A Sustainability Disclosure Index Using Corporate Sustainability Reports

Background: There are already many indices such as Bloomberg’s environmental-and-social governance (ESG) ratings and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DSJI), which use proprietary methods to rate companies using private and publicly available information processed with proprietary methods. This paper seeks to develop a formative index for researchers and practitioners using only publicly available sustainability reports with a transparent procedure. Methods: Thirty-two indicators, obtained in an earlier study from the literature, GRI, and other sources, were adopted. The sustainability report of each of 331 companies was then scored on a discrete 0–3 scale for each indicator as regards disclosure. The index for the company then is simply a summation of the indicator scores. Tests were conducted to see if the index can be (a) used for companies with different revenues and from different sectors and (b) tested for explaining DJSI or ESG ratings. Results: The index can be used for companies with a wide range of revenues and from different sectors. Despite its simplicity, the disclosure index significantly explains the DJSI and ESG. Conclusions: A disclosure index for companies has been developed here using only their publicly available sustainability reports, unlike existing indices like the DJSI that use public and private information and proprietary methods. Researchers and financial institutions can use this index or develop their own indices by refining the methodology presented here

Estimating the risk of adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women undergoing non-obstetric surgery using routinely collected NHS data: an observational study

Background: Previous research suggests that non-obstetric surgery is carried out in 1 – 2% of all pregnancies. However, there is limited evidence quantifying the associated risks. Furthermore, of the evidence available, none relates directly to outcomes in the UK, and there are no current NHS guidelines regarding non-obstetric surgery in pregnant women. Objectives: To estimate the risk of adverse birth outcomes of pregnancies in which non-obstetric surgery was or was not carried out. To further analyse common procedure groups. Data Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) maternity data collected between 2002 – 3 and 2011 – 12. Main outcomes: Spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, maternal death, caesarean delivery, long inpatient stay, stillbirth and low birthweight. Methods: We utilised HES, an administrative database that includes records of all patient admissions and day cases in all English NHS hospitals. We analysed HES maternity data collected between 2002 – 3 and 2011 – 12, and identified pregnancies in which non-obstetric surgery was carried out. We used logistic regression models to determine the adjusted relative risk and attributable risk of non-obstetric surgical procedures for adverse birth outcomes and the number needed to harm. Results: We identified 6,486,280 pregnancies, in 47,628 of which non-obstetric surgery was carried out. In comparison with pregnancies in which surgery was not carried out, we found that non-obstetric surgery was associated with a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes, although the attributable risk was generally low. We estimated that for every 287 pregnancies in which a surgical operation was carried out there was one additional stillbirth; for every 31 operations there was one additional preterm delivery; for every 25 operations there was one additional caesarean section; for every 50 operations there was one additional long inpatient stay; and for every 39 operations there was one additional low-birthweight baby. Limitations: We have no means of disentangling the effect of the surgery from the effect of the underlying condition itself. Many spontaneous abortions will not be associated with a hospital admission and, therefore, will not be included in our analysis. A spontaneous abortion may be more likely to be reported if it occurs during the same hospital admission as the procedure, and this could account for the associated increased risk with surgery during pregnancy. There are missing values of key data items to determine parity, gestational age, birthweight and stillbirth. Conclusions: This is the first study to report the risk of adverse birth outcomes following non-obstetric surgery during pregnancy across NHS hospitals in England. We have no means of disentangling the effect of the surgery from the effect of the underlying condition itself. Our observational study can never attribute a causal relationship between surgery and adverse birth outcomes, and we were unable to determine the risk of not undergoing surgery where surgery was clinically indicated. We have some reservations over associations of risk factors with spontaneous abortion because of potential ascertainment bias. However, we believe that our findings and, in particular, the numbers needed to harm improve on previous research, utilise a more recent and larger data set based on UK practices, and are useful reference points for any discussion of risk with prospective patients. The risk of adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women undergoing non-obstetric surgery is relatively low, confirming that surgical procedures during pregnancy are generally safe. Future work: Further evaluation of the association of non-obstetric surgery and spontaneous abortion. Evaluation of the impact of non-obstetric surgery on the newborn (e.g. neonatal intensive care unit admission, prolonged length of neonatal stay, neonatal death). Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme

Measuring the Effects of Pre-workout Supplementation on Resting Metabolic Rate

Please view abstract in the attached PDF file

Potentially fatal tricuspid valve aspergilloma detected after laparoscopic abdominal surgery

Fungal endocarditis accounts for 1.3-6% of all cases of infective endocarditis. The most common causative organism is Candida, followed by Aspergillus and other mould fungi. Aspergillus endocarditis is usually associated with high morbidity and mortality. Establishing a definitive and timely diagnosis remains difficult and there are many reports of undetected aspergillomas leading to fatalities in the perioperative period. We present a case report of preoperatively undiagnosed large mobile tricuspid valve aspergilloma obstructing the right ventricular inlet, diagnosed incidentally on the second postoperative day after laparoscopic pancreatic abscess drainage. The patient was successfully managed with emergency open-heart surgery and systemic antifungal agents in the postoperative period.Keywords: Infective endocarditis, aspergilloma, tricuspid valu

Generation of mice harbouring a conditional loss-of-function allele of Gata6

The zinc finger transcription factor GATA6 is believed to have important roles in the development of several organs including the liver, gastrointestinal tract and heart. However, analyses of the contribution of GATA6 toward organogenesis have been hampered because Gata6(-/- )mice fail to develop beyond gastrulation due to defects in extraembryonic endoderm function. We have therefore generated a mouse line harbouring a conditional loss-of-function allele of Gata6 using Cre/loxP technology. LoxP elements were introduced into introns flanking exon 2 of the Gata6 gene by homologous recombination in ES cells. Mice containing this altered allele were bred to homozygosity and were found to be viable and fertile. To assess the functional integrity of the loxP sites and to confirm that we had generated a Gata6 loss-of-function allele, we bred Gata6 'floxed' mice to EIIa-Cre mice in which Cre is ubiquitously expressed, and to Villin-Cre mice that express Cre in the epithelial cells of the intestine. We conclude that we have generated a line of mice in which GATA6 activity can be ablated in a cell type specific manner by expression of Cre recombinase. This line of mice can be used to establish the role of GATA6 in regulating embryonic development and various aspects of mammalian physiology

A robust and forward-Looking industrial production indicator

Against the backdrop of growing criticism of the index of industrial production, which provides information only about the past and sometimes fl uctuates wildly, this article seeks to provide a more robust and forward-looking economic indicator of industrial growth. Such an indicator, based on past IIP numbers, can also serve as a benchmark for future IIP numbers when they are released. Using data on the IIP's three sub-series - manufacturing, mining, and electricity - it seeks to isolate the "noise" from the "signal" in two steps, enabling predictions for the two past months and four months into the future using the latest available IIP numbers in any given month

Risk of Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome (PTCS) with hormonal contraceptive use

Background: Hormonal contraceptives (HC), one of the most prescribed classes of medication in women, have been linked with pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS). To date, no large epidemiologic study has examined this association.Methods: A case-control study using the IMS LifeLink Pharmetrics Plus database was conducted. Cases had an ICD-9-CM code for benign intracranial hypertension as well as a procedural code for a CT or MRI and a code for lumbar puncture procedure within 15 days of the PTCS code. Controls were selected from the cohort using density-based sampling.Results: From a cohort of 9,053,240 subjects, there were 288 cases of PTCS corresponding to 2,880 controls. The adjusted RRs for two or more prescriptions of oral combined contraceptive was 0.62 (95% confidence interval 0.39-0.99). RRs for overall HC use was 0.91 (95% CI 0.39-2.12) for one prescription of HCs and 0.69 (95% CI 0.45-1.05) for two or more prescriptions. The RRs for one and two or more prescriptions of progestin only HCs were 0.75 (95% CI 0.08-7.46) and 1.06 (95% CI 0.42-2.69), respectively.Conclusions: Overall HC use does not have a significant effect on incidence of PTCS, however harm associated with progestin-only contraceptives cannot be excluded

Engineering design tropisms: Utilization of a bamboo-resin joint for voxelized network geometries

We propose the combination of the traditional construction material bamboo with a novel epoxy-resin joint. The joint forms a bending-resisting connection that eliminates the need for diagonal members. This allows its utilization along rectangular grids as was tested with the design of a prototype structure that occupies a voxelized space. The design process used an agent-based simulation to mediate between design intent, site and structural considerations. The prototype was constructed with a robotic milling of the components and forms a successful application of the joints and design methodology

Corporate social sustainability in supply chains: a thematic analysis of the literature

This paper maps out different research strands using thematic analysis on the literature pertaining to large companies’ efforts on social sustainability in their supply chains. The data corpus for this thematic analysis is a broad sample of the literature with articles from different journals and employing different research methodologies. Each of the high-level themes is identified at a level high enough to apply to research into not only social but also economic or environmental sustainability. These eight themes – stakeholder pressure; governance; contingencies; practices; partnerships; barriers and enablers; performance; and optimisation for performance improvement and trade-off – are then woven into a thematic map. We call this map the ‘4P’ model as it suggests that pressure and partnerships influence practices, which in turn impact performance. Researchers can use this thematic classification not only to position their research within the social sustainability literature but also to integrate research on economic, environmental and social sustainability

Diaphragmatic hernia with strangulated loop of bowel presenting after colonoscopy: case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The incidence of diaphragmatic hernias caused or exacerbated by diagnostic colonoscopy is not well elucidated at this time, and is believed to be very rare.</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We present the case of a 57 year old man with remote history of traumatic injury who first presented with vague left shoulder pain for two weeks, mild anemia, and tested positive for fecal occult blood. Four days post colonoscopy the patient was found to have a strangulated loop of bowel herniated through the diaphragm into the left hemithorax.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In patients with previous history of serious traumatic injury and particularly those with previous splenectomy, a thorough history and physical examination before routine colonoscopy is important. A high level of suspicion for post-operative complications should also be maintained when assessing such patients.</p