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Orientation: Executive remuneration remains very much at the centre of academic and policy debates. There seems to be a lack of consensus on the origins of the substantial increase in executive remuneration. Research purpose: This study aimed to further explore the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) remuneration and state-owned company (SOC) performance by investigating the year-on-year behaviour of the relationship. The observed trends regarding the direction and strength of the relationship inform business and economic occurrences that provide an organisation with an in-depth understanding of the relationship. Motivation for the study: The rationale for this analysis was to broaden the understanding of the behaviour of the relationship over a period by studying the year-on-year correlation coefficients. Research approach/design and method: This quantitative, longitudinal study collected secondary data from the annual reports of 18 Schedule 2 SOCs over the period 2006 to 2014. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was the principal statistical technique utilised in the study. Main findings: Overall, the results revealed a fluctuation in the relationship between CEO remuneration and SOC performance with turnover having the most stable relationship with both fixed pay and total remuneration. Practical/managerial implications: The use of discretion in the determination of CEO remuneration within SOCs is likely to attract attention considering the fluctuating, sometimes volatile, relationship between the constructs. This will create the motivation for dynamic-policy frameworks to ensure consistency and fairness. Contribution/value add: The value of this research is that SOC remuneration committees now have empirical evidence of the importance that turnover plays as a performance measure.

Orientation: Concerns about exorbitant executive compensation are making headlines, because executives receive lucrative packages despite state-owned enterprises (SOEs) performing poorly. It appears as if chief executive officers (CEOs) are not being held accountable for the performance of the SOEs. Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine whether the size and the industry of an SOE had an impact on CEO compensation packages. Motivation for the study: A greater understanding of the relationship between CEO remuneration and the size and type of industry of SOEs would assist with the standardisation of CEO remuneration and linking CEO pay to SOE performance. Research approach/design and method: A multiple regression analysis on a pooled dataset of 162 panel observations was conducted over a 9-year period. Financial data of 18 SOEs were extracted from the McGregor BFA database and the annual reports of SOEs. Main findings: The findings show that the size of an SOE does not influence the total compensation of CEOs. However, larger SOEs pay larger bonuses due to these SOEs being in a stronger financial position to offer lucrative bonuses. CEO’s remuneration was aligned within certain industries. Practical/managerial implications: The findings emphasise the need to link CEO compensation with SOE performance. Standardisation in setting CEO compensation and implementing performance contracts should be considered. Contribution/value-add: The study confirms that CEO pay is not linked to performance and not justified when considering SOE size or industry.

This study investigates the relative importance of diagnostic cues used by female consumers in an emerging market to evaluate work wear assortments in major South African department stores. The cue diagnostic framework was used as a theoretical perspective for the study together with conjoint analysis to provide insights into the relative importance of diagnostic cues in terms of specified attribute levels as well as attribute ranking of importance. A survey research design was employed for the study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and completed by 121 (N=121) female consumers residing in Gauteng. A non-probability sampling technique was used to recruit these working women who were between the ages of 20 and 60 years with some form of higher education or training. The results indicate that these female consumers have set preferences when purchasing work wear from department stores in South Africa. Certain product cues/attributes were found to be more prominent than others while some were used in conjunction with other attributes to collectively strengthen the importance of these attributes in the decision making process. The findings of this study contribute to existing literature on consumer preferences in emerging markets and the apparel attributes that inform these preference structures. This research will be useful for researchers as well as marketers who are interested in marketing campaigns, product assortment planning and retail settings.

Orientation: Over the years, the increase in executive remuneration in state-owned entities (SOEs) has been the subject of intense discussions. The poor performance of some SOEs with highly remunerated executives begs the question of whether chief executive officers in South African SOEs deserve the high levels of remuneration they receive. Research purpose: This study examined the relationship between chief executive remuneration and several measures of company performance across Schedule 2 SOEs within South Africa. Motivation for the study: Notwithstanding the widely publicised poor performance of South African SOEs, their importance and relevance remains evident. Regrettably, the literature on what fundamentally drives their performance is lacking. Research design, approach and method: This quantitative, longitudinal study, conducted over a 9-year period, collected secondary data from the annual reports of 18 Schedule 2 SOEs. The primary statistical technique used in the study was ordinary least square (OLS) multiple regression analysis on a pooled dataset. Chief executive remuneration consisted of fixed salary and total remuneration. Main findings: A relationship was found between chief executive remuneration and company performance, although mainly an inverse relationship. Practical and managerial implications: The improved understanding and knowledge of the relationship between chief executive remuneration and SOE performance may be used by the organisation and HR practitioners to direct and inform strategies for organisational effectiveness and business excellence. Contribution or value-add: This research provides new knowledge to the limited research available on SOEs in South Africa. Further, it reveals an unexplored area of potential research, that is, the importance of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure as a performance measure in SOEs.

Orientation: Organisational commitment (OC) is often depicted as a desirable employee attitude and relates to organisational performance. Little research has been carried out on the (Human Resource) HR practices–OC relationship within the South African context, and specifically with regard to this relationship across various sectors. Research purpose: The purpose of this contribution is to specify the HR practices–OC relationship, within South Africa, and specifically across various sectors. Motivation for the study: It addresses the important matter of OC, a necessary requirement for sustaining organisations, through effective delivery of HR practices. Research design, approach and method: This study is based on a cross-sectional survey design, collecting primary data on HR practices and OC from South African employees in public and private sector organisations, as well as state-owned entities. Main findings: Minimal practically significant mean scored differences were detected among HR practices delivered per sector. Furthermore, a positive link between effective HR practices and OC was found within each of the three sectors, but this relationship was sector-specific. Practical implications: The findings of this study offer a new, contextualised perspective on the HR practices–OC relationship. The data gathered could assist practitioners in reshaping HR policies – and particularly practices – to suit their specific sector. Contribution and value add: The findings of this study are expected to offer valuable insight into the deferential management along sector lines. They also reiterate the importance of localised research and caution practitioners not to transfer research findings to local settings without a thorough investigation of local research.

No abstract available.

Background and Purpose: Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior are key targets for secondary stroke prevention, yet their characteristics and contributing factors are not well understood. This study aims to explore PA and sedentary behavior in individuals' post-stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and identify factors linked to low PA (≤5,000 steps/day) and prolonged sedentary time (≥8 h/day)., Methods: A cross-sectional study comparing sensor-derived (activPAL) PA and sedentary time among community-dwelling individuals post stroke or TIA residing in diverse geographical regions of Sweden. Multiple logistic regression models were performed to determine potential factors associated with low PA and prolonged sedentary time., Results: The study included 101 participants post-stroke ( n = 68) and TIA ( n = 33), with a mean age of 70.5 years (65% female), mostly with no or mild disability (91%), living in metropolitan (69%) and rural (31%) areas of Sweden. Most participants (72%) had ≥ 8 h of sedentary time per day and 38% performed ≤5,000 steps per day. Using a walking aid (OR = 11.43, p = 0.002) was independently associated with low PA, whereas contextual factors; living alone (OR = 3.49, p = 0.029) and living in metropolitan areas (OR = 2.79, p = 0.036), were associated with prolonged sedentary time., Discussion and Conclusions: In this study encompassing people post stroke or TIA from diverse geographical regions across Sweden, PA was associated with mobility status whereas sedentary behavior was associated with contextual factors. The results also showed a large variation in PA highlighting the need for tailored strategies to promote PA post stroke or TIA., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Bezuidenhout, Humphries and Moulaee Conradsson.)

Lipids contribute to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease but their roles are not fully understood. Spatial lipid composition of atherosclerotic plaques was compared between species focusing on aortic plaques from New Zealand White rabbits and carotid plaques from humans (n = 3), using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging. Histologically discriminant lipids within plaque features (neointima and media in rabbits, and lipid-necrotic core and fibrous cap/tissue in humans) included sphingomyelins, phosphatidylcholines, and cholesteryl esters. There were 67 differential lipids between rabbit plaque features and 199 differential lipids in human, each with variable importance in projection score ≥1.0 and p < 0.05. The lipid profile of plaques in the rabbit model closely mimicked that of human plaques and two key pathways (impact value ≥ 0.1), sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid metabolism, were disrupted by atherosclerosis in both species. Thus, mass spectrometry imaging of spatial biomarkers offers valuable insights into atherosclerosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) occurs in approximately 30% of people with highly symptomatic post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). It involves several symptoms that limit physical and psychological functions and cause reduced quality of life. Evidence for different treatments of POTS and PCC is limited, and this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of individually tailored physical exercise. The secondary aim of the study was to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of this intervention. Twenty-six participants (81% female, median age 41 years) were enrolled and performed individually tailored endurance and strength training, with progression, for twelve weeks. During the intervention period, the participants had weekly support from a physiotherapist. Feasibility was evaluated with good compliance, with 76% adherence to exercise prescription and 96% completing the study protocol. The treatment was safe, and the evaluation methods (questionnaires, physical assessments, and accelerometer monitoring) were judged to be feasible. After the intervention, improvements in symptom burden as well as in psychological and physical functions were observed. In conclusion, future randomized controlled trials can be performed with only minor adjustments and could include questionnaires, physical assessment and accelerometer monitoring, which were demonstrated as feasible by this study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To evaluate the association between upper-limb (UL) clinical tests and UL accelerometry-derived metrics in children with unilateral Cerebral Palsy (CP)., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, twenty children with unilateral CP and Manual Ability Classification System level I-III were included. Outcomes of the Assisting Hand Assessment, Box and Block-Test and accelerometry metrics were collected in the clinical setting and in daily life. UL asymmetry index (i.e., the ratio between the well-functioning UL and the affected UL use) was evaluated in different physical activity levels and relative use of UL was evaluated during daily living. Spearman's correlation was used to determine the association between UL clinical tests and accelerometry metrics in a clinical setting and in daily life., Results: The strongest negative association was between the Assisting Hand Assessment units and accelerometry metrics during the sedentary time in daily life (r s = -0.64). The asymmetries between ULs were highest during the child's sedentary time (asymmetry index: 45.15) compared to when the child was in light (asymmetry index: 23.97) or higher intensity physical activity (asymmetry index: 13.39). The children used both ULs simultaneously for 44% of the time during daily life., Conclusion: Accelerometry metrics may provide additional objective information to clinical tests by quantifying the amount of UL movements and the amount of asymmetry between the upper limbs in daily life.

Background: While telerehabilitation is a promising alternative to traditional rehabilitation, previous studies suggest that it is still underutilised by physiotherapists. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with the willingness, and use of, telerehabilitation among physiotherapists., Method: An online survey, covering self-reported use of, and attitudes toward telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic, was distributed to physiotherapists who were members of the Swedish Association of Physiotherapists and working in geriatrics or neurology in Sweden., Results: A total of 307 responding physiotherapists were included, most of whom were female (n = 277, 90.2%), working full-time (n = 225, 73.3%), had a bachelor's degree in physiotherapy as their highest education (n = 238, 77.8%) and working in community care settings (n = 131, 43.0%). Overall, 42.3% responded that they would be willing to work with telerehabilitation daily and 47% responded that they had previously worked with telerehabilitation to some degree during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analysis revealed that feeling comfortable using digital tools (OR = 1.81, P = .043), believing that telerehabilitation increases the accessibility of rehabilitation (OR = 2.27, P = .009), and that patients will appreciate it (OR = 2.10, P = .025), were significantly associated with willingness to work daily with telerehabilitation. Working in primary care or rehabilitation centres (OR = 3.48, P < .012), having previously used telerehabilitation (OR = 55.86, P < .001), and perceiving the workplace reimbursement system as facilitating telerehabilitation (OR = 8.24, P = .003), were factors significantly associated with reported use of telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic., Conclusion: Among physiotherapists in Sweden, willingness to use telerehabilitation is largely associated with personal attitudes towards it, whereas reported use of telerehabilitation appears to be related to organisational factors. These findings could be used to shape future implementation of telerehabilitation practices in geriatric and neurorehabilitation in Sweden and contribute to the broader understanding of telerehabilitation among physiotherapists across different contexts., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Humphries et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Cognitive impairment can affect dual-task abilities in Parkinson's disease (PD), but it remains unclear whether this is also driven by gray matter alterations across different cognitive classifications. Therefore, we investigated associations between dual-task performance during gait and functional mobility and gray matter alterations and explored whether these associations differed according to the degree of cognitive impairment. Participants with PD were classified according to their cognitive function with 22 as mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), 14 as subjective cognitive impairment (PD-SCI), and 20 as normal cognition (PD-NC). Multiple regression models associated dual-task absolute and interference values of gait speed, step-time variability, and reaction time, as well as dual-task absolute and difference values for Timed Up and Go (TUG) with PD cognitive classification. We repeated these regressions including the nucleus basalis of Meynert, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. We additionally explored whole-brain regressions with dual-task measures to identify dual-task-related regions. There was a trend that cerebellar alterations were associated with worse TUG dual-task in PD-SCI, but also with higher dual-task gait speed and higher dual-task step-time variability in PD-NC. After multiple comparison corrections, no effects of interest were significant. In summary, no clear set of variables associated with dual-task performance was found that distinguished between PD cognitive classifications in our cohort. Promising but non-significant trends, in particular regarding the TUG dual-task, do however warrant further investigation in future large-scale studies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Spatiotemporal gait parameters such as step time and walking speed can be used to quantify gait performance and determine physical function. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) allow for the measurement of spatiotemporal gait parameters in unconstrained environments but must be validated against a gold standard. While many IMU systems and algorithms have been validated during treadmill walking and overground walking in a straight line, fewer studies have validated algorithms during more complex walking conditions such as continuous turning in different directions. This study explored the concurrent validity in a population of healthy adults (range 26-52 years) of three different algorithms using lumbar and foot mounted IMUs to calculate spatiotemporal gait parameters: two methods utilizing an inverted pendulum model, and one method based on strapdown integration. IMU data was compared to a Vicon twelve-camera optoelectronic system, using data collected from 9 participants performing straight walking and continuous walking trials at different speeds, resulting in 162 walking trials in total. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC A,1 ) for absolute agreement were calculated between the algorithm outputs and Vicon output. Temporal parameters were comparable in all methods and ranged from moderate to excellent, except double support time which was poor. Strapdown integration performed better for estimating spatial parameters than pendulum models during straight walking, but worse during turning. Selecting the most appropriate model should take into consideration both speed and walking condition., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Walking with a concurrent cognitive task (dual-task walking) can pose a challenge to some populations due to aging or neurodegenerative disease. These tasks require cognitive resources involving the prefrontal cortex and can be studied using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). An important step in understanding fNIRS measures during such walking tasks is validating that measures reflect the demands of the tasks and not confounding sources or movement artifacts., Aim: This study aimed to investigate the validity of fNIRS measures of prefrontal cortex activity as an indicator of executive demand during usual walking (single-task) and dual-task walking against clinical and objective measures of motor behavior in young adults, older adults, and people with Parkinson's disease (PD), by evaluating several validation hypotheses., Methods: In total, 133 participants were recruited from younger adults (18-50 years, n = 42), older adults (≥60 years, n = 49) and people with PD (≥60 years, n = 42). Activity in the prefrontal cortex during walking with and without an auditory Stroop task was measured with fNIRS. A combined hemoglobin measure (correlation-based signal improvement, CBSI) was calculated for use in a region of interest analysis in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Pre-registered hypotheses regarding convergent validity, discriminant validity and known group validity were tested. An exploratory analysis of different hemoglobin measures was also performed., Results: Increases in dlPFC activity were found from single- to dual-task walking in the younger adults group and from rest to single-task walking in the older adults and PD groups. In line with hypotheses, a positive relationship was found between between dlPFC activity during dual-task walking and dual-task cost in the younger adults group, as well as a positive relationship to step time variability during single-task walking and a negative relationship to walking speed during single-task walking in the PD group. However, several clinical and gait measures lacked a relationship with dlPFC activity., Conclusion: The fNIRS results point towards the CBSI measure of dlPFC activity being a valid measure of executive demand during both single and dual-task walking. Some relationships between clinical and gait measures and brain activity during walking need further investigation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The unemployment rate post spinal cord injury (SCI) in South Africa is high with limited knowledge of environmental factors outside the health services, especially in an unevenly developed resource setting like South Africa, affecting the employment rate in people with SCI. Our purpose was to investigate factors associated with employment in people with SCI in South Africa., Methods: Two hundred persons with SCI participated in a cross-sectional survey design. This study formed part of the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey. Subsections of the questionnaire responses were used as explanatory variables to predict employment after SCI using logistic regression analysis., Results: The response rate of the study was 54%. Of the 200 participants included, 61% reported being employed before SCI onset whereas only 25% reported being engaged in paid work at the time of this study. The logistic regression model showed not requiring physical assistance in the home environment ( p  = 0.016), the number of education years before SCI ( p  = 0.007), household income ( p  < 0.001), having worked before SCI onset ( p  = 0.041), and environmental factors ( p  = 0.029) to be factors associated with employment after SCI., Conclusion: The finding suggests multiple factors influence the employment rate, advocating for interdisciplinary rehabilitation approaches and social development interventions to address meaningful occupations in persons with SCI in South Africa.Implications for rehabilitationRehabilitation programs should be adapted and tailored to enhance physical independence.Public policies regarding environmental factors such as access to reliable transport, assistive devices, and public places for wheelchair users are important and could potentially support individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) becoming employed/re-employed.For successful social/community/civic reintegration for individuals with SCI an intersectional collaboration (i.e., between policymakers, health professionals, and the labor market) needs to be considered to improve the employment opportunities post-SCI.

Objective: The objective was to describe the individual items of the environmental factors and to investigate the relationship between the environmental factors to health conditions, general health and quality of life in people with SCI in South Africa., Methods: Two hundred persons with SCI participated in a cross-sectional survey design. This study formed part of the International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Community Survey. Four major domains, environmental factors, health conditions, general health and quality of life of the survey questionnaire responses, were used for the analysis. Regression models were used to determine the association between the independent variable, which consisted of the specific environmental factors items, and the dependent variables comprising health conditions, general health and quality of life., Results: The commonly reported environmental barriers were public access, lack of short- and long-distance transport and finances. Environmental factors such as public access ( p < 0.001), short- ( p < 0.001) and long-distance transport ( p = 0.001), and friends' ( p = 0.003) and colleagues' ( p < 0.001) attitudes and communication ( p = 0.042) were significantly associated with the presence of secondary health conditions. Finances ( p = 0.026), family attitudes ( p = 0.037) and communication ( p = 0.039) had a significant association with worsened mental health. Services ( p = 0.022) and communication ( p = 0.042) were also significantly associated with decreased general health., Conclusion: The results provide insight into modifiable environmental factors policymakers need to consider or adapt to improve the lives of people with SCI in South Africa with respect to health (secondary health conditions), as well as general and mental health.

Introduction: While functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can provide insight into motor-cognitive deficits during ecologically valid gait conditions, the feasibility of using fNIRS during complex walking remains unknown. We tested the process and scientific feasibility of using an fNIRS device to measure cortical activity during complex walking tasks consisting of straight walking and navigated walking under single and dual-task (DT) conditions., Methods: Nineteen healthy people from 18 to 64 years (mean age: 45.7 years) participated in this study which consisted of three complex walking protocols: (i) straight walking, DT walking (walking while performing an auditory Stroop task) and single-task auditory Stroop, (ii) straight and navigated walking, and (iii) navigated walking and navigated DT walking. A rest condition (standing still) was also included in each protocol. Process feasibility outcomes included evaluation of the test procedures and participant experience during and after each protocol. Scientific feasibility outcomes included signal quality measures, and the ability to measure changes in concentration of deoxygenated and oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex., Results: All participants were able to complete the three protocols with most agreeing that the equipment was comfortable (57.9%) and that the testing duration was adequate (73.7%). Most participants did not feel tired (94.7%) with some experiencing pain (42.1%) during the protocols. The signal qualities were high for each protocol. Compared to the rest condition, there was an increase in oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex when performing dual-task walking and navigation., Conclusion: We showed that our experimental setup was feasible for assessing activity in the prefrontal cortex with fNIRS during complex walking. The experimental setup was deemed acceptable and practicable. Signal quality was good during complex walking conditions and findings suggest that the different tasks elicit a differential brain activity, supporting scientific feasibility., (© 2023 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Physical activity is essential to improve health and reduce the risk of recurrence of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Still, people post stroke or TIA are often physically inactive and the availability of physical activity promotion services are often limited. This study builds on an existing Australian telehealth-delivered programme (i-REBOUND- Let's get moving) which provides support for home-based physical activity for people post stroke or TIA. The aim of this study is to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a mobile Health (mHealth) version of the i-REBOUND programme for the promotion of physical activity in people post stroke or TIA living in Sweden., Methods: One hundred and twenty participants with stroke or TIA will be recruited via advertisement. A parallel-group feasibility randomised controlled trial design with a 1:1 allocation ratio to 1) i-REBOUND programme receiving physical exercise and support for sustained engagement in physical activity through behavioural change techniques, or 2) behavioural change techniques for physical activity. Both interventions will proceed for six months and be delivered digitally through a mobile app. The feasibility outcomes (i.e., reach, adherence, safety and fidelity) will be monitored throughout the study. Acceptability will be assessed using the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire and further explored through qualitative interviews with a subset of both study participants and the physiotherapists delivering the intervention. Clinical outcomes on preliminary effects of the intervention will include blood pressure, engagement in physical activity, self-perceived exercise self-efficacy, fatigue, depression, anxiety, stress and health-related quality of life and will be measured at baseline and at 3, 6 and 12 months after the baseline assessments., Discussion: We hypothesise that the mHealth delivery of the i-REBOUND programme will be feasible and acceptable in people post stroke/TIA living in rural and urban regions of Sweden. The results of this feasibility trial will inform the development of full-scale and appropriately powered trial to test the effects and costs of mHealth delivered physical activity for people after stroke or TIA., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05111951. Registered November 8, 2021., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Benefits of hamstring lengthening surgery on the sagittal plane in children with cerebral palsy have been previously demonstrated, but there is limited information on its effects on the transverse plane. This study compared the effects of medial hamstring lengthening (MHL) with those of medial and lateral hamstring lengthening (MLHL) procedures in the transverse plane. Children with gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) levels I-III who had MHL or MLHL were included. Baseline, short- (1-2 years), and long-term (3+ years) postoperative three-dimensional gait analysis outcomes were compared using analysis of variance. Children were excluded if they had concurrent osteotomies or tendon transfers. One hundred fifty children (235 limbs) were included, with 110 limbs in the MHL group (age 8.5 ± 4.1 years, GMFCS I-27%, II-52%, and III-21%) and 125 limbs in the MLHL group (age 10.0 ± 4.0 years, GMFCS I-23%, II-41%, and III-37%). Time between surgery and short- and long-term follow-up gait analysis was 1.5 ± 0.6 years and 6.6 ± 2.9 years, respectively. Transmalleolar axis became more external after MHL at both short and long terms ( P < 0.05), whereas there were only significant differences at long term in MLHL ( P < 0.05). Although hamstring lengthening has a positive impact on stance phase knee extension in children with cerebral palsy, intact lateral hamstrings after MHL likely contribute to increased tibial external rotation after surgery. Significant increases in external rotation at the knee in the long term are likely related to a trend present with growth in children with cerebral palsy rather than a direct result of surgical intervention., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Development-oriented funding schemes such as the UK Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) have opened up opportunities for collaborations between low-middle income countries (LMICs) and high-income country (HIC) researchers. In particular, funding for medical technology research has seen a rise in previously under-represented disciplines such as physics and engineering. These collaborations have considerable potential to advance healthcare in LMICs, yet can pose challenges experienced to researchers undertaking these collaborations. Key challenges include a lack of tradition of HIC/LMIC collaborations within participating departments, lack of experience with development agendas, designing contextually-appropriate technologies and ensuring long-term viability of research outputs. This paper reflects on these key challenges, using the experiences of the authors on the Open Laboratory Instrumentation (OLI) project as a focalizing lens. This project was a GCRF-funded collaboration between physicists in the UK and engineers in Tanzania to develop an open-source, 3D-printed, fully-automated laboratory microscope. The paper highlights key ethics lessons learnt., (© 2022 The Authors. Developing World Bioethics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Accelerometry measurements are a promising method to provide quantitative information of upper limb function in daily life post stroke. Our purpose was to investigate i) the validity of accelerometer-based vector magnitude ratios (VMR) to distinguish upper limb function between individuals post-stroke and healthy controls during ambulatory and non-ambulatory activities and, ii) the association between the VMR and clinical assessment of upper limb function for individuals post-stroke., Methods: Forty persons with stroke and 32 healthy controls wore wrist and hip accelerometers while performing three upper limb activities in a clinical setting and during three days in daily living. Clinical assessment of upper limb function was assessed with the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment measure and ABILHand., Results: In the clinical setting and daily living, the VMR was significantly lower for individuals post-stroke compared to controls during non-ambulatory activities but not during ambulatory activities. There was a moderate to strong association between VMR and clinical assessment of upper limb function during all conditions, except for walking in the clinical setting., Conclusion: The VMR could be used as a sensitive objective marker to measure upper limb function post-stroke during ambulatory and non-ambulatory daily activities.Implications for rehabilitationAccelerometer-based assessment of upper limb function is a sensitive measure of upper limb function post stroke during different activity domains.Accelerometers-based assessment of arm function can detect differences in arm function outside the clinical setting (daily living) over a prolonged period that are not always identified by clinical assessment or perceived ability.

Background: Reduced motor and cognitive dual-task capacity is found to be more common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), than among healthy populations. However, studies in larger samples of MS conducted using a more stringent methodology, which includes comparisons to healthy controls, are needed. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to explore the effects on motor and cognitive dual-tasking in people with mild to moderate overall MS-disability, in comparison to healthy controls. A second aim was to explore the differences in dual-task performance on a cognitive task between two motor tasks in people with mild to moderate MS and healthy controls., Methods: This case-control study evaluated dual-task performance of the motor tasks standing with eyes closed (hereafter standing) and walking and a cognitive task assessing selective executive functions (auditory-Stroop test). Fifty-five people with MS (mild MS, n = 28; moderate MS, n = 27), and 30 healthy controls participated. Standing and walking were assessed using wireless inertial measurement unit sensors (APDM). Standing (three 30 s trials) was measured using sway area and root mean square sway, while walking (2 min) was measured using speed, stride length, and step time. Auditory-Stroop was measured using accuracy and response time. During dual-task assessments, each subject was instructed to pay equal attention to both tasks. Statistical significance was considered if p < .05., Results: Instanding no significant within-group differences in the standing measures were found between single-task and dual-task performance. However, dual-task performance differed significantly between all groups (moderate MS > mild MS > healthy controls), except between mild and moderate MS in sway area. Inwalking, all groups slowed down speed and shortened stride length during dual-task condition compared to single-task condition. Moderate MS performed significantly poorer than mild MS and healthy controls in dual-task walking, but mild MS did not differ from healthy controls. In thecognitivetask only mild MS increased significantly in auditory-Stroop response time during walking. In healthy controls, the performance of auditory-Stroop was not affected by dual-tasking. Moderate MS had significantly longer response time in dual-task auditory-Stroop compared to the other groups, but no differences were observed between mild MS and healthy controls. Only mild MS had significantly longer response time during walking than during standing., Conclusion: This study showed that cognitive-motor interference in people with MS is present also in the early phases of the disease. This was shown during dual-tasking with slower walking and a longer response time in the cognitive task compared to healthy controls. Moderate MS performed poorer in almost every aspect of the motor and cognitive assessments in dual-task condition, compared to mild MS and healthy controls. Furthermore, during standing, people with MS performed poorer in standing measures compared to healthy controls. Additionally, healthy controls showed no cognitive interference during motor tasks. The results suggest that standardized regular assessment of dual-tasking in MS care might increase the individual's knowledge of dual-task capacity and contribute to understanding of possible related consequences. However, feasible assessment equipment and specific motor-cognitive dual-task training interventions for people with MS need to be developed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The FAIR data principles are rapidly becoming a standard through which to assess responsible and reproducible research. In contrast to the requirements associated with the Interoperability principle, the requirements associated with the Accessibility principle are often assumed to be relatively straightforward to implement. Indeed, a variety of different tools assessing FAIR rely on the data being deposited in a trustworthy digital repository. In this paper we note that there is an implicit assumption that access to a repository is independent of where the user is geographically located. Using a virtual personal network (VPN) service we find that access to a set of web sites that underpin Open Science is variable from a set of 14 countries; either through connectivity issues (i.e., connections to download HTML being dropped) or through direct blocking (i.e., web servers sending 403 error codes). Many of the countries included in this study are already marginalized from Open Science discussions due to political issues or infrastructural challenges. This study clearly indicates that access to FAIR data resources is influenced by a range of geo-political factors. Given the volatile nature of politics and the slow pace of infrastructural investment, this is likely to continue to be an issue and indeed may grow. We propose that it is essential for discussions and implementations of FAIR to include awareness of these issues of accessibility. Without this awareness, the expansion of FAIR data may unintentionally reinforce current access inequities and research inequalities around the globe., Competing Interests: LB was employed by DANS (Data Archiving and Networked Services). The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Shanahan and Bezuidenhout.)

BACKGROUND : Telerehabilitation, i.e. rehabilitation at a distance using Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a promising avenue for improving health among people with neurological diseases or older adults who often experience limited access to services. Still, little is known about physiotherapists' use, perceptions and needs with regards to telerehabilitation services., Aims: To describe physiotherapists use and perceptions of, as well as needs for, telerehabilitation services for the rehabilitation of people with neurological diseases or older adults in Sweden., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, an author-created survey was sent out to members of the Swedish Association of Physiotherapists including questions about the use and perceptions of existing telerehabilitation services (e.g. telephone, internet-based applications and mobile applications) as well as needs of future telerehabilitation services. The results were presented descriptively as numbers and percentages., Results: Three hundred seven physiotherapists were included in this study with 139 (45%) treating people with neurological diseases and 168 (55%) treating older adults. Most respondents did not provide telerehabilitation before (74%) or during (51%) the COVID-19 pandemic. Telephone, which was predominantly used for administrative tasks, was the most frequent utilised ICT used by 68% of the physiotherapist using ICTs several days/week. Few respondents used internet-based applications (12%), mobile applications (3%) or SMS services (8%) and videoconferencing (3%). A majority of the respondents were interested in ICT (78%), felt comfortable using ICT (57%) and were interested in learning how ICT can be used in rehabilitation (92%). Still, few respondents perceived that people with neurological diseases or older adults can use existing ICTs for rehabilitation purposes (18%) and that existing reimbursement system within health care facilitates remote rehabilitation (16%). Important functionality of future ICT perceived by physiotherapists covered patient communication (e.g. chat, SMS and video), assessments (e.g. digital surveys and assessment of physical activity) and treatment (e.g. exercise prescription)., Conclusion: While physiotherapists had an overall positive perception to use and willingness to learn about telerehabilitation, few used telerehabilitation services before nor during the COVID-19 pandemic and they also perceived multilevel barriers for implementation, ranging from patients ability to use ICT to existing reimbursement systems within health care. Our findings emphasize the need to strengthen the expertise regarding remote services among physiotherapists., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic required a rapid and effective response. This included ethical and legally appropriate sharing of data. The European Commission (EC) called upon the Research Data Alliance (RDA) to recruit experts worldwide to quickly develop recommendations and guidelines for COVID-related data sharing. Purpose: The purpose of the present work was to explore how the RDA succeeded in engaging the participation of its community of scientists in a rapid response to the EC request. Methods: A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed among RDA COVID-19 work group members. A mixed-methods approach was used for analysis of the survey data. Results: The three constructs of radical collaboration (inclusiveness, distributed digital practices, productive and sustainable collaboration) were found to be well supported in both the quantitative and qualitative analyses of the survey data. Other social factors, such as motivation and group identity were also found to be important to the success of this extreme collaborative effort. Conclusions: Recommendations and suggestions for future work were formulated for consideration by the RDA to strengthen effective expert collaboration and interdisciplinary efforts., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2021 Pickering B et al.)

The systemic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic require cross-disciplinary collaboration in a global and timely fashion. Such collaboration needs open research practices and the sharing of research outputs, such as data and code, thereby facilitating research and research reproducibility and timely collaboration beyond borders. The Research Data Alliance COVID-19 Working Group recently published a set of recommendations and guidelines on data sharing and related best practices for COVID-19 research. These guidelines include recommendations for clinicians, researchers, policy- and decision-makers, funders, publishers, public health experts, disaster preparedness and response experts, infrastructure providers from the perspective of different domains (Clinical Medicine, Omics, Epidemiology, Social Sciences, Community Participation, Indigenous Peoples, Research Software, Legal and Ethical Considerations), and other potential users. These guidelines include recommendations for researchers, policymakers, funders, publishers and infrastructure providers from the perspective of different domains (Clinical Medicine, Omics, Epidemiology, Social Sciences, Community Participation, Indigenous Peoples, Research Software, Legal and Ethical Considerations). Several overarching themes have emerged from this document such as the need to balance the creation of data adherent to FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable), with the need for quick data release; the use of trustworthy research data repositories; the use of well-annotated data with meaningful metadata; and practices of documenting methods and software. The resulting document marks an unprecedented cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral, and cross-jurisdictional effort authored by over 160 experts from around the globe. This letter summarises key points of the Recommendations and Guidelines, highlights the relevant findings, shines a spotlight on the process, and suggests how these developments can be leveraged by the wider scientific community., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2021 Austin CC et al.)

This study aimed to investigate the accuracy and reliability of hip and ankle worn Actigraph GT3X+ (AG) accelerometers to measure steps as a function of gait speed. Additionally, the effect of the low frequency extension filter (LFEF) on the step accuracy was determined. Thirty healthy individuals walked straight and walked with continuous turns in different gait speeds. Number of steps were recorded with a hip and ankle worn AG, and with a Stepwatch (SW) activity monitor positioned around the right ankle, which was used as a reference for step count. The percentage agreement, interclass correlation coefficients and Bland-Altmann plots were determined between the AG and the reference SW across gait speeds for the two walking conditions. The ankle worn AG with the default filter was the most sensitive for step detection at >0.6 m/s, whilst accurate step detection for gait speeds < 0.6 m/s were only observed when applying the LFEF. The hip worn AG with the default filter showed poor accuracy (12-78%) at gait speeds < 1.0 m/s whereas the accuracy increased to >87% for gait speeds < 1.0 m/s when applying the LFEF. Ankle worn AG was the most sensitive to measure steps at a vast range of gait speeds. Our results suggest that sensor placement and filter settings need to be taken into account to provide accurate estimates of step counts.

The systemic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic require cross-disciplinary collaboration in a global and timely fashion. Such collaboration needs open research practices and the sharing of research outputs, such as data and code, thereby facilitating research and research reproducibility and timely collaboration beyond borders. The Research Data Alliance COVID-19 Working Group recently published a set of recommendations and guidelines on data sharing and related best practices for COVID-19 research. These guidelines include recommendations for researchers, policymakers, funders, publishers and infrastructure providers from the perspective of different domains (Clinical Medicine, Omics, Epidemiology, Social Sciences, Community Participation, Indigenous Peoples, Research Software, Legal and Ethical Considerations). Several overarching themes have emerged from this document such as the need to balance the creation of data adherent to FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable), with the need for quick data release; the use of trustworthy research data repositories; the use of well-annotated data with meaningful metadata; and practices of documenting methods and software. The resulting document marks an unprecedented cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral, and cross-jurisdictional effort authored by over 160 experts from around the globe. This letter summarises key points of the Recommendations and Guidelines, highlights the relevant findings, shines a spotlight on the process, and suggests how these developments can be leveraged by the wider scientific community., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2020 Austin CC et al.)

Data science skills are rapidly becoming a necessity in modern science. In response to this need, institutions and organizations around the world are developing research data science curricula to teach the programming and computational skills that are needed to build and maintain data infrastructures and maximize the use of available data. To date, however, few of these courses have included an explicit ethics component, and developing such components can be challenging. This paper describes a novel approach to teaching data ethics on short courses developed for the CODATA-RDA Schools for Research Data Science. The ethics content of these schools is centred on the concept of open and responsible (data) science citizenship that draws on virtue ethics to promote ethics of practice. Despite having little formal teaching time, this concept of citizenship is made central to the course by distributing ethics content across technical modules. Ethics instruction consists of a wide range of techniques, including stand-alone lectures, group discussions and mini-exercises linked to technical modules. This multi-level approach enables students to develop an understanding both of "responsible and open (data) science citizenship", and of how such responsibilities are implemented in daily research practices within their home environment. This approach successfully locates ethics within daily data science practice, and allows students to see how small actions build into larger ethical concerns. This emphasises that ethics are not something "removed from daily research" or the remit of data generators/end users, but rather are a vital concern for all data scientists.

Financial sanctions are often thought of as the "soft alternative" to armed conflict and are widely used in the 21st century. Nonetheless, sanctions are often criticized for being non-specific in their action, and having impact beyond their intended remit. One often-overlooked area affected by sanctions are academic systems of research and education. Sanctions place "invisible barriers" for research in these countries by limiting access to necessary resources and curtailing their effective use. In this paper we present a national survey of Sudanese academics focused on the impact of 20 years of economic sanctions on their work. It identifies key areas of academic research and education that have been impacted by international sanctions. Moreover, these data highlight how the impact of sanctions on academia is likely to persist long after they are formally lifted. The paper concludes by problematising the current interpretation of jus post bellum, or moral behaviour after conflict. It suggests that the responsibility to make reparations in the form of support for academic systems applies to countries who impose economic sanctions., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Most scientists recognize the importance of sharing data online in an open fashion. Nonetheless, many studies have documented the concerns that accompany data sharing activities, including loss of credit or IP, misuse and the time needed to curate interoperable data. To this end, discussions around data sharing often identify incentives that could potentially ameliorate these disincentivising concerns. Nonetheless, current Open Data discussions often rely on evidence-based studies to identify the disincentives to overcome. This results in highly specific and directed interventions. In contrast, this paper offers a different interpretation of these concerns. To do so, it makes use of the Thomas Theorem which suggests that: "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences". Using empirical evidence from sub-Saharan African (bio)chemistry laboratories, this paper illustrates how individual perceptions of research environments - whether associated with evidence or not - are highly influential in shaping data sharing practices. It concludes with the suggestion that discussion on incentivising data sharing amongst scientific communities need to take a broader set of concerns into account and offer a more creative approach to ameliorating environmental disincentives., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In recent years there have been major shifts in how the role of science-and scientists-are understood. The critical examination of scientific expertise within the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) are increasingly eroding notions of the "otherness" of scientists. It would seem to suggest that anyone can be a scientist-when provided with the appropriate training and access to data. In contrast, however, ethnographic evidence from the scientific community tells a different story. Scientists are quick to recognize that not everyone can-or should-be a scientist. Appealing to notions such as "good hands" or "gut feelings", scientists narrate a distinction between good and bad scientists that cannot be reduced to education, access, or opportunity. The key to good science requires scientists to express an intuitive feeling for their discipline, but also that individuals derive considerable personal satisfaction from their work. Discussing this personal joy in-and "fittingness" of-scientific occupations using the fields of STS, ethics and science policy is highly problematic. In this paper we turn to theology discourse to analyze the notion of "callings" as a means of understanding this issue. Callings highlight the identification and examination of individual talents to determine fit occupations for specific persons. Framing science as a calling represents a novel view of research that places the talents and dispositions of individuals and their relationship to the community at the center of flourishing practices.

Background: Governments, funding bodies, institutions, and publishers have developed a number of strategies to encourage researchers to facilitate access to datasets. The rationale behind this approach is that this will bring a number of benefits and enable advances in healthcare and medicine by allowing the maximum returns from the investment in research, as well as reducing waste and promoting transparency. As this approach gains momentum, these data-sharing practices have implications for many kinds of research as they become standard practice across the world., Main Text: The governance frameworks that have been developed to support biomedical research are not well equipped to deal with the complexities of international data sharing. This system is nationally based and is dependent upon expert committees for oversight and compliance, which has often led to piece-meal decision-making. This system tends to perpetuate inequalities by obscuring the contributions and the important role of different data providers along the data stream, whether they be low- or middle-income country researchers, patients, research participants, groups, or communities. As research and data-sharing activities are largely publicly funded, there is a strong moral argument for including the people who provide the data in decision-making and to develop governance systems for their continued participation., Conclusions: We recommend that governance of science becomes more transparent, representative, and responsive to the voices of many constituencies by conducting public consultations about data-sharing addressing issues of access and use; including all data providers in decision-making about the use and sharing of data along the whole of the data stream; and using digital technologies to encourage accessibility, transparency, and accountability. We anticipate that this approach could enhance the legitimacy of the research process, generate insights that may otherwise be overlooked or ignored, and help to bring valuable perspectives into the decision-making around international data sharing.

There has considerable interest in bringing low/middle-income countries (LMIC) scientists into discussions on Open Data - both as contributors and users. The establishment of in situ data sharing practices within LMIC research institutions is vital for the development of an Open Data landscape in the Global South. Nonetheless, many LMICs have significant challenges - resource provision, research support and extra-laboratory infrastructures. These low-resourced environments shape data sharing activities, but are rarely examined within Open Data discourse. In particular, little attention is given to how these research environments shape scientists' perceptions of data sharing (dis)incentives. This paper expands on these issues of incentivizing data sharing, using data from a quantitative survey disseminated to life scientists in 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This interrogated not only perceptions of data sharing amongst LMIC scientists, but also how these are connected to the research environments and daily challenges experienced by them. The paper offers a series of analysis around commonly cited (dis)incentives such as data sharing as a means of improving research visibility; sharing and funding; and online connectivity. It identifies key areas that the Open Data community need to consider if true openness in research is to be established in the Global South., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Aim: This cohort study tested the reliability and validity of the Impact on Life (IoL) patient-rated questionnaire for use in prioritising orthopaedic procedures., Methods: Three hundred and twenty-four patients completed the questionnaire during specialist orthopaedic assessments over a 5-month period in 2013. The reliability and validity of the IoL were tested against the SF-12 and Oxford scores. Correlation analysis was used to assess patient- and surgeon-rated scores. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Patient- and surgeon-rated scores were further analysed between patients added to the waiting list and those that were not., Results: Participants' mean age was 58 years (range 18-88). Reliability analysis showed the IoL had excellent internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.926, reaching the threshold for clinical application. Construct validity of the IoL was confirmed with significant correlation with other validated quality of life measures (p&lt;0.01). T-tests indicated that patients placed on the waiting list had significantly higher surgeon and IoL scores (p&lt;0.001), compared with those not placed on the waiting list., Conclusion: Our results support the IoL as a valid and reliable method of assessing patient-rated quality of life and recommend its use in the Orthopaedic Clinical Priority Assessment Criteria score.