Testing the Effectiveness of the Health Belief Model in Predicting Preventive Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Romania and Italy

none5sìWe use a cultural psychology approach to examine the relevance of the Health Belief Model (HBM) for predicting a variety of behaviors that had been recommended by health officials during the initial stages of the COVID-19 lockdown for containing the spread of the virus and not overburdening the health system in Europe. Our study is grounded in the assumption that health behavior is activated based on locally relevant perceptions of threats, susceptibility and benefits in engaging in protective behavior, which requires careful attention to how these perceptions might be structured and activated. We assess the validity of the HBM in two European countries that have been relatively understudied, using simultaneous measurements during acute periods of infection in Romania and Italy. An online questionnaire provided a total of (N = 1863) valid answers from both countries. First, to understand individual difference patterns within and across populations, we fit a General Linear Model in which endorsement was predicted by behavior, country, their interaction, and a random effect for participants. Second, we assess the effect of demographics and health beliefs on prevention behaviors by fitting a multi-group path model across countries, in which each behavior was predicted by the observed health belief variables and demographics. Health beliefs showed stronger relationships with the recommended behaviors than demographics. Confirming previously reported relationships, self-efficacy, perceived severity, and perceived benefits were consistently related to the greater adoption of individual behaviors, whereas greater perceived barriers were related to lower adoption of health behaviors. However, we also point to important location specific effects that suggest that local norms shape protective behavior in highly contextualized ways.openKarl, Johannes Alfons; Fischer, Ronald; Druică, Elena; Musso, Fabio; Stan, AnastasiaKarl, Johannes Alfons; Fischer, Ronald; Druică, Elena; Musso, Fabio; Stan, Anastasi

Enrichment and characterization of microorganisms capable of degrading various C1 compounds in the Black Sea

Background: Methylated compounds can be used as an energy source to drive interactions between sulfate reducing microorganisms and methanogens. This has potential impact on the current understanding of the global carbon and sulfur cycles. Objectives: The use of methylated compounds by anaerobic microorganisms present in the sulfidic permanently stratified Black Sea sediment and column water and the composition of these communities was investigated through enrichment studies. Methods: Black Sea sediment of three different depths between 5 and 30 centimeters below sea floor, as well as water at 105 meters deep were collected anoxically and used for enrichments, supplemented with 1 mM of either dimethylsulfide (DMS), dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), trimethylamine (TMA) and methanol as sole energy source. To promote methanogenesis, acetogenesis and sulfate reduction in the different enrichments, 20 mM molybdate, 20 mM bromoerhanosulfonate (BrES) and 20 mM BrES with 20 mM sulfate was added, respectively. Anoxic cultures were incubated at 20ºC in the dark. Uptake of substrate and product formation were monitored over 4 weeks. Active cultures were transferred to fresh medium to promote further enrichment. Analyses of 16s rRNA gene sequencing are ongoing to elucidate the inocula and culture communities. Results: All enrichments grew on the provided substrates. Over four weeks, utilization of substrate ranged between 20% and 100% for all enrichments. Subsequent transfers of the enrichments retained the decrease of substrate although utilization was slower. These results will be complemented with 16s rRNA gene sequencing data and community comparison developed n methanogenic, acetogenic and sulfate-reducing enrichments performed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wissenschaftstransfer durch Emigration nach 1933

'Die Vertreibung von Tausenden von Wissenschaftlern durch das Dritte Reich bedeutete für die Universitäten und Technischen Hochschulen in Deutschland den Verlust eines beträchtlichen Teils ihres wissenschaftlichen Personals. Die Auswanderung und die Neuverwurzelung in Ländern, in denen die Vertriebenen trotz vieler Widerstände Aufnahme fanden, waren Teil des tiefen Unglücks, das 1933 Haß und Brutalität über die Welt brachte. Die Emigrationsgeschichte und die Exilforschung arbeiten seit Jahrzehnten daran, die Grundlagen für ein Verständnis dieser vielschichtigen Vorgänge zu schaffen.' (Autorenreferat

Neurophysiological investigations of hepatic encephalopathy: ISHEN practice guidelines

By studying neuronal activity through neuronal electrogenesis, neurophysiological investigations provide a functional assessment of the nervous system and, therefore, has been used for quantitative assessment and follow-up of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The different clinical neurophysiological approaches can be classified depending on the function to explore and their sensitivity to HE. The reliable techniques are those that reflect cortical function, i.e., cognitive-evoked potentials (EPs) (P300 paradigm), electroencephalogram (EEG), visual EPs (latency > 100 ms) and somatosensory EPs (SEPs) (latency between 25 and 100 ms). Short-latency EPs (brainstem acoustic EPs, SEPs of a latency < 25 ms) are in principle insensitive to HE, but can disclose brainstem conduction deficits due to oedema. SEPs and motor EPs can disclose myelopathies. Because of its parallelism to the clinical examination, clinical neurophysiology can complement the neurological examination: (i) to provide evidence of HE in patients who have normal consciousness; (ii) to rule out, at least under some conditions, disturbances of consciousness due to other causes (e.g. drug-induced disturbances, non-convulsive status epilepticus) with the reservation that the mildest degrees of encephalopathy might be associated with an EEG pattern similar to that induced by drugs; and (iii) to demonstrate the worsening or, conversely improvement, of HE in the follow-up period

Обоснование технологии гидравлического разрыва пласта на примере Приобского нефтяного месторождения (ХМАО)

В данной работе представленны обоснования технологии гидравлического разрыва пласта в низкопродуктивных пластах Приобского месторождения. В результате было предложено проведение многостадийного ГРП с увеличением стадий до 8 и на основе углеводородного геля.This paper presents the substantiation of the technology of hydraulic fracturing in low-productive formations of the Priobskoye field. As a result, it was proposed to conduct a multi-stage hydraulic fracturing with an increase in stages up to 8 and based on a hydrocarbon gel

Autonomous Composite Production by Robotic Pick & Place

During the last decade the DLR Center of Lightweigth Production Technology (ZLP) in Augsburg investigated the potential of the autonomous production of composite parts by means of pick and place executed by industrial robots. Starting from conventional teaching the research focus was extended to the development of technology bricks for computer vision based gripping, automated derivation of grip- and drop coordinates from CAD data, digital process description and workflow, autonomous cut-piece transfer by means of collision free path planning and a multi-robot synchronization and execution layer. The technology bricks are enriched by a process data acquisition system and controlled by a manufacturing execution system embedded into a high-level process control system. In this work we give an overview of the developed technologies and achievements based upon several use cases from the field of composite production

ROBUST ASSEMBLY - QUALITY ASSURED WELDING TECHNOLOGIES FOR FULL-SCALE APPLICATIONS

Thermoplastic welding technologies offer the possibility of producing an integral assembly out of two or more separate components, with an interface that is non-distinguishable to the component structure itself. However, institutional research on thermoplastic welding technologies is mostly focusing the technology readiness levels (TRL) one to three, demonstrating the validity of the functional principle in a reduced scale. Within the European Clean Sky 2 (CS 2) initiative, the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) an eight-meter long, cylindrical aircraft fuselage barrel will be manufactured challenging different thermoplastic part manufacturing and welding technologies in full scale. Within this paper we are focusing to present the custom-made welding jigs and end-effectors for ultrasonic and resistance welding, developed for the MFFD upper shell assembly. To assure adequate integrated quality assurance the weld tools are equipped with various sensors for component positioning and process control. The accumulated data are validated and inline stored within a storage for heterogenous product and research data (shepard) to assure the robust process execution and safeguard traceability

Rapid review and meta-meta-analysis of self-guided interventions to address anxiety, depression, and stress during COVID-19 social distancing

We conducted a rapid review and quantitative summary of meta-analyses that have examined interventions which can be used by individuals during quarantine and social distancing to manage anxiety, depression, stress, and subjective well-being. A literature search yielded 34 meta-analyses (total number of studies k = 1,390, n = 145,744) that were summarized. Overall, self-guided interventions showed small to medium effects in comparison to control groups. In particular, self-guided therapeutic approaches (including cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, and acceptance-based interventions), selected positive psychology interventions, and multi-component and activity-based interventions (music, physical exercise) showed promising evidence for effectiveness. Overall, self-guided interventions on average did not show the same degree of effectiveness as traditional guided individual or group therapies. There was no consistent evidence of dose effects, baseline differences, and differential effectiveness of eHealth interventions. More research on the effectiveness of interventions in diverse cultural settings is needed

Trends and Regional Differences in Breastfeeding in Germany From 1871 To 1937

This article describes trends and regional differences in breastfeeding within Germany from 1870 to 1937. Sharp regional differences in both the in cidence and duration of breastfeeding are present around 1910. There is a com plex pattern of trends in infant-feeding practices. Breastfeeding declined in urban areas between the late nineteenth century and the first World War. A strong nationwide resurgence in the incidence of breastfeeding occurred between the two world wars, accompanied by a decline in the average duration of breastfeeding. By 1937, the formerly great regional differences in breastfeeding had nearly dis appeared. The article also discusses social, economic, cultural, and historical variables affecting infant-feeding practices, including local breastfeeding customs, a national infant welfare campaign, and allowances to nursing mothers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67272/2/10.1177_036319908501000203.pd

Methylation Markers of Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Despite of intense research in early cancer detection, there is a lack of biomarkers for the reliable detection of malignant tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). DNA methylation changes are common and relatively stable in various types of cancers, and may be used as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers.We performed DNA methylation profiling of samples from 48 patients with stage I NSCLC and 18 matching cancer-free lung samples using microarrays that cover the promoter regions of more than 14,500 genes. We correlated DNA methylation changes with gene expression levels and performed survival analysis.We observed hypermethylation of 496 CpGs in 379 genes and hypomethylation of 373 CpGs in 335 genes in NSCLC. Compared to adenocarcinoma samples, squamous cell carcinoma samples had 263 CpGs in 223 hypermethylated genes and 513 CpGs in 436 hypomethylated genes. 378 of 869 (43.5%) CpG sites discriminating the NSCLC and control samples showed an inverse correlation between CpG site methylation and gene expression levels. As a result of a survival analysis, we found 10 CpGs in 10 genes, in which the methylation level differs in different survival groups.We have identified a set of genes with altered methylation in NSCLC and found that a minority of them showed an inverse correlation with gene expression levels. We also found a set of genes that associated with the survival of the patients. These newly-identified marker candidates for the molecular screening of NSCLC will need further analysis in order to determine their clinical utility