The consequences of US technology changes for productivity in advanced economies

Since at least the mid-2000s, many advanced economies have experienced low productivity growth. This development is often related to declining productivity gains at the technology frontier, which is largely determined by the US. We challenge this explanation by studying the effects of US technology shocks on productivity levels in advanced economies. We find positive but small spillovers of US technology shocks. For many countries, the elasticity of their productivity with respect to a 1% increase in the US technology level is significantly lower than 1. Thus, the recent US productivity slowdown must have had a limited effect on productivity developments in advanced economies. Nevertheless, after 5 years, the degree of productivity spillovers varies across countries. Therefore, we analyze the role of institutions in shaping these results. Our findings suggest that isolated institutional characteristics are not able to explain the observed various spillover degrees.

Security concerns prompt Russian tech diversification

Significance However, it is only in the last few years that Moscow has pushed to diversify its technological base to protect Russian security against foreign cyber threats and to promote domestic technological innovation. Russia has sought to remove and replace Western hardware and software, imposed new controls on foreign tech companies and offered new incentives to domestic firms. Impacts The operating environment for US technology firms in Russia is becoming more challenging. Huawei will expand its business in Russia but face concerns about Chinese state espionage. The Kremlin’s efforts could intensify Russia’s brain drain, ultimately hurting long-term tech innovation.

Effect of Sonication Treatment and Maceration Time in the Extraction of Polysaccharide Compounds during Red Wine Vinification

The application of high-power ultrasounds (US) at 28 kHz to the crushed grapes and the use of different pomace contact times caused changes in the content and composition of monosaccharides and polysaccharides in the musts and wines. These differences were maintained from the moment of pressing (end of maceration) until the end of the alcoholic fermentation. The US increased the content of monosaccharides and polysaccharides in the musts by facilitating their extraction from the solid parts during maceration. The application of medium maceration time (3 days) to sonicated grapes led to an extraction of polysaccharides rich in arabinose and galactose, rhamnogalacturonan type II (RG-II) and mannoproteins (MP), similar to that observed in the control wines made with an extended maceration of 7 days (968.21 vs. 1029.45; 895.04 vs. 1700.50; 356.81 vs. 343.95, respectively). This fact was attributed to a higher extraction in the must during the sonication process and to an important release of pectic polysaccharides during the pressing of the sonicated pomace, which is reported here for the first time. Therefore, the US technology could be useful for increasing the polysaccharide content in the wines or for reducing the maceration time needed to achieve certain levels of wine polysaccharides.

Technical note: rectangular femoral tunnel for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using a new ultrasonic device: a feasibility study

Purpose The goal of this preliminary report was to show the use of novel Ultrasound (US) technology for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery and evaluate its feasibility for the creation of a rectangular femoral bone tunnel during an arthroscopic procedure in a human cadaver model. Methods Two fresh frozen human cadaver knees were prepared for arthroscopic rectangular femoral tunnel completion using a prototype US device (OLYMPUS EUROPA SE & CO. KG). The desired rectangular femoral tunnel was intended to be located in the femoral anatomical ACL footprint. Its tunnel aperture was planned at 10 × 5 mm and a depth of 20 mm should be achieved. For one knee, the rectangular femoral tunnel was realized without a specific cutting guide and for the other with a 10 × 5 mm guide. One experienced orthopedic surgeon performed the two procedures consecutively. The time for femoral tunnel completion was evaluated. CT scans with subsequent three-dimensional image reconstructions were performed in order to evaluate tunnel placement and configuration. Results In the two human cadaver models the two 10 × 5x20mm rectangular femoral tunnels were successfully completed and located in the femoral anatomical ACL footprint without adverse events. The time for femoral tunnel completion was 14 min 35 s for the procedure without the guide and 4 min 20 s with the guide. Conclusion US technology can be used for the creation of a rectangular femoral bone tunnel during an arthroscopic ACL reconstruction procedure. The use of a specific cutting guide can reduce the time for femoral tunnel completion. Additional experience will further reduce the time of the procedure.

ESTRATÉGIA NORTE-AMERICANA PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO DE INTELIGÊNCIA ARTIFICIAL MILITAR: UM HORIZONTE DE CURTO PRAZO (2020-2030)

This article analyses the US Department of Defense initiative formalized in the Summary of the 2018 Department of Defense Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The conclusion is that the US emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence to expand C4ISR capabilities (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance) and the denunciation of “ethical risks’’ involving Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) are narrative strategies aimed at dealing in the short term with the inability of the US technology agencies to master autonomous military platform technologies and with the Russian resolve on the development of these lethal autonomous military platforms.

Head in the clouds: a critical discourse analysis of American cloud computing and state surveillance in Post-Snowden press coverage

The National Security Agency (NSA) revelations leaked by Edward Snowden on June 6, 2013 regarding the digital surveillance tactics of the United States government were a series of profoundly disruptive discursive events that signaled an uncomfortably cozy relationship between US technology companies and the US government for the maintenance of US national security. Leaked internal NSA slides revealed a host of domestic and foreign clandestine spying programs, including PRISM and MUSCULAR, which suggested the unscrupulous collection of data from US technology giant Google’s cloud servers and private networks, among other technology companies. Google’s cloud computing services particularly became implicated in a crisis of global proportions, as the technology giant and US technology industry writ large faced a global loss of confidence and future revenue from cloud computing customers unhappy with the implications the NSA revelations had for the security of their personal and corporate data. This paper conducts a multi-layer critical discourse analysis about the effect the NSA revelations had on US cloud computing with a specific focus on Google’s cloud computing services. By focusing on the sociopolitical and economic functions of surveillance as established within surveillance literature, this project examines how the crisis was discursively constructed in order to paint a larger picture about how popular press coverage framed the NSA revelations and the relationship of this rhetoric to the technology companies it implicates.

Head in the clouds: a critical discourse analysis of American cloud computing and state surveillance in Post-Snowden press coverage

The National Security Agency (NSA) revelations leaked by Edward Snowden on June 6, 2013 regarding the digital surveillance tactics of the United States government were a series of profoundly disruptive discursive events that signaled an uncomfortably cozy relationship between US technology companies and the US government for the maintenance of US national security. Leaked internal NSA slides revealed a host of domestic and foreign clandestine spying programs, including PRISM and MUSCULAR, which suggested the unscrupulous collection of data from US technology giant Google’s cloud servers and private networks, among other technology companies. Google’s cloud computing services particularly became implicated in a crisis of global proportions, as the technology giant and US technology industry writ large faced a global loss of confidence and future revenue from cloud computing customers unhappy with the implications the NSA revelations had for the security of their personal and corporate data. This paper conducts a multi-layer critical discourse analysis about the effect the NSA revelations had on US cloud computing with a specific focus on Google’s cloud computing services. By focusing on the sociopolitical and economic functions of surveillance as established within surveillance literature, this project examines how the crisis was discursively constructed in order to paint a larger picture about how popular press coverage framed the NSA revelations and the relationship of this rhetoric to the technology companies it implicates.

Ultrasound-Guided Procedures in Common Tendinopathies at the Elbow: From Image to Needle

Elbow pain is a prevalent condition in musculoskeletal physicians’ settings. The majority of cases present with periarticular pathologies (varying from tendinopathy to nerve entrapment syndrome). Nevertheless, in some cases, the underlying cause can be intra-articular, e.g., loose bodies or rheumatic disease. Progress in ultrasound (US) technology has yielded high-resolution assessment of the elbow and, importantly, allows real-time, radiation-free guidance for interventions. Particularly in ambiguous cases, US imaging is necessary to arrive at the correct diagnosis. The following four clinical conditions are covered: tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, distal biceps, and distal triceps tendinopathy. The present review illustrates cadaveric elbow anatomy, corresponding US images, and exemplary pathologies. Additionally, the authors also discuss the existing evidence on ultrasound-guided procedures in the conditions mentioned above.

Ultrasound Medical Imaging Techniques

Ultrasound (US) imaging for medical purposes has been increasing in popularity over the years. The US technology has some valuable strengths, such as it is harmless, very cheap, and can provide real-time feedback. At the same time, it has also some drawbacks that the research in this field is trying to mitigate, such as the high level of noise and the low quality of the images. This survey aims at presenting the advances in the techniques used for US medical imaging. It describes the studies on the different organs that the US uses the most and tries to categorize the research in this field into three groups, i.e., segmentation, classification, and miscellaneous. This latter group includes the works that either provide aid during surgical operations or try to enhance the quality of the acquired US images/volumes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review that analyzes the different techniques exploited on a large selection of body locations (i.e., brain, thyroid, heart, breast, fetal, and prostate) in the three sub-fields of research.