scholarly journals Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Adults and Healthcare Workers in Southern Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4761
Author(s):  
Francesco Napolitano ◽  
Gabriella Di Giuseppe ◽  
Maria Vittoria Montemurro ◽  
Anna Maria Molinari ◽  
Giovanna Donnarumma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Member ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Test Results ◽  
The University ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire ◽  
Test Result

Background: This study was carried out to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a Southern Italian population. Methods: The study was performed among students and workers of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” and the relative Teaching Hospital. Participants were invited to undergo a blood sampling, an interview or to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 140 participants (5.8%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Positive SARS-CoV-2 test results increased significantly during the months of testing, and those who had had at least one symptom among fever, cough, dyspnea, loss of taste or smell and who had had contact with a family member/cohabitant with confirmed COVID-19 were more likely to test positive. Faculty members were less likely to have a positive test result compared to the healthcare workers (HCWs). Among HCWs, physicians showed the lowest rate of seroconversion (5.2%) compared to nurses (8.9%) and other categories (10%). Nurses and other HCWs compared to the physicians, those who had had at least one symptom among fever, cough, dyspnea, loss of taste or smell, and who had had contact with a family member/cohabitant with confirmed COVID-19 were more likely to test positive. Conclusions: The results have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection is rapidly spreading even in Southern Italy and confirm the substantial role of seroprevalence studies for the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection circulation and potential for further spreading.

scholarly journals Insights into the Predictors of Attitude toward Entomophagy: The Potential Role of Health Literacy: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in a Sample of Students of the University of Florence

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5306
Author(s):  
Chiara Lorini ◽  
Laura Ricotta ◽  
Virginia Vettori ◽  
Marco Del Riccio ◽  
Massimiliano Alberto Biamonte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
University Of Florence ◽  
The University ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

In Western countries, one of the main barriers to entomophagy is repulsion toward insects. Few studies have investigated the factors that influence attitudes toward entomophagy. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving a sample of 248 university students, focusing on disgust and other potential attributes that can influence insect consumption, including health literacy. We used a 17-item self-administered questionnaire. Consistent with the literature, two items were chosen as outcome variables to evaluate the predictors of the propensity to consume insects: “Have you ever eaten insects or insect-based products?” and “How disgusting do you find eating insects?” The data analysis shows that having already eaten insects is inversely associated with the level of disgust (OR: 0.1, p < 0.01); and it is positively associated with higher levels of health literacy (OR: 3.66, p > 0.01). Additionally, having some knowledge and information about entomophagy is inversely associated with a higher level of disgust (OR: 0.44, p = 0.03 and OR: 0.25, p = 0.03, respectively), while being female is positively associated with disgust (OR: 3.26, p < 0.01). Our results suggest the potential role of health literacy, in addition to other factors, in influencing the willingness to taste insects. However, further studies involving larger and non-convenience samples are needed to confirm our hypothesis.

scholarly journals Scholarly Communication in Biblical Studies

2020 ◽  
pp. 58-78
Author(s):  
Beth M. Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

During a bibliometric analysis of the scholarship of ninety-five social science faculty members at the University of West Georgia (UWG), observations were made concerning potential differences between how scholarly communication is practiced by the disciplines of the social sciences and biblical studies. The fields appear to diverge on the role of book reviews, prevalence of co-authored materials, use of ORCIDs, and adoption of DOIs. In addition to highlighting these points, the data set used for the project is described. Finally, a few theological reflections are offered.

scholarly journals The Role of Faculty Members at the University of Jordan in Enhancing Intellectual Security among Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (35) ◽  
pp. 85-102
Author(s):  
Mamon Alzboon ◽  
◽  
Ziyad Algonmeen ◽  
Malik Alzboon ◽  
Azzam Alrefai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Faculty Members ◽  
University Of Jordan ◽  
The University

Interdisciplinary organization as a basic academic unit?

2020 ◽  
pp. 095042222095695
Author(s):  
Liu Yang ◽  
Ekaterina Albats ◽  
Henry Etzkowitz
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Departmental Chairs ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
University Industry

Academic interdisciplinarity has become a powerful means of addressing challenges facing contemporary society as well as offering opportunities to advance knowledge. To better understand the role of university interdisciplinary organizations (IDOs), the authors studied 18 IDOs at Stanford University in the USA. They propose that IDOs not only enhance researchers’ interdisciplinary collaboration but, counterintuitively, also serve departmental and disciplinary interests. While IDOs are traditionally believed to threaten traditional disciplinary departments, the authors find a “more the more” dynamic in which, by bringing shared university resources and faculty to bear on new themes, significant new resources are generated to the benefit of both actors. Traditionally, the relationship between departments and IDOs has been seen as a zero-sum game with winners and losers. This research suggests, to the contrary, a win–win dynamic in which the two formats are mediated by the research group. Some faculty members are alternately departmental chairs and IDO organizers as well as start-up founders, industrial consultants and holders of high governmental advisory positions during their careers, integrating Triple Helix university–industry–government interactions with IDOs and IDOs with departments. The authors examine how these two entities coexist and benefit one another in a cooperative academic ecosystem and consider the implications for the future of the university.

The role of digital scholarship in academic libraries, the case of university of cape coast: opportunities and challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theophilus Kwamena Ocran ◽  
Paulina Afful-Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Learning Style ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Cape Coast ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Scholarship ◽  
The University

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to assess the role of academic libraries in digital scholarship at the University of Cape Coast. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and used teaching staff (lecturers) as the population of the study.Design/methodology/approachA sample size of 278 was used for the study. The study used questionnaires to obtain data from participants. The study revealed that faculty members appreciate digital scholarship through the services offered by Sam Jonah Library are relevant to the current higher education context, reliable information, preservation of information resources and facilitating the integration of library services into the learning process are closely integrated into the library service, transform scholarly communication, teaching and learning style and research paradigm.FindingsThe study revealed that digital scholarship contributes to faculty members' delivery at the University of Cape Coast through the provision of information literacy training for new students, provision of reference lists of materials available in the library and provision of lists of new materials. The study revealed that faculty members face inadequate facilities to enhance digital scholarship, inadequate open access to reading materials (articles, books, etc.), inadequate platforms or suite of tools for librarians to take faculty.Practical implicationsThe application of digital scholarship provides an expansion to the core competitiveness of librarians new services which enables innovativeness and transformation of libraries. Students will be equipped with digital literacy skills; it affords instructors to approach teaching with innovation and scholars are also engaged to perform novel practices in scholarship acquisition. Digital scholarship is the umbrella under which all academic technologies comes under to foster collaboration and better learning experience.Originality/valueThis paper offers an insight of the role digital scholarship in promoting and advancing scholarship in the academic environment. It highlights a number of digital scholarship platform available in the library. It is observed that digital scholarship practices must be encouraged in the library because it facilitates the role of academic library which is to support teaching, learning and research.

Gap in the Wall

2021 ◽  
pp. 99-120
Author(s):  
Monika Fischer ◽  
Tamás Halm ◽  
Tibor Koltay
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Writing Center ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Future Goals ◽  
The University

The Writing Center is the newest, innovative service, established as a project-based initiative within the organization of the Library of Corvinus University Budapest. The present and future goals of the Writing Center require a wide spectrum of services if wanting to cater for the needs of doctoral students and faculty members. This includes traditional and novel tasks, such as fostering publication activities, combating information overload, being familiar with abstract writing, and Open Access offered to experienced and to early career researchers. The goal in this chapter is to demonstrate how the learning and research support activities of a library, comprising curricular and extra-curricular courses, trainings, and consultations can be integrated into the knowledge structures of the university as a whole. The authors place special emphasis on the role of group-based and individual mentoring throughout a university career, spanning from student to researcher, and on the development of transversal skills through the training programs of the Writing Center.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Study of Viral and Bacterial Contamination of Hospital Pediatricians’ Mobile Phones

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2011
Author(s):  
Aymeric Cantais ◽  
Florence Grattard ◽  
Julie Gagnaire ◽  
Olivier Mory ◽  
Aurélie Plat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The University

Mobile phones (MPs) of healthcare workers (HCWs) may represent an important source of transmission of infectious agents. This longitudinal study documents the contamination of these tools. Ten MPs handled by senior pediatricians were sampled once a week during 23 weeks in three pediatric wards of the University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, France. Cultures were performed for bacteria and multiplex PCR assays for a panel of respiratory and enteric viruses. A questionnaire on hygiene habits regarding phoning and care was filled-in by pediatricians before and after the study. From a total of 230 samples, 145 (63%) were contaminated by at least one pathogen. The MPs from emergency departments were the most impacted. Viruses were detected in 179 samples; bacteria were isolated in 59 samples. Contamination increased during the winter epidemic peak. A cross-contamination by Paracoccus yeei between hands and MPs of different HCWs was demonstrated. The communication of the study results influenced the hygiene behaviors. This study highlights the contamination of MPs by pathogens that are resistant in the environment, and its sustainability along the winter season. The role of MPs as vectors of nosocomial infection needs to be better investigated.

scholarly journals The Role of Chitosan on Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)-Glycerol Biocomposites for Blood Bag Application

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 94-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nabila Meutia Zahra ◽  
Siswanto ◽  
Prihartini Widiyanti
Keyword(s):  
Tensile Test ◽  
Antibacterial Properties ◽  
Inhibition Zone ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Antibacterial Test ◽  
Chitosan Membrane ◽  
The Common ◽  
Blood Bag ◽  
Test Result

The common blood bag in the market is made from a mixture of PVC and plasticizer. But the a number of occurrences where pockets of heavily polluted bacteria, blood requires blood bags which has the antibacterial characteristic. Antibacterial properties on the bags of blood can be raised with the addition of chitosan. This research aim is to know the influence of chitosan membrane biocomposite PVC-Glycerol against its biological and physical properties. Chitosan dissolved with a concentration of 0 wt/v%; wt/v 0.5%; 1 wt/v%; 1.5 v/wt% wt/v and 2 wt/v% mixed with glycerol with a 1:1 ratio. Then the mixture was mixed with PVC solution 15% and formed into a membrane by using the glass plates. Furthermore, the membranes are characterized using tensile test, hemolytic test, and antibacterial test. The physical characteristics of the tensile test indicate that the elongation percentage was 2.22 – 96.43% and tensile strength was 3.6-8 MPa. The test result of the hemolytic test and antibacterial test showed that biocomposite membrane of PVC-Glycerol-Chitosan are hemocompatible because it has a hemolysis percentage < 5%, while antibacterial test results showed that the membrane has a weak anti-bacterial due to bacterial inhibition zone diameter < 5 mm. Based on the characterization result, biocomposite membrane of PVC-Glycerol-Chitosan can be used for blood bag candidate.

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