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Spoofing in US futures markets:an interdisciplinary approach
No full textSpoofing is a manipulative practice that can severely harm the functioning of markets. Economically, the characteristics and impact of spoofing on markets are scarcely studied. Legally, the spoofing statute is broad and complex. This article delineates all aspects of spoofing from both an economic and legal perspective by providing a comprehensive overview of spoofing types, legislation, literature, rulings, and a conceptual framework of spoofing dimensions and attributes. This framework is used to analyse 204 US spoofing cases in futures markets and highlights the nuances of spoofing. Although the empirical focus of this article is on US futures markets, the conceptual framework is generic to other markets, trading mechanisms, and jurisdictions, and it can be adapted to include other market-manipulation types
May Measurement Month 2022:an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Albania
No full textThe May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Albania in 2022 with the aim of raising awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Here, we report on the findings of the campaign. Adults aged >= 18 years were recruited opportunistically at 27 sites across several districts of Albania. Three seated BP readings were taken for each participant, along with completion of a questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP >= 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP >= 90 mmHg or being on antihypertensive medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on antihypertensive medication with a BP < 140/90 mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate any missing BP readings. In total, 12 348 participants were screened, with a mean age of 49.9 (SD +/- 15.0) years and 59.5% of whom were female. Of all participants, 4908 (39.7%) had hypertension, of whom 3170 (64.6%) were aware, and 3053 (62.2%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 1807 (59.2%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 36.8% had controlled BP. Mean systolic and/or diastolic BP was significantly higher among participants with no formal education and those with a sedentary lifestyle. Whilst, current smoking was positively related to high systolic BP only. The MMM campaign in Albania identified significant numbers of participants with either untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. Findings from MMM22 underscore the critical need for enhanced hypertension screening management and follow-up care within the Albanian healthcare system
Clinical practice variations in geriatric assessment for patients with head and neck cancer in the Netherlands:A nationwide analysis
No full textA novel MBTPS2 missense variant identifying keratosis follicularis spinulosa decalvans in a case of neonatal erythroderma
No full textComplete Revascularization Versus Culprit-Only PCI in Acute Coronary Syndrome and Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease:An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 10,150 Subjects From 11 Randomized Studies
No full textBackground Approximately half of individuals with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are affected by multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD), and recent studies in the field have presented conflicting data on effective benefit of complete revascularization. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus culprit-only PCI in individuals presenting with acute coronary syndrome and multivessel CAD.Methods and Results Randomized trials on ACS comparing multivessel PCI versus culprit-only PCI were included. The primary efficacy outcome was all-cause death. The primary safety outcomes were major bleeding and contrast induced nephropathy. Secondary ischemic and safety outcomes were also investigated. Subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the consistency of the effect sizes as a function of age (younger vs older individuals, using a cut-off of 65 years) and of a higher or lower prevalence of diabetic patients (using a cut-off of 20% for each study). A total of 11 randomized trials including 10,150 individuals with a mean follow-up of 21.7 months were included. Compared with cluprit-only PCI, multivessel PCI significantly reduced the risk of all-cause death (risk ratio 0.86, [0.74-1.00], p = 0.047), mainly due to a significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality by 26%. Similarly, the rates of new myocardial infarction and unplanned revascularization were significantly reduced. No increases in major bleeding, contrast induced nephropathy or stroke were observed, with a significantly higher rate of stent thrombosis in complete revascularization group, even if with a low absolute risk (risk ratio 1.69 [1.10, 2.59], p = 0.027). Subgroup analyses revealed a significant interaction for death in studies with higher prevalence of diabetics (p for interaction = 0.029), but no interaction for death with regards of age.Conclusion In individuals presenting with ACS and multivessel CAD, complete revascularization was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, with a lower rate of major ischemic events and no significant increase in major complications. The benefit was particularly evident in diabetic patients
The Effectiveness of the Back At work After Surgery (BAAS) Work-Integrated Care Pathway on Return to Work for Patients Receiving Knee Arthroplasty:A Study of Three Comparative Cohorts in the Netherlands
No full textPurposeConsidering the increase in the demand from working age patients seeking knee arthroplasty (KA) and the low return-to-work (RTW) rates, optimization of care for patients getting KA with a focus on RTW is essential. We evaluated a work-integrated care pathway-Back At work After Surgery (BAAS)-aimed at improving RTW compared with care-as-usual in the Netherlands.MethodsIn this multicenter study of three comparative cohorts, working patients who had primary KA were included. Patients in two Dutch hospitals (BAAS cohort) received integrated medical and occupational care, including structured pre- and postoperative consultations, goal setting, activity tracking, and interdisciplinary team meetings with both medical and occupational health professionals. Two independent control cohorts with comparable patient inclusion criteria (Expect TO work and ACTIVE) from 15 hospitals/clinics received care-as-usual. The primary outcomes were the time to first day of RTW and time to full RTW within 12 months. Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting was used with known prognostic factors as covariates to account for possible differences in baseline characteristics.ResultsA total of 457 patients were included (BAAS n = 145; Expect TO work n = 179; ACTIVE n = 133). The median time to first day of RTW was 16-25 days shorter in the BAAS cohort (27 days) compared to Expect TO work (52 days; hazard ratio [HR] 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]:2.1-3.4) and ACTIVE cohort (43 days; HR:1.95; CI:1.5-2.6). At three months, 90% of BAAS patients had started RTW versus 63% and 77% in the control cohorts. BAAS patients also achieved full RTW earlier, with a median time reduced by 27 days compared to the ACTIVE cohort (HR:1.4; CI:1.1-1.8). The odds of full RTW at 12 months were higher in the BAAS cohort compared to Expect TO work, namely odds ratio (OR) 5.0 (CI:1.3-18.5) and ACTIVE OR 9.3 (CI:2.5-34.8).ConclusionThe BAAS work-integrated care pathway was more effective than care-as-usual in improving RTW after KA in the Netherlands.Trail RegistrationThis study was retrospectively registered at clinicaltrails.gov ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05690347, date of first registration: 19-01-2023)
Psychometric properties and clinical usability of the cognition in daily life scale in patients with acquired brain injury in clinical care settings
No full textObjective Evaluate the internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity and clinical usability of the Cognition in Daily Life scale for patients with acquired brain injury.Design Validation study.Participants A total of 75 patients with acquired brain injury (mostly male [n = 47, 68%]; mean age 67 years) were recruited from inpatient care facilities. Sixty participants (81%) had sustained a stroke.Main measures Outcome measure: Cognition in Daily Life scale. Reference measures: Utrecht Scale for Rehabilitation-Cognition subscale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Barthel Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Fatigue Severity Scale.Results After removing redundant items, all subscales of the Cognition in Daily Life scale demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency. Test-retest reliability was good (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.847), and inter-rater reliability was moderate (ICC = 0.615). Convergent validity was confirmed through moderately strong correlations between most subscales of the Cognition in Daily Life Scale and other measures of cognition. Cognition in Daily Life subscales generally did not correlate with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Fatigue Severity Scale, indicating divergent validity. Moderate correlations with the Barthel Index suggested related, but distinct constructs. Clinicians found the Cognition in Daily Life scale easy to administer and relevant for practice, though time-consuming. They suggested layout improvements for greater usability.Conclusion The Cognition in Daily Life scale is adequately valid, reliable and clinically usable for assessing cognition in daily life in patients with acquired brain injury in a clinical setting. Future research needs to evaluate the scale's sensitivity to change and its performance in other settings and populations
Trans-ancestry genome-wide study of depression identifies 697 associations implicating cell types and pharmacotherapies
No full textIn a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of 688,808 individuals with major depression (MD) and 4,364,225 controls from 29 countries across diverse and admixed ancestries, we identify 697 associations at 635 loci, 293 of which are novel. Using fine-mapping and functional tools, we find 308 high-confidence gene associations and enrichment of postsynaptic density and receptor clustering. A neural cell-type enrichment analysis utilizing single-cell data implicates excitatory, inhibitory, and medium spiny neurons and the involvement of amygdala neurons in both mouse and human single-cell analyses. The associations are enriched for antidepressant targets and provide potential repurposing opportunities. Polygenic scores trained using European or multi-ancestry data predicted MD status across all ancestries, explaining up to 5.8% of MD liability variance in Europeans. These findings advance our global understanding of MD and reveal biological targets that may be used to target and develop pharmacotherapies addressing the unmet need for effective treatment
Behavioral Manifolds:Representing the Landscape of Grasp Affordances in Relative Pose Space
No full textThe use of machine learning to investigate grasp affordances has received extensive attention over the past several decades. The existing literature provides a robust basis to build upon, though a number of aspects may be improved. Results commonly work in terms of grasp configuration, with little consideration for the manner in which the grasp may be (re-)produced, from a reachability and trajectory planning perspective. We propose a different perspective on grasp affordance learning, explicitly accounting for grasp synthesis; that is, the manner in which manipulator kinematics are used to allow materialization of grasps. The approach allows to explicitly map the grasp policy space in terms of generated grasp types and associated grasp quality. Results of application to a range of objects illustrate merit of the method and highlight the manner in which it may promote a greater degree of explainability for otherwise intransparent reinforcement processes
The Influence Of Perceived Hiv Risk And Social Support On Willingness To Use Pre Exposure Prophylaxis Among Pastoralist Youth In Southern Ethiopia
No full textBACKGROUND: Pastoralist youth, whose mobile livelihoods often restrict access to consistent healthcare, face elevated risk of HIV acquisition yet limited engagement with conventional prevention services. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers a promising biomedical prevention option; however, little is known about the factors influencing PrEP willingness in this marginalized population. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to: (i) examine whether HIV risk status, derived through latent class analysis (LCA), predicts willingness to use PrEP; (ii) assess whether perceived HIV risk mediates this association; and (iii) determine whether social support moderates the mediation pathway. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 638 randomly selected pastoralist youth aged 15–24 years in Southern Ethiopia (April–May 2024). HIV risk status (independent variable) was generated using LCA based on nine HIV risk indicators. Perceived HIV risk (mediator), social support (moderator), and willingness to use PrEP (dependent variable) were measured using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Hypothesized pathways were tested using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 4 for mediation; Model 15 for moderated mediation) with 5,000 bootstrap samples. RESULTS: Overall, 40.4% of participants reported definite willingness to use PrEP. High-risk youth showed significantly greater PrEP willingness than low-risk youth (direct effect, ß = 0.92, p < 0.001). Perceived HIV risk partially mediated the association between high HIV risk and PrEP willingness (indirect effect, ß = 0.20, 95% CI 0.10–0.35). Furthermore, social support significantly moderated the perceived-risk <sup>5</sup> PrEP willingness pathway among the high-risk group (index of moderated mediation = 0.21, 95% CI 0.03–0.43), with the mediated effect increasing from 0.12 to 0.35 as social support improved. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that PrEP willingness is higher among pastoralist youth at higher objective HIV risk. This association is partly explained by their perceived HIV risk. Crucially, stronger social support enhances the likelihood that youth who perceive themselves at risk express willingness to use PrEP. These findings underscore the importance of integrating targeted risk communication with community-based support systems to enhance accurate risk perception and promote PrEP uptake among pastoralist youth