bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chinese-style incentives: The intraindustry ripple effects of CEO awards
Authors: Wu Yu , Hu Yingyi
Published: June 2021

Considering the background of traditional Chinese culture, which emphasizes that “when we see outstanding people, we should think of emulating them”, and social comparison theory, this study explores how CEO awards impact the R&D investment of award-winning CEOs’ competitors. The results show that award-winning CEOs’ competitors increase R&D investment in the postaward period relative to the preaward period. We further find that CEO awards’ “gold content”, the social attention of award-winning CEOs’ competitors, the similarity between award-winning CEOs and their competitors, and industry competitive pressure are important factors affecting the size of ripple effects. Empirical evidence also shows that the intraindustry ripple effects of CEO awards significantly improve the firm performance and value of competitors. In a robustness test, we confirm CEO awards’ intraindustry ripple effects from the perspective of the number of patent applications. The ripple effects of CEO awards are still valid after using PSM-DID to alleviate endogeneity problems and considering the right-side distribution of R&D investment.
The prevalence of diabetes amongst young Emirati female adults in the United Arab Emirates: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Mohamad Maysm N. , Ismail Leila Cheikh , Stojanovska Lily , Apostolopoulos Vasso , Feehan Jack , Jarrar Amjad H. , Al Dhaheri Ayesha S.
Published: June 2021

Aims

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes using FPG and HbA1c and to examine their relationships with obesity and other risk factors in young female Emirati college students.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study we recruited 555 female college students aged 17–25, enrolled at United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE. Anthropometric analysis, blood pressure, and various biochemical markers were measured using standard methods. Type 2 Diabetes, impaired fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and elevated HbA1c levels were examined in the study population as per the standards of medical care in diabetes, set out by the American Diabetes Association in 2020.

Results

Based on the HbA1c test, the prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes were 24% and 8.6%, respectively. Based on the FPG test, the prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes were 9.2% and 0.5%, respectively. The kappa statistic of concordance between HbA1c and FPG was 0.287, P < 0.001. Abnormal glycemic status was significantly associated with decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level (< 50 mg/dl) (p = 0.002) and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) level (≥ 2.0 mg/L) (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Using FPG to evaluate glycemic control seems to underestimate the burden of undiagnosed diabetes which could have a significant impact on clinical practice. Our data indicates an association between abnormal glycemic status with HDL and Hs-CRP. Further evaluation is needed to assess the impact of using HbA1c as a diagnostic test for diabetes in the UAE.
Local scale interventions dominate over catchment scale controls to accelerate the recovery of a degraded stream
Authors: Sims Alexander J. , Rutherfurd Ian D.
Published: June 2021

A premise of stream restoration theory and practice is that it is often futile to attempt to restore a stream at the reach scale (101–103metres) until catchment scale problems have been addressed. This study considers reach scale restoration actions undertaken in Bryan Creek, a sand bed river in south east Australia impacted by a sediment pulse, after catchment sediment sources have been addressed. Local scale interventions, which were in-stream sand extraction, fencing to exclude stock and riparian revegetation, were evaluated by quantifying cross-section and thalweg variability, mapping in-stream and riparian vegetation and by classifying the morphology that emerged following each intervention. Following intervention channel reaches moved to one of three distinct states: simple clay bed, eroding reaches dominated byJuncus acutus, and reaches with deep pools andPhragmites australis. Boundaries between the intervention reaches were sharp, suggesting local scale interventions dominate over catchment scale processes. The magnitude and spread of variability metrics were similar between all reaches and differences in variability bore no relation to intervention type, despite the stark difference in post-intervention morphology. These findings suggest that cross-section and thalweg variability metrics are an inadequate proxy for the effectiveness of local scale interventions in accelerating the recovery of sand bed reaches from a bedload pulse. The most important implications for river managers is that local scale interventions can lead to substantial and rapid improvements in condition, and the change in condition of these reaches is almost independent of other reaches. In this case, the key to the pattern of reach scale geomorphic recovery is excluding stock from waterways so that a specific macrophyte can establish, trap sediment and develop pools.
Carbohydrate antigen microarray analysis of serum IgG and IgM antibodies before and after adult porcine islet xenotransplantation in cynomolgus macaques
Authors: Nanno Yoshihide , Sterner Eric , Gildersleeve Jeffrey C. , Hering Bernhard J. , Burlak Christopher
Published: June 2021

Understanding the anti-carbohydrate antibody response toward epitopes expressed on porcine cells, tissues, and organs is critical to advancing xenotransplantation toward clinical application. In this study, we determined IgM and IgG antibody specificities and relative concentrations in five cynomolgus monkeys at baseline and at intervals following intraportal xenotransplantation of adult porcine islets. This study utilized a carbohydrate antigen microarray that comprised more than 400 glycoconjugates, including historically reported α-Gal and non-α-Gal carbohydrate antigens with various modifications. The elicited anti-carbohydrate antibody responses were predominantly IgM compared to IgG in 4 out of 5 monkeys. Patterns of elicited antibody responses greater than 1.5 difference (log2 base units; 2.8-fold on a linear scale) from pre-serum to post-serum sampling specific for carbohydrate antigens were heterogeneous and recipient-specific. Increases in the elicited antibody response to α-Gal, Sda, GM2 antigens, or Lexis X antigen were found in individual monkeys. The novel carbohydrate structures Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1 andN-linked glycans with Manα1-6(GlcNAcβ1-2Manα1–3)Manβ1-4GlcNAcβ structure were common targets of elicited IgM antibodies. These results provide important insights into the carbohydrate epitopes that elicit antibodies following pig-to-monkey islet xenotransplantation and reveal possible targets for gene editing.
The role of traditional restaurants in tourist destination loyalty
Authors: Hernández-Rojas Ricardo David , Huete Alcocer Nuria
Published: June 2021

The aim of this study is to examine the effect that visitor satisfaction with traditional restaurants has on perceptions of the local gastronomy, the overall image of a city and loyalty to that destination. Fieldwork has been carried out in Córdoba, a city in southern Spain famous for being a UNESCO World Heritage city and for its traditional gastronomy. The methodology used is based on structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). This paper makes a novel contribution in that no previous studies to date have explored satisfaction with traditional restaurants, with respect to the food, the service and the atmosphere. To achieve the proposed objective, a structured questionnaire has been used to find out the opinions of diners in renowned restaurants that base their cuisine on traditional dishes made with quality local ingredients. The results obtained confirm that a satisfactory experience with the food of a traditional restaurant has a positive effect on the image of the destination and the gastronomy of the place, as well as on visitors’ intentions to recommend and repeat the visit to said destination. Based on the analysis carried out, effective strategies are suggested to help manage these types of restaurants. The study provides theoretical and practical implications from a gastronomic perspective, which can enable tourism managers to employ new strategies to retain tourists visiting a city, based on increasing their post-experience satisfaction with restaurants featuring local cuisine.
Stopping criteria for ending autonomous, single detector radiological source searches
Authors: Romanchek Gregory R. , Abbaszadeh Shiva
Published: June 2021

While the localization of radiological sources has traditionally been handled with statistical algorithms, such a task can be augmented with advanced machine learning methodologies. The combination of deep and reinforcement learning has provided learning-based navigation to autonomous, single-detector, mobile systems. However, these approaches lacked the capacity to terminate a surveying/search task without outside influence of an operator or perfect knowledge of source location (defeating the purpose of such a system). Two stopping criteria are investigated in this work for a machine learning navigated system: one based upon Bayesian and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) strategies commonly used in source localization, and a second providing the navigational machine learning network with a “stop search” action. A convolutional neural network was trained via reinforcement learning in a 10 m × 10 m simulated environment to navigate a randomly placed detector-agent to a randomly placed source of varied strength (stopping with perfect knowledge during training). The network agent could move in one of four directions (up, down, left, right) after taking a 1 s count measurement at the current location. During testing, the stopping criteria for this navigational algorithm was based upon a Bayesian likelihood estimation technique of source presence, updating this likelihood after each step, and terminating once the confidence of the source being in a single location exceeded 0.9. A second network was trained and tested with similar architecture as the previous but which contained a fifth action: for self-stopping. The accuracy and speed of localization with set detector and source initializations were compared over 50 trials of MLE-Bayesian approach and 1000 trials of the CNN with self-stopping. The statistical stopping condition yielded a median localization error of ~1.41 m and median localization speed of 12 steps. The machine learning stopping condition yielded a median localization error of 0 m and median localization speed of 17 steps. This work demonstrated two stopping criteria available to a machine learning guided, source localization system.
Identify specific gene pairs for subarachnoid hemorrhage based on wavelet analysis and genetic algorithm
Authors: Zhao Pengcheng , Xu Shaonian , Huang Zhenshan , Deng Pengcheng , Zhang Yongming
Published: June 2021

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a fatal stroke caused by bleeding in the brain. SAH can be caused by a ruptured aneurysm or head injury. One-third of patients will survive and recover. One-third will survive with disability; one-third will die. The focus of treatment is to stop bleeding, restore normal blood flow, and prevent vasospasm. Treatment for SAH varies, depending on the bleeding’s underlying cause and the extent of damage to the brain. Treatment may include lifesaving measures, symptom relief, repair of the bleeding vessel, and complication prevention. However, the useful diagnostic biomarkers of SAH are still limited due to the instability of gene marker expression. To overcome this limitation, we developed a new protocol pairing genes and screened significant gene pairs based on the feature selection algorithm. A classifier was constructed with the selected gene pairs and achieved a high performance.
Epidemic spread simulation in an area with a high-density crowd using a SEIR-based model
Authors: Zhou Jibiao , Dong Sheng , Ma Changxi , Wu Yao , Qiu Xiao
Published: June 2021

Understanding the spread of infectious diseases is an extremely essential step to preventing them. Thus, correct modeling and simulation approaches are critical for elucidating the transmission of infectious diseases and improving the control of epidemics. The primary objective of this study is to simulate the spread of communicable diseases in an urban rail transit station. Data were collected by a field investigation in the city of Ningbo, China. A SEIR-based model was developed to simulate the spread of infectious diseases in Tianyi station, considering four groups of passengers (susceptible, exposed, infected, and recovered) and a 14-day incubation period. Based on the historical data of infectious diseases, the parameters of the SEIR infectious disease model were clarified, and a sensitivity analysis of the parameters was also performed. The results showed that the contact rate (CR), infectivity (I), and average illness duration (AID) were positively correlated with the number of infections. It was also found that the length of the average incubation time (AIT) was positively correlated with the number of exposed individuals and negatively correlated with the number of infectors. These simulation results provide support for the validity and reliability of using the SEIR model in studies of the spread of epidemics and facilitate the development of effective measures to prevent and control an epidemic.
Heat transfer analysis of the forced air quenching with non-isothermal and non-uniform oxidation
Authors: Zhang Yue , Yang Jian , Gao Ming-Xin , Sono Hua
Published: June 2021

In this paper, the heat transfer characteristics of the forced air quenching with non-isothermal and non-uniform oxidation are investigated. By introducing the variations of interfacial temperature and oxygen partial pressure, a three-layered non-isothermal high-temperature oxidation kinetic model is developed, in which a discrete-time modeling method is employed to solve the problem of integration of the transient terms, and a special interfacial grid treatment is used for considering the growth of each oxide layer and updating of the thermal properties. Moreover, a parameter identification method using the multi-objective genetic algorithm is proposed for the inverse solution of the oxidation parabolic parameters based on the measured scale thicknesses in oxidation experiment. A case study of the forced air quenching of a Q235 disk is presented to validate the availability of the developed formulas. Then the interfacial heat transfer characteristics are analyzed, while the numerical solutions with and without oxidation are both performed for in-depth comparison. Results indicate that the active quenching region is mainly centralized in the vicinity of stagnation region. The radial variation regularity of the temperature difference across the total oxide layer is mainly determined by the thermal conductivity and the scale thickness. The existence of the oxide scale actually produces a certain thermal resistance during the quenching process and the effects of the oxide scale increases with the radial coordinate due to the interfacial temperature distribution. The results obtained can provide theoretical derivation for precise control of the internal phase transformation during the forced air quenching process.
Effects of therapeutic vaccination on the control of SIV in rhesus macaques with variable responsiveness to antiretroviral drugs
Authors: Tunggal Hillary Claire , Munson Paul Veness , O’Connor Megan Ashley , Hajari Nika , Dross Sandra Elizabeth , Bratt Debra , Fuller James Thomas , Bagley Kenneth , Fuller Deborah Heydenburg
Published: June 2021

A therapeutic vaccine that induces lasting control of HIV infection could eliminate the need for lifelong adherence to antiretroviral therapy. This study investigated a therapeutic DNA vaccine delivered with a single adjuvant or a novel combination of adjuvants to augment T cell immunity in the blood and gut-associated lymphoid tissue in SIV-infected rhesus macaques. Animals that received DNA vaccines expressing SIV proteins, combined with plasmids expressing adjuvants designed to increase peripheral and mucosal T cell responses, including the catalytic subunit of the E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin, IL-12, IL-33, retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2, soluble PD-1 and soluble CD80, were compared to mock-vaccinated controls. Following treatment interruption, macaques exhibited variable levels of viral rebound, with four animals from the vaccinated groups and one animal from the control group controlling virus at median levels of 103 RNA copies/ml or lower (controllers) and nine animals, among all groups, exhibiting immediate viral rebound and median viral loads greater than 103 RNA copies/ml (non-controllers). Although there was no significant difference between the vaccinated and control groups in protection from viral rebound, the variable virological outcomes during treatment interruption enabled an examination of immune correlates of viral replication in controllers versus non-controllers regardless of vaccination status. Lower viral burden in controllers correlated with increased polyfunctional SIV-specific CD8+ T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes and blood prior to and during treatment interruption. Notably, higher frequencies of colonic CD4+ T cells and lower Th17/Treg ratios prior to infection in controllers correlated with improved responses to ART and control of viral rebound. These results indicate that mucosal immune responses, present prior to infection, can influence efficacy of antiretroviral therapy and the outcome of immunotherapeutic vaccination, suggesting that therapies capable of modulating host mucosal responses may be needed to achieve HIV cure.
Assessment of utility values and QALYs after primary PCI with DP-Xience and BP-Biomatrix stents
Authors: Bibi Salma , Khan Amjad , Nadeem Asif , Mushtaq Saima , Khan Gul Majid
Published: June 2021

Background

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the recommended treatment in ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). The determination of Quality of life (QoL) for various options of coronary revascularization is important for establishment of a comprehensive care plan. Studies of QoL in interventional cardiology are scarce. Our study has compared utility scores and quality adjusted life year (QALY) of 2nd and 3rd generation drug eluting stents (DES).

Methods

An observational cohort study was conducted to evaluate QoL and QALY using EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. Patients undergoing PPCI between July-Dec 2019 were evaluated after completion of one year of procedure.

Results

Total 334 patients were evaluated, study population consisted of a greater number of males (87.13%) than females. Mean utility value was more in 3rd G Biomatrix stents; 0.829 ± 0.11 than 2nd G Xience stents; 0.794 ± 0.11 (p < 0.05). Visual analogue scale (VAS) value was also high in 3rd G DES (81.84 ± 8.29) as compared to 2nd G DES (77.81 ± 9.01); p< 0.05. A significant association was found between utility scores/VAS and age, DM, HTN, Current smoking, family history and CAD diagnosis. There was a gain of 0.035 QALY with the use of Biomatrix DES.

Conclusion

Health related quality of life (HRQOL) is a leading support in the decision making of therapeutic interventions. Our study has found that Biodegradable polymer (BP) Biomatrix DES are superior to the Durable polymer (DP) Xience DES having better QoL and QALY.
A mutual information based R-vine copula strategy to estimate VaR in high frequency stock market data
Authors: Sharma Charu , Sahni Niteesh
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we explore mutual information based stock networks to build regular vine copula structure on high frequency log returns of stocks and use it for the estimation of Value at Risk (VaR) of a portfolio of stocks. Our model is a data driven model that learns from a high frequency time series data of log returns of top 50 stocks listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in India for the year 2014. The Ljung-Box test revealed the presence of Autocorrelation as well as Heteroscedasticity in the underlying time series data. Analysing the goodness of fit of a number of variants of the GARCH model on each working day of the year 2014, that is, 229 days in all, it was observed that ARMA(1,1)-EGARCH(1,1) demonstrated the best fit. The joint probability distribution of the portfolio is computed by constructed an R-Vine copula structure on the data with the mutual information guided minimum spanning tree as the key building block. The joint PDF is then fed into the Monte-Carlo simulation procedure to compute the VaR. If we replace the mutual information by the Kendall’s Tau in the construction of the R-Vine copula structure, the resulting VaR estimations were found to be inferior suggesting the presence of non-linear relationships among stock returns.
Systematic analysis of lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation posttranslational modification in wheat leaves
Authors: Feng Bo , Li Shengdong , Wang Zongshuai , Cao Fang , Wang Zheng , Li Geng , Liu Kaichang
Published: June 2021

Lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib) is a recently discovered post-translational modification (PTM) showing diverse biological functions and effects in living organisms. However, the study of Khib in plant species is still relatively limited. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a global important cereal plant. In this study, the systematic Khib analysis was performed in wheat leave tissues. A total of 3004 Khib sites in 1104 proteins were repeatedly identified. Structure characterization of these Khib peptides revealed 12 conserved sequence motifs. Function classification and enrichment analysis indicated these Khib proteins showed a wide function and pathway distribution, of which ribosome activity, protein biosynthesis and photosynthesis were the preferred biological processes. Subcellular location predication indicated chloroplast was the dominant subcellular compartment where Khib was distributed. There may be some crosstalks among Khib, lysine acetylation and lysine succinylation modification because some proteins and sites were modified by all these three acylations. The present study demonstrated the critical role of Khib in wheat biological and physiology, which has expanded the scope of Khib in plant species. Our study is an available resource and reference of Khib function demonstration and structure characterization in cereal plant, as well as in plant kingdom.
Association of NOS2A gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis in Chinese Holstein cattle
Authors: Chai Jun , Wang Qinglu , Qin Bo , Wang Shengkui , Wang Youtao , Shahid Muhammad , Liu Kai , Zhang Yifang , Qu Weijie
Published: June 2021

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a global zoonotic disease that has detrimental economic impacts worldwide. The NOS2A gene plays a key role in immunological control of many infectious diseases. However, research on the association between NOS2A polymorphisms and bTB infection in Holstein cattle reared on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau of China is scarce. This study investigated a possible linkage between NOS2A polymorphisms and risk of developing bTB in Chinese Holstein cattle. The NOS2A gene was genotyped in 144 bTB-infected Holstein cows and 139 healthy controls were genotyped through nucleotide sequencing. Ten single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, six of which were associated with susceptibility/resistance patterns of bTB. Furthermore, the C/T genotypes of 671 and 2793, and T/T genotype of E22 (+15) were significantly associated with susceptibility risk; the G/A genotype of 2857, T/T genotype of E9 (+65), and C/C genotype of E9 (+114) probably increased resistance to bTB. In addition, the haplotypes of NOS2A-2 and NOS2A-9 were risk factors for bTB susceptibility, while the NOS2A-5 and NOS2A-8 haplotypes were contributing protective variants against tuberculosis. There is a significant association between variation in SNPs of NOS2A and tuberculosis susceptibility/resistance pattern. These findings suggest that substitution of genetic selection would be helpful for eradicating bTB. However, further investigation is required to study the underlying mechanism through which NOS2A polymorphisms affect bTB infection.
Forecasting daily new infections, deaths and recovery cases due to COVID-19 in Pakistan by using Bayesian Dynamic Linear Models
Authors: Khan Firdos , Ali Shaukat , Saeed Alia , Kumar Ramesh , Khan Abdul Wali
Published: June 2021

The COVID-19 has caused the deadliest pandemic around the globe, emerged from the city of Wuhan, China by the end of 2019 and affected all continents of the world, with severe health implications and as well as financial-damage. Pakistan is also amongst the top badly effected countries in terms of casualties and financial loss due to COVID-19. By 20th March, 2021, Pakistan reported 623,135 total confirmed cases and 13,799 deaths. A state space model called ‘Bayesian Dynamic Linear Model’ (BDLM) was used for the forecast of daily new infections, deaths and recover cases regarding COVID-19. For the estimation of states of the models and forecasting new observations, the recursive Kalman filter was used. Twenty days ahead forecast show that the maximum number of new infections are 4,031 per day with 95% prediction interval (3,319–4,743). Death forecast shows that the maximum number of the deaths with 95% prediction interval are 81 and (67–93), respectively. Maximum daily recoveries are 3,464 with 95% prediction interval (2,887–5,423) in the next 20 days. The average number of new infections, deaths and recover cases are 3,282, 52 and 1,840, respectively, in the upcoming 20 days. As the data generation processes based on the latest data has been identified, therefore it can be updated with the availability of new data to provide latest forecast.
Sex differences in sleep and influence of the menstrual cycle on women’s sleep in junior endurance athletes
Authors: Hrozanova Maria , Klöckner Christian A. , Sandbakk Øyvind , Pallesen Ståle , Moen Frode
Published: June 2021

Previous research shows that female athletes sleep better according to objective parameters but report worse subjective sleep quality than male athletes. However, existing sleep studies did not investigate variations in sleep and sleep stages over longer periods and have, so far, not elucidated the role of the menstrual cycle in female athletes’ sleep. To address these methodological shortcomings, we investigated sex differences in sleep and sleep stages over 61 continuous days in 37 men and 19 women and examined the role of the menstrual cycle and its phases in 15 women. Sleep was measured by a non-contact radar, and menstrual bleeding was self-reported. Associations were investigated with multilevel modeling. Overall, women tended to report poorer subjective sleep quality (p = .057), but objective measurements showed that women obtained longer sleep duration (p < .001), more light (p = .013) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM; hours (h): p < .001, %: p = .007), shorter REM latency (p < .001), and higher sleep efficiency (p = .003) than men. R2 values showed that sleep duration, REM and REM latency were especially affected by sex. Among women, we found longer time in bed (p = .027) and deep sleep (h: p = .036), and shorter light sleep (%: p = .021) during menstrual bleeding vs. non-bleeding days; less light sleep (h: p = .040), deep sleep (%: p = .013) and shorter REM latency (p = .011) during the menstrual than pre-menstrual phase; and lower sleep efficiency (p = .042) and more deep sleep (%: p = .026) during the follicular than luteal phase. These findings indicate that the menstrual cycle may impact the need for physiological recovery, as evidenced by the sleep stage variations. Altogether, the observed sex differences in subjective and objective sleep parameters may be related to the female athletes’ menstrual cycle. The paper provides unique data of sex differences in sleep stages and novel insights into the role of the menstrual cycle in sleep among female athletes.
Predictors of violence against health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Bitencourt Mariá Romanio , Alarcão Ana Carolina Jacinto , Silva Lincoln Luís , Dutra Amanda de Carvalho , Caruzzo Nayara Malheiros , Roszkowski Igor , Bitencourt Marcos Rogério , Marques Vlaudimir Dias , Pelloso Sandra Marisa , Carvalho Maria Dalva de Barros
Published: June 2021

Background

The increase in violence against health professionals in the COVID-19 pandemic makes it necessary to identify the predictors of violence, in order to prevent these events from happening.

Objective

Evaluating the prevalence and analyzing the variables involved in the occurrence of violence against health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Method

This is a cross-sectional study conducted online involving Brazilian health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire (Google Online Form) sent to health professionals on social networks and analyzed through logistic regression by using sociodemographic variables. The set of grouped variables was assigned to the final model when p <0.05. A network was built using the Mixed Graph Models (MGM) approach. A centrality measurement chart was constructed to determine which nodes have the greatest influence, strength and connectivity between the nodes around them.

Results

The predictors of violence in the adjusted regression model were the following: being a nursing technician / assistant; having been working for less than 20 years; working for over 37 hours a week; having suffered violence before the pandemic; having been contaminated with COVID-19; working in direct contact with patients infected by the virus; and having family members who have suffered violence. The network created with professionals who suffered violence demonstrated that the aggressions occurred mainly in the workplace, with an indication of psycho-verbal violence. In cases in which the aggressors were close people, aggressions were non-verbal and happened both in public and private places. The assaults practiced by strangers occurred in public places.

Conclusions

Violence against health professionals occurs implicitly and explicitly, with consequences that can affect both their psychosocial well-being and the assistance given to their patients and families.
Methods to improve efficacy of orally administered bioactive peptides using bovine colostrum as an exemplar
Authors: Playford Raymond John , Weiser Michael James , Marchbank Tania
Published: June 2021

Background

Oral administration of bioactive peptides has potential clinical advantages, but its applicability is limited due to gastric and pancreatic enzyme proteolysis.

Objective

To examine whether the co-packaging of bovine colostrum (BC), a rich source of IgG, immune and growth factors, with the food additives trehalose (carbohydrate), stearine (fat), casein (protein present in BC) or soy flour (plant based with high protease inhibitory activity) enhances the stability of BC against digestion.

Design

Samples alone and in combination (BC+ 10% wt/wt trehalose, stearine, casein or soy) were exposed to HCl/pepsin, followed by trypsin and chymotrypsin (“CT”). Assessment of proliferation used gastric AGS cells (Alamar blue), IgG function measured bovine IgG anti-E.coli binding and ELISAs quantified growth factor constituents. In vivo bioassay assessed ability of BC alone or with soy to reduce injury caused by dextran sodium sulphate (DSS, 4% in drinking water, 7 days, test products started 2 days prior to DSS).

Results

Proliferative activity of BC reduced 61% following HCl/pepsin and CT exposure. This was truncated 50% if soy was co-present, and also protected against loss of total IgG, IgG E.coli binding, TGFβ, lactoferrin and EGF (all P<0.01 vs BC alone). Co-packaging with trehalose was ineffective in preventing digestion whereas casein or stearine provided some intermediate protective effects. Rats given BC alone showed beneficial effects on weight gain, disease activity index, tissue histology and colonic MPO. Soy alone was ineffective. BC+ soy combination showed the greatest benefit with a dose of 7 mg/kg (6.4 BC + 0.6 soy flour) having the same degree of benefit as using 20 mg/kg BC alone.

Conclusion

Soy, and to a lesser extent casein, enhanced the biostability of BC against digestive enzymes. Co-packaging of BC with other food products such as soy flour could result in a decreased dose being required, improving cost-effectiveness and patient compliance.
Phenolic compounds disrupt spike-mediated receptor-binding and entry of SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virions
Authors: Goc Anna , Sumera Waldemar , Rath Matthias , Niedzwiecki Aleksandra
Published: June 2021

In the pursuit of suitable and effective solutions to SARS-CoV-2 infection, we investigated the efficacy of several phenolic compounds in controlling key cellular mechanisms involved in its infectivity. The way the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects the cell is a complex process and comprises four main stages: attachment to the cognate receptor, cellular entry, replication and cellular egress. Since, this is a multi-part process, it creates many opportunities to develop effective interventions. Targeting binding of the virus to the host receptor in order to prevent its entry has been of particular interest. Here, we provide experimental evidence that, among 56 tested polyphenols, including plant extracts, brazilin, theaflavin-3,3’-digallate, and curcumin displayed the highest binding with the receptor-binding domain of spike protein, inhibiting viral attachment to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, and thus cellular entry of pseudo-typed SARS-CoV-2 virions. Both, theaflavin-3,3’-digallate at 25 μg/ml and curcumin above 10 μg/ml concentration, showed binding with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor reducing at the same time its activity in both cell-free and cell-based assays. Our study also demonstrates that brazilin and theaflavin-3,3’-digallate, and to a still greater extent, curcumin, decrease the activity of transmembrane serine protease 2 both in cell-free and cell-based assays. Similar pattern was observed with cathepsin L, although only theaflavin-3,3’-digallate showed a modest diminution of cathepsin L expression at protein level. Finally, each of these three compounds moderately increased endosomal/lysosomal pH. In conclusion, this study demonstrates pleiotropic anti-SARS-CoV-2 efficacy of specific polyphenols and their prospects for further scientific and clinical investigations.
A first analysis of excess mortality in Switzerland in 2020
Authors: Locatelli Isabella , Rousson Valentin
Published: June 2021

Objective

To quantify excess all-cause mortality in Switzerland in 2020, a key indicator for assessing direct and indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Using official data on deaths in Switzerland, all-cause mortality in 2020 was compared with that of previous years using directly standardized mortality rates, age- and sex-specific mortality rates, and life expectancy.

Results

The standardized mortality rate was 8.8% higher in 2020 than in 2019, returning to the level observed 5–6 years before, around the year 2015. This increase was greater for men (10.6%) than for women (7.2%) and was statistically significant only for men over 70 years of age, and for women over 75 years of age. The decrease in life expectancy in 2020 compared to 2019 was 0.7%, with a loss of 9.7 months for men and 5.3 months for women.

Conclusions

There was an excess mortality in Switzerland in 2020, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as this excess only concerned the elderly, the resulting loss of life expectancy was restricted to a few months, bringing the mortality level back to 2015.
Manipulation of the unfolded protein response: A pharmacological strategy against coronavirus infection
Authors: Echavarría-Consuegra Liliana , Cook Georgia M. , Busnadiego Idoia , Lefèvre Charlotte , Keep Sarah , Brown Katherine , Doyle Nicole , Dowgier Giulia , Franaszek Krzysztof , Moore Nathan A. , Siddell Stuart G. , Bickerton Erica , Hale Benjamin G. , Firth Andrew E. , Brierley Ian , Irigoyen Nerea
Published: June 2021

Coronavirus infection induces the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular signalling pathway composed of three branches, triggered by unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) due to high ER load. We have used RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling to investigate holistically the transcriptional and translational response to cellular infection by murine hepatitis virus (MHV), often used as a model for the Betacoronavirus genus to which the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 also belongs. We found the UPR to be amongst the most significantly up-regulated pathways in response to MHV infection. To confirm and extend these observations, we show experimentally the induction of all three branches of the UPR in both MHV- and SARS-CoV-2-infected cells. Over-expression of the SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 or S proteins alone is itself sufficient to induce the UPR. Remarkably, pharmacological inhibition of the UPR greatly reduced the replication of both MHV and SARS-CoV-2, revealing the importance of this pathway for successful coronavirus replication. This was particularly striking when both IRE1α and ATF6 branches of the UPR were inhibited, reducing SARS-CoV-2 virion release (~1,000-fold). Together, these data highlight the UPR as a promising antiviral target to combat coronavirus infection.
Munkavállalói elkötelezettség, elégedettség. Empirikus kutatás a közforgalmú gyógyszertárakban
Authors: Mravikné Homolya Bernadett , Sebők Marianna
Published: June 2021

A tanulmány célja, hogy megvizsgálja a hazai közforgalmú gyógyszertárak munkavállalóinak elégedettségét. 221 gyógyszertári dolgozó töltötte ki a kérdőívet, mellyel arra keresték a választ, hogy mennyire elégedettek és elkötelezettek a munkavállalók a gyógyszertárakban, illetve melyek azok az elkötelezettség-komponensek és elégedettségi faktorok, amik leginkább befolyásolják ezek létrejöttét. Az eredményekből kiderült: a munkavállalók elégedettsége közepesnél jóval magasabb szintű, a munkahelyi légkörrel és a munkatársakkal kialakítható kapcsolatokkal a legelégedettebbek. Elégedettségüket leginkább a vezető személyisége, a bérezési rendszer és a munkaszervezés befolyásolja. A munkahelyük iránti elkötelezettségüket közepesre értékelték. A szakmai elkötelezettség a legmeghatározóbb. A szakirodalomban fellelhető nyolc elkötelezettségprofil közül hiányzik a domináns affektív és a dominánsan affektív-normatív profil. A tanulmányban elvégzett vizsgálat nem terjeszthető ki az alapsokaságra, az eredmények megalapozottabb bizonyítására további kvantitatív kutatások szükségesek.
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NUTRITIONAL RISK AMONG HOMEBOUND OLDER ADULTS WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS
Authors: GREENFIELD A.P. , BANERJEE S. , DEPASQUALE A. , WEISS N. , SIREY J.
Published: June 2021

Objectives: This study used the Evans model of public health determinants to identify factors associated with nutritional risk in older adults. Design: The Evans model domains (physical and mental well-being, social/environmental statuses, individual choice, and economic security) were measured in a sample of homebound older adults. Regularized logistic regression analysis with LASSO penalty function was used to determine the strongest domain of the Evans model. Using traditional logistic regression, individual variables across all domains were compared to identify the significant predictors. Setting: Older adults receiving home meal services were referred to the study by community program staff. Participants: Participants included 164 homebound older adults (age > 60) who endorsed at least one gateway symptom of depression. Measurements: Nutritional risk was determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment. Domains of the Evans model were measured using the MAI Medical Condition Checklist, items from the IADL scale, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, the Duke Social Support Index, living arrangements, marital status, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, items from the SCID Screening Module, and a self-report of perceived financial security. Results: Poor mental well-being, defined by a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, was identified as the strongest Evans model domain in the prediction of nutritional risk. When each variable was independently evaluated across domains, instrumental support (Wald’s Z=-2.24, p=0.03) and a history of drug use (Wald’s Z=-2.40, p=0.02) were significant predictors. Conclusions: The Evans model is a useful conceptual framework for understanding nutritional health, with the mental domain found to be the strongest domain predictor of nutritional risk. Among individual variables across domains, having someone to help with shopping and food preparation and a history of drug use were associated with lower nutritional risk. These analyses highlight potential targets of intervention for nutritional risk among older adults.
BASELINE FRAILTY EVALUATION IN DRUG DEVELOPMENT
Authors: CERRETA F. , ANKRI J. , BOWEN D. , CHERUBINI A. , CRUZ JENTOFT A.J. , GUÐMUNDSSON A. , HABERKAMP M. , JANSEN P. , MARCHIONNI N. , MORGAN S. , RÖNNEMAA E. , PETROVIC M. , PILOTTO A. , ROSA M. , WILDIERS H.
Published: June 2021

Older people are high consumers of medicines, but despite this they have often been excluded from clinical trials. Reasons for exclusion have frequently been poorly justifiable, and have included predefined arbitrary upper age limits, lists of different comorbidities, polypharmacy or physician/patient/family preference. This selection bias is even more evident for the frail older adults. Consequently, the evidence base in this age group is often limited at the time of market authorisation. The benefit/risk analysis for the frail older adult may well be different from that of younger people, and a lack of data may result in inappropriate prescribing.
Les défis de l’altérité
Authors: Ménard Louise
Published: June 2021

Ce numéro spécial fait suite au colloque qui a eu lieu en juin 2017 à Grenoble et dont les co-présidents étaient Yvan Pigeonnat et Julien Douady. Dix textes ont été choisis pour représenter son thème : Relever les défis de l’altérité dans l’enseignement supérieur.

Le concept d’altérité est emprunté du latin alteritas, dérivé de l’étymologie alter. Il désigne le caractère de ce qui est autre (Ferréol et Jucquois, 2003). L’altérité reconnaît l’autre en tant que personne différente. Elle permet de dépasser une perspective dichotomique du moi et de l’autre, car l’autre, reconnu en tant que tel, contribue à définir ma propre identité. L’altérité s’inscrit dans un rapport à l’autre comme le définit Ricœur (1990) : « je deviens plus et mieux moi-même au contact des autres et je prends mieux conscience tout à la fois de ma spécificité et de ma pluralité » (p. 30).

La prise en compte du concept d’altérité nous invite à réfléchir et à agir, car nous vivons aujourd’hui dans des sociétés foncièrement hétérogènes : « Socialisation, enculturation, scolarisation, éducation se déclinent désormais au pluriel » (Abdallah-Pretceill et al., 1997, p. 123). En enseignement supérieur, la reconnaissance et la prise en compte de la différence et de la diversité individuelle et collective constituent un défi important, car l’université est souvent définie comme un lieu de transmission des savoirs sans tenir compte de l’hétérogénéité sociale. Mais voilà que s’impose cette réalité qui amène certains enseignants à explorer l’apprentissage de la différence, de la diversité. Cet engagement implique d’accueillir et de s’ouvrir à la diversité et à la différence : « Une telle finalité éducative suppose que soit pleinement reconnue la singularité individuelle et que soient pris en compte les multiples facteurs de différenciation qui la composent : différenciation psychologique, mais aussi linguistique, culturelle, sociale, etc. » (Delory-Momberger et Mabilon-Bonfils, 2015, p. 11).

Mais comment intégrer pédagogiquement l’autre ? Cela n’est possible qu’en considérant l’université comme un lieu où l’apprentissage se déploie dans un vivre-ensemble. Il s’agit alors, dans le cadre des activités et des apprentissages communs, de mettre en place des conditions, des dispositifs pour que l’on puisse échanger et travailler ensemble ; de créer un lieu pour partager éventuellement nos représentations, nos croyances, nos référents culturels, nos modes de compréhension et d’action liés à la diversité (Matthey et Simon, 2009). Une telle démarche a pour conséquence de remettre en question les approches centrées sur l’enseignant comme l’exposé magistral ou la démonstration. Elle ne peut être actualisée que dans le cadre d’une pédagogie centrée sur le dialogue et la collaboration, d’une pédagogie novatrice centrée sur l’étudiant.
Acompañamiento agropecuario para sustituir la coca en La Montañita y Puerto Rico, Caquetá, Colombia 2018-2019
Authors: Wagner-Medina Erika V. , Romero Rubio Laura Cristina , Rendón Ocampo Claudia Patricia
Published: June 2021

En Colombia se han propuesto numerosas iniciativas para la erradicación de los cultivos de uso ilícito sin traer consigo una solución definitiva. Se examina la ejecución del Programa Nacional Integral de Sustitución de cultivos de uso ilícito desde su implementación en 2019 en los municipios de La Montañita y Puerto Rico en Caquetá a través de encuestas analizadas descriptivamente y entrevistas semiestructuradas codificadas con el software libre QDA Miner lite®. En estas, se buscó entender las complejidades de su implementación desde las particularidades de los equipos técnicos agropecuarios, las condiciones del Plan de Atención Inmediata, el desarrollo agropecuario y encadenamiento productivo dando elementos para reflexionar sobre enfoques de implementación y el potencial transformador del acompañamiento agropecuario a la luz del Sistema Nacional de Innovación Agropecuaria.
Community-Based Physical Rehabilitation After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Xiao Meiling , Li Yinjun , Guan Xiaodan
Published: June 2021

To determine whether a community-based physical rehabilitation program could improve the prognosis of patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention after acute myocardial infarction, we randomly divided 164 consecutive patients into 2 groups of 82 patients. Patients in the rehabilitation group underwent 3 months of supervised exercise training, then 9 months of community-based, self-managed exercise; patients in the control group received conventional treatment. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during the follow-up period (25 ± 15.4 mo); secondary endpoints included left ventricular ejection fraction, 6-minute walk distance, and laboratory values at 12-month follow-up.

During the study period, the incidence of MACE was significantly lower in the rehabilitation group (13.4% vs 24.4%; P <0.01). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated a significantly lower risk of MACE in the rehabilitation group (hazard ratio=0.56; 95% CI, 0.37–0.82; P=0.01). At 12 months, left ventricular ejection fraction and 6-minute walk distance in the rehabilitation group were significantly greater than those in the control group (both P <0.01), and laboratory values also improved.

These findings suggest that community-based physical rehabilitation significantly reduced MACE risk and improved cardiac function and physical stamina in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention after acute myocardial infarction.