Analysing the impact of a learning video on VFR student pilots mental model and flight performance in a flight simulator with the use of eye tracking glasses

Human error is a leading cause of accident in aviation, especially during the approach phase [1], [2]. Crucial for pilots is to have situation awareness, mental models, and an effective scanning pattern. This work investigates the impact of a learning video for beginner pilots on their mental model and flight performance, that contains gaze visualizations from an expert pilot and theory on manoeuvring an aircraft during the landing. 22 participants performed their first landings in a flight simulator wearing eye tracking glasses. Participants prepared themselves with a written manual. After a familiarization flight, each participant conducted two landings for measurement of training impact on their performance. Questionnaires gathered subjective feedback and personal information. After the first flight, the participants were split into two groups. The experimental group (n=12 participants) received a training video, the control group (n=10 participants) received the same information in textual format. Comparing the group’s performance served as attest for superior effectiveness of the video format to teach pilot students optimal visual scanning during landing. Data was analysed using MATLAB and Tobii Pro Lab. Results reveal that the group exposed to the learning video improved scanning pattern to match more closely an expert pilot’s scanning. Subjects of the experimental group reported that video teaching positively influenced their attention allocation, situation awareness and mental models. In addition, landing performance was stronger in the experimental than in the control group. These findings underscore the effectiveness and value of incorporating theoretical knowledge and visual demonstrations from an expert in a learning video as a tool for improving student pilots’ learning of scanning pattern, mental model and landing performance. Future research in this area could explore additional external influences on the pilots during the landing, such as challenging weather situations as well as enhance the training video, to tailor it to each specific airfield or situations encountered in the different phases of flight, as this video specifically targets the approach

Prognostic and predictive impact of gene expression in node-positive early breast cancer patients receiving dose-dense versus standard-dose adjuvant chemotherapy

Adjuvant chemotherapy; Early breast cancer; Lymph node-positiveQuimioterapia adyuvante; Cáncer de mama temprano; Ganglio linfático positivoQuimioteràpia adjuvant; Càncer de mama precoç; Gangli limfàtic positiuThe utility of multigene expression assays in advanced (≥ 4 positive lymph nodes) early breast cancer (EBC) is limited. We conducted exploratory transcriptomic analysis of 758 genes (Breast Cancer 360 panel, nCounter® platform; NanoString) in primary tumor samples collected during a phase 3 trial comparing adjuvant taxane-containing dose-dense chemotherapy (ddCTX) versus standard-dosed chemotherapy (stCTX) in resected EBC with ≥ 4 positive lymph nodes. Prognostic and predictive associations with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated by Cox regression with false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment. Data were available from tumor samples of 141/226 patients (median follow-up: 14 years). Several genes/signatures, including immune markers, showed prognostic relevance in unadjusted analyses. Of these, two remained significant after multiplicity adjustment: a positive effect on DFS of programmed cell death 1 ligand-2 (PD-L2) in the ddCTX arm (univariate HR: 0.53, FDR-adjusted P = 0.036) and a negative effect on OS of HER2-enriched (HER2-E) signature in the stCTX arm (univariate HR: 5.40, FDR-adjusted P = 0.036). Predictive analyses showed greater DFS benefit of ddCTX in tumors with high antigen processing machinery (APM) expression (multivariate interaction P = 0.024). Multigene expression assays have a prognostic and predictive potential in advanced EBC, and further investigation is warranted in order to identify candidates for de-escalated treatment. In addition, intrinsic subtype and immune gene expression have predictive potential

Gene signatures in patients with early breast cancer and relapse despite pathologic complete response

Prognostic markers; Tumour biomarkersMarcadores pronósticos; Biomarcadores tumoralesMarcadors pronòstics; Biomarcadors tumoralsA substantial minority of early breast cancer (EBC) patients relapse despite their tumors achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant therapy. We compared gene expression (BC360; nCounter® platform; NanoString) between primary tumors of patients with post-pCR relapse (N = 14) with: (i) matched recurrent tumors from same patient (intraindividual analysis); and (ii) primary tumors from matched controls with pCR and no relapse (N = 41; interindividual analysis). Intraindividual analysis showed lower estrogen receptor signaling signature expression in recurrent tumors versus primaries (logFC = −0.595; P = 0.022). Recurrent tumors in patients with distant metastases also exhibited reduced expression of immune-related expression parameters. In interindividual analyses, primary tumor major histocompatibility complex class II expression was lower versus controls in patients with any relapse (logFC = −0.819; P = 0.030) or distant relapse (logFC = −1.151; P = 0.013). Primaries with later distant relapse also had greater homologous recombination deficiency than controls (logFC = 0.649; P = 0.026). Although no associations remained statistically significant following adjustment for false discovery rate, our results show that transcriptomic analyses have potential for prognostic value and may help in selecting optimal treatment regimens for EBC at risk of relapse and warrant further investigation

A joint time-assignment and expenditure-allocation model: value of leisure and value of time assigned to travel for specific population segments

Based on a time-use model with a sound theoretical basis and carefully collected data for Austria, the value of leisure (VoL) for different population segments has been estimated. Through the combination of these results with mode-specific values of travel time savings from a related study based on the same data, the first mode-specific values of time assigned to travel (VTAT) were calculated. Data was collected using a Mobility-Activity-Expenditure Diary, a novel survey format which gathers all activities, expenditures, and travel decisions from the same individuals for 1 week in a diary-based format. The average VoL is 8.17 Euro/h, which is below the mean wage of 12.14 Euro/h, indicating that the value of work is, on average, negative. Regarding the reliability of the VoL, we show its sensitivity to the variance of working time in a sample, something that has been ignored in previous studies and could be used to avoid inadequate segmentation. We controlled this effect in the analysis of the heterogeneity of the VoL across the population by estimating the parameters from the total (unsegmented) dataset with single interaction terms. We find that the VTAT is strictly negative for walking, predominantly negative for cycling and car, and predominantly positive for public transport with 0.27 Euro/h on average. The positive VTAT for public transport is a strong indication for the importance of travel conditions, in turn suggesting that improvements in travel conditions of public transport might be as important as investing in shorter travel times

Neuro-Mechanics of Recumbent Leg Cycling in Post-Acute Stroke Patients

Cycling training is strongly applied in post-stroke rehabilitation, but how its modular control is altered soon after stroke has been not analyzed yet. EMG signals from 9 leg muscles and pedal forces were measured bilaterally during recumbent pedaling in 16 post-acute stroke patients and 12 age-matched healthy controls. Patients were asked to walk over a GaitRite mat and standard gait parameters were computed. Four muscle synergies were extracted through nonnegative matrix factorization in healthy subjects and patients unaffected legs. Two to four synergies were identified in the affected sides and the number of synergies significantly correlated with the Motricity Index (Spearman’s coefficient = 0.521). The reduced coordination complexity resulted in a reduced biomechanical performance, with the two-module sub-group showing the lowest work production and mechanical effectiveness in the affected side. These patients also exhibited locomotor impairments (reduced gait speed, asymmetrical stance time, prolonged double support time). Significant correlations were found between cycling-based metrics and gait parameters, suggesting that neuro-mechanical quantities of pedaling can inform on walking dysfunctions. Our findings support the use of pedaling as a rehabilitation method and an assessment tool after stroke, mainly in the early phase, when patients can be unable to perform a safe and active gait training

Advanced continuous-discrete model for joint time-use expenditure and mode choice estimation

This paper presents the joint time use, expenditure and mode choice model, based on the theoretical Framework of Jara-Díazand Gueva (2003), for the first time estimated in Panel Setting while using Survey edexpenditure data. This extended estimation takes into account multiple trips per individual, as well as mode availability. The model was es-timated using the novel dataset gathered in Austria in 2015. It includes individual-specific Information on time-use, expenditures and mode choice. As a result, we calculate the value of leisure (VoL), travel time savings (VTTS) and time as signed to travel (VTAT), that are rel-evant inputs to appraisals of transport policies. We also show that, at least fort he Austrian working population, the omission of expenditures in the model might result in a significant overestimation of the value of leisure (16.83%); the VoL (9.29€/h) was estimated to be considerably lower than the wage rate (12.14€/h) and the VTTS varies strongly between the modes (9.98€/h for car, 3.91€/h for public transport, 9.25€/h for bike and 17.53€/h for walk). The joint estimation framework produced positive estimates of VTAT (5.38€/h) only for public transport, reflecting the favorable public transport conditions in Austria

Culture-Expanded Human Invariant Natural Killer T Cells Suppress T-Cell Alloreactivity and Eradicate Leukemia

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major cause of significant morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are potent regulators of immune responses, protect from lethal GVHD, and promote graft-versus-leukemia effects in murine studies. Since iNKT cells constitute less than 0.5% of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), in vitro expansion with their glycolipid ligands is required before they can be used for cytotherapy and experimental purposes. Three weeks of cell culture and autologous restimulation with either KRN7000, PBS44, or PBS57 resulted in a robust proliferation of iNKT cells from human PBMCs. Next, iNKT cells were sorted to a purity higher than 90% being crucial for further experimental and clinical applications. These iNKT cells significantly decreased activation and proliferation of allogeneic CD3+ T lymphocytes. In addition, leukemia cell lines and primary leukemia cells were efficiently lysed by culture-expanded iNKT cells. Importantly, culture-expanded donor iNKT cells promoted robust antileukemia activity against HLA-matched allogeneic patient leukemia cells. Our data indicate that the adoptive transfer of culture-expanded iNKT cells could be a powerful cytotherapeutic approach to induce immune tolerance and prevent leukemia relapse after allogeneic HCT in humans

A randomized trial provided new evidence on the accuracy and efficiency of traditional vs. electronically annotated abstraction approaches in systematic reviews

Abstract Objectives Data Abstraction Assistant (DAA) is a software for linking items abstracted into a data collection form for a systematic review to their locations in a study report. We conducted a randomized cross-over trial that compared DAA-facilitated single-data abstraction plus verification ("DAA verification"), single data abstraction plus verification ("regular verification"), and independent dual data abstraction plus adjudication ("independent abstraction"). Study Design and Setting This study is an online randomized cross-over trial with 26 pairs of data abstractors. Each pair abstracted data from six articles, two per approach. Outcomes were the proportion of errors and time taken. Results Overall proportion of errors was 17% for DAA verification, 16% for regular verification, and 15% for independent abstraction. DAA verification was associated with higher odds of errors when compared with regular verification (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99–1.17) or independent abstraction (adjusted OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03–1.22). For each article, DAA verification took 20 minutes (95% CI: 1–40) longer than regular verification, but 46 minutes (95% CI: 26 to 66) shorter than independent abstraction. Conclusion Independent abstraction may only be necessary for complex data items. DAA provides an audit trail that is crucial for reproducible research

A two-tiered mechanism of EGFR inhibition by RALT/MIG6 via kinase suppression and receptor degradation

The EGFR kinase inhibitor RALT/MIG6 also functions as an endocytic adaptor to promote receptor internalization by scaffolding AP-2 and intersectins