Beyond Technological Diversification: The Impact of Employee Diversity on Innovation

This paper investigates the effect of employee diversity in terms of gender, age, ethnicity and education on the firm’s likelihood of introducing an innovation. The analysis draws on data from a recent innovation survey. This data is merged with a linked employer-employee dataset that allow us to identify the employee composition of each firm. We test the hypothesis that employee diversity is associated with better innovative performance. The econometric analysis reveals positive, negative and non-significant effects of the different employee characteristics on the likelihood of introducing an innovation.Diversity, Innovation, Education, Gender, Cultural Backgrund

Late and long-term effects of leukaemia treatment in childhood

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenIntroduction: The treatment of childhood leukemia has improved substantially over the last decades and now 65-75% of the patients recover. With increasing number of survivors it is important to know the long-term and late effects of leukemia and leukaemia treatment. Patients: Of the 31 children diagnosed with leukemia in Iceland from 1981 to 1990, twenty were enrolled in the study. Average age at enrollment was16 years and 8 months (16:8) and average time since treatment ended was 8:3. Methods: The study was carried out at the Children's Hospital at the University Hospital Iceland where patients were examined and data was gathered on height, weight, hearing, cognitive functions, bloodvalues, immunoglobulins and renal, endocrine, heart, liver and respiratory functions. Results: The children studied were on average 0.48 standard deviations below target height and their body-mass index was higher at the time of study than at diagnosis. Two children had obvious obstructive lung disease. No abnormalities were found in complete blood count nor heart, liver or kidney functions. Two patients were found to have impaired hearing not attributable to acoustic trauma. In some cases abnormal values were found in immunoglobulin classes and 12 patients had decreased serum IgG2. Six needed remedial reading lessons. Three patients needed hormone replacement therapy. Discussion: Minor impact on height and weight was found but the effects on lungs and hearing were inconclusive. Despite markedly decreased serum IgG2 the patients were not more prone to infections. The most obvious effects were on the endocrine system and performance at school. We conclude that the sequelae of childhood leukemia treatment in Iceland are significant and long-lasting, underlining the necessity of a careful long-term follow-up.Inngangur: Fyrir 30 árum var hvítblæði í flestum tilvikum banvænn sjúkdómur í börnum. Síðan þá hefur árangur meðferðar batnað til muna og nú ná 65-75% bata. Mikilvægt er því að þekkja langtímaáhrif hvítblæðis og hvítblæðismeðferðar. Sjúklingar: Þrjátíu og eitt barn greindist með hvítblæði á árunum 1981-1990 og náði rannsóknin til 20 þeirra. Meðalaldur við rannsókn var 16 ár og átta mánuðir (16:8) og meðaltími frá meðferðarlokum var 8:3. Aðferðir: Rannsóknin fór fram á Barnaspítala Hringsins og Heyrnar- og Talmeinastöð Íslands. Upplýsingum var safnað um hæð, þyngd, heyrn, árangur í skóla, blóðhag, mótefni og starfsemi innkirtla, nýrna, hjarta, lifrar og lungna. Niðurstöður: Sjúklingarnir reyndust að meðaltali 0,48 staðalfrávikum undir áætlaðri markhæð. Fimm voru yfir kjörþyngd þegar rannsókn fór fram en enginn við greiningu. Styttingarbrot vinstra slegils allra þeirra sem mældir voru var innan eðlilegra marka. Tveir höfðu greinilega loftvegaþrengingu. Tveir höfðu skerta heyrn sem ekki var hægt að skýra sem hávaðaskemmd. Nokkur frávik voru á aðal mótefnaflokkum og í 12 einstaklingum var IgG2 lækkað. Sex höfðu þurft lestrarsérkennslu í skóla. Þrír þurfa á hormónameðferð að halda. Engin teljandi óregla fannst á blóðhag eða starfsemi hjarta, lifrar eða nýrna. Umræður: Áhrif á hæð og þyngd eru merkjanleg en eru þó ekki klínískt markverð fyrir hópinn. Áhrif á innkirtlastarfsemi og árangur í skóla eru greinilegust. Þrátt fyrir umtalsverða lækkun á sumum mótefnaflokkum er sjúkingunum ekki hættara við sýkingum. Erfitt reyndist að meta áhrif á lungu og heyrn. Þessar niðurstöður eru sambærilegar við erlendar rannsóknir og sýna að nauðsynlegt er að fylgja börnum sem læknast hafa af hvítblæði markvisst eftir í langan tíma

Bacteremia in children with tumors or malignant diseases 1991-2000

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenIntroduction: Ten to twelve children with tumors or malignant diseases are diagnosed annually in Iceland. Cancer treatment can cause severe immune suppression, which makes the patients susceptible to serious infections. The aim of the current study was to evaluate sepsis in children with tumors or haematological malignancies, describe the types of bacteria cultured and their antibiotic susceptibilities, and collect information on associated risk factors. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study on all children 0-15 years of age in Iceland who were diagnosed with a tumor or malignant disease between 1991 and 2000. Information was gathered on diagnosis, treatment, blood cultures, blood tests, antibiotic use, presence of foreign bodies (such as CVC) and survival. Results: Hundred-and-eighteen children were diagnosed with cancer or benign central nervous system (CNS) tumors in Iceland during the period 1991-2000. Central nervous system tumors were most common (N=28, 23.7%), leukemia (N=21, 17.8%) and lymphoma (N=17, 14%) were the second and third. The mean age at diagnosis was 5.9 years. Sufficient data was found in the hospital records on 99 children who were included in the study. Five hundred and twenty two blood cultures were drawn from 51 of the 99 children during the period. The mean number of blood cultures per patient was 14.8 for children with leukemia, but 2.6 for children with solid tumors. Of all blood cultures, 63.6% were from a central venous catheter or a Port-A Catheter , 5% from a peripheral site, but 30% were undisclosed. Of the 522 blood cultures, 90 grew bacteria (17.2%). Coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated from 53 blood cultures (60%) and Staphylococcus aureus from 12 (13%). Positive cultures were regarded as a definite or possible infection in 47 blood cultures (52%), contamination in 17 (18.9% ), but uncertain in 26 (27.7%). Over 60 percent of the blood cultures (N=302) were drawn when a child was neutropenic (ANCInngangur: Árlega greinast 10-12 börn með æxli og illkynja sjúkdóma á Íslandi. Meðferð við illkynja sjúkdómum eykur hættu á alvarlegum sýkingum sem mikilvægt er að bregðast rétt við. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að meta blóðsýkingar í börnum með æxli og illkynja sjúkdóma, þar með talið einstakar bakteríur og sýklalyfjanæmi þeirra. Áhættuþættir voru einnig kannaðir. Efniviður og aðferðir: Rannsóknin var aftur-skyggn og var rannsóknarþýðið öll börn á aldrinum 0-15 ára greind með illkynja sjúkdóm eða æxli á árunum 1991-2000 á Barnaspítala Hringsins. Upplýsingum var safnað um greiningu, meðferð, blóðræktanir, blóðgildi og fleira, svo sem sýklalyfjanotkun, aðskotahluti og afdrif. Niðurstöður: Alls greindust 118 börn með illkynja sjúkdóm eða æxli á tímabilinu. Æxli í miðtaugakerfi (MTK) voru algengust (N=28, 23,7%), þá hvítblæði (N=21, 17,8%) og eitlakrabbamein (N=17, 14%). Meðalaldur barna við greiningu var 5,9 ár. Upplýsingar úr sjúkraskrám voru fullnægjandi fyrir 99 börn. Af þeim var 51 barn blóðræktað. Fjöldi blóðræktana var 522. Meðalfjöldi blóðræktana var 14,8 hjá börnum með hvítblæði, en 2,6 hjá börnum með föst æxli. Blóðræktanir voru teknar úr holæðalegg eða lyfjabrunni í 63,6%, 5,4% úr útbláæð en 31% tilfella voru ótilgreind. Af 522 ræktunum voru 90 jákvæðar (17,2%). Algengasta bakterían var kóagúlasa-neikvæður stafýlókokkur (KNS) (N=53, 60%), en Staphylococcus aureus næstalgengastur (N=12, 13,3%). Jákvæð ræktun var talin tengjast líklegri eða sannaðri sýkingu í 47 tilfellum (52%), mengun í 17 (18,9%) en óvíst var með 26 ræktanir (27,7%). Barn hafði daufkyrningafæð (ANC ?1,0 *109/L) við 302 blóðræktanir (61,4%). Meðallengd daufkyrningafæðar var 9,0 dagar. C-reative protein (CRP) var að meðaltali 63,9 mg/L við blóðræktun og meðalhiti var 38,8 °C. Í 183 tilfellum var barn á sýklalyfjum við blóðræktun (35,1%). Rannsóknarniðurstöður barna með jákvæða blóðræktun voru ekki frábrugðnar öðrum. Ályktanir: Sýkingar af völdum Gram-jákvæðra baktería, sérstaklega KNS, eru nú mun algengari en Gram-neikvæðra baktería. Hluti jákvæðra ræktana getur þó verið mengun. Blóðrannsóknir virðast hafa lítið forspárgildi um niðurstöður blóðræktana. Ekkert barn lést úr blóðsýkingu af völdum baktería á tímabilinu. Reynslusýklalyfjameðferð hérlendis virðist enn árangursrík

Catching the Bound States in the Continuum of a Phantom Atom in Graphene

We explore theoretically the formation of bound states in the continuum (BICs) in graphene hosting two collinear adatoms situated at different sides of the sheet and at the center of the hexagonal cell, where a phantom atom of a fictitious lattice emulates the six carbons of the cell. We verify that in this configuration the local density of states (LDOS) near the Dirac points exhibits two characteristic features: i) the cubic dependence on energy instead of the linear one for graphene as found in New J. Phys. 16, 013045 (2014) and ii) formation of BICs as aftermath of a Fano destructive interference assisted by the Coulomb correlations in the adatoms. For the geometry where adatoms are collinear to carbon atoms, we report absence of BICs

Quantum phase transition triggering magnetic BICs in graphene

Graphene hosting a pair of collinear adatoms in the phantom atom configuration has pseudogap with cubic scaling on energy, $\Delta\propto|\varepsilon|^{3}$ which leads to the appearance of spin-degenerate bound states in the continuum (BICs) [Phys. Rev. B 92, 045409 (2015)]. In the case when adatoms are locally coupled to a single carbon atom the pseudogap scales linearly with energy, which prevents the formation of BICs. In this Letter, we explore the effects of non-local coupling characterized by the Fano factor of interference $q_{0},$ tunable by changing the slope of the Dirac cones in the graphene band-structure. We demonstrate that three distinct regimes can be identified: i) for $q_{0}<q_{c1}$ (critical point) a mixed pseudogap $\Delta\propto|\varepsilon|,|\varepsilon|^{2}$ appears yielding a phase with spin-degenerate BICs; ii) near $q_{0}=q_{c1}$ when $\Delta\propto|\varepsilon|^{2}$ the system undergoes a quantum phase transition in which the new phase is characterized by magnetic BICs and iii) at a second critical value $q_{0}>q_{c2}$ the cubic scaling of the pseudogap with energy $\Delta\propto|\varepsilon|^{3}$ characteristic to the phantom atom configuration is restored and the phase with non-magnetic BICs is recovered. The phase with magnetic BICs can be described in terms of an effective intrinsic exchange field of ferromagnetic nature between the adatoms mediated by graphene monolayer. We thus propose a new type of quantum phase transition resulting from the competition between the states characterized by spin-degenerate and magnetic BICs

Medical evaluation for suspected sexual violence against girls

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesInngangur: Kynferðisofbeldi gegn börnum hefur verið falið vandamál. Læknisskoðun er æskileg til að leita áverka, útiloka sýkingar, safna réttarlæknisfræðilegum gögnum og tryggja velferð barnsins. Samantekt var gerð á framkvæmd og niðurstöðum læknisfræðilegs mats á Landspítala og í Barnahúsi. Efniviður og aðferðir: Rannsóknin var afturskyggn og lýsandi fyrir árin 2001-2010. Upplýsingum um staðlaðar skoðanir var safnað í Barnahúsi og úr læknabréfum og matsblöðum á Landspítala um aldur, kyn, biðtíma frá tilvísun að skoðun og skráð frábrigði á ytri kynfærum. Lýsingar á frábrigðum voru flokkaðar með tilliti til tengsla við kynferðisofbeldi í samræmi við læknisfræðilegt flokkunarkerfi Adams. Upplýsingar um alvarleikastig meintra kynferðisbrota fengust frá Barnahúsi. Niðurstöður: Fjöldi læknisskoðana/-mats var 224 hjá 220 stúlkum á aldrinum 1-17 ára. Í gögnum um 218 staðlaðar skoðanir hjá stúlkum voru fullnægjandi skoðanir 201 (92%). Flestar skoðanir fóru fram innan mánaðar frá tilkynningu (meðalbiðtími 28 dagar; bil 1-166). Meyjarhaftslýsingar voru í 24 tilvikum metnar sem mögulegt kynferðislegt ofbeldi, þar með talið 21 tilvik „rofins meyjarhafts“ hjá stúlku sem var ekki kynferðislega virk. Tvö kynfæravörtutilvik greindust (1%) og ein klamýdíusýking (0,5%). Hjá stúlkum sem ekki voru kynferðislega virkar voru skoðanir eðlilegar hjá 85% (165/193); 28 sýndu hugsanleg ummerki kynferðisofbeldis eða höfðu frábrigði með óljósa/umdeilda þýðingu. Efsta alvarleikastigi var lýst hjá 71 stúlku. Ályktun: Meirihluti læknisskoðananna voru hjá ókynþroska stúlkum, töldust ekki bráðatilvik, og niðurstaðan innan eðlilegra marka. Hugsanleg ummerki um kynferðisofbeldi voru hjá einni af 8. Frábrigðum frá eðlilegri skoðun var sjaldan lýst og sýkingar sjaldgæfar. Vanda þarf aðferðir og verkferla við valkvæðar og bráðar læknisskoðanir vegna gruns um kynferðisofbeldi.Introduction: Sexual violence against children is a hidden problem. Medical examination and evaluation is needed to search for possible injuries, exclude infections, procure legal evidence and ensure the child´s welfare. We assessed medical evaluations done at Landspitali University Hospital and in the Reykjavik Children's House, a specialized clinic for childhood abuse cases. Material and methods: Retrospective descriptive analysis was performed on the standardized medical examinations. Age, sex, waiting time from reported violence until examination and recorded aberrant external genitalia findings were noted, and classified by the medically-­oriented Adams system. Offence severity stages were assigned. Results: Medical examination cases numbered 224 for 220 girls aged 1-17 years. Records were available on 218 standarized examinations among girls; 201 were adequate (92%). Most were conducted within a month (medium waiting-time 28 days; range 1-166). Hymenal changes were in 24 cases possibly associated with sexual violence, including 21 in a girl not sexually active. Two girls had human papillomavirus warts (1%) and one chlamydial infection (0.5%). Medical examination was normal in 85% (165/193) of girls who were not sexually active; 24 had possibly experienced sexual violence and four results were uncertain/controversial. For 71 offence severity was serious. Conclusion: Most examinations were conducted on prepubertal girls, were not a matter of urgency and showed normal results. Possible relation to sexual violence was described for one in eight. Infections were rare. When child sexual abuse is suspected, care with methodology and procedures is needed, both for elective and acute medical examinations

No familial aggregation in chronic myeloid leukemia.

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Survival and causes of death in children diagnosed with cancer in Iceland 1981-2006

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn Skoða/Opna(view/open)OBJECTIVE: Of children diagnosed with cancer, approximately one fourth die of the disease or disease related complications. The aim of this study was to investigate survival and causes of death in children with cancer in Iceland. METHODS: This study is retrospective; population based and includes all children, less than 18 years of age, diagnosed with cancer in Iceland from 1981 to 2006. Information was extracted from the Icelandic Cancer Registry, patients hospital records and data from Statistics Iceland. RESULTS: Of 279 children diagnosed with cancer in the research period 215 were alive at the end of 2008. The overall 5-year survival was 81.2% and 10-year survival was 76.7%. There was not a significant survival difference with respect to age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, gender or geographical residence. The small cohort size could be the explanation. Eleven individuals developed secondary neoplasm, eight of whom died. Sixteen of the 64 nonsurvivors were treated with curative intent until death, 12 of them died of therapy related complications. CONCLUSIONS: Survival rate in childhood cancer in Iceland is comparable to other Western countries. As previously reported, prognosis of patients with secondary neoplasm is unfavorable. Therapy related complications are the most common cause of death in patients treated with curative intent.Inngangur: Um fjórðungur barna sem greinist með krabbamein deyr vegna sjúkdóms síns eða meðferðartengdra fylgikvilla. Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að kanna lifun og dánarorsakir barna sem greinst hafa með krabbamein á Íslandi. Aðferðir: Rannsóknin var afturskyggn, lýðgrunduð og náði til allra einstaklinga yngri en 18 ára sem greindust með krabbamein á Íslandi frá upphafi árs 1981 til loka ársins 2006. Upplýsingum var safnað frá Krabbameinsskrá Íslands, sjúkraskrám og Hagstofu Íslands. Niðurstöður: Á rannsóknartímabilinu greindust 279 börn með krabbamein á Íslandi. Af þeim voru 215 á lífi í lok árs 2008. Á tímabilinu var fimm ára lifun 81,2% og 10 ára lifun 76,7%. Ekki var marktækur munur á lifun milli kynja, greiningartímabila, aldurs eða búsetu. Gæti það skýrst af smæð þýðisins. Lifun var mismunandi eftir krabbameinstegundum. Ellefu einstaklingar greindust síðar með meðferðartengd krabbamein, átta þeirra létust. Sextán þeirra 64 sem létust voru í læknandi meðferð fram að andláti. Var dánarorsök meðferðartengdir fylgikvillar hjá 12 úr þeim hópi. Ályktun: Horfur barna og unglinga á Íslandi með krabbamein eru sambærilegar við önnur vestræn ríki. Horfur eru mun verri í meðferðartengdum krabbameinum samanborið við frumkrabbamein. Meðferðartengdir fylgikvillar eru algengasta dánarorsök ef krabbameinsmeðferð er gefin með læknanlegum tilgangi

Familial aggregation of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström macroglobulinemia with solid tumors and myeloid malignancies.

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL)/Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a B-cell disorder resulting from the accumulation, predominantly in the bone marrow, of clonally related lymphoplasmacytic cells. LPL/WM is a very rare disease, with an incidence rate of 3-4 cases per million people per year.Currently, the causes of LPL/WM are poorly understood; however, there are emerging data to support a role for immune-related factors in the pathogenesis of LPL/WM. In addition, data show that genetic factors are of importance in the etiology of LPL/WM. In this paper, we will review the current knowledge about familiality of LPL/WM and provide novel data on solid tumors and myeloid malignancies in first-degree relatives of LPL/WM patients.Swedish Cancer Society Stockholm County Council Karolinska Institutet Foundations National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute Roch

Childhood cancer in Iceland 1981-2006

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn Skoða/Opna(view/open)BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer is the second most common cause of death in children. The aim of this study was to gather epidemiological information on childhood cancer in Iceland. METHODS: The study was population based and included all children younger than 18 years of age, diagnosed with cancer in Iceland from 1981 to 2006. Information was extracted from the Icelandic Cancer Registry and patient hospital records. RESULTS: During the study period 288 cancer cases were diagnosed in 279 children, 10 cases were secondary neoplasms. Age standardized incidence was 16.1 per 100.000 (95% CI 13,6-18,6) for boys and 12.8 per 100.000 (95% CI 10,5-15,0) for girls. There was no significant difference in the incidence rate between the first and second half of the study period. For children aged 0-14 years, the age standardized incidence was 13.6 per 100.000. The incidence was highest in the 0-4 year age group (17.3 per 100.000) and in the 15-17 year age group (19.6 per 100.000). Brain tumors (27.1%) and leukemia (25.0%) were the most common cancer groups diagnosed. Lymphoid leukemia was the most common cancer type (17.9%) and astrocytoma (13.1%) came second. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of childhood cancer in Iceland is similar to other Western countries. Long-term follow-up is very important in childhood cancer survivors.Inngangur: Krabbamein er næst algengasta dánarorsök barna á eftir slysum. Tilgangur rann-sóknarinnar var að kanna nýgengi krabbameina hjá börnum á Íslandi.
 Aðferðir: Rannsóknin var lýðgrunduð og náði til allra <18 ára sem greindust með krabbamein á Íslandi frá upphafi árs 1981 til ársloka 2006. Upplýsingum var safnað frá Krabbameinsskrá Íslands og úr sjúkraskrám.
 Niðurstöður: Alls greindust 288 krabbameinstilfelli á tímabilinu hjá 279 börnum. Í 10 tilvikum var um meðferðartengd krabbamein að ræða. Árlegt aldursstaðlað nýgengi hjá drengjum var 16,1 af 100.000 (95% CI; 13,6-18,6) en hjá stúlkum 12,8 af 100.000 (95% CI; 10,5-15,0) en ekki var marktækur munur á nýgengi milli fyrri og seinni hluta rannsóknartímabilsins. Fyrir aldursbilið 0-14 ára var árlegt aldursstaðlað nýgengi 13,6 af 100.000. Miðtaugakerfisæxli og hvítblæði voru samanlagt 52,1% allra krabbameinstilvika. Algengasta grein-ingin var bráða eitilfrumuhvítblæði (17,9%) og stjarnfrumnaæxli (13,1%) næstalgengust. Nýgeng-ið var hæst hjá aldursbilunum 0-4 ára (17,3 af 100.00) og 15-17 ára (19,6 af 100.000). Tíu börn voru með þekkta meðfædda áhættuþætti.
 Ályktun: Nýgengi krabbameina hjá börnum á Íslandi er sambærilegt við nágrannalöndin. Mikilvægt er að fylgja vel eftir börnum sem gengið hafa í gegnum krabbameinsmeðferð og þeim sem hafa þekkta meðfædda áhættuþætti.