Bringing order to Petra's tourism economy

The popularity of Petra, Jordan, as a tourist destination has surged among international visitors since the 1980s. This has led to the tourism sector's emergence as a major source of income for indigenous communities living adjacent to the ancient city's ruins. Rapidly expanding visitor numbers and business activity-both licensed and unlicensed-exposed the need for government to play an active role in organizing Petra's tourism industry. Drawing upon a thematic analysis of interviews I conducted in three tourism-reliant, tribal communities in Petra's vicinity in 2022, this case study examines relations between the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) and indigenous stakeholders in the local economy. Focusing on the period extending from 2019-just before the COVID-19 pandemic's onset-to 2022, I explore local perspectives towards PDTRA policies impacting indigenous work in the tourism sector. I find that legality, size, and internal organization of stakeholder groups affect their capacity to influence political decisions that impact their lives and livelihoods.

Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 mutations in immunodeficient patients.

Long-term severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in immunodeficient patients are an important source of variation for the virus but are understudied. Many case studies have been published which describe one or a small number of long-term infected individuals but no study has combined these sequences into a cohesive dataset. This work aims to rectify this and study the genomics of this patient group through a combination of literature searches as well as identifying new case series directly from the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) dataset. The spike gene receptor-binding domain and N-terminal domain (NTD) were identified as mutation hotspots. Numerous mutations associated with variants of concern were observed to emerge recurrently. Additionally a mutation in the envelope gene, T30I was determined to be the second most frequent recurrently occurring mutation arising in persistent infections. A high proportion of recurrent mutations in immunodeficient individuals are associated with ACE2 affinity, immune escape, or viral packaging optimisation. There is an apparent selective pressure for mutations that aid cell-cell transmission within the host or persistence which are often different from mutations that aid inter-host transmission, although the fact that multiple recurrent de novo mutations are considered defining for variants of concern strongly indicates that this potential source of novel variants should not be discounted.

Global Leaders for Global Teams: Leaders with Multicultural Experiences Communicate and Lead More Effectively, Especially in Multinational Teams

In an era of globalization, it is commonly assumed that multicultural experiences foster leadership effectiveness. However, little research has systematically tested this assumption. We develop a theoretical perspective that articulates how and when multicultural experiences increase leadership effectiveness. We hypothesize that broad multicultural experiences increase individuals' leadership effectiveness by developing their communication competence. Because communication competence is particularly important for leading teams that are more multinational, we further hypothesize that individuals with broader multicultural experiences are particularly effective when leading more versus less multinational teams. Four studies test our theory using mixed methods (field survey, archival panel, field experiments) and diverse populations (corporate managers, soccer managers, hackathon leaders) in different countries (Australia, Britain, China, America). In Study 1, corporate managers with broader multicultural experiences were rated as more effective leaders, an effect mediated by communication competence. Analyzing a 25-year archival panel of English Premier League soccer managers, Study 2 replicates the positive effect of broad multicultural experiences using a team performance measure of leadership effectiveness. Importantly, this effect was moderated by team national diversity: soccer managers with broader multicultural experiences were particularly effective when leading teams with greater national diversity. Study 3 (digital health hackathon) and Study 4 (COVID-19 policy hackathon) replicate these effects in two field experiments, in which individuals with varying levels of multicultural experiences were randomly assigned to lead hackathon teams that naturally varied in national diversity. Overall, our research suggests that broad multicultural experiences help leaders communicate more competently and lead more effectively, especially when leading multinational teams.

Emergence and competition of virus variants in respiratory viral infections.

The emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs) of the SARS-CoV-2 infection is one of the main factors of epidemic progression. Their development can be characterized by three critical stages: virus mutation leading to the appearance of new viable variants; the competition of different variants leading to the production of a sufficiently large number of copies; and infection transmission between individuals and its spreading in the population. The first two stages take place at the individual level (infected individual), while the third one takes place at the population level with possible competition between different variants. This work is devoted to the mathematical modeling of the first two stages of this process: the emergence of new variants and their progression in the epithelial tissue with a possible competition between them. The emergence of new virus variants is modeled with non-local reaction-diffusion equations describing virus evolution and immune escape in the space of genotypes. The conditions of the emergence of new virus variants are determined by the mutation rate, the cross-reactivity of the immune response, and the rates of virus replication and death. Once different variants emerge, they spread in the infected tissue with a certain speed and viral load that can be determined through the parameters of the model. The competition of different variants for uninfected cells leads to the emergence of a single dominant variant and the elimination of the others due to competitive exclusion. The dominant variant is the one with the maximal individual spreading speed. Thus, the emergence of new variants at the individual level is determined by the immune escape and by the virus spreading speed in the infected tissue.

Effect of a repeated verbal reminder of orientation on emergence agitation after general anaesthesia for minimally invasive abdominal surgery: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: An orientation strategy providing repeated verbal reminders of time, place, and person has been widely used for the non-pharmacological management of delirium. We hypothesised that using this strategy could reduce emergence agitation and improve recovery profiles. METHODS: This prospective observer-blinded RCT included male and female patients aged 18-70 yr undergoing minimally invasive abdominal surgery. During emergence from general anaesthesia, subjects in the orientation group (n=57) were provided a repeated reminder, including orientation: '(Patient's name), you are now recovering from general anaesthesia after surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, open your eyes!' via noise-cancelling headphones, whereas those in the control group (n=57) only heard their name: '(Patient's name), open your eyes!'. The primary outcome was the incidence of emergence agitation (Riker sedation agitation scale [SAS] ≥5). The incidence of dangerous agitation (SAS=7), maximal SAS score in the operating room, and recovery profile until 24 h postoperatively were evaluated as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: The incidence of emergence agitation in the operating room was significantly lower in the orientation group than in the control group (16/57 [28.1%] vs 38/57 [66.7%]; relative risk [95% confidence interval], 0.5 [0.3-0.7]; P<0.001). The incidence of dangerous agitation (0 [0.0%] vs 10 [17.5%], P=0.001) and the median maximal SAS score (4 [4-5] vs 5 [4-6], P<0.001) were also lower in the orientation group. Secondary outcomes, other than agitation-related variables, were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated verbal stimulation of orientation may serve as a simple and easily applicable strategy to reduce emergence agitation after general anaesthesia. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05105178.

Adenovirus vector vaccines.

Recently, importance of vaccines for treatment and prevention of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases has been re-recognized. A replication-incompetent adenovirusAdvector DDS vaccine expressing virus antigen proteins is one of the most advanced platforms as a novel vaccine because an Ad vector vaccine can be rapidly applicable to pandemic. In this review, we describe the basic properties of an Ad vector for vaccine, in addition to the summary of the development of an Ad vector vaccine for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including Coronavirus disease 2019COVID-19, worldwide.Copyright © 2022, Japan Society of Drug Delivery System. All rights reserved.

New tourism modeling for the continuation of tourism business activities in the conditions of the corona virus (case study: Sarein tourist city)

The coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan, China in 2019. In fact, the corona virus is one of the crises that recently put not only health, but also all aspects of human life (economic, social, cultural) at risk. The tourism sector is one of the economic sectors that has suffered a lot of losses due to the emergence and spread of this virus, and unfortunately. Although the unsolicited Covid-19 has created problems for human societies, but with proper efforts and policies, it can be turned from a threat into an opportunity and provide the basis for long-term prosperity and development in order to create suitable economic conditions. In this regard, the aim of the current research is to provide a safe tourism model to sustain the businesses of the tourism sector in the current situation of the corona virus in the tourist city of Sareen. The studied community was the owners of businesses in the tourism sector in Sareen city. Purposeful snowball sampling was used to select the interviewees. The criterion for determining the sample size was to reach theoretical saturation, which in this research was achieved by examining 56 samples from the mentioned society. Data collection was done through open questionnaire, note-taking, interview and using documents. Data analysis was done using open, selective and central coding. Based on this, the research model was created. The results of this research showed that it is possible to solve the problems related to the prosperity of the tourism industry in the city of Sarein through accurate and appropriate planning and policy making and with full compliance with health guidelines and with the supervision and coordination of the relevant institutions and the use of new technologies of the tourism improve industry in the crisis situation of Corona.

COVID-19: An Insight on the Third Respiratory Global Emergency of the Century

Introduction: COVID-19 presents a global emergency in recent days and as a consequence, the whole world is in a state of war. Continuous efforts by researchers are being made to establish a sound scientific understanding regarding the behavior of the virus and its pathogenesis. Background(s): In recent days, a lot of scientific data are published describing viral transfusion into host cells, compared with SARS-CoV-1, viability of SARS-CoV-2, fatality and diagnosis of infection among infected patients, thereby, motivating to make right decisions in order to treat and mitigate COVID-19. Review Results: Coronaviruses usually affect the respiratory tract and produce symptoms similar to pneumonia with varied complications. The spike protein on the surface of the virus makes the SARS-CoV-2 phylogenetically different from other viruses of the corona family. SARS-CoV-2 has an affinity to angiotensin converting enzyme-2 receptors present on human cells. The fatality of the disease is found to be low, but the severity of the disease might vary from person to person. The incubation period is 14 days but the symptoms like dry cough and high fever are evident around 3-7 days. Already known anti-inflammatory immunomodulators and antiviral drugs are being tested and still under clinical trials. Conclusion(s): In this review, we are providing an insight into emergence of COVID-19, its correlation with SARS-CoV-1 and the interpretation of global data representing the severity of unexpected dangers for humanity. Certain structural aspects and studies determining the viability of novel coronavirus have also been described. Moreover, case studies of recovered infected patients from COVID-19 explain the progression and patients' pathophysiological conditions while suffering from the infection. Clinical Significance: There are many current strategies which are being tried and practiced to over-come this pandemic disease apart from precautionary measures. Although now, some decline has been seen, but the question still remains the same of whether the scientists are approaching towards the clinical solution, or are still in the midstream. This requires more study and intensive research to finally come to a concrete conclusion.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Tracing COVID-19 Trails in Wastewater: A Systematic Review of SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance with Viral Variants

The emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 associated with varying infectivity, pathogenicity, diagnosis, and effectiveness against treatments challenged the overall management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wastewater surveillance (WWS), i.e., monitoring COVID-19 infections in communities through detecting viruses in wastewater, was applied to track the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants globally. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the use and effectiveness of WWS for new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here we systematically reviewed published articles reporting monitoring of different SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater by following the PRISMA guidelines and provided the current state of the art of this study area. A total of 80 WWS studies were found that reported different monitoring variants of SARS-CoV-2 until November 2022. Most of these studies (66 out of the total 80, 82.5%) were conducted in Europe and North America, i.e., resource-rich countries. There was a high variation in WWS sampling strategy around the world, with composite sampling (50/66 total studies, 76%) as the primary method in resource-rich countries. In contrast, grab sampling was more common (8/14 total studies, 57%) in resource-limited countries. Among detection methods, the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based sequencing method and quantitative RT-PCR method were commonly used for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater. Among different variants, the B1.1.7 (Alpha) variant that appeared earlier in the pandemic was the most reported (48/80 total studies), followed by B.1.617.2 (Delta), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), and others in wastewater. All variants reported in WWS studies followed the same pattern as the clinical reporting within the same timeline, demonstrating that WWS tracked all variants in a timely way when the variants emerged. Thus, wastewater monitoring may be utilized to identify the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2 and follow the development and transmission of existing and emerging variants. Routine wastewater monitoring is a powerful infectious disease surveillance tool when implemented globally.

Emergence in emergency: How actors adapt to service ecosystem disruption

Marketing scholars are applying the concept of emergence to understand an increasingly unstable world. While what emerges is of interest, the present study enriches conceptualisations of how emergence unfolds through a netnographic study of an online network formed to address the deficiencies of service ecosystems disrupted by Covid-19. We identify how a new network between actors with no prior ties to each other is formed at speed by individuals to integrate unregulated resources, and observe the early emergence of a proto-institution in the form of new practices as actors move quickly to stabilise this network. Initial interactions are prompted by individual vulnerability but sustained by the emergence of a shared conception of vulnerability among surprisingly agentic actors. While these findings stem from a single case of disruption, they suggest that further research which deepens understanding of emergent phenomena in conditions of volatility and uncertainty would be of great value. © 2023

The SARS-CoV-2 variants around us: A literature review

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Wuhan (China) has become a global pandemic. Various variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected and the variant number of the virus continues to grow. A particular SARS-CoV-2 variant can be detected in a country that was never infected before by the virus. Furthermore, a specific SARS-CoV-2 variant, which has been detected before in a country, can be detected too in another country. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants is mainly caused by mutations and recombinations. The emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant in a country (which was never infected before by the virus), of course, can be explained easily as it is caused by the effect of the viral spread among countries, although there may be another explanation. On the other hand, the emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant (which has been previously detected in a country) in another country, always has been explained only as it is caused by the effect of the viral spread between countries. However, maybe it is caused by another factor. A literature review was performed to look for the explanation related to the emergence of a certain SARS-Cov-2 variant (which is already detected before in another country) in a country. Based on the literature review results related to the RNA virus genome and its mutation as well as its recombination, it is easy to explain the cause/agent of the emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant (which has been previously detected elsewhere) in another country. In this case, the emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant (which has been previously detected elsewhere) in a country may be caused by mutations and/or recombinations in addition to the probability that it may also occur due to the spread of the virus among countries;so the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variant that has been previously detected elsewhere in other countries does not only occur due to the spread of the virus. © 2023,Malaysian Journal of Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Pretesting of Infographic as a Communication Tool on Pregnant Women During Covid-19 Period.

Purpose: This study was to analyze the responses of informants about Instagram infographics on Covid-19 prevention for pregnant women. Methods: This was a qualitative study that used Rapid Assessment Procedure (RAP) and used pretesting communication theory. The informant selection technique was purposive sampling that consist of three pregnant women as main informants, a midwifery lecturer and a visual graphic designer as key informants. One-to-one pretesting communication procedure was selected because the research was conducted at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, so it had a difficulty in recruiting informants. The interview guideline was conducted by the research team and was examined in a field trial. Data collection was by semi-structured interview using voice call WhatsApp application. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: In attraction aspect, this was considered quite interesting by the informants. In comprehension aspect, the messages were easily understood because of using brief, concise, and simple sentences. Furthermore, the messages were supported by images and comprehensive. In acceptance aspect, all the informants' opinions were identified that the messages of this infographic did not have a conflict with the existing norms. In self-involvement aspect, this infographic was in accordance with the current condition of the informants. In persuasion aspect, it had a good persuasive value as the informants were willing to share the infographic with others. Conclusion: The infographic still needed improvements from the attraction aspect such as consider using contrasting colour between the background and text, equalize the font size and change icons to become related to the text. As from the comprehension aspect consider using terms that are more popular in the community. There were no need improvements from acceptance, self-involvement, and persuasion aspects. However, evidence-based research is still needed on how this infographic is developed and implemented to optimize transfer of knowledge.

The Ecology of Viral Emergence.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on human health, economic well-being, and societal function. It is essential that we use this generational experience to better understand the processes that underpin the emergence of COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases. Herein, I review the mechanisms that determine why and how viruses emerge in new hosts, as well as the barriers to this process. I show that traditional studies of virus emergence have an inherent anthropocentric bias, with disease in humans considered the inevitable outcome of virus emergence, when in reality viruses are integral components of a global ecosystem characterized by continual host jumping with humans also transmitting their viruses to other animals. I illustrate these points using coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, as a case study. I also outline the potential steps that can be followed to help mitigate and prevent future pandemics, with combating climate change a central component.

Estimating the extent of asymptomatic covid-19 and its potential for community transmission: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Knowing the prevalence of true asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases is critical for designing mitigation measures against the pandemic. We aimed to synthesize all available research on asymptomatic cases and transmission rates. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane COVID-19 trials, and Europe PMC for primary studies on asymptomatic prevalence in which (1) the sample frame includes at-risk populations, and;(2) follow-up was sufficient to identify pre-symptomatic cases. Meta-analysis used fixed-effects and random-effects models. We assessed risk of bias by combination of questions adapted from risk of bias tools for prevalence and diagnostic accuracy studies. Results: We screened 2,454 articles and included 13 low risk-of-bias studies from seven countries that tested 21,708 at-risk people, of which 663 were positive and 111 asymptomatic. Diagnosis in all studies was confirmed using a real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction test. The asymptomatic proportion ranged from 4% to 41%. Meta-analysis (fixed effects) found that the proportion of asymptomatic cases was 17% (95% CI 14% to 20%) overall and higher in aged care (20%;95% CI 14% to 27%) than in non-aged care (16%;95% CI 13% to 20%). The relative risk (RR) of asymptomatic transmission was 42% lower than that for symptomatic transmission (combined RR 0.58;95% CI 0.34 to 0.99, p = 0.047). Conclusions: Our one-in-six estimate of the prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and asymptomatic transmission rates is lower than those of many highly publicized studies but still sufficient to warrant policy attention. Further robust epidemiological evidence is urgently needed, including in subpopulations such as children, to better understand how asymptomatic cases contribute to the pandemic.

The risk of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emergence in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

We estimated the probability of undetected emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in 25 low and middle-income countries (LMICs) prior to December 5, 2021. In nine countries, the risk exceeds 50 %; in Turkey, Pakistan and the Philippines, it exceeds 99 %. Risks are generally lower in the Americas than Europe or Asia.