CORONA (COre ultRasOund of covid in iNtensive care and Acute medicine) study: National service evaluation of lung and heart ultrasound in intensive care patients with suspected or proven COVID-19

Background Combined Lung Ultrasound (LUS) and Focused UltraSound for Intensive Care heart (FUSIC Heart - formerly Focused Intensive Care Echocardiography, FICE) can aid diagnosis, risk stratification and management in COVID-19. However, data on its application and results are limited to small studies in varying countries and hospitals. This United Kingdom (UK) national service evaluation study assessed how combined LUS and FUSIC Heart were used in COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients during the first wave of the pandemic. Method Twelve trusts across the UK registered for this prospective study. LUS and FUSIC Heart data were obtained, using a standardised data set including scoring of abnormalities, between 1st February 2020 to 30th July 2020. The scans were performed by intensivists with FUSIC Lung and Heart competency as a minimum standard. Data was anonymised locally prior to transfer to a central database. Results 372 studies were performed on 265 patients. There was a small but significant relationship between LUS score >8 and 30-day mortality (OR 1.8). Progression of score was associated with an increase in 30-day mortality (OR 1.2). 30-day mortality was increased in patients with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction (49.4% vs 29.2%). Severity of LUS score correlated with RV dysfunction ( p < 0.05). Change in management occurred in 65% of patients following a combined scan. Conclusions In COVID-19 patients, there is an association between lung ultrasound score severity, RV dysfunction and mortality identifiable by combined LUS and FUSIC Heart. The use of 12-point LUS scanning resulted in similar risk score to 6-point imaging in the majority of cases. Our findings suggest that serial combined LUS and FUSIC Heart on COVID-19 ICU patients may aid in clinical decision making and prognostication.

Dynamic Evolution of Service Trade Network Structure and Influence Mechanism in Countries along the “Belt and Road” with Big Data Analysis

With the accelerating process of economic globalization, the deep adjustment of the international industrial division of labor, and the continuous upgrading of the global value chain, the development of the service industry has entered into a new historical period. This study analyzes the dynamic evolution of trade network structure at three levels: macro, mesa, and micro, and empirically explores its influencing factors. Taking national service trade as the research object, this study analyzes the topological structural characteristics of the food trade network of “One Belt and One Road” countries by selecting indicators such as network point degree, average path length, trade intensity, intermediation degree, and aggregation coefficient, and further explores the characteristics of association network structure in national service trade network using block model. The topological structural characteristics of the “Belt and Road” trade network are analyzed from three aspects: overall, local, and individual. Then, we construct a regression model to analyze the factors influencing the dynamic evolution of the service trade network structure of the countries along the “Belt and Road” through the QAP method. Finally, based on the summary of the research findings, this study puts forward the corresponding considerations and policy recommendations from the perspectives of regional, directional, and reciprocal investment, to benefit more efficient and strategic national service trade under the framework of “Belt and Road.” Based on the results of this study, this study proposes the following policy recommendations: firstly, actively promote the service trade cooperation with other countries to optimize the market layout; secondly, promote the service industry reform to extend the length of the value chain and improve its position in the value chain; and thirdly, jointly promote the infrastructure construction of “Belt and Road” with other countries, promote trade liberalization, and reduce the trade volume. Secondly, we should promote the reform of the service industry, extend the length of the value chain, and improve our position in the value chain. Finally, we should vigorously promote the development of innovation, promote the two-way opening of new service industries, adhere to the “going out” strategy, and cultivate high-quality and excellent technical talents, to promote the overall improvement of the innovation-driven capacity of the service industry with a people-oriented approach.

Emirati Parents’ Attitudes toward the Military and National Service in the United Arab Emirates

Compulsory national service for male citizens presents the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces with an opportunity to recruit future military officers. Research showed that parental attitudes towards the military, manifested through their communication with youths, are likely to influence youths’ decision on a military career. Hence this study examined the attitudes of Emirati parents on the UAE military and national service; particularly parental perceptions of the military work environment; support of a military career for their children; and concerns about national service. Surveys, individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 59 Emirati parents. It found that most participants held the positive view that the military work environment helps attainment of professional goals but were uncertain about personal goals and workplace conditions. Also, more participants were supportive of a military career for sons than daughters. It also identified the basis for parental confidence about enlistment as patriotism and development of positive character traits but main concerns were the exposure to harsh training conditions and threat to life during enlistment. Recommendations were provided for better engagement by the UAE military with Emirati parents and the community.

URDU-23 Historical and Political Role of Sakhani Tribe in the Politics of D.G.Khan

This research is basically an analytical study of a Baloch tribe Sakhani which had played an important role in the history. Although this tribe is mostly inhabited in Punjab but also found in other provinces of Pakistan in the past and even now in KPK and Sindh to Balochistan. Sakhani tribe is considered a powerful tribe of the past and their history is also recognized against the rebellion of Sewstan during the time of Aurangzeb Alamgir. The bravery of the Sikh nation in history is undeniable. Whether it is the battle of Sewstan or the war against the Sikhs. Whether it is a clash from Nawab Bahawalpur or reaching Nawab Muzaffar Khan with bare swords during the siege of Multan is his national service. Ssimilarly, a huge vote bank of Sikhs in Dera Ghazi Khan is their political power which they have been using locally for the last two or three decades to win district council seats or several union council chairs. His vote bank is very important in the National and Provincial Assembly elections in Dera Ghazi Khan. The paper highlights the role of Sakhani tribe in the politics of Dera Ghazi Khan.

Call to service: The Register of Australian Accountants for National Service 1940–1944

PurposeThe paper explores the creation in Australia of the Register of Accountants for National Service. Established at the outset of the Second World War, the Register operated for four years from June 1940 providing voluntary, non-remunerated, part-time and after-hours services to a highly stressed and seriously stretched federal government bureaucracy by members of the main Australian professional accounting bodies. Departments of the Navy, Army, Air Force, Supply and Development and Munitions were the largest consumers of the services offered.Design/methodology/approachThe study of the Register relies mainly on an extensive archive of war-time documentation from the Federal Government and various accounting professional institutes which has survived, predominantly in the National Archives of Australia. The resource is particularly rich in material covering the complex negotiation processes that brought the Register into operation together with documentation recording and reporting the work of the Register. The themes of professionalization, institutional legitimacy, volunteerism and patriotism are all invoked to explain the presence of the Register in the machinery of government that was assembled to deliver the ultimately successful war effort. Created by the principal professional accounting institutes, the Register attests to the commitment of their members to the war effort and, thereby, the importance of the profession to Australian society.FindingsThe perilous situation of Australia at a time of war provided a compelling incentive for the accounting profession to organise itself in an efficient and highly effective manner to assist with the war effort. The disparate and somewhat fractured accounting profession at the time was able to work together in a structured, cohesive and disciplined manner to provide voluntary services when called upon. To deliver the voluntary services promised, a purpose-built set of institutional arrangements was put in place. An extensive inventory of the potential services that could be provided by members of the main professional accounting bodies was conducted to facilitate the smooth matching of government needs with services available.Research limitations/implicationsDiscussion focusses only on Australia where the Register was unique. No other examples have been discovered where a profession has self-mobilised to serve a nation in a time of war. A further limitation is that the activities reported are restricted to self-reporting by the Register and a small loose collection of documents prepared by the Department of the Navy.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of the Register is the core of the originality and value of this study. How and why it came into being and the method by which it completed the “task” assigned to it stand as testament to a profession strategically placed to contribute in a substantive manner to the war effort at minimal cost to the nation.

A Virtual Companionship Intervention Reduces Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Loneliness and social isolation are established risk factors for many clinical conditions yet few scalable interventions exist. Papa Inc. is a national service that pairs older adults with “Papa Pals” (empathetic, laypeople) who provide companionship and assistance with everyday tasks. Participants have free access if their Medicare Advantage plan offers it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Papa provided virtual companionship visits via telephone or video. This study evaluated the impact of virtual companionship visits on loneliness status (UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample (N=894) included adults ages 65+ who identified as lonely at baseline and who completed at least one virtual visit between March 18, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Virtual visits were classified into four categories based on participants’ total number of visit minutes: Low (124 ave min), Medium Low (ML) (305 ave min), Medium High (MH) (567 ave min), and High (1360 ave min). Lonely and severely lonely participants engaged a mean of 573 and 673 minutes in the program, respectively. Improvement in loneliness status was associated with greater use of minutes for the ML and MH participants compared to Low participants (ML OR: 1.46 95CI: 1.00 - 2.11, MH OR 1.65 95CI: 1.13 - 2.40). These findings indicate that a virtual companionship intervention can be an impactful and scalable tool for older adults who want to age at home and have limited social support, especially during the uncertain COVID landscape. Further research is warranted to understand persistent loneliness.

The Promise of the Green New Deal

US theatre suffers from insufficient funding, mass unemployment, and widespread structural inequities. The Green New Deal, with its calls to create millions of highwage jobs and promote equity, offers a solution: establish a Green Federal Theatre. This examination of two historical Federal Theatre Project structures — the National Service Bureau and the Community Drama Program — culminates in a manifesto for a Green Federal Theatre.

Australian Christian Conscientious Objectors during the Vietnam War Years 1964–72

Many young Christian men faced a moral dilemma when selective military conscription was introduced in Australia during the Vietnam War from 1964–72. The legislation was the National Service Act in 1964 (NSA). Some believed that their Christian conscience did not allow them to kill or serve in the army. Most of them sought exemption as a conscientious objector decided at a court hearing. Others chose non-compliance with the NSA. All exercised nonviolent Holy Disobedience in their individual opposition to war and conscription for it. Holy disobedience stresses the importance of nonviolent individual action, which was an idea of A.J. Muste, a great Christian pacifist. The research reported here is strongly influenced by his approach. It is believed to be the first study which explicitly considers Christian conscientious objectors. A data set was compiled of known Christian conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War years from authoritative sources. Analysis allowed identification of these men, the grounds on which their conscientious beliefs were based and formed and how they personally responded to their moral dilemma. Many of their personal stories are told in their own words. Their Holy Disobedience contributed to ending Australia’s participation in the Vietnam War and military conscription for it.