19683 research outputs found
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The Knowledge Gene: The incredible story of the supergene that gives us human creativity
No full textNo description supplied.</p
Pandemic Agreement Must Include Levers to Redirect Pharmaceutical Industry Behaviour During Pandemics; Comment on "More Pain, More Gain! The Delivery of COVID-19 Vaccines and the Pharmaceutical Industry’s Role in Widening the Access Gap"
No full textBorges and colleagues rightly argue that an international treaty is needed to curtail the profitdriven behaviour of the pharmaceutical industry during pandemics. The Pandemic Agreement currently being negotiated by Member States of the World Health Organization offers an important opportunity to equip nation states with greater leverage over industry behaviour. In this commentary, we examine the potential of current draft textual proposals for the Pandemic Agreement to redirect pharmaceutical behaviour in future pandemics. However, the future of the Agreement negotiations remains uncertain in the wake of the failure to conclude negotiations in time for the 2024 World Health Assembly. Further, there is limited consensus over proposals that could enable nation states to have greater leverage over industry behaviour. A concerted effort will need to be made to achieve a consensus text that shifts the status quo by giving nation states more power to curtail the self-interest of the pharmaceutical industry.</p
Daily Physical Activities, Stress Level, and Symptoms of Abdominal Discomfort among Islamic Students
No full textAbstract: The role of students as successors to the nation's aspirations for excellence and accomplishment is of great significance, particularly for the younger generation. The weight of this responsibility induces students to neglect their physical well-being, leading to the development of gastritis diseases. Hence, this study aims to investigate the factors that are correlated with the manifestation of gastritis symptoms. The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between daily physical activity and stress levels with the manifestation of gastritis symptoms among enrolled students at the Islamic University in Makassar. This study examines the characteristics and experiences of college students through a cross-sectional approach. The data collection was facilitated through the use of an online questionnaire. A probabilistic sample method was employed, with a total of 401 respondents included in the study. The students conducted their studies at four universities in Makassar City that are affiliated with religious institutions. The statistical analysis of the data using Spearmen's test showed that there was no statistically significant association between daily physical activity and gastritis symptoms (p value 0.074). However, a significant relationship was observed between stress levels and gastritis symptoms among Islamic students in Makassar City (p value 0.000). The findings of this investigation demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between levels of stress and the manifestation of symptoms associated with gastritis. This study proposes that the implementation of effective stress management strategies among university students is crucial in reducing the occurrence of gastritis symptoms and promoting future academic success and overall well-being.</p
The effect of insect excretions/secretions and decomposition fluid on DNA quantity and quality in human bloodstains
No full textThe larval excretions/secretions (ES) of blowflies contain proteolytic enzymes and bacteria that assist with tissue breakdown. Decomposition fluid (DF) contains organic and inorganic waste products from cell death. This study investigated if human DNA recovery from blood was impacted by exposure to ES and DF over time. Lucilia sericata ES were collected daily from 50 larvae, and all available DF was collected from two fetal piglets left to decompose for 2 weeks. Daily for 3–5 days, 28 μL-30 μL of ES, DF, or a 1:1 mixture of the fluids was added to 30 μL of blood on cotton. Three bloodstains per treatment were sampled every 12 h up to 3 days and at 1 and 2 weeks after initial addition of fluid. No PCR inhibition was detected, but DNA degradation increased over time, primarily in samples exposed to ES and ES/DF mixtures. The amount of DNA recovered decreased over time, but generally more DNA was recovered from DF samples than other samples. Full profiles, or partial profiles suitable for routine database searching (14–39 alleles), were generated from all DF and ES samples and at least one mixture sample at all timepoints. Partial profiles of between 1 and 13 alleles were obtained from all other mixture samples, except one mixture sample which generated no profile. These findings indicate bloodstain evidence recovered from maggot-infested and/or decomposing bodies may generate forensically useful DNA evidence and should be analyzed as quickly as possible after collection or stored appropriately to prevent further degradation.</p
Open mappings of locally compact groups
No full textThe aim of this note is to insert in the literature some easy but apparently not widely known facts about morphisms of locally compact groups, all of which are concerned with the openness of the morphism.</p
Characterising the Sexual Dimorphisms of the Vasculature in Metabolic Syndrome
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
I am passionate therefore I am: The interplay between entrepreneurial passion, gender, culture and intentions
No full textWe investigate the role of gender and culture on the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial intentions, using social cognitive theory as the underlying theoretical framework. We place our research in two culturally different nations, namely, the United Kingdom, which belongs to the Anglo cluster and Greece, which belongs to the Mediterranean cluster. Our results demonstrate the direct (positive) effect of entrepreneurial passion on entrepreneurial intentions, but also unveil that despite the correlational relationship between passion and gender suggesting that women have greater passion than men, it is men’s passion that is a marginally stronger predictor of entrepreneurial intentions. We also find that cultural context plays an important moderating role in the relationship between passion and entrepreneurial intentions. But contrary to our expectations, we find that Greece compared to the UK is more conducive to the entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial intentions relationship. Implications for research and practice are discussed.</p
Calorie restriction partially attenuates sickness behavior induced by viral mimetic poly I:C
No full textCalorie restriction (CR) has been shown to extend the mean and maximum lifespan in both preclinical and clinical settings. We have previously demonstrated that CR attenuates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced fever and sickness behavior. CR also leads to reductions in pro-inflammatory and increases in anti-inflammatory profiles. LPS is a bacterial mimetic; however, few studies have explored this phenomenon utilizing a viral mimetic, such as polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C). Dose-dependently, poly I:C induced an increase in core body temperature (Tb), with the largest dose (5000 µg/kg) resulting in a 1.62 °C ( ± 0.23 °C) Tb increase at 7 h post-injection in ad libitum mice and was associated with reduced home-cage locomotor activity. We then investigated the effect of 50% CR for 28 days to attenuate fever and sickness behavior induced by a poly I:C (5000 µg/kg) viral immune challenge. CR resulted in the partial attenuation of fever and sickness behavior measures post-poly I:C. The freely fed, control mice demonstrated a 2.02 °C ( ± 0.22 °C) increase in Tb at 7 h post-injection compared to the CR poly I:C group which demonstrated an increase in Tb of 0.94 °C ( ± 0.27 °C). Locomotor patterns post-injection were different, CR mice displayed a reduction in activity during the light phase, and the control group displayed a reduction during the dark phase. CR moderately attenuated the neuroinflammatory response with a reduction in microglial density in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. The fever and sickness behavior attenuation seen after CR may be driven by similar anti-inflammatory processes as after LPS; however, further investigation is required
A Polanyian Perspective on the Conflict Between Neoliberal Economics and Countrymindedness in Australian Drought and Water Policy
No full textThis article evaluates the successes and failures of Australian drought and water policy reforms. By analysing the influence of the ideas central to neoliberal economics and countrymindedness on the development and implementation of the National Drought Policy and the Murray Darling Basin Plan, we illustrate that drought and water policy reforms in Australia can be explained in the context of Karl Polanyi's double movement theory. We demonstrate that founding Australia's agricultural policy on economic assumptions is unlikely to be well-received in a nation that exhibits widespread sympathy for the plight of agricultural producers. As such, we postulate that neoliberal agricultural policies that ignore the relevant social and historical context will be unpopular and vulnerable to a countermovement that undermines the intent and hinders the implementation of the policy.</p
Stabilizing Monoatomic Two-Coordinate Bismuth(I) and Bismuth(II) Using a Redox Noninnocent Bis(germylene) Ligand
No full textThe formation of isolable monatomic BiI complexes and BiII radical species is challenging due to the pronounced reducing nature of metallic bismuth. Here, we report a convenient strategy to tame BiI and BiII atoms by taking advantage of the redox noninnocent character of a new chelating bis(germylene) ligand. The remarkably stable novel BiI cation complex 4, supported by the new bis(iminophosphonamido-germylene)xanthene ligand [(P)GeII(Xant)GeII(P)] 1, [(P)GeII(Xant)GeII(P) = Ph2P(NtBu)2GeII(Xant)GeII(NtBu)2PPh2, Xant = 9,9-dimethyl-xanthene-4,5-diyl], was synthesized by a two-electron reduction of the cationic BiIIII2 precursor complex 3 with cobaltocene (Cp2Co) in a molar ratio of 1:2. Notably, owing to the redox noninnocent character of the germylene moieties, the positive charge of BiI cation 4 migrates to one of the Ge atoms in the bis(germylene) ligand, giving rise to a germylium(germylene) BiI complex as suggested by DFT calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Likewise, migration of the positive charge of the BiIIII2 cation of 3 results in a bis(germylium)BiIIII2 complex. The delocalization of the positive charge in the ligand engenders a much higher stability of the BiI cation 4 in comparison to an isoelectronic two-coordinate Pb0 analogue (plumbylone; decomposition below −30 °C). Interestingly, 4[BArF] undergoes a reversible single-electron transfer (SET) reaction (oxidation) to afford the isolable BiII radical complex 5 in 5[BArF]2. According to electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the unpaired electron predominantly resides at the BiII atom. Extending the redox reactivity of 4[OTf] employing AgOTf and MeOTf affords BiIII(OTf)2 complex 7 and BiIIIMe complex 8, respectively, demonstrating the high nucleophilic character of BiI cation 4