We study the impact of endogenous longevity on optimal tax progressivity and inequality in an overlapping generations model with skill heterogeneity. Higher tax progressivity decreases both the longevity gap and net income inequality, but at the expense of lower average lifetime and income. We find that the welfare-maximizing income tax is less progressive in our model with endogenous longevity than in our model with exogenous longevity. In a highly stylized calibration of the US economy, we show that optimal tax progressivity is less than what prevails under the current US tax system. Our results are robust to the range of empirical labor supply elasticity and the assumptions of missing annuity markets and stochastic health. Our conclusion for the optimal progressivity of the US tax system can be altered by the adoption of a more egalitarian welfare function or by increases in prevailing levels of wage inequality.

BACKGROUND Type 1 diabetes (T1D) incidence in children and adolescents varies widely, and is increasing in many nations. The 10th edition of the International Diabetes Federation Atlas estimated incident cases in 2021 for 215 countries/territories ("countries"). METHODS Studies on T1D incidence for young people aged 0-19 years were sourced and graded using previously described methods. For countries without studies, data were extrapolated from similar nearby countries. RESULTS An estimated 108,300 children <15 years will be diagnosed in 2021, a number rising to 149,500 when the age range extends to <20 years. The ratio of incidence in 15-19 years compared to those aged 0-14 years was particularly high in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa/Middle East, and in Mexico. Only 97 countries have their own incidence data, with extrapolation required for some very populous nations. Most data published were not recent, with 27 countries (28%) having data in which the last study year was 2015 or afterwards, and 26 (27%) having no data after 1999. CONCLUSIONS Many countries have recent data but there are large gaps globally. Such data are critical for allocation of resources, teaching, training, and advocacy. All countries are encouraged to collect and publish current data.

The aim was to create a Modern Standard Arabic SCAT5 version for different Arabic dialects. This translation and cross-cultural adaptation was performed in eight stages: initial translations, reconciliation of translations and cultural adaptation, back translation, appraisal of back translations, validation of the translation, review and adjustment by reconciliation committee, pretesting in 12 football players and document finalisation. As an alternative to the problematic Months In Reverse Order Test (MIROT) in Arabic, the Serial 3s test (32 Arabic and 30 English participants), the Days of the Week Backwards test (DWBT), and the Adding Serial 3s test were tested (30 English and 30 Arabic participants) for accuracy, difficulty and time of completion. The Arabic SCAT5 was similar and comparable to the original English version (7-point Likert scales =< 2). Testing of the pre-final version of the Arabic SCAT5 took 20.4 (SD 3.4) and 17.7 (SD 3.0) minutes respectively to complete and was found acceptable in terms of clarity, understandability, grammatical correctness and coherence. The Arabic Serial 3s test (subtraction version) was unsuitable due to high completion time, low pass rate and high difficulty perception [time = 47.2 (SD 28.0) s; accuracy = 55.2%; difficulty = 3.2 (SD 1.1)]. The Arabic DWBT was too fast and undemanding for concentration testing [time = 4.6 (SD 1.5) s; accuracy = 90%; difficulty = 1.1 (SD 0.3)]. The Adding Serial 3s tests produced similar completion times [18.4 (SD 6.8) vs. 21.1 (SD 5.3), p = 0.088], accuracy (100%) and self-rated difficulty [English = 2.0 (SD 0.7) vs. Arabic-speaking participants = 2.1 (SD 0.8), p = 0.512] and was therefore adopted to replace the MIROT. This culturally adapted Arabic-SCAT5 questionnaire is the first concussion assessment tool available for Arabic-speaking healthcare providers and athletes. Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5). Biol Sport. 2021;38(1):129C144.

This article investigates the impact of previous epidemics on rural development and convergence, and identifies the impact's mechanism based on convergence tests. Using a balanced panel of 31 provinces, the empirical results from 2002 to 2019 show that epidemics decelerated convergence in rural per capita income. The mechanism analysis shows that the accelerated divergence in wages and the decelerated convergence in business income were the major drivers, which also led to decelerated convergence in rural per capita consumption. Although epidemics have not threatened rural food consumption and the Engel coefficient of rural households, these two indicators of basic living needs have failed to achieve convergence across regions. The overall impact of an epidemic on convergence in ruralCurban income disparity has also been insignificant, indicating that epidemics have affected rural and urban development simultaneously. Finally, COVID\19 is likely to decelerate convergence in rural income, rural consumption, and urban income.

Equid herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5) is one of two -herpesviruses that commonly infect horses worldwide. The objective of the study was to estimate the genetic variability within EHV-5 viruses circulating among horses in Poland. Partial glycoprotein B (gB) sequences from 92 Polish horses from 13 studs throughout Poland were compared to each other and to three EHV-5 sequences from other countries. Despite the overall high level of conservation, considerable variability was observed around the putative furin cleavage site. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the viruses clustered within two major lineages (A and B), with further sub-clustering within group A. The clustering of EHV-5 sequences was independent of age or geographical origin of the sampled horses. Recombination was identified as one of the factors contributing to the genomic heterogeneity. Viruses from unweaned foals were more similar to viruses from other foals at the same stud than to viruses form their dams, suggesting the horizontal transfer and/or evolution of EHV-5 within individual hosts. Our data indicate that the gB sequence is not suitable for tracking the source of EHV-5 infection. Further research is needed to elucidate the importance of the sequence variability around the EHV-5 gB furin cleavage site on the biology of the virus.

The high transmissibility and infectivity of a SARS-CoV-2 variant is usually ascribed to the Spike mutations, while emerging non-spike mutations might be a serious threat to the current Spike-recombinant vaccines. In addition to mutations in structural Spike glycoprotein, rapid accumulation of mutations across non-structural genes is leading to continuous virus evolution, altering its pathogenicity. We performed whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples collected from different clinical groups from eastern India, during the second pandemic wave (April-May, 2021). In addition to the several common spike mutations in Delta variant, two mutually explicit signature constellations of non-spike co-appearing mutations were identified, driving symptomatic and asymptomatic infections. We attempted to correlate these unique signatures of non-Spike co-appearing mutations to COVID-19 disease outcome. Results revealed that the Delta strains harboring a unique constellation of 9 non-spike co-appearing mutations could be the wheeler and dealer of symptomatic infection, even post vaccination. The strains predominantly driving asymptomatic infection possessed 7 non-spike co-appearing mutations, which were mutually exclusive in contrast to the set of mutations causing symptomatic disease. Phylodynamic analysis depicted high probability of emergence of these unique sub-clusters within India, with subsequent spread worldwide. Interestingly, some mutations of this signature were selected in Omicron and IHU variants, which suggest that gradual accumulation of such co-existing mutations may lead to emergence of more vaccine-evading variants in future. Hence, unfaltering genome sequencing and tracking of non-Spike mutations might be significant in formulation of any future vaccines against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants that might evade the current vaccine-induced immunity.

This paper deals with the recognition of selected burning liquids by convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Three CNNs (AlexNet, GoogLeNet and ResNet-50) were trained, validated and tested (in the MATLAB 2020b software) for the recognition of selected liquids (ethanol, propanol and pentane) using photographs of the flames they produce. For training, validation and test photographs of the liquids under investigation burning in a 106-mm-diameter vessel were used. The accuracy of all the CNNs under investigation during the tests was above 99%. In addition the trained CNNs were tested using photographs of the flames generated by the liquids under investigation burning in a vessel with a diameter of 75 mm. The accuracy of the trained CNNs in this additional test ranged from 37 to 42% (GoogLeNet) through 62C73% (ResNet-50) up to 51C80% (AlexNet) C the results varied dependent upon the relative size of the flame in the photograph under analysis (in most cases an increase in the relative size caused an increase in accuracy). The accuracy of the AlexNet can be improved from 80% to almost 96% using an algorithm. The principle of the algorithm is the analysis of 10 photographs of the same liquid in the same vessel (taken over a few seconds) followed by the recognition based on an identical classification for at least 6 out of 10 photographs. An accuracy of 96% is sufficient for the rapid recognition of burning liquids in practical applications. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10973-021-10903-2.

Punica granatum L. belongs to the Punicaceae family which is distributed around the world. Different parts of pomegranate like seed, peel, juice, and leaves are rich in potential bioactive compounds. These plants have found application in traditional medicine such as in treatment of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and endocrine diseases, among others. The present review aimed to summarize the current research on the traditional and scientific applications of P. granatum with regard to the phytochemical content and clinical applications that may be useful for future drug development. Information about P. granatum was obtained from local classic herbal literature and electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Several phytochemical constituents including polyphenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanosides, alkaloids, lignans, and triterpenes have been reported from the plant. Randomized clinical trials have provided evidence as to the pharmacological activities of pomegranate in several diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, oral cavity disorders, endocrine disorders, and cancer. The present review has provided an insight into the traditional applications of the plants, and some of them have been validated by scientific evidence, particularly their applications as treatment of cardiovascular and endocrine diseases.

The paper presents a medium-run growth model driven by autonomous demand, where aggregate demand and supply interact and unemployment is present and plays different roles. In particular, it generates a feedback from supply to aggregate demand rooted in the presence of heterogeneous consumers and an uncertain environment. Two are the main consequences of this approach. The first is that multiple equilibria can be generated. The second is that equilibria may have different stability properties. In this perspective, growth becomes a dynamic process where initial conditions matter and history plays an important role.

Due to social distancing constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic, several experiments were designed in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters in our Electrochemistry and Corrosion elective course to demonstrate electrochemical phenomena and applications at the students' homes with a kit sent by the school. We report here a student-designed experiment focused on water electrolysis, a well-studied phenomenon of great interest to the electrochemical industry. Its main appeal derives from the use of solar energy for the production of hydrogen gas, which is used in fuel cells. Here, the light-to-electricity converting function of light-emitting diodes is exploited to produce an electric current from solar radiation. This current is, in turn, utilized to perform microscale water electrolysis at graphite electrodes with the aid of a magnetic field. Lastly, the electrolysis products are employed to generate a voltage, demonstrating the fuel cell principle. ?

This paper focuses on the politics of life and death in Bolsonaro's Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic It is argued that while this administration, and the president himself, have long supported violence against individuals and social groups they did not see as fully human, their response to the pandemic marked a public transition from valuing certain kinds of lives as opposed to others, to a general contempt for human lives The paper explores this transition by discussing the reification of the economy to the detriment of the people who produce and consume ? 2020 Society for Latin American Studies

BACKGROUND: There is limited data available on the long-term mental health impact of Ebola virus disease (EVD) on survivors despite the disease experience of survivors meeting the criteria of a traumatic event as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version IV (DSM IV). This study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictive factors of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder among EVD survivors, approximately 2 years after discharge from the Ebola treatment centre (ETC). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study between May and August 2017 among 197 adults Ebola survivors in Bombali district, Northern Sierra Leone. We collected information about demographics, mental health status and possible predictive factors. The HAD scale was used to measure anxiety and depression. PTSD was measured using the PTSD-checklist (PCL). Chi-square test or Fisher exact two-tailed tests were used to test for associations and the multiple logistic regressions model to determine factors that were independently associated with the outcome variables. RESULTS: The mean anxiety, depression and PTSD scores were (5.0 3.9), (7.1 3.8) and (39.5 6.4) respectively. Based on cut-off scores, the prevalence of anxiety (HADs score 8), depression (HADs score 8) and PTSD (PCL 45) among Ebola survivors were (n = 49, 24.9%), (n = 93, 47.2%) and (n = 43, 21.8%) respectively. Older Ebola survivors (30 years) were more likely to show symptoms of depression (AOR = 8.5, 95% CI: 2.68C27.01, p = 0.001) and anxiety (AOR = 3.04; 95%CI: 1.2C7.7, p = 0.019) compared to younger ones (< 30 years). In addition, Ebola survivors who experienced a decreased level of exercise post-ETC discharge were more likely to show symptoms of depression (AOR = 2.63; 95%CI: 1.25C5.54, p = 0.011) and anxiety (AOR = 3.60; 95%CI: 1.33C9.72, p = 0.012) compared to those whose exercise remained the same post-ETC discharge. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that anxiety, depression and PTSD are common among the Ebola survivors in Bombali district, Northern Sierra Leone, and that underscores the need to diagnose and manage mental health morbidities among Ebola survivors long after their recovery from Ebola virus disease. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) need to be explored as part of overall mental healthcare package interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, now disproportionately affecting the richest and best-resourced country in the world. Although the death rates per affected individual have decreased from the initial wave in New York City, the United States is in the unfathomable situation of having more than 50,000 new cases per day, and the case numbers are increasing. The pandemic is now expected to remain a vexing health problem for months and perhaps years to come, and the implications for health promotion and disease prevention have taken on new importance given the need for ongoing attention to acute and long-term issues. However, the health-promoting behaviors of many Americans have changed during the pandemic, setting up risk for additional collateral losses, such as from an increase in cancer diagnoses.

BACKGROUND: While international students form an increasing population of higher education students in Turkey, there is limited empirical evidence about their health services utilization. The study aim was to investigate healthcare access among a group of international students studying in Ankara city and identify potential barriers that affect full healthcare utilization. METHOD: A total of 535 international students from 83 countries completed an online-based questionnaire. The survey was conducted from September until October 2020. Variables between groups within the study sample were compared using ANOVA and Chi-square tests (with Fisher's exact test). Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between variables related to access to health services. RESULTS: Of the study population, 80.6% accessed the general practitioner (GP), 40% accessed the student health centres, and 11.4% were admitted to the hospital at least once. About 80% of international students reported changing their views to access healthcare more because of the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: Lack of awareness of healthcare support systems, perceived stigma associated with mental health services, and language barriers were the main barriers affecting healthcare access by international students. IMPLICATIONS: Study findings indicate the need for education of international students on available healthcare, targeted health promotion, and training of health providers on effective communication.

Why did the lockdown strategy work well in Chinas ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic?is one of the three questions the journal editor Wei-Ning Xiang asked us to respond to from our experiences in the past several months since December 2019. At this critical juncture when the people in China are progressing on the battleground, we dedicate this communication essay to all the people fighting against the pandemic around the world.

Objective Androgen insensivity syndrome (AIS) and 5-reductase deficiency (5-RD) present indistinguishable phenotypes among the 46,XY disorders of sexual development (DSD) that usually necessitate molecular analyses for the definitive diagnosis in prepubertal period . The aim was to evaluate the clinical, hormonal and genetic findings of 46,XY DSD patients who were diagnosed as AIS or 5-RD. Methods Patients diagnosed as AIS or 5-RD according to clinical and hormonal evaluations were investigated. Sequence variants of steroid 5--reductase type 2 (SRD5A2) were analyzed in cases with testostetone/dihydrotestosterone (T/DHT) ratio 20, whereas androgen receptor (AR) gene was screened when the ratio was below 20. Stepwise analysis of other associated genes were screened in cases with no causative variant found in previous analysis. For statistical comparisons, the group was divided into three main groups and subgroups according to their genetic diagnosis and T/DHT ratios. Results A total of 128 DSD patients from non-related 125 families were enrolled. Birth weight SDS and gestational weeks were significantly higher in 5-RD patients than AIS and undiagnosed groups. Completely female phenotype was higher in all subgroups of both AIS and 5-RD patients than in undiagnosed subgroups. In those patients with stimulated T/DHT lower than 20 in the prepubertal period, stimulated T/DHT ratio was significantly lower in AIS than in the undiagnosed group, and higher in 5-RD. Phenotype associated variants were detected in 24% (n=18 AIS, n=14 5-RD) of the patients, revealing four novel AR variants (c.94G>T, p.Glu32*, c.330G>C, p.Leu110=; c.2084C>T, p.Pro695Leu, c.2585_2592delAGCTCCTG, p.(Lys862Argfs*16), of those c. c.330G>C with silent status remained undefined in terms of its causative effects. Conclusion T/DHT ratio is an important hormonal criterion, but in some cases, T/DHT ratio may lead to diagnostic confusion. Molecular diagnosis is important for the robust diagnosis of 46,XY DSD patients correctly. Four novel AR variants were identified in our study.

To guarantee the safety of flight operations, decision-support systems for air traffic control must be able to improve the usage of airspace capacity and handle increasing demand. In this study, we address the aircraft conflict avoidance and trajectory recovery problem. The problem of finding least deviation conflict-free aircraft trajectories that guarantee the return to a target waypoint is highly complex due to the nature of the nonlinear trajectories that are sought. We present a two-stage iterative algorithm that first solves initial conflict by manipulating their speed and heading control and then identifying each aircraft's optimal time to recover its trajectory towards their nominal. The avoidance stage extends existing mixed-integer programming formulations, and for the recovery stage, we propose a novel mixed-integer formulation. We assume that speed and heading control are continuous variables for this approach while the recovery time is treated as a discrete variable. In this approach, it is shown that the trajectory recovery costs can be anticipated by inducing avoidance trajectories with higher deviation, therefore obtaining earlier recovery time within few iterations. Numerical results on benchmark conflict resolution problems show that this approach can solve instances with up to 30 aircraft within 10 minutes.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated practice shifts on consultation and referral patterns of an intimate partner violence (IPV) program at a large, urban children's hospital. METHODS: Secondary data analyses examined COVID-19-related variations in patterns of consultations and referrals in the 11 months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (April 1, 2019-February 29, 2020) and those following its emergence (April 1, 2020-February 28, 2021). Chi square analyses were used to examine differences in categorical outcomes of interest by time and practice setting as well as differences within practice settings. Poisson regressions were used to compare the number of reasons for consultation and the number of referrals during the two periods. RESULTS: Analyses revealed significant decreases in face-to-face consults (28% to 2%; p<.001) during the period following COVID-19 emergence alongside significant increases in the total number of consults (240 to 295; p<.001), primarily for emotional abuse (195 to 264; p=.007). Psychoeducation referrals also increased significantly (199 to 273; p<.001), while referrals to community resources decreased significantly (111 to 95; p<.001). Setting-specific analyses revealed that primary care settings were the only practice settings to demonstrate significant differences in overall number of and specific reasons for consultation, and associated referral types before and after COVID emergence. CONCLUSION: Even during a shift away from face-to-face care, there was an increase in IPV referrals after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest the importance of pediatric primary care as a location for survivors to access support.

BACKGROUND: Emergency Departments (EDs) can serve as surveillance sites for infectious diseases. Our purpose was to determine the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevalence of vaccination against COVID-19 among patients attending an urban ED in Baltimore City. METHODS: Using 1914 samples of known exposure status, we developed an algorithm to differentiate previously infected, vaccinated, and unexposed individuals using a combination of antibody assays. We applied this testing algorithm to 4360 samples ED patients obtained in the springs of 2020 and 2021. Using multinomial logistic regression, we determined factors associated with infection and vaccination. RESULTS: For the algorithm, sensitivity and specificity for identifying vaccinated individuals was 100% and 99%, respectively, and 84% and 100% for naturally infected individuals. Among the ED subjects, seroprevalence to SARS-CoV-2 increased from 2% to 24% between April 2020 and March 2021. Vaccination prevalence rose to 11% by mid-March 2021. Marked differences in burden of disease and vaccination coverage were seen by sex, race, and ethnicity. Hispanic patients, though 7% of the study population, had the highest relative burden of disease (17% of total infections) but similar vaccination rates. Women and White individuals were more likely to be vaccinated than men or Black individuals (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 1.35 [95% CI: 1.02, 1.80] and aOR 2.26 [95% CI: 1.67, 3.07], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 can be differentiated from vaccinated individuals using a serologic testing algorithm. SARS-CoV-2 exposure and vaccination uptake frequencies reflect gender, race and ethnic health disparities in this urban context.

Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is spreading rapidly throughout China and the world. Hence, early surveillance and public health emergency disposal are considered crucial to curb this emerging infectious disease. However, studies that investigated the early surveillance and public health emergency disposal for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 outbreak in China are relatively few. We aimed to compare the strengths and weaknesses of early surveillance and public health emergency disposal for prevention and control between COVID-19 and H7N9 avian influenza, which was commended by the international community, in China. Methods: A case-comparison study was conducted using a set of six key time nodes to form a reference framework for evaluating early surveillance and public health emergency disposal between H7N9 avian influenza (2013) in Shanghai, China and COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Findings: A report to the local Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China, for the first hospitalized patient was sent after 6 and 20 days for H7N9 avian influenza and COVID-19, respectively. In contrast, the pathogen was identified faster in the case of COVID-19 than in the case of H7N9 avian influenza (12 days vs. 31 days). The government response regarding COVID-19 was 10 days later than that regarding avian influenza. The entire process of early surveillance and public health emergency disposal lasted 5 days longer in COVID-19 than in H7N9 avian influenza (46 days vs. 41 days). Conclusions: The identification of the unknown pathogen improved in China between the outbreaks of avian influenza and COVID-19. The longer emergency disposal period in the case of COVID-19 could be attributed to the government's slower response to the epidemic. Improving public health emergency management could lessen the adverse social effects of emerging infectious diseases and public health crisis in the future.