Fake COVID-19 Test Documentation

In-depth interviews were conducted in January 2022 with 14 international travelers (7 male and 7 female) who have traveled to the United States of America during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our main objective was to identify why these international travelers get fake COVID-19 test documentation to enter the United States of America. The results of the study discovered that the participants in the study used fake COVID-19 test documentation for various reasons. These are: 1) lack of time to take the test, 2) not wanting to pay for the test, 3) laziness to get tested, 4) lack of availability of testing centers in the countries they travel from. The research also shows that most of the people who have been interviewed are aware of health and legal risks that could be caused by falsifying a COVID-19 test certificate. We discuss limitations to the study and possible solutions to implement similar research in the future. As well, have been discussed possible solutions to mitigate and reduce this malpractice

Un taller de aprendizaje basado en un modelo de simulacion. Una oportunidad de negocio?...Una primera exploracion

80 p.Este proyecto tuvo por objetivo obtener resultados empíricos de un taller de aprendizaje, basado en un modelo de simulación, que permita evaluar si es una oportunidad de negocio. Para lograr este objetivo se utilizó el modelo del “Juego de la Cerveza”, el cual se remodeló incluyendo algunas constantes, flujos y remodelando algunas ecuaciones, que de una implementación previa se aplicó y desarrolló en un ambiente más versátil, llamando al nuevo modelo, el “Juego de la Bebida”. Una vez que se obtuvo el modelo final se realizó el taller de aprendizaje con la simulación del “Juego de la Bebida” con 9 participantes, todos profesionales, (los cuales fueron invitados por nuestra parte), y un grupo foco al finalizar la simulación el cual permitió obtener resultado esperados y se logró obtener una evaluación con nota de 1 a 7 de cada participante, obteniendo como promedio de nota de evaluación un 6.5. Los resultados de este estudio fueron los esperados en el taller. Durante el juego los inventarios de cada actor tuvieron muchas oscilaciones porque los participantes no tomaron buenas decisiones de juego. En el juego se daba toda la información para que las decisiones de juego de los participantes fueran óptimas, el cual era minimizar los costos. Luego de la simulación se hizo una reflexión de juego mostrando 2 modelos de simulación con distintas versiones, sacadas del modelo del Juego de la Bebida, de toma de decisiones para que se pudiera comprender la simpleza del juego. Después de reflexionar sobre el modelo de simulación, se hizo un grupo foco para que cada participante comentara su experiencia, se pretendía saber si a ellos les motivaba hacer talleres de aprendizaje para ayudarlos a ser más estrategas en la toma de decisiones que se enfrentan cada día. Los resultados del grupo foco son, a grandes rasgos, que este tipo de capacitación es dinámico y motivador. Además que es necesario en el mundo de hoy situarse en diferentes y adversos escenarios para saber como actuar de acuerdo a los cambios que se experimentan. Sin dejar de lado que el juego sirve para medir los conocimientos técnicos en la toma de decisiones y de como llevarlos a la realidad

Insights into the ecological generalist lifestyle of Clonostachys fungi through analysis of their predicted secretomes

IntroductionThe fungal secretome comprise diverse proteins that are involved in various aspects of fungal lifestyles, including adaptation to ecological niches and environmental interactions. The aim of this study was to investigate the composition and activity of fungal secretomes in mycoparasitic and beneficial fungal-plant interactions. MethodsWe used six Clonostachys spp. that exhibit saprotrophic, mycotrophic and plant endophytic lifestyles. Genome-wide analyses was performed to investigate the composition, diversity, evolution and gene expression of Clonostachys secretomes in relation to their potential role in mycoparasitic and endophytic lifestyles. Results and discussionOur analyses showed that the predicted secretomes of the analyzed species comprised between 7 and 8% of the respective proteomes. Mining of transcriptome data collected during previous studies showed that 18% of the genes encoding predicted secreted proteins were upregulated during the interactions with the mycohosts Fusarium graminearum and Helminthosporium solani. Functional annotation of the predicted secretomes revealed that the most represented protease family was subclass S8A (11-14% of the total), which include members that are shown to be involved in the response to nematodes and mycohosts. Conversely, the most numerous lipases and carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) groups appeared to be potentially involved in eliciting defense responses in the plants. For example, analysis of gene family evolution identified nine CAZyme orthogroups evolving for gene gains (p <= 0.05), predicted to be involved in hemicellulose degradation, potentially producing plant defense-inducing oligomers. Moreover, 8-10% of the secretomes was composed of cysteine-enriched proteins, including hydrophobins, important for root colonization. Effectors were more numerous, comprising 35-37% of the secretomes, where certain members belonged to seven orthogroups evolving for gene gains and were induced during the C. rosea response to F. graminearum or H. solani. Furthermore, the considered Clonostachys spp. possessed high numbers of proteins containing Common in Fungal Extracellular Membranes (CFEM) modules, known for their role in fungal virulence. Overall, this study improves our understanding of Clonostachys spp. adaptation to diverse ecological niches and establishes a basis for future investigation aiming at sustainable biocontrol of plant diseases

Meeting patient expectations in migraine treatment: what are the key endpoints?

Clinical outcomes of migraine treatment are generally based on two major endpoints: acute pain resolution and effects on quality of life (QOL). Resolution of acute pain can be evaluated in a number of ways, each increasingly challenging to achieve; pain relief, pain freedom at 2 h, sustained pain-freedom, and SPF plus no adverse events (SNAE, the most challenging). QOL questionnaires help assess the burden of migraine and identify optimal treatments. Pain resolution and improved QOL form the basis of the ultimate target-meeting patient expectations, to achieve patient satisfaction. To achieve this, it is crucial to choose appropriate endpoints that reflect realistic treatment goals for individual patients. Moreover, SNAE can help discriminate between triptans, with almotriptan having the highest SNAE score. Kaplan-Meier plots are also relevant when evaluating migraine treatments. The use of symptomatic medication may lead to the paradoxical development of medication-overuse headache. In general practice, patients should use simple tools for pain measurement (e.g. headache diary) and a QOL questionnaire. A composite endpoint of pain resolution and QOL restoration would constitute a step forward in migraine management

Reframing knowledge : a comparison of OECD and World Bank discourse on public governance reform

As knowledge producers and transfer agents, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank (WB) rely on their own research infrastructures to promote the dissemination public governance reform. To enhance their authority and legitimacy, they frame their economic knowledge through prominent documents that set the agenda for policy advisory activities and practices. This paper suggests that the influence of epistemic communities on the extent of change in these international organisations’ agenda-setting depends on their institutional determinants, namely mandate, knowledge production processes and knowledge validation procedures. Both IOs strategically select their preferred sources of expert knowledge. The OECD refers to technical expertise to enhance its new public management agenda through adjustments. The WB is attuned to economic expertise, resulting in transformations of knowledge frames