Evaluation Of Candidates Research Articles

Significance-based decision tree for interpretable categorical data clustering

Numerous clustering algorithms prioritize accuracy, but in high-risk domains, the interpretability of clustering methods is crucial as well. The inherent heterogeneity of categorical data makes it particularly challenging for users to comprehend clustering outcomes. Currently, the majority of interpretable clustering methods are tailored for numerical data and utilize decision tree models, leaving interpretable clustering for categorical data as a less explored domain. Additionally, existing interpretable clustering algorithms often depend on external, potentially non-interpretable algorithms and lack transparency in the decision-making process during tree construction. In this paper, we tackle the problem of interpretable categorical data clustering by growing a decision tree in a statistically meaningful manner. We formulate the evaluation of candidate splits as a multivariate two-sample testing problem, where a single p-value is derived by combining significance evidence from all individual categories. This approach provides a reliable and controllable method for selecting the optimal split while determining its statistical significance. Extensive experimental results on real-world data sets demonstrate that our algorithm achieves comparable performance in terms of cluster quality, running efficiency, and explainability relative to its counterparts.

PET mapping of receptor occupancy using joint direct parametric reconstruction.

In this work, we evaluate a novel joint direct parametric reconstruction framework to directly estimate distributions of RO and other kinetic parameters in the brain from a pair of baseline and postdrug injection dynamic PET scans. The proposed method combines the use of regularization on RO maps with alternating optimization to enable estimation of occupancy even in low binding regions. Simulation results demonstrate the quantitative improvement of this method over conventional approaches in terms of accuracy and precision of occupancy. The proposed method is also evaluated in preclinical in-vivo experiments using 11C-MK6884 and a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 4 positive allosteric modulator drug, showing improved estimation of receptor occupancy as compared to traditional estimators. The proposed joint direct estimation framework improves RO estimation compared to conventional methods, especially in intermediate to low-binding regions. This work could potentially facilitate the evaluation of new drug candidates targeting the CNS.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Large Language Model in the Psychological Assessment of Potential Liver Transplant Candidates: A Feasibility Study

Introduction: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical settings has shown promise in various domains including diagnostics, treatment recommendation, and patient management. Recent advances have explored the potential of AI in pre-surgical assessments, but its application in transplant psychology remains unexplored. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of AI in the context of screening potential liver transplant donors and recipients. To assess the feasibility of using ChatGPT-4 to screen potential liver transplant donors and recipients. Methods: This study utilizes a cross-sectional research design to evaluate the feasibility of using ChatGPT-4 in the preliminary screening of living liver donors and liver transplant candidates. The study aims to determine the accuracy and reliability of ChatGPT-4 in assessing hypothetical scenarios involving potential donors and recipients. Results: The analysis showed no found no significant differences between ChatGPT-4 and the expert panel in assessing liver transplant candidates, demonstrating an overall accuracy of 83.58%, sensitivity of 56.10%, and specificity of 80.49%. Additionally, the Cohen’s Kappa statistic of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.52-0.83) indicated substantial agreement between ChatGPT-4 and the psychologists’ evaluations. The absence of false positives (0%) and a low false negative rate (8%) emphasize ChatGPT-4's cautious and accurate decision-making capabilities. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that ChatGPT-4 has the potential to serve as an effective screening tool for liver transplant candidates, complementing the work of human experts and enhancing the overall efficiency of the transplant process. While challenges remain, the integration of AI into the liver transplantation workflow could lead to significant improvements in candidate evaluation and patient outcomes, paving the way for the broader application of AI in clinical practice.

Early cochlear implantation: exploring electrophysiological thresholds and their role in pre-behavioural recommendations.

Studies investigating the relationship between initial electrophysiological thresholds and subsequent behavioural hearing thresholds have demonstrated uncertainty as to whether initial results can provide an accurate estimation of an infant's functional hearing. This estimation must be accurate if a cochlear implant (CI) is to be considered before behavioural audiometry.This study aims to explore the variance between initial electrophysiological thresholds and subsequent behavioural hearing thresholds in infants to determine under which conditions electrophysiological results can be used to support a CI recommendation before behavioural audiology. This is a prospective cohort study of 63 infants with suspected severe to profound hearing loss, referred to the Cochlear Implant Clinic, Melbourne, before 12 months of age. The assessment protocol includes auditory brainstem response, auditory steady state response, tympanometry, and behavioural audiometry. For most infants undergoing CI candidacy evaluation, initial electrophysiological thresholds are an accurate reflection of their subsequent behavioural thresholds. An alternative CI candidacy pathway is recommended for infants who show profound sensorineural hearing loss on initial electrophysiological testing, in the absence of middle ear effusion, prematurity, or auditory neuropathy features, to provide CI recommendations before behavioural thresholds are obtained. This would lead to reduced delay to implantation and improved oral language outcomes.

Expanding Opportunities for Living Donation: Recommendations From the 2023 Santander Summit to Ensure Donor Protections, Informed Decision Making, and Equitable Access

A strategic vision toward global convergence in transplantation must encourage and remove barriers to living organ donation and transplantation. Here, we discuss deliberations of a working group of the 2023 Santander Summit charged with formulating recommendations for the safe expansion of living donor kidney transplantation and living donor liver transplantation worldwide. Living donor kidney transplantation has grown to be the preferred treatment for advanced kidney failure. Living donor liver transplantation emerged more recently as a strategy to reduce waitlist mortality, with adoption influenced by cultural factors, regional policies, clinical team experience, and the maturity of regional deceased donor transplant systems. Barriers to living donor transplantation span domains of education, infrastructure, risk assessment/risk communication, and financial burden to donors. Paired donor exchange is a growing option for overcoming incompatibilities to transplantation but is variably used across and within countries. Effectively expanding access to living donor transplantation requires multifaceted strategies, including improved education and outreach, and measures to enhance efficiency, transparency, and shared decision making in donor candidate evaluation. Efforts toward global dissemination and vigilant oversight of best practices and international standards for the assessment, informed consent, approval, and monitoring of living donors are needed. Fostering greater participation in paired exchange requires eliminating disincentives and logistical obstacles for transplant programs and patients, and establishing an ethical and legal framework grounded in World Health Organization Guiding Principles. Sharing of best practices from successful countries and programs to jurisdictions with emerging practices is vital to safely expand the practice of living donation worldwide and bring the field together globally.

Field Trial with Vaccine Candidates Against Bovine Tuberculosis Among Likely Infected Cattle in a Natural Transmission Setting.

Background/Objectives: Vaccines may improve the control and eradication of bovine tuberculosis. However, the evaluation of experimental candidates requires the assessment of the protection, excretion, transmission and biosafety. A natural transmission trial among likely infected animals was conducted. Methods: Seventy-four male heifers were randomly distributed (five groups) and vaccinated subcutaneously with attenuated strains (M. bovis Δmce2 or M. bovis Δmce2-phoP), a recombinant M. bovis BCG Pasteur (BCGr) or M. bovis BCG Pasteur. Then, they cohoused with a naturally infected bTB cohort under field conditions exposed to the infection. Results: A 23% of transmission of wild-type strains was confirmed (non-vaccinated group). Strikingly, first vaccination did not induce immune response (caudal fold test and IFN-gamma release assay). However, after 74 days of exposure to bTB, animals were re-vaccinated. Although their sensitization increased throughout the trial, the vaccines did not confer significant protection, when compared to the non-vaccinated group, as demonstrated by pathology progression of lesions and confirmatory tools. Besides, the likelihood of acquiring the infection was similar in all groups compared to the non-vaccinated group (p > 0.076). Respiratory and digestive excretion of viable vaccine candidates was undetectable. To note, the group vaccinated with M. bovis Δmce2-phoP exhibited the highest proportion of animals without macroscopic lesions, compared to the one vaccinated with BCG, although this was not statistically supported. Conclusions: This highlights that further evaluation of these vaccines would not guarantee better protection. The limitations detected during the trial are discussed regarding the transmission rate of M. bovis wild-type, the imperfect test for studying sensitization, the need for a DIVA diagnosis and management conditions of the trials performed under routine husbandry conditions. Re-vaccination of likely infected bovines did not highlight a conclusive result, even suggesting a detrimental effect on those vaccinated with M. bovis BCG.

Vasectomy provider decision-making balancing autonomy and non-maleficence: qualitative interviews with providers

Background Male sterilization, or vasectomy, is 99.9% effective at preventing pregnancy with less than a 2% risk of complications. Despite the high efficacy, low risk, low cost, and gender equity benefits of vasectomy, just 2% of women reported that they and their partners relied on vasectomy as their contraceptive method globally in 2019. Health care providers can be both a facilitator and a barrier in men’s health generally, and may be in vasectomy provision as well. This study sought to describe the decision-making rationales of experienced vasectomy providers when evaluating patient candidacy in complex cases. Methods Fifteen vasectomy providers belonging to the global Vasectomy Network Google Group from seven countries participated in online interviews using a semi-structured in-depth interview guide. Providers were asked about their vasectomy training, their reasons for vasectomy provision, challenging cases they have faced, and approaches used to manage challenging cases. Vignettes were used to further elicit decision-making rationale. Thematic analysis was conducted using MAXQDA20. Results Provider decision-making was predicated on ensuring patients were well-informed, able to consent, and certain about their choice to have a vasectomy. Once those foundational conditions were met, providers filtered patient characteristics through their training, laws and policies, sociocultural norms, experience, and peer influence to produce a cost-benefit breakdown. Based on the cost-benefit analysis, providers determined whether to weigh autonomy or non-maleficence more heavily when determining vasectomy patient candidacy. Conclusions Despite clinical best practices that promote prioritizing patient autonomy over non-maleficence, some providers continued to weigh non-maleficence over autonomy in vasectomy patient candidacy evaluations. Non-maleficence was particularly prioritized in cases providers deemed to be at higher risk of regret. The findings of this study suggest vasectomy provider training should emphasize evidence-based best practices in shared decision-making and patient-centered care to facilitate vasectomy provision that honors patient autonomy and rights.

An eye tracking study of gender biased information acquisition in candidate evaluation

AbstractGender stereotypes may impact voters' candidate choices. But do gender stereotypes impact voters' attention when learning about candidates? This paper explores whether citizens take part in gender biased information acquisition when learning about women and men candidates. In an experiment, I use eye tracking to measure respondents' attention to gender stereotype‐consistent and inconsistent information. The results indicate that citizens do not differ in their attention to different candidate information according to candidate gender. Additionally, respondents' own sex does not make a difference in their attention to masculine‐ and feminine‐stereotyped information for women or men candidates. These findings provide an important specification of the mechanism behind gender bias in candidate choices: the bias appears to be different standards of judgment for candidates of different genders, not different compositions of information being judged for candidates of different genders.

Initial Experiences With a 2-Stage Residency Interview Process.

Background A drawback to interviews having largely become virtual is candidates' difficulty sensing a program's fit. Programs have offered nonevaluative second looks to address this. There is concern that in-person contact with candidates would still indirectly contribute to a candidate's evaluation. Objective We describe implementing an alternative interview structure to incorporate the benefits of virtual and in-person interviews, and describe preliminary feasibility and acceptability data. Methods Our general surgery program selection process for the 2022-2023 application cycle included a first phase of holistic review and a second phase of interviews. The second phase had a first round of virtual interviews, then a second round of in-person interviews (with a virtual option). Only scores from the second interview were used in ranking. Prior to the Match, applicants and faculty were surveyed about the process. Results All 1175 applications to the program were reviewed. Of those, 190 (16.2%) were invited to interview virtually; 188 of 190 (98.9%) completed the virtual interview. Eighty-two of 188 (43.6%) were invited for a second interview; 69 of 82 (84.1%) chose to interview in-person, and 13 of 82 (15.9%) interviewed virtually. Sixty-eight of 188 (36.2%) applicants responded to the survey. Sixty-three of 68 (92.6%) agreed the 2-stage interview process was fair, and 51 of 68 (75%) felt that nonevaluative second looks were not truly nonevaluative. Fifteen faculty spent 3 hours over 6 weeks in holistic review. Twenty-four faculty completed 6 days of interviews, each spending 2.5 to 3 hours per day. Twelve of 24 faculty (50%) responded to their survey, with all 12 stating they would participate again. Conclusions A process of first-round virtual and second-round in-person interviews was feasible and perceived by applicants to be fair and beneficial.

Identification of immunogenic antigens and evaluation of vaccine candidates against Clostridium perfringens

Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) has resulted in significant losses for the poultry industry worldwide. Currently, there is no widely promoted vaccine for NE. In this study, immunoprecipitation (IP) was employed to isolate immunogenic proteins of C. perfringens, and 118 potential candidate antigens were identified through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). From these, three candidate antigen proteins were selected based on their predicted antigenicity, hydrophilicity, stability, and transmembrane signalling properties: ArcB (an ornithine aminotransferase), TmpC (a probable membrane lipoprotein), and EntB (a possible enterotoxin). These three proteins were successfully produced in large quantities using Escherichia coli (E. coli), with confirmed good solubility. Both in vitro and in vivo research demonstrated that these antigens possess strong immunogenicity, eliciting robust antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in chickens and mitigating NE symptoms caused by C. perfringens. The candidate antigens identified through immunoproteomics hold potential as subunit vaccines against C. perfringens infection.

Adaptation de la vaccinologie aux maladies infectieuses émergentes : innovations en recherche et coopération internationale

A remarkable acceleration in the development of vaccines was witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, progress along the vaccine research and development continuum must continue, particularly in the context of epidemic preparedness and response. In this review, we explore recent innovations that have advanced vaccinology, particularly in the development of antigens and vaccine platforms, as well as clinical evidence strategies that accelerate the evaluation of vaccine candidates, adapted to an epidemic setting. We discuss the challenges of international collaboration, notably in the European context, and accessibility to vaccines for low- and middle-income countries. This analysis leads us to the conclusion that technological innovation and global collaboration must be developed simultaneously and in synergy to improve our response to the next epidemic.

When Group Appeals Backfire: Explaining the Asymmetric Effects of Place-Based Appeals

Abstract Group-based identities are an important basis of political competition. Politicians consciously appeal to specific social groups, and these group-based appeals often improve the evaluation of parties and candidates. Studying place-based appeals, we advance the understanding of this strategy by distinguishing between dominant and subordinate social groups. Using two survey experiments in Germany and England, we show that group appeals improve candidate evaluation among subordinate (rural) voters. By contrast, appeals to the dominant (urban) group trigger a negative reaction. While urban citizens’ weaker local identities and lower place-based resentment partly explain this asymmetry, they mainly dislike group-based appeals because of their antagonistic nature. If the same policies are framed as benefiting urban and rural dwellers alike, candidate evaluation improves. Thus, people on the dominant side of a group divide reject a framing of politics as antagonistically structured by this divide, even if they identify with the dominant group.

Selection of Marketing Staff Using Simple Additive Weight and VIKOR Algorithm

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, decision-making processes within organizations are increasingly relying on advanced computational methods to enhance efficiency and accuracy. This is particularly relevant in human resource management, where selecting suitable candidates for key positions is critical. Traditional methods of staff recruitment often rely on subjective assessments, which may lead to biases and inconsistencies. To address these challenges, this study proposes the use of the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) and VIKOR (Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) algorithms as multi-criteria decision-making tools for selecting marketing staff. The SAW method offers a straightforward approach by assigning weighted scores to various criteria. In contrast, the VIKOR method provides a ranking system that considers ideal and compromise solutions for candidate selection. Integrating these two algorithms makes the selection process more objective and data-driven, reducing the risk of human error and improving overall decision quality. This paper outlines implementing the combined SAW-VIKOR model in the marketing staff recruitment process, highlighting its potential to optimize candidate evaluation and selection. The results demonstrate that utilizing these algorithms enhances the decision-making process, leading to better alignment of selected staff with organizational goals. This approach is valuable for organizations looking to leverage technology in their recruitment strategies.

Prominent Neuroprotective Potential of Indole-2-N-methylpropargylamine: High Affinity and Irreversible Inhibition Efficiency towards Monoamine Oxidase B Revealed by Computational Scaffold Analysis

Background: Monoamine oxidases (MAO) are flavoenzymes that metabolize a range of brain neurotransmitters, whose dysregulation is closely associated with the development of various neurological disorders. This is why MAOs have been the central target in pharmacological interventions for neurodegeneration for more than 60 years. Still, existing drugs only address symptoms and not the cause of the disease, which underlines the need to develop more efficient inhibitors without adverse effects. Methods: Our drug design strategy relied on docking 25 organic scaffolds to MAO-B, which were extracted from the ChEMBL20 database with the highest cumulative counts of unique member compounds and bioactivity assays. The most promising candidates were substituted with the inactivating propargylamine group, while further affinity adjustment was made by its N-methylation. A total of 46 propargylamines were submitted to the docking and molecular dynamics simulations, while the best binders underwent mechanistic DFT analysis that confirmed the hydride abstraction mechanism of the covalent inhibition reaction. Results: We identified indole-2-propargylamine 4fH and indole-2-N-methylpropargylamine 4fMe as superior MAO-B binders over the clinical drugs rasagiline and selegiline. DFT calculations highlighted 4fMe as more potent over selegiline, evident in a reduced kinetic requirement (ΔΔG‡ = −2.5 kcal mol−1) and an improved reaction exergonicity (ΔΔGR = −4.3 kcal mol−1), together with its higher binding affinity, consistently determined by docking (ΔΔGBIND = −0.1 kcal mol−1) and MM-PBSA analysis (ΔΔGBIND = −1.5 kcal mol−1). Conclusions: Our findings strongly advocate 4fMe as an excellent drug candidate, whose synthesis and biological evaluation are highly recommended. Also, our results reveal the structural determinants that influenced the affinity and inhibition rates that should cooperate when designing further MAO inhibitors, which are of utmost significance and urgency with the increasing prevalence of brain diseases.

Gender on the mind? Gender heuristics and rationalizations in candidate evaluations

AbstractAs more women enter politics, public and scholarly narratives about the extent and nature of gender bias in mediated campaigning environments diversify. Yet there is still little understanding of how voters substantively think about gender in their evaluations of women and men candidates and how voters' thoughts are affected by different types of media coverage. Drawing on literature on gender stereotyping and rationalization, this paper distinguishes two roles in which gender manifests in the candidate evaluation process—as a heuristic and as a rationalization. We empirically investigate these different ways in which gender affects voters' thoughts following neutral and contextually rich candidate stimuli by means of a mixed methods think aloud study. The results show that voters think less—but more positively—about substantive aspects of women's political profiles. These favorable thoughts include heuristic inferences of communal traits for women but not men candidates. Moreover, we find that voter rationalizations involve gender as ex post vote justifications and socially desirable drivers of candidate evaluations. Together, the findings not only showcase the complex roles of gender in voters' candidate evaluations but also the importance of considering the normative context in which vote decisions take place.

B - 10 Performance Validity Test Failure Base Rates among Presurgical Epilepsy Referrals

Abstract Objective Patients with epilepsy undergoing presurgical workup are generally considered a population without clear incentive to perform invalidly during neuropsychological evaluation. This study investigated the base rates of performance validity test (PVT) failure among a sample of presurgical epilepsy patients. Participants and. Methods Data were collected from 68 consecutive patients with epilepsy undergoing outpatient neuropsychological evaluation for surgical candidacy. The sample included 33 males/35 females, had a mean age of 36.29 (SD = 12.07), mean education of 12.51 (SD = 2.23), and was racially and ethnically diverse. All patients were administered a number of freestanding (Test of Memory Malingering [TOMM], Dot Counting Test [DCT], Coin-in-Hand [CIH]) and embedded (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test-Forced Choice [RAVLT-FC], Wechsler Memory Scale–3rd Edition Digit Span Reliable Digit Span [WMS-III DS RDS]) PVTs within a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment battery. Results Overall, 9% of the sample failed ≥2 PVTs, suggesting invalidity. An additional 22% failed 1 PVT. However, a large portion of the sample (69%) passed all freestanding and embedded PVTs. Among the freestanding PVTs, the failure rates were TOMM: 4%, DCT: 21%, and CIH: 3%. Failure rates on embedded PVTs were RAVLT-FC: 15% and WMS-III DS RDS: 3%. Conclusions Although there is not an expected incentive for suboptimal neuropsychological performance among presurgical epilepsy patients, results show a critical need for objective validity assessment to guard against inaccurate surgical prognostication from invalid test data for patients undergoing high-stakes presurgical evaluations. Given the high invalidity rate on some individual PVTs, further research is necessary to cross-validate established PVT cut-scores in epilepsy-specific populations.

Morbidity and Postoperative Mortality of Colorectal Tumors

Colorectal cancer, by its frequency and severity, represents a serious public health problem worldwide. In Morocco, the incidence of colorectal cancer is constantly increasing. Post-operative morbidity and mortality is an event whose evaluation and analysis are necessary to improve surgical results and optimize patient care. Thus, knowledge of the causes and risk factors of morbidity and mortality will contribute not only to a better evaluation of patients candidates for colorectal surgery, but also to reveal new avenues of research to improve the post-operative prognosis of these patients. The objective of this retrospective work is to carry out an epidemiological study of the morbidity and mortality of patients admitted during the postoperative period of colorectal surgery to the surgical intensive care unit of the Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca; as well as the search for potential predictive factors associated with it.

From Sequence to Solution: Intelligent Learning Engine Optimization in Drug Discovery and Protein Analysis.

This study introduces the intelligent learning engine (ILE) optimization technology, a novel approach designed to revolutionize screening processes in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, and a range of other scientific fields. By focusing on the efficient and precise identification of candidates with desirable characteristics, the ILE technology marks a significant leap forward in addressing the complexities of candidate selection in drug discovery, protein classification, and beyond. The study's primary objective is to address the challenges associated with optimizing screening processes to efficiently select candidates across various fields, including drug discovery and protein classification. The methodology employed involves a detailed algorithmic process that includes dataset preparation, encoding of protein sequences, sensor nucleation, and optimization, culminating in the empirical evaluation of molecular activity indexing, homology-based modeling, and classification of proteins such as G-protein-coupled receptors. This process showcases the method's success in multiple sequence alignment, protein identification, and classification. Key results demonstrate the ILE's superior accuracy in protein classification and virtual high-throughput screening, with a notable breakthrough in drug development for assessing drug-induced long QT syndrome risks through hERG potassium channel interaction analysis. The technology showcased exceptional results in the formulation and evaluation of novel cancer drug candidates, highlighting its potential for significant advancements in pharmaceutical innovations. The findings underline the ILE optimization technology as a transformative tool in screening processes due to its proven effectiveness and broad applicability across various domains. This breakthrough contributes substantially to the fields of systems optimization and holds promise for diverse applications, enhancing the process of selecting candidate molecules with target properties and advancing drug discovery, protein classification, and modeling.

Detection of Coronary Artery Disease With Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography and Stress Testing in Candidates for Liver Transplant

Cardiac complications are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in liver transplant (LT) recipients. Prior guidelines recommended stress testing to exclude coronary artery disease (CAD), though recent guidelines recommend coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of CAD on CCTA and compare CCTA with stress testing in consecutive adult LT candidates undergoing CAD non-invasive assessment between 2020 to 2023. Patients who underwent a stress test between 01/2020 and 12/2020 formed the stress cohort, and patients who underwent CCTA between 01/2021 and 09/2023 formed the CCTA cohort. There were 141 in the stress test cohort and 269 patients in the CCTA cohort. Stress tests were non-diagnostic or inconclusive in 18 (12.8%) whereas CCTA was non-diagnostic in 6 (2.2%) patients. In patients evaluated with CCTA, mean coronary artery calcium (CAC) score was 332 ± 716 AU, with moderate or greater (>50%) stenosis in 33 (12.3%) patients. New CAD was diagnosed in 158 (58.7%) using CCTA and in 5 (3.5%) patients using stress tests. Clinically actionable CAD (CAC >100) on CCTA was present in 96 (35.7%) patients. The number of CAD risk factors were associated with the presence of CAD on CCTA. In conclusion, there was a high burden of CAD, mainly non-obstructive, in a large cohort of LT candidates undergoing CAD testing over a 4-year period. The current recommended risk-based evaluation of LT candidates using CCTA as a first line test was feasible and effective. Diagnosis of clinically actionable CAD on CCTA provides a vast opportunity for optimizing cardiac care in LT candidates and recipients.

Barking up the wrong tree? Voter bias and female underrepresentation in Japanese politics

Abstract Previous studies on gender bias in the evaluation of politicians by voters have reported mixed results. We seek to understand these mixed findings by focusing on Japan, where female political representation is the lowest among advanced democracies and gender stereotypes are prevalent. We consider that gender stereotypes and the dearth of women in politics affect the evaluation of politicians via two distinct mechanisms: biased beliefs and weak priors. The two mechanisms are assumed to run counter to each other, thus leading to the null or mixed findings for gendered evaluation reported by previous studies. To test our argument, we conduct a series of survey experiments in Japan. Our findings conform to neither of the two mechanisms. Even in a society with low female political representation, we find no evidence of the gendered evaluation of candidates by voters. We suggest that rather than biasing voters’ evaluation of candidates, gender stereotypes dissuade women from aspiring to a political career and elite electoral gatekeepers from selecting female candidates.