Number Of Populations Research Articles

Efficient Simulation of Viral Transduction and Propagation for Biomanufacturing.

The design of biomanufacturing platforms based on viral transduction and/or propagation poses significant challenges at the intersection between synthetic biology and process engineering. This paper introduces vitraPro, a software toolkit composed of a multiscale model and an efficient numeric technique that can be leveraged for determining genetic and process designs that optimize transduction-based biomanufacturing platforms and viral amplification processes. Viral infection and propagation for up to two viruses simultaneously can be simulated through the model, considering viruses in either the lytic or lysogenic stage, during batch, perfusion, or continuous operation. The model estimates the distribution of the viral genome(s) copy number in the cell population, which is an indicator of transduction efficiency and viral genome stability. The infection age distribution of the infected cells is also calculated, indicating how many cells are in an infection stage compatible with recombinant product expression or viral amplification. The model can also consider the presence of defective interfering particles in the system, which can severely compromise the productivity of biomanufacturing processes. Model benchmarking and validation are demonstrated for case studies of the baculovirus expression vector system and influenza A propagation in suspension cultures.

Development and Evaluation of Pediatric Acute Care Hospital Referral Regions in Eight States

To develop a set of pediatric acute care hospital referral regions for use in studying pediatric acute care delivery and test their utility relative to other regional systems. We used state-level administrative databases capturing all pediatric acute care in 8 states to construct novel referral regions. We first constructed pediatric hospital service areas (PHSAs) based on 5 837 464 pediatric emergency department encounters. We then aggregated these PHSAs to pediatric hospital referral regions (PHRRs) based on 344 440 pediatric hospitalizations. Finally, we used 3 measures of spatial accuracy (localization index, market share index, and net patient flow) to compare this novel region system with the Dartmouth Atlas, designed originally to study adult specialty care, and the Pittsburgh Atlas, designed originally to study adult acute care. The development procedure resulted in 717 novel PHSAs, which were then aggregated to 55 PHRRs across the included states. Relative to hospital referral regions in the Dartmouth and Pittsburgh Atlases, PHRRs were fewer in number and larger in area and population. PHRRs more accurately captured patterns of pediatric hospitalizations, (eg, mean localization index: 69.1 out of 100, compared with a mean of 58.1 for the Dartmouth Atlas and 62.4 for the Pittsburgh Atlas). The use of regional definitions designed specifically to study pediatric acute care better captures contemporary pediatric acute care delivery than the use of existing regional definitions. Future work should extend these definitions to all US states to enable national analyses of pediatric acute care delivery.

Fast and accurate local ancestry inference with Recomb-Mix.

The availability of large genotyped cohorts brings new opportunities for revealing the high-resolution genetic structure of admixed populations via local ancestry inference (LAI), the process of identifying the ancestry of each segment of an individual haplotype. Though current methods achieve high accuracy in standard cases, LAI is still challenging when reference populations are more similar (e.g., intra-continental), when the number of reference populations is too numerous, or when the admixture events are deep in time, all of which are increasingly unavoidable in large biobanks. Here, we present a new LAI method, Recomb-Mix. Recomb-Mix integrates the elements of existing methods of the site-based Li and Stephens model and introduces a new graph collapsing trick to simplify counting paths with the same ancestry label readout. Through comprehensive benchmarking on various simulated datasets, we show that Recomb-Mix is more accurate than existing methods in diverse sets of scenarios while being competitive in terms of resource efficiency. We expect that Recomb-Mix will be a useful method for advancing genetics studies of admixed populations.

Genome-wide detection of multiple variants associated with teat number in French Yorkshire pigs

BackgroundTeat number is a vital reproductive trait in sows, crucial for providing immunity and nutrition to piglets during lactation. However, “missing heritability” in Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)-based Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) has led to an increasing focus on structural variations in the genetic analysis of complex biological traits.ResultsIn this study, we generated a comprehensive CNV map in a population of French Yorkshire pigs (n = 644) and identified 429 CNVRs. Notably, 44% (189 CNVRs) of these were detected for the first time. Subsequently, we conducted GWAS for teat number in the French Yorkshire pig population using both 80K chip and its imputed data, as well as a GWAS analysis based on CNV regions (CNVR). Interestingly, 80K chip GWAS identified two SNPs located on Sus scrofa chromosome 5 (SSC5) that were simultaneously associated with Total Teat Number (TTN), Left Teat Number (LTN), and Right Teat Number (RTN). The leading SNP (WU_10.2_5_76130558) explained 3.33%, 2.69%, and 2.67% of the phenotypic variance for TTN, LTN, and RTN, respectively. Moreover, through imputed GWAS, we successfully identified 30 genetic variants associated with TTN located within the 73.22 -73.30 Mb region on SSC5. The two SNPs identified in the 80K chip GWAS were also located in this region. In addition, CNVR-based GWAS revealed three significant CNVRs associated with TTN. Finally, through gene annotation, we pinpointed two candidate genes, TRIM66 and PRICKLE1, which are related to diverse processes such as breast cancer and abnormal vertebral development.ConclusionsOur research provides an in-depth analysis of the complex genetic structure underlying teat number, contributing to the genetic enhancement of sows with improved reproductive performance and, ultimately, bolstering the economic benefits of swine production enterprises.

P-586 Mild ovarian stimulation using the aromatase inhibitor letrozole (LTZ) is an effective stimulation protocol to obtain euploid blastocysts for women of an advanced maternal age

Abstract Study question Does MOS with LTZ produce higher numbers of good-quality blastocysts compared with the use of clomiphene citrate (CC) for women of an advanced maternal age? Summary answer MOS using LTZ is a good ovarian stimulation protocol for a higher number of good-quality blastocysts for women of an advanced maternal age (AMA) What is known already The clinical pregnancy rate with a good blastocyst should be 40% or more among younger women, but about 35% for AMA women (≥40 years). Therefore, high-dose gonadotropins are usually used for AMA women. However, the best efforts for both patients and clinicians are sometimes in vain. Many AMA women show a lower ovarian reserve where ovarian stimulation with a lessened dose of gonadotropins is preferred. Taking CC or LTZ with MOS can reduce the amount of gonadotropins used, but it remains uncertain whether it is better to administer LTZ or CC together for MOS. Study design, size, duration This retrospective study was conducted between January 2020 and April 2021. A total of 288 women received MOS. Of course, 153 used CC (CC group) and 133 used LTZ (LTZ group). The ART outcomes were compared between these two groups. Among them, the women who were ≥40 years old were divided into two groups: CC-O40 (n = 61) and LTZ-O40 (n = 54). The ART outcomes were compared between the two groups. Participants/materials, setting, methods All women took either 100 mg of CC or 5 mg of LTZ daily for 7 days between menstrual cycle 3 (MC3) and MC9, and 225 IU of recombinant-FSH were administered on MC3, MC5, MC7 and MC9. On MC 10, when 3 or more well-developed follicles (≥ 20 mm in diameter) were confirmed, a dual-maturation trigger was performed using rec-hCG and GnRH agonist nasal spray, and then oocyte-pick up (OPU) was performed 35-36 hours afterward. Main results and the role of chance The number of retrieved oocytes in the CC group averaged 7.5 ± 5.3 (mean ± S.D.), which was significantly higher than that in the LTZ group (6.3 ± 4.7; p < 0.05). The average number of blastocysts and morphologically good blastocysts was comparable in the CC and LTZ groups (CC group; 2.8 ± 3.0 and 1.8 ± 2.4; LTZ group; 2.4 ± 2.7 and 1.4 ± 2.0, respectively, [P=NS]). For AMA women, the average number of blastocysts in the CC-O40 group was 1.7 ± 1.8, which was similar to that in the LTZ-O40 group (1.7 ± 1.8, P=NS). The blastocyst formation rate in the LTZ-O40 group was 58.5%, which was significantly higher than that in the CC-O40 group (46.6%; P < 0.05), but the rate for good blastocysts in the LTZ-O40 group (30.8%) was comparable to that in the CC-O40 group (23.3%, P=NS). The euploid rates in the LTZ group was 53.4%, which was significantly higher than that in the CC group (38.0%; P < 0.05), and the difference was significant even for AMA women (LTZ-O40; 40.5%, CC-O40; 16.7%, respectively, p < 0.05). Limitations, reasons for caution The study was a controlled trial with a limited number in the study population. Additionally, all cases had not received a trophectoderm (TE) biopsy. Further study is needed to determine the effect that an aromatase inhibitor exerts on obtaining either morphologically good blastocysts or euploid blastocysts. Wider implications of the findings AMA women showed blastocyst formation rates from LTZ with MOS significantly higher than that of the CC group, and euploid rates in the LTZ group were also significantly higher. The characteristics of an LTZ such as aromatase inhibitor enhanced the development of embryos. Trial registration number not applicable

Global diversity, recurrent evolution, and recent selection on amylase structural haplotypes in humans.

The adoption of agriculture, first documented ~12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, triggered a rapid shift toward starch-rich diets in human populations. Amylase genes facilitate starch digestion and increased salivary amylase copy number has been observed in some modern human populations with high starch intake, though evidence of recent selection is lacking. Here, using 52 long-read diploid assemblies and short read data from ~5,600 contemporary and ancient humans, we resolve the diversity, evolutionary history, and selective impact of structural variation at the amylase locus. We find that amylase genes have higher copy numbers in populations with agricultural subsistence compared to fishing, hunting, and pastoral groups. We identify 28 distinct amylase structural architectures and demonstrate that nearly identical structures have arisen recurrently on different haplotype backgrounds throughout recent human history. AMY1 and AMY2A genes each exhibit multiple duplications/deletions with mutation rates >10,000-fold the SNP mutation rate, whereas AMY2B gene duplications share a single origin. Using a pangenome graph-based approach to infer structural haplotypes across thousands of humans, we identify extensively duplicated haplotypes present at higher frequencies in modern day populations with traditionally agricultural diets. Leveraging 533 ancient human genomes we find that duplication-containing haplotypes (i.e. haplotypes with more amylase gene copies than the ancestral haplotype) have increased in frequency more than seven-fold over the last 12,000 years providing evidence for recent selection in West Eurasians. Together, our study highlights the potential impacts of the agricultural revolution on human genomes and the importance of long-read sequencing in identifying signatures of selection at structurally complex loci.

A Late Antiquity case of a chronic osteomyelitis from the population of Cortijo Coracho, Córdoba, Spain (IV-VIII centuries AD).

The Cortijo Coracho archaeological site dates from the Late Antiquity period, from the 5th to the 8th century AD. During this period, a number of populations settled in the area (Germanic peoples until Visigothic rule, Byzantine until the arrival of the Arabs, etc.), each of them concentrating the historical characteristics in the Sub-Baetic that are currently known. The Cortijo Coracho archaeological site is currently located in the city of Lucena (Cordoba, Spain), found after the works on the A-45 motorway. The necropolis consists of 294 inhumations and the remains of a basilica, although after a series of surveys it is estimated that there are around 700 additional burials, which would make it the largest necropolis with ad sancti burials surrounding a martyrial basilica dating back to the 4th century AD. Among the burials, 397 subjects were recovered, which implies a large presence of shared and/or reused burials. These subjects were transferred to the city's museum, where they were examined, reorganised and classified. At this point, subjects of scientific interest were found, as is the case of subject 204, the topic of this article. This individual, described as an adult male, is an example of the living conditions of this period, since despite his injury on the left lower extremity, a double fracture aggravated by a chronic osteomyelitis infection, he continued to use that limb. This paper will give the details of that distinctive lesion and the possible hypotheses underlying it.

An SEIHR model with age group and social contact for analysis of Fuzhou COVID-19 large wave

BackgroundThe structure of age groups and social contacts of the total population influenced infection scales and hospital-bed requirements, especially influenced severe infections and deaths during the global prevalence of COVID-19. Before the end of the year 2022, Chinese government implemented the national vaccination and had built the herd immunity cross the country, and announced Twenty Measures (November 11) and Ten New Measures (December 7) for further modifications of dynamic zero-COVID polity on the Chinese mainland. With the nation-wide vaccination and modified measures background, Fuzhou COVID-19 large wave (November 19, 2022–February 9, 2023) led by Omicron BA.5.2 variant was recorded and prevailed for three months in Fujian Province. MethodsA multi-age groups susceptible-exposed-infected-hospitalized-recovered (SEIHR) COVID-19 model with social contacts was proposed in this study. The main object was to evaluate the impacts of age groups and social contacts of the total population. The idea of Least Squares method was governed to perform the data fittings of four age groups against the surveillance data from Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Fujian CDC). The next generation matrix method was used to compute basic reproduction number for the total population and for the specific age group. The tendencies of effective reproduction number of four age groups were plotted by using the Epiestim R package and the SEIHR model for in-depth discussions. The sensitivity analysis by using sensitivity index and partial rank correlation coefficients values (PRCC values) were operated to reveal the differences of age groups against the main parameters. ResultsThe main epidemiological features such as basic reproduction number, effective reproduction number and sensitivity analysis were extensively discussed for multi-age groups SEIHR model in this study. Firstly, by using of the next generation matrix method, basic reproduction number R0 of the total population was estimated as 1.57 using parameter values of four age groups of Fuzhou COVID-19 large wave. Given age group k, the values of R0k (age group k to age group k), the values of R0k (an infected of age group k to the total population) and the values of R^0k (an infected of the total population to age group k) were also estimated, in which the explorations of the impacts of age groups revealed that the relationship R0k>R0k>R^0k was valid. Then, the fluctuating tendencies of effective reproduction number Rt were demonstrated by using two approaches (the surveillance data and the SEIHR model) for Fuzhou COVID-19 large wave, during which high-risk group (G4 group) mainly contributed the infection scale due to high susceptibility to infection and high risks to basic diseases. Further, the sensitivity analysis using two approaches (the sensitivity index and the PRCC values) revealed that susceptibility to infection of age groups played the vital roles, while the numerical simulation showed that infection scale varied with the changes of social contacts of age groups. The results of this study claimed that the high-risk group out of the total population was concerned by the local government with the highest susceptibility to infection against COVID-19. ConclusionsThis study verified that the partition structure of age groups of the total population, the susceptibility to infection of age groups, the social contacts among age groups were the important contributors of infection scale. The less social contacts and adequate hospital beds for high-risk group were profitable to control the spread of COVID-19. To avoid the emergence of medical runs against new variant in the future, the policymakers from local government were suggested to decline social contacts when hospital beds were limited.

The Effect of Managerial Competencies, Compesation and Career Planning Toward Employee Performance Through Job Satisfaction at PT. Bank BTPN Tbk Mikro Banking Division (MUR) Pekanbaru Branch.

This aim of research is to know the effect of implementation managerial competencies, compensation and career planning toward employee performances through Job satisfaction at PT. BANK BTPN Tbk Micro Banking Division (MUR) Pekanbaru Branch. The number of populations in this research was 71 employee at PT. Bank BTPN Tbk Micro Banking Division (MUR) Branch Pekanbaru. According to sampling qualification, all of population will be used for sampling research. Data collecting method employed questioner within conducted validity test, reliability test. Hypothesis test employed normality test, linierity test, Multicolinearity test, path analysis, F test, and test t. The result of this research found that : 1) there is a significant effect of managerial competencies toward job satisfaction with path analysis of 0,234; 2) there is a significant effect of compensation on job satisfaction with path analysis of 0,233; 3) there is significant effect of career planning on job satisfaction with path analysis of 0,237; 4) there is a significance effect of managerial competencies on employee performance with path analysis of 0,339; 5) there is a significance effect of compensation on employee performance with path analysis of 0,264; 6) there is a significance effect of career planning on employee performance with path analysis of 0,222; 7) there is a significance effect of job satisfaction on employee performance with path analysis of 0,208. This research also found that the most influence factors is the managerial competencies.

Pattern of IVU among patients presenting with flank pain at a tertiary hospital in Rivers State

Background: Intravenous urography (IVU) is a contrast based radiological procedure for the investigation and imaging of the urinary system. It was the gold standard, not until the last two decades when CTU (computed tomography urography) took over. The latter is better because of its improved accuracy in the diagnosis of urinary tract pathologies. Flank pain is a sensation of discomfort or distress in the part of the body below the rib and above the ilium. The possible organs in the flank to be affected include kidney and ureter. Aim This study is aimed at finding out the IVU findings in patients presenting with flank pain in a tertiary hospital in the southern part of Nigeria. Study design and settings: A retrospective study was conducted in the Radiology Department of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) from 1st February 2021 to 10th February 2023. Data Analysis: Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.1 version. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 100 data was analyzed. Patients between the age of 5 years and 76 years with a mean age of 39.72 + 14.33 years was used for this study. Majority of the age group was greater than 41years of age with an equal male to female distribution. That is the ratio of female to male in this study is 1:1. The study shows that more patients had abnormal IVU patterns than normal. More females had normal IVU patterns while abnormal IVU patterns were more common in males. The study also shows that the ureters were more affected than the kidneys because we had more abnormal IVU pattern in the ureter than the kidney. Conclusion: The age group with the highest abnormal IVU pattern is the greater than 41years group, probably because they were more in number in the study population and again may be, we can say the frequency of diseases increases with increasing age.

Nesting Bald Eagle Population Numbers, Density, Territorial Resources, and Relationship to Human Development in Northern Colorado’s Front Range

To better understand the population of the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nesting along northern Colorado’s Front Range, from 2016 to 2022 we studied 86 occupied nests within an area of 20,586 km2. From 2017 to 2020, 279 juveniles fledged from 237 nesting attempts in a smaller, main nest-study area with 68 nests. The nests’ success over these four years ranged from 52 to 70%, and their productivity varied from 1.1 to 1.3. The average nearest-nest distances for three discrete areas in the Front Range (5.03 to 7.26 km) are at least 2.8 to 4.0 times greater than these distances in four nesting populations in wetter regions but shorter than distances observed between nests in drier Arizona. In our study area the coverage of buildings within 400 m of Bald Eagle nests is relatively low by comparison to the coverage around randomly selected points, averaging 1344 m2; for 63% of the nests this coverage was less than 800 m2. We classified the 86 nest territories into eight categories that describe the dominant resource habitat and predicts the eagles’ reliance on Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) versus fish as prey. Predation on fish was predicted to be dominant at 51% (n = 44) of the nests, predation on prairie dogs at 32% (n = 28).

Seasonal differences in amounts of oviposition habitat and egg‐laying by caddisflies in rivers with regulated versus unregulated flows

Abstract Few studies consider spatio‐temporal variation in egg‐laying for benthic insects in streams. However, such variation can have lasting effects on the numbers and distribution of offspring and subsquent life‐cycle stages. For species that require specific egg‐laying habitats, such as rocks that protrude from the water surface (emergent rocks, ER), densities of egg‐laying habitat can affect densities of benthic eggs and even larvae for some species. For such species, changes in water levels alter the spatio‐temporal distribution of ER and can affect densities of eggs and, potentially, larvae. Below dams, modified flow regimes may alter the temporal availability of ER. In this study we tested whether river regulation altered the availability of oviposition habitat and changed the phenology of oviposition compared to unregulated rivers. At multiple sites in two regulated (Murrumbidgee, Tumut) and three unregulated (Goobarragandra, Goodradigbee, Micalong) rivers (south‐east Australia), we surveyed densities of ER and egg masses of five species of caddisflies (family Hydrobiosidae) seasonally over 3 years (2019–2021). Samples of adults also were collected during two seasons using light traps. High flows in both regulated rivers submerged all rocks during spring and summer and low‐flow releases stranded rocks above the waterline at all (Murrumbidgee River) or most (Tumut River) sites during autumn and winter. No ER or egg masses were observed on any date in the Murrumbidgee River, despite relatively large catches of adults. On the Tumut River, low densities of ER and egg masses were twice observed at one site, during seasons (winter, autumn) when oviposition was low in the unregulated rivers. In unregulated rivers, ER and egg masses (five species, four genera) were present at all sites but with lower densities in winter than in other seasons. During peak oviposition periods, densities of egg masses per site were not strongly related to densities of ER. In summer 2019, ER in two unregulated rivers were blanketed by sheets of algae and sediment that appeared to prevent oviposition because no egg masses were observed at this time. In regulated rivers, aseasonal flows precluded egg‐laying by submerging (summer, autumn) or stranding (winter, spring) all or most ER. In contrast, ER were available all year in the unregulated rivers and egg‐laying occurred all year, except when ER were blanketed by algae and sediment. Within seasons, local densities of egg masses may be limited by numbers of gravid females, rather than numbers of ER, which differs from previous research. Identifying impediments to reproduction is critical to understanding variability in population numbers in natural and altered systems. Our observations of oviposition failure downstream of dams present a new hypothesis for why some insect species are absent from channels where flows are regulated for irrigation. Blankets of algae may similarly preclude reproduction in rivers with low‐flow conditions, but this remains untested.

Trends in mortality related to venous thromboembolism in the European Union, 2012-2020.

We sought to assess the sex- and age-specific trends in venous thromboembolism (VTE) mortality in the 27 European Union Member States (EU-27) between years 2012 and 2020. Data on cause-specific deaths and population numbers by sex for each country of the EU-27 were retrieved through the publicly available European Statistical Office (EUROSTAT) dataset for the years 2012-2020. VTE-related deaths were ascertained when ICD-10 codes I26, I80, and I82.9 were listed as the primary cause of death in the medical death certificate. To calculate annual trends, we assessed the average annual percent change (AAPC) with relative 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Joinpoint regression. During the study period, 96,037 (55,278 males and 40,759 females) died for VTE. The age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) linearly declined from 2.86 (95% CI 2.84-2.90) deaths per 100,000 individuals in 2012 to 2.53 (95% CI 2.50-2.56) deaths per 100,000 population in 2020 [AAPC: - 2.1% (95% CI - 3.6 to - 0.6), p = 0.001] without differences between sexes (p = 0.60). The higher AAMR was observed in some eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Lithuania. On the contrary, the lower AAMR was mainly clustered in the Mediterranean area (Italy, Spain, and Cyprus). Over the last decade, the age-adjusted VTE-related mortality has been continuously declining in most of the in EU-27 Member States. However, some disparities still exist between western and eastern European countries.

What are the impacts of climate change on sustainable food production, food demand, and population numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review

What are the impacts of climate change on sustainable food production, food demand, and population numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review

Surgical Experience and Results of Retzius Sparing Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: First Report in Thailand

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes and safety of the surgical technique Retzius-sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RS-RALRP), with prostatic cancer; the first report in Thailand. Material and Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis from the medical records of 100 patients who underwent RS-RALRP by a single surgeon; from 1st January 2021 until 31st May 2023, at Rajavithi Hospital. The authors analyzed demographic data, clinical staging, Gleason grade group, operative time, pathologic staging, positive surgical margin rate; postoperative continence recovery and postoperative complications. Results: The median age was 71.34±6.84 years: mean total PSA was 17.16±17.55 ng/ml; with the majority in clinical T1 and T2. The mean operative time was 221.7±51.93 minutes, and the mean estimated blood loss was 312.30±264.55 ml. Of all patients, 88% did not require blood transfusion. The complication rate was 8%. The pathologic stages pT2 and pT3 or greater were 62% and 38%, respectively. Positive surgical margins (PSM) pT2 and pT3 were 14.5% and 63.2%. The postoperative continence recovery after RS-RALRP were 83%, 95%, 97%,100% and 100%: at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months postoperatively, respectively. Conclusion: RS-RALRP has a potential to become the new standard for prostate cancer treatment, with improved early continence and equivalent oncologic efficacy. The limitations of this study are the small number of population, which require prospective multicenter studies.

A Study on The Factors That Affect Employees’ Performance in the Banking Sector in Malacca, Malaysia

Employees’ performance is the main issue in the current situation especially since Covid-19. Covid-19 has compelled every sector of society to adopt technology and banking sector was no exception. This means employees must be able to use technology to work from office or home as the new norm. Better performance can only be accomplished when employees use their individual talents to boost the organization's performance. This is because employees’ performance is crucial to organizations in the twenty-first century. It enables the organizations to compete advantageously with other businesses in the ever-changing environment. Therefore, this study will be carried out to examine the relationship between motivation, job design, management style, working conditions, workplace reward and training development on employees’ performance. Stratified random sampling will be employed in this study with the respondents of employees from selected banks in Hang Tuah Jaya, Malacca. In this study, the population number of banking employees would be 250 and the sample size of employees in the selected banking sector in Hang Tuah Jaya, Malacca is 152. The pilot test was successfully carried out with a sample size of 35 employees of the banking sector. The data from this study will be collected through the distribution of the questionnaire. To answer the research questions, the data will be analyzed with correlation and regression of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 28).

Influence of media campaigns efforts to control spread of COVID-19 pandemic with vaccination: A modeling study

Abstract The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by the world health organization on March 11, 2020,. Here, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed to study the spread of coronavirus disease in a human habitat. In modeling the dynamics, the total population is divided into five subclasses: susceptible population, asymptomatic infective population, symptomatic infective population, recovered population, and vaccinated population. It is assumed that the disease is transmitted directly from infectives. It is further assumed that due to the effect of media, susceptible individuals become aware about the disease and avoid contact with the infectives. The analysis of the model is performed using the stability theory of differential equations. Furthermore, conditions that influence the persistence of the system are obtained. We have also conducted numerical simulations to validate the analytical results. The model analysis shows that with an increase in media awareness, the spread of coronavirus disease decreases with a decrease in the number of infective populations.

Current status of the distribution of European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) in Zhytomyr Polissia

Background. European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) is a hemiparasitic, autotrophic plant, which is an integral part of natural and urbanized ecosystems of Ukraine, in particular Zhytomyr Polissia. V. album is considered to be an aboriginal species which is largely responsible for the deterioration of the sanitary condition of woody plants. In particular, it causes their premature drying, a sharp decrease in the intensity of growth and yield of fruit. This study pursues the following goals: 1) to identify the species of trees affected by V. album and which ones it prefers in the conditions of Zhytomyr Polissia; 2) to study the biology of the development of V. album in the conditions of the region; 3) analysis of the degree of damage to trees by V. album using the coefficient of complex assessment. Materials and Methods. The reconnaissance method was used to determine the distribution of V. album, the type of damage and the intensity of damage to tree plantations and the degree of tree damage by mistletoe was determined using the coefficient of comprehensive damage assessment (Ccda). Results and Discussion. It was found that out of the total number of affected trees, B. pendula (27.13 %), R. pseudoacacia (17.04 %) and P. tremula (11.13 %) were the most commonly infested by V. album in the region. At the same time, 46 % of the trees are slightly damaged, 31 % are moderately damaged and 23 % are insignificantly dama­ged. It was found that without human intervention, the number of populations and the number of V. album tend to increase. Conclusions. On the territory of Zhytomyr Polissia, V. album has entered the cate­gory of invasive plants. V. album was detected on 20 tree species, of which the number of trees affected by V. album reached 41.54 % of the total number of the examined trees. The vast majority of V. album populations (61 %) are growing. The largest numbers of V. album shrubs were recorded on trees aged 60–80 and 80–100 years, accounting for 23 % and 25.13 % of the total number of trees infested by V. album, respectively.

Variability in Alzheimer's disease mortality from European vital statistics, 2012-2020.

Data regarding the trends in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mortality in the modern European Union (EU-27) member states are lacking. We assess the sex- and age-specific trends in AD mortality in the EU-27 member states between years 2012 and 2020. Data on cause-specific deaths and population numbers by sex for each country of the EU-27 were retrieved through publicly available European Statistical Office (EUROSTAT) dataset from 2012 to 2020. AD-related deaths were ascertained when the ICD-10 code G30 was listed as the primary cause of death in the medical death certificate. To calculate annual trends, we assessed the average annual percent change (AAPC) with relative 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Joinpoint regression. During the study period, 751,493 deaths (1.7%, 233,271 males and 518,222 females) occurred in the EU-27 because of AD. Trends in the proportion of AD-related deaths per 1000 total deaths slightly increased from 16.8% to 17.5% (p for trend <0.001). The age-adjusted mortality rate was higher in women over the entire study period. Joinpoint regression analysis revealed a stagnation in age-adjusted AD-related mortality from 2012 to 2020 among EU-27 Member States (AAMR: -0.1% [95% CI: -1.8-1.79], p=0.94). Stratification by Country showed relevant regional disparities, especially in the Northern and Eastern EU-27 member states. Over the last decade, the age-adjusted AD-related mortality rate has plateaued in EU-27. Important disparities still exist between Western and Eastern European countries.

DYNAMIC SYSTEM OF TUBERCULOSIS MODEL USING OPTIMAL CONTROL IN SEMARANG CITY INDONESIA

Tuberculosis is a disease which is very contagious among human. To prevent this from happening, Semarang city government has enacted vaccination for exposed individuals and treatment for the infected individuals. Vaccination and treatment are forms of control that will be applied to dynamic model systems of Tuberculosis. The present paper will describe epidemic model of Tuberculosis with control using Pontryagin Minimum Principle to find optimal solution of the control with fixed time and free end point. The optimal control will aim to reduce or minimize the number of infected populations. Numerical calculation is carried out with MATLAB software programming to illustrate and compare the graph of the dynamic model with and without optimal control. The results of dynamic modeling of Tuberculosis with control state that vaccination and treatment have succeeded in reducing the population of infected individuals.