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Racial Hierarchy-based Discrimination in a Multiracial Power Structure
No full textIn our work, we suggest that racial discrimination in hiring decisions can take on different forms. Specifically, we argue that when prejudiced individuals discriminate against Black job candidates, they are not only discriminating because they hold individual negative biases about Black people. They are also – and perhaps primarily – motivated to perpetuate the current racial hierarchy. And, in order to do so, they support hiring candidates – be they Black or White – who will not disrupt a system where White people continue to be systematically advantaged. In this distinct form of discrimination – which we call racial hierarchy-based discrimination, prejudiced individuals can display a preference for hiring a Black candidate who wants to uphold the racial hierarchy over a White candidate who wants to disrupt it. Across eight experiments, we document this type of discrimination. Our results also show evidence for biased evaluations across the racial prejudice spectrum. That is, both low and high prejudice individuals can be strategic in how they pursue their goals of disrupting or maintaining the racial hierarchy. We end with a discussion of how racial hierarchy-based discrimination can lead to the appearance of racial progress, all the while keeping in place a racial power structure that systematically disadvantages Black Americans. </p
Critical Analysis of Radiographic and Patient Reported Outcomes Following Anterior/Posterior Staged vs. Same Day Surgery in Patients Undergoing Identical Corrective Surgery for Adult Spinal Deformity.
No full textStudydesignRetrospective cohort study of a prospectively collected multi-center adult spinal deformity (ASD) database.ObjectiveTo compare staged procedures to same-day interventions and identify the optimal time interval between staged surgeries for treatment of ASD.BackgroundSurgical intervention for ASD is invasive and complex procedure that surgeons often elect to perform on different days (staging). Yet, there remains a paucity of literature on the timing and effects of the interval between stages.MethodsASD patients with two-year (2Y) data undergoing an anterior/posterior (A/P) fusion to the ilium were included. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed for number of levels fused, number of interbody devices, surgical approaches, number of osteotomies/three-column osteotomy (3CO), frailty, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), revisions, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL), and UIV to create balanced cohorts of Same-Day and Staged surgical patients. Staged patients were stratified by intervening time-period between surgeries, using quartiles.Results176 PSM patients were included. Median interval between A/P staged procedures was 3 days. Staged patients had greater operative time and lower ICU stays postop (PConclusionsThis investigation is among the first to compare multicenter staged and same day surgery anterior/posterior adult spinal deformity patients fused to ilium using propensity-matching. Staged procedures resulted in significant improvement radiographically, reduced ICU admissions, and superior patient reported outcomes compared to same day procedures. An interval of at least three days between staged procedures is associated with superior outcomes in terms of GAP score proportionality
Lowest Instrumented Vertebra Selection to S1 or Ilium Versus L4 or L5 in Adult Spinal Deformity: Factors for Consideration in 349 Patients With a Mean 46-Month Follow-Up
No full textStudy Design: Retrospective cohort study. Objective: To compare the outcomes of patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) following spinal fusion with the lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) at L4/L5 versus S1/ilium. Methods: A multicenter ASD database was evaluated. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on LIV levels—groups L (fusion to L4/L5) and S (fusion to S1/ilium). Both groups were propensity matched by age and preoperative radiographic alignments. Patient demographics, operative details, radiographic parameters, revision rates, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores were compared. Results: Overall, 349 patients had complete data, with a mean follow-up of 46 months. Patients in group S (n = 311) were older and had larger sagittal and coronal plane deformities than those in group L (n = 38). After matching, 28 patients were allocated to each group with similar demographic, radiographic, and clinical parameters. Sagittal alignment restoration at postoperative week 6 was significantly better in group S than in group L, but it was similar in both groups at the 2-year follow-up. Fusion to S1/ilium involved a longer operating time, higher PJK rates, and greater PJK angles than that to L4/L5. There were no significant differences in the complication and revision rates between the groups. Both groups showed significant improvements in HRQOL scores. Conclusions: Fusion to S1/ilium had better sagittal alignment restoration at postoperative week 6 and involved higher PJK rates and greater PJK angles than that to L4/L5. The clinical outcomes and rates of revision surgery and complications were similar between the groups
Early Monoclonal Antibody Administration Can Reduce Both Hospitalizations and Mortality in High-Risk Outpatients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
No full textbĕ-rēʾšît, “With ‘Wisdom,’” in Genesis 1.1 (MT)
No full textThis essay argues that the vocalization of the very first word of Gen. 1.1 in the Masoretic Text (MT), bĕrēʾšȋt, which is often thought to be in error in some way, may instead be the result of exegetical activity. Specifically, in light of the well-attested tradition that links Wisdom with creation both within the Bible and without, it is possible that bĕrēʾšȋt in MT Gen. 1.1 participates in the line of interpretation that ciphers Wisdom as “Beginning” (rēʾšȋt) in light of Prov. 8.22. If so, the MT of Gen. 1.1 is not a grammatical error to be corrected, but an exegetical cross-reference, referring readers to Wisdom’s role in creation as known, inter alia, in Proverbs 8
The Political Determinants of Corruption
No full textPolitical factors play a big role in influencing the ebbs and flows of corruption. The literature seems unanimously in agreement that, even in places where corruption is entrenched and systemic, the political calculations of individual politicians can still have an impact on corruption outcomes. On the other hand, while canonical research has delved into the divergent inner workings of different types of corruption for decades, studies on the link between politics and corruption have not paid sufficient attention to these distinctions. This dissertation speaks to the idea that politics influences different types of corruption differently in different settings. I seek to shed some light on how types of corruption and political contexts matter by studying wrongdoing at local governments in Vietnam. A contribution of the dissertation is the data collection efforts to acquire novel datasets. I got access to fine-grained data on bribery behavior at Vietnamese firms by working on the survey team for the Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) for four years. On the politics side, I constructed a dataset on the career paths of Vietnamese provincial leaders since late 1990s, using information from newspapers, administrative almanacs, and various Internet sources.</p
Novel Merging of CT and MRI to Allow for Safe Navigation into Kambin's Triangle for Percutaneous Lumbar Interbody Fusion-Initial Case Series Investigating Safety and Efficacy.
No full textBackgroundFor percutaneous lumbar fusion (percLIF), magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography are critical to defining surgical corridors. Currently, these scans are performed separately, and surgeons then use fluoroscopy or neuromonitoring to guide instruments through Kambin's triangle. However, anatomic variations and intraoperative positional changes are possible, meaning that safely accessing Kambin's triangle remains a challenge because nerveroot visualization without endoscopes has not been thoroughly described.ObjectiveTo overcome the known challenges of percLIF and reduce the likelihood of iatrogenic injuries by showing real-time locations of neural and bony anatomy.MethodsThe authors demonstrate an intraoperative navigational platform that applies nerve root segmentation and image fusion to assist with percLIF. Five patients from a single institution were included.ResultsOf the 5 patients, the mean age was 71 ± 8 years and 3 patients (60%) were female. One patient had general anesthesia while the remaining 4 patients underwent awake surgery with spinal anesthesia. The mean area for the L4-L5 Kambin's triangle was 76.1 ± 14.5 mm 2 . A case example is shown where the side of approach was based on the fact that Kambin's triangle was larger on one side compared with the other. The mean operative time was 170 ± 17 minutes, the mean blood loss was 32 ± 16 mL, and the mean hospital length of stay was 19.6 ± 8.3 hours. No patients developed postoperative complications.ConclusionThis case series demonstrates the successful and safe application of nerve segmentation using magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography fusion to perform percLIF and provide positive patient outcomes
Clinical and radiographic parameters associated with best versus worst clinical outcomes in minimally invasive spinal deformity surgery.
No full textOBJECTIVE Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques are increasingly used to treat adult spinal deformity. However, standard minimally invasive spinal deformity techniques have a more limited ability to restore sagittal balance and match the pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL) than traditional open surgery. This study sought to compare "best" versus "worst" outcomes of MIS to identify variables that may predispose patients to postoperative success. METHODS A retrospective review of minimally invasive spinal deformity surgery cases was performed to identify parameters in the 20% of patients who had the greatest improvement in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores versus those in the 20% of patients who had the least improvement in ODI scores at 2 years' follow-up. RESULTS One hundred four patients met the inclusion criteria, and the top 20% of patients in terms of ODI improvement at 2 years (best group, 22 patients) were compared with the bottom 20% (worst group, 21 patients). There were no statistically significant differences in age, body mass index, pre- and postoperative Cobb angles, pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence, levels fused, operating room time, and blood loss between the best and worst groups. However, the mean preoperative ODI score was significantly higher (worse disability) at baseline in the group that had the greatest improvement in ODI score (58.2 vs 39.7, p < 0.001). There was no difference in preoperative PI-LL mismatch (12.8° best vs 19.5° worst, p = 0.298). The best group had significantly less postoperative sagittal vertical axis (SVA; 3.4 vs 6.9 cm, p = 0.043) and postoperative PI-LL mismatch (10.4° vs 19.4°, p = 0.027) than the worst group. The best group also had better postoperative visual analog scale back and leg pain scores (p = 0.001 and p = 0.046, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The authors recommend that spinal deformity surgeons using MIS techniques focus on correcting a patient's PI-LL mismatch to within 10° and restoring SVA to < 5 cm. Restoration of these parameters seems to impact which patients will attain the greatest degree of improvement in ODI outcomes, while the spines of patients who do the worst are not appropriately corrected and may be fused into a fixed sagittal plane deformity
In Reply: Incidence and Predictive Factors of Sepsis Following Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.
No full textMITIGATING COHERENT NOISE
No full textStochastic errors in quantum systems occur randomly but coherent errors may be more damaging since they can accumulate in a particular direction. We develop a framework for designing decoherence free subspaces (DFS), that are unperturbed by coherent noise. We consider a particular form of coherent -errors and construct stabilizer codes that form DFS for such noise (``Z-DFS'').
More precisely, we develop conditions for transversal to preserve a stabilizer code subspace for all .
If the code is error-detecting, then this implies a trivial action on the logical qubits. These conditions require the existence of a large number of weight- -stabilizers, and together, these weight- -stabilizers generate a direct product of single-parity-check codes.By adjusting the size of these components, we are able to construct a constant rate family of CSS Z-DFS codes. Invariance under transversal translates to a trigonometric equation satisfied by , and for every non-zero -component of a stabilizer, there is a trigonometric equation that must be satisfied.
The -stabilizers supported on this non-zero -component form a classical binary code C, and the trigonometric constraint connects signs of -stabilizers to divisibility of weights in .
This construction may be of independent interest to classical coding theorists who have long been interested in codes with the property that all weights are divisible by some integer .
If we require that transversal preserves the code space only up to some finite level in the Clifford
hierarchy, then we can construct higher level gates necessary for universal quantum computation.
The aforesaid code contains a self-dual code and the classical Gleason's theorem constrains its weight enumerator. The trigonometric conditions corresponding to higher values of lead to generalizations of Gleason's theorem that may be of independent interest to classical coding theorists. The Reed-Muller code and the family of Shor codes are included in our general framework.</p