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Abstract This study addresses the issue of insufficient physical activity (PA) among youths. The emergence of gamified interventions, such as Gamifiter web portal, offers a novel approach to promoting healthy habits and increasing intrinsic motivation for PA. Gamifiter engages users in virtual challenges linked to daily step counts and progress on a digital map, aiming to enhance PA and physical literacy. Involving 107 pupils (12–13 years old), the intervention utilized Garmin VívoFit trackers, with the Gamifiter portal providing individual PA reports, challenges, and interactive educational applications. Results showed a significant increase in daily step counts indicating the positive impact of Gamifiter on PA levels. Attitudes Towards Educational Reality questionnaire and incomplete sentence test results revealed pupils' positive perceptions, high motivation, and satisfaction with Gamifiter. Teachers also praised Gamifiter for promoting PA and literacy, although some desired more customization options. The study emphasizes the potential of gamified interventions to effectively promote a healthy lifestyle. Positive attitudes and increased PA suggest that gamification can be a valuable tool in motivating and engaging pupils in physical activities, fostering a foundation for a healthier lifestyle. In conclusion, Gamifiter's success in motivating pupils to engage in higher levels of PA highlights its potential as a useful tool for promoting a healthy lifestyle. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are recommended to better understand the sustained impact of gamified interventions on health among youths.

Abstract Background Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (LF) are endemic in Equatorial Guinea with notable variations in disease incidence between island and mainland regions. Historically, efforts to control and map these diseases were concentrated in Bioko Island, where loiasis is absent, allowing for targeted onchocerciasis interruption strategies. With the cessation of onchocerciasis transmission on Bioko and no reported cases on Annobon island, assessing the transmission status in the previously unaddressed mainland region has become imperative. Mapping efforts in mainland Equatorial Guinea have proven low to moderate level of transmission for LF and onchocerciasis, although the results so far have not been very conclusive. The current study aims to update the prevalence estimates for onchocerciasis and LF in mainland Equatorial Guinea using various diagnostic techniques. Methods This is the first cross-sectional study carried out to estimate the prevalence of onchocerciasis and LF in the mainland area of Equatorial Guinea, from September to December 2019, based on the combination of skin snip biopsies, thick blood smears, laboratory serological tests (ELISA tests for the detection of IgG4 antibodies against Onchocerca volvulus recombinant antigen Ov16 and Wuchereria bancrofti recombinant antigen Wb123) and molecular laboratory tests. Frequencies and prevalence rates, along with 95% confidence intervals for interval estimation of a binomial proportion, were computed. Results The overall onchocerciasis seroprevalence calculated for the study was 0.3% (95% CI: 0.1 to 0.5%). Microscopic examination of skin biopsies from the eight individuals seropositive for Ov16, out of the 3951 individuals initially tested, revealed no O. volvulus microfilariae. However, DNA extracted from one skin snip was successfully amplified, with subsequent sequencing confirming the presence of O. volvulus. Among the 3951 individuals, 182 were found to have anti-Wb123 antibodies, suggesting exposure to W. bancrofti, with an estimated seroprevalence of 4.6% (95% CI: 4.0 to 5.3%). Microscopy and Filaria-real time-PCR (F-RT-PCR) analysis for W. bancrofti were negative across all samples. Conclusions The findings indicate that onchocerciasis may no longer constitutes a public health problem in Equatorial Guinea, positioning the country on the verge of achieving elimination. Additionally, the mapped prevalence of LF will facilitate the formulation of national strategies aimed at eradicating filariases countrywide. Graphical Abstract

Abstract This research explores the coverage of success factors for entrepreneurship in higher education through the lens of the actual practice in prosperous company launchings. Accordingly, the paper analyzes how universities prioritize the importance of the success factors in entrepreneurship identified by business practitioners. Through the text analysis of a set of syllabi of courses on entrepreneurship we find that the success factors underlined in the teaching-learning process are the idea, business model, CEO, finance, and marketing. The exploration of a collection of recent papers on entrepreneurship education suggests that the factors emphasized by researchers are CEO, social impact, team, and formation. We find differences in the teaching-learning and research spheres regarding the ranking of success factors. Teaching-learning focuses on more traditional aspects of entrepreneurship and firm management, associated with key functional areas in companies. Research, in contrast, emphasizes social and psychological aspects and pays more attention to recent trends in management, like gender, diversity, and social impact. This suggests that research enjoys more flexibility and capacity for quick adaptation to new trends and ideas in society than teaching. Our findings imply that the process of teaching-learning in entrepreneurship must strive to remain closer to the reality of firms to prioritize the transmission and development of knowledge and skills more in accord with business practice.

En años recientes, Colombia ha implementado diversas estrategias orientadas a potenciar los indicadores de inclusión financiera, buscando así consolidar el progreso socioeconómico de sus habitantes. En este contexto, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo analizar las tendencias de consumo de servicios financieros diferenciadas por género en Colombia durante el periodo 2017-2021. Para llevar a cabo esta investigación se adoptará una metodología de investigación descriptiva de tipo cuantitativo, donde los hallazgos preliminares indican que, a pesar del incremento observado en la apertura de cuentas bancarias para ambos géneros, persisten notables desigualdades de género en el acceso a ciertos instrumentos crediticios en diversas regiones del país.

Contact tracing of individual exposed to any infectious measles case deserves special attention when in the country the disease is mostly imported. We present the coordinated public health actions triggered after reporting a suspected measles case in an aircraft. Spanish public health authorities and airlines responded promptly to allow a rapid contact tracing. Even one secondary measles case was reported no further transmission was identified, revealing that giving PEP and appropriate information help to avoid transmission and to maintain measles elimination in Spain.

Objectives: Carbapenemase-mediated carbapenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a relevant health problem. We detected for the first time in Spain two clinical NDM-producing P. aeruginosa (NDM-Pa) isolates in two Ukrainian patients admitted to our hospital between April and August 2022. Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility was studied by microdilution and MIC gradient strips (EUCAST-2022 criteria). Carbapenemase genes were detected by the Xpert Carba-R and immunochromatography assays. WGS (Illumina and Oxford-Nanopore) was also performed. Results: In May 2022, we detected an NDM-Pa in a sternotomy wound in a patient. In June-2022, a second NDM-Pa along with an OXA-48-Klebsiella pneumoniae (OXA-48-Kp) isolate was detected in a mandibular abscess from an unrelated patient. Moreover, an NDM+OXA-48-K. pneumoniae (NDM+OXA-48-Kp) was also found in a rectal sample of this patient. Both patients had undergone surgery in Ukraine before their transfer to our hospital. NDM-Pa isolates were resistant to all tested antimicrobials with the exception of aztreonam (MIC = 8 mg/L), colistin (MIC =2 mg/L) and cefiderocol (MIC range = 0.75–2 mg/L). WGS confirmed that both P. aeruginosa isolates were NDM-1 producers, belonged to ST773 and shared an identical resistome. blaNDM-1 was located on a ∼117-Kb chromosomally integrated integrative conjugative element (ICE). OXA-48-Kp and NDM+OXA-48-Kp belonged to ST147 and contained blaOXA-48 on an identical ∼300-Kb IncHIB-plasmid. blaNDM-1 was located on a 51-Kb IncFIB-plasmid only found in NDM+OXA-48-Kp. Conclusions: This is the first description of NDM-Pa in Spain. We highlight the threat of further cross-border dissemination of NDM-1 through P. aeruginosa along with K. pneumoniae high-risk clones also carrying OXA-48, which draws a complex epidemiological scenario.

Abstract Background Chronic malnutrition is a condition associated with negative impacts on physical and cognitive development. It is multi-causal and can start very early in life, already in utero, thus it is especially challenging to find appropriate interventions to tackle it. The government of Angola is implementing a standard of care program with potential to prevent it, and the provision of cash transfers and the supplementation with small quantity lipid-based nutrients (SQ-LNS) are also promising interventions. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the standard of care program alone and of the standard of care plus a cash transfer intervention in the lineal growth of children less than 2 years old and compare it to the effectiveness of a nutrition supplementation plus standard of care program in Southern Angola. Methods/design The three-arm parallel cluster randomised controlled trial is set in four communes of Huila and Cunene provinces. Clusters are villages or neighbourhoods with a population around 1075 people. A total of twelve clusters were selected per arm and forty pregnant women are expected to be recruited in each cluster. Pregnant women receive the standard of care alone, or the standard of care plus unconditional cash transfer or plus nutritional supplementation during the first 1000 days, from pregnancy to the child reaching 24 months. The primary outcome is the prevalence of stunting measured as height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) < -2 in children below 2 years. Impact will be assessed at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of children’s age. Secondary outcomes include mortality, morbidity, caring, hygiene and nutrition behaviours and practices, and women and children’s dietary diversity. Quantitative data are also collected on women’s empowerment, household food security, expenditure and relevant clinical and social events at baseline, endline and intermediate time points. Discussion The results will provide valuable information on the impact of the standard of care intervention alone as well as combined with an unconditional cash transfer intervention compared to a nutrition supplementation plus standard of care intervention, carried out during the first 1000 days, in the children´s growth up to 2 years and related outcomes in Southern Angola. Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT05571280. Registered 7 October 2022.

The need to achieve high energies in particle accelerators has led to the development of new accelerator technologies, resulting in higher beam intensities and more compact devices with stronger accelerating fields. In such scenarios, beam-loading effects occur, and intensity-dependent gradient reduction affects the accelerated beam as a consequence of its interaction with the surrounding cavity. In this study, a power-diffusive partial differential equation is derived to account for this effect. Its numerical resolution has been implemented in the tracking code RF-Track, allowing the simulation of apparatuses where transient beam loading plays an important role. Finally, measurements of this effect have been carried out in the CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) facility at CERN, finding good agreement with the RF-Track simulations.

Abstract The role of green banking (GB) in the green supply chain (CSC) is a relevant issue for green growth. The literature has pointed to some barriers identified as obstacles to the development of GSC. Since the publish of the framework of OECD for green growth, which is a reference for most of the countries, empirical research on GB has proliferated. Despite this, the barriers to the development of GSC have not yet been linked to empirical research on GB.Through a literature review of the empirical research on GB, this paper identifies by scientific impact the banking role, and we contribute with a mapping of the relationship among barriers to the development of GSC and conclusions of empirical research regarding GB, also considering the link with main topics of GB research. Additionally, it displays the main vectors related to area, year and methodology for each barrier and topic of empirical research on GB.

Ricardo F Diaz,1 Teresa C Herrador-Alcaide,2 Blanca Sanchez-Robles1 1Department of Economic Analysis, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain; 2Department of Financial Economics and Accountancy, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, SpainCorrespondence: Blanca Sanchez-Robles, Department of Economic Analysis, UNED, P. Senda del Rey, 11, Madrid, 28040, Spain, Email bsanchez-robles@cee.uned.esPurpose: This paper focuses on the stock market performance of a set of biopharmaceutical companies listed in the US stock exchange in response to news about the unfolding of the COVID pandemic and the development of COVID-19 vaccines.Methods: We analyze the short-term impact of some episodes by means of event analysis. We consider two categories of events: news related to the expansion of the pandemic and information about the development of COVID-19 vaccines.Results: We find that the impact during the first months of the pandemic news impacted the returns of the pharmaceutical firms, but the effect was not large, in general. The only exceptions are two small biotechnological firms, Moderna and Novavax, are exceptions since they registered large positive abnormal returns, which vanished over time. Encouraging announcements about the success of Phase III results had a positive impact the share prices of Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax. Our results also suggest that the emergency authorization provided by the US regulatory agency to the Pfizer vaccine was anticipated several days in advance and welcomed by the market. The announcement of a deal to supply vaccines between Moderna and the European Commission have generated large positive returns for this company.Conclusion: Our findings have policy implications. First, financial markets have supported and reinforced government strategies to fight the pandemic, characterized by funding of promising projects, building diversified vaccine portfolios and expediting approvals by regulatory agencies. Second, our findings suggest that not all drug developers have automatically obtained large profits from the design and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, according to the behaviour of stock prices. These results cast doubts over attempts to discredit the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines with the argument that they are primarily a means to obtain large and quick profits by pharmaceuticals, or than vaccination campaigns are driven by economic goals rather than by public health considerations.Keywords: event analysis, COVID-19 vaccines, phase III, clinical trials, pharmaceutical industry, stock markets

Background: Lyme disease (LD) is an emergent vector-borne disease caused by Borrelia spp. and transmitted through infected ticks, mainly Ixodes spp. Our objective was to determine meteorological and environmental factors associated with LD transmission in Europe and the effect of climate change on LD. Materials and methods: A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines was performed. We selected studies on LD transmission in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) published between 2000 and 2022. The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database. Results: We included 81 studies. The impact of environmental, meteorological or climate change factors on tick vectors was studied in 65 papers (80%), and the impact on human LD cases was studied in 16 papers (19%), whereas animal hosts were only addressed in one study (1%). A significant positive relationship was observed between temperature and precipitation and the epidemiology of LD, although contrasting results were found among studies. Other positive factors were humidity and the expansion of anthropized habitats. Conclusions: The epidemiology of LD seems to be related to climatic factors that are changing globally due to ongoing climate change. Unfortunately, the complete zoonotic cycle was not systematically analyzed. It is important to adopt a One Health approach to understand LD epidemiology.

Nowadays, transportation fuels such as diesel or gasoline are standardly produced from crude oil refining. These petroleum-based products are gradually replaced by more environmentally friendly sources, such as Fischer–Tropsch diesel fractions and other biofuels. The present work reports the distillation of Fischer–Tropsch (FTS) waxes and its use for fuel production by (i) blending the FTS wax diesel fraction with fossil diesel (7:93; 15:85; 30:70; and 50:50 wt.%) and (ii) blending the FTS wax heavy fraction (360–700 °C) with vacuum gas oil (10–50 wt.%) followed by hydrocracking at industrial operating conditions (T = 420 °C, WHSV = 0.5–1.0 h−1, P = 10.0 MPa). The obtained products in both cases were analysed and compared with standard EN590 for petroleum-diesel fuels. Overall, our results point to the suitability of the distillation of FTS waxes for renewable fuel production, either by straight blending of the diesel petroleum-based products or co-hydrocracking of the heavy fraction with vacuum gas oil.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) has a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of integrating transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) into an education and exercise program with the aim of decreasing pain and improving physical function in KOA. A randomized controlled trial with 65 KOA patients was conducted. The subjects were assigned to one of the following three groups: education and active exercise plus (1) double active tDCS and TENS, (2) active tDCS and sham TENS, and (3) double sham tDCS and TENS. Sessions were conducted over a 20 min period, whilst data on pain, chronic pain clinical variables, and physical function were collected. Although all groups showed improvement in pain-related symptoms in the short and medium term, the addition of tDCS and/or TENS did not significantly enhance the benefits of the exercise and education program. These findings suggest that an education and active exercise program in the treatment of KOA has a positive effect on pain, with or without the addition of tDCS and/or TENS.

Objetivo: la colecistectomía laparoscópica (CL), a pesar de su carácter mínimamente invasivo, requiere un control efectivo del dolor postoperatorio (POP). El uso de anestésicos locales (AL) ha sido estudiado pero el nivel de evidencia es bajo y existe poca información acerca de parámetros relevantes como la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) o la reincorporación laboral. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la eficacia de la infiltración de los sitios incisionales con levobupivacaína 0,50% en la reducción del dolor postoperatorio tras la CL. Material y métodos: estudio prospectivo, aleatorizado y doble ciego. Pacientes sometidos a CL programada fueron aleatorizados en dos grupos: sin infiltración (grupo control) y con infiltración preincisional (grupo intervención). La intensidad del dolor (escala de puntuación numérica, NRS), la necesidad de rescates con opioides, la incidencia de náuseas o vómitos postoperatorios (NVPO) y datos de CVRS o reincorporación laboral, entre otros, fueron recogidos. Resultados: 212 pacientes fueron aleatorizados y analizados: 105 en el grupo control y 107 en el grupo de intervención. Se observó una diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la intensidad del dolor (puntuación media NRS: 3.41 ± 1.82 vs. 2.56 ± 1.96) (p < 0.05) y en la incidencia de NVPO (31.4% vs. 19.6%) (p = 0.049). Conclusiones: La infiltración con levobupivacaína es segura y efectiva en la reducción del dolor postoperatorio, aunque esto no conlleva una menor estancia hospitalaria y no influye en los resultados de CVRS, reincorporación laboral o satisfacción del paciente.

This paper presents the successes achieved during the construction, commissioning and testing of an innovative approach to stationary reflector/tracking absorber (SRTA) systems that demonstrate the viability of this kind of solar thermal solution. This novel approach is based on a Fresnel concept of a classical SRTA, which leads to cost reductions thanks to reducing the height reached by the solar field. In addition, it provides the SRTA systems with another extra layer of adaptability to different climatic, orographic and even economic situations. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of this solution, the MOSAIC project has constructed and commissioned a prototype based on this approach, surpassing challenges such as the flexible piping and showing new improvements that could be introduced in the future MOSAIC modules. The first tests have been conducted on this prototype demonstrating, still under suboptimal operational conditions, an efficiency of up to 18.6 % and the possibility to operate this system using molten salts for high output temperatures that could make the most of the 3D concentration. The modularity, versatility and adaptability demonstrated by this concept all along the project development lead to a wide portfolio of opportunities to integrate the MOSAIC concept in a variety of scenarios, free space availabilities, and different applications, while maintaining a reduced cost of energy production.

Introduction Chronic malnutrition is a serious problem in southern Angola with a prevalence of 49.9% and 37.2% in the provinces of Huila and Cunene, respectively. The MuCCUA (Mother and Child Chronic Undernutrition in Angola) trial is a community-based randomised controlled trial (c-RCT) which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition supplementation plus standard of care intervention and a cash transfer plus standard of care intervention in preventing stunting, and to compare them with a standard of care alone intervention in southern Angola. This protocol describes the planned economic evaluation associated with the c-RCT.Methods and analysis We will conduct a cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness analysis nested within the MuCCUA trial with a societal perspective, measuring programme, provider, participant and household costs. We will collect programme costs prospectively using a combined calculation method including quantitative and qualitative data. Financial costs will be estimated by applying activity-based costing methods to accounting records using time allocation sheets. We will estimate costs not included in accounting records by the ingredients approach, and indirect costs incurred by beneficiaries through interviews, household surveys and focus group discussions. Cost-efficiency will be estimated as cost per output achieved by combining activity-specific cost data with routine data on programme outputs. Cost-effectiveness will be assessed as cost per stunting case prevented. We will calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios comparing the additional cost per improved outcome of the different intervention arms and the standard of care. We will perform sensitivity analyses to assess robustness of results.Ethics and dissemination This economic evaluation will provide useful information to the Angolan Government and other policymakers on the most cost-effective intervention to prevent stunting in this and other comparable contexts. The protocol was approved by the República de Angola Ministério da Saúde Comité de Ética (27C.E/MINSA.INIS/2022). The findings of this study will be disseminated within academia and the wider policy sphere.Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT05571280).