Education and Anti-Semitism

Many people believe that intolerance, in general, and anti-Semitism, in particular, are a function of ignorance, and the solution is education. We see evidence of this whenever concerns about intolerance or anti-Semitism become more salient. Proposed solutions frequently feature improved Holocaust education or expanded diversity, equity, and inclusion training. As two religious leaders recently urged, “The only thing that will truly halt the rise of anti-Semitism in America is education” (Stanton & Marcus, 2019). Profiles of anti-Semites tend to feature rural whites or urban minorities, but they are almost always from low-educational backgrounds. Well-educated people tend to feel secure in their higher social class circles and imagine that the dangers of inter-group hatred are concentrated elsewhere

Ultrasound-detected pathologies cluster into groups with different clinical outcomes: data from 3000 community referrals for shoulder pain

Background Ultrasound is increasingly used to evaluate shoulder pain but the benefits of this are unclear. This study examined whether ultrasound-defined pathologies have implications for clinical outcomes. Methods We extracted reported pathologies from 3000 ultrasound scans of people with shoulder pain referred from primary care. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified whether individual pathologies clustered in groups. Optimal group number was determined by the minimum Bayesian information criterion. A questionnaire was sent to all patients scanned over a 12-month period (n=2322). Data collected included demographics, treatments received, current pain and function. The relationship between pathology-defined groups and clinical outcomes was examined. Results LCA revealed four groups: 1. bursitis with limited inflammation elsewhere (n=1280); 2. bursitis with extensive inflammation (n=595); 3. rotator cuff tears (n=558); 4. limited pathology (n=567). 777 (33%) completed questionnaires; median (IQR) duration post-ultrasound scan was 25 (22, 29) months. Subsequent injections were most common in groups 1 & 2 (groups 1-4: 76%; 67%; 48%; 61%); surgery was most common in group 3 (23%; 21%; 28%; 16%). Shoulder Pain and Disability Index scores were highest in group 3 (median 48 and 30 respectively) and lowest in group 4 (32 and 9). Patients in group 4 who had surgery reported poor outcomes. Conclusion In a community-based population, ultrasound identified clusters of pathologies. Our retrospective data suggests these groups have different treatment pathways and outcomes. This requires replication in a prospective study to determine the value of a pathology-based classification in people with shoulder pain

PReS-FINAL-2161: Safety and effectiveness of adalimumab in children with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis aged 2 to <4 years or >=4 years weighing <15 kg

International audienceEn faisant le tour du monde (Mauritanie, Madagascar, Éthiopie, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, New-York, Nouvelle-Zélande, France... ) en passant par l’Internet, cet ouvrage fait le point sur les dernières innovations en matière de gestion des déchets. Considéré comme une ressource, le déchet révèle enfin sa valeur : il est créateur de revenus, de liens sociaux et de nouvelles technologies. C’est pourquoi il devient urgent de structurer son économie

Touchdown Ball-Bearing System for Magnetic Bearings

The torque-limited touchdown bearing system (TLTBS) is a backup mechanical-bearing system for a high-speed rotary machine in which the rotor shaft is supported by magnetic bearings in steady-state normal operation. The TLTBS provides ball-bearing support to augment or supplant the magnetic bearings during startup, shutdown, or failure of the magnetic bearings. The TLTBS also provides support in the presence of conditions (in particular, rotational acceleration) that make it difficult or impossible to control the magnetic bearings or in which the magnetic bearings are not strong enough (e.g., when the side load against the rotor exceeds the available lateral magnetic force)

A proper understanding of Millikan

Ruth Millikan’s teleological theory of mental content is complex and often misunderstood. This paper motivates and clarifies some of the complexities of the theory, and shows that paying careful attention to its details yields answers to a number of common objections to teleological theories, in particular, the problem of novel mental states, the problem of functionally false beliefs, and problems about indeterminacy or multiplicity of function

Reducing errors by increasing the error rate: MLP Acoustic Modeling for Broadcast News Transcription

We describe some aspects of a Broadcast News recognition system based on hybrid HMM/MLP acoustic modeling. These include the use of novel 'modulation spectrogram' features which are combined with conventional models at the posterior probability level, some experiments with nonlinear segment normalization, and an investigation of the interaction of model size and training set size for an multilayer perceptron (MLP) acoustic classifier. We also report preliminary results of incorporating gender-dependence into this system

Variation in methods, results and reporting in electronic health record-based studies evaluating routine care in gout: A systematic review

Objective: To perform a systematic review examining the variation in methods, results, reporting and risk of bias in electronic health record (EHR)-based studies evaluating management of a common musculoskeletal disease, gout. Methods: Two reviewers systematically searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar for all EHR-based studies published by February 2019 investigating gout pharmacological treatment. Information was extracted on study design, eligibility criteria, definitions, medication usage, effectiveness and safety data, comprehensiveness of reporting (RECORD), and Cochrane risk of bias (registered PROSPERO CRD42017065195). Results: We screened 5,603 titles/abstracts, 613 full-texts and selected 75 studies including 1.9M gout patients. Gout diagnosis was defined in 26 ways across the studies, most commonly using a single diagnostic code (n = 31, 41.3%). 48.4% did not specify a disease-free period before ‘incident’ diagnosis. Medication use was suboptimal and varied with disease definition while results regarding effectiveness and safety were broadly similar across studies despite variability in inclusion criteria. Comprehensiveness of reporting was variable, ranging from 73% (55/75) appropriately discussing the limitations of EHR data use, to 5% (4/75) reporting on key data cleaning steps. Risk of bias was generally low. Conclusion: The wide variation in case definitions and medication-related analysis among EHR-based studies has implications for reported medication use. This is amplified by variable reporting comprehensiveness and the limited consideration of EHR-relevant biases (e.g. data adequacy) in study assessment tools. We recommend accounting for these biases and performing a sensitivity analysis on case definitions, and suggest changes to assessment tools to foster this

Experimental Determination of Load Carrying Capacity of Point Contacts at Zero Entrainment Velocity

A capacitance technique was used to monitor the film thickness separating two steel balls of a unique tribometer while subjecting the ball-ball contact to highly stressed, zero entrainment velocity (ZEV) conditions. All tests were performed under a N2 purge (R.H. < 1.0%) and utilized 52100 steel balls (R(sub a) = 0.02 mm). Tribometer operations and capacitance-to-film-thickness accuracy were verified by comparing the film thickness approximations to established theoretical predictions for test conditions involving pure rolling. Pure rolling experiments were performed under maximum contact stresses and entrainment velocities of 1.0 GPa and 1.0 m/s to 3.0 m/s, respectively. All data from these baseline tests conformed to theory. ZEV tests were initiated after calibration of the tribometer and verification of film thickness approximation accuracy. Maximum contact stresses up to 0.57 GPa were supported at zero entrainment velocity with sliding speeds from 6.0 to 10.0 m/s for sustained amounts of time up to 28.8 minutes. The protective lubricating film separating the specimens at ZEV had a thickness between 0.10 and 0.14 mm (4 to 6 min), which corresponds to an approximate L-value of 4. The film thickness did not have a strong dependence upon variations of load or speed. Decreasing the sliding speed from 10.0 m/s to 1 m/s revealed a rapid loss in load support between 3.0 and 1.0 m/s. The formation of an immobile film formed by lubricant entrapment is discussed as an explanation of the load carrying capacity at these zero entrainment velocity conditions, relevant to the ball-ball contact application in retainerless ball bearings

The use of a synthetic shoulder patch for large and massive rotator cuff tears – a feasibility study

Background The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of using a non-absorbable biocompatible polyester patch to augment open repair of massive rotator cuff tears (Patch group) and compare outcomes with other treatment options (Non-patch group). Methods Participants referred to orthopaedic clinics for rotator cuff surgery were recruited. Choice of intervention (Patch or Non-patch) was based on patient preference and intra-operative findings. Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), and Constant score were completed at baseline and 6 months. Shoulder MRI was performed at baseline and 6 months to assess fat fraction and Goutallier classification pre- and post- treatment. Feasibility outcomes (including retention, consent and missing data) were assessed. Results Sixty-eight participants (29 in the Patch group, 39 in Non-patch group) were included (mean age 65.3 years). Conversion to consent (92.6%), missing data (0% at baseline), and attrition rate (16%) were deemed successful feasibility endpoints. There was significant improvement in the Patch group compared to Non-patch at 6 months in OSS (difference in medians 9.76 (95% CI 2.25, 17.29) and SPADI: 22.97 (95% CI 3.02, 42.92), with no substantive differences in Constant score. The patch group had a higher proportion of participants improving greater than MCID for OSS (78% vs 62%) and SPADI (63% vs 50%) respectively. Analysis of the 48 paired MRIs demonstrated a slight increase in the fat fraction for supraspinatus (53 to 55%), and infraspinatus (26 to 29%) at 6 months. These differences were similar and in the same direction when the participants were analysed by treatment group. The Goutallier score remained the same or worsened one grade in both groups equally. Conclusions This study indicates that a definitive clinical trial investigating the use of a non-absorbable patch to augment repair of massive rotator cuff tears is feasible. In such patients, the patch has the potential to improve shoulder symptoms at 6 months

Understanding the biomechanical “spread” of joint pain: knee pain predicts subsequent shoulder pain and this is mediated by leg weakness. Data from the osteoarthritis initiative

Joint pain is common in older adults; typically multiple joints are involved. A greater number of painful sites is associated with higher levels of pain intensity in affected joints, more functional impairment and poorer quality of life. However, little is known about the pattern of multi-site joint pain development. We aimed to assess whether the number of painful joints increases over time, whether pain in certain joints precedes pain in others, and to assess whether the association is mediated by weakness in a cohort of older adults with painful knee osteoarthritis or at risk of knee osteoarthritis in the NIH Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI)