Search

Although pneumococcal vaccines are quite effective in reducing disease burden, factors such as imperfect vaccine efficacy and serotype replacement present an important challenge against realizing direct and herd protection benefits of the vaccines. In this study, a novel mathematical model is designed and used to describe the dynamics of two Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) serotypes, in response to the introduction of a cohort vaccination program which targets one of the two serotypes. The model is fitted to a pediatric SP carriage prevalence data from Atlanta, GA. The model, which is rigorously analysed to investigate the existence and asymptotic stability properties of the associated equilibria (in addition to exploring conditions for competitive exclusion), is simulated to assess the impact of vaccination under different levels of serotype-specific competition and illustrate the phenomenon of serotype replacement. The calibrated model is used to forecast the carriage prevalence in the pediatric cohort over 30 years.

This research paper investigates the level of awareness about investment opportunities among higher education students, with a focus on preferred investment options and awareness levels. The objectives of the study are threefold to identify different contemporary investment opportunities, to measure the level of awareness among higher education students, and to explore the highly preferred investment options among these students. To achieve these objectives, we conducted a survey of 101 higher education students to gather data about their investment preferences and levels of awareness about different investment opportunities. Our findings indicate that while the majority of students are aware of traditional investment opportunities such as real estate, stocks, and bonds, their awareness of newer investment opportunities such as cryptocurrencies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is low. Furthermore, we found that majority of the students are already aware of investment opportunities and their long-term goal is to being financially independent. This suggests that educational interventions could play a key role in improving financial literacy among higher education students. In conclusion, our study highlights the need for greater awareness and education about contemporary investment opportunities amongst higher education students. This research contributes to the literature on financial literacy and investment behaviour among young adults, and has important implications for educators, policymakers, and financial service providers seeking to improve financial literacy and investment behaviour among this demographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]