4,176 research outputs found
\u27Unfreezing-Changing-Refreezing\u27 of Actors\u27 Commitment: The Transition from Escalation to De-Escalation of Commitment to Information Technology Projects
Escalation is a common and costly problem among IT projects. Although the potential of de-escalation of commitment to failing courses of action has been much heralded, many such efforts may result in failure due to constituencies biasing facts in the direction of previously accepted beliefs, and therefore, prevent an organization from de-escalating. Here, we adopt Lewin’s change framework to examine the commitment transformation during the transition from escalation to de-escalation of an eprocurement project in a local government organization in UK. Our findings suggest that the entire process of ‘unfreezing-changing-refreezing’ was enacted through the deployment of behaviour disconfirmation, psychological safety creation, and development, alignment and integration of new attitudes and behaviours. The research and practical implications of these findings are explored
Home based exercise programme for knee pain and knee osteoarthritis: randomised controlled trial
Objectives To determine whether a home based
exercise programme can improve outcomes in
patients with knee pain.
Design Pragmatic, factorial randomised controlled
trial of two years' duration.
Setting Two general practices in Nottingham.
Participants 786 men and women aged >45 years
with self reported knee pain.
Interventions Participants were randomised to four
groups to receive exercise therapy, monthly telephone
contact, exercise therapy plus telephone contact, or no
intervention. Patients in the no intervention and
combined exercise and telephone groups were
randomised to receive or not receive a placebo health
food tablet.
Main outcome measures Primary outcome was self
reported score for knee pain on the Western Ontario
and McMaster universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis
index at two years. Secondary outcomes included
knee specific physical function and stiffness (scored on
WOMAC index), general physical function (scored on
SFÂ36 questionnaire), psychological outlook (scored
on hospital anxiety and depression scale), and
isometric muscle strength.
Results 600 (76.3%) participants completed the study.
At 24 months, highly significant reductions in knee
pain were apparent for the pooled exercise groups
compared with the nonÂexercise groups (mean
difference –0.82, 95% confidence interval –1.3 to
–0.3). Similar improvements were observed at 6, 12,
and 18 months. Regular telephone contact alone did
not reduce pain. The reduction in pain was greater
the closer patients adhered to the exercise plan.
Conclusions A simple home based exercise
programme can significantly reduce knee pain. The
lack of improvement in patients who received only
telephone contact suggests that improvements are not
just due to psychosocial effects because of contact
with the therapist
Estimated cumulative radiation dose from PET/CT in children with malignancies: reply to Gelfand et al
Visuo-attentional correlates of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children with Down syndrome: A comparative study with children with idiopathic ASD.
BACKGROUND: Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) relative to the general population. To better understand the nature of this comorbidity, we examined the visuo-attentional processes associated with autistic trait expression in children with DS, focusing specifically on attentional disengagement and visual search performance. METHOD: We collected eye-tracking data from children with DS (n = 15) and children with idiopathic ASD (iASD, n = 16) matched according to chronological age. Seven children with DS had a formal clinical diagnosis of ASD (DS+ASD). RESULTS: In children with iASD, but not DS, higher autistic trait levels were associated with decreased temporal facilitation on a gap-overlap task, implying increased visuospatial orienting efficiency. In all cases, higher autistic trait levels were associated with improved visual search performance according to decreased target detection latency. On a visual search task, children with DS+ASD outperformed their peers with DS-ASD, mirroring the phenotypic advantage associated with iASD. We found no evidence of a relationship between attentional disengagement and visual search performance, providing preliminary evidence of a differentiation in terms of underlying visuo-attentional mechanism. CONCLUSION: We illustrate the value of progressing beyond insensitive behavioural measures of phenotypic description to examine, in a more fine-grained way, the attentional features associated with ASD comorbidity in children with DS
Transactivation of EGFR by LPS induces COX-2 expression in enterocytes
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the leading cause of gastrointestinal morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. NEC is characterized by an exaggerated inflammatory response to bacterial flora leading to bowel necrosis. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mediates inflammation through TLR4 activation and is a key molecule in the pathogenesis of NEC. However, LPS also induces cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which promotes intestinal barrier restitution through stimulation of intestinal cell survival, proliferation, and migration. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation prevents experimental NEC and may play a critical role in LPS-stimulated COX-2 production. We hypothesized that EGFR is required for LPS induction of COX-2 expression. Our data show that inhibiting EGFR kinase activity blocks LPS-induced COX-2 expression in small intestinal epithelial cells. LPS induction of COX-2 requires Src-family kinase signaling while LPS transactivation of EGFR requires matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activity. EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors block LPS stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK, suggesting an important role of the MAPK/ERK pathway in EGFR-mediated COX-2 expression. LPS stimulates proliferation of IEC-6 cells, but this stimulation is inhibited with either the EGFR kinase inhibitor AG1478, or the selective COX-2 inhibitor Celecoxib. Taken together, these data show that EGFR plays an important role in LPS-induction of COX-2 expression in enterocytes, which may be one mechanism for EGF in inhibition of NEC
Correlation between bicuspid aortic valve fusion phenotype and aortic arch morphology using MRI
Investigation of a Second Exhaust Valve Lift to Improve Combustion in a Methane - Diesel Dual-Fuel Engine
In recent years, the utilization of dual-fuel combustion has gained
popularity in order to improve engine efficiency and emissions. With
its high knock resistance, methane allows operation in high
compression diesel engines with lower risk of knocking. With the use
of diesel fuel as an ignition source, it is possible to exploit the
advantages of lean combustion without facing problems to provide
the high amount of ignition energy necessary to burn methane under
such operating conditions. Another advantage is the variety of
sources from which the primary fuel can be obtained. In addition to
fossil sources, methane can also be produced from biomass or
electrical energy.
As the rate of substitution of diesel by methane increases, the trade-
off between nitrogen oxide and soot is mitigated. However, emissions
of carbon monoxide and unburned methane increase. Since carbon
monoxide is toxic and methane has 25 times the global warming
potential of carbon dioxide, these emission components pose a
problem. Because of the stability of the molecule, methane catalysts
require an exhaust gas temperature of over 500 °C in order to work
effectively.
In this work, the effect of conventional cooled external exhaust gas
recirculation (EGR) and additional hot internal EGR are investigated
for different substitution rates in a nonroad tractor engine converted
to dual-fuel operation. The internal EGR rate is controlled by a
variable second exhaust valve lift during the intake stroke – an
approach which promises to benefit dual-fuel engines by increasing
the in-cylinder gas temperature, thus favoring more complete
combustion. A simulation model of the engine is used to determine
the internal EGR rates and in-cylinder temperatures based on the
experimental data. When internal EGR is used in combination with
external EGR, the resulting emissions show additional reductions in
nitrogen oxide (up to -51 %), carbon monoxide (up to -18 %) and
methane (up to -28 %) with increasing internal EGR, while still
maintaining low soot levels due to the substitution of diesel fuel for
methane
Cross-sectional and longitudinal assessment of cognitive development in Williams syndrome
Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic syndrome. As with all rare syndromes, obtaining adequately powered sample sizes is a challenge. Here we present legacy data from seven UK labs, enabling the characterisation of cross-sectional and longitudinal developmental trajectories of verbal and non-verbal development in the largest sample of individuals with WS to-date. In Study 1, we report cross-sectional data between NÂ =Â 102 and NÂ =Â 209 children and adults with WS on measures of verbal and non-verbal ability. In Study 2, we report longitudinal data from NÂ =Â 17 to NÂ =Â 54 children and adults with WS who had been tested on at least three timepoints on these measures. Data support the WS characteristic cognitive profile of stronger verbal than non-verbal ability, and shallow developmental progression for both domains. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data demonstrate steeper rates of development in the child participants than the adolescent and adults in our sample. Cross-sectional data indicate steeper development in verbal than non-verbal ability, and that individual differences in the discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal ability are largely accounted for by level of intellectual functioning. A diverging developmental discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal ability, whilst marginal, is not mirrored statistically in the longitudinal data. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data are discussed with reference to validating cross-sectional developmental patterns using longitudinal data and the importance of individual differences in understanding developmental progression
Validity of inertial sensor based 3D joint kinematics of static and dynamic sport and physiotherapy specific movements
3D joint kinematics can provide important information about the quality of movements. Optical motion capture systems (OMC) are considered the gold standard in motion analysis. However, in recent years, inertial measurement units (IMU) have become a promising alternative. The aim of this study was to validate IMU-based 3D joint kinematics of the lower extremities during different movements. Twenty-eight healthy subjects participated in this study. They performed bilateral squats (SQ), single-leg squats (SLS) and countermovement jumps (CMJ). The IMU kinematics was calculated using a recently-described sensor-fusion algorithm. A marker based OMC system served as a reference. Only the technical error based on algorithm performance was considered, incorporating OMC data for the calibration, initialization, and a biomechanical model. To evaluate the validity of IMU-based 3D joint kinematics, root mean squared error (RMSE), range of motion error (ROME), Bland-Altman (BA) analysis as well as the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC) were calculated. The evaluation was twofold. First, the IMU data was compared to OMC data based on marker clusters; and, second based on skin markers attached to anatomical landmarks. The first evaluation revealed means for RMSE and ROME for all joints and tasks below 3°. The more dynamic task, CMJ, revealed error measures approximately 1° higher than the remaining tasks. Mean CMC values ranged from 0.77 to 1 over all joint angles and all tasks. The second evaluation showed an increase in the RMSE of 2.28°– 2.58° on average for all joints and tasks. Hip flexion revealed the highest average RMSE in all tasks (4.87°– 8.27°). The present study revealed a valid IMU-based approach for the measurement of 3D joint kinematics in functional movements of varying demands. The high validity of the results encourages further development and the extension of the present approach into clinical settings
Hemodynamics in bicuspid aortic valve relatives with trileaflet aortic valves compared to normal controls using 4D flow MRI
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