ABSTRACT
Cases of intimate partner violence increased manifold across the world during COVID-19. Researchers have been trying to find out indigenous factors leading to such behaviors, especially among men. Using the lens of the exosystem factor model of ecological theory, we designed the current study to identify the socioeconomic factors in deciding on the intensity of intimate partner violence and its subsequent impact on the psychological and physical wellbeing of women. In this regard, financial autonomy and asset ownership status of women, as well as financial issues and drug abuse among men, were studied as major factors. The study also investigated the moderating role of the asset ownership status of women. A multistage cluster sampling technique was used to collect data from 1516 females in three waves through trained enumerators. We analyzed the moderated mediation model using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique in AMOS version 26. Results indicated that financial autonomy and asset ownership status of women are negatively related to intimate partner violence and positively related to the psychological and physical wellbeing of women. Similarly, financial issues and drug abuse among men were found positively related to intimate partner violence and negatively related to the psychological and physical wellbeing of women. The interaction effect of the asset ownership status of women was also significant. Overall, significant moderated mediation was found. The results have several implications for various stakeholders including society, policymakers, and researchers. The study has extended the validity of the exosystem factor model of ecological theory and significantly contributed to the literature on intimate partner violence. Especially the moderating role of the asset ownership status of women based on their inherited assets was a significant contribution, especially in the context of the recent enforcement of "Women's Property Rights Act 2021" by Pakistan.
ABSTRACT
Development of effective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global imperative. Rapid immunization of the entire human population against a widespread, continually evolving, and highly pathogenic virus is an unprecedented challenge, and different vaccine approaches are being pursued. Engineered filamentous bacteriophage (phage) particles have unique potential in vaccine development due to their inherent immunogenicity, genetic plasticity, stability, cost-effectiveness for large-scale production, and proven safety profile in humans. Herein we report the development and initial evaluation of two targeted phage-based vaccination approaches against SARS-CoV-2: dual ligand peptide-targeted phage and adeno-associated virus/phage (AAVP) particles. For peptide-targeted phage, we performed structure-guided antigen design to select six solvent-exposed epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. One of these epitopes displayed on the major capsid protein pVIII of phage induced a specific and sustained humoral response when injected in mice. These phage were further engineered to simultaneously display the peptide CAKSMGDIVC on the minor capsid protein pIII to enable their transport from the lung epithelium into the systemic circulation. Aerosolization of these "dual-display" phage into the lungs of mice generated a systemic and specific antibody response. In the second approach, targeted AAVP particles were engineered to deliver the entire S protein gene under the control of a constitutive CMV promoter. This induced tissue-specific transgene expression, stimulating a systemic S protein-specific antibody response in mice. With these proof-of-concept preclinical experiments, we show that both targeted phage- and AAVP-based particles serve as robust yet versatile platforms that can promptly yield COVID-19 vaccine prototypes for translational development.