Citizen Vain? Exposure to the UK Citizenship Test Predicts Milder Demands from Immigrants Across the Political Spectrum

Passing the Life in the UK Test is an essential requirement for those who seek UK citizenship. This citizenship test, attempted around 150,000 times per year, has incurred criticism for its content and difficulty, and for its role in causing psychological distress. We examined, among a representative adult UK population, people’s reactions to this important instrument. Results showed that two-thirds (66.4%) of UK residents, most of whom held citizenship, failed their own countries citizenship test. Participants on the right (vs. left) of the political and ideological spectrum were more likely to overestimate their own performance and demand higher performance from immigrants than left-leaning voters, even though these voters’ actual performance did not differ. Strikingly, completing the Life in the UK Test caused participants to subsequently endorse milder test requirements; a finding that generalized well across political ideology and voter categories. Initial overconfidence in one’s own test performance mediated this change in attitudes. Results suggest that support for improving the Life in the UK Test can be garnered across the political spectrum by confronting people with the content of this life-changing tool

Communautés d’araignées (Arthropoda, Araneae) dans différentes forêts de pins de la réserve de chasse de Zéralda (Alger, Algérie) : taxinomie et biodiversité

La réserve de chasse de Zéralda est située dans le nord de l’Algérie, à environ 30 km à l’ouest d’Alger. Elle couvre une superficie de 1078 ha dont 460 ha sont principalement une forêt naturelle de Pinus halepensis, et des plantations de Pinus pinea et Pinus canariensis. Ces différents biotopes sont favorables à la présence de différentes faunes en général et de la faune du sol en particulier. L’échantillonnage a été effectué en utilisant des pièges Barber. Au total, 48 espèces d’araignées ont été collectées, appartenant à 33 genres et à 17 familles. Les résultats n’ont montré aucune différence dans la richesse des espèces entre les trois types de forêts, mais en ont montré d’une part entre les forêts fermées et celles ouvertes, et d’autre part entre les formations selon qu’elles sont pures ou mixtes. Les facteurs abiotiques comme l’humidité du sol, le pH et la couverture végétale ont un impact sur certaines espèces. Les sites ouverts avec une couverture herbacée dense sont les plus riches et les plus diversifiés. Ils présentent les niches écologiques favorables pour les espèces les plus rares en particulier.The game reserve of Zéralda located in northern Algeria, at about 30 km West of Algiers, covers an area of 1078 ha of which 460 ha are mainly Pinus halepensis natural forest, with planted stands of Pinus pinea and Pinus canariensis. This mixed forest is favourable to the invertebrate fauna in general and the soil fauna in particular. The sampling was done using pitfalls traps. A total of 48 spider species were collected, belonging to 33 genera and 17 families. The results showed no difference in species richness between the three forest types but there were differences between closed and open forests on the one hand and between pure and mixed forests on the other. Abiotic factors such as soil humidity, pH as well as vegetation cover had an impact on some species. Open sites with dense herbaceous cover are the richest and the most diverse and provided favourable ecological niches for the rarest species

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Spider communities (arthropoda, araneae) in different pine forests of Zéralda game reserve (Algiers, Algeria) : taxonomy and biodiversity

The game reserve of Zéralda located in northern Algeria, at about 30 km West of Algiers, covers an area of 1078 ha of which 460 ha are mainly Pinus halepensis natural forest, with planted stands of Pinus pinea and Pinus canariensis. This mixed forest is favourable to the invertebrate fauna in general and the soil fauna in particular. The sampling was done using pitfalls traps. A total of 48 spider species were collected, belonging to 33 genera and 17 families. The results showed no difference in species richness between the three forest types but there were differences between closed and open forests on the one hand and between pure and mixed forests on the other. Abiotic factors such as soil humidity, pH as well as vegetation cover had an impact on some species. Open sites with dense herbaceous cover are the richest and the most diverse and provided favourable ecological niches for the rarest species.Communautés d’araignées (Arthropoda, Araneae) dans différentes forêts de pins de la réserve de chasse de Zéralda (Alger, Algérie) : taxinomie et biodiversité. La réserve de chasse de Zéralda est située dans le nord de l’Algérie, à environ 30 km à l’ouest d’Alger. Elle couvre une superficie de 1078 ha dont 460 ha sont principalement une forêt naturelle de Pinus halepensis, et des plantations de Pinus pinea et Pinus canariensis. Ces différents biotopes sont favorables à la présence de différentes faunes en général et de la faune du sol en particulier. L’échantillonnage a été effectué en utilisant des pièges Barber. Au total, 48 espèces d’araignées ont été collectées, appartenant à 33 genres et à 17 familles. Les résultats n’ont montré aucune différence dans la richesse des espèces entre les trois types de forêts, mais en ont montré d’une part entre les forêts fermées et celles ouvertes, et d’autre part entre les formations selon qu’elles sont pures ou mixtes. Les facteurs abiotiques comme l’humidité du sol, le pH et la couverture végétale ont un impact sur certaines espèces. Les sites ouverts avec une couverture herbacée dense sont les plus riches et les plus diversifiés. Ils présentent les niches écologiques favorables pour les espèces les plus rares en particulier.Touchi Wahida, Kherbouche-Abrous Ourida, Saadi Amina, Beladjal Lynda. Spider communities (arthropoda, araneae) in different pine forests of Zéralda game reserve (Algiers, Algeria) : taxonomy and biodiversity. In: Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et La Vie), tome 73, n°3, 2018. pp. 269-282

Spider communities (Arthropoda, Araneae) in different pine forests of Zéralda game reserve (Algiers, Algeria) : taxonomy and biodiversity

The game reserve of Zéralda located in northern Algeria, at about 30 km West of Algiers, covers an area of 1078 ha of which 460 ha are mainly Pinus halepensis natural forest, with planted stands of Pinus pinea and Pinus canariensis. This mixed forest is favourable to the invertebrate fauna in general and the soil fauna in particular. The sampling was done using pitfalls traps. A total of 48 spider species were collected, belonging to 33 genera and 17 families. The results showed no difference in species richness between the three forest types but there were differences between closed and open forests on the one hand and between pure and mixed forests on the other. Abiotic factors such as soil humidity, pH as well as vegetation cover had an impact on some species. Open sites with dense herbaceous cover are the richest and the most diverse and provided favourable ecological niches for the rarest species

Study for evidence of bacteria contamination in the southern part of the Diyala River / Iraq

Were studied some bacteria evidence of pollution as well as the total number of live bacteria in the waters of the Diyala river and selected five stations within the 17 km final Diyala River before its mouth in the Tigris River was the first before the new bridge of the Diyala River about 4 km and the second after the mouth of the water purification plant Rustumiya suit inverselywith temperature

Moroccan medical students’ perceptions of their educational environment

This study aimed to assess students’ perceptions of their educational environment in the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, Morocco, using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM). A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, Morocco, in which medical students’ perceptions of their educational environment were assessed using the DREEM criteria during the 2013-2014 academic years. The DREEM inventory encompasses 50 items divided into five subdomains: perceptions of learning, perceptions of teaching, academic self-perceptions, perceptions of atmosphere, and social self-perceptions. The DREEM has a maximum score of 200, which would correspond to a perfect educational environment. The mean scores (±standard deviation) of students’ responses were compared according to their year of study and gender. The responses of 189 postgraduate medical students were included. The mean total DREEM score was 90.8 (45.4%). The mean total scores for five subdomains were 21.2/48 (44.2%), 21.8/44 (49.6%), 13.1/32 (40.9%), 19.0/48 (39.6%), and 15.6/28 (55.7%) respectively. Female students reported higher perceptions of teaching scores than males (P=0.002), and students in their fifth year of study reported significantly higher social self-perceptions scores than those in their fourth year (P=0.03). In this study of the oldest faculty of medicine in Morocco, students perceived the educational environment as having many problems