Consecutive Years Research Articles

The Life Sciences Challenge: delivering an all-Wales bilingual inter-school competition for over 10 years and throughout a global pandemic

The Life Sciences Challenge/Her Gwyddorau Bywyd is an all-Wales bilingual inter-school competition for Year 10 pupils, designed and delivered by students, staff scientists and engagement professionals within Cardiff University School of Medicine. The fun, interactive and challenging quiz was created to share an enthusiasm for understanding the natural world, and to inspire pupils to consider the extensive possibilities of future careers involving science. It is one of a suite of school engagement initiatives within the highly successful centrally coordinated Science in Health programme, established in 1994. Now in its 12th consecutive year, the Life Sciences Challenge/Her Gwyddorau Bywyd has evolved considerably, and it continues to attract participation from a growing number of schools across Wales. In this article, we: (1) explore the evolution of the Life Sciences Challenge/Her Gwyddorau Bywyd between 2013 and 2022, and how it swiftly adapted and responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring no interruption in delivery; (2) present data evidencing the impact of the Life Sciences Challenge/Her Gwyddorau Bywyd on our key stakeholders: participating Year 10 pupils, teachers and Cardiff University students; and (3) highlight lessons learnt, to improve the impact of a science/research outreach activity to relevant audiences, researchers, public engagement professionals and any organisation with a public engagement agenda aimed at schools.

Identifying persistent high-cost patients in the hospital for care management: development and validation of prediction models

BackgroundHealthcare use by High-Need High-Cost (HNHC) patients is believed to be modifiable through better coordination of care. To identify patients for care management, a hybrid approach is recommended that combines clinical assessment of need with model-based prediction of cost. Models that predict high healthcare costs persisting over time are relevant but scarce. We aimed to develop and validate two models predicting Persistent High-Cost (PHC) status upon hospital outpatient visit and hospital admission, respectively.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study using claims data from a national health insurer in the Netherlands—a regulated competitive health care system with universal coverage. We created two populations of adults based on their index event in 2016: a first hospital outpatient visit (i.e., outpatient population) or hospital admission (i.e., hospital admission population). Both were divided in a development (January-June) and validation (July-December) cohort. Our outcome of interest, PHC status, was defined as belonging to the top 10% of total annual healthcare costs for three consecutive years after the index event. Predictors were predefined based on an earlier systematic review and collected in the year prior to the index event. Predictor effects were quantified through logistic multivariable regression analysis. To increase usability, we also developed smaller models containing the lowest number of predictors while maintaining comparable performance. This was based on relative predictor importance (Wald χ2). Model performance was evaluated by means of discrimination (C-statistic) and calibration (plots).ResultsIn the outpatient development cohort (n = 135,558), 2.2% of patients (n = 3,016) was PHC. In the hospital admission development cohort (n = 24,805), this was 5.8% (n = 1,451). Both full models included 27 predictors, while their smaller counterparts had 10 (outpatient model) and 11 predictors (hospital admission model). In the outpatient validation cohort (n = 84,009) and hospital admission validation cohort (n = 20,768), discrimination was good for full models (C-statistics 0.75; 0.74) and smaller models (C-statistics 0.70; 0.73), while calibration plots indicated that models were well-calibrated.ConclusionsWe developed and validated two models predicting PHC status that demonstrate good discrimination and calibration. Both models are suitable for integration into electronic health records to aid a hybrid case-finding strategy for HNHC care management.

Sustainable Disease Control of Phytophthora cactorum in a Strawberry Nursery by Adapting the Growing System

The Netherlands is one of the most important countries for the production of strawberry transplants in Europe. Regulations for pesticide use and water quality become more strict each year, which is a challenge for this sector. Strawberry plants are grown from tips and raised in trays on a trayfield. One of the main plant diseases in strawberry is caused by Phytophthora cactorum. The dispersal of the disease is facilitated by sporangia and zoospores splashing from the surface of the trayfield onto the transplants in the trays. In this research, we compared, in three consecutive years, the traditional growing system with a new system in which the trays are elevated and splashes from the trayfield reaching the transplants are minimized. In two of the three years, we show that the new growing system without the use of any fungicide against P. cactorum performs as well as or even better than the traditional system with the use of the permitted pesticides. Data about Phytophthora occurring in air samples and in splash water collected at different heights support the hypothesis that the decrease in splash dispersal underlies the success of the elevated trayfield. This shows the potential of re-designing growing systems to become less dependent on pesticide use.

Meeting Market and Societal Ambitions with New Robust Grape Varietals: Sustainability, the Green Deal, and Wineries’ Resilience

This study investigates the sustainability impact of fungus-resistant grape varieties within viticulture, addressing economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Pesticide management is of paramount importance for wineries but causes additional costs, impairs sustainability, and faces societal non-acceptance. Digital monitoring of four German wineries for two consecutive years allowed us to compare treatments of traditional and robust varietals. The results demonstrate that the latter enables a significant reduction in pesticide treatments, can be key for copper reduction, and is of paramount importance for organic winemaking. By reducing pesticide dependency, lowering operational costs, hedging risks, and improving labor efficiency, FRW present a key to sustainable viticulture. The results suggest that robust varietals present a means to comply with societal pressure and to meet EU Green Deal ambitions. This paper contributes new, practice-oriented knowledge on FRW’s role in sustainable viticulture, confirming both the ecological and economic advantages in real-world settings, alongside unique insights into social sustainability and market positioning strategies. Sustainability impact is quantified, and a newly introduced productivity metric allows for the orchestration of resilience. The findings contribute to the discourse on sustainable agriculture by validating FRW as a strategic response to climate and regulatory pressures, resilience, and competitive positioning.

Depth use of wild Atlantic salmon post-smolts migrating through fjords

Juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), known as post-smolt as they enter the sea, undergo an arduous migration from their natal rivers to their feeding grounds in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has become increasingly important to understand how post-smolts use the fjord environment as they migrate in order to properly assess the potential threats posed by large-scale salmon farming. Chief among these threats is the increased numbers of ectoparasitic salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) inhabiting the water column, which are known to have specific depth preferences based on light, temperature, and salinity. Here, we present data on the depth use of wild Atlantic salmon post-smolts migrating through fjords. We aimed to investigate to what extent depth use varied throughout the fjord and from year to year. Using acoustic telemetry, tagged fish from four rivers in two fjords in western Norway were monitored as they migrated towards the open sea during two consecutive years. We found that post-smolts predominantly migrated in the top three meters of the water column throughout the length of both fjord systems. Among 61 successful migrants and 7013 detections, 98% of detections were in the top three meters of the water column. This corresponds well with past findings showing similar depth use in hatchery-reared smolt and in adult Atlantic salmon kelts returning to their feeding grounds after spawning. We found little evidence of a consistent diel pattern in depth use. Our results support assumptions of representative sampling when trawling the upper portion of the water column for post-smolts in order to estimate sea lice infection rates and may improve the precision of efforts to model salmon lice infection risk. The results may also be valuable in evaluating other threats to wild salmon.

High-throughput phenotyping of soybean (Glycine max) transpiration response curves to rising atmospheric drying in a mapping population.

In soybean (Glycine max ), limiting whole-plant transpiration rate (TR) response to increasing vapor pressure deficit (VPD) has been associated with the 'slow-wilting' phenotype and with water-conservation enabling higher yields under terminal drought. Despite the promise of this trait, it is still unknown whether it has a genetic basis in soybean, a challenge limiting the prospects of breeding climate-resilient varieties. Here, we present the results of a first attempt at a high-throughput phenotyping of TR and stomatal conductance response curves to increasing VPD conducted on a soybean mapping population consisting of 140 recombinant inbred lines (RIL). This effort was conducted over two consecutive years, using a controlled-environment, gravimetric phenotyping platform that enabled characterizing 900 plants for these responses, yielding regression parameters (R 2 from 0.92 to 0.99) that were used for genetic mapping. Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for these parameters on chromosomes (Ch) 4, 6, and 10, including a VPD-conditional QTL on Ch 4 and a 'constitutive' QTL controlling all parameters on Ch 6. This study demonstrated for the first time that canopy water use in response to rising VPD has a genetic basis in soybean, opening novel avenues for identifying alleles enabling water conservation under current and future climate scenarios.

Influence of INM on Yield, Quality of Potato and Soil Status

An experiment was carried out to study the Influence of INM on yield, quality of potato and soil status at Horticulture Research Farm, College of Horticulture, AAU, Anand during the three consecutive years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications and ten treatments viz., T1: 100 % RDF (220:110:220), T2: 20 t FYM + 100 % RDF (220:110:220), T3: 75 % RDF + 25 % RDN through FYM, T4: 75 % RDF + 25 % RDN through VC, T5: 50 % RDF + 50 % RDN through FYM, T6: 50 % RDF + 50 % RDN through VC, T7: 50 % RDF + 50 % RDN through FYM + 1 L Bio NPK consortium/ha, T8: 50 % RDF + 50 % RDN through VC + 1 L Bio NPK consortium/ha, T9: 25 % RDF + 50 % RDN through FYM + 1 L Bio NPK consortium/ha + KMB 1 L/ha, T10: 25 % RDF + 50 % RDN through VC + 1 L Bio NPK consortium + KMB 1 L/ha. The treatment T2 [20 t FYM + 100 % RDF (220:110:220] recorded maximum tuber weight per plant (487.13 g), tuber yield (434.8 q/ha) and grade “A” tuber (378.9 q/ha) in pooled analysis. Treatments T7 to T10 received inoculation of Bio NPK consortium showed higher microbial population. Whereas, grade “B” tuber, TSS and soil status after harvest were found non-significant in pooled data.

Predictive Value of Preoperative Morphology Parameters in Patients Undergoing On-Pump and Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death worldwide. It is responsible for almost a third of deaths in patients over the age of 35. Various biomarkers are currently being studied in detail for their value in predicting postoperative mortality in patients undergoing CABG. The aim of this study is to analyze the predictive value of certain blood morphological parameters in CABG and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). A total of 520 patients who underwent surgery in two consecutive years and underwent CABG (404) or OPCAB (116) were included in this retrospective study. Gender, age, comorbidities, five-year survival rate, detailed information on hospitalization, surgery, intensive care unit parameters and preoperative blood samples from the cubital vein were recorded. Inverse propensity treatment weighting was applied to adjust for confounding factors at baseline. No differences were found between OPCAB and CABG as an isolated comparison. In the standardized population, patients with abnormal lymphocyte counts had an increased risk of death at one-year and five-year follow-up. In the standardized population, abnormal red blood cell distribution width (RDW-SD), neutrocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were associated with increased mortality in each period analyzed. Abnormal PLR, RDW-SD and NLR are associated with increased early and late mortality in patients undergoing CABG and OPCAB. Abnormal lymphocytes are only associated with increased late mortality.

The Effect of Sustainable Business Practices on Company Value in Indonesia Stock Exchange Sri-Kehati Index Companies

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of economic, environmental, social, and governance performance on firm value moderated by PROPER and COVID-19 in listed companies included in the SRI-KEHATI index for 10 consecutive years. The type of research used is quantitative research using hypothesis testing of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable with moderation of certain variables. The research variable includes the dependent variable, firm value, independent variable, which is economic, environmental, social, and governance performance (EESG), as well as moderating variables, PROPER and COVID-19. Purposive sampling is used through certain criteria, contain public companies included in the SRI-KEHATI index group for 10 consecutive years This results in a total 130 samples (13 companies during the 2012—2021) The data analysis used are descriptive statitisical and multiple regrssion. The results of this study are (1) economic, environmental, and governance performance have a significant positive effect on firm value. However, social performance does not have a significant positive effect on firm value; (2) PROPER is proven to moderate the positive effect of governance performance on firm value, but not the effect of economic, environmental, or social performance; (3) COVID-19 is not moderate the positive effect of economic, environmental, social, and governance performance on firm value The implication of this study are (1) the implementation of sustainable business practices in economic, environmental, social and governance aspects is an important thing that must be implemented by companies in order to create a sustainable business; (2) PROPER can strengthen environmental management governance performance; (3) The dimensions and indicators used can serve as a reference for the company in sustainable business practices and as a basis for investors to make investment decisions; and (4) To be the basis of reference for the company, investors, and regulators.

Innovative multi-trial breeding and genotype screening in triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) for enhanced stability under drought stress.

Triticale is a man-made crop produced by crossing wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rye (Secal cereal) with the aim of increasing the adaptability and potential production of its parental line (wheat) under environmental stresses and harsh conditions. Accordingly, the objectives of this study are as follow, a: compare different stability measurement methods regarding their suitability, b: identify most stable genotypes for cultivar release, and c: provide a freely available package in R programming language (named 'Stbidx') capable of exploiting all stability methods for similar studies. Accordingly, 30 triticale genotypes were evaluated for their stability and adaptability to changing environments during four consecutive years from 2016 to 2020 in different locations in Iran (one year in Zarghan, two years in Ghorveh, one year in Sanandaj) and under two different irrigation regimes (normal irrigation and water deficit stress conditions). All 30 triticale genotypes were cultivated in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in each environment (12 environments: 6 trials in 2 conditions). Grain yield of triticale genotypes was measured and it applied to calculate all known stability indices (univariate methods) along with the meta-analysis models were evaluated in this study. Additionally, two novel techniques (Stability ID: SID and AMMI PC Value: APCV) were introduced and successfully tested for screening stable genotypes. These methods were introduced to improve and resolve the limitation of the previous stability methods. Meanwhile, heatmap analysis, as a proper data-mining technique, has been successfully applied for the first time to find stable genotypes in different environments in this study. The results clearly indicated a higher suitability of our introduced methods over previous multi-trials screening methods. Based on our methods and considering all environments, triticale genotypes ELTTCL21 (SID = 8.00; APCV = 28.12), ELTTCL25‌ (SID = 8.14; APCV = 30.02), ELTTCL30 (SID = 8.43; APCV = 17.00), ET-90-8 (SID = 14.00; APCV = 42.05), and Sanabad (SID = 10.57; APCV = 12.44) were among stable genotypes and they can be nominated as new cultivars. Additionally, for stress condition genotypes ELTTCL30 (stress: 380.6g/m2) and ELTTCL18 (stress: 360.79g/m2) and for normal condition genotypes ET-90-4 (normal: 849.4g/m2) and ELTTCL20 (normal:845g/m2) were respectively the most proper genotypes with the highest production to be considered for each condition separately.

Management of Stemphylium Blight Disease Caused by Stemphylium vesicarium in Onion through Different Methodology

A field experiments was conducted at NHRDF, Regional Research Station, Nashik in two consecutive years during rabi 2022-23 and 2023-24 on onion for the management of stemphylium blight disease through different methodology like alteration in transplanting dates, chemical and bio-pesticides management as well as screening of stemphylium tolerant variety. In case of alteration in transplanting dates that the lowest intensity (9.83%) of stemphylium blight and highest yield (391.83 q/ha) was recorded on 3rd week of December. In case of chemical fungicides with bio pesticides the lowest stemphylium blight disease intensity (7.27%) as well as highest yield (399.17 q/ha) was recorded in treatment T4 (Tebuconazole50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% WG @ 0.15% at 45, 60 and 75 DAT while, in case of varietal screening the lowest intensity (10.93%) of stemphylium blight as well as highest gross yield (397.00 q/ha) with marketable (383.83 q/ha) was recorded in variety NHRDF Red-4.

Comparative Performance of Ionic and Agro-Physiological Traits for Detecting Salt Tolerance in Wheat Genotypes Grown in Real Field Conditions.

Studying the physiological mechanisms underlying the traits associated with salt tolerance in genotypes could lead to the discovery of new genetic resources for salt tolerance. In this study, the mechanisms of salt tolerance were evaluated, based on ionic, physiological, and agronomic traits in four varieties that differ in their salt tolerance and in 18 F8 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) grown in real field conditions. The salt tolerance of plant materials was assessed under both normal (3.5 mM NaCl) and high salinity stress (150 mM NaCl) conditions for two consecutive years. Different growth and physiological traits were assessed 75 days after sowing, while ion contents in the shoots, grain yield, and its components were determined at the maturity stage. Multivariate analysis was used to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of salt tolerance across various genotypes and traits. The ANOVA results showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05 and 0.001) among salinity, genotypes, and their interactions for all ionic and agro-physiological traits, with a few exceptions. Salinity stress resulted in a considerable increase in Na+ content and canopy temperature (CT), with a simultaneous decrease of 11.3% to 94.5% in other ionic and agro-physiological traits compared to the control treatment. However, the salt-tolerant genotypes showed minimal increases in Na+ content and CT, as well as decreases in other ionic and agro-physiological traits when compared to salt-sensitive genotypes under salinity stress. All ionic and agro-physiological traits exhibited strong correlations with each other under salinity stress, but these correlations were weak or insignificant under control conditions. The principal component analysis identified Na+ and CT as negative indicators and other ionic and agro-physiological traits as positive indicators for salt tolerance under salinity stress. The negative indicators were strongly linked to salt-sensitive genotypes, while the positive indicators were closely associated with salt-tolerant genotypes. Heatmap clustering, using multiple traits, successfully differentiated the salt-tolerant genotypes from the salt-sensitive ones. The salt-tolerant group showed a significant reduction in Na+ content by 36.9%, in CT by 10.0%, and in HI by 16.7%, along with an increase of 6.3-51.4% in other ionic and agro-physiological traits compared to the salt-sensitive group. In conclusion, the mechanisms associated with Na+ exclusion and high K+/Na+ and Ca2+/Na+ ratios, as well as chlorophyll and relative water content, along with low CT, resulted in significant improvements in growth and yield under salinity stress conditions. Given that the effectiveness of various ionic and agro-physiological traits in evaluating salt tolerance in wheat has been proven in real field conditions, these traits will play a key role in the development of salt-tolerant wheat genotypes.

Effect of intercropping apple trees with basil (Ocimum basilicum) or French marigold (Tagetes patula) on the rosy apple aphid regulation (Dysaphis plantaginea) and the abundance of its natural enemies.

In a global context of pesticide reduction, the sustainable management of aphids is a major challenge in maintaining economically viable fruit production. Intercropping with companion plants (CPs) that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with repellent or attractive properties could be successful in the laboratory. Still, their effects on the orchard have been little documented. We tested in 2018 and 2019 the hypotheses that the introduction of basil or French marigold, decreases the populations of Dysaphis plantaginea Passerini, the rosy apple aphid (RAA) and increases the abundance of its natural enemies (NEs) in an apple orchard in the south of France. Laboratory tests confirmed that both CPs altered RAA reproduction performance. In orchards, they attracted more NEs around the pots and at some dates in the aphid colonies near the pots in both years (apart from basil in 2019), without a significant reduction in aphid populations in 2018. In contrast, in 2019, the number and spatial expansion of aphid colonies were significantly lower, close to basil. Further investigation is needed to disentangle the mechanisms explaining the observed effects (e.g., repellent action in autumn, etc.) but the results highlight the potential of CPs to control aphids in orchards and contribute to agroecological production of apple. Thus, this study shows the potential of CPs in a strategy combining aphid repellency and NEs attraction to control aphids in orchards, provided that CP installation lasts over several consecutive years. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Challenging the Status Quo: Headhunters and Gender Bias in Executive Recruitment: “Women have been at a Disadvantage, and it is long Overdue to Correct that”

This paper investigates the exclusion of women from the recruitment process for top management positions, focusing on the role of headhunters in Iceland—a country ranked first in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report for 15 consecutive years. Despite Iceland's reputation as a leader in gender equality, women remain significantly underrepresented in executive roles. This study addresses this paradox by exploring how headhunters' recruitment practices both perpetuate and challenge gender bias. Through semi-structured interviews with 44 board members (22 men, 22 women) and eight headhunters, this study uncovers structural and behavioral biases limiting women’s opportunities in executive roles Headhunters often rely on established networks and emphasize CEO experience, which favors male candidates. However, the study also highlights the potential of headhunters to act as change agents by expanding candidate pools and rethinking traditional hiring criteria. The theoretical contribution of this research lies in its exploration of how headhunters, positioned as both gatekeepers and agents of change, can influence gender diversity in leadership. This study also uses agency theory to explain the dynamic between headhunters and boards, examining how their conflicting goals shape executive recruitment outcomes.

IMPACT OF E-COMMERCE AND INTERNET USERS ON INDONESIA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH

Economic growth refers to the expansion of economic activities that enhance the production of goods and services, ultimately improving societal welfare. It serves as a crucial indicator for analyzing a country's economic development, typically measured by the change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between consecutive years. Various indicators can assess Indonesia's economic condition, with national income being a significant metric supported by accurate GDP data, categorized into current and constant prices. Over time, developments have transformed the Indonesian economy, with electronic media becoming increasingly prevalent. The rise of electronic media has facilitated broader and more effective transactions through e-commerce. Identifying the impact of these transactions is essential to understand their relationship with economic growth, which is vital for enhancing the welfare of Indonesia's population. Additionally, the growth of internet users significantly influences the economy. As internet user numbers rise annually amid digitalization, the government is expected to promote wider internet access across the nation. The internet allows individuals to access vital information for business, education, and recreation, contributing to economic growth. Thus, this research analyzes the impact of e-commerce transaction value and internet users on Indonesia's economic growth from 2013 to 2023, using quantitative secondary data and multiple regression analysis.

Effects of Bio and water-soluble fertilizers on sweet potato yield, quality and soil properties in a continuous cropping system under plastic film-mulched drip-fertigated field conditions

To verify an effective approach for alleviating problems associated with the consecutive monoculture of sweet potato, five fertilizer treatments were designed under plastic film-mulched, drip-fertigated conditions in fields continuously planted with sweet potato over five years. These treatments included: (1) no fertilizer application, (2) basic application of water-soluble (WS) fertilizer, (3) basic application of biofertilizer (BF) and WS fertilizer, (4) split application of WS fertilizer, and (5) combined basic application of BF and split application of WS fertilizer. The effects of BF and WS fertilizer applications on yield, quality, and soil properties were evaluated. Fertilizer applications had positive effects on increasing soil activities and nutrients compared with no fertilizer application. Split fertigation with WS fertilizer increased the activities of soil dehydrogenase (DHA) by 10.94 ~ 14.74%, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) by 4.97 ~ 5.13%, and soil organic matter (SOM) by 10.43 ~ 12.47% in the second year compared with a single application. In both years, split fertigation exerted positive effects on increasing dry matter (DM) accumulation in tuberous roots and increased the productive efficiency in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers. BF application for two consecutive years increased the activities of soil sucrase by 7.05 ~ 17.83%, DHA by 18.65 ~ 21.34%, ALP by 6.87 ~ 7.03%, soil available P by 18.34 ~ 28.10%, and SOM by 8.18 ~ 10.17% compared with the no BF application. BF also increased the root yield by 8.88 ~ 14.14%, the carotenoid content in tuberous roots by 20.38 ~ 30.64%, and the K utilization efficiency by 11.09 ~ 14.97%. The combination of BF and split fertigation for two consecutive years was most conducive to the activation of soil nutrients, maintenance of soil fertility, and improvement in yield and quality, which could mitigate problems associated with the consecutive monoculture of sweet potato.

Performance Measures in the Management of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients at Manila Doctors Hospital

INTRODUCTION: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a common and potentially fatal presentation of cardiovascular disease. Once a diagnosis is made, prompt intervention is crucial, with substantial effect on morbidity and even mortality. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the adherence of physicians of a tertiary care hospital to American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology performance measures for the management of acute STEMI patients. METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive retrospective chart review of acute STEMI patients seen in a tertiary care hospital over a 2-year period. RESULTS: A total of 118 STEMI patients were included in the study. Mean age was 57.8 years with male predominance. High adherence rates (100% achievement score) to recommended discharge medications and counseling for smoking cessation were observed. However, performance measures for time to reperfusion therapy via percutaneous coronary intervention (average, 16.7% over 2 years) and referral to cardiac rehabilitation (average, 38.0%) were consistently low, although time to percutaneous coronary intervention improved from an average of 170 minutes to 142 minutes in the second year of this study. CONCLUSION: For 2 consecutive years, all STEMI patients seen in our institution were adequately managed with regard to recommended medications. All patients have been advised lifestyle change, particularly smoking cessation for current smokers. There is room for improvement with regards to time to reperfusion therapy and referral to cardiac rehabilitation. Some measures have been suggested, including shortening the time to secure patient consent. KEYWORDS: myocardial infarction, performance measures, STEMI

Diurnal Activity Profiles of Forest-inhabiting Indian Peafowl in Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India

A free-ranging flock of Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) was studied to analyze their diurnal activity budget in Barnodi Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India. A total of 11,664 scan samples were collected over three consecutive years (2021-22 to 2023-24), covering all four distinct seasons. The study revealed that feeding was the predominant activity, impacting all other behaviors throughout the day. Bimodal peaks for feeding (up to 58% during the morning and 60% during the afternoon) and locomotion activities (up to 20% during the morning and 41% during the afternoon) while a mid-day peak for resting was observed. Additionally, mid-day peaks were noted for both preening and sand-basking behaviors. Display activity was more frequent during late morning and midday, further supporting its social function, which appeared to be balanced with resting time. However, the relatively consistent monitoring behavior suggested a typical approach to territory defense and predator safety. The findings also indicate that the random distribution of food resources influences the diurnal activity budget of forest-dwelling Indian Peafowl.

Association of Seedling Vigour and Salinity Tolerance in Field Pea.

Soil salinity results in reduced productivity in field peas, making soil salinity tolerance a critical breeding objective. In this study, four pot experiments were carried out in semi-controlled environments over four consecutive years to assess the contribution of seedling vigour to salinity tolerance at the seedling stage. Split-plot designs were used to assess the effect of salt stress (sodium chloride solution at 16 dSm-1) and control conditions. Extensive sets of advanced breeding lines were used in 2018-2020 to assess growth differences in relation to the treatment, with elemental analysis used on a subset of 15 lines in 2021. A salt tolerance index (STI) was defined as a proportion of shoot biomass under salt stress (DWstress) relative to the shoot dry weight under control (DWctrl). Visual scores of salt stress were recorded on a 1-10 scale (1 = tolerant, 10 = susceptible) from salt stress treatments. The consistent positive and significant correlations (p < 0.01) between shoot DWctrl and DWstress indicated that vigorous genotypes maintained higher shoot DWstress. Both the shoot DWctrl and shoot DWstress had negative and significant (p < 0.01) correlations with visual scores of salt stress. Shoot DWstress showed strong positive correlations with STI (p < 0.01). Both the shoot DWctrl and Shoot DWstress had negative correlations (p < 0.01) with shoot Na+ whereas shoot DWstress had a positive correlation (p < 0.05) with root Na+ concentration. The results indicated that seedling vigour (measured as shoot DWctrl) contributed to salinity tolerance by maintaining improved shoot DWstress, limiting Na+ deposition in shoot and enduring less tissue damage in field pea seedlings. Additional field evaluations are required to establish the correlations of tolerance at seedling stage with yield under saline conditions. The insights obtained from this study may assist field pea breeders in identifying salt-tolerant parent plants, offspring, and breeding lines during the initial growth phases.

Clinical burden and healthcare resource utilization associated with managing sickle cell disease with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises in France

Objective This retrospective, real-world claims database analysis described the clinical burden and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) in France. Methods The French National Health Data System database (système national des données de santé) was used to identify eligible patients from 1 January 2012 to 1 March 2019. Inclusion criteria were a SCD diagnosis, ≥2 VOCs/year for ≥2 consecutive years following the diagnosis, and ≥1 year of follow-up data to 1 March 2020. Patients with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin or hematopoietic stem cell transplant in their medical records were excluded. Clinical complications, mortality, treatment use, and HCRU were evaluated during follow-up. Results Overall, 4602 patients with SCD with recurrent VOCs were eligible; their mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 19.8 (13.5) years, and 51.8% were female. Patients experienced a mean (SD) of 3.82 (3.57) VOCs per patient per year (PPPY). Prevalent complications were anemia or leukocytosis (44.1%), infections (42.0%), and organ failure (38.2%). In total, 101 (2.2%) patients died during follow-up (mean age of death [SD]: 39.3 [17.5] years; mortality rate: 0.64 deaths per 100 person-years). Most patients received opioids (89.1%) and hydroxycarbamide (72.8%). Patients had a mean of 5.7 inpatient hospitalizations, 6.0 emergency room visits, 6.6 outpatient visits, and 13.4 outpatient prescriptions PPPY. Conclusions Patients with SCD with recurrent VOCs in France have substantial clinical complications, mortality, and HCRU despite currently available treatment options. Innovative treatments that reduce frequency of or eliminate VOCs are needed to alleviate the burden associated with SCD.