Do weak institutions undermine global innovation production efficiency?

This paper focuses on institutional influences on innovation efficiency across countries. Whereas various causes and effects of technological change have been examined, empirical investigations of the efficiency involved in innovation production are relatively few. Using data on a large sample of nations over 2018-2020 and considering corruption, regulatory quality, and state fragility as alternative institutional dimensions, our results show that greater corruption facilitates ("greases") efficiency in the production of innovations. This is also the case with improvements in regulatory quality, while greater state fragility increases inefficiency. These findings for the overall sample are somewhat different for the OECD and non-OECD subsamples, although the greasing effect of corruption remains throughout. A robustness check with patent protection and government size as alternative institutional dimensions is also conducted.

Determination of heavy metal baseline levels and threshold values on marine sediments in the Bay of Biscay.

Several international institutions have defined background or baseline levels to assess heavy metal concentrations on marine sediments in order to use these values as a reference for sediment quality indices. This criterion for marine sediment quality is applied to evaluate the potential risk of pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. However, those values were established using samples collected in large areas which present specific geochemical conditions. Then there may be a lack of accuracy in the results when using these parameters in other areas. In this context, 15 sediment cores (8 cm diameter; 2 m length) were recovered along the 400 km Asturian coastline, which is an area with representative lithological conditions for the Bay of Biscay, to determine more precise baseline levels for marine sediments from the Bay of Biscay. An evaluation of statistical and empirical methods was done to determine which method delivers the best results. Statistical methods such as mean±2SD and median±2* Median Absolut Deviation (MAD) are strongly influenced by outliers and data distributions which make these approaches less robust. Graphic techniques such as Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) avoid the problems that asymmetrical data distributions may cause but introduce a certain level of subjectivity in the results due to the baseline values obtained depending on the researcher's experience. Finally, the Probability Curve (CP) method solves issues which may occur when using other techniques and allows one to establish baseline levels based on different percentiles. Regarding the features of the data analysed in this study, the baselines obtained via the CP method with the 95th percentile appear to be the most accurate for the Bay of Biscay. A wide variation has been found between the new baseline values and other international and national levels. Disparity between those levels and the baselines obtained in this study can be generated by granulometric and geological factors. The notable increase in Hg baseline values with respect to OSPAR Background Concentration values (BCs) (0.05 µg g-1 and 0.6 µg g-1 respectively) and the huge different with CEDEX levels and new threshold levels (0.35 µg g-1 and 1.2 µg g-1 respectively) emphasised the relevance of defining specific baselines and threshold levels, as the ones obtained in this study, not only to obtain more precise criteria for marine sediment quality to be used in environmental assessments, but also to propose new threshold levels for the evaluation of dredged material before dumping into ocean sites.

Effects of Counseling by Peer Human Advisors vs Computers to Increase Walking in Underserved Populations: The COMPASS Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Effective and practical treatments are needed to increase physical activity among those at heightened risk from inactivity. Walking represents a popular physical activity that can produce a range of desirable health effects, particularly as people age. Objective: To test the hypothesis that counseling by a computer-based virtual advisor is no worse than (ie, noninferior to) counseling by trained human advisors for increasing 12-month walking levels among inactive adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cluster-randomized, noninferiority parallel trial enrolled 245 adults between July 21, 2014, and July 29, 2016, with follow-up through September 15, 2017. Data analysis was performed from March 15 to December 20, 2018. The evidence-derived noninferiority margin was 30 minutes of walking per week. Participants included inactive adults aged 50 years and older, primarily of Latin American descent and capable of walking without significant limitations, from 10 community centers in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, California. Interventions: All participants received similar evidence-based, 12-month physical activity counseling at their local community center, with the 10 centers randomized to a computerized virtual advisor program (virtual) or a previously validated peer advisor program (human). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was change in walking minutes per week over 12 months using validated interview assessment corroborated with accelerometry. Both per-protocol and intention-to-treat analysis was performed. Results: Among the 245 participants randomized, 193 were women (78.8%) and 241 participants (98.4%) were Latino. Mean (SD) age was 62.3 (8.4) years (range, 50-87 years), 107 individuals (43.7%) had high school or less educational level, mean BMI was 32.8 (6.8), and mean years residence in the US was 47.4 (17.0) years. A total of 231 participants (94.3%) completed the study. Mean 12-month change in walking was 153.9 min/wk (95% CI, 126.3 min/wk to infinity) for the virtual cohort (n = 123) and 131.9 min/wk (95% CI, 101.4 min/wk to infinity) for the human cohort (n = 122) (difference, 22.0, with lower limit of 1-sided 95% CI, -20.6 to infinity; P = .02); this finding supports noninferiority. Improvements emerged in both arms for relevant clinical risk factors, sedentary behavior, and well-being measures. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study indicate that a virtual advisor using evidence-based strategies produces significant 12-month walking increases for older, lower-income Latino adults that are no worse than the significant improvements achieved by human advisors. Changes produced by both programs are commensurate with those reported in previous investigations of these behavioral interventions and provide support for broadening the range of light-touch physical activity programs that can be offered to a diverse population. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02111213.

Historical accumulation of potentially toxic trace elements resulting from mining activities in estuarine salt marshes sediments of the Asturias coastline (northern Spain).

The extensive extraction activity of mercury ores in Asturias (northwest Spain), also rich in As and Sb, has impacted the Nalón river estuary. The objective of this research was to assess the historical evolution of As-Hg-Sb accumulation in the salt marsh sediments of this area. For this purpose, sediment cores were collected from two different salt marshes (eastern and western river banks) in the estuarine environment to evaluate the degree of anthropogenic enrichment and the geochronology of As-Hg-Sb accumulation. Core subsampling was performed by cutting 2-cm-thick slices of sediments. The subsamples were then analysed for several physical and chemical parameters. Sedimentation rate was assessed by measuring short-lived radionuclides (excess 210Pb and 137Cs). Pre-mining levels of As-Hg-Sb were observed at core depths below 50 cm. In the less extended salt marsh (eastern river bank), maximum As-Hg-Sb concentrations of 87.48, 3.66, and 5.75 µg·g-1, respectively, were found at the core top as a consequence of long-term mining activity in the area. The vertical distribution of As-Hg-Sb was influenced by the single-point contamination sources, whereas grain-size variability and diagenetic remobilisation did not seem affected. Geochronological measurements showed that the depositional fluxes of As-Hg-Sb were influenced by anthropogenic input after 1900, when mining activity in the area was most intense. Hg mining ceased in 1969; however, the corresponding core profiles did not show a drastic decreasing trend in element fluxes, implying that the river drainage basin retains some "memory" of contamination which affects riverine sediments. A preliminary gross estimation of total As-Hg-Sb "trapped" in the Nalón river salt marsh sediments amounted to approximately 18.7, 1.0, and 0.7 t, respectively. These morphological structures suffer erosive processes, thus representing a potential source of these elements associated with sediments; consequently, management conservation and monitoring of salt marshes should be taken into consideration from this environmental point of view.

Occurrence and speciation of arsenic and mercury in estuarine sediments affected by mining activities (Asturias, northern Spain).

Sediments contaminated by Hg and As from two historical mining areas have been deposited in the Nalón estuary (Asturias, northern Spain) since 1850. Total mercury (Hgtotal) concentrations in the sediments range from 0.20 µg g-1 to 1.33 µg g-1, most of it in the form of sulphides. Concentrations of methylmercury (303.20-865.40 pg g-1) are up to two orders of magnitude lower than the concentration of Hgtotal. Total As concentration (Astotal) is enriched compared to the background level for the area. The relative abundance of As(V) on As(III) in the sediments ranges from 97.6% to 100%, whereas inorganic Hg accounts for more than 99% of the total Hg. The occurrence of the most toxic species, inorganic As(III) and organic methylmercury, seem to be related to redox conditions together with the amounts of sulphur which act as natural barriers which inhibit the biological and chemical speciation processes. Despite the high amounts of Hg and As present in the sediments, their transference to the water column appear to be limited thus converting sediments in an effective sink of both elements. Special attention should be paid to potential variations of the environmental conditions which might increase the element mobility and exchange between sediments and the water column.

Testing the comparative effects of physical activity advice by humans vs. computers in underserved populations: The COMPASS trial design, methods, and baseline characteristics.

While physical inactivity is a key risk factor for a range of chronic diseases and conditions associated with aging, a significant proportion of midlife and older adults remain insufficiently active. This is particularly true for ethnic minority populations such as Latino adults for whom few culturally adapted programs have been developed and tested. The major objective of this 12-month cluster-randomized controlled trial is to test the comparative effectiveness of two linguistically and culturally adapted, community-based physical activity interventions with the potential for broad reach and translation. Ten local community centers serving a sizable number of Latino residents were randomized to receive one of two physical activity interventions. The Virtual Advisor program employs a computer-based embodied conversational agent named "Carmen" to deliver interactive, individually tailored physical activity advice and support. A similar intervention program is delivered by trained Peer Advisors. The target population consists of generally healthy, insufficiently active Latino adults ages 50years and older living within proximity to a designated community center. The major outcomes are changes in walking and other forms of physical activity measured via self-report and accelerometry. Secondary outcomes include physical function and well-being variables. In addition to these outcome analyses, comparative cost analysis of the two programs, potential mediators of intervention success, and baseline moderators of intervention effects will be explored to better determine which subgroups do best with which type of intervention. Here we present the study design and methods, including recruitment strategies and yield as well as study baseline characteristics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrial.gov Identifier=NCT02111213.

Cirugía laparoscópica: descripción de los primeros pacientes pediátricos operados en Honduras / Laparoscopic surgery: descriptios of the first pediatric patients in Honduras

Con el objetivo de implementar la cirugía laparoscópica pediátrica en el Hospital de Especialidades del Instituto Hondureño del Seguro Social de Tegucigalpa, se elaboró un protocolo para un análisis observacional descriptivo de los primeros pacientes intervenidos con esta innovadora técnica, de julio a diciembre del 2001. Durante este período de tiempo a todos los pacientes elegibles para cirugía laparoscópica se les realizó dicho procedimiento previa autorización de los padres. Obteniendose durante estos 6 meses un total de once pacientes; cuyo rango de edad fue entre 23 días a 10 años. Los procedimientos realizados fueron 4 apendicectomías, 2 resecciones de quiste de ovario torcido, 2 resecciones remanentes testiculares intrabdominales, una colecistectomía, una biopsia de ambas gónadas por estado intersexual u una biopsia hepática. El tiempo operatorio osciló entre 20 y 90 minutos, con una estadía hospitalaria que varió de 6 a 24 horas. Los procedimientos realizados fueron exitosos en 100 por ciento sin ninguna morbilidad ni mortalidad. Este estudio constituye el primer informe de cirugía laparoscópica en pediatría realizada en nuestro país

Cirugía laparoscópica: descripción de los primeros pacientes pediátricos operados en Honduras / Laparoscopic surgery: descriptios of the first pediatric patients in Honduras

Con el objetivo de implementar la cirugía laparoscópica pediátrica en el Hospital de Especialidades del Instituto Hondureño del Seguro Social de Tegucigalpa, se elaboró un protocolo para un análisis observacional descriptivo de los primeros pacientes intervenidos con esta innovadora técnica, de julio a diciembre del 2001. Durante este período de tiempo a todos los pacientes elegibles para cirugía laparoscópica se les realizó dicho procedimiento previa autorización de los padres. Obteniendose durante estos 6 meses un total de once pacientes; cuyo rango de edad fue entre 23 días a 10 años. Los procedimientos realizados fueron 4 apendicectomías, 2 resecciones de quiste de ovario torcido, 2 resecciones remanentes testiculares intrabdominales, una colecistectomía, una biopsia de ambas gónadas por estado intersexual u una biopsia hepática. El tiempo operatorio osciló entre 20 y 90 minutos, con una estadía hospitalaria que varió de 6 a 24 horas. Los procedimientos realizados fueron exitosos en 100 por ciento sin ninguna morbilidad ni mortalidad. Este estudio constituye el primer informe de cirugía laparoscópica en pediatría realizada en nuestro país

Fistula salival y mediastinitis: complicación fatal post plastia esofágica. Reporte de un caso / Salival fistula and mediastinitis: fatal complication post esophageal plasty

Se presenta un caso de una paciente femenina con diagnostico de atresia esofagica IIIA; operada a las 11 horas de vida y cuya evolucion se complico con una fistula salival, mediastinitis y choque septico. Se manejó conservadoramente con ayuno, nutricion parenteral y antimicrobianos. La respuesta a dicho manejo fué admirable, la fístula cerró y el esófago se conservó sin evidencia de estenosis