Getting Vaccinated Helps: Prospective Study Reveals Lower CT Severity Scores amongst COVID Vaccine Recipients

Context Computerized tomography (CT) is an invaluable imaging investigation for evaluating COVID-19 disease. CT detects early changes of COVID-19 pneumonia and predicts the disease prognosis based on a semiquantitative 25-point CT severity score (CT-SS). India launched its vaccination drive in January 2021 with two different vaccines being approved by the government. These vaccines are believed to prevent the disease itself, in majority of the cases and at least decrease disease severity, in the rest. Aim This study aims to evaluate the CT-SS in vaccinated and non-vaccinated subjects who have been diagnosed with COVID-pneumonia or are COVID suspects. Subjects and Methods A total of 3,235 patients with typical COVID-19 related imaging findings on HRCT thorax were included in the study. These subjects were divided into three age categories, 18–44, 45–59 and ≥60 years. The CT severity scores were allotted by experienced radiologists. Medians of the scores in different age groups were compared amongst vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals using the Kruskal–Wallis H test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. All results were shown with 95% confidence interval. Results The difference in the medians amongst the vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups was significant, p-values being < 0.001 in all age categories. Conclusion The mean CT-SS was less in vaccinated subjects and the difference in median CT-SS amongst vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals was statistically significant, thus sending an important message that it is mandatory for the population at large to get vaccinated to reduce infection rate/disease severity.

From the History of the Reign of Solomon I in Imereti (1766-1768)

All known official appeals from Imereti to the Russian court in the 18th century were made under strict secrecy from the Ottoman Empire, and the embassies were either headed by clergy or representatives of the clergy were always part of the embassies. The principle of forming the composition of the embassy clearly indicates that the clergy of Imereti, as well as Kartli-Kakheti, was directly involved in political issues, and the ambassadors were supporters of the current rulers or kings. The clergy served as a living proof of Imereti’s commitment to the Christian world, despite Ottoman rule, oppression and the decline of religious culture. However, during the period we are considering, the first appeal of Solomon I to Russia for support (1766), he attracts only a representative from the Imeretian princes. The organization of the message was entrusted to Prince Kaihosro Tsereteli. Then the connection with Kizlyar was secretly maintained through the hegumen of the Ossetian spiritual commission Gregory, who already in 1768 was instructed to deliver a response message from Russia to Solomon, on condition that the secrecy of the owner’s correspondence with Russia be kept. The Imeretian and Abkhaz Catholicos Vissarion, acting at that time, cannot participate in this secret case, due to opposition to the king of the Rachinsky Eristovs, other persons from the Georgian clergy are not involved by Solomon either. Solomon’s non-representative appeal to Russia can only be associated with his position ol an exile and his inability to form the composition of the embassy, which is assigned to the tsar. Instead, we see that King Solomon is sending a single “messenger” with an important message from the princes of Tsereteli. Based on a comparison of the known historical facts of the reign of Solomon I in Imereti and the information presented in the document under consideration, the conditions and reasons that led Solomon in 1766 to a written appeal to Russia about the possibility of granting him political asylum are clarified.

Natural Resources and Civil Conflict: The Role of Military Expenditures

Military expenditures significantly affect the relationship between the risk of civil conflict outbreak and natural resources. We show that a significant positive effect of natural resource rents on the risk of civil conflict outbreak is limited to countries with low military expenditures. In countries with high military expenditures, there is no significant effect of natural resource rents on civil conflict onset. An important message is thus that a conflict resource curse is absent in countries with sufficiently large military expenditures.

Świat uczonych w dziele Jana Amosa Komeńskiego: "Labirynt świata i raj serca" i płynące z niego przesłanie do współczesnego świata nauki i edukacji

This paper is part of the trend of reading the relevance of the works by John Amos Comenius for modern times. The author examines Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart, a unique literary work by the Czech scholar. The article aims to present the image of the world of scholars presented in the mentioned work and expose its message for the contemporary academic world. Although Comenius devoted many of his works to the project of transforming the world of academia, the examined work is rather an allegorical story criticising the condition of the scholars’ world than a project of its reform. In this article, the author chooses not to complement this critical vision with what can be learned from Comenius’ other works, and instead focuses only on the very picture of the world of scholars presented in the work under study. As a result, the author concludes that the most important message to the contemporary world of academia from Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart is a call for a moral-spiritual renewal.

Investment Decisions with Two-Factor Uncertainty

This paper considers investment problems in real options with non-homogeneous two-factor uncertainty. We derive some analytical properties of the resulting optimal stopping problem and present a finite difference algorithm to approximate the firm’s value function and optimal exercise boundary. An important message in our paper is that the frequently applied quasi-analytical approach underestimates the impact of uncertainty. This is caused by the fact that the quasi-analytical solution does not satisfy the partial differential equation that governs the value function. As a result, the quasi-analytical approach may wrongly advise to invest in a substantial part of the state space.

Recycling

Metals recycling and its key features is defined. Important principles and strategies are considered. Scrap, its sources and characteristics and variation, is investigated in some detail, highlighted with some examples. The unit processes in recycling—collection, shredding, sorting, pretreatment, blending, and processing of final residues—are described. How selecting methods in various process routes impact the recycling is an important message. Three examples of recycling are discussed in detail: magnesium, dross, and batteries. Limits and opportunities are commented on at the end.

Social media and recruitment: examining (counter) productive diversity messages

Purpose This study aims to explore the consequences of inconsistent diversity-related signals for job seekers. Information sources include strategically crafted corporate signals and independent sources. The authors seek to understand the effect of inconsistent diversity signals on job seekers attitudes and behavior during recruitment. Design/methodology/approach An experiment was conducted wherein two samples from job-seeking populations were first exposed to a fictitious corporate website and then to LinkedIn profiles of that organization’s employees, with systematically varied diversity signals. Findings Results demonstrated that conflicting diversity signals had negative effects on perceived organizational attractiveness in the student sample (N = 427) and on organizational agreeableness in the working sample (N = 243). Negative organizational attraction was related to a lower likelihood of participants applying. Practical implications This work provides a stark but an important message to practitioners: signaling diversity-related values on corporate websites may backfire for organizations that actually lack diversity. Originality/value Few studies have combined communication theories with recruitment to examine the link between diversity signals and inconsistent information gathered via social media.

REHABILITATING BECÁN

Research in 1970 vaulted Becán to prominence on the landscape of great Maya centers. Mapping, excavation, and ceramic stratigraphy revealed that its enigmatic earthwork, first recorded archaeologically in 1934, was a fortification built at the end of the Preclassic period. Large-scale warfare thus unexpectedly turned out to have very deep roots in the Maya lowlands. The site's wider implications remained obscure, however, in the absence of dates and other inscriptions. The ever-increasing dependence on historical and iconographic information in our narratives, along with the invisibility of its Preclassic buildings and plazas, unfortunately marginalized Becán. Some colleagues even claimed that we have misinterpreted both the nature of the earthworks (not fortifications) and their dating (not Preclassic). We rehabilitate Becán by dispelling these claims and by showing that standard archaeological evidence, contextualized in what we know today, has much to say about Becán's role in lowland culture history. We identify intervals of crisis when the earthwork remained useful long after it was originally built, especially during the great hegemonic struggles of the Snake and Tikal dynasties, and introduce new ceramic and lithic data about Becán's settlement history and political entanglements. Our most important message is that inscriptions and iconography, for all their dramatic chronological detail and historical agency, must always be complemented by standard fieldwork.

TP6.1.5 The Importance of the Patient Voice in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Aims Colorectal cancer is the fourth commonest cancer in the UK with a third presenting with synchronous liver metastases. Although there is a large body of clinical cohort data, there is no research exploring patient perspectives of disease. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of patients following treatment for synchronous disease. Methods Qualitative interviews used pre-prepared prompts encouraging open dialogue and were transcribed for thematic analysis. Results Four major themes emerged. (1) Experience of Cancer The initial diagnosis was recalled in vivid detail, with delays perceived negatively particularly if clinicians were dismissive about their concerns. Caregiver participation was valued in consultations. Patients with recurrence perceived chemotherapy as a method of control. (2) Patient Autonomy Patients describe a paternalistic relationship with their clinician and were satisfied with their management despite any complications or recurrence. There was little perception of pathway equipoise with some questioning any real choice particularly those with a symptomatic bowel primary. (3) Treatment Strategy Patients preferred a bowel-first strategy as a method of control, perceiving the primary to continually seed the body with metastases. Chemotherapy offered little reassurance for disease control. Synchronous resection was preferred but the greater potential for complications was appreciated. (4) Research No patients expressed ethical concerns about potential studies randomising to different surgical strategies. However, patients would not want a liver-first strategy. Conclusions This is the first qualitative study exploring patient perceptions of metastatic colorectal cancer. The importance of the first consultation outlining management is emphasised as a simple but important message.

Domestic Violence in Married Couples: From the Viewpoint of Women

Background: Domestic violence is one of the most common problems of public health that can be occurred in families and can lead to physical, psychological, and economic consequences individually, family, and social level. The present study was aimed to determine domestic violence of married couples from the Viewpoint of women. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study 547 women referring to health centers of Marand in 2018 were participated. Sampling method was the convenience sampling method. For data collection, Socio-demographic and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) questionnaires were used. Descriptive (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage of frequency) and inferential statistics, including t-test were used to analyze the data. Results: Results showed that domestic violence against men (98.3%) and women (98.5%) has a high prevalence. Women have experienced more violence in the psychological, physical, and sexual dimensions and men have experienced more violence in the negotiation and injury dimensions. Conclusions: The most important message of study beyond the comparison of the numbers and the operative or the victim of violence is the insecurity of the family environment for women, men, and children, which can have serious consequences for the family and society in the future. According to the importance of family as one of the essential elements of a healthy society, a preventative proceeding is required.