Financial system architecture and the patterns of international trade

Countries differ on the extent to which their financial system relies on banks or on the financial market. We offer a model featuring a possible two way relationship between countries’ financial system architecture and their comparative advantage. Countries specialising in bank dependent sectors favour the development of the banking sector. Simultaneously, countries with more efficient capital markets develop comparative advantage in sectors with strong dependence on market finance. To empirically investigate our model’s predictions, we construct a measure of sector bank dependence and establish a strong relationship between countries’ comparative advantage and their financial system architecture

Vertical intra-industry trade and differences in endowments: revisiting the empirical evidence

This paper investigates the relationship between differences in endowments and different types of trade, in particular vertical intra-industry trade (VIIT). We build a general equilibrium framework based on a hybrid of the Chamberlain-Heckscher-Ohlin and the specific factors models that generates predictions about how the shares of different types of intra- and interindustry or net trade flows change with differences in endowments. We also present some empirical evidence for European Union (EU) trade with 51 major trading partners. The econometric models of the determinants of the different types of trade confirm the theoretical predictions, namely that the effect of cross country differences in the endowments of trading partners on the share of vertical IIT in total bilateral trade differs from their effect on both horizontal IIT and net trade. The share of horizontal IIT (net trade) decreases (increases) for all increases in absolute endowment increases, but the share of vertical IIT can both increase and decrease with increases in endowment differences

Effect of a concussion on subsequent baseline SCAT performance in professional rugby players : a retrospective cohort study in global elite Rugby Union

Objectives This study assessed whether concussion affects subsequent baseline performance in professional rugby players. Annual baseline screening tests are used to guide return-to-play decisions and concussion diagnosis during subsequent screens. It is important that baseline performances are appropriate and valid for the duration of a season and unaffected by factors unrelated to the current head impact event. One such factor may be a concussion following baseline assessment. Setting: The World Rugby concussion management database for global professional Rugby Union. Participants: 501 professional rugby players with two baseline Sports Concussion Assessment Tools (SCATs) and an intervening concussion (CONC) were compared with 1190 control players with successive annual SCAT5s and no diagnosed concussion (CONT). Primary and secondary outcome measures: Symptom endorsement, cognitive and balance performance during annual SCAT baseline assessments. Results: Players with a diagnosed concussion (CONC) endorsed fewer symptoms (change −0.42, 95% CI −0.75 to −0.09), and reported lower symptom severity scores during their second assessment (T2, p<0.001) than non-concussed players (CONT). Concussed players also improved Digits Backward and Final Concentration scores in T2 (p<0.001). Tandem gait time was improved during T2 in CONT. No other sub-mode differences were observed in either group. Conclusions: Reduced symptom endorsement and improved cognitive performance after concussion may be the result of differences in the motivation of previously concussed players to avoid exclusion from play, leading to under-reporting of symptoms and greater effort in cognitive tests. Improved cognitive performance may be the result of familiarity with the tests as a result of greater exposure to concussion screening. The changes are small and unlikely to have clinical significance in most cases, though clinicians should be mindful of possible reasons, possibly repeating sub-modes and investigating players whose baseline scores change significantly after concussion. The findings do not necessitate a change in the sport’s concussion management policy

Head injury assessment in rugby union: clinical judgement guidelines

Background/aim Clinical judgement is a recognised component of a complete off-field concussion assessment. This study identifies guidance criteria for team medical staff when using clinical judgement in their decision-making process during the World Rugby off-field concussion-assessment screen (HIA1). Methods Retrospective study of examining doctor clinical judgement in 1149 HIA1 assessments after a meaningful head impact event completed on rugby union players participating in elite-level international and national competitions between September 2015 and June 2018. We assessed (1) an abnormal subtest result as worse performance compared with preseason baseline values; (2) the proportion of cases where clinicians overruled abnormal HIA1 assessment subtest results and (3) made recommendations on how clinical judgement decisions may be made more safely based on the accuracy of clinical judgement decisions assessed against the final concussion diagnosis. Results One or more subtests were abnormal compared with baseline values in 857 of 1149 HIA1 assessments. Clinical judgement was used to return players to the game despite abnormal subtest results on 424 out of 857 occasions (49%). In a significant majority of cases 356/424 (84%), clinical judgement decisions were correct, with players later cleared of a concussion. An application of guided clinical judgement potentially decreased false negative assessments by 33% (21/63). Conclusions Clinical judgement should be applied in the diagnosis of concussion but done so cautiously. We propose doctors should only use clinical judgement to overrule either one of; or a combination of (1) an abnormal tandem gait and (2) one abnormal cognitive test

UBE2L6/UBCH8 and ISG15 attenuate autophagy in esophageal cancer cells

Esophageal cancer remains a poor prognosis cancer due to advanced stage of presentation and drug resistant disease. To understand the molecular mechanisms influencing response to chemotherapy, we examined genes that are differentially expressed between drug sensitive, apoptosis competent esophageal cancer cells (OE21, OE33, FLO-1) and those which are more resistant and do not exhibit apoptosis (KYSE450 and OE19). Members of the ISG15 (ubiquitin-like) protein modification pathway, including UBE2L6 and ISG15, were found to be more highly expressed in the drug sensitive cell lines. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of these proteins to the response of drug sensitive cells. Depletion of UBE2L6 or ISG15 with siRNA did not influence caspase-3 activation or nuclear fragmentation following treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). We assessed autophagy by analysis of LC3II expression and Cyto-ID staining. Depletion of either ISG15 or UBE2L6 resulted in enhanced endogenous autophagic flux. An increase in autophagic flux was also observed following treatment with cytotoxic drugs (5-FU, rapamycin). In ISG15 depleted cells, this increase in autophagy was associated with improved recovery of drug treated cells. In contrast, UBE2L6 depleted cells, did not show enhanced recovery. UBE2L6 may therefore influence additional targets that limit the pro-survival effect of ISG15 depletion. These data identify UBE2L6 and ISG15 as novel inhibitors of autophagy, with the potential to influence chemosensitivity in esophageal cancer cells

Baseline SCAT performance in men and women: comparison of baseline concussion screens between 6288 elite men's and 764 women's rugby players

Objective: This study compared Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) performance in elite male (6288 players) and female (764 players) rugby players, to determine whether reference limits used for the management and diagnosis of concussion should differ between sexes. Design: Cross-sectional census sample. Setting: Data from World Rugby's Head Injury Assessment management system were analyzed. This data set covers global professional rugby. Participants: All professional players who underwent baseline SCAT testing as part of World Rugby's concussion management requirement formed the study cohort. Ten thousand seven hundred fifty-four SCAT assessments from 6288 elite male rugby players and 1071 assessments from 764 elite female players were analyzed. Intervention: Elite men and women rugby players are independent variables. Main Outcome Measures: Sports Concussion Assessment Tool performance, including symptoms endorsed, cognitive submode performance, and balance performance. Results: Women endorsed significantly more symptoms, with greater symptom severity, than men (relative ratio 1.34, 95% confidence interval, 1.25-1.45 women vs men). Women outperformed men in cognitive submodes with the exception of immediate memory and delayed recall and made fewer balance errors than men during the modified Balance Error Scoring System. Clinical reference limits, defined as submode score achieved by the worst-performing 50% of the cohort, did not differ between men and women. Conclusions: Women and men perform differently during SCAT baseline testing, although differences are small and do not affect either the baseline or clinical reference limits that identify abnormal test results for most submodes. The greater endorsement of symptoms by women suggests increased risk of adverse concussion outcomes and highlights the importance of accurate evaluation of any symptom endorsement at baseline

Sport Concussion Assessment Tool : baseline and clinical reference limits for concussion diagnosis and management in elite Rugby Union

Objectives Rugby Union has adapted the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) into an abridged off-field concussion screen and the complete SCAT is used during diagnostic screens performed after head impact events. No firm guidelines exist as to what should be considered “abnormal” and warrant further evaluation. This study evaluates SCAT performances in 13,479 baseline SCAT assessments, and proposes clear reference limits for each sub-component of the SCAT5. Baseline reference limits are proposed to guide management of baseline testing by identifying abnormal sub-tests, enhancing the clinical validity of baseline screens, while clinical reference limits are identified to support concussion diagnosis when no baseline is available. Design Cross sectional census sample. Methods 13,479 baseline SCATs from 7565 elite male rugby players were evaluated. Baseline reference limits were identified for each sub-test as the sub-test result achieved by approximately 5% of the population, while clinical references limits corresponded to the sub-test score achieved by as close as possible to 50% of the cohort. Results Players reported symptoms 35% (95% CI 1.29–1.42) more frequently during SCAT5 than SCAT3 baseline assessments (mean 1.4 ± 2.7 vs 1.0 ± 2.4). Ceiling effects were identified for many cognitive sub-tests within the SCAT. Baseline and Clinical reference limits corresponding to the worst performing 5th percentile and 50th percentile were described. Conclusions Targeted baseline re-testing should be repeated when abnormal sub-tests are identified according to proposed baseline reference limits, while a more conservative clinical reference limit supports concussion diagnosis during screens in diagnostic settings

Stochastic Assembly of Bacteria in Microwell Arrays Reveals the Importance of Confinement in Community Development

Citation: Hansen, R. H., Timm, A. C., Timm, C. M., Bible, A. N., Morrell-Falvey, J. L., Pelletier, D. A., . . . Retterer, S. T. (2016). Stochastic Assembly of Bacteria in Microwell Arrays Reveals the Importance of Confinement in Community Development. Plos One, 11(5), 18. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155080The structure and function of microbial communities is deeply influenced by the physical and chemical architecture of the local microenvironment and the abundance of its community members. The complexity of this natural parameter space has made characterization of the key drivers of community development difficult. In order to facilitate these characterizations, we have developed a microwell platform designed to screen microbial growth and interactions across a wide variety of physical and initial conditions. Assembly of microbial communities into microwells was achieved using a novel biofabrication method that exploits well feature sizes for control of innoculum levels. Wells with incrementally smaller size features created populations with increasingly larger variations in inoculum levels. This allowed for reproducible growth measurement in large (20 mu m diameter) wells, and screening for favorable growth conditions in small (5, 10 mu m diameter) wells. We demonstrate the utility of this approach for screening and discovery using 5 mu m wells to assemble P. aeruginosa colonies across a broad distribution of innoculum levels, and identify those conditions that promote the highest probability of survivial and growth under spatial confinement. Multi-member community assembly was also characterized to demonstrate the broad potential of this platform for studying the role of member abundance on microbial competition, mutualism and community succession

Diagnostic utility of new SCAT5 neurological screen sub-tests

Background The Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) is recommended to screen for concussion following head impact events in elite sport. The most recent 5th edition (SCAT5) included a ‘rapid neurological screen’ which introduced new subtests examining comprehension, passive neck movement, and diplopia. This study evaluated the additional diagnostic value of these new subtests. Methods A prospective cohort study was performed in the Pro14 elite Rugby Union competition between September 2018 and January 2020. The SCAT5 was administered by the team doctor to players undergoing off-field screening for concussion during a medical room assessment. Sensitivity, specificity, false negatives, and positives were examined for SCAT5 comprehension, passive neck movement, and diplopia subtests. The reference standard was a final diagnosis of concussion, established by serial standardised clinical assessments over 48 h. Results Ninety-three players undergoing off-field screening for concussion were included. Sensitivity and specificity of the comprehension, passive neck movement, and diplopia subtests were 0, 8, 5% and 0, 91, 97%, respectively (concussion prevalence 63%). No players had any abnormality in comprehension. No players had abnormal passive neck movement or diplopia in the absence of abnormalities in other SCAT5 sub-components. Conclusions The new SCAT5 neurological screen subtests are normal in the majority of players undergoing off-field concussion screening and appear to lack diagnostic utility over and above other SCAT5 subtests