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The physical demands of professional female football have intensified in recent years. Supplements are only advised in addition to a healthy, balanced diet, but may warrant a greater prevalence in the professional game to support well-being, recovery, and performance. Supplements used by players should be safe, legal, and scientifically proven to be effective. An individual approach should be taken to using supplements dependant on the needs and goals of the player. Female players should aim to improve the frequency of protein intake throughout the day, whilst tailoring doses to individual body mass. Vitamin D supplementation is vital throughout the winter months in countries with limited sun exposure, however doses should be administered based on individual blood test results. Iron is likely to be important to the well-being of female athletes throughout the season, in particular during the menses. Omega-3 and collagen may be of greater benefit to female than male athletes during recovery from soft tissue injury, whilst probiotics and creatine are beneficial throughout the season for reducing risk of illness and optimising recovery, respectively. Ergogenic supplements for football include beta-alanine, nitrate and caffeine. Caution should be taken with caffeine use due to the varying tolerance of difference athletes and sleep impairments that can follow.

Government Resource Planning (GRP) system is a solution for managing all the resources that exist in government, namely people, technology, and business processes in it. This study aims to analyses how the acceptance of the Service and Licensing Information System for the Public (SIMPATIK) in the Investment Board and Integrated Licensing (DPMPTSP) of West Java Province. This study uses UTAUT 2 model that consist of six independent variables and two dependant variables. The relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable is moderated by age, gender, and experience variables. The data used are primary data obtained from distributing questionnaires online to 42 DPMPTSP employees that using SIMPATIK. The hypothesis was tested with the SmartPLS and SPSS applications. The results show from a total of 14 hypotheses there are 3 hypotheses that have a significant or acceptable effect, while 11 other hypotheses are not significant or cannot be accepted.

The success of data-driven maintenance is strongly dependant on effective use of AI and multi-structured data sources. Introducing and integrating an AI-enhanced methodology in reliability-centred maintenance study of complex production systems leads to reducing failure rates and optimizing availability. In manufacturing enterprises, information about machine failures and expert knowledge are often stored in digital shift books (DSB). This paper introduces a transferable and scalable AI-enhanced methodology for DSB in automotive industry, which enhances Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) by optimizing availability through reducing the Mean Failure Detection Time (MFDT). Experimental investigations in the use-case suggest an OEE increase by over 5%.

Background: Health care renunciation aims to identify unmet care needs that a health con­dition would have justified. This behavior appears to be more common in women than in men. The objective of this work was to analyze the determinants of the health care renuncia­tion among women in the city of Abidjan. Subjects and Method: We carried out a cross-sectional study from March to May 2019 in Anonkoi-3, a peri-urban district of the muni­cipality of Abobo, in the north of the city of Abidjan. Questionnaires served to collect infor­mations. Bivariate analyzes and a multiple logistic regression were used to measure the association between the different types of renunciation and the characteristics of women. Dependant variable was healthcare renuncia­tion. Independent variables were socio-demo­graphic, economic, health status characte­ristics and reasons for renouncing to health care. Results: The population sample consisted of 423 women (with mean age= 32; SD= 12 years). The renunciation on consultations with the general practitioner concerned, 72.34% of women. Regarding consultation with the spe­cialist, the ophthalmologist (25.05%), the dentist (21.99%), and the gynecologist (14.89%) were those mostly renounced by the women. After consultation, 31.2% of them renounced to pursuing other treatment. They most often renounced to buying drugs from conventional medicine (19.62%) and preferred to use street drugs and traditional drugs (87.71%). All things being equal, women aged 28 to 38 (OR= 2.45; 95% CI= 1.31 to 4.68; p= 0.013), artisans and traders (OR= 3.22; 95% CI= 1.48 to 7.38; p= 0.004) and those in trade learning (OR= 2.42; 95% CI= 1.12 to 5.49; p= 0.028) significantly renouncing more on health care. Conclusion: In addition to financial reasons, the renunciation on health care can be explained by individual and social behaviors specific to individuals. Keyword s : women, healthcare renunciation, precariousness, social inequalities, ivory coast Correspondence: Jerome Kouame, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Department of Public Health, Hydrology and Toxicology, University Felix Houphouet Boigny, BPV 34 Abidjan 01, Ivory Coast. Email: jerome.kouamejj­@­gmail.­com. Mobile: 0022565237900. Journal of Health Policy and Management (2021), 06(02): 116-129 https://doi.org/10.26911/thejhpm.2021.06.02.04

For astronomers to make a significant contribution to the reduction of climate change-inducing greenhouse gas emissions, we first must quantify the sources of our emissions and review the most effective approaches for reducing them. Here we estimate that Australian astronomers’ total greenhouse gas emissions from their regular work activities are ≳25 ktCO2e yr–1 (equivalent kilotonnes of carbon dioxide per year). This can be broken into ~15 ktCO2e yr–1 from supercomputer usage, ~4.2 ktCO2e yr–1 from flights (where individuals’ flight emissions correlate with seniority), >3.3 ktCO2e yr–1 from the operation of observatories, and 2.6 ± 0.4 ktCO2e yr–1 from powering office buildings. Split across faculty scientists, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, this averages to ≳37 tCO2e yr–1 per astronomer, more than 40% greater than the average Australian non-dependant’s emissions in total, and equivalent to around five times the global average. To combat these environmentally unsustainable practices, we suggest that astronomers should strongly preference the use of supercomputers, observatories and office spaces that are predominantly powered by renewable energy sources. Where current facilities do not meet this requirement, their funders should be lobbied to invest in renewables, such as solar or wind farms. Air travel should also be reduced wherever possible, replaced primarily by video conferencing, which should also promote inclusivity. Australian astronomers generate more greenhouse emissions than the average Australian citizen, thereby exacerbating the climate crisis. By quantifying contributions from different activities such as supercomputing and air travel, as presented here, astronomers can focus on reducing emissions by changing their practices in the most critical areas.

Inherited thalassaemia disease is commonly found in many countries of the world. Care of the disease requires comprehensive management strategies comprising of clinical management of both transfusion dependant thalassaemia (TDT) and non-transfusion dependant thalassaemia (NTDT). It also includes preventive measures such as screening programmes and genetic counseling in order to contain the genetic transmission. At the moment, the only cure is through haematopoeitic stem cell transplant (HSCT). This report illustrates thalassaemia disease prevalence in the Terengganu state and the evolution of care since National Thalassaemia Programme was launched in 2009.

PurposeIn analysing the beancounter image's trajectory, from its birth to its persistence, in European French language comics between 1945 and 2016, this paper explores why artists continue beancounter image usage in popular culture.Design/methodology/approachBeancounter characters have been studied in an application of Iconology (Panofsky, 1955) in order to unravel how individuals make sense of cultural artefacts and how, in turn, the visuals shape cultural belief systems at a given time.FindingsThis study reveals that comics artists usage of the beancounter image results from their critical reactions to management and capitalism whilst at other times the usage is an indication of authenticity. Motivation for the usage is not constant over time nor is the impact of the beancounter image. Both appear dependant of the level of artistic freedom experienced by the artist.Research limitations/implicationsBased on a single media (comics) with a unique characters (European French language) this study deepens exploration of the ways in which accounting becomes entwined with the everyday and implies that further research is needed.Originality/valueExtends the work of Smith and Jacobs (2011) and Jacobs and Evans (2012) by focusing on a genre of popular culture over a long period, and by adopting a critical viewpoint. Also expands the possible applications of Panofsky's (1955) Iconology in accounting studies.

Exercise has been associated with several systemic reactions. These reactions can vary from mild symptoms to life threatening situations like anaphylaxis. In many of these cases, a predisposing factor in the form of food has been noticed. People may develop anaphylaxis on exercising after consumption of a nonspecific or specific food item. The patient being described developed anaphylaxis with seizure on exercising after having his meal. Nonspecific food dependant exercise-induced anaphylaxis is a rare scenario. Proper history taking is essential, as it can be lifesaving.

Background There has been an exponential increase in the demand for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Our goal was to examine trends in TAVR capacity and wait-times across Canada. Methods All TAVR cases were identified from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2017. Wait-time was defined as the duration in days from the initial referral to the TAVR procedure. TAVR capacity was defined as the number of TAVR procedures per million population/province/fiscal year. We performed multivariable multilevel Cox proportional hazards modelling of the time to TAVR as the dependant variable and the effect of provinces as random effects. We quantified the variation in wait-times among provinces using the median hazard ratio. Results We identified a total of 4906 TAVR procedures across 9 provinces. Despite a year over year increase in overall capacity, there was a greater than 3-fold difference in capacity between provinces. Crude median wait-times increased over time in all provinces, with marked variation from 71.5 days in Newfoundland to 190.5 and 203 days in Manitoba and Alberta, respectively. This suggests increasing demand outpaced the growth in capacity. We found a median hazard ratio of 1.62, indicating that in half of the possible pairwise comparisons, the time to TAVR for identical patients was at least 62% longer between different provinces. Conclusion We found substantial geographic inequity in TAVR access. This calls for policy makers, clinicians, and administrators across Canada to address this inequity through revaluation of provincial funding mechanisms, as well as implementation of efficient care pathways.

Corporate social performance (CSP) is defined in the literature as how corporations establish a link between their social responsibility principles, their responsiveness processes development and the social policy produced. Developed as a concept in the early 1990s, there is little agreement about its practical application in workday activities inside corporations. Reasons for this lack of alignment are not conclusively established, but one possibility is in the need for the adaptation of the concept to the business context. This adaptation inevitably demands an understanding about the subject by those responsible for developing it inside corporations. Seaports present an area of potential application for this adaption because they are infrastructure assets with the power to shape the social arrangement existing in a region. Therefore, investigating how CSP is understood in this sector can contribute to a better relationship between societies and businesses and the development of more effective policies in the social dimension of business. This paper reports the understanding of CSP held by managers of seaports in Brazil. Using content and thematic analysis, this paper analyses data collected via telephone interviews with twenty-eight Brazilian senior seaport managers interpreting the meanings of CSP. The results revealed that managers expressed the importance of CSP for their business strategy by linking it to four core themes under their management control and one theme dependant on regulators' definition. The findings present an adherence between theory and empirical data, suggesting an improvement about the role of social responsibilities for CSP implementation in seaports.

November 2018 saw the deployment of a medical team with a remit to provide far forward medical support to UK, Coalition and indigenous forces. The delivery of this capability demanded a solution unique within the UK Defence Medical Services. The ‘light role’ casualty collection points provided emergency medical care to 475 casualties over a 4-month period. The success of the deployment was dependant on the ability to remain light and agile which brought with it logistical considerations. The clinical caseload was predominantly secondary blast injury and gunshot wound (GSW). The positioning of a Role 1 facility close to the front line of troops enabled early Damage Control Resuscitation including the delivery of blood products. MEDEVAC to Role 2 was enabled by indigenous forces. The unique situation demanded bespoke solutions for documentation and blood warming. The lessons learnt during the deployment may form a blueprint for future contingency operations.

Purpose Big data analytics is a set of procedures and technologies that entails new forms of integration to uncover large unknown values from large data sets that are various, complex and of an immense scale. The use of big data analytics is generally considered to improve organisational performance. However, this depends on capabilities of different organisations to provide the resources required for big data analytics. This study aims to investigate the influence of big data analytics on organisational performance of Technical University of Kenya (TUK) and Strathmore University (SU). Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted as a mixed method research to enable a deep understanding of the concept. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires and interviews with clientele and information communication technology staff from the TUK and SU, both in Nairobi, Kenya. Secondary data was collected through interviews and questionnaires. Data was analysed and presented using descriptive statistics. Findings The findings revealed that most of the variables of organisational performance such as innovativeness, creativeness, effectiveness, productiveness and efficiency are affected positively by conducting big data analytics in both institutions. The results demonstrate that the TUK showed a negative relationship between big data analytics and competiveness and profitability while SU showed a positive relationship between the two variables. In terms of regression analysis, the findings revealed that SU showed a good relationship between independent and dependant variables while the TUK had a weak influence. Originality/value This study is original in terms of its subject matter, scope and application.

The Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union was reformed in 2013 with the aim of improving the sustainability of the fishing sector. The Landing Obligation, a cornerstone of this reform, requires fishers to land their unwanted catch instead of discarding it at sea. Existing literature pays little attention to what becomes of this unwanted catch once it is landed. To further the discourse on the sustainable valorisation of unwanted catch, this study explores whether unwanted catch that is safe for human consumption could be used for improving food security. The paper focuses on Dutch food banks, which deliver critical food aid to over 160,000 individuals yearly but struggle to provide all dependant recipients with nutritionally balanced food parcels. The research question is addressed in two ways. The food bank recipients’ willingness to consume UWC is evaluated quantitatively through a survey. Next to this, data from interviews with relevant stakeholders are analysed qualitatively. Results indicate that the Food Bank Foundation and its recipients are willing to receive this fish if it is safe to consume and accessible. However, various factors such as existing infrastructure, lack of economic incentive to donate, competition from non-food and black markets, and the fishing industry’s conflict with the landing obligation might pose barriers to this kind of valorisation. The dissonance between fisheries, food, and sustainability policies is discussed and identified as a key limiting factor. To bridge the differences between these policy areas, we propose public-private partnerships and voluntary agreements among involved stakeholders.

Background Three Acute NHS Trusts were reaching maximum bed capacity by January 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A local recently refurbished care home was identified as a suitable COVID-19 discharge facility for COVID-19 positive and COVID-19 contact patients whose ceiling of care could be managed in this setting (including oxygen therapy) to help ease bed pressures. Aims To support primary care and care home staff with symptom control and decision making for those patients who were end-of-life. To help avoid readmission back into the Acute NHS Trusts who were already at capacity. To support the relatives of these patients. Method From January until the end of March 2021 support was provided to the designated care home in the form of: A weekly virtual ward round. Members on the virtual ward round included a GP, the Lead Nurse from the care home, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, a paramedic and a Palliative Care Nurse Specialist. The provision of regular telephone calls throughout the week was dependant on need from the care home. If there were any particular patients that the care home staff had concerns about a clinical nurse specialist would be available at weekends and bank holidays for advice and support. Telephone calls to relatives. Results Prevention of patients being readmitted to the Acute NHS Trusts following the input from specialist palliative care. Quality symptom control provided for patients not for escalation. Quality end-of-life care. Support for care home staff. Conclusion The specialist palliative care input made a positive contribution to the care of patients and also to the symptom control of those patients who were end-of-life. Staff felt supported in looking after these patients at a time when care home staff were generally feeling very isolated.

Background Our tertiary level neonatal unit has well-established transitional care facilities (TCU), which are co-located on the post-natal ward (PNW). As part of the ATAIN process, we noted an increase in term admission from TCU to the neonatal unit (NNU) between the first and second quarter of 2020. It was postulated such an effect, at least in part, could be an indirect consequence of stringent government mandated restrictions on hospital visiting, in line with COVID-19 policies. 1 2 On TCU, where mothers are resident, restrictions were such that women may have chosen to return home, leaving their baby on NNU instead, due to diminished access to familial support and/or isolation. On the NNU, we value our parents as partners in care, rather than visitors, and did not implement any such restrictions. Objectives To compare trends in TCU to NNU admissions prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate the presence of maternal request as a factor for deciding ultimate place of care rather than the classical resource dependant allocation and individual care requirements. Methods All admission from TCU in 2019 (Pre-COVID-19) and 2020 (COVID-19) were identified using the NNU admissions book. Patient characteristics were recorded, including gestation, birth weight, mode of delivery, reasons for admission to TCU, length of stay, seniority of review and ultimate decision to move patient to NNU. Data on these patients was collated from the electronic patient record, Badger software and patient hand-written notes. Patients were excluded if their trajectory between wards was incorrectly coded. Results More than double the number of patients were admitted to the NNU from TCU in 2020 compared to 2019 (table 1), yet overall demographics of gestation and birth weight remained very similar. When comparing the admission rates exclusively to coincide with the start of the UK lockdown, (April - December) there were 7 cases in 2019 compared to 22 in 2020. In 2019, there was a single case of a baby being admitted to NNU from TCU due to maternal choice. However, the circumstances are mitigating as the baby was a planned removal to social services. In 2020, 5 of the 24 NNU admission from TCU were due to maternal choice (21% vs. 9% in 2019). All cases occurred between June-October 2020 at the time of easing of lockdown measures for the first time since March [4]. Conclusions Decisions regarding admissions to NNU from TCU are often multifactorial and not always easy to determine in notes. More babies were admitted to the NNU from TCU during the COVID-19 pandemic, as hypothesised, given restrictions brough in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant proportion of these were due to maternal choice.

Introduction The sudden undertaking of being a caregiver for a spouse or family member afflicted with a stroke can cause adverse psychological consequences. In Malaysia, the majority of stroke patients return home to be cared for by family members and continue rehabilitation as outpatients. In most local urban communities, the practice of shared caregiving is observed among stroke caregivers either out of necessity or familism. Sole or primary caregivers who share their homes with stroke patients would be more challenged physically and psychologically compared to secondary or joint caregivers. Sharing the caregiving responsibilities is believed to lighten the burden on primary caregivers. This study aims to determine the proportion and associated factors of depression among urban-dwelling caregivers of home-bound stroke patients receiving long-term care from a university-based primary care clinic. Methodology A cross-sectional study involving 123 primary and secondary caregivers of stroke patients was conducted at Klinik Primer PPUKM Cheras (KPPC) and the outpatient Medical Rehabilitation Services Department Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), Cheras Kuala Lumpur. A self-administered questionnaire comprising of sociodemographic characteristics, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support questionnaire (MSPSS) was used. The functional status of the stroke patients was assessed using the Modified Rankin Score (MRS). Results The proportion of respondents with depression was 20.3% (n=25). Depression was associated with caregivers’ age (CI=42.23-50.09, p=0.016), presence of illness (p=0.001), and being a sole caregiver (p=0.001). There is also an association found between caregiver depression with longer duration post-stroke (CI= 12.75-16.13, p

Technology has changed our day to day life. Online shopping has given a platform to females for making a balance in their professional and personal lives. The study is aimed to identify the influence of demographic factors mainly (Age, Income & Occupation) in formation of females' Attitude, Intention & shopping behaviour towards online shopping of Apparels. A sample of 554 female respondents of Delhi & NCR was collected through convenience sampling method with the help of questionnaire. To find out the association between independent variable such as age, income & occupation and dependant variable attitude, intention & shopping behaviour towards online shopping of Apparels ANOVA and T test were used. The result of the study found that attitude and intention is not affected by age but age affects the Shopping behaviour of females. Income does not have any impact on Attitude and Behaviour but income does affect the Intention of female respondents towards online purchase of Apparels. On the other hand occupation affects the Attitude, intention and online shopping behaviour as well.

Highlights • Mastiffs are a group of large and giant powerful dogs consisting of 19 breeds worldwide. • The median age of death for the Mastiff group was 8 years with European and North American dogs also dying at this age. • A higher percentage of dogs died over 8 years when classed as senior within breed standards. • Cancer was the most common cause of death in the Mastiff group with osteosarcoma the most common specifically in neutered animals., Despite being ranked 33 in Americas most popular breeds (American Kennel Club, 2020), there is a lack of research addressing longevity and death related health problems of Mastiff dog breeds and specifically commonly kept Bull Mastiffs and English Mastiffs. Likely a result of small founder populations and minimal breeding geographical locations, limited genetic variation is found making it important to determine key health concerns which may reduce longevity. The purpose of this study was to report findings from an online global survey of owners of deceased Mastiffs detailing breed, age at death, and if known, cause of death. Owner information was also collected including location by continent and country and the owners breeding or hobbyist experience. A closed-question survey was used via an online network of global Mastiff clubs and associations totalling a useable sample of 1036 dogs across a range of breeds. Notably, it is reported that age and cause of death varied dependant on breed. Results indicate that the median age of death for all dogs was 8 years with mean age of death in Europe as 7.72 years and 8.17 years in North America. The most common cause of death identified for all dogs was cancer (47%), old age (16%), cardiac problems (8%) and gastric problems including GDV and bloat (7%). The mean age of death for cancer dogs was 7.85 years with 23 types of cancer stated with Osteosarcoma being the most commonly recorded and specifically for neutered animals. As the survey was aimed at hobbyist and registered breeders, study findings contribute to knowledge of Mastiff mortality with the aim of promoting welfare of the breed.

BackgroundClinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDRSOB) scale is known to be highly indicative of cognitive-functional status, but it is unclear whether it is consistent with clinician diagnosis in evaluating drug class associations with risk of progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. MethodsWe employed multivariate logistic regression on longitudinal NACC data, to identify drug classes associated with disease progression risk, using clinician diagnosis and CDRSOB as the outcome. ResultsNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anxiolytics, antidiabetics, and Parkinsons medications were significantly associated with decreased progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia, and antihypertensives and Alzheimers medications significantly associated with increased progression risk. Associations were however dependant on the diagnostic measure used, e.g., antihypertensives were associated with increased Healthy-to-Dementia risk using clinical diagnosis as the outcome (OR:2.05, FDR p

Background: Mobile phone culture has brought about a revolution in technology and people of all age groups (especially youngsters) have become greatly dependant on mobiles for various reasons. It has become an integral part of routine work of students who rely on mobiles for academic purposes also. This study was planned to evaluate the impact of mobile phone use on health and academic performance of MBBS students. Methods: It was cross sectional questionnaire based study in which 300 MBBS students were involved. Various questions regarding mobile usage, associated benefits and problems pertaining to academic activities and impact on health were filled and tabulated in ranges and percentages. Results: All the students involved in study used mobile phones and their usage ranged from 0.2-6.5 hrs on a working day and0.5-8 hrs on holiday. Many students reported increased academic performance with the help of mobiles whereas few students reported disturbance in class, impaired concentration and increased use of abbreviations in routine. Also, students reported certain health issues like changes in vision, pain in wrist, neck and preference to stay alone with use of mobile phones. Conclusions: Excessive use of mobile phones can have deleterious effects on human mind and brain. Plethora of physical, psychological and behavioural problems can be seen with long term use of handsets. With advancements in technologies, associated risks are also bound to increase. So judicious and wise use of mobiles is a must to avoid harmful consequences in youngsters especially students.

With firms searching for secured external funding by engaging in multiple bank relationships on the one hand and banks for profit maximization on the other hand, conflicts of interests may arise when firms’ banks demand access to corporate private information. This information can help banks to gauge the creditworthiness of borrowers, but also exposes the latter to losses of secrecy. Thus, firms which are dependant on informative secrecy – especially innovative firms – might incur difficulties when trying to get access to external funding. As rival firms prevail within firms’ own industries, a special focus is on effects of local industry specialization and competition when investigating the quantity of firms’ bank connections. Analysing German firm level and county specific industry data, I find evidence that the number of bank relationships decreases for the cross-section of firms with local industry diversification. The effects of the indicators of industry-specific and overall competition are twofold with the former being positively related to the probability of using multi-bank relationships and the latter negative. Concluding, firms located in industrially specialized areas might rather refrain from relationship lending, due to potential loss of external funding, while innovative firms seem to rely on transaction-based banking. Contrarily, firms located in areas that are diversified w.r.t. industries, firm sizes and corporate landscape engage in relationship banking.

Introduction: Alcohol Use Disorders and Depression are among the leading causes of disability in the world according to WHO. But there are limited studies assessing comorbidity of depression and disability in Alcohol dependence syndrome and whether disability in alcohol dependant patients is due to depression or Alcohol Dependence Syndrome alone in this part of the country. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study conducted in Dr. PSIMS and RF. 50 patients were included in the study and assessed for depression and disability. Results: Prevalence of depression in alcohol dependence patients is found to be 84%. Disability is present in 94.98%. Significant correlation is observed when disability was compared with ‘ADS with depression’ (P-value Conclusion: Three fourths of the patients with ADS are suffering from depression. ADS is also associated with greater levels of disability, irrespective of the presence or absence of depression. Keywords: Alcohol dependence syndrome, Depression, Disability.

In present work Colon targeting drug delivery system was developed for Busulfan an anticancer drug by using combination of delayed systems one is pH dependant and other is time dependant delayed system. Rapid release core tablet (RRCT) formulations were prepared using Busulfan drug with different disintegrating agents in different concentrations. The pre-compression and post-compression parameters of all formulations were determined and the values were found to be satisfactory. From the In-vitro dissolution studies, F6 formulation with 12% Hydroxy propyl cellulose (HPC) was the best formulation. For optimized RRCT formulation press coat was done by using Xanthum Gum and Ethyl Cellulose (EC) in different ratios. Press coated tablet delays the drug release up to 8 hours based on the nature and concentrations of the polymer. Each press coated tablet was coated using enteric solution made of HPMC phthalate, Myvacet and color dissolved in ethanol. Enteric press coated tablets (EPCT) were delayed drug release up to 2hrs in fed condition due to pH dependant delayed system. Based on dissolution studies of EPCT formulations, C3OPF formulation was optimized and showed delayed release pattern in a much customized manner. As a result of this study it may be concluded that the colon targeted drug delivery tablets using a combination of two polymers in optimized concentrations can be used to increase the delayed action of drug release to deliver the drug in a delayed manner. Key words: Colon, RRCT, HPC, Xanthum gum and EPCT

In the Insurance Company, the performance of human resources plays major role in creating a good service, and it empirically linked to some factors. Currently these information regarding the factors influenced employee’s performance in Insurance Business. There were 108 respondents of employee participating from three Insurance Company, namely: PT. Asuransi Jiwa Sinarmas Jakarta, PT. Asuransi Takaful Keluarga Jakarta, PT. Asuransi Himalaya Pelindung Jakarta. The additional information gathered through focus group discussion with Human Resources Managers on each insurance company. Data analyzed using the Simple and Multiple Regression. The dependant variable is Performance, while the independent variables are Ability and Motivation. The Ability variables was further devided into sub variables, namely: verbal comprehension, perceptual speed. The Motivation variable wasfurther divided into sub-variables namely: achievement, expectation, and responsibility. The research found that Ability and Motivation have a significant effect on Performance. The Beta Coefficients for Ability and Motivation are 0,507 and 0,546 Respectively. The positive sign of Beta implies that Ability and Motivation can be used as measured of Performance. This research shows that the Motivation has a higher impact on Performance than the Ability. It’s mean the Employee’s ability should receive more attention when the Management has to plan to improve the Performance. Considering the object of this research is limited to three Insurance Company in Jakarta, so, the result of this research can’t be generalized for all Insurance Company. However, it’s to be hoped that the results will be useful for other insurance company managers in providing a preferable Human Resource Planning (HRP)

International audience; Background and Study Objective: To estimate the prevalence of chronic edema (CO) and wounds within two vulnerable populations, a male high security prison in the East Midlands (United Kingdom) and residential and nursing homes in the United Kingdom and Australia. Methods and Results: Methods for screening for CO and wounds were adapted from the main LIMPRINT methodology. Prison Population: In total, 195 inmates were recruited with 22 (11%) having CO. While the majority were white Caucasian (156/83.4%) a further 20 (10.7%) were dark skinned with 11 (5.95%) from other minority populations. Comorbidities included 123 (63%) smokers, 22 (11%) alcohol dependant, 60 (31%) with mental health problems, and 35 (18%) a history of self-harm. Only three had a current wound with 30 (16%) having had a traumatic stab wound. Residential and Nursing Homes (United Kingdom and Australia): In the United Kingdom, the total population available for inclusion was 189 with only 137 (73%) recruited. Seventy-two of the 137 (52%) suffered from CO and a further 16 (23%) had a history of cellulitis. Results from the Australian residential care facilities have been published in full. In summary, of the 37 participants 20 (54%) experienced CO with 25 (68%) having comorbidities and 11 (30%) having a concurrent wound. Conclusion: Obtaining an accurate picture of the prevalence and impact of CO in vulnerable populations is extremely challenging due to issues of access and consent. Lack of reliable data for these populations will contribute to poor service provision.

ObjectivesWe synthesise evidence on sexual harassment from studies in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to estimate its prevalence and conduct a meta-analysis of the association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms.MethodsWe searched eight databases. We included peer-reviewed studies published in English from 1990 until April 2020 if they measured sexual harassment prevalence in LMICs, included female or male participants aged 14 and over and conceptualised sexual harassment as an independent or dependant variable. We appraised the quality of evidence, used a narrative syntheses approach to synthesise data and conducted a random effects meta-analysis.ResultsFrom 49 included studies, 38 focused on workplaces and educational institutions and 11 on public places. Many studies used an unclear definition of sexual harassment and did not deploy a validated measurement tool. Studies either used a direct question or a series of behavioural questions to elicit information on acts considered offensive or defined as sexual harassment. Prevalence was higher in educational institutions than in workplaces although there was high heterogeneity in prevalence estimates across studies with no international comparability. This posed a challenge for calculating an overall estimate or measuring a range. Our meta-analysis showed some evidence of an association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms (OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.76; p=0.016) although there were only three studies with a high risk of bias.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to assess measurement approaches and estimate the prevalence of sexual harassment across settings in LMICs. We also contribute a pooled estimate of the association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms in LMICs. There is limited definitional clarity, and rigorously designed prevalence studies that use validated measures for sexual harassment in LMICs. Improved measurement will enable us to obtain more accurate prevalence estimates across different settings to design effective interventions and policies.

The mechanisms of NASH development in the context of age and genetics are not fully elucidated. This study investigates the age-dependent liver defects during NASH development in mice with heterozygous deletion of Pcyt2 (ETKO), the rate limiting enzyme in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) synthesis. Further, the therapeutic potential of Pcyt2 substrate, phosphoethanolamine (PEtn), is examined. ETKO were investigated at 2, 6 and 8 months of age and in addition, 6-mo old ETKO with developed NASH were supplemented with PEtn for 8 weeks and glucose and fatty acid metabolism, insulin signaling, and inflammation were examined. Heterozygous ablation of Pcyt2 causes specific transcriptional and signaling adaptations in lipid/fatty acids and energy metabolism regulators from young age, prior to the development of liver disease which does not occur until adulthood. Only older ETKO liver experiences perturbed protein, glucose, and fatty acid metabolism. Older ETKO liver develops NASH characterized by increased glucose production, accumulation of TAG and glycogen, and increased insulin resistance and inflammation. Supplementation with PEtn reverses ETKO steatosis, inflammation, and other aspects of NASH, showing that was directly caused by Pcyt2 deficiency. Pcyt2 deficiency is a novel mechanism of metabolic dysregulation due to reduced membrane ethanolamine phospholipid synthesis, and the metabolite PEtn offers therapeutic potential for NASH reversion.

At the origin of the Smart Home concept, the primary needs to provide an intelligent use of energy and create a better living environment for humans. Over the years, Smart Home technology has been adapted to many different areas and demands such as the comfort and safety of its residents. In particular, with the increase in the number of dependant people such as the elderly and people with special needs, the architecture and operation of Smart Homes became strongly related to these residents. Nevertheless, one category of inhabitants has too often been put aside, namely people with cognitive impairment. In this paper, we propose a danger prediction system to ensure the safety of people with Alzheimer's disease in a Smart Home. The proposed approach combines a prediction algorithm to a multiagent architecture in order to detect potential dangers inside the house. We then carry out a performance evaluation through simulation to demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been the center of human existential chaos throughout the world, which also has affected the manufacturer in an extraordinary and unexpected way. With the decline in demand, supply, and workforce the industries are driven into the gloom. The concerned research objective is to explore the factors which impact manufacturing throughout the world during the epidemic of Covid-19. Further, it delineates the usage of advanced digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics (BDA), and internet of things (IoT) to bring on solutions/approaches to evolving to pandemic-constrained manufacturing. An overall of twelve key factors is determined from extensive literature reviews which are categorized into challenges and solutions. Here, ISM methodology has been used to establish the interrelationship among identified twelve challenges and solutions. Further, MICMAC analysis has categorized them according to their driving and dependence power. The consequences display the absence of autonomous factors whilst efficient supply chain, centralized decision making, product diversification, and JIT along with revenue generation turn out to be significant dependant factors. The facilitators like digital technologies are the pre-cursors to the ultimate solution of revenue generation and termed preliminary solutions. The outcomes of this research will suggest eventual policy recommendations for industry leaders to progress manufacturing within Covid-19 constraints. It will offer a sturdy base for manufacturers around the world to tune to the new digital transformation of the production scenario.

To explore inpatient staff's understanding and implementation of positive risk management.Risk management is an essential skill for staff working in acute mental health inpatient settings. National policies advocate the use of positive risk management as a form of collaborative, recovery-focused risk management. However, little is known about how staff understand, operationalize, and use positive risk management in practice.Qualitative reflexive thematic analysis study.The authors recruited a purposive sample of healthcare professionals working in acute inpatient settings (N = 16) in 2019 across three National Health Service Trusts in the North-West of England. Participants completed semi-structured interviews which were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.The analysis generated three themes: (a) within staff barriers; (b) within service user barriers; and (c) delivery in practice.Understanding and implementation of positive risk management was dependant on multiple factors, including staffs' beliefs about mental health, levels of worry and anxiety, and amount of experience and seniority. Staff were more likely to use positive risk management with service users that they perceived as being trustworthy and less risky. Use of positive risk management was reliant on the support practitioners received, how able they were to view situations from multiple perspectives, and the degree to which they felt able to prioritize positive risk management.Although staff expressed the desire and intention to practice positive risk management, the current study highlights challenges around operationalization and implementation. The authors discuss the clinical implications of the findings.目的: 探讨住院部职工对积极风险管理的理解和实施情况。 背景: 对于在急性精神健康住院病房中工作的职工而言, 风险管理是一项基本技能。国家政策建议, 应协作执行积极的风险管理, 以恢复为重点。然而, 职工在实践中如何理解、实施和使用积极的风险管理尚未完全明确。 设计: 定性及自反性主题分析研究。 方法: 2019年, 本文作者有目的的在英格兰西北部的三个国家医疗服务信托机构中招募急性住院病房医疗专业人员 (N = 16) 。参与者均接受半结构化访谈, 且已通过自反性主题分析对访谈内容进行分析说明。 结果: 分析过程中, 产生三个主题: (a) 职工障碍; (b) 服务接受者障碍; (c) 实际的实行情况。 结论: 积极风险管理的理解和实施取决于多个因素, 包括职工的心理健康观念、担忧和焦虑程度、经验和资历等。职工更倾向于对其认为值得信赖且风险较小的服务接受者实施积极的风险管理。积极风险管理的应用取决于实践者所获支持, 多维判断能力及其认为应优先考虑积极风险管理的程度。 影响: 尽管职工有意实行积极的风险管理, 但当前研究表明, 此类风险管理的操作和实施仍面临挑战。本文作者对此发现的临床意义进行探讨。.

International audience; In this paper we question the impact of gender representation in training data on the performance of an end-to-end ASR system. We create an experiment based on the Librispeech corpus and build 3 different training corpora varying only the proportion of data produced by each gender category. We observe that if our system is overall robust to the gender balance or imbalance in training data, it is nonetheless dependant of the adequacy between the individuals present in the training and testing sets.

This article explains an IP waiver will have a limited impact on meeting the emergency medical requirements. That being so why are countries like India and South Africa putting extreme diplomatic efforts to succeed in this Patent waiver initiative? There is no clear answer. I tempt believe, more than seeking an immediate relief, it is an apostolic behaviour towards this rotten IP regime. I wish it leads to a larger debate on Intellectual Property rights and inequities of the IP regime and the TRIPs agreement. Many, including me, believe that the TRIPS agreement merely provided an advantage to industrialized countries. It has only helped in intellectual colonisation. TRIPs enslaved poor and underdeveloped countries and consistently made them dependant on the mercy of larger industrialized economies for technologies. It retarded innovation in less privileged economies. The current patent system is facilitating the evergreening of patent protection. Creating patent thickets, pooling the patents, generating unfair advantage for themselves and depriving an equal opportunity to new entrants and startups. Many say that the duration of a patent granted is more than what is proportionate to the economic value of the effort. We need to remember that patent as a concept evolved as a reward for disclosure for facilitating further innovation. However, over a period of time, it has become a tool to impose monopoly and prevent competition. In many sectors, technology becomes obsolete in less than five years and granting a patent for 20 years is merely helping to prevent new technology innovations. Yes, discussion on patent waiver helps in creating a platform for discussion for overhauling the IP regime. If that is the real intent, then worth appreciation on that count.

Not much is known about the heterogeneity of risk attitudes among poor households in rich countries. This paper provides estimates from a unique data set collected among the urban poor in Atlanta, Georgia. The data set includes lab-in-the-field experiments on the relationship between risk attitudes and several household characteristics. Apart from looking at income, wealth, and education, we are particularly interested in household composition as it captures the number and kind of people who are dependant on the income of the household head. Heads of households who are less risk averse may be willing to take on the extra risk from smaller resource margins resulting from additional dependants, implying a negative relationship between household size and risk aversion. However, if the size of the household is a result of exogenous forces some heads of households may become more risk averse with more dependants. Household size can also reflect a risk management choice that involves adding non-dependant members who can provide resources and risk sharing. However, this possibility is limited to homes that are not already too crowded. We find that household size correlates positively with the risk aversion of the head, but with a large proportion of children the correlation is strongly dampened. However, this negative effect of children is conditional on the home not already being crowded. These heterogeneous findings have implications for the design of new insurance, savings, and credit programs where risk attitudes are important to the decisions to adopt.

Iran has a large share of world's extractive resources including oil and gas. The economy of the country is extremely dependant on revenues from these resources. However, the management of these resources have been criticized. At different times, Iran has adopted different kind of policies and legal structures to manage these resources especially oil and gas resources. The required local contents for each of these policies are different. Here, the discussion goes around these policies and legal orders which require some obligations on Iran National Oil Company (NIOC), foreign and local companies through laws, development plans and specific kind of contracts.

Alaska is a unique petroleum-producing region in that it is a state within the USA and therefore both an independent oil-producing and gas-producing region with an independent State government as well as a region dependant on, and intertwined with, a more powerful developed U.S. economy and its U.S. Federal Government. As such, it is possible to better observe political characteristics in the formation of petroleum policies and how they relate to the larger governmental institutions since some policies are based on State government policies and therefore the State’s citizens’ desires. Moreover, some policies are driven by the more powerful U.S. Federal Government policies and its American citizens’ desires. The chapter looks at Alaska’s oil and gas fiscal system, the State’s petroleum industry, its petroleum institutions and its sovereign wealth fund and how all those items work together within the broader government functioning.

Stock market prediction is a difficult problem that has always attracted researchers from different domains. Recently, different studies using text mining and machine learning methods were proposed. However, the efficiency of these methods is still highly dependant on the retrieval of relevant information. In this paper, we investigate novel data sources (Stocktwits in combination with financial news) and we tackle the problem as a binary classification task (i.e., stock prices moving up or down). Furthermore, we use for that end a hybrid approach which consists of sentiment and event-based features. We find that the use of Stocktwits data systematically outperforms the sole use of price data to predict the close prices of 8 companies from the NASDAQ100. We conclude on what the limits of these novel data sources are and how they could be further investigated.

International audience; Background : Stigma works to reinforce dominant social values. The meaning of stigma is therefore not static but dependant on the regime in power. Taking into account the significant socioeconomic changes that took place in Vietnam over the last thirty years, this study explores the meaning of stigma directed at Vietnamese people who inject drugs in different social spheres. Methods This qualitative study was conducted as part of an evaluation of a peer outreach program that distributes harm-reduction supplies and information, and provides treatment referral assistance to people who inject drugs in Haiphong, Vietnam. We conducted ethnographic field observations with peer outreach workers, home visits, and 54 in-depth interviews with participants in 2017 and 2018. Grounded theory led our theoretical sampling and analysis. Results Stigma towards people who inject drugs seems to centre on the ability to be self-reliant rather than on drug-using behaviours. Participants described how their families and neighbours expressed expectations that they should manage their substance use issues by themselves, without considering the barriers they face in the job market. Participants interpret stigma directed at them in terms of poverty rather than drug use. As a result, they sometimes engage in illegal income-generating activities to pursue financial autonomy and to regain their social status. Conclusion People who inject drugs were struggling to conform to social expectations of self-reliance with limited support to realise it. Effective interventions must consider the many facets and challenges individuals encounter in their daily lives.

Low temperature industrial surplus heat represents a major energy source that is currently only rarely utilized due to its low quality. An agricluster allows for the leveraging of this low-quality heat and, hence, may improve the overall energy efficiency. This paper presents the novel concept of an agricluster driven by available surplus heat from industrial processes. We propose the integration of greenhouse production, insect rearing, fish rearing, and drying of seaweed using low temperature surplus heat from the aluminum industry. Each of these processes is already used in or investigated for utilization of surplus heat and partly coupled with other processes, such as in aquaponics. However, the integration of all processes in an agricluster—as proposed in this paper—may result in improved utilization of the surplus heat due to the different seasonality of the heat demand. The potential synergies of this integration approach are discussed in this paper. Furthermore, waste from one process can be utilized as an input stream to other processes, reducing the demand for external material input to the system. The proposed concept of an agricluster is especially interesting for the Nordic countries, as they are dependant on fresh food imports due to the low outside temperatures.

This paper reports on older adult (65+) public transit users’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group more vulnerable to severe illness from the virus. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with public transit users in Hamilton, Ontario, results highlight inequalities between those with access to a car and those dependant on transit. Further, we examine the impact of the policies taken to reduce viral transmission on the City’s buses. For instance, boarding from back doors is physically strenuous for those with declining mobility. We conclude by stressing the importance of public transit, an essential service for many older adults.

Background: The study was conducted to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among alcoholicmale and extent of sexual dysfunction and quality of life among alcohol dependant male with or withoutsexual dysfunction.Study design: Cross sectional study involving newly diagnosed 50 alcohol dependant male patients attendedPsychiatry out patient department.Result: Study showed significant relationship between occupation, level of education and socio-economicclass with total quality of life score. 76% of alcohol dependant males have sexual dysfunction. Alcoholdependant males without sexual dysfunction + SE (51.906+ .865) compared to alcohol dependent male withsexual dysfunction (40.977 + .473) which is statistically significant.Conclusion: The study highlighted high rates of sexual dysfunction along with lower total quality of lifescore in the alcohol dependant group.

BACKGROUND: Firefighters partake in and are exposed to a range of potentially traumatic events throughout their careers and the impact of such critical events could last a life time. Therefore, capturing such lifetime exposures is necessary for supporting firefighter health. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of critical incidents in firefighters across Canada and determine whether the number of critical events varied based on age, gender, years of service; and to integrate our prevalence estimates using meta-analysis with previous studies to provide a pooled estimate. METHODS: We recruited 464 firefighters. Firefighters were asked to complete a self-report Critical Incident Inventory (CII) survey that included questions on exposure to critical events throughout their firefighting careers. Individual CII items were summarized as percentages, number of exposures, the total number and percentages of exposures to each of the six CII sub-scales. We also performed a multivariate enter regression analysis with the CII total score as dependant variable, and age, gender, years of service as independent variables, to estimate if the number of critical incidents among firefighters varied based on age, gender and years of service. RESULTS: Among the 390 full-time firefighters, 376 (96.4%) indicated exposure to some type of critical incident. More specifically, 351 (90%) reported a “respond to incident involving one or two deaths”, and 314 (81%) reported a “respond to incident involving multiple serious injuries”. Age, gender and years of service accounted for only 37.4% of the variance in the number of critical incidents among firefighters. In addition, our pooled estimate results of previous similar studies indicated an overall prevalence estimate of critical incident exposures was 93.40% (4 studies, 1725 of 1877 firefighters, 95% CI: 82.26 –99.30). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly all (96.4%) firefighters were exposed to some form of critical event over the span of their entire firefighting careers. Age, gender and years of service accounted for one-third of the variance in the number of critical incident exposures among firefighters.

To diversify and decarbonize its energy system, Colombia plans a sizeable increase in wind power by installing onshore wind farms in the Guajira region. While presumably superior to other alternatives in terms of environmental performance, this assumption cannot be tested due to the lack of studies in this region. To assess the potential environmental performance of wind power in Colombia, we conduct a hybrid life cycle assessment of a wind farm of 19.5 MW of installed capacity for various impacts. We include both direct (required on-site) and indirect (required in the supply-chain) services associated with the life cycle of the wind farm for completeness, an unprecedented feature in the LCA literature. The results show that the wind farm is associated with low global warming impacts (12.93 gr CO2 eq/kWh) compared with similar studies, mainly due to high wind speeds. Moreover, the inclusion of both direct and indirect services increases the environmental impacts across indicators (with respect to the results without services) from 0% (carcinogenic effects) to 21% (terrestrial eutrophication). Further, sensitivity analysis suggests that the results are highly dependant on the capacity factor, lifespan, and percentage of losses. We conclude that the inclusion of both direct and indirect services is not negligible in the life cycle assessment of wind farms and similar projects, particularly given the substantial services required, such as surveying, legal compliance, etc. Given the difficulty to obtain data on services, we conclude with some recommendations aimed at relevant stakeholders, such as tax benefits and public procurement guidelines.

Obesity is a major risk factor for hypertension. Although the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) contributes to the sex difference of blood pressure (BP) control, whether the prorenin receptor (PRR) and its soluble form (sPRR) play a role in the sexual dimorphism of BP is not clear. We previously demonstrated that, in high fat (HF)-fed male C57BL/6 mice, the infusion of mouse recombinant sPRR increased systolic blood pressure (SBP) by the sympatho-excitatory effects of leptin on BP. Therefore, in the present study, we aim to address whether mouse recombinant sPRR influences the BP in HF-fed female mice. To test this hypothesis, C57BL/6 female mice were fed a HF diet for 32 weeks and were implanted with radiotelemetry transmitter. After 24 weeks of high fat feeding, female mice (5-6/group) were implanted with osmotic pumps and infused with either saline (veh) or sPRR for 3 to 4 weeks. In contrast to male mice, the infusion of sPRR (30 μg/kg/day) did not change significantly the SBP (24hSBP; veh: 135 ± 7; sPRR: 134 ± 4 mmHg; P>0.05) and the baroreflex sensitivity. The decrease in BP mediated by chlorisondamine treatment was not significantly different between female mice infused with vehicle or sPRR (ΔSBP; veh: -11 ± 9; sPRR: -16 ± 7 mmHg; P>0.05). In addition, sPRR infusion did not affect the bradycardic or tachycardic responses after propranolol or atropine treatment respectively. Moreover, the decrease of SBP induced by losartan was similar in mice infused with vehicle or sPRR (ΔSBP; veh: -9 ± 4; sPRR: -10 ± 3 mmHg; P>0.05). Similar results were obtained using higher dose of sPRR (60 μg/kg/day). In female mice, sPRR infusion did not increase significantly the body weight (veh: 32.7 ± 2.5 g; sPRR: 35.8 ± 4.2 g; P>0.05), the white adipose tissue weight (WAT; veh: 3.0 ± 0.7g; sPRR: 3.7 ± 1.6 g; P>0.05) or circulating leptin levels (veh: 12.0 ± 7.6 ng/ml; sPRR: 15.5 ± 9.5 ng/ml; P>0.05). In conclusion, in contrast to male, female mice are protected from sPRR-induced increase in BP. sPRR did not increase circulating leptin suggesting that sPRR-induced leptin increase is regulated in a sex-dependent manner. Other pathways could participate to the protection against sPRR-induced increase in BP in female mice such as the vasodilator arm of the RAS and/or the hormonal status of the female mice.

Background Globally, some of the highest rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are found in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Relatedly, there has been a decrease in consumption of local foods and an increasing reliance on imported foods that are generally energy dense and highly processed. This study aimed to apply a novel quantitative toolkit to investigate the relationship between dietary diversity (DD) and food source, food insecurity and NCD risk in two SIDS: Fiji and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VCT). Methods A dietary toolkit was developed to collect individual-level information on type and frequency of food consumed, food sources, food insecurity and relevant socio-economic and health data. Regional investigators and partners ensured context-relevant content and implementation. In Fiji and VCT respectively, 95 and 86 households were recruited. All adults and adolescents (15 years and above) living in households, sampled to provide exposure to urban, rural, higher and lower income areas, were surveyed (n individuals=186 SVG; n=147 Fiji). Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression, with DD as the dependant variable, adjusted for household sampling, were applied to explore associations between sociodemographic factors, food sources and dietary quality. Results Mean DD score, of a possible score of 10, was 3.7 (SD1.4) in Fiji and 3.8 (SD1.5) in VCT, and this was consistent across sex, age and body mass index. In both settings, more people sourced food by purchasing than any other means (Fiji n=155(83%); VCT n=136(93%)). Regular consumption of own produce and regular food borrowing were associated with greater fruit consumption (difference in median number of servings/week: Fiji 1(95%CI 0,2); VCT 5(95%CI 1,9) and Fiji 2(0,4); VCT 9(5,13)), respectively. Purchasing from a small shop was associated with higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (Fiji 4(1,7); VCT 7(1,13)). Multivariable analysis results, presented as adjusted regression coefficients (β (95%CI)), indicated that purchasing from a small shop was inversely associated with DD (-0.52 (-0.91, -0.12); p=0.011), as was rural residence (-0.46 (-0.92, 0.00); p=0.049). Borrowing food was positively associated with DD (0.73 (0.21, 1.25); p=0.006), as was age (0.01 (0.00, 0.03); p=0.063) and higher education (0.44 (0.06, 0.82); p=0.023). Conclusion Our findings suggest barriers and facilitators to diet quality and links with food sources in SIDS that may contribute to enhancing understanding of local food consumption and health. The findings indicate important avenues for further research, such as the role that food borrowing may play in ensuring dietary diversity in these regions. On behalf of the CFaH Team.

Current development around the pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents a significant healthcare resource burden threatening to overwhelm the available nationwide healthcare infrastructure. It is essential to consider, especially for resource-limited nations, strategizing the coordinated response to handle this crisis effectively and preparing for the upcoming emergence of calamity caused by this yet-to-know disease entity. Relevant epidemiological data were retrieved from currently available online reports related to COVID-19 patients. The correlation coefficient was calculated by plotting dependant variables - the number of COVID-19 cases and the number of deaths due to COVID 19 on the Y-axis and independent variables - critical-care beds per capita, the median age of the population of the country, the number of COVID-19 tests per million population, population density (persons per square km), urban population percentage, and gross domestic product (GDP) expense on health care - on the X-axis. After analyzing the data, both the fatality rate and the total number of COVID-19 cases were found to have an inverse association with the population density with the variable - the number of cases of COVID-19 - achieving a statistical significance (p-value 0.01). The negative correlation between critical care beds and the fatality rate is well-justified, as intensive care unit (ICU) beds and ventilators are the critical elements in the management of complicated cases. There was also a significant positive correlation between GDP expenses on healthcare by a country and the number of COVID-19 cases being registered (p-value 0.008), although that did not affect mortality (p-value 0.851). This analysis discusses the overview of various epidemiological determinants possibly contributing to the variation in patient outcomes across regions and helps improve our understanding to develop a plan of action and effective control measures in the future.

Background Many intervention studies of coronary artery disease (CAD) have found health benefits for patients in the “treatment as usual” (TAU) group like in the specific psychotherapy group. In this pilot study, we wanted to examine and discuss the role and reasons for TAU effects. Methods By means of a systematic review, we examined the control conditions from psychotherapeutic RCTs with CAD patients related to depressive symptoms, mortality and recurrence rate of events. The review question was limited to factors influencing the TAU effectiveness in such psychotherapeutic outcome studies. Results We found a decrease in depressive symptoms in TAU patients (mean ES: 0.65) and very differing mortality and recurrence rates of events. The effects were dependant on the year the study was published (1986–2016), the follow-up time of the study (0.25–7.8 years) and the treatment arms. A small dose of additional counselling, medical attention, and teaching of therapeutic techniques with clinical competence may reinforce the therapeutic alliance. These factors would be possible moderators of control group efficacy related to the reduction in depressive symptoms and a decrease in mortality and events. Conclusion In the reviewed studies, we found that the control condition was beneficial for CAD patients, but this benefit was highly variable. Specified psychotherapeutic interventions showed an additional independent effect of treatment on depression and effects on morbidity and mortality. There is a need to identify patients at risk of remaining depressed or under severe stress during usual care. These patients may require additional psychosocial intervention.

Africa is a continent facing severe, urgent, and often unique health challenges. At the same time, in most African countries, national research funding is very limited and research systems are usually dependant on international research funding and collaboration. Therefore, in this context, there are worries that foreign partners will dominate medical research agendas, which may take research away from being relevant to specific local health needs. In this article, we investigate whether the distribution of medical research priorities and investment in medical research, across diseases in Africa, is related to the disease burden of local populations between 2006 and 2015. Our results show that, although African medical research capacity is still very weak and greatly dependant on public non-African and philanthropic funders, medical research specialisation in sub-Saharan Africa is generally associated with its disease burden. Our results are interesting because they indicate that although there are misalignments at the global level between research priorities and disease burden in absolute terms, in sub-Saharan Africa, there is no clear trade-off between participating in global research networks and producing medical research that is aligned with local health needs.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-10T19:54:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-10-01. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2021-07-15T15:06:50Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 S0104-77602019000400365.pdf: 201539 bytes, checksum: 0711d0fe5c713de6179daddf932795ed (MD5) Using face-to-face interviews and semi-structured questionnaires with timber housing developers, this study assed the perceptions of respective industries about government stimuli and public policies towards timber construction in Brazil. Four questions were developed under qualitative aspects, which were percentually measured to enable a response comparative. Thereby, 107 of 210 companies were evaluated here. Under statistical view, this sampling revealed a margin of error acceptable and next to the ideal condition. Results suggest that current policies have been apparently restrictive. Timber house producers still are dependant on strategies for whole national segments, whose scope does not promote both local cleaner industries and those focused on sustainable solutions such as from this studied sector. Tax cuts and exemptions for greener products could be an efficient alternative to incentive this production sector, and promote these sustainable timber houses. The creation of assertive public policies could attract more investors and developers to expand this industry and other forest-timber sectors and, consequently, contribute to reduce the housing shortage in Brazil. Res Grp LIGNO, Itapeva, Brazil Sao Paulo State Univ, Itapeva, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil Sao Paulo State Univ, Itapeva, Brazil