scholarly journals Extrapolating toxic effects on individuals to the population level: the role of dynamic energy budgets

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1557) ◽  
pp. 3531-3540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tjalling Jager ◽  
Chris Klok
Keyword(s):  
Population Level ◽  
Toxic Effects ◽  
Explicit Calculation ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Dynamic Energy Budget ◽  
Dendrobaena Octaedra ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Consistent Assessment

The interest of environmental management is in the long-term health of populations and ecosystems. However, toxicity is usually assessed in short-term experiments with individuals. Modelling based on dynamic energy budget (DEB) theory aids the extraction of mechanistic information from the data, which in turn supports educated extrapolation to the population level. To illustrate the use of DEB models in this extrapolation, we analyse a dataset for life cycle toxicity of copper in the earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra . We compare four approaches for the analysis of the toxicity data: no model, a simple DEB model without reserves and maturation (the Kooijman–Metz formulation), a more complex one with static reserves and simplified maturation (as used in the DEBtox software) and a full-scale DEB model (DEB3) with explicit calculation of reserves and maturation. For the population prediction, we compare two simple demographic approaches (discrete time matrix model and continuous time Euler–Lotka equation). In our case, the difference between DEB approaches and population models turned out to be small. However, differences between DEB models increased when extrapolating to more field-relevant conditions. The DEB3 model allows for a completely consistent assessment of toxic effects and therefore greater confidence in extrapolating, but poses greater demands on the available data.

scholarly journals Effective Intervention across Socioeconomic Classes for Improvement in Language Outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Afia Kanwal ◽  
Wasima Shehzad
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Effective Intervention ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Improvement Rate ◽  
Early Schooling ◽  
The Difference

Students in higher education bring with them a difference of linguistic abilities that is often due to the difference in socioeconomic status and early schooling. The lack of linguistic capacity hampers academic pace and introduces discrepancies in performance of learners. This paper examines the persistence of socioeconomic differences being translated in educational institutes and their influence on language outcomes and it investigates the role of effective intervention through an action research model by Zuber-Skerritt (1992) called CRASP. It is an experimental study based on a sample of 300 engineering students which examines initial and final evaluation of language proficiency through intervention. The tools used to gather data include demographics, language test of writing and speaking skills and sequential assessment. The results showed that intervention is helpful for enhancing language proficiency nonetheless; the improvement rate is nearly negligible and requires a long-term plan to impact early disadvantage of exposure.

scholarly journals Hemostatic Changes in Patients with COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis with Meta-Regressions

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 2244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Nicola Dario Di Minno ◽  
Ilenia Calcaterra ◽  
Roberta Lupoli ◽  
Antonio Storino ◽  
Giorgio Alfredo Spedicato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Models ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Chronic Disability ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
The Difference ◽  
D Dimer

Background: Complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include coagulopathy. We performed a meta-analysis on the association of COVID-19 severity with changes in hemostatic parameters. Methods: Data on prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), D-Dimer, platelets (PLT), or fibrinogen in severe versus mild COVID-19 patients, and/or in non-survivors to COVID-19 versus survivors were systematically searched. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated. Results: Sixty studies comparing 5487 subjects with severe and 9670 subjects with mild COVID-19 documented higher PT (SMD: 0.41; 95%CI: 0.21, 0.60), D-Dimer (SMD: 0.67; 95%CI: 0.52, 0.82), and fibrinogen values (SMD: 1.84; 95%CI: 1.21, 2.47), with lower PLT count (SMD: −0.74; 95%CI: −1.01, −0.47) among severe patients. Twenty-five studies on 1511 COVID-19 non-survivors and 6287 survivors showed higher PT (SMD: 0.67; 95%CI: 0.39, 0.96) and D-Dimer values (SMD: 3.88; 95%CI: 2.70, 5.07), with lower PLT count (SMD: −0.60, 95%CI: −0.82, −0.38) among non-survivors. Regression models showed that C-reactive protein values were directly correlated with the difference in PT and fibrinogen. Conclusions: Significant hemostatic changes are associated with COVID-19 severity. Considering the risk of fatal complications with residual chronic disability and poor long-term outcomes, further studies should investigate the prognostic role of hemostatic parameters in COVID-19 patients.

scholarly journals Motivation solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Southern Transdanubian Region

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Bettina Boldizsár ◽  
Veronika Bardóczky ◽  
Orsolya Szigeti
Keyword(s):  
Employee Training ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Executives ◽  
Motivation Strategy ◽  
Mere Presence ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
The Difference

The singularity of human resources and the complex interests in the world of work are a constant challenge for business executives and HR colleagues. While the difference between the performance of a motivated and an unmotivated employee can be up to twice as much at almost the same cost level, the motivation strategy is typically either absent from the business life, or operates on a reactive concept based on an unconscious design. Although the mere presence of motivation and its various levels are less quantifiable in exact terms with direct tools, a performance which is much weaker than possible is measurable in the short and long term, and its negative economic results are clear. The aim of the research is to examine the motivational practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the Southern Transdanubian Region. Involving 300 businesses we evaluated the applied wage system, the role of money among the motivational tools, the extent and causes of fluctuation, the system of employee training, the way of performance evaluation, the reasons for underperformance, the importance of motivation, the company motivation strategy and the efforts to retain the key people. The employee motivation can be increase in several forms, but the priority of needs and claims is constantly changing. Updating this motivational matrix is a real leadership challenge, but this effort can pay off multiple times. According to the results it can be stated that the motivation strategy – as a key economic issue – is not given sufficient attention in business practices.

scholarly journals The role of variety and forecrop in the population dynamics of Rhizoctonia solani in soil

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32
Author(s):  
A. A. Malyuga ◽  
N. S. Chulikova
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Rhizoctonia Solani ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Two Peaks

Long-term studies (2014–2019) of the population dynamics of the fungus Rhizoctonia solani Küch. were carried out in the soil on the Purple Majesty, Vitelotte and Fioletovy potato varieties and preceding crops (potatoes, oats and tendergreen). The study was carried out in Novosibirsk region in the soil and climatic conditions typical of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. To study the peculiarities of R. solani fungus population dynamics in potato plantations, soil samples were taken from under the plants during the entire growing season. The accumulation of rhizoctonia propagules in the soil was determined using the method of multiple soil pellets. The difference in the amount and rate of accumulation of the fungus R. solani on different varieties, as well as the influence of previous crops on this process, was established. Two peaks of the fungus accumulation were observed on the Purple Majesty variety: the first (48.7 propagules/100 g of soil) – during the full germination period, the second (57.2 propagules/100 g of soil) – at the end of the crop maturation phase. One peak was observed in the population dynamics of the fungus on Vitelotte and Fioletovy varieties, at the end of the ripening period (59.0 and 49.1 propagules/100 g soil, respectively). The smallest amount of R. solani fungus in the soil on average during the growing season was noted on the Fioletovy variety – 33.3 propagules/100 g of soil. In the Purple Majesty and Vitelotte varieties, this figure was 41.5 and 40.4 propagules/100 g of soil, respectively. When potato variety Agata was cultivated as monoculture, there was a rapid and significant accumulation of the fungus R. solani in the soil (from 34.6 to 126.8 propagules/100 g of soil). When this variety was cultivated following tendergreen or oats, the amount of the pathogen varied to a lesser extent (25.1–52.2 and 19.8–41.0 propagules/100 g of soil, respectively). No sharp increases in the number of propagative structures of the phytopathogen in the soil were noted.

scholarly journals Role of Individual Academics and International Universities in Health Research in Nepal

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-81
Author(s):  
P Simkhada ◽  
E Van Teijlingen
Keyword(s):  
Critical Appraisal ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Know How ◽  
The Past ◽  
To Come ◽  
Changes Over Time

Nepal has made progress in health sciences and medical education over the past decade. We believe that there is a need in Nepal for a greater research emphasis on mixed-methods approaches, qualitative research, critical appraisal & systematic reviewing and health economics. Specifically to the discipline of epidemiology, Nepal should consider establishing more and better epidemiological studies, the kind of population-based studies that can identify risk factors, track changes over time at a population level over the decades to come.  We know how important such long-term research is but we are also painfully aware how expensive this kind on long-term research can be.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v2i2.6572 Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2012;2(2):179-81 

scholarly journals Patterns of spatial methane distribution in the upper layers of permafrost in Central Yakutia

2017 ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
M. Yu. Cherbunina ◽  
D. G. Shmelev ◽  
A. V. Brouchkov ◽  
V. S. Kazantsev ◽  
R. N. Argunov
Keyword(s):  
Field Studies ◽  
Methane Content ◽  
Central Yakutia ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Methane Distribution ◽  
The Right ◽  
Ice Complex

The article presents the results of long-term field studies of methane in the upper part of permafrost for the different geomorphological levels of Central Yakutia. Patterns of spatial distribution of methane content across different landscapes were found. The highest concentrations of methane are found in alas deposits, the major role of methane in the conservation there goes to the moment of freezing the thermokarst lake draining. The difference in methane content in the sediments of the Late Pleistocene Ice Complex on the left and the right bank of the river Lena was identified. That is likely caused by the conditions of ice complex formation.

The Vitality of Mortality: Being-Toward-Death and Long-Term Cancer Survivorship

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 703-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette Bresson Ladegaard Knox
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Survivorship ◽  
Dynamic Component ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Modes Of Existence ◽  
Ontological Aspect ◽  
Term Survivor

Abstract Long-term cancer survivorship is an emerging field that focuses on physical late-effects and psychosocial implications for the inflicted. This study wishes to cast light on the underlying ontological aspect of long-term survivorship by philosophically exploring how being in life post cancer is perceived by survivors. Sixteen in-depth interviews with 14 Danish cancer survivors were conducted by the author. Having faced a life-threatening disease but no longer being in imminent danger of dying, survivors still considered death a defining yet dynamic component in their approach to life as a moving toward the end, sparking a sense of vitality in mortality. In order to unfold the interviewees’ renewed existential understanding post cancer, this study employs Martin Heidegger’s ontological analysis of death. In survivorship, my participants can thus be understood as being left with the perpetual choice between living in inauthenticity or in authenticity. The difference between the two modes of existence exhibits two diverging ways of relating to death, self, and being-in-the-world. At the same time, the role of death in long-term survivorship reflects back on the magnitude of the initial existential and moral upheaval triggered by the cancer diagnosis. Understanding the role of death in long-term survivorship can positively inform the field of cancer rehabilitation and long-term survivor care.

scholarly journals How to lift a model for individual behaviour to the population level?

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1557) ◽  
pp. 3523-3530 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Diekmann ◽  
J. A. J. Metz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Mathematical Theory ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Dynamic Energy Budget ◽  
Mathematical Exploration ◽  
History Of ◽  
State Changes ◽  
Numerical Bifurcation

The quick answer to the title question is: by bookkeeping; introduce as p(opulation)-state a measure telling how the individuals are distributed over their common i(ndividual)-state space, and track how the various i-processes change this measure. Unfortunately, this answer leads to a mathematical theory that is technically complicated as well as immature. Alternatively, one may describe a population in terms of the history of the population birth rate together with the history of any environmental variables affecting i-state changes, reproduction and survival. Thus, a population model leads to delay equations. This delay formulation corresponds to a restriction of the p-dynamics to a forward invariant attracting set, so that no information is lost that is relevant for long-term dynamics. For such equations there exists a well-developed theory. In particular, numerical bifurcation tools work essentially the same as for ordinary differential equations. However, the available tools still need considerable adaptation before they can be practically applied to the dynamic energy budget (DEB) model. For the time being we recommend simplifying the i-dynamics before embarking on a systematic mathematical exploration of the associated p-behaviour. The long-term aim is to extend the tools, with the DEB model as a relevant goal post.

scholarly journals HOW DO HIGH, MEDIUM, AND LOW TECH FIRMS INNOVATE? A SYSTEM OF INNOVATION (SI) APPROACH

2012 ◽  
Vol 09 (05) ◽  
pp. 1250034 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZIAD ROTABA ◽  
CATHERINE BEAUDRY
Keyword(s):  
Transformation Process ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Catching Up ◽  
Product Modularity ◽  
The Difference

In the past decade, the innovation literature has mainly targeted high-tech (HT) sectors due to their higher return on investment and important role in building new societies and economies. While the HT sector is still of a leading importance, whether medium and low tech (LMT) sectors should be equivalently considered when analyzing long term economic growth, in both leading and catching up economies, is a fundamental question. This paper is our second milestone comparing HT and LMT sectors from an innovation perspective, using a National System of Innovation (NSI) approach. The general aim of this paper is to find the main principles that govern the difference between the two industrial segments (HT and LMT) while controlling for supranational boundaries. In order to measure the effect of NSI, countries are divided into two groups: leading and catching up economies. Our results suggest that, with respect to HT, leading economies can be considered as innovators, while catching up economies are the imitators. Furthermore, HT in leading economies relies on product modularity to outsource various components probably to firms in catching up economies. Catching ups are putting greater emphasis on universities to produce knowledge. In addition, firms in catching up economies benefit from high accessibility to funds in order to grow various industrial sectors, especially LMT. The role of institutions and governments with respect to regulatory policies, intellectual property protections are of high importance for firms in catching up economies, especially in LMT. As a result of those important steps, the various agents in catching up economies have achieved sustainable growth, notably in LMT. In contrast, the same growth is observed for HT for firms in leading economies. Our results suggest that catching up countries are strategizing for this sectoral evolution, renewal, and transformation process for both sectors, but with a stronger emphasis on LMT.

scholarly journals Variability of Lipids and Fatty Acids in Pacific Walrus Blubber

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chadwick V. Jay ◽  
Sara J. Iverson ◽  
Anthony S. Fischbach
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Lipid Content ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Pacific Walrus ◽  
Fa Composition ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Three Body

The variability of lipid content and fatty acid (FA) composition across blubber depth and body sites are important considerations for condition and diet studies of marine mammals. We investigated lipid and FA variability among inner and outer blubber layers, three body sites, four study years, and lactation status of adult female Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) using blubber samples collected from subsistence-harvested walruses in spring 2007–2010. Percent lipid content did not differ between the inner and outer blubber layers at the rump, flank, or sternum of walruses. Although FA composition differed between the inner and outer blubber layers, the difference was consistent across body sites, and differences between layers within individual FAs were small (<2%). Lipid content at the sternum of lactating females was 6% higher than non-lactating females, consistent with known variation in body condition among these reproductive classes. Across study years, lipid content varied 18% and individual FAs varied 6%, likely reflecting population-level interannual variability in energy budgets and small differences in diet among years. Consistency in blubber lipid content across blubber depth and body sites and detectable variation in blubber lipid content among reproductive classes and years suggests the potential for lipid content to be a useful indicator of walrus body condition. In addition to information on condition, FA composition of blubber samples could potentially provide insights into changes in walrus diet that may be expected to occur from changes in their access to prey resources resulting from continued sea ice loss.

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