertilisation, thereby reducing a female’s reproductive burden during pregnancy. We test this hypothesis by studying populations of the fish species Poeciliopsis retropinna in Costa Rica. We found substantial variation in the degree of placentation among natural populations associated with predation risk: females from high predation populations had significantly higher degrees of placentation compared to low predation females, while number, size and quality of offspring at birth remained unaffected. Moreover, a higher degree of placentation correlated with a lower reproductive burden and hence likely an improved swimming performance during pregnancy. Our study advances an adaptive explanation for why the placenta evolves by arguing that an increased degree of placentation offers a selective advantage in high predation environments.
Platelet‐derived microvesicles promote endothelial progenitor cell proliferation in intimal injury by delivering TGF‐β1
Authors: Yan Jing , Bao Han , Fan Yang‐Jing , Jiang Zong‐Lai , Qi Ying‐Xin , Han Yue
Published: March 2020

Intimal injury is an early stage of several cardiovascular diseases. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a significant role in endothelial repair following vascular injury. Once the intima is damaged, EPCs are mobilized from the bone marrow to the injury site. Meanwhile, the injury to the intimal surface triggers platelet degranulation, aggregation, and adhesion to the damaged endothelium, and exposed collagen stimulates platelet to secrete platelet‐derived microvesicles (PMVs). However, the role of PMVs in EPC function during this process remains unknown. In an in vivo study, EPCs and platelets were found to adhere to the injury site in Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rat vascular injury model. In vitro, collagen stimulation induced the release of PMVs, and collagen‐activated PMVs (ac.PMVs) significantly promoted EPC proliferation. Transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) content was increased in ac.PMVs. Activated PMVs significantly upregulated Smad3 phosphorylation in EPCs and increased Smad3 nuclear translocation from the cytoplasm. TGF‐β1 knockdown ac.PMVs downregulated EPC proliferation. Recombinant TGF‐β1 enhanced EPC proliferation. The TGF‐β1 inhibitor SB431542 significantly repressed the intracellular signal triggered by ac.PMVs. Furthermore, the Smad3‐specific phosphorylation inhibitor SIS3 effectively reversed the cell proliferation induced by ac.PMVs. Smad3 translocated to the nucleus and enhanced EPC proliferation via its downstream genes tenascin C (TNC), CDKN1A, and CDKN2A. r‐TGF‐β1 promoted reendothelialization and EPC proliferation in vivo. Our data demonstrate that activated PMVs deliver TGF‐β1 from collagen‐activated platelets to EPCs, which in turn activates Smad3 phosphorylation and regulates TNC, CDKN1A, and CDKN2A expression to promote EPC proliferation, suggesting that PMVs act as a key transporter and a potential therapeutic target for vascular injury.