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In India, child sexual abuse is a widespread, serious, and long-growing problem. Children are generally abused by the people known to them and less likely by strangers. A majority of people remain numb about the issues because of fear, denial from the community and social stigma and also result in less reported cases among the victims. Our aim was to assess early adolescent girl's knowledge on child sexual abuse and self-protection and assess the effectiveness of interactive education programs. For the study, we adopted one group of pre-test and post-test designs. A total of 30 early adolescent girls from a selected school participated. The intervention consisted of interactive education program using role-play, discussion, storytelling, and audiovisual aids. Knowledge about CSA and self-protection was assessed pre- and post-intervention. There were significant changes in the knowledge score of pre-test from post-test (t = -7.632, P < 0.001) following interactive sessions. Also, the mean for self-protection was significantly lower than the post-test mean. After the intervention, there were significant changes in the knowledge score of pre-test from post-test (t = -5.722, P < 0.001). The results also show that the education of parents and monthly family income had significant association with the pre-intervention knowledge level. Interactive education program effectively increases the knowledge level on CSA and self-protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arts Magazine is the property of Thamar University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Self-deception refers to an individual holding inflated beliefs about their abilities, plays a crucial role in human behavior and decision-making. Individuals may inflate their abilities when subject to comparisons with others. This study examined the impact of social comparison on self-deception through the implementation of two behavioral experiments. Methods: In Experiment 1, we recruited a sample of 152 undergraduate students. Participants were falsely informed that they performed better (downward comparison) and worse (upward comparison) than average on a game. Subsequently, their level of self-deception was assessed by asking them to predict their performance in a future game, with more inflated predictions indicating greater self-deception. In Experiment 2, we gathered 126 undergraduate students to broaden the current study. This experiment examined the combined effects of comparison direction and comparison gap on self-deceptive behavior. Results: The findings showed that self-deception was more common in circumstances of upward comparison than in downward comparison or no comparison (Experiment 1). Furthermore, Individuals were more inclined to participate in self-deception when encountering a notable performance gap relative to others, particularly in scenarios involving upward social comparison (Experiment 2). Conclusion: The findings suggested that when confronted with threatening social comparative information, people tended to use self-deception to protect themselves. Members of the large gap group experienced strong feelings of unfairness and negative emotions, which led to self-protective behaviors and a greater likelihood of self-deception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution to the longstanding risk theory debate on optimal self‐protection, we aim to enrich the microeconomic modeling of self‐protection, in the wake of Ehrlich and Becker (1972), by exploring the representation of risk perception at the core of the Health Belief Model (HBM), a conceptual framework extremely influential in Public Health studies (Janz and Becker, 1984). In our two‐period model, we highlight the crucial role of risk perception in the individual decision to adopt a preventive behavior toward a generic health risk. We discuss the optimal prevention effort engaged by an agent displaying either imperfect knowledge of the susceptibility (probability of occurrence) or the severity (magnitude of the loss) of a health hazard, or facing uncertainty on these risk components. We assess the impact of risk aversion and prudence on the optimal level of self‐protection, a critical issue in the risk and insurance economic literature, yet often overlooked in HBM studies. Our results pave the way for the design of efficient information instruments to improve health prevention when risk perceptions are biased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, child sexual abuse is a widespread, serious, and long-growing problem. Children are generally abused by the people known to them and less likely by strangers. A majority of people remain numb about the issues because of fear, denial from the community and social stigma and also result in less reported cases among the victims. Our aim was to assess early adolescent girl’s knowledge on child sexual abuse and self-protection and assess the effectiveness of interactive education programs. For the study, we adopted one group of pre-test and post-test designs. A total of 30 early adolescent girls from a selected school participated. The intervention consisted of interactive education program using role-play, discussion, storytelling, and audiovisual aids. Knowledge about CSA and self-protection was assessed pre- and post-intervention. There were significant changes in the knowledge score of pre-test from post-test (t = -7.632, P < 0.001) following interactive sessions. Also, the mean for self-protection was significantly lower than the post-test mean. After the intervention, there were significant changes in the knowledge score of pre-test from post-test (t = -5.722, P < 0.001). The results also show that the education of parents and monthly family income had significant association with the pre-intervention knowledge level. Interactive education program effectively increases the knowledge level on CSA and self-protection.

Self-deception refers to an individual holding inflated beliefs about their abilities, and it plays a crucial role in human behavior and decision-making. The present study employed event-related potentials (ERPs) technique to explore the neural responses to the impacts of social comparison direction and comparison gap on self-deceptive behavior. They were instructed to predict their performance in the forward-looking paradigm. Behavioral responses and neural reactions during the decision-making process were documented. The behavioral results indicated that, in contrast to the downward comparison condition, participants engaged in upward comparison exhibited more occurrences of self-deception. However, within the context of upward comparison, participants demonstrated a higher frequency of self-deception in the large gap condition compared with the small gap condition. The ERP results showed that induced self-deception under conditions with a large comparative gap between participants and their paired counterparts stimulated larger P300 and smaller N400 amplitude than under conditions with a small gap. However, when participants were in the upward comparison situation, the late positive potential (LPP) amplitude induced by self-deception behavior in the condition of a large comparison gap between participants and paired opponents was larger than that in the condition of a small comparison gap. These results indicated that individuals in the large gap group feel strong unfairness and negative emotions. More importantly, the self-deception induced by the large gap group in the upward comparison situation used fewer cognitive resources than the small gap condition, whereas the individuals in the downward comparison situation did not show the difference in cognitive resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite signifying a negative self-appraisal, shame has traditionally been thought by philosophers to entail the presence of self-respect in the individual. On this account, shame is occasioned by one's failure to live up to certain self-standards—in displaying less worth than one thought one had—and this moves one to hide or otherwise inhibit oneself in an effort to protect one's self-worth. In this paper, I argue against the notion that only self-respecting individuals can experience shame. Contrary to the idea that shame presupposes the presence of self-worth, I contend that shame merely requires that one have the desire, rather than the expectation, that one is worthy. Furthermore, I suggest that the desire for concealment fueled by shame is not an inherently self-protective mechanism but can alternatively be understood as an effort to safeguard one's connection with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonlinear mathematical model to study the effect of transmission dynamics of COVID-19 virus in a population with variable size structure is proposed and analyzed. The model divides the total human population into five subclasses: susceptibles, self-protected susceptibles, infectives, quarantined infectives, and recovered population including a class representing cumulative density of coronavirus in the environmental reservoir. The model exhibits two equilibria, namely, the diseasefree and the endemic equilibrium. Model analysis reveals the global dynamics of the spread of COVID-19 is completely determined by the basic reproduction number. If basic reproduction number is greater than one, the endemic equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable and is globally asymptotically stable under certain conditions showing that the disease becomes endemic. It is found that the infective population can be decreased if the individuals from susceptible population self protect themselves and do not come in direct contact with viral density deposited on surfaces or airborne droplets accumulated in the environmental reservoir. However, if higher number of individuals from infective class are quarantined at home or hospital, the spread of the disease can further be slowed down. Numerical analysis of the model is also performed to investigate the influence of certain key parameters on the spread of the disease and to support the analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, public authorities and rescue services have been discussing how Medical First Responders (MFRs) should behave in an Active Violent Incident (AVI) where it is necessary to weigh up self-protection and the rescuing of others. The aim of this exploratory study is to generate a preliminary picture of how European MFRs position themselves on this and related questions. With the help of a network of experts, an AVI scenario and accompanying questionnaire were developed and pretested. A refined version was then distributed among MFRs in eight European countries and Israel. We performed descriptive statistics and tested for significant differences among the participating countries. 1164 MFRs completed the survey. In the absence of police protection, a majority of respondents opted against providing immediate casualty care (56.6 %). Under certain circumstances, however, the rest decided in favour. More than 65.5 % did not fear disciplinary or legal consequences for not providing assistance immediately. Even with police protection, one in ten respondents would still not enter a “yellow zone”, one in four would leave this to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) units specifically trained for such operations. While there are very few strong contrasts between MFRs with different work experience, roles (supervisor/instructor) or additional qualifications (e.g., firefighting, military service), there are significant differences between MFRs from participating countries. Most notably, (1) only Norwegian participants identified, on average, a clear paradigm shift from “safety first” to “controlled risk taking”; (2) while 69.8 % of the Austrian cohort were unwilling to enter without being escorted by the police, among Norwegians MFRs the figure was 42.7 %; (3) the question whether “weapons” are “useful” equipment in such a scenario is particularly divisive (ranging from 14.3 % of German to 58.9 % of Israeli respondents). Although most of the questions were answered in the same way by a large majority, significant differences can be observed, especially between countries. We offer various explanations for these and discuss whether MFRs can actually remain passive given the situational normative forces inherent to an AVI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even after the official end of the pandemic, its psychological consequences remain important subjects of investigation. This study aims to explore the relationship between the perception of unpredictability and perceived harm with overall well-being and motives related to self-protection and disease avoidance. The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study during the period of high mortality rates in Brazil (between June and July 2021), collecting data from 127 participants through online questionnaires. The results revealed a positive correlation between self-protection and unpredictability, suggesting that the pandemic's uncertainty influenced protective behaviors. Additionally, disease avoidance was positively correlated with unpredictability and perceived harm, while subjective well-being had a negative correlation. In other words, the unpredictability of the situation seemed to influence disease avoidance behaviors, while perceived harm negatively affected participants' sense of well-being. Furthermore, regression analyzes indicate that unpredictability predicted self-protection, while perceived damage predicted disease avoidance. Both unpredictability and perceived damage predicted subjective well-being, impacting individuals' overall psychological well-being during the pandemic. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the unpredictability experienced during the pandemic and the perceived damage influenced the individuals to engage in behaviors focused on self-protection and disease avoidance, while also contributing to a decrease on in subjective well-being. This study sheds light on pandemic's impact on psychological well-being and our core motives, providing valuable insights into the lasting effects of this unprecedented event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mnemic neglect (MN) is a self-protection strategy that displays robustness in the general adult population. This phenomenon involves adults selectively suppressing feedback that challenges their core beliefs. However, there are circumstances where the stability of mnemic neglect is disrupted, leading to a reversal of its effects, resulting in subjects recalling more central negative information. The objective of the current study was to investigate the manifestation of the mnemic neglect effect in middle school children, considering two fundamental dimensions of social cognition. The findings revealed that MN: (a) was evident in senior high school freshmen when evaluated within the warmth dimension, (b) did not manifest in senior high school freshmen when assessed under the competence dimension. These experimental results indicate that MN was observed solely among senior high school freshmen within the warmth dimension and did not occur within the context of competence. To a certain extent, the way individuals process self-threatening information also affects the maintenance of their good self-concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against children represents a public health problem, due to the high levels of recurrence. The responsibility to naturalize the facts points to: neglect, lack of protection, misinformation, media treatment, ways of providing discipline and the poor approach to the protagonists of this story: girls and boys. Educommunication is a practical theoretical field, which allowed an interdisciplinary approach to the problem of violence towards children in 3 municipalities of Bolivia. Also, it involved main actors, granting them coresponsibilities and appropriate knowledge to generate self-protection mechanisms, prevent acts of physical, psychological and sexual violence, and promote the transformation of the lives of these populations, who are often in situations of high vulnerability., achieving adequate management to reduce these events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how people make decisions over preventive behaviors under ambiguity (i.e., Knightian uncertainty) where they do not even know the probability of a loss. In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, scientific uncertainty makes it hard to evaluate not only whether one will be infected, but also probabilities such as the infection rate. We constructed a simple model and demonstrated how its effect was heterogeneous depending on ambiguity-attitudes. Motivated by the model, we further conducted a survey experiment in Japan where we manipulated the information regarding scientific uncertainty on COVID-19. We found that higher ambiguity induced by scientific uncertainty increased the level of social distancing among ambiguity-loving people, but such evidence was nonexistent for ambiguity-averse counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the global outbreak of COVID-19, the virus has continuously mutated and can survive in the air for long periods of time. This paper establishes and analyzes a model of COVID-19 with self-protection and quarantine measures affected by viruses in the environment to investigate the influence of viruses in the environment on the spread of the outbreak, as well as to develop a rational prevention and control measure to control the spread of the outbreak. The basic reproduction number was calculated and Lyapunov functions were constructed to discuss the stability of the model equilibrium points. The disease-free equilibrium point was proven to be globally asymptotically stable when $ R_0 < 1 $, and the endemic equilibrium point was globally asymptotically stable when $ R_0 > 1 $. The model was fitted using data from COVID-19 cases in Chongqing between November 1 to November 25, 2022. Based on the numerical analysis, the following conclusion was obtained: clearing the virus in the environment and strengthening the isolation measures for infected people can control the epidemic to a certain extent, but enhancing the self-protection of individuals can be more effective in reducing the risk of being infected and controlling the transmission of the epidemic, which is more conducive to the practical application.

The rise in child sexual violence (CSV) cases in Central Java Province worries all levels of society, specifically parents and teachers. Preventive efforts include providing child sexual education, which has been massively promoted by the governments, teachers, and parents to prevent sexual violence against children. The researchers raise the problem of the study “How do kindergarten teachers in Semarang city perceive self-protection as a prevention to CSV?” to explore kindergarten teachers’ perception of self-protection as a tool to prevent CSV. This study used a qualitative method with a phenomenology approach. The participants of the study were classified based on specific criteria. The results showed that self-protection materials, as a prevention to CSV, cover an introduction to body parts in a girl and a boy, sexual relationship knowledge between man and woman, and other knowledge and skills provided to children from an early age. Besides perception, teachers conveyed sexual education materials, including toilet training activities and self-protection materials through movies, videos, songs, and dolls. Sexual education materials adjusted to culture are how to dress, how to speak, and shyness in behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWhile most players enjoy video gaming, a minority suffer from problematic gaming. Existing studies focused on risk factors and proposed legislative and technological measures to contain the undesirable consequences. The present study aims to examine whether players’ healthy gaming practices can protect themselves against problematic gaming. We conducted a longitudinal survey at a public university in China, 604 college students took the first wave survey, and 365 of them completed the second wave six months later. The results showed that protective gaming beliefs and behaviors at baseline were negatively associated with problematic gaming tendency, and positively associated with mental health and well-being at follow-up. Problematic gaming tendency did not predict mental health and well-being. The findings suggested that players’ self-regulation can be an effective measure against problematic gaming and promote mental health and well-being. The present study can inspire stakeholders to develop additional approaches to help at-risk and problematic players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-protection is a costly activity that reduces the probability of an unfavorable outcome. Even the simplest model with a binary risk of loss and expected utility of final wealth produces interesting comparative statics that are by no means trivial. This article provides a selective survey of the economics of self-protection. It puts particular emphasis on the contributions made by members of the European Group of Risk and Insurance Economists and research published in the Geneva Risk and Insurance Review. The article provides a conceptual framework to catalog existing models of self-protection, discusses the tension between risk aversion and downside risk aversion, reveals the role of probability thresholds, surveys extensions to non-expected utility, and highlights the recent surge in two-period models. Ideas for future research directions are also developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Administración Pública is the property of Centro de Estudios Politicos y Constitucionales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

If a firm afflicted by a disaster chooses to donate to disaster relief, how will this decision affect the firm's market value? From a self-protection perspective, diverting resources to support the public may jeopardize a firm's continuity and thereby reduce its value. Yet from a reputation-building perspective, supporting the public in need may enhance corporate reputation and thus increase firm value. In this study, we contrasted the two perspectives to develop a conceptual framework consisting of various competing hypotheses. We tested these hypotheses using data on Chinese firms' donations to disaster relief during the first coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak. Our analysis shows that firms' donations generally led to an increase in firm value. This was especially true for firms that were smaller or less profitable, firms that donated goods in addition to cash, and firms that donated before an increasing number of industry peers had done so. These results support the reputation-building perspective, suggesting that even when firms are afflicted by disaster exposure, their donations are still recognized as a value-adding investment. In contrast, donating a larger amount of cash and donating on an earlier day after the onset of the outbreak resulted in a lower firm value. These results align with the self-protection perspective, pointing to the need to consider resource preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this work is critical analysis of key segments of the civil law institute of retention, i.e., the right to retain the debtor’s property – primarily in positive Serbian law, but also in European regulations with the longest tradition of civil codes. Through the application of various scientific methods, particularly axiological and comparative law, the author analyzes and evaluates the following segments of Ius retentionis: definition, content and effect, forms, conditions for establishment, protection, and termination, with demarcation from related institutes. Commenting on various positive legislative solutions, the author also reflects on: the solutions of two previously drafted drafts that embody potential proposals for future Serbian civil law; as well as the model-rule DCFR, which constitutes part of the “soft” law of the EU, with which the domestic solution is useful to harmonize in the future, with the aim of determining the direction of further development of this institute. By providing explanation of some doctrinal and disputed retention issues (such as: permitted object, scope, legal nature), the author provides an authentic picture of this useful, but controversial institute. The author concludes that retention can be described as unfinished real right sui generis, an atypical legal real guarantee authentically exercised by self-protection technique, whose ratio legis is threefold: social, material and procedural justification. All of this finally outlines the direction of its further affirmation, i.e., the strengthening of retention in all segments of the institute, regarding: effect, content, expansion of the object, simplified conditions for establishment, as well as an increasing number of modalities.

The institute of protection of rights of construction contractors and customers under the legislation of the Republic of Singapore and the Kingdom of Thailand is considered. The purpose of the article is a comparative legal analysis of the ways of protection of the rights of parties to construction contracts in these states. The article presents a comprehensive view at this issue from a legal point of view. The normative basis for regulating the construction industry in Singapore and Thailand includes Civil codes and special legal acts (construction laws, by-laws of ministries and departments). Protection of rights includes measures of responsibility, measures of protection, measures of operational influence and measures of self-defense. Such methods of protection as reco very of liquidated damages, unjust enrichment, special contractual clauses, suspension of fulfillment of obligations and others are analyzed. It is noted that recovery of liquidated damages is a common method of protection of rights in foreign countries. However, this method is not typical for the Russian Federation. Unjust enrichment and restitution are considered equivalent and interrelated concepts applied in various relations, including construction. Self-protection measures include the inclusion of various clauses in construction contracts, suspension of fulfilment of obligations. The parties have the right to stipulate in the contract a condition of exclusion or limitation of liability, if such a condition is not prohibited by law. In the states in question, the rights of construction clients and contractors may be protected through various bodies. Most often construction disputes are resolved in courts or in arbitration. It is concluded that the legal regulation of protection of the rights of the parties to a construction contract in these states was formed under the influence of both continental and Anglo-Saxon legal families. At the same time, these countries have their own customs and traditions, that are unique and original. Based on the conducted research, a proposal for reforming the current civil legislation of the Russian Federation in terms of protection of the rights of construction contractors has been formulated.

Wave concentrators have important application value in ocean engineering. Moreover, the performance of a concentrator on structural protection is important in the context of the complex ocean environment. A series of numerical simulations of the self-protected energy concentrator (SPEC) is performed under nonlinear wave conditions. The SPEC includes eight truncated cylinders arranged in a concentric circle. The performance of SPEC and the distribution of fluid field are studied by establishing a computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) model. It can be concluded that increasing wave steepness can weaken the self-protection performance and concentration effects due to its strong nonlinearity. The wave directions have little effect on the performance of SPEC. In addition, the change based on the target wave number can result in poor performance of SPEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 has long been regarded as a major risk factor of the respiratory system, which constitutes a threat to human health. Although the positive relationship between PM2.5 exposure and the development of respiratory diseases has been well established, limited studies investigate the intrinsic self‐protection mechanisms against PM2.5‐induced respiratory injuries. Excessive pulmonary inflammation served as a key pathogenic mechanism in PM2.5‐induced airway dysfunction, and we have previously shown that PM2.5 induced the production of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in the bronchial epithelial cells, which subsequently led to pulmonary inflammatory responses. In the current study, we found that PM2.5 also concurrently induced the expression of the stress‐responsive protein heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) along with VEGFA in the bronchial epithelial cells both in vivo and in vitro. Importantly, knocking down of HO‐1 expression significantly increased the synthesis and secretion of VEGFA; while overexpression of HO‐1 showed the opposite effects, indicating that HO‐1 induction can antagonize VEGFA production in the bronchial epithelial cells upon PM2.5 exposure. Mechanistically, HO‐1 inhibited PM2.5‐evoked VEGFA induction through modulating hypoxia‐inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF‐1α), which was the upstream transcriptional factor of VEGFA. More specifically, HO‐1 could not only inhibit HIF‐1α expression, but also suppress its transactivity. Taken together, our results suggested that HO‐1 was an intrinsic protective factor against PM2.5‐induced pulmonary VEGFA production with a mechanism relating to HIF‐1α, thus providing a potential treatment strategy against PM2.5 triggered airway injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic skins (E‐skins) capable of biomechanical/bioelectrical signal acquisition are intensively pursued for human‐centered healthcare of daily life. For practical use, it is highly desired, yet challenging, to mass‐produce E‐skins that are soft and breathable for wearing comfort, skin‐adhesive for robust signal acquisition, multi‐signal sensing for enhanced healthcare data. Herein, a scalable fabrication strategy for a bioinspired E‐skin (SPRABE‐skin) with a multi‐layered architecture is reported that integrates skin‐like softness, self‐protection, self‐adhesion, breathability, and bimodal sensing in a single patch. The fibrous thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) scaffold endows the SPRABE‐skin with tissue‐like softness (Young's modulus of 3.36 MPa) and stretchability, good permeability to water vapor, and self‐protection against adverse loading events. A strain sensing layer composed of MXene‐carbon nanotubes@TPU (MXene‐CNT@TPU) composition exhibits ultra‐high sensitivity in a wide sensing range (gauge factor at strain of 485% reaches 63 494). An electrode layer made of MXene‐waterborne polyurethane (MXene‐WPU) provides a highly adhesive electrode‐skin interface, which enables the acquisition of biopotentials, such as electrocardiograph (ECG), electromyograph (EMG), electroencephalo‐graph (EEG), with improved fidelity even under various dynamic interferences. Finally, a SPRABE‐skin based human‐centered healthcare system is demonstrated that realizes the wireless, long‐duration, and dynamic monitoring of ECG and running activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do we achieve the protection of vulnerable civilians from violent non-state actors in Nigeria? This article argues that despite the seemingly different approaches of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, both can align at an intrastate implementation level to protect exposed communities from armed groups. The UN's adoption of a people-centric approach to counter-terrorism (CT) and the preventive measures against heinous crimes instituted in pillars one and two of R2P creates the space for this cooperation. This article further shows how practitioners can integrate both regimes with local networks to provide a holistic civilian protection strategy. This approach encompasses international, state, and local agency in halting the proliferation and activities of violent non-state groups. I espouse a framework for the protection of vulnerable Nigerian populations based on three factors – community self-protection, economic well-being, and ideological reorientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Health anxiety (HA), defined as excessive worry about having a serious medical condition, may affect preventive behaviors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We examined the distinct role of two dimensions of HA—perceived likelihood (probability dimension) and awfulness of illness (awfulness dimension)—in self-protection, as reflected in preventive behaviors during the pandemic. Methods: Participants comprised 657 healthcare workers. Data were collected between February 24 and 26, 2021. The Short Health Anxiety Inventory determined the HA dimensions. Adherence to the government's recommendations for COVID-19 preventive behaviors was self-rated. An independent association between each HA dimension and participants' adherence to the recommendations was examined using multivariable regression. Results: Within the analyzed sample of 560 subjects, severe HA was observed in 9.1 %. The more the participants felt awful, the less frequently they engaged in the recommended preventive behaviors (adjusted odds ratio = 0.993, 95 % confidence interval: 0.989, 0.998, p = 0.003) regardless of their profession, working position, psychological distress, sleep disturbance, and current physical diseases. However, the probability dimension was not associated with their preventive behaviors. Conclusion: The awfulness dimension of HA could be a more sensitive marker of preventive behaviors than the probability dimension. Paying particular attention to the awfulness dimension may help optimize self-protection strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. A two-dimensional understanding of HA may be useful for the maintenance of the healthcare system and public health as well as healthcare workers’ own health.

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We introduce a distinction between additive risky benefits and additive risky costs, showing that it is relevant in determining decision maker choices in the presence of changes in risk. Results obtained show the specific role of the order of risk change when facing the two types of risk. Similarities and differences with the case of multiplicative risks are discussed. Moreover, the analysis is performed in two models studying respectively saving and self‐protection and provides new applied results for both, some with reference to background risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes and analyzes the clinical data of a patient with Occupational hydrogen sulfide poisoning admitted to our hospital on March 4, 2023. On the morning of March 2, 2023, the patient worked at an environmental energy company (waste treatment plant) in Shandong Province for the first time, The job was to flush the sludge from the walls of the sludge treatment tank (anaerobic tank) with a water gun, which can release hydrogen sulfide gas. When the patient was about to start work after entering the tank for about 1 min, he suddenly smelled a harsh and pungent odor, felt dizzy and weak, and then the patient suddenly fainted. After hearing the sound of the patient fainting, the workman waiting at the entrance of the tank immediately called someone to go into the tank and quickly pull the patient out, and sent to the local hospital. In the local hospital, the patient was confused, accompanied by irritability, convulsion and other manifestations, and was treated with sedation and nutritional support. Two days later, the patient’s condition did not improve. For further diagnosis and treatment, the patient was transferred to the Department of Poisoning and Occupational Diseases in our hospital. After comprehensive treatment in our hospital, the patient got better and was discharged. Subsequent reexamination and follow-up showed that the patient recovered well. The work unit of the patient did not provide any personal protective equipment. According to the field investigation after the accident, the pipeline around the sludge treatment tank was blocked by sludge, resulting in a large amount of high concentration of H2S accumulated in the tank, causing the patient to faint soon after entering the tank, and his worker should be in the tank for a short time, and no health abnormalities were found. Hydrogen sulfide has a strong irritation to the human body, which can lead to asphyxia or even death in severe cases. The safety prevention and prevention knowledge of hydrogen sulfide poisoning should be popularized among enterprises and workers to reduce the occurrence of such incidents.

Survivalists are individuals who stockpile resources to prepare for a wide-scale disaster or societal collapse, generally at a degree well beyond that of the average person. To date, an in-depth understanding of how survivalists perceive and respond to terrorism risk remains lacking in the research literature. This study applies Protection Management Theory (PMT) to address how perceived severity of a future terrorist attack, perceived risk of a future terrorist attack, and perceived effectiveness of self-protection relate to self-protective action and self-identification as a survivalist. Data were collected with a web survey administered to a nationwide sample of 520 adults in the U.S. Only higher perceived effectiveness of self-protection was associated with both a greater number of self-protective actions taken and a greater likelihood of identifying as a survivalist. The perceived seriousness of a terrorist attack occurring was only associated with identifying as a survivalist. Respondents' reasoning indicated that a greater percentage of survivalists than others identified uncertainty of risk as motivation for their actions. Survivalists were less likely to mention fear in their answers than other respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Discourse: Journal of Childhood & Adolescense Research / Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Ibero-Latinoamericana de Seguros is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In Mexico and Honduras, journalists face violence from state and non-state actors and almost complete impunity. Given a lack of effective state protection, some resort to alternative means of (self-)protection and justice-seeking. Via analysis of 67 interviews with journalists and protection actors, this article shows how many reporters use journalistic and profession-specific forms of self-protection and analyses their benefits and challenges. It adopts a novel analytical approach building on insights from diverse areas of research on people's responses to violence and insecurity. Scholarship on civilian responses to armed conflict offers a relevant framework for understanding self-protection measures. Although measures such as "avoidance" and "accommodation" of violent actors are a means of survival and short-term physical protection, they bring significant new risks. Above all, they can undermine trust from the public and within the profession and the usefulness of journalism for society. Drawing on literature on the protection of human rights defenders, the analytical framework is extended to show how some journalists also engage in broader self-protection strategies around transforming their work. These strategies combine protection and professionalisation and aim to boost journalists' internal and external support and credibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Dilemas Contemporáneos: Educación, Política y Valores is the property of Dilemas Contemporaneos: Educacion, Politica y Valores and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study was to investigate the potential mechanism of triptolide-induced hepatotoxicity. We found a novel and variable role of p53/Nrf2 crosstalk in triptolide-induced hepatotoxic process. Low doses of triptolide led to adaptive stress response without obvious toxicity, while high levels of triptolide caused severe adversity. Correspondingly, at the lower levels of triptolide treatment, nuclear translocation of Nrf2 as well as its downstream efflux transporters multidrug resistance proteins and bile salt export pump expressions were significantly enhanced, so did p53 pathways that also increased; at a toxic concentration, total and nuclear accumulations of Nrf2 decreased, while p53 showed an obvious nuclear translocation. Further studies showed the cross-regulation between p53 and Nrf2 after different concentrations of triptolide treatment. Under mild stress conditions, Nrf2 induced p53 highly expression to maintain the pro-survival outcome, while p53 showed no obvious effect on Nrf2 expression and transcriptional activity. Under high stress conditions, the remaining Nrf2 as well as the largely induced p53 mutually inhibited each other, leading to a hepatotoxic result. Nrf2 and p53 could physically and dynamically interact. Low levels of triptolide enhanced the interaction between Nrf2 and p53. Reversely, p53/Nrf2 complex dissociated at high levels of triptolide treatment. Altogether, variable p53/Nrf2 crosstalk contributes to triptolide-induced self-protection and hepatotoxicity, modulation of which may be a potential strategy for triptolide-induced hepatotoxicity intervention. [Display omitted] • There's a transition switching from adaptation to liver injury during triptolide treatment. • Nrf2 and p53 pathways participate in triptolide-induced hepatotoxicity. • Under mild stress conditions of TP treatment, the induced Nrf2 improved p53, and both p53 and Nrf2 stabilized each other. • Under severe stress conditions of TP treatment, the induced p53 aggravated inhibiting Nrf2, and Nrf2 changed to inhibit p53. • The decreased direct interaction between p53 and Nrf2 were also seen under mild stress conditions of TP treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the SEIR model, two compartments for self-protection and isolation are introduced, and a more general infectious disease transmission model is proposed. Through qualitative analysis of the model, the basic reproduction number of the model is calculated, and the local asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium point and the endemic equilibrium point of the model is analyzed through eigenvalue theory and Routh-Hurwitz criterion. The numerical simulation and fitting results of COVID-19 virus show that the proposed SEIQRP model can effectively describe the dynamic transmission process of the infectious disease. In the model, the three parameters, i. e. protection rate, incubation period isolation rate, and infected person isolation rate play a very critical role in the spread of the disease. Raising people' s awareness of self-protection, focusing on screening for patients in the incubation period, and isolating and treating infected people can effectively reduce the spread of infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly studies the optimal investment problem of defined contribution (DC) pension under the self-protection and minimum security. First, we apply Ito theorem to obtain the differential equation of the real stock price after discounting inflation. Then, under the constraint of external guarantee of DC pension terminal wealth, self-protection is introduced to study the maximization of the expected utility of terminal wealth at retirement time and any time before retirement. The explicit solution of the optimal investment strategy of DC pension at retirement time and any time before retirement should be derived by martingale method. Finally, the influence of selfprotection on the optimal investment strategy of DC pension is numerically analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the cyber insurance market is expanding and cyber insurance policies continue to mature, the potential of including pre-incident and post-incident services into cyber policies is being recognised by insurers and insurance buyers. This work addresses the question of how such services should be priced from the insurer's viewpoint, i.e. under which conditions it is rational for a profit-maximising, risk-neutral or risk-averse insurer to share the costs of providing risk mitigation services. The interaction between insurance buyer and seller is modelled as a Stackelberg game, where both parties use distortion risk measures to model their individual risk aversion. After linking the notions of pre-incident and post-incident services to the concepts of self-protection and self-insurance, we show that when pricing a single contract, the insurer would always shift the full cost of self-protection services to the insured; however, this does not generally hold for the pricing of self-insurance services or when taking a portfolio viewpoint. We illustrate the latter statement using toy examples of risks with dependence mechanisms representative in the cyber context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with an optimal linear insurance demand model, where the protection buyer can also exert a time-dynamic costly prevention effort to reduce her risk exposure. This is expressed as a stochastic control problem that consists in maximising an exponential utility of a terminal wealth. We assume that the effort reduces the intensity of the jump arrival process and interpret this as dynamic self-protection. We solve the problem by using a dynamic programming approach, and we provide a representation of the certainty equivalent of the buyer as the solution to a backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE). Using this representation, we prove that an exponential utility maximiser has an incentive to modify her effort dynamically only in the presence of a terminal reimbursement in the contract. Otherwise, the dynamic effort is actually constant, for a class of compound Poisson loss processes. If there is no terminal reimbursement, we solve the problem explicitly and identify the dynamic certainty equivalent of the protection buyer. This shows in particular that the Lévy property of the loss process is preserved under exponential utility maximisation. We also characterise the constant effort as the unique minimiser of an explicit Hamiltonian, from which we can determine the optimal effort in particular cases. Finally, after studying the dependence of the BSDE associated to the insurance buyer on the linear insurance contract parameter, we prove the existence of an optimal linear cover that is not necessarily zero or full insurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current mismatch due to solar cell failure or partial shading of solar panels may cause a reverse biasing of solar cells inside a photovoltaic (PV) module. The reverse-biased cells consume power instead of generating it, resulting in hot spots. To protect the solar cell against the reverse current, we introduce a novel design of a self-protected thin-film crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cell using TCAD simulation. The proposed device achieves two distinct functions where it acts as a regular solar cell at forward bias while it performs as a backward diode upon reverse biasing. The ON-state voltage (VON) of the backward equivalent diode is found to be 0.062 V, which is lower than the value for the Schottky diode usually used as a protective element in a string of solar cells. Furthermore, enhancement techniques to improve the electrical and optical characteristics of the self-protected device are investigated. The proposed solar cell is enhanced by optimizing different design parameters, such as the doping concentration and the layers' thicknesses. The enhanced cell structure shows an improvement in the short-circuit current density (JSC) and the open-circuit voltage (VOC), and thus an increased power conversion efficiency (PCE) while the VON is increased due to an increase of the JSC. Moreover, the simulation results depict that, by the introduction of an antireflection coating (ARC) layer, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) is enhanced and the PCE is boosted to 22.43%. Although the inclusion of ARC results in increasing VON, it is still lower than the value of VON for the Schottky diode encountered in current protection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Precautionary saving, self-protection and self-insurance under recursive utility. • Unifying result for precautionary behavior in single-instrument cases. • Substitution effects arise when two or more instruments are used. • Substitution effects can dominate the precautionary effect of income risk. • Precautionary disinvestment possible for decision-makers who are prudent otherwise. Using a unified approach, we show how precautionary saving, self-protection and self-insurance are jointly determined by risk preferences and the preference over the timing of uncertainty resolution. We provide a general result when decision-makers use a single instrument at a time. When multiple instruments are used simultaneously, substitution effects arise which attenuate precaution. A numerical analysis demonstrates that these substitution effects can dominate the precautionary effect. For plausible risk and time preference parameters and empirically relevant income risk levels, substitution effects can lead to precautionary disinvestment in self-protection and even crowd out the demand for self-protection entirely. In this case, what looks like lack of precautionary behavior at the surface might not be indicative of lack of prudence but simply be the result of omitted-instrument bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactococcin A (LcnA), a class IId bacteriocin, induces membrane leakage and cell death by specifically binding to the membrane receptor–mannose phosphotransferase system (man-PTS), as is the case for pediocin-like (class IIa) bacteriocins. The cognate immunity protein of bacteriocins, which protects the producer cell from its own bacteriocin, recognizes and binds to the bacteriocin–manPTS complex, consequently blocking membrane leakage. We previously deciphered the mode of action and immunity of class IIa bacteriocins. Here, we determined the structure of the ternary complex of LcnA, LciA (i.e., the immunity protein), and its receptor, i.e., the man-PTS of Lactococcus lactis (ll-man-PTS). An external loop on the membrane-located component IIC of ll-man-PTS was found to prevent specific binding of the N-terminal region of LcnA to the site recognized by pediocin-like bacteriocins. Thus, the N-terminal β-sheet region of LcnA recognized an adjacent site on the extracellular side of ll-man-PTS, with the LcnA C-terminal hydrophobic helix penetrating into the membrane. The cytoplasmic cleft formed within the man-PTS Core and Vmotif domains induced by embedded LcnA from the periplasmic side is adopted by the appropriate angle between helices H3 and H4 of the N terminus of LciA. The flexible C terminus of LciA then blocks membrane leakage. To summarize, our findings reveal the molecular mechanisms of action and immunity of LcnA and LciA, laying a foundation for further design of class IId bacteriocins. IMPORTANCE Class IId (lactococcin-like) bacteriocins and class IIa (pediocin-like) bacteriocins share a few similarities: (i) both induce membrane leakage and cell death by specifically binding the mannose phosphotransferase system (man-PTS) on their target cells, and (ii) cognate immunity proteins recognize and bind to the bacteriocin–man-PTS complex to block membrane leakage. However, class IId bacteriocins lack the “pediocin box” motif, which is typical of class IIa bacteriocins, and basically target only lactococcal cells; in contrast, class IIa bacteriocins target diverse bacterial cells, but not lactococcal cells. We previously solved the structure of class IIa bacteriocin-receptor-immunity ternary complex from Lactobacillus sakei. Here, we determined the structure of the ternary complex of class IId bacteriocin LcnA, its cognate immunity protein LciA, and its receptor, the man-PTS of Lactococcus lactis. By comparing the interactions between man-PTS and class IIa and class IId bacteriocins, this study affords some clues to better understand the specificity of bacteriocins targeting the mannose phosphotransferase system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]