A review of epidemiological parameters from Ebola outbreaks to inform early public health decision-making.

The unprecedented scale of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has, as of 29 April 2015, resulted in more than 10,884 deaths among 26,277 cases. Prior to the ongoing outbreak, Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused relatively small outbreaks (maximum outbreak size 425 in Gulu, Uganda) in isolated populations in central Africa. Here, we have compiled a comprehensive database of estimates of epidemiological parameters based on data from past outbreaks, including the incubation period distribution, case fatality rate, basic reproduction number (R 0), effective reproduction number (R t) and delay distributions. We have compared these to parameter estimates from the ongoing outbreak in West Africa. The ongoing outbreak, because of its size, provides a unique opportunity to better understand transmission patterns of EVD. We have not performed a meta-analysis of the data, but rather summarize the estimates by virus from comprehensive investigations of EVD and Marburg outbreaks over the past 40 years. These estimates can be used to parameterize transmission models to improve understanding of initial spread of EVD outbreaks and to inform surveillance and control guidelines

Youth political (dis)engagement and the need for citizenship education: encouraging young people's civic and political participation through the curriculum

Over the past two decades, there has been a wide-ranging debate about the impact of citizenship education on young people’s political engagement and participation across Britain. Using data from a survey of 1025 young people aged 18 years at the time of the 2010 General Election, we examined the impact that studying for a formal qualification in General Certificate of Secondary Education in Citizenship Studies has on young people’s political and civic engagement. Drawing from the hypothesis that those young people who took the course would be more engaged than those who did not, results demonstrated that there are many differences between the two groups in terms of their political perspectives as well as their past and future patterns of political participation

Relationships between leadership communication practices and organisational commitment in a selected higher education institution

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between leadership communication practices and organisational commitment among the staff in a selected institution of higher education. The chosen organisation is located in the Klang Valley and was established 37 years ago. Stratified random sampling was used for sample selection and a total of 235 respondents participated in this study using a questionnaire survey method. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson Product Moment correlation, and Multiple Regression using both enter and stepwise methods. With regard to the levels of organisational commitment, the study shows that the employee’s affective, continuance and normative commitments are moderate. Correlation analysis showed significant relationships between leadership communication practices and organisational commitment. While communication climate tended to be a good predictor of organisational commitment. Through effective leadership communication practices, a leader is able to influence and convince employees to be more committed towards their organisation in order to achieve organisational objectives. In conclusion, this research shows that leadership communication practices can contribute towards higher staff commitment in an organisation

Validation of the online political engagement scale in a British population survey

Over the last decade, there has been an ever increasing number of citizens using online media to participate in and engage with politics. Social media sites and online blogs have enabled new opportunities for interactive and user-centered political experiences. Currently, there is a general scarcity of psychometrically validated and standardized instruments that assess politically-related constructs (e.g., political engagement, political participation) in the field of political sciences. The main aim of the present study was to develop a standardized psychometric tool to assess online political engagement among the general population that is valid and reliable. The present study examined the psychometric properties of a 7-item Online Political Engagement Scale (OPEnS) that assesses various online political actions people engage with during election campaigns. To develop the scale, data from the 2010 British Election Survey were used, and a total of 3,075 people participated in an online survey, post-election. The main findings obtained in the present study supported the undimensionality of the online political engagement construct given the results obtained from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The OPEnS appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing this phenomenon, and may be useful in studies investigating newer patterns of online political engagement and disengagement

Understanding Factors Affecting Success of Information Security Risk Assessment: The Case of an Australian Higher Educational Institution

To protect information technology assets, effective risk management strategies need to be implemented. However, there is little empirical evidence on the factors that affect the successful undertaking of risk assessment. It is also not clearly known exactly how various factors affect the different stages of risk assessment and whether all factors are equally important across all stages. This research examines the experience of a large Australian university in implementing information security risk assessment and identifies a set of factors that exert considerable influence on the four stages of risk assessment initiative of the university. Finally, the implications of the findings are discussed

Keperluan memahami psikologi saudara muslim

The principal approaches of Islamic civilization (Islam Hadhari) are giving upmost respect towards one individual. These include groups of Muslim converts called saudara Muslim. One who just converted to Islam will usually faces psychological challenges/ dilemma and needs the upmost understanding from the society surrounding them. The psychological aspect of Muslim converts is the most important aspect that needs to be address by the society. Muslim converts that have a peace of mind will eventually lead them to a good live. The unstable state of psychological will eventually make them live in stress and shaken their faith of converts. This article is to identify the phases of psychology faced by the Muslim converts, psychological challenges faced by them and the da’wah approaches that can help them in their lives as Muslim converts. This study is being conducted in fieldwork research and arm chair research. The results show that Muslim converts is experiencing five psychology phases: the phase of peace and calmness, conflict of faith phases, resistance in finding the right faith, phases of psychological pressure and back to peace and calmness phases. The psychological challenges being faced by Muslim converts includes understanding Islam as one religion, psychological pressure from the family, foster family and society and lastly psychological pressure in adapting into the new religions. The da’wah Islamiah approaches can help to overcome the psychological challenges being faced by the Muslim converts in order to achieve serenity in live which is called mutma’innah

MEDICATION ADHERENCE STATUS AMONG RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common disease affecting about 5 in 1,000 people in Malaysia. Medication adherence among RA patients can be as low as 30% and non-adherence of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) may result in irreversible joint damage. This study aimed to assess adherence rates and to identify potential factors influencing adherence.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Rheumatology Clinic of a tertiary hospital for 8 w from May to June 2014. A total of 51 RA patients using DMARD were recruited in this study. Researcher-assisted questionnaires were utilized. The study assessed adherence by using Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR5) and data retrieved from pharmacy dispensing records which were measured using Medication Possession Ratio (MPR). Questionnaires to assess beliefs about medicines and satisfaction about medicine information were also used. Subsequently, associations between adherence and demographics, socioeconomics, medication, disease and patient-related factors were determined.Results: The response rate was 75%. Depending on the instruments used, 75% (CQR5) and 60% (MPR) of the patients were adherent to DMARD. Non-adherence was not associated with demographic, socioeconomic and clinical characteristics, satisfaction about medication information and medication concerns. Beliefs about the necessity of medication (r = 0.372; p = 0.007) and necessity-concerns differential (r = 0.439; p = 0.001) were moderately associated with adherence.Conclusion: Patient-related factor was associated with medication adherence in our study population. The necessity-concerns differential of medication beliefs may serve as a possible screening tool for non-adherence or target for adherence-improving intervention among RA patients.Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Medication adherence, Medication beliefs, DMAR

φxANES: In vivo imaging of metal-protein coordination environments

© 2016, Nature Publishing Group. All rights reserved. We have developed an X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy method using fluorescence detection for visualizing in vivo coordination environments of metals in biological specimens. This approach, which we term fluorescence imaging XANES (φXANES), allows us to spatially depict metal-protein associations in a native, hydrated state whilst avoiding intrinsic chemical damage from radiation. This method was validated using iron-challenged Caenorhabditis elegans to observe marked alterations in redox environment

Accessibility Factor of the Elderly in Achieve Mobility Requirements: Case Study in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

The Ageing Population is a phenomenon that arises in global countries due to modernization and globalization. The elderly will be marginalized when travelling less due to the inaccessibility to the essential need later in life. This research examines the accessibility factor related to the travel pattern of the elderly. Factor Analysis is used to analyze 29 parameters of the element implemented accessibility towards their living requirements. This study developed four main factors: personal, land use, transportation facilities, and temporal. The research *ndings can assist the government and various agencies in implementing policies and strategies to ful*l the mobility needs of the elderly. Keywords: Accessibility; the elderly; land use; mobility eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i20.344

Severe ectoparasitism and parasitic gastroenteritis in a two month old Sokoto red kid: A case report

A two month old red Sokoto kid that weighed 3kg from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Farm, Dabagi, was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, with the complaints of debility and recumbency. Physical examination revealed severe infestation with ticks of both sexes identified as Hyalomma dromedarii, Hyalomma rufipes, Amblyomma variegatum and the louse Linognathus stenopsis. Examination of the blood suggested anaemia and revealed mild infection with Anaplasma ovis. After management for a day, the animal died. At post-mortem, Haemonchus spp. and Oesophagostomum spp. were found infesting the abomasum and caecum respectively. This paper discusses the implication of the condition to the animal production and how best to control it in established farms like the University farm