Sero-epidemiology of bluetongue in ruminants raised on private holdings in North-Western Pakistan.

This study investigated the sero-epidemiology of bluetongue in ruminants in North-Western Pakistan. A total of 3,173 serum samples were collected from small (n = 1,651) and large (n = 1,522) ruminants being reared by farmers in 14 districts. Antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV) were detected using competitive ELISA. The overall prevalence of BTV antibodies was 65%. A significant association (P < 0.05) between the prevalence of BTV antibodies and the risk factors including sex, species, age, area, husbandry practices and breed was shown by univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, the seroprevalence was 6.5 (95% CL = 3.7-11.4), 5.9 (95% CL = 3.8-9.4) and 2.4 (95% CL = 1.5-3.7) times higher in buffaloes, cattle and goats than sheep, respectively. The seroprevalence was 1.4 (95% CL = 1.1-1.7) times higher in local breeds than in cross/exotic breeds. The seroprevalence was 1.6 (95% CL = 1.1 to 2.3) times higher in sedentary animals than in nomadic animals. The seroprevalence was significantly associated with age. Further work is required to determine the BTV serotypes prevalent in the study area for effective control of the disease.

Prevalence and risk factors of bluetongue in small and large ruminants maintained on Government farms in North-western Pakistan.

This study reports prevalence of antibodies against bluetongue virus (BTV) in animals kept on Government farms/research stations in North-western Pakistan and its association with different risk factors. In total, 1257 blood samples were collected, at random, from animals on 12 separate Government farms/research stations. The prevalence of antibodies against BTV was evaluated using a competitive ELISA. Mixed effects univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied to ascertain different risk factors associated with the prevalence of the infection using farm as random effect variable. The overall weighted seroprevalence was recorded as 52%. In univariate analysis, a significant association between sero-conversion to BTV infection and species (P < 0.0001), sex (P < 0.0001), herd size (P = 0.0295) and age of animal (P < 0.0001) was recorded. In multivariate mixed effects logistic regression analysis, prevalence of the infection was found to be 7 (95% CI =2-28) times higher in goats and buffalo than in sheep. Prevalence of the infection was found to be 2.5 (95% CI =1.7-3.3) times higher in female than male animals. However, no significant association was found between sero-conversion of BTV and herd size in multivariate mixed effects logistic regression. Age was found to be a risk factor for the sero-conversion; odds of sero-conversion to BTV increased by 1.29, 1.4, 1.32 and 1.6 times per year increase in age of sheep, goats, buffalo and cattle, respectively. Prevalence of bluetongue was found higher in animals maintained on Government owned farms than that in individual holdings, as previously reported in Pakistan.

Foot-and-mouth disease viruses of the O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e sublineage in Pakistan.

The presence of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) of the O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e sublineage within Pakistan was initially detected in two samples collected during 2019. Analysis of further serotype O FMDVs responsible for disease outbreaks in 2019-2020 in the country has now identified the spread of this sublineage to 10 districts within two separate provinces in North-Eastern and North-Western Pakistan. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that these viruses are closely related to those circulating in Bhutan, Nepal and India. The VP1 coding sequences of these viruses from Pakistan belong to three distinct clusters, which may indicate multiple introductions of this virus sublineage, although the routes of introduction are unknown. Vaccine matching studies against O1 Manisa, O 3039 and O TUR/5/2009 support the suitability of existing vaccine strains to control current field outbreaks, but further studies are warranted to monitor the spread and evolution of the O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e sublineage in the region. (145 words).

Terrorism vulnerability: organizations' ambiguous expectations and employees' conflicting priorities.

This study demonstrates how field employees' perceived threat of terrorism (PTT) is magnified by the incompatibility between role demand (travel and work outdoors) and resources (terrorism-endangered environment). With a foundation in the conservation of resources perspective and transactional theory of stress, a theoretical framework was proposed to test the mediating effect of role ambiguity (RA) and role conflict (RC) in the relationship between PTT and emotional exhaustion (EE). An approach involving confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation was used for analysis. Data from 432 pharmaceutical sales representatives indicate a significant positive relationship between PTT and EE, while RA and RC significantly mediated the relationship. The findings are potentially useful for employers in charge of field employees in high-risk regions by explaining how such groups can be provided with support to reduce their role stress and exhaustion, leading ultimately to increased satisfaction.

Exploring the impact of online information signals in leveraging the economic returns of physicians.

INTRODUCTION: With the growth in Internet technology, online rating websites encourage patients to contribute actively in rating their physicians. These rating sites provide more information for patients, such as electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and physician trustworthiness. Although several studies in e-commerce have investigated the role of eWOM and seller trustworthiness in the consumer purchase decision-making process and the price premium for products or services, studies on the role of different information sources that reflect the service quality and delivery process in choosing a competent physician remain scarce. This research develops a two-equation model to examine the effect of different signals, i.e., patient-generated signals (PGSs) and system-generated signals (SGSs), on patient choice, which is an important predictor of physicians' economic returns. METHODS: A secondary data econometric analysis and structural modeling using 2896 physicians' real data from a publicly available online physician rating site, i.e., Healthgrades.com, were conducted using a mixed-methods approach. A hybrid text mining approach was adopted to calculate the sentiment of each review. RESULTS: We find that both PGSs and SGSs have a significant impact on patient choice at different stages of health consultation. Furthermore, disease risk negatively moderates the association between PGSs and information search, while the impact of both signals on patient willingness to pay a price premium is positively moderated by the disease risk. CONCLUSION: Our study contributes to the unified framework of signaling theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory by making a clear distinction between PGSs or SGSs and their influence on patient decision-making across different disease risks. Moreover, PGSs and SGSs are two essential factors for physicians to increase their income.