The rich-to-poor vaccine donation game: When will self-interested countries donate their surplus vaccines during pandemics?

When will self-interested vaccine-rich countries voluntarily donate their surplus vaccines to vaccine-poor countries during a pandemic? We develop a game-theoretic approach to address this question. We identify vaccine-rich countries' optimal surplus donation strategies, and then examine whether these strategies are stable (Nash equilibrium or self-enforcing international agreement). We identify parameter ranges in which full or partial surplus stock donations are optimal for the donor countries. Within a more restrictive parameter region, these optimal strategies are also stable. This implies that, under certain conditions (notably a total amount of surplus vaccines that is sufficiently large), simple coordination can lead to significant donations by strictly self-interested vaccine-rich countries. On the other hand, if the total amount that the countries can donate is small, we expect no contribution from self-interested countries. The results of this analysis provide guidance to policy makers in identifying the circumstances in which coordination efforts are likely to be effective.

Control and Self-control in Physical Education and Sports Classes

A person forms as a personality in the process of his/her social life: during one’s school life, work, communication with people. During studying, training and especially during Physical Education and Sports classes, students undergo a big physical and emotional stress: quickly changing conditions, the ability to obey common rules and requirements, respect towards others contribute to the development of such personal features as strong will, self-control, self-confidence, endurance, discipline.

Establishing the nutritional landscape and macronutrient preferences of a major United States rangeland pest, Melanoplus sanguinipes, in field and lab populations

When given a choice, most animals will self-select an optimal blend of nutrients that maximizes growth and reproduction (termed “intake target” or IT). For example, several grasshopper and locust species select a carbohydrate-biased IT, consuming up to double the amount of carbohydrate relative to protein, thereby increasing growth, survival, and migratory capacity. ITs are not static, and there is some evidence they can change through ontogeny, with activity, and in response to environmental factors. However, little research has investigated how these factors influence the relative need for different nutrients and how subsequent shifts in ITs affect the capacity of animals to acquire an optimal diet in nature. In this study, we determined the ITs of 5th instar (final juvenile stage) Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fabricius, 1798), a prevalent crop and rangeland grasshopper pest in the United States, using two wild populations and one lab colony. We simultaneously collected host plants to determine the nutritional landscapes available to the wild populations and measured the performance of the lab colony on restricted diets. Overall, we found that the diet of the wild populations was more carbohydrate-biased than their lab counterparts, as has been found in other grasshopper species, and that their ITs closely matched their nutritional landscape. However, we also found that M. sanguinipes had the lowest performance metrics when feeding on the highest carbohydrate diets, whereas more balanced diets or protein-rich diets had higher performance metrics. This research may open avenues for studying how management strategies coincide with nutritional physiology to develop low-dose treatments specific to the nutritional landscape for the pest of interest.

A Proposed Islamic Performance Measurement Model

Performance Management (PM) system available nowadays mostly measures and appraises performance solely on outcomes of material aspects, while ignoring humanistic aspects leading to unfair employees’ performance appraisal. This concept paper aims to propose a PM model embedded with Islamic values which emphasizes that measuring and appraising performance should not only focus on outcomes, but also on effort exerted by the employees. Such measurement is seen as necessary as it will self-regulate employees to view work as an ‘ibadah’ which promotes self-supervision on the concept of ‘ihsan’ leading to highly ethical workforce. Previous literature, focusing on PM articles, especially those related to Islamic views, Islamic management, and related parts of al-Quran and Sunnah were reviewed. Combination of different viewpoints gives a rich source of knowledge to achieve the paper’s objective. Findings from the review are used to argue and propose an Islamic PM model believed to produce satisfied employees that is grounded on the tenet that PM should combine both materials and spiritual aspects. It should start with the selection of a right leader who ensures Islamic work culture (which are universally accepted) to first be created and embraced and to apply Maqasid al-Syariah in designing its PMS based on both materiality and spirituality aspects. This study contributes to new knowledge as it tries to extend limited available literature on this topic, especially on integrating effort together with outcomes in measuring and appraising employees’ performance, thus contribute to productive workers with better quality of work life.

TRANSONIC RELIEF IN FANS AND COMPRESSORS

Every supersonic fan/compressor blade row has a streamtube, the ‘sonic streamtube’, which operates with a blade relative inlet Mach number of one. A key parameter in the design of the ‘sonic streamtube’ is the area ratio between the blade throat area and upstream passage area, Athroat/Ainlet. In this paper, it is shown that one unique value exists for this area ratio. If the area ratio differs, even slightly, from this unique value then the blade either chokes or has its suction surface boundary layer separated due to a strong shock. It is therefore surprising that in practice designers have relatively little problem designing blade sections with an inlet relative Mach number close to unity. This paper shows that this occurs due to a physical mechanism known as ‘transonic relief’. If a designer makes a mistake and designs a blade with a ‘sonic streamtube’ which has the wrong area ratio, then ‘transonic relief’, will self-adjust the spanwise streamtube height automatically moving it towards the unique optimal area ratio, correcting for the designer's error. Furthermore, as the blade incidence changes, the spanwise streamtube height self-adjusts, moving the area ratio towards its unique optimal value. Without ‘transonic relief’, supersonic or transonic fan/compressor design would be impossible. The paper develops a simple model which allows ‘transonic relief’ to be decoupled from other mechanisms, and to be systematically studied. The physical mechanism on which it is based is thus determined and its implications for blade design and manufacturing discussed.

61 Burnout in Core Surgical Trainees and Potential Use of Mindfulness

Aim Surgical trainees deal with long hours and stressful work content. We aimed to assess the burnout levels in London trainees, and trial a mindfulness intervention. Method London core surgical trainees (CST1) were asked to complete an online survey including validated burnout scoring system (Oldenburg Inventory). 54 of a possible 78 trainees responded (69%). We then asked them to take part in a 2-week mindfulness intervention (approximately 5 minutes a day using the app Headspace). We later resurveyed. Results 60% of trainees who answered the survey feel ‘somewhat’ or ‘completely’ burnt out. Oldenburg burnout inventory calculates 85% of trainees to be ‘disengaged’ and 93% ‘exhausted’. 13/54 trainees completed the mindfulness training. 10 out of 13 trainees found this to be ‘somewhat’ or ‘massively’ helpful for burnout. Conclusions A high percentage of year one surgical trainees can be categorised as burnt out. The low uptake of mindfulness may speak to lack of capacity trainees have to invest in resources that will self-resolve this. We cannot say with significance whether mindfulness helped burnout (and length of trial could be too short) but the majority who did trial report positive experience with mindfulness.

Understanding the Acceptability and Uptake of HPV Self-Sampling Amongst Women Under- or Never-Screened for Cervical Cancer in Toronto (Ontario, Canada): An Intervention Study Protocol

Cervical cancer remains a global public health concern, even though scientific advancements have made the disease almost entirely preventable. With the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, and the subsequent improvement in screening technology, there is potential to improve access and coverage of cervical screening with the introduction of HPV self-sampling. In Ontario, Canada, a province with a cytology-based screening program (i.e., Pap test), women who identify as South Asian, West Asian, Middle Eastern and North African have some of the lowest rates of screening, and research suggests they have a higher burden of cervical cancer. In this study, we will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to understand the acceptability and uptake of a take-home HPV self-sampling kit. Working with community champions—people with pre-existing connections with local groups—we will recruit women from these groups who are under- or never-screened for cervical cancer. Women will self-select whether they are in the group that tries HPV self-sampling or in the group that does not. We will aim for 100 women in each group. All participants will provide feedback on the feasibility, acceptability and preferences for cervical screening through a survey and phone follow-up. Women who self-select the HPV self-sampling group, will be followed up to find out if they followed through with self-sampling and to understand their experience using the device. Women who do not want to try self-sampling will be followed up to see if they went on to get a Pap test. The qualitative phase of this study consists of five focus groups with participants and semi-structured interviews with key informants in the community.

Effects of Nutritional Restriction during Laying Period of Fat and Lean Line Broiler Breeder Hens on Meat Quality Traits of Offspring

The offspring meat quality of hens undergoing a 25% dietary restriction treatment during the laying period were evaluated in fat and lean line breeder. A total of 768 female birds (384/line) were randomly assigned to four groups (12 replicates/group, 16 birds/replicates). Maternal feed restriction (MFR) and normal started at 27 weeks of age. Offspring broilers were fed ad libitum. The offspring meat quality traits and muscle fiber morphology in different periods were measured. At birth, significant interactions were found on breast muscle fiber morphology (p < 0.05). At 28 days, MFR decreased breast water content and increased thigh crude fat content, and significant interactions were observed on breast crude fat and protein contents (p < 0.05). At 56 days, MFR affected morphology of peroneus longus muscle tissue, and significant interactions were found on thigh redness at 48 h and amino acid contents in breast and thigh muscle (p < 0.05). Overall, MRF may lead to offspring birth sarcopenia. Such offspring grow more easily to deposit fat in a nutritious environment, but they will self-regulate adverse symptoms during growth and development. The two lines respond differently to maternal nutritional disturbance due to different nutritional requirements and metabolic patterns.

Cytoplasmic organization promotes protein diffusion

The cytoplasm is highly organized. However, the extent to which this organization influences the dynamics of cytoplasmic proteins is not well understood. Here, we used Xenopus laevis egg extracts as a model system to study diffusion dynamics in organized versus disorganized cytoplasm. Such extracts are initially homogenized and disorganized, and will self-organize into cell-like units over the course of 20-60 min. Using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, we observed that self-organization is accompanied by changes in protein diffusivity; as the extract organizes, proteins diffuse about twice as quickly over a length scale of a few hundred nanometers. Even though the ordered cytoplasm contained organelles and cytoskeletal elements that might be expected to interfere with diffusion, after self-organization took place, the speed of protein diffusion approached that of organelle-depleted cytosolic extracts. This finding suggests that subcellular organization optimizes protein diffusivity. The effect of organization on diffusion varies with molecular size, with the effects being largest for protein-sized molecules. These results show that cytoplasmic organization promotes the efficient diffusion of protein molecules in a densely packed environment.