Exchange Rates and Commodity Markets: Global Exports of Corn, Cotton, Poultry, and Soybeans

The effects of exchange rates and risk on major commodity exporters are examined in markets constructed from the top five importers and top three exporters from 1961 to 2000. Depreciation typically stimulates exports but the impacts vary considerably. Exchange risk has virtually no negative impacts. Importer incomes raise exports for about half the exporters, and major competitor market shares affect about half the exporters.Exchange rates, commodity exports, market shares,

Echinacoside ameliorates hepatic fibrosis and tumor invasion in rats with thioacetamide-induced hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) affects approximately 800,000 individuals globally each year. Despite advancements in HCC treatments, there is still a pressing need to identify new drugs that can combat resistance. One potential option is echinacoside, a natural caffeic acid glycoside with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and antidiabetic properties. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the ability of echinacoside to exhibit antitumor activity against HCC in rats through ameliorating hepatic fibrosis and tumor invasion. Rats were given thioacetamide to induce HCC, and some were given 30 mg/kg of echinacoside twice a week for 16 weeks. The liver impairment was assessed by measuring serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) and examining liver sections stained with Masson trichrome or anti-transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 antibodies. The hepatic expression of mRNA and protein levels of TGF-β1, β-catenin, SMAD4, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), connective tissue growth factor 2 (CCN2), E-Cadherin, platelets derived growth factor (PDGF)-B and fascin were also analyzed. Echinacoside improved the survival rate of rats by decreasing serum AFP and the number of hepatic nodules. Examination of micro-images indicated that echinacoside can reduce fibrosis. It also significantly decreased the expression of TGF-β1, β-catenin, SMAD4, MMP9, PI3K, mTOR, CCN2, PDGF-B, and fascin while enhancing the expression of E-Cadherin. In conclusion, echinacoside exhibits a protective effect against HCC by increasing survival rates and decreasing tumor growth. It also acts as an inhibitor of the hepatic tissue fibrosis pathway by reducing the expression of TGF-β1, β-catenin, SMAD4, PI3K, CCN2, PDGF-B and mTOR. Additionally, it prevents tumor invasion by suppressing MMP9 and fascin, and increasing the expression of E-Cadherin

Musculoskeletal pain post-COVID-19 in patients undergoing physical therapy in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has posed a challenge to the physical therapy service. In addition to pandemic-associated treatment interference, many recovered COVID-19 patients developed new or worsening musculoskeletal pain as a sequela of COVID-19, which has been shown to affect the musculoskeletal system. The objective of the study was to examine musculoskeletal pain post-COVID-19 in patients undergoing physical therapy in Saudi Arabia. Methods The design of the study was a cross-sectional study. We approached patients attending physical therapy clinics who had COVID-19. Data were collected through an electronic survey consisting of multiple-choice questions related to sociodemographic data and pain. Pain severity was rated on a 10-point numerical rating scale. Results A total of 85 recovered COVID-19 patients participated in this study, 30 had musculoskeletal pain prior to getting COVID-19, while 55 acquired it after. The most affected sites for musculoskeletal pain were the lower back and shoulder. Mean pain levels reported increased from 4.48 ± 2.54 pre-COVID-19 to 6.92 ± 8.06 post-COVID-19 (mean difference, 1.61 ± 2.61; t = 5.68; p < 0.0001). Mean pain scores did not associate significantly with demographic or clinical factors. Patient responses skewed toward increased pain as well as decreased activity levels after being infected with COVID-19 versus pre-COVID-19 (all p < 0.0001). Conclusions Recovered COVID-19 patients reported increased pain intensity and frequency, together with reduced activity levels, relative to pre-COVID-19 levels, without effects of sociodemographic or clinical characteristics

The Effects of the FTAA on the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has recently experienced serious economic and structural changes resulting from the World Trade Organization (WTO) rulings on their major export crops. With a declining agricultural industry and generally depressed economies, the countries are forced to decide whether they become part of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), or remain out of the proposed union. These countries have been conducting both internal and external evaluations to determine the economic direction to follow to bolster their economies. The islands face dilemmas if they become members of the FTAA. One of the dilemmas we will examine here is the loss of welfare from the reduction of export subsidies on imports from the United States and its probable impact on OECS economies and intra -regional trade once the OECS becomes a member of the FTAA. The formation of the FTAA and the adoption of a common external tariff (CET) may force members of the OECS to buy high-priced goods from member countries. Using rice as a case in point we show that the most efficient producers of rice are Vietnam and Thailand. Vietnam produces rice at US$110 per ton, whereas Guyana has an average cost of US$144.00 per ton compared to Arkansas and Texas, with average costs of US$205.22 and US$247.68, respectively. Under a free trade scenario, in the absence of transport cost, assuming that rice is a homogeneous product, and that Vietnam can supply the world deficit at constant cost, Vietnam will become the ultimate supplier of rice. With the Common external tariff (CET), the FTAA becomes trade-diverting because it limits imports from more efficient rice producers, such as Thailand and Vietnam, in favor of rice from Guyana. The decision to purchase rice from Guyana only depends on whether all trade promotion activities that include elements of export subsidies are eliminated

Exchange Rates and Commodity Markets: Global Exports of Corn, Cotton, Poultry, and Soybeans

The effects of exchange rates and risk on major commodity exporters are examined in markets constructed from the top five importers and top three exporters from 1961 to 2000. Depreciation typically stimulates exports but the impacts vary considerably. Exchange risk has virtually no negative impacts. Importer incomes raise exports for about half the exporters, and major competitor market shares affect about half the exporters

Door wave home automation system

The technological developments are focused on automation of control systems. Technology is used in homes to create a digital environment such as controlling room temperature, sundry devices, security and lighting. The design of home automation systems is geared towards the automation of processes like remote control of the home environment appliances. The use of Wireless Sensor and Actuators Networks (WSANs) in home automation is a growing trend. WSANs are based on network architecture and protocols in order to enable a network of integrated devices which monitor and control household apparatus

Attitudes toward Nursing Profession and Fear of Infectious Diseases among Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

The uncertainty surrounding the effect of infectious diseases on nursing students’ attitudes toward the nursing profession worldwide exists. This study sought to examine the association between fear of infectious diseases and students’ attitudes toward the nursing profession. Methods: This quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of 477 students enrolled in nursing programs from three universities located in urban and non-urban areas in Saudi Arabia. Results: The study revealed a positive attitude toward nursing and minimal fear of infectious diseases. Junior nursing students reported significantly better attitudes and preferences toward the nursing profession than senior nursing students. Students who reported positive attitudes toward the nursing profession significantly had no intension to discontinue or transfer from nursing programs, whereas students with low attitudes reported significant intention to discontinue their enrollment in the nursing programs. Students in urban universities reported higher significant fear of infectious diseases compare to non-urban. The study revealed a significant negative correlation between fear of infectious diseases and students’ preference for the nursing profession. Conclusions: Nurse educators need to support senior nursing students’ attitudes toward the nursing profession and reduce their fear of infectious diseases, particularly among students studying in urban areas

The impact of event scale-revised : examining its cutoff scores among Arab psychiatric patients and healthy adults within the context of COVID-19 as a collective traumatic event

The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) is the most popular measure of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It has been recently validated in Arabic. This instrumental study aimed to determine optimal cutoff scores of the IES-R and its determined six subscales in Arab samples of psychiatric patients (N = 168, 70.8% females) and healthy adults (N = 992, 62.7% females) from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic as a probable ongoing collective traumatic event. Based on a cutoff score of 14 of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-items (DASS-8), receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis revealed two optimal points of 39.5 and 30.5 for the IES-R in the samples (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.86 & 0.91, p values = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.80–0.92 & 0.87–0.94, sensitivity = 0.85 & 0.87, specificity = 0.73 & 0.83, Youden index = 0.58 & 0.70, respectively). Different cutoffs were detected for the six subscales of the IES-R, with numbing and avoidance expressing the lowest predictivity for distress. Meanwhile, hyperarousal followed by pandemic-related irritability expressed a stronger predictive capacity for distress than all subscales in both samples. In path analysis, pandemic-related irritability/dysphoric mood evolved as a direct and indirect effect of key PTSD symptoms (intrusion, hyperarousal, and numbing). The irritability dimension of the IES-R directly predicted the traumatic symptoms of sleep disturbance in both samples while sleep disturbance did not predict irritability. The findings suggest the usefulness of the IES-R at a score of 30.5 for detecting adults prone to trauma related distress, with higher scores needed for screening in psychiatric patients. Various PTSD symptoms may induce dysphoric mood, which represents a considerable burden that may induce circadian misalignment and more noxious psychiatric problems/co-morbidities (e.g., sleep disturbance) in both healthy and diseased groups

Chain length effect on the structure and stability of antimicrobial peptides of the (RW)n series

Three peptides containing (RW)n-NH2 units (where n=4, 6, and 8) have been chosen to study the effect of the chain length on the structure and stability of the peptide using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Their interactions with Escherichia coli (E. coli) membrane mimetic vesicles are discussed. Infrared results indicate that addition of (RW)n-NH2 units increases intermolecular H bonds with antiparallel orientation. TGA and DSC results reveal that (RW)6-NH2 shows the optimal chain length in terms of stability and all three peptides show a preferential interaction with one of the anionic lipids in E. coli membranes. SEM images of (RW)4-NH2 present large aggregates while those of (RW)6-NH2 and (RW)8-NH2 present layers of sheet-like structure. In the presence of model membranes, (RW)n-NH2 show fibrillar peptide superstructures. This study suggests that repeating structures of (RW)n-NH2 promotes lateral assembly