70015 research outputs found
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The impact of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of prison officers in a developing country
No full textPurpose
The literature on prison officers highlights the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on prison staff. However, there is limited knowledge about how the pandemic affected prison officers’ mental health in the global south. To fill this void, this study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of prison officers in a developing country.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey of 553 prison officers from 12 prison facilities in Ghana between August and December 2020 to examine their psychological and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Culturally sensitive measures of mental well-being were utilised.
Findings
Over 50% of prison officers reported a wide range of psychological well-being issues such as depression, sleep disturbances, general anxiety and specific anxieties relating to contracting the virus and fears of infecting their families. Whilst 75% of prison officers indicated their need for psychological support, 61% preferred off-site psychological support, including telephone and online platforms (Zoom and WhatsApp) over face-to-face psychological support at work. Group differences were also found among prison officers based on gender and whether suspected cases of COVID-19 were reported at the prison they worked.
Originality/value
The findings underscore the need for carefully curated mental health interventions for prison officers that consider the working culture of officers’ work
Agreement Between a Pre-Markered T-Shirt and Manual Marker Placement for Opto-Electronic Plethysmography (OEP) Measures
Get PDFOpto-electronic plethysmography (OEP) is used to measure chest wall compartment volumes and their synchronisation. Breathing pattern disorder (BPD) can be distinguished using the phase angles between these chest wall compartments during exercise. However, the time taken to manually place the standard OEP model involving 89 reflective markers is high during clinical application. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a pre-markered T-shirt instead of markers applied directly to the skin at rest, during different exercise intensities and recovery. Thirty-nine healthy participants (24 male, 15 female) aged 18–40 years performed an incremental cycling test with the skin-mounted OEP marker set. Participants then repeated the same cycling test with a pre-markered T-shirt. Across all test conditions, the T-shirt showed a strong level of agreement (Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ≥ 0.9) with the standard breath-by-breath (BbB) gas analyser. Moreover, ICC values exceeded 0.8 for compartment contributions across all test conditions, indicating excellent agreement with the skin-mounted markers. The phase angles between compartments showed the best agreement during the moderate exercise level (0.6 < ICC < 0.8). In conclusion, the pre-markered T-shirt presents a viable solution for the quick monitoring of breathing patterns, as well as an effective tool in diagnosing BPD during exercise
The unity and fragmentation of being: Hölderlin’s metaphysics of life
Get PDFFriedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843) is widely known as a poet and sometimes described as a poet’s poet (Heidegger). However, more recent interpretations, undertaken by Dieter Henrich, Michael Franz and others, have shown that he was a genuine philosopher as well, who had an original conception of the relation between art, poetry and metaphysics, with neo-Platonic and theological roots. This paper reconstructs Hölderlin’s ideas and their relation to those of Kant and Fichte. Hölderlin emerges, on the interpretation offered here, as a metaphysician of life, a poet of the biosphere and as such most relevant to our present-day predicament
The impact of adjunctive aripiprazole on olanzapine‐induced metabolic adverse effects in patients with schizophrenia: a systematic review
Get PDFBackground: Olanzapine is a second‐generation atypical antipsychotic drug which is commonly used in the treatment of schizophrenia. It has been associated with metabolic adverse effects such as weight gain, hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, and this has been shown to contribute to the reduction of life expectancy of patients with schizophrenia. This systematic review aimed to assess whether adjunctive aripiprazole is effective at reducing metabolic adverse effects caused by olanzapine. Methods: A systematic review was conducted for this study. A systematic search strategy was developed, recorded, and applied to multiple databases. The literature search found a total of 853 results with the final inclusion of 7 research articles. Based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, a wide range of study designs were included in the review, such as randomized control trials (RCTs), open label trials, and case series. Key outcomes were identified, which included glucose levels, lipid profile, body weight, BMI, and waist circumference. The results were recorded and analyzed using narrative synthesis. Results: Statistically significant decreases in fasting triglycerides were consistent across multiple studies. Adjunctive aripiprazole shows potential weight loss benefits, with some studies reporting significant reductions in weight and BMI. Effects on cholesterol and fasting glucose showed reductions, and others showed minimal or no impact. Psychiatric symptom control remained stable in most studies, suggesting that aripiprazole does not negatively affect schizophrenia symptoms while potentially providing metabolic advantages. Conclusion: Adjunctive aripiprazole had variable effects on metabolic parameters in patients on olanzapine therapy; however, reductions in triglycerides appeared consistent among most of the data, and some studies reported significant weight loss. This highlighted that aripiprazole does have some effect in reducing metabolic adverse effects caused by olanzapine
The Provision of Relationship and Sex Education Programs for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder– Staff Perspective
Get PDFRelationship and Sex Education (RSE) has been integrated into the National Curriculum within UK schools for the past two decades. RSE aims to teach about the emotional, social, and physical aspects of growing up, relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health. Such a curriculum tends to be mainstream oriented, taught in large classes, with limited exploration and clarification for those who need it. There is concern that the development of incomplete knowledge and skills places the pupil with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a difficult and potentially vulnerable position. This study was the first of three looking at development of a more appropriate RSE program for pupils with ASD. The study focused upon evaluating the RSE program being utilised at the time (2016) via face-to-face semi-structured interviews with teaching staff. Participants were either senior leadership members or school RSE coordinators and they came from 15 schools providing for pupils with ASD in London, Surrey, and Sussex.
The resulting qualitative data were analyzed for common themes. The resulting themes highlighted difficulties in implementing RSE programs with pupils with ASD, lack of resources and support, and being able to develop positive RSE. The results indicate that although those in charge of RSE implementation are committed, they are frequently faced with a range of barriers. The discussion section highlights the importance of this subject and the need to increase understanding in relation to such programs
Characterizing Crop Distribution and the Impact on Forest Conservation in Central Africa
Get PDFWhile the role of expanding agriculture in deforestation and the loss of other natural ecosystems is well known, the specific drivers in the context of small- and large-scale agriculture remain poorly understood. In this study, we employed satellite data and a deep learning algorithm to map the agricultural landscape of Central Africa (Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon) into large- (including for plantations and intensively cultivated areas) and small-scale tree crops and non-tree crop cover. This permits the assessment of forest loss between the years 2000 and 2022 as a result of small- and large-scale agriculture. Thematic [user’s] accuracy ranged between 91.2 ± 2.5 percent (large-scale oil palm) and 17.8 ± 3.9 percent (large-scale non-tree crops). Small-scale tree crops achieved relatively low accuracy (63.5 ± 5.9 percent), highlighting the difficulties of reliably mapping crop types at a regional scale. In general, we observed that small-scale agriculture is fifteen times the size of large-scale agriculture, as area estimates of small-scale non-tree crops and small-scale tree crops ranged between 164,823 ± 4224 km2 and 293,249 ± 12,695 km2, respectively. Large-scale non-tree crops and large-scale tree crops ranged between 20,153 ± 1195 km2 and 7436 ± 280 km2, respectively. Small-scale cropping activities represent 12 percent of the total land cover and have led to dramatic encroachment into tropical moist forests in the past two decades in all six countries. We summarized key recommendations to help the forest conservation effort of existing policy frameworks
Genuine savings as a measure of sustainability and its relation to the Dutch Disease
No full textPurpose
This paper examines the concept of sustainability by revisiting the genuine savings (GS) metric and its relationship with the Dutch Disease to see if Dutch Disease not only compromises GDP growth in resource-rich countries but also compromises long-term sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data that spans a 100-country full sample as well as subsamples categorised as resource-rich and non-resource-rich over the 1990–2019 period, regression analysis was performed using pooled OLS and fixed effects estimation approaches. These findings are corroborated through a robustness check employing the generalized method of moments estimation technique.
Findings
We find evidence to support the hypotheses that Dutch Disease negatively impacts GS and both manufacturing and service sectors have a negative impact on weak sustainability in resource-rich economies.
Research limitations/implications
The estimated cost of carbon dioxide damage or returns to human capital investments has implications on genuine saving rate changes and associated policy responses for countries.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the existing empirical work by assessing the relationship between GS and Dutch disease using specific country groups, which has not been done previously
Uncovering genetic diversity and adaptive candidate genes in the Mugalzhar horse breed using whole-genome sequencing data
Get PDFSimple Summary
Mugalzhar horses are a native breed of Kazakhstan valued for their ability to produce milk and meat and adapt to harsh environments. This study explored the genetic diversity of these horses and identified regions of their DNA affected by natural selection using advanced genome analysis techniques. Using more than 21 million genetic variants, we found that most of them occurred in non-coding regions of the genome, with only a small fraction affecting certain genes directly as candidates for adaptation to a harsh climate. Despite the presence of rare genetic markers associated with traits like coat color and gait, no harmful segregating genetic mutations linked to diseases with Mendelian inheritance were identified. These results suggest that Mugalzhar horses have maintained a moderate genetic diversity, exhibiting traces of historical selection and no signs of inbreeding. This study provides useful insights into the genetic makeup of this breed, which can help to preserve and improve it in breeding programs.
Abstract
Mugalzhar horses are a relatively young native breed of Kazakhstan, prized for meat and milk production and adaptation. This study was conducted to investigate genetic diversity and pinpoint genomic regions associated with selection signatures in this breed using whole-genome sequence data. Variant calling yielded a total of 21,722,393 high-quality variants, including 19,495,163 SNPs and 2,227,230 indels. Most variants were located in introns and intergenic regions, while only 1.94% were exonic. Estimates of genetic diversity were moderate, with expected and observed heterozygosity and nucleotide diversity of 0.2325, 0.2402, and 0.0021, respectively. We identified nine adaptive candidate genes (SCAPER, FHAD1, MMP15, ADGRE1, CMKLR1, MRPL15, ZNF667, CCDC66, and LOC100055310), harboring high-impact exonic variants in the homozygote state for an alternative allele. No deleterious segregating variants associated with Mendelian traits were found in this population, while seven variants linked to coat color and gaitedness were detected in a low frequency heterozygous state. Our findings suggest that there are certain genomic regions subjected to ancient selection footprints during the ancestor breed formation and adaptation. The outcome of this study serves as a foundation for future genomic-driven strategies, a broader utilization of this breed, and a reference for genomic studies on other horse breeds
Using a novel panel of drug-resistant triple-negative breast cancer cell lines to identify candidate therapeutic targets and biomarkers
Get PDFHere, we introduce a novel set of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines consisting of MDA-MB-468, HCC38, and HCC1806 and their sublines adapted to cisplatin, doxorubicin, eribulin, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, or 5-fluorouracil. Whole exome sequencing combined with TCGA-derived patient data resulted in the identification of 682 biomarker candidates in a pan-cancer analysis. Thirty-five genes were considered the most promising candidates because they harbored resistance-associated variants in at least two resistant sublines, and their expression correlated with TNBC patient survival. Exome sequencing and response profiles to cytotoxic drugs and DNA damage response inhibitors identified revealed remarkably little overlap between the resistant sublines, suggesting that each resistance formation process follows a unique route. This reflects recent findings on cancer cell evolution in patients, supporting the relevance of drug-adapted cancer cell lines as preclinical models of acquired resistance. Moreover, all of the drug-resistant TNBC sublines remained sensitive or even displayed collateral sensitivity to a range of tested compounds. Cross-resistance levels were lowest for the CHK2 inhibitor CCT241533, the PLK1 inhibitor SBE13, and the RAD51 recombinase inhibitor B02, suggesting that CHK2, PLK1, and RAD51 are potential drug targets for therapy-refractory TNBC. In conclusion, we present novel preclinical models of acquired drug resistance in TNBC and the identification of novel candidate therapeutic targets and biomarkers for this disease
Comparative characteristics of various cereals in relation to fodder value, antinutrients and use for poultry feeding
Get PDFSubjects: Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science.
Contributors: Olena V. Gaviley, Oleg O. Katerynych, Igor A. Ionov, Darren K. Griffin, Olena O. Dekhtiarova, Michael N. Romanov.
Subjects: Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science. The primary ingredients in poultry feed, cereals, are among the most widely used crops in worldwide agriculture, with principal staples being wheat, rice, corn (maize), sorghum, barley, oat and millet. The scope of this review is to provide a detailed comparative analysis of the nutritive values of cereal crops, and the antinutrients they contain, with reference specifically to their use for feeding poultry. These cereal crops range in biological value from 55 to 77.7%, in protein digestibility from 77 to 99.7%, and in net protein utilization from 50 to 73.8%. Most essential amino acids, including lysine, are found in cereal grains, whereas the nutritional value of cereals is impacted by antinutritional elements. These include non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs), such as pentosans (arabinoxylans) and β-glucan, as well as alkylresorcinols. Around 100 g/kg of pentosans are found in rye, 50-80 g/kg in wheat and 68-92 g/kg in triticale. There are strategies to reduce NSPs and other antinutrients and maximize the effectiveness of utilizing grains in compound feed for poultry. These include the application of enzyme preparations, along with dry and wet extrusion methods, for processing grains. By restricting our narrative to a direct comparison of all major staples for poultry feed, we conclude that further research is required specifically in the area of determining how economically viable it is to feed adult and young chickens with compound feeds containing various cereal crops. Furthermore, we speculate on the utility of employing enzyme preparations and extrudates to maximize feed efficiency
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