The Sephardic Labor Organization and the Status of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews in the Yishuv

The article discusses the Sephardic Labor Organization in Palestine which was active from 1940 through 1946 as the roof organization of the Sephardic Labor Organization in Tel Aviv and the Organization of Sephardi and Oriental Workers in Jerusalem. The aim of the Sephardic Labor Organization in Palestine as a whole and in particular, of the Sephardic Labor Organization in Tel Aviv was to improve the economic conditions of Sephardi and Mizrahi workers and to enhance their social and political status in the Yishuv. These activities reflect the status of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews as a hybrid group on the socioeconomic border between the Jews and Arabs of Mandatory Palestine. The article explores the processes which led to the establishment of Sephardi labor organizations, and which manifest the connection between patterns of employment and standard of living, and between ethnic identity and social status.

Secondary neurological outcomes in patients with brachiocephalic and coronary artery disease in the early postoperative period after simultaneous and hybrid surgical treatment

Aim. To compare secondary neurological outcomes in patients with brachiocephalic and coronary artery disease in the early postoperative period after different surgical treatment strategies (simultaneous and hybrid).Methods. Secondary neurological outcomes were evaluated in 43 patients with coronary and brachiocephalic artery disease in the early postoperative period after (1) carotid endarterectomy and on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery; (2) percutaneous coronary intervention and carotid endarterectomy. Demographic, clinical, instrumental data were collected. Neuropsychological assessment was performed using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Frontal Assessment Battery. Memory, attention and neurodynamics were measured using the “Status-PF” software at days 2–3 before the surgery and at days 5–7 after it. The presence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction was estimated on the basis of criteria defined as a 20% decline on 20% of the tests. Statistical analysis was performed using the software package “Statistica 10.0”.Results. Patients who underwent hybrid intervention demonstrated improved attention and memory in the early postoperative period. Complex visual-motor reaction significantly increased in patients after simultaneous surgery. Attention differed significantly in both groups. Thus, patients from the hybrid group processed more characters per 1 and 4 minutes while completing the Bourdon proof reading test. The total number of processed characters prevailed in the hybrid group. Cognitive processing speed was higher in the hybrid group according to the brain performance test. The incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction was 60% in patients after simultaneous surgery and 11% in patients after hybrid surgery (p = 0.006, OR±SE 12.5±3.2).Conclusion. Hybrid intervention has shown its superiority over simultaneous intervention in terms of low rate of early cognitive impairment, thereby confirming the necessity to take into account the obtained results while selecting the optimal surgical treatment in patients with coronary and brachiocephalic artery disease present with cognitive deficits at baseline.

Molecular Structure and Hybridization Patterns of Abramis brama × Rutilus rutilus Hybrids from Modrac Reservoir, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Interspecific hybridization in the Cyprinidae family has been recorded worldwide, with Abramis brama (bream) and Rutilus rutilus (roach) as one of the often-reported hybridizing pairs. The only account of such an event in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been in Modrac Reservoir. Using morphological and molecular markers, the presence of hybrids was surveyed, the hybridization direction was determined and the hybrid group structure in this ecosystem was evaluated. Our findings confirmed unhindered natural hybridization between roach and bream in Modrac Reservoir. Over 50% of the hybrid specimens were classified as F2 hybrids by the NewHybrids software, while the rest were categorized as pure parental form, making it the first such finding in Europe. The analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b showed that 90% of hybrid individuals were of bream maternal origin. The hybrid group expressed higher mean values of observed heterozygosity and gene diversity than both parental species. Signs of introgressive hybridization between parental species were detected. The hybrid zone of Modrac Reservoir appears to follow the intermediate or “flat” hybrid model based on the balanced distribution of parental and hybrid genotypes. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the factors that enable the survival and mating success of post-F1 individuals.

Anterior Cervical Corpectomy with Fusion versus Anterior Hybrid Fusion Surgery for Patients with Severe Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Involving Three or More Levels: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Various studies have found a high incidence of early graft dislodgement after multilevel corpectomy. Although a hybrid fusion technique was developed to resolve implant failure, the hybrid and conventional techniques have not been clearly compared in terms of perioperative complications in patients with severe ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) involving three or more levels. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and radiologic outcomes between anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion (ACCF) and anterior hybrid fusion for the treatment of multilevel cervical OPLL. We therefore retrospectively reviewed the clinical and radiologic data of 53 consecutive patients who underwent anterior fusion to treat cervical OPLL: 30 underwent ACCF and 23 underwent anterior hybrid fusion. All patients completed 2 years of follow-ups. Implant migration was defined as subsidence > 3 mm. There were no significant differences in demographics or clinical characteristics between the ACCF and hybrid groups. Early implant failure occurred significantly more frequently in the ACCF group (5 cases, 16.7%) compared with the hybrid group (0 cases, 0%). The fusion rate was 80% in the ACCF group and 100% in the hybrid group. Although both procedures can achieve satisfactory neurologic outcomes for multilevel OPLL patients, hybrid fusion likely provides better biomechanical stability than the conventional ACCF technique.

A Novel Algorithm-Driven Hybrid Simulation Learning Method to Improve Acquisition of Endotracheal Intubation Skills: A Randomized Controlled Study

Background: Simulation-based training is a clinical skill learning method that can replicate real-life situations in an interactive manner. In our study, we compared a novel hybrid learning method with conventional simulation learning in the teaching of endotracheal intubation.Methods: One hundred medical students and residents were randomly divided into two groups and were taught endotracheal intubation. The first group of subjects (control group) studied in the conventional way via lectures and classic simulation-based training sessions. The second group (experimental group) used the hybrid learning method where the teaching process consisted of distance learning and small group peer-to-peer simulation training sessions with remote supervision by the instructors. After the teaching process, endotracheal intubation (ETI) procedures were performed on real patients under the supervision of an anesthesiologist in an operating theater. Each step of the procedure was evaluated by a standardized assessment form (checklist) for both groups.Results: Thirty-four subjects constituted the control group and 43 were in the experimental group. The hybrid group (88%) showed significantly better ETI performance in the operating theater compared with the control group (52%). Further, all hybrid group subjects (100%) followed the correct sequence of actions, while in the control group only 32% followed proper sequencing.Conclusions: We conclude that our novel algorithm-driven hybrid simulation learning method improves acquisition of endotracheal intubation with a high degree of acceptability and satisfaction by the learners’ as compared with classic simulation-based training.

Hybrid Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty has lower residual cement extrusion than cemented arthroplasty in treating end-stage unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis

Background Hybrid Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (OUKA) consists of cementless femoral prostheses and cemented tibial prostheses. Although a hybrid OUKA has been used in clinical practice, the clinical outcome has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to compare the short-term clinical outcomes and rate of residual bone cement extrusion between hybrid and cemented prostheses and analyse the possible reasons for differences between outcomes. Methods A total of 128 knees (118 patients) with end-stage osteoarthritis were included in this study, of which underwent consecutive operations using unicondylar Oxford phase 3 implants from July 2017 and September 2019 in our centre. Follow-up was performed at 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, 1 year and every year after operation, and complications and changes in the Oxford knee score (OKS) were recorded. The OKS of the two groups was analysed by the generalized estimating equation approach. Prosthesis-based standard fluoroscopy was performed in a timely manner after each operation, and the rate of residual cement extrusion of the two groups was estimated using T-tests and a multivariate regression analysis. Results Excluding the cases that lost follow-up, a total of 120 knees (65 in hybrid group and 55 in cemented group) were included in the analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in patient characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). The average follow-up time was 23.4 months (and ranged from 12 to 38 months). As of the last follow-up, there were no complications, such as dislocation, fracture, prosthesis loosening and subsidence, but one patient in the cemented group experienced symptoms caused by residual loose cement. Postoperative OKS in both groups improved significantly (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the OKS at any point during the follow-up or in the improvement of the OKS between the two groups (p > 0.05). Residual cement was mainly extruded behind the tibial prosthesis. The rate of hybrid periprosthetic residual cement extrusion was significantly lower in the hybrid group than in the cemented group, and the difference was statistically significant (OR = 3.38; p = 0.014). Conclusions Hybrid OUKA is as effective as cemented OUKA in the short term after operation and can significantly reduce the residual cement extrusion rate around the tibial prosthesis.

Single-center Retrospective Analysis of One-stop Hybrid Surgery for Brain Arteriovenous Malformations

Objectives To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of one-stop hybrid surgery of microsurgical resection combined with preoperative embolization or intraoperative angiography for brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) and compare the efficacy of one-stop hybrid surgery with nonhybrid surgery (endovascular embolization alone) in the treatment of bAVMs. Methods A single-center retrospective study was performed to recruit 70 patients with bAVMs at our hospital between July 2017 and April 2020. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the mode of surgery: hybrid group (i.e., microsurgical resection combined with preoperative endovascular embolization or intraoperative angiography in the hybrid operating room), and nonhybrid group (i.e., endovascular embolization, stereotactic radiosurgery, or microsurgical resection alone). The hybrid group was divided into two subgroups: the microsurgical resection combined with preoperative embolization, and the microsurgical resection combined with intraoperative angiography subgroups. All patients’ demographic variables, clinical manifestations, and imaging features, postoperative complications, and long-term clinical prognosis were recorded and analyzed. Results Among 70 patients, 48 (68.6%) of whom presented cerebral hemorrhage due to bAVMs rupture. 36 (51.4%) patients in the hybrid group were treated with the combination of pre-operative embolization or intraoperative angiography combined with microsurgical resection, whereas 34 (48.6%) in the nonhybrid group underwent embolization alone. There was no statistical difference in gender, age, ruptured bAVM rate, Spetzler-Martin grades between the 2 groups. Regular clinical and radiological follow-up examinations cure rates were 94.4% in the hybrid group compared to 38.3% in the nonhybrid group (P<0.01). The percentage of patients with favorable outcomes was 94.1% in the hybrid group and 90.6% in the nonhybrid group, although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions One-stop hybrid surgery could be a safe and effective intervention to treat bAVMs clinically, whereas further follow-up is needed to determine the long-term effects after operation.

Hybridization may promote variation in cognitive phenotypes in experimental guppy hybrids

Hybridization is an underappreciated mechanism of evolution. While hybrids often express inferior traits and are selected against, hybridization can promote phenotypic variation and produce trait combinations distinct from the parentals, generating novel adaptive potential. Among other traits, hybridization can impact behaviour and cognition and may reinforce species boundaries when hybrids show decreased cognitive abilities. However, the hypothesized role of hybridization in the diversification of cognitive phenotypes remains enigmatic. To test this idea, we compare the performance of guppies (Poecilia reticulata), Endler’s guppies (Poecilia wingei), and their experimental hybrids in colour association and reversal learning. In addition, we introduce a new approach to compare multidimensional cognitive phenotypes. We found that hybrids showed intermediate learning abilities in both tasks compared to the parentals. Moreover, hybrids had slightly higher phenotypic dispersion, new trait combinations occurred in some hybrid individuals, and the mean phenotype of one hybrid group deviated away from the axis of variation of the parentals. Our method should hence be useful in further exploring how hybridization, and other evolutionary processes, impact behavioural and cognitive traits. Our results suggest that hybridization may promote cognitive variation and generate new trait combinations, even when learning performance at the group level is intermediate between parentals.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Its Aftermath

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—FARC) was an insurgent group that emerged in the 1960s as a consequence of struggles between the Conservatives and the Liberals, as well as the consolidation of a Communist party that promoted an armed insurrection. A relative absence of state institutions in farther regions, the uneven distribution of land, and an impoverished peasant class were elements fueling rebellious movements. By the 1980s, however, FARC had become something more complex than an insurgent organization. After initially opposing the idea, the group accepted the generation of income through the taxation of activities in the cocaine-illicit economy. An unprecedented process of growth experienced by the insurgency, with this income, allowed a remarkable offensive against the security forces, in specific regions, by the end of the 1990s. Since then, an explanation of the organization as a “pure” political insurgency would be inaccurate; the motivation and purpose of some fighters within the group was profit. Although an explanation radically separating political and criminal (economic) agendas may be flawed, at least a concept which portrays the organization as something more than just an insurgency seems helpful. The concept of hybrid group, in which armed, political, and criminal dimensions coexist, invites exploring different types of motivations, purposes, and tasks that fighters might have. The observation of these dimensions also contributes to an understanding of the evolution of FARC after the Havana Agreement. A strong military offensive during the 2000s was one of the factors motivating the group to engage in peace negotiations with the Colombian government. With the Agreement, FARC as an armed insurgency ceased to exist, but the continuation of factors which motivated the existence of a hybrid group have triggered the emergence of a myriad of smaller groups, several of which claim to be the real successors of FARC, mixing in diverse ways the political and criminal agendas.