Political Beliefs and Public Opinion

In dealing with the American public on important political issues, one must be conscious of a schizophrenic pattern that exists in public attitudes. On the domestic scene the majority of Americans are ideologically conservative, but, paradoxically, they are operationally liberal in that they support vast welfare programs

Research on optimization-based design

Research on optimization-based design is discussed. Illustrative examples are given for cases involving continuous optimization with discrete variables and optimization with tolerances. Approximation of computationally expensive and noisy functions, electromechanical actuator/control system design using decomposition and application of knowledge-based systems and optimization for the design of a valve anti-cavitation device are among the topics covered

Lagrange Anchor and Characteristic Symmetries of Free Massless Fields

A Poincar\'e covariant Lagrange anchor is found for the non-Lagrangian relativistic wave equations of Bargmann and Wigner describing free massless fields of spin $s>1/2$ in four-dimensional Minkowski space. By making use of this Lagrange anchor, we assign a symmetry to each conservation law and perform the path-integral quantization of the theory

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Factors that Influence Providers’ Pain Treatment Decisions

poster abstractMedical and non-medical factors influence providers’ pain treatment decisions. Among these, patient demographic characteristics and substance use have received particular attention. However, few empirical studies have examined the specific factors providers rely on for their pain treatment decisions. This study employed lens model methodology to examine the factors that providers reportedly used, actually used, and would have used (if available) to make pain treatment decisions. We hypothesized that: (1) providers would rate patients’ pain history and description of pain as the most influential factors provided in the clinical vignettes, and (2) providers would rate patients’ substance use history as the most important factor not provided in the vignettes. 100 providers viewed 16 computer-simulated patients; each included a picture with accompanying text describing the patient’s medical condition. After making multi-modal treatment ratings for each patient, providers indicated the factors they used to make treatment decisions and the factors they would have used (if available) to make decisions. Results indicated that most providers reported being influenced by patients’ pain histories (98%) and descriptions (96%), whereas fewer reported using patients' movement (75%) or demographic characteristics (62%). Providers reported that they wanted additional information on patients’ treatment histories (98%), current/average pain (96%), and drug use (94%) to guide their decisions. Exploratory analyses indicated that, compared to providers who were not statistically influenced by patient demographics, a slightly greater proportion of providers who were statistically influenced by patient demographics wanted additional information about patients’ alcohol use to inform their decisions, χ2 (1) = 3.09, p = .08. These results suggest that providers prioritize both objective and subjective information about patients’ pain conditions, as well as patients’ substance use behaviors, when making treatment decisions. These findings have important implications for pain management and may lead to improved patient safety and care

Queen discrimination by honeybee (Apis mellifera L) workers

A simple new technique for testing worker honeybees' ability to distinguish between honeybee queens is presented. Two queens were caged separately with groups of young sibling workers which were the daughters of another queen. The cages were exposed to the same environmental odours for 10 days. When placed in the test apparatus and given a choice of both queens, workers segregated towards the queen with which they had been caged. This provides further evidence that the distinctive odour of an individual queen is probably partly inherited and is learned by workers. The nature and functioning of queen odours are discussed

Examining Influential Factors in Providers’ Chronic Pain Treatment Decisions: A Comparison of Physicians and Medical Students

Reports have found that chronic pain management guidelines are unclear and conflicting. Due to this confusion, it is critical to understand factors that influence providers’ treatment decisions for chronic pain. Little is known about which factors providers use to make treatment decisions or whether providers of different training levels endorse using similar factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that providers report using to make their chronic pain treatment decisions. We hypothesized that providers would: (1) prioritize objective factors over subjective factors, (2) be particularly interested in information about patients’ substance use, and (3) endorse using different factors depending on their training level (physicians vs. medical students). Eighty-five providers (35 medical students, 50 physicians) viewed 16 computer-simulated patients; each included a picture with text describing the patients’ condition (i.e., chronic lower back pain, open to any treatment, presence/absence of depression). After making treatment decisions, participants selected from a list the factors they used and would have used (if the information had been available) to make their treatment decisions. Most providers reported being influenced by patients’ pain histories (97.6%) and pain descriptions (95.3%). Providers indicated they would have used information about patients’ previous treatments (97.6%), average pain ratings (96.5%), and current pain (96.5%) had this information been available. Compared to physicians, medical students endorsed more often that they would have used patients’ employment and/or disability status (p<.01), illicit drug use (p=.09), and alcohol use (p=.08) to make treatment decisions. These results indicate that providers rely on objective and subjective information to make pain treatment decisions, and compared to physicians, medical students place a stronger emphasis on patients’ substance abuse and social history when making treatment decisions. Future studies should examine additional provider and patient factors that influence decisions for specific pain treatment options

De retornos y ruedas: Configuración de la identidad cultural en mexicanos retornados de Estados Unidos pertenecientes a clubes de lowriders en el Área Metropolitana de Guadalajara.

La migración de retorno es una faceta que podríamos considerar como emergente dentro del marco de los estudios migratorios globales. La dinámica del retorno en el corredor fronterizo México/Estados Unidos en el que se insertan las personas que regresan a su país de origen, en este caso México, trae consigo una serie de cambios estructurales y simbólicos en los espacios a los cuales retornan, lo cual resulta en la creación de ciertos territorios específicos, los cuales son significados a través de la producción simbólica de determinados grupos como es el caso de los lowriders. En el presente trabajo de investigación, se busca observar y dar cuenta de cómo la experiencia/trayectoria de migración de retorno, ya sea por deportación o voluntaria, configura la identidad cultural de los mexicanos retornados de Estados Unidos que se insertan en los clubes de lowriders del Área Metropolitana de Guadalajara.ITESO, A.C

Sexual health interventions delivered to participants by mobile technology: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Background: The use of mobile technologies to prevent STIs is recognised as a promising approach worldwide; however, evidence has been inconclusive, and the field has developed rapidly. With about 1 million new STIs a day globally, up-to-date evidence is urgently needed. // Objective: To assess the effectiveness of mobile health interventions delivered to participants for preventing STIs and promoting preventive behaviour. // Methods: We searched seven databases and reference lists of 49 related reviews (January 1990–February 2020) and contacted experts in the field. We included randomised controlled trials of mobile interventions delivered to adolescents and adults to prevent sexual transmission of STIs. We conducted meta-analyses and assessed risk of bias and certainty of evidence following Cochrane guidance. // Results: After double screening 6683 records, we included 22 trials into the systematic review and 20 into meta-analyses; 18 trials used text messages, 3 used smartphone applications and 1 used Facebook messages as delivery modes. The certainty of evidence regarding intervention effects on STI/HIV occurrence and adverse events was low or very low. There was moderate certainty of evidence that in the short/medium-term text messaging interventions had little or no effect on condom use (standardised mean differences (SMD) 0.02, 95% CI −0.09 to 0.14, nine trials), but increased STI/HIV testing (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.41 to 2.36, seven trials), although not if the standard-of-care control already contained an active text messaging component (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.47, two trials). Smartphone application messages also increased STI/HIV testing (risk ratio 1.40, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.60, subgroup analysis, two trials). The effects on other outcomes or of social media or blended interventions is uncertain due to low or very low certainty evidence