Tranquillizing Effect of Passiflora incarnata Extract: Outcome on Behavioral and Physiological Indicators in Weaning Pigs with Intact Tails

Tail docking has been used in the pig industry to decrease the occurrence of tail biting behavior. This abnormal behavior has a multifactorial origin since it is a response to simultaneous environmental, nutritional and management changes. Given the calming properties of Passiflora incarnata, we hypothesized that dietary supplementation with the extract in weaned pigs could result in a modification of behavior and physiologic indicators linked to stress. Weaned piglets (n = 120, mean body weight 9.07 ± 2.30 kg) were randomly allocated to one of two dietary treatments: control diet (CON) and CON supplemented with 1 kg/t of P. incarnata (PAS). The trial was 28 days long. The presence of skin lesions was assessed at d-1, d-10, d-19, and d-28, and saliva samples were collected for IgA and cortisol determinations at the same sampling times. Results showed the PAS group was characterized by equal growth performance as the CON group, fewer ear lesions (p < 0.05), less aggressive behavior (p < 0.001), higher enrichment exploration (p < 0.001) and lower cortisol levels (p < 0.01). Time effect was observed for tail lesions (p < 0.001) and behavioral observations (p < 0.001). Additional research is required to determine the effect of P. incarnata extract using a larger number of animals and longer period of supplementation when risks associated with tail biting are uncontrolled.

Incidence of postoperative week 1 management changes after resident-performed phacoemulsification cataract surgery

Background The goal of this study was to investigate the incidence of departures from routine care at the postoperative week 1 (POW1) visit following uneventful resident-performed cataract surgery in asymptomatic patients who had a normal postoperative day 1 (POD1) examination. Methods A retrospective chart review of phacoemulsification surgeries performed by the senior resident class at Montefiore Medical Center between June 20, 2018 and April 1, 2019 was performed. The most recent preoperative visit note, operative report, POD1 visit note, and POW1 visit note were evaluated and variables were recorded. Exclusion criteria consisted of any complications that would have necessitated close follow-up and a POW1 visit, whether discovered preoperatively, intraoperatively, at the POD1 visit, or leading up to the POW1 visit. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of unanticipated management changes at the POW1 visit following resident-performed cataract surgery. Results The charts of 292 surgical cases of 234 patients that underwent phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation were reviewed. 226 cases (77%) had an uncomplicated pseudophakic fellow-eye history, with a routine surgery, and POD1 examination. 19 of these patients had symptomatic presentations at the POW1 timepoint, and an additional 30 had no POW1 visit at all. In total, 177 cases were included in the study, and only 4 of these cases (2.3%) had an unexpected management change at the POW1 visit. Conclusions Asymptomatic patients who underwent uncomplicated cataract surgeries performed by resident surgeons followed by a routine POD1 visit had a low incidence of unexpected management changes at the POW1 visit. These results suggest that regularly scheduled POW1 visits could potentially be omitted for patients deemed to be at low risk for complications, and instead performed on an as-needed basis.

An Exploratory Content Analysis of Human Resources Management in Healthcare Organizations

Human resource experts suggest unveiling future trends should invite practitioners to focus on evolving human resource management (HRM) roles, target deficiencies, and present solutions leveraging abilities to converge, employees, leaders, and stakeholders committed to advance opportunities for professional development. This chapter provides a detailed analysis of human resources management (HRM) roles that affect employee management changes to explore human resource (HR) accountability, competency management, employee abilities, and organizational capabilities around treatment effectiveness and reduction of errors in healthcare delivery. Explorations on HRM's future impact on career development, succession and replacement planning, and development provoked examinations on goals and future career aspirations in healthcare.

Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in Two Rice Cultivation Systems Compared to an Agroforestry Cultivation System

After changes in tillage on croplands, it is necessary to assess the effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in order to identify if soil is a sink or emitter of carbon to the atmosphere. This study was conducted in two plots of rice cultivation, where tillage and water management changes occurred. A third plot of native forest with Cacao trees was used as reference soil (agroforestry). For SOC balance estimation, measurement of organic carbon (OC) inputs was determined from necromass, roots, microbial biomass, and urea applications. CO2 and CH4 emissions were also measured. Results showed that the change in the use of irrigation and tillage in rice cultivation did not cause significant differences in OC inputs to soil or in outputs due to carbon emissions. Further-more, it was found that both irrigation and tillage management systems in rice cultivation com-pared with agroforestry were management systems with a negative difference between OC inputs and outputs due to CO2 emissions associated with intense stimulation of crop root respiration and microbial activity. The comparison of SOC dynamics between the agroforestry system and rice cultivation systems showed that an agroforestry system is a carbon sink with a positive OC dynamic.

How COVID-19 Affects Agricultural Food Sales: Based on the Perspective of China’s Agricultural Listed Companies’ Financial Statements

Agricultural food is generally regarded as the basis of “national security” by most countries. Through marketing strategies, promoting the sales of agri-food products in the context of a pandemic is of great significance to national food security and economic growth. The purpose of our study is to understand how the COVID-19 crisis affects the sales of agri-food products as well as the organizational and management changes it brings. By understanding those points above, we can address the problem and policy challenges to better promote the recovery of the agri-food sector from the effects caused by COVID-19. The demand is today overwhelmingly urgent. Based on the data of China’s agricultural-listed companies from 2015 to 2020, this study adopted the perspective of financial statements and conducted empirical analysis through the translog revenue function, and the results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the sales of agri-food products, and the sales of agri-food products by large agricultural companies have fallen more than those of small- and medium-sized ones. Based on the results of the study, the government can consider the policy of providing financial support and temporary subsidies to agri-food enterprises during the pandemic, while agri-food enterprises actively practice digital marketing to reduce the adverse impact of COVID-19 on agri-food sales.

Predictors of Weight Loss and Weight Gain in Weight Management Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective. To examine the associations between patient struggles, health, and weight management changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. 585 patients attending a publicly funded clinical weight management program responded to an electronic survey. Results. Over half of the patients reported worsened overall health, mental health, physical activity, or diet during the pandemic. Approximately 30% of patients lost ≥3% of their body weight and 21% gained ≥3% of their body weight between March and July of the pandemic. Reports of social isolation was associated with increased odds for weight loss in women (OR = 2.0, 1.2–3.3), while low motivation (OR = 1.9, 1.0–3.7), depression (OR = 2.5, 1.0–6.3), and struggles with carbohydrate intake (OR = 2.1, 1.0–4.3) were associated with weight gain. Cooking more at home/eating less take out was associated with increased likelihood of weight loss (OR = 2.1, 1.1–3.9) and lower odds for weight gain (OR = 0.2, 0.1 to 0.97). Working from home was not associated with weight loss or weight gain ( P > 0.6 ). Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with certain factors that may facilitate weight loss and other factors that promote weight gain. Thus, depending on the patient experience during the pandemic, prevention of weight gain may be more appropriate than weight loss.

The Different Impact of Top Executives’ Turnover on Healthy and Restructured Companies

The aim of this paper is to investigate if top executives&rsquo; turnover affects the performance of a company and if it differently impacts the performances of a healthy and a restructured company. In order to investigate the impact of the renewal of both members of the board of directors and CEO impacts on company profitability, we performed a quantitative analysis based on a sample of 144 Italian companies using a logit model. The findings show that management changes influence the performance of a company. However, the results show a different impact for healthy and restructured companies. The renewal of the board of directors negatively affects the performances of a healthy company while influences positively the probability of a future increase in performances for restructured companies, suggesting useful implications for scholars and practitioners. This analysis confirms that the renewal of top executives can affect the probability of an increase of company performances, especially for distressed firms, contributing to existing literature which is still limited and focused only on few countries.

Underlying factors and challenges of implementing the urban family physician program in Iran

Background The family physician program was launched in 2005 in rural areas of Iran and then piloted in 2012 in the cities of Fars and Mazandaran provinces due to insufficient health coverage in these cities. However, despite its pivotal role in the health system, this program has not progressed according to the policies. This study aimed to explain the underlying factors and challenges of implementing the urban family physician program in Iran. Methods This qualitative study was conducted on 44 policy-makers and managers at national and provincial levels selected via snowball and purposive sampling with maximum variation. The data were managed in MAXQDA 2020 and analyzed by directed content analysis. A triangulation method was adopted for this purpose. Results A total of 10 categories, 18 sub-categories, and 29 codes were formed. Most challenges related to underlying factors included precipitancy, economic sanctions, belief in traditional medicine, belief in the expertise of previous physicians, and global ranking of countries. For program implementation, most challenges included a diversity of insurance organizations, budget allocation, referral system, electronic file, educational system, and culture building. Conclusions The major challenges pertaining to underlying factors included international pressure for reforms and precipitancy in program implementation due to management changes. The challenges associated with program implementation included budget provision and interaction with insurance organizations. Therefore, to expand this program to other provinces in Iran, the identified factors should be carefully considered so that sufficient confidence and commitment can be guaranteed for all stakeholders.

Trine Villumsen Berling, Ulrik Pram Gad, Karen Lund Petersen and Ole Wæver: Translations of Security: A Framework for the Study of Unwanted Futures

This book scrutinizes how contemporary practices of security have come to rely on many different translations of security, risk, and danger. Institutions of national security policies are currently undergoing radical conceptual and organisational changes, and this book presents a novel approach for how to study and politically address the new situation. Complex and uncertain threat environments, such as terrorism, climate change, and the global financial crisis, have paved the way for new forms of security governance that have profoundly transformed the ways in which threats are handled today. Crucially, there is a decentralisation of the management of security, which is increasingly handled by a broad set of societal actors that previously were not considered powerful in the conduct of security affairs. This transformation of security knowledge and management changes the meaning of traditional concepts and practices, and calls for investigation into the many meanings of security implied when contemporary societies manage radical dangers, risks, and threats. It is necessary to study both what these meanings are and how they developed from the security practices of the past. Addressing this knowledge gap, the book asks how different ideas about threats, risk, and dangers meet in the current practices of security, broadly understood, and with what political consequences. This book will be of interest to students of critical security studies, anthropology, risk studies, science and technology studies and International Relations.

Addressing Pediatric Developmental and Mental Health in Primary Care Using Tele-Education

This study evaluates the effectiveness of an early childhood tele-education program in preparing community pediatric clinicians to manage developmental and mental health disorders in young children. Community pediatric clinicians from rural, underserved, or school-based health center practices in the mid-Atlantic region participated in a weekly tele-education videoconference. There was a significant knowledge gain evidenced by the percentage of questions answered correctly from pre- to post- didactic exposure ( P < .001). Participants reported an increase in knowledge from pre- ( P < .001) and in confidence from pre- to post- participation ( P < .001). Practice management changes demonstrated an encouraging trend toward managing patients in the Medical Home, as compared with immediately deferring to specialists following participation. This early childhood tele-education videoconferencing program is a promising response to the urgent need to confidently increase the role of pediatricians in the provision of care for childhood developmental and mental health disorders.