114 research outputs found
Iron fists and velvet gloves:Investigating the associations between the stringency of governments’ responses to COVID-19, stress, and compliance in the early stages of the pandemic
To tackle the spread of COVID‐19, governments worldwide have implemented restrictive public health behavioural measures. Whether and when these measures lead to positive or negative psychological outcomes is still debated. In this study, drawing on a large sample of individuals (N (total) = 89,798) from 45 nations, we investigated whether the stringency of public health measures implemented at the outset of the COVID‐19 pandemic in March–May 2020 was associated with individuals’ levels of stress and compliance. Moreover, we addressed the question of how these associations may be moderated by the measures’ implementation lag, nations’ tolerance for unequal distributions of power (i.e., power distance), and individuals’ institutional trust. Linear mixed models suggested that slower implementation of less stringent measures was associated with higher stress and lower compliance. Also, rapid implementation of stricter measures was associated with a mild increase in stress. Such effects were especially pronounced in countries with less tolerance for inequality. Albeit significant, the moderating effect of institutional trust was very small. The results suggest that it may be important to consider the measures’ implementation lag when tackling the spread of COVID‐19, but findings should be interpreted in relation to the data collection period
Global galactic dynamo driven by cosmic-rays and exploding magnetized stars
We report first results of first global galactic-scale CR-MHD simulations of
cosmic-ray-driven dynamo. We investigate the dynamics of magnetized
interstellar medium (ISM), which is dynamically coupled with the cosmic-ray
(CR) gas. We assume that exploding stars deposit small-scale, randomly
oriented, dipolar magnetic fields into the differentially rotating ISM,
together with a portion of cosmic rays, accelerated in supernova shocks. We
conduct numerical simulations with the aid of a new parallel MHD code PIERNIK.
We find that the initial magnetization of galactic disks by exploding
magnetized stars forms a favourable conditions for the cosmic-ray-driven
dynamo. We demonstrate that dipolar magnetic fields supplied on small
SN-remnant scales, can be amplified exponentially, by the CR-driven dynamo, to
the present equipartition values, and transformed simultaneously to large
galactic-scales. The resulting magnetic field structure in an evolved galaxy
appears spiral in the face-on view and reveals the so called X-shaped structure
in the edge-on view.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Cosmic ray driven dynamo in barred and ringed galaxies
We study the global evolution of the magnetic field and interstellar medium (ISM) of the barred and ringed galaxies in the presence of non-axisymmetric components of the potential, i.e. the bar and/or the oval perturbations. The magnetohydrodynamical dynamo is driven by cosmic rays (CR), which are continuously supplied to the disk by supernova (SN) remnants. Additionally, weak, dipolar and randomly oriented magnetic field is injected to the galactic disk during SN explosions. To compare our results directly with the observed properties of galaxies we construct realistic maps of high-frequency polarized radio emission. The main result is that CR driven dynamo can amplify weak magnetic fields up to few G within few Gyr in barred and ringed galaxies. What is more, the modelled magnetic field configuration resembles maps of the polarized intensity observed in barred and ringed galaxies
The Nanoplasmonic Purcell Effect in Ultrafast and High-Light-Yield Perovskite Scintillators
The development of X-ray scintillators with ultrahigh light yields and
ultrafast response times is a long sought-after goal. In this work, we
theoretically predict and experimentally demonstrate a fundamental mechanism
that pushes the frontiers of ultrafast X-ray scintillator performance: the use
of nanoscale-confined surface plasmon polariton modes to tailor the
scintillator response time via the Purcell effect. By incorporating
nanoplasmonic materials in scintillator devices, this work predicts over
10-fold enhancement in decay rate and 38% reduction in time resolution even
with only a simple planar design. We experimentally demonstrate the
nanoplasmonic Purcell effect using perovskite scintillators, enhancing the
light yield by over 120% to 88 11 ph/keV, and the decay rate by over 60%
to 2.0 0.2 ns for the average decay time, and 0.7 0.1 ns for the
ultrafast decay component, in good agreement with the predictions of our
theoretical framework. We perform proof-of-concept X-ray imaging experiments
using nanoplasmonic scintillators, demonstrating 182% enhancement in the
modulation transfer function at 4 line pairs per millimeter spatial frequency.
This work highlights the enormous potential of nanoplasmonics in optimizing
ultrafast scintillator devices for applications including time-of-flight X-ray
imaging and photon-counting computed tomography.Comment: 34 pages, 3 figure
Budget Impact of Oral Semaglutide Intensification versus Sitagliptin among US Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Uncontrolled with Metformin.
BACKGROUND: Oral semaglutide was approved in 2019 for blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and was the first oral glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA). T2DM is associated with substantial healthcare expenditures in the US, so the cost of a new intervention should be weighed against clinical benefits. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the budget impact of a treatment pathway with oral semaglutide 14 mg daily versus oral sitagliptin 100 mg daily among patients not achieving target glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level despite treatment with metformin. METHODS: This study used the validated IQVIA™ CORE Diabetes Model to simulate the treatment impact of oral semaglutide 14 mg and sitagliptin 100 mg over a 5-year time horizon from a US healthcare sector (payer) perspective. Trial data (PIONEER 3) informed cohort characteristics and treatment effects, and literature sources informed event costs. Population and market share data were from the literature and data on file. The analysis evaluated the estimated budget impact of oral semaglutide 14 mg use for patients currently using sitagliptin 100 mg considering both direct medical and treatment costs to understand the impact on total cost of care, given underlying treatment performance and impact on avoidable events. RESULTS: In a hypothetical plan of 1 million lives, an estimated 1993 patients were treated with sitagliptin 100 mg in the target population. Following these patients over 5 years, the incremental direct medical and treatment costs of a patient using oral semaglutide 14 mg versus sitagliptin 100 mg was US3,300,143 (7.1%) over 5 years for every 10% of market share that oral semaglutide 14 mg takes away from sitagliptin 100 mg. Univariate and scenario analyses with alternate inputs and assumptions demonstrated consistent results. CONCLUSIONS: Use of oral semaglutide 14 mg in patients currently receiving sitagliptin 100 mg substantially increases the budget impact for patients with T2DM whose blood glucose level is not controlled with metformin over a 5-year time horizon for US healthcare payers
COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey dataset on psychological and behavioural consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak
This N = 173,426 social science dataset was collected through the collaborative COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey – an open science effort to improve understanding of the human experiences of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic between 30th March and 30th May, 2020. The dataset allows a cross-cultural study of psychological and behavioural responses to the Coronavirus pandemic and associated government measures like cancellation of public functions and stay at home orders implemented in many countries. The dataset contains demographic background variables as well as measures of Asian Disease Problem, perceived stress (PSS-10), availability of social provisions (SPS-10), trust in various authorities, trust in governmental measures to contain the virus (OECD trust), personality traits (BFF-15), information behaviours, agreement with the level of government intervention, and compliance with preventive measures, along with a rich pool of exploratory variables and written experiences. A global consortium from 39 countries and regions worked together to build and translate a survey with variables of shared interests, and recruited participants in 47 languages and dialects. Raw plus cleaned data and dynamic visualizations are available
Stress and worry in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic : relationships to trust and compliance with preventive measures across 48 countries in the COVIDiSTRESS global survey
The COVIDiSTRESS global survey collects data on early human responses to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic from 173 429 respondents in 48 countries. The open science study was co-designed by an international consortium of researchers to investigate how psychological responses differ across countries and cultures, and how this has impacted behaviour, coping and trust in government efforts to slow the spread of the virus. Starting in March 2020, COVIDiSTRESS leveraged the convenience of unpaid online recruitment to generate public data. The objective of the present analysis is to understand relationships between psychological responses in the early months of global coronavirus restrictions and help understand how different government measures succeed or fail in changing public behaviour. There were variations between and within countries. Although Western Europeans registered as more concerned over COVID-19, more stressed, and having slightly more trust in the governments' efforts, there was no clear geographical pattern in compliance with behavioural measures. Detailed plots illustrating between-countries differences are provided. Using both traditional and Bayesian analyses, we found that individuals who worried about getting sick worked harder to protect themselves and others. However, concern about the coronavirus itself did not account for all of the variances in experienced stress during the early months of COVID-19 restrictions. More alarmingly, such stress was associated with less compliance. Further, those most concerned over the coronavirus trusted in government measures primarily where policies were strict. While concern over a disease is a source of mental distress, other factors including strictness of protective measures, social support and personal lockdown conditions must also be taken into consideration to fully appreciate the psychological impact of COVID-19 and to understand why some people fail to follow behavioural guidelines intended to protect themselves and others from infection. The Stage 1 manuscript associated with this submission received in-principle acceptance (IPA) on 18 May 2020. Following IPA, the accepted Stage 1 version of the manuscript was preregistered on the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/g2t3b. This preregistration was performed prior to data analysis.Peer reviewe
COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey dataset on psychological and behavioural consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak
This N = 173,426 social science dataset was collected through the collaborative COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey - an open science effort to improve understanding of the human experiences of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic between 30th March and 30th May, 2020. The dataset allows a cross-cultural study of psychological and behavioural responses to the Coronavirus pandemic and associated government measures like cancellation of public functions and stay at home orders implemented in many countries. The dataset contains demographic background variables as well as measures of Asian Disease Problem, perceived stress (PSS-10), availability of social provisions (SPS-10), trust in various authorities, trust in governmental measures to contain the virus (OECD trust), personality traits (BFF-15), information behaviours, agreement with the level of government intervention, and compliance with preventive measures, along with a rich pool of exploratory variables and written experiences. A global consortium from 39 countries and regions worked together to build and translate a survey with variables of shared interests, and recruited participants in 47 languages and dialects. Raw plus cleaned data and dynamic visualizations are available.Measurement(s) psychological measurement center dot anxiety-related behavior trait center dot Stress center dot response to center dot Isolation center dot loneliness measurement center dot Emotional Distress Technology Type(s) Survey Factor Type(s) geographic location center dot language center dot age of participant center dot responses to the Coronavirus pandemic Sample Characteristic - Organism Homo sapiens Sample Characteristic - Location global Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data:Peer reviewe
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