True Comparison Research Articles

Cost does not prevent pigeons from investing in the future.

One of the simplest forms of behavior, operant behavior, appears fundamentally prospective, implying potential similarity to 'sophisticated' prospective behaviors like planning in terms of underlying mechanisms. But differences between paradigms for studying behavior resulting from 'simple' versus 'sophisticated' mechanisms prevent true comparison of underlying mechanisms. To aid development of an operant paradigm with more similarity to 'sophisticated' prospective paradigms, we replicated and extended Cowie and Davison's (2021) investing task. Pigeons were required to emit an investing response to ensure food at a different time and different response location. We asked if investing depended on whether the behavior was a single, discrete key peck (typical in operant paradigms) or an extended sequence of pecks (echoing behaviors in planning paradigms), and whether facilitative effects of an immediate stimulus change persisted when the stimulus change no longer occurred. Pigeons invested successfully whether investing required one or more responses, and for extended investing responses, performance did not worsen significantly with increasing response requirements. Experience investing with an immediate stimulus change did not enhance subsequent investing without the stimulus change. Findings show simple learning mechanisms can support extended activities with no immediate consequences. Further, they support the investing paradigm as a potential tool for investigations of overlap in mechanisms controlling 'simple' and 'sophisticated' behavior.

Censored imputation of time to event outcome through survival proximity score method

The study recognized the significance of accurately addressing censoring and censored data in survival analysis as well as the possibility of biases if these concepts are not approached with caution by researchers. If censored participants are excluded from the study, the true treatment effect comparison will be inaccurate, resulting in biased study findings. In this context, there is a need for some mechanism to impute and update the status information of those patients who were lost to follow-up before the study’s end and might be due to the study-related causes. In order to resolve this issue, we developed a weighted survival proximity score method by using a weighted propensity scoring system to impute the censored values with the help of the nearest neighborhood technique and update the survival data. After imputing the censored status in the dataset, conventional survival methods are applied to evaluate the differences in hazard rates with and without applying a survival proximity score method. We found that the proposed method reduces bias and mean square error in various transitions. The goal of this work is to resolve the existing issue of censoring and explain how the survival proximity score method can be adapted to update the censored information of lost-followup individuals for therapeutic arms comparison.

Catalytic properties of peroxidase mimicking nanozymes

Herein is the first attempt to critically review the catalytic properties of peroxidase mimicking nanozymes. For this aim the main factors affecting nanoparticles activity are discussed, and the catalytic properties are normalized allowing true comparison of different nanomaterials. The highest catalytic activities in hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) reduction have been recorded for nitrogen-coordinated iron atoms (FeN<sub>4</sub>, FeN<sub>5</sub>). However, the main disadvantages of metal/metal oxide as well as "single atom" nanozymes are their additional activities in oxygen reduction and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> dismutation, impairing their application abilities. Nanoparticles catalytically synthesized from the most advantageous electrocatalyst (Prussian Blue) display enzymatic selectivity in addition to the highest catalytic activity. This may indicate simultaneous electron donation to H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> from different iron atoms. Accordingly, perspective synthesis of "single atom" nanozymes can be carried out considering bi-metallic (Fe–Fe like) structures in addition to the presently synthesized ones.<br> The bibliography includes 121 references.

Artificial Intelligence Application to Screen Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Using Computed tomography Angiography

The aim of our study is to validate a totally automated deep learning (DL)-based segmentation pipeline to screen abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans. We retrospectively evaluated 73 thoraco-abdominal CTAs (48 AAA and 25 control CTA) by means of a DL-based segmentation pipeline built on a 2.5D convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture to segment lumen and thrombus of the aorta. The maximum aortic diameter of the abdominal tract was compared using a threshold value (30 mm). Blinded manual measurements from a radiologist were done in order to create a true comparison. The screening pipeline was tested on 48 patients with aneurysm and 25 without aneurysm. The average diameter manually measured was 51.1 ± 14.4 mm for patients with aneurysms and 21.7 ± 3.6 mm for patients without aneurysms. The pipeline correctly classified 47 AAA out of 48 and 24 control patients out of 25 with 97% accuracy, 98% sensitivity, and 96% specificity. The automated pipeline of aneurysm measurements in the abdominal tract reported a median error with regard to the maximum abdominal diameter measurement of 1.3 mm. Our approach allowed for the maximum diameter of 51.2 ± 14.3 mm in patients with aneurysm and 22.0 ± 4.0 mm in patients without an aneurysm. The DL-based screening for AAA is a feasible and accurate method, calling for further validation using a larger pool of diagnostic images towards its clinical use.

Smart city 3D modeling with a total station and a smartphone

Modern technology has radically altered documentation and has promised to do so again. Photographic and non-photographic documentation tools are combined into a single operation in which digital imaging technology is the mainstay. 3D support is still not popular among users involved in documenting the facades of modern buildings or important historical sites. This is a very important technique nowadays for (memorizing, preserving, restoring, and protecting) the facades of modern buildings or historical sites that need restoration and continuous follow-up. Cost and time play a vital role in the quick development of documentation strategies and tools to provide a true comparison between these methods. Surveyors can now complete projects with unprecedented precision because of advancements in hardware and software technology. For their daily activities, surveyors now rely on contemporary electronic instruments such as total stations and GPS. When conducting work, the surveyor always chooses the most appropriate equipment and the most cost-effective method of completing it. There are numerous microchips on the market nowadays. Surveyors can benefit from tools like GPS, complete bot stations, and digital levels. Over time, large, expensive survey equipment has been replaced with the smallest, most powerful equipment available. For example, the 3D ground laser is a highly expensive piece of equipment due to the high cost of the laser scanner. An alternative technology has been developed which is the use of the Total Station. The type is capable of scanning interfaces through a cloud of points based on the control point and back sight (B.S) and processing them by the software used to process the data acquired by the laser scanner. The 3D results of the output model from Total Station are compared with the model’s output from smartphone camera images after processing. In this paper, the interface is scanned, and its details will be mentioned in the case study.

Strategy and technique of pancreatojejunostomy in minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy: clinical practice review

: With the spread of minimally invasive surgeries such as laparoscopic or robotic surgeries, they are increasingly being used for pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) as well, however pancreaticojejunum (PJ) anastomosis is quite challenging to perform in a minimally invasive surgery. We need to know more about methods in minimally invasive surgery PJ anastomosis. In this clinical practice review article, we present several papers about the technical aspects of PJ anastomosis in on laparoscopic and robotic PD, including a comparison of their surgical results, as well as initial results from our institution. There were more papers on laparoscopic PJ anastomosis than robotic PJ anastomosis. Some reports have shown that robotic surgery has a better outcome, and our institution’s results showed that robotic surgery significantly outperformed in terms of blood loss and length of hospital stay. This article summarizes the technical methods and comparative results of Laparoscopic and robotic PD, especially in PJ anastomosis. The results of the PJ anastomosis in robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) were seemed not inferior to those of the laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) in the past literature at least with respect to safety, and were superior than that of LPD in the results of our department. However, randomised controlled trial (RCT) is needed to clarify the true comparison between the results of LPD and RPD.

Payer-Negotiated Prices in the Diagnosis and Management of Prostate Cancer in 2022

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among American men. Patients face significant financial costs associated with the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of prostate cancer. Recent federal price transparency rules have attempted to allow patients to comparison shop. The purpose of this study was to evaluate efficacy of such policies for prostate cancer-associated services. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> A cross-sectional analysis of negotiated Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) rates was performed in hospitals across North Carolina. Inclusion criteria were limited to hospitals with greater than 35 beds that provided prostate cancer treatment services (imaging, radiation, and labs). Price transparency was measured by the percentage of hospitals publicizing negotiated rates for each service. Hospital sizes were estimated by bed count and grouped into quartiles. ANOVA testing was used to assess associations between hospital size and BCBS prices for each service. Chi-square analysis was used to compare percentage price transparency between small and large hospitals. <h3>Results</h3> Ninety hospitals were included in this study, with 86.7% of all services displaying negotiated prices. Smaller hospitals (bed size ≤ 150) were less likely to list negotiated prices for all services (81.4% vs. 91.4%, p=0.002). Of the 46 hospitals with gross IMRT charges listed, only 65% included a BCBS negotiated price, which was lower than that for other prostate-cancer related services. There was no apparent association between service price variation and hospital size (Table 1). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Although federal price transparency policies have mandated hospitals to provide accurate price information to patients, such platforms remain difficult to navigate, and smaller hospitals are less likely to comply with these rules. Interestingly, despite the perceived increased negotiating power of larger hospitals, we did not find that larger hospitals command lower BCBS negotiated rates in our study, though these findings are limited due to paucity of negotiated prices listed in smaller hospitals' chargemasters. Additional initiatives are necessary to provide patients with prices in a consistent format to allow true comparison shopping for prostate cancer care services.

EP-215 COVID-19: Influence on Stoma Outcomes &amp; Post-Operative Mortality

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in cessation of elective surgery and a shift towards emergency surgery, often non-curative with stoma formation. Our hospital stoma database scores surgical complications (retraction, prolapse, stenosis and hernia) and patient symptoms (leakage, soiling, skin changes and odour), recorded by the specialist nurse at varying post-operative points.AimTo compare stoma scores and post-operative mortality pre- and mid-pandemic.MethodsThe stoma database (Microsoft Access) was interrogated for two periods: 16/03/19–16/09/19 (pre-pandemic) and 16/03/20–16/09/20 (mid-pandemic). Mortality at 6 and 12 months was extracted from electronic patient records (Clinical Portal).ResultsPre-pandemic, 28 patients underwent stoma formation. Median stoma score at post-operative day 3, day 10, 6 months and 12 months was 0(0–4), 0(0–4), 1(0–8) and 1(0–3) respectively. Post-operative mortality was 21% at 6 months and 36% at 12 months.Mid-pandemic, 19 patients underwent stoma formation. Median stoma score at equivalent time intervals was 0(0–2), 1(0–8), 0(0–5) and 4 (n=1 patient score recorded). There was a relative paucity of data recorded mid-pandemic with a maximum of 9 patient scores recorded at any one time. Post-operative mortality was 16% at 6 months and 26% at 12 months.ConclusionsWhile acute surgery during the pandemic does not appear to be associated with increased stoma complications and post-operative mortality was less during the pandemic, limited data recording makes true comparison of pre- and mid-pandemic stoma outcomes difficult. Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical outcomes may be limited by poor quality of data collected.

Different Surgeries, Same Result?: Commentary on an article by Jacob M. Kirsch, MD, et al.: "Outcomes After Anatomic and Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for the Treatment of Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis. A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis".

Commentary In their study, Kirsch and colleagues evaluated the outcomes of anatomic (TSA) and reverse (RSA) total shoulder arthroplasty for the treatment of glenohumeral osteoarthritis in patients with an intact rotator cuff. In this retrospective, matched-cohort study, short-term results demonstrated improved patient-reported outcomes and a low rate of complications in both groups, with slightly better range of motion in the TSA group. This article is of interest due to the increasing prevalence of and expanding indications of RSA. In this study, matching was performed using preoperative function and patient-specific factors to better compare the outcomes of both implant designs. However, selection bias is still a limitation of this study design. Patients were selected for TSA or RSA based on surgeon preference; this implies differences between the groups that factored into the surgeon’s decision, which may impact the results. Additionally, the procedures were performed by a single surgeon with extensive shoulder arthroplasty experience. This should give readers pause when interpreting the results and how these results impact each surgeon’s current practice. There is evidence that surgeon experience leads to superior results for RSA1,2, although it does appear that improvements in training and implant design are narrowing this gap3. The results of this study showed generally similar improvement postoperatively among patients with matched preoperative ASES scores. This finding may contrast reports that show an association between patient dissatisfaction with TSA when the preoperative ASES score is lower4 and dissatisfaction with RSA when the preoperative ASES score is higher5. The conflict may be due to patient sampling and inherent difficulty with cohort matching. As stated earlier, the retrospective nature of the study by Kirsch et al. does raise questions about how the decision was made to perform TSA or RSA in otherwise similar patients. When weighing the risk of revision of TSA due to rotator cuff failure and aseptic glenoid loosening against slightly greater improvements in range of motion, it is tempting to move our indications toward RSA in older and lower-demand patients. However, using survivorship free from revision as the primary factor in deciding to perform RSA may be short-sighted. The complications and failures of TSA and RSA are as different and unique as the implants themselves. When considering revision rates, care should be taken to acknowledge that revision may not be an option in what is otherwise considered to be a failed implant or poor patient outcome after RSA. In a recent large database study comparing the complication and revision rates of these implants at a mean of 30 months, Parada et. al. reported that revision rates were higher for TSA yet complications rates were similar3. This discordance is largely driven by issues such as acromial insufficiency fracture and persistent pain—complications that are 2 of the 3 most frequently encountered complications associated with RSA. These complications not only lead to compromised patient outcomes but also do not have reliable solutions. In contrast, TSA failure can be corrected with revision to RSA in most circumstances. Certainly, we aim to make each patient’s first procedure their last procedure; however, issues such as those mentioned above should not be ignored. Additional research is needed to compare TSA and RSA in similar patient populations (as was done in this study) focusing on intermediate to long-term outcomes. Kirsch and colleagues have contributed valuable information to the debate between TSA and RSA in patients with osteoarthritis and should be congratulated for doing so. Matched cohort studies help to shed light on the differences and similarities associated with these procedures, but longer-term follow-up is needed. Ultimately, a prospective randomized trial is needed for true comparison between these 2 procedures. The decision to perform TSA or RSA is complex and involves multiple patient and surgeon-related factors. Despite the evidence presented in this study, TSA is still our preferred treatment for most patients with osteoarthritis and a functional rotator cuff.

Life cycle comparison of passenger air and rail transportation

Air transportation has an undisputed speed advantage among all other modes. On the other hand, it is known that the environmental metrics of aviation is quite unsatisfactory compared to other transportation types due to its fuel characteristics and the amount of consumed fuel. However, it would be a wrong choice to rely solely on operational processes to make a true comparison. For this reason, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model should be generated by taking into account processes such as production except the operation process and the calculations should be performed with a comprehensive and holistic perspective. In this study, the environmental impacts of air and rail transport types are compared from the life cycle perspective. For this purpose, first, the emissions in the case of one passenger per one km (pkm) transportation by air and rail were calculated. Then, taking into account the production and disposal processes of the aircraft and passenger trains, the LCA cycle was completed and total emissions were calculated. SimaPro version 9.0.0.49 package program and 1.09 version of ReCiPe 2008 method were used for LCA calculations. With the help of the program, emissions generated during both production and one pkm transportation processes of an aircraft, high-speed and normal train were estimated. Accordingly, the greenhouse gas produced one pkm in air transport was 126.8 g in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq), while CO2eq was 0.3 and 0.31 g for high-speed trains and regular trains, respectively. Considering the production processes, 2072.1, 28.72 and 19.07 t of greenhouse gases are produced, respectively for these three transportation modes.

Are Mindfulness-Based Interventions as Effective as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Symptoms of Complicated Perinatal Grief? A Systematic Review.

Perinatal loss can be a devastating experience for parents that can result in complicated grief symptoms that include depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Perinatal bereavement care pathways have been developed internationally within health care services; however, there is an apparent lack of recommendations and guidance on grief-focused interventions specifically for complicated perinatal grief. Studies have analyzed the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for perinatal grief, and more recent research has emerged on the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for perinatal grief symptoms. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and present the effectiveness of CBT and MBIs for perinatal grief, to report patient experiences of the interventions, and to determine which intervention can be more effective in managing symptoms of complicated perinatal grief. A systematic search was conducted of 5 academic databases: PsycINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Social Science, and ASSIA. No limits on publication date, language, or geographic location were set because of the paucity of research published on this subject. Quality appraisal was conducted for each included study. Findings are reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. This systematic review identified 8 eligible studies with a total of 681 bereaved participants. The results were examined for effectiveness of CBT and MBIs for grief; effectiveness of CBT and MBIs for depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress; and participant experiences. Both interventions produced favorable reductions of perinatal grief symptoms, depression, and posttraumatic stress. However, a true comparison between the 2 interventions' effect on complicated perinatal grief symptoms could not be made because of the limited studies in this area and the heterogeneity of the included studies' methods and outcomes. Both MBIs and CBT interventions can be effective in reducing symptoms of complicated perinatal grief. The findings of this review are heavily weighted in quantitative outcome measurements. More qualitative research and randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are needed in this area of perinatal bereavement care.

ALMA’s view of the M-dwarf GSC 07396-00759’s edge-on debris disc: AU Mic’s coeval twin

ABSTRACT We present new ALMA Band 7 observations of the edge-on debris disc around the M1V star GSC 07396-00759. At ∼20 Myr old and in the β Pictoris Moving Group along with AU Mic, GSC 07396-00759 joins it in the handful of low-mass M-dwarf discs to be resolved in the sub-mm. With previous VLT/SPHERE scattered light observations, we present a multiwavelength view of the dust distribution within the system under the effects of stellar wind forces. We find the mm dust grains to be well described by a Gaussian torus at 70 au with a full width at half-maximum of 48 au and we do not detect the presence of CO in the system. Our ALMA model radius is significantly smaller than the radius derived from polarimetric scattered light observations, implying complex behaviour in the scattering phase function. The brightness asymmetry in the disc observed in scattered light is not recovered in the ALMA observations, implying that the physical mechanism only affects smaller grain sizes. High-resolution follow-up observations of the system would allow investigation into its unique dust features as well as provide a true coeval comparison for its smaller sibling AU Mic, singularly well-observed amongst M-dwarfs systems.

ClusterSheep: A Graphics Processing Unit-Accelerated Software Tool for Large-Scale Clustering of Tandem Mass Spectra from Shotgun Proteomics.

Modern shotgun proteomics experiments generate gigabytes of spectra every hour, only a fraction of which were utilized to form biological conclusions. Instead of being stored as flat files in public data repositories, this large amount of data can be better organized to facilitate data reuse. Clustering these spectra by similarity can be helpful in building high-quality spectral libraries, correcting identification errors, and highlighting frequently observed but unidentified spectra. However, large-scale clustering is time-consuming. Here, we present ClusterSheep, a method utilizing Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to accelerate the process. Unlike previously proposed algorithms for this purpose, our method performs true pairwise comparison of all spectra within a precursor mass-to-charge ratio tolerance, thereby preserving the full cluster structures. ClusterSheep was benchmarked against previously reported clustering tools, MS-Cluster, MaRaCluster, and msCRUSH. The software tool also functions as an interactive visualization tool with a persistent state, enabling the user to explore the resulting clusters visually and retrieve the clustering results as desired.

Carbon fiber versus glass fiber reinforcements: A novel, true comparison in thermoplastics

AbstractCarbon fiber and glass fiber are two dominating reinforcements for polymer composites. Fiber‐reinforced thermoplastics are widely used in many applications. It has a higher growth rate than thermoset composites due to ease in processing and recyclability. Glass fiber has been on the market for 80 years and carbon fiber over 50 years. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of research paper to compare the performance of the two fibers and hybrid. All the studies are from commercially available products. In all those cases, these two fibers are non‐comparable. They have different fiber diameter, size and sizing content, chop length and chopping process. Taiwan Glass Industries, Corp. has cordially provided two experimental chopped strands that match the characteristics of chopped carbon fibers. The first one is for nylon reinforcement and the second one is for polypropylene. Now the glass fiber and carbon fiber have the same fiber diameter (7 microns), same size and sizing content (1%), and same chop length (6 mm). Most importantly, they are produced in identical way (off‐line chop). The only difference between two fibers is silane on glass surface. This is the first of this kind of study. It gives a true comparison of two fibers with identical characteristics. As expected, fiber diameter has the biggest influence in mechanical properties among all fiber characteristics. For nylon, the difference between 7 micron and 10 micron glass fiber is small in tensile and flexural strength. It has bigger difference in impact strength. For polypropylene reinforcement, the fiber diameter of standard polypropylene dispersion (PP) glass fiber is 13 microns; almost double that of carbon fiber. Seven‐micron PP glass actually outperforms PP carbon fiber in composite strengths.

To travel hopefully… in search of the instant creep test

ABSTRACT Proverbially ‘To travel hopefully is better than to arrive.’ Many roads have been travelled in search of a short-term mechanical test that would reliably predict long-term component creep life. The motive is clear; whatever progress is made in inspection and monitoring, direct measurement of the relevant properties of the subject material – archival or ex-service – will always provide the most reliable indicator of its state and performance capability. The difficulties are equally clear: mechanism changes over the stress, temperature and time ranges involved; issues of specimen size and geometry – and their relation to stress state; adequate emulation of in-service variation in operating condition; and, for post-exposure tests, translating information between the sample position and the critical location. This paper focuses on: issues of mechanism change, both in simple extrapolation and across boundaries of stress state and test type identification of parameters that allow true comparison between forward creep, stress relaxation and constant strain rate testing Data obtained on low-alloy ferritic steels are examined and analysed, largely using the framework of continuum damage mechanics. Particular attention is given to the nature of the equilibria represented by tensile instability and the minimum creep rate. It is concluded that the ‘instant test’ is an unreachable ideal. However, the knowledge and understanding gained through the search have benefitted the larger objective and – as in every legendary quest – have made the journey worthwhile.

Microalgae as Sustainable Bio-Factories of Healthy Lipids: Evaluating Fatty Acid Content and Antioxidant Activity.

The demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly food sources and food ingredients is increasing, and microalgae are promoted as a sustainable source of essential and bioactive lipids, with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3 FA), comparable to those of fish. However, most FA screening studies on algae are scattered or use different methodologies, preventing a true comparison of its content between microalgae. In this work, we used gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) to characterize the FA profile of seven different commercial microalgae with biotechnological applications (Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorococcum amblystomatis, Scenedesmus obliquus, Tetraselmis chui, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Spirulina sp., and Nannochloropsis oceanica). Screening for antioxidant activity was also performed to understand the relationship between FA profile and bioactivity. Microalgae exhibited specific FA profiles with a different composition, namely in the ω-3 FA profile, but with species of the same phylum showing similar tendencies. The different lipid extracts showed similar antioxidant activities, but with a low activity of the extracts of Nannochloropsis oceanica. Overall, this study provides a direct comparison of FA profiles between microalgae species, supporting the role of these species as alternative, sustainable, and healthy sources of essential lipids.

Deletion of Rap-Phr systems in Bacillus subtilis influences in vitro biofilm formation and plant root colonization.

Natural isolates of the soil‐dwelling bacterium Bacillus subtilis form robust biofilms under laboratory conditions and colonize plant roots. B. subtilis biofilm gene expression displays phenotypic heterogeneity that is influenced by a family of Rap‐Phr regulatory systems. Most Rap‐Phr systems in B. subtilis have been studied independently, in different genetic backgrounds and under distinct conditions, hampering true comparison of the Rap‐Phr systems’ impact on bacterial cell differentiation. Here, we investigated each of the 12 Rap‐Phr systems of B.subtilis NCIB 3610 for their effect on biofilm formation. By studying single ∆rap‐phr mutants, we show that despite redundancy between the cell–cell communication systems, deletion of each of the 12 Rap‐Phr systems influences matrix gene expression. These Rap‐Phr systems therefore enable fine‐tuning of the timing and level of matrix production in response to specific conditions. Furthermore, some of the ∆rap‐phr mutants demonstrated altered biofilm formation in vitro and colonization of Arabidopsis thaliana roots, but not necessarily similarly in both processes, indicating that the pathways regulating matrix gene expression and other factors important for biofilm formation may be differently regulated under these distinct conditions.

CORR Insights®: More Than One-third of Orthopaedic Applicants Are in the Top 10%: The Standardized Letter of Recommendation and Evaluation of Orthopaedic Resident Applicants.

CORR Insights®: More Than One-third of Orthopaedic Applicants Are in the Top 10%: The Standardized Letter of Recommendation and Evaluation of Orthopaedic Resident Applicants.

Stability of gold standard and its selected consequences: a comment

Kvasnicˇka (2007) attempts to demonstrate that the gold standard may be an unlikely alternative for small economies to revert to. The crux of his argument deals with supply considerations that could prove fatal to a fledgling currency. An influx of gold from the world’s existing gold stock, or its new production could prove to be a destabilising supply-side factor undermining the usability, and hence, adoption, of such a monetary system. We find fault with this for two main theoretical reasons. First, a distinction must be made between gold stock, and monetary gold. Second, the mechanism that creates monetary gold works as a natural break on unrestrained supply growth. Several additional clarifications are necessary as well, among them the role money supply plays in the trade cycle, and the casual relationship that exists between supply and price. Finally, an insightful comparison used linking monetary gold in a small economy to the use of cigarettes in a Second World War P.O.W. camp must be slightly altered to make a true comparison. Kvasnicˇka does a great service to free-marketers by providing a theoretical attack on the choice of gold as a medium of exchange, however, in light of this paper’s theoretical conclusions, the free-market defence of commodity money endures.&#x0D; JEL Classification: B53 – Austrian Economics, E42 – Monetary Systems, E51 – Money Supply.

Providing goal reminders eliminates the relationship between working memory capacity and Stroop errors.

Previous research has shown that list-wide effects in the Stroop task interact with working memory capacity (WMC). The predominant explanation for this relationship is goal maintenance. However, some researchers have challenged whether list-wide effects truly reflect goal-maintenance abilities. In the current study, we examined whether goal maintenance explains higher WMC individuals' better performance within mostly congruent (MC) Stroop lists by providing periodic goal reminders to some of the participants. Two hundred and twelve participants from Montana State University first completed the Automated Operation Span and were then assigned to either a true control, goal reminder, or nongoal reminder condition. During the Stroop task, the true control condition received rest breaks every 60 trials, whereas the goal reminder and nongoal reminder conditions stopped every 12 trials to vocalize either the task goal or a rehearsed statement, respectively. We regressed Stroop errors on reminder condition and WMC, comparing each group to the true control. For the Goal Reminder × True Control comparison, there was an interaction, such that WMC negatively correlated with Stroop errors in the true control, but not in the goal reminder condition. In contrast, for the Nongoal Reminder × True Control comparison, there was only an overall effect of WMC, with greater Stroop errors for those lower in WMC. These data provide evidence that goal reminders eliminate the relationship between WMC and Stroop interference.