title: Zika Outbreak of 2016: Insights from Twitter

text: An outbreak of the Zika virus in 2016 caused great concern among the general public and generated a burst of tweets. The aim of this study was to develop a better understanding of the types of discussions taking place. Tweets were retrieved from the peak of the Zika outbreak (as identified by Google Trends). Tweets were then filtered and entered in NVivo to be analysed using thematic analysis. It was found that tweets on Zika revolved around seven key themes: pregnancy, travel and the Olympics, mosquitoes and conspiracy, health organisations, health information, travel and tracking, and general discussions around Zika. Our results are likely to be of interest to public health organisations disseminating information related to future outbreaks of Zika and we develop a set of preliminary recommendations for health authorities.


title: Managing Information in the Case of Opinion Spamming

text: The rapid innovation of information and communication technology (ICT) within the last decades has come along with the development of new opportunities and challenges, new business models, new systems, etc. Companies like Amazon, Google or Alibaba shape business functions and percolate our daily life. Business operations go hand in hand with new types of user experiences when buying goes different than just traditional ways. Often it is not only the buying behavior but also the way recommendations are perceived as they may be readily available. This relates to opinion mining and, unfortunately, opinion spamming. We survey the issue of opinion spamming and fake review detection and focus on both sides of fake review groups, i.e., how to detect such groups but also how to set up a group that might be undetected with current methods. As both directions go hand in hand we elaborate on learning in both directions with the aim to improve related methods.


title: Investigating Key Factors for Social Network Evolution and Opinion Dynamics in an Agent-Based Simulation

text: In recent years social media platforms have experienced increasing attention of researchers due to their capabilities of providing information and spreading opinions of individuals, thus establishing a new environment for opinion formation on a societal level. To gain a better understanding of the occurring opinion dynamics, the interactions between the users and the content that has been shared in those environments has to be investigated. With our work, we want to shed light on the part played by the underlying network structure as information spread relies directly on it and every user of social media is affected by it. Therefore, we analyzed the role of network properties and dealing with friendships in such networks using an agent-based model. Our results reveal the capability of such models for investigating the influence of these factors on opinion dynamics and encourage further investigation in this field of research.


title: A Two-Phase Framework for Detecting Manipulation Campaigns in Social Media

text: The identification of coordinated campaigns within Social Media is a complex task that is often hindered by missing labels and large amounts of data that have to be processed. We propose a new two-phase framework that uses unsupervised stream clustering for detecting suspicious trends over time in a first step. Afterwards, traditional offline analyses are applied to distinguish between normal trend evolution and malicious manipulation attempts. We demonstrate the applicability of our framework in the context of the final days of the Brexit in 2019/2020.


title: Research Upon the Relativity Between Digital Media and Tourism

text: This thesis originates from the authors both as tourism educators and multimedia professionals loving nature and travelling. In this information era, digital media has turned out to be the most common medium of social life with the content of communication shifting from text-centered ones to interactive multimedia forms of images and videos. Mingling in the Nature, human society and the virtual world, digital media is developing rapidly with dazzling new concepts and technologies such as new media, We Media, and media convergence. Digital media has its unique tool in creation which is further fortified by computer and network technology at the aim of comprehensive artistic interaction. Hence a variety of VR, AR, and H5 are being widely used. The nature of tourism activities is the interaction between people and nature. The development of society and the improvement of people’s living standards have gradually increased the proportion of tourism activities in people’s daily lives. Tourists have a strong dependence on information. Whether it is communication or expression, the traditional tourism industry cannot meet the needs of the public. The combination of the fastest growing digital media and the broadest travel culture will inevitably produce unique and fascinating products. In view of the characteristics of digital media and modern tourism, the relationship between them is mutually reinforcing and inseparable. The promotion, promotion and implementation of tourism are inseparable from digital media. Every step of social development is driven by innovation and demands. Digital media and tourism are entering into the era of individuality, both complimenting, incorporating, and improving for mutual success and representing a vigorous and promising prospect for us.


title: Sedation with ketamine and fentanyl combination improves patient outcomes in intensive care units

text: Psychological manifestations such as depression and suicidal ideation are commonly caused by poorly controlled pain, anxiety, and sleep deprivation in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. We are concerned that previous analgesic and sedative techniques administered as single-medication approaches are outdated and inadequate. It is imperative that ICU practitioners are knowledgeable in multimodal approaches to pain and sedation in high acuity settings. We have shown that appropriate combinations of ketamine and fentanyl are effective, and if further supplementation is needed, we utilize additional pharmacological agents in low doses and regional techniques that ultimately lower the overall opioid consumption. We acknowledge that a variety of medication supplementations tailored to the patient’s clinical needs and nature of surgery improves a patient’s outcome in ICU and overall quality of life.


title: Sambucus nigra (black elder) as alternative treatment for cold and flu

text: Common cold and flu are caused by common respiratory viral pathogens, which results in hospitalization and death in the world. Among the viral infections, influenza viruses have worldwide spread with major effects on health of societies. Change in antigenic structures of influenza viruses is associated with the lack of effective treatments. Therefore, the use of herbal medicine as alternative choice can be used for management of flu and cold. The flowers of Sambucus nigra or black elders have been approved by commission E for cold, and flu. Although, elders are used in different herbal formulates, but there is no comprehensive study. The subject of this review article was to summarize the efficacy of black elder in treatment of cold and flu. For preparing this manuscript, the electronic resources, books, and thesis were searched by key words of Sambucus, elder, cold, flu, and viral infections. The results of investigations exhibited that there are four clinical trials for elder berries, which it reduced the cold duration and severity (fever, pain, congestion, cough), while there is no clinical trial for elder flower on common cold and flu in spite of its approval by commission E. So, evaluating the efficacy of elder flowers in comparison with its berries and standard treatment on patients with viral respiratory infections should be the subject of large clinical studies.


Cross-country comparison of media reporting of celebrity suicide in the immediate week: A pilot study


Proportionality, Pandemics and Medical Ethics


Allocating Vaccines in a Pandemic: The Ethical Dimension


To our readers: Important notice


Ethical Reflection on the Emergency Engineering Management of COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control


International beachtet: Das Heidelberger Corona-Taxi


docid: vdeufzeq

title: How much will the vaccine cost (if ever discovered….)


title: Pandemic pushes polarisation: the Corona crisis and macroeconomic divergence in the Eurozone

text: This paper discusses the uneven consequences of the macroeconomic fallout from the Coronavirus and related economic policy responses against the background of an analysis of longer-term macroeconomic divergence in the Eurozone. We show that the macroeconomic impact of the Corona crisis is estimated to be more severe in Southern Eurozone countries than in Northern Eurozone countries, which further reinforces the tendency of an increasing economic polarisation. This polarisation process can be traced back to existing differences in production structures and uneven vulnerabilities of the underlying growth models. As a consequence, any policy response to the Corona crisis that does not take the deeper problems of structural polarisation into account will suffer from limited impact in the medium to long run. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s40812-020-00163-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


title: Research progress of TiO(2) photocathodic protection to metals in marine environment

text: Corrosion protection has become an important issue as the amount of infrastructure construction in marine environment increased. Photocathodic protection is a promising method to reduce the corrosion of metals, and titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is the most widely used photoanode. This review summarizes the progress in TiO(2) photogenerated protection in recent years. Different types of semiconductors, including sulfides, metals, metal oxides, polymers, and other materials, are used to design and modify TiO(2). The strategy to dramatically improve the efficiency of photoactivity is proposed, and the mechanism is investigated in detail. Characterization methods are also introduced, including morphology testing, light absorption, photoelectrochemistry, and protected metal observation. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of TiO(2) development and guide photocathodic protection.


Policy options discussed for pricing novel COVID-19 vaccines/treatment


ICER update to pricing models of remdesivir for COVID-19


title: Einleitung

text: Wirft man heute einen Blick in die Naturabteilungen der Buchhandlungen, wächst einem das Grün beinahe entgegen; Waldbaden ist in aller Munde und ein Modebegriff. Zahlreiche Publikationen zur Liebe zu Wäldern, Bäumen und der Natur finden unzählige Abnehmerinnen und Abnehmer. Das legt den Schluss nahe, dass dieser Trend wohl einer Sehnsucht folgt.


Multiple drugs: Bradycardia, atrioventricular block and off-label use: case report


Immunosuppressants: Coronavirus-2019 infection: 15 case reports


Hydroxychloroquine: Acute haemolysis, that lead to acute renal failure: case report


title: Nurses’ attitude towards oral care and their practicing level for hospitalized patients in Orotta National Referral Hospital, Asmara-Eritrea: a cross-sectional study

text: BACKGROUND: Effective and routine mouth care is necessary for hospitalized patients as it helps to maintain the health of oral cavity and overall health. However, oral care is often overlooked and not prioritized in daily activity plan of nurses even when oral problems are apparent. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess nurses’ attitude towards oral care and their practicing level for hospitalized patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was conducted in adult medical-surgical department of Orotta hospital from December 2017 to January 2018. Data was collected from all (N = 73) diploma and associate nurses through face to face interview using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U tests and spearman rank correlation coefficient tools were performed to analyze the data using SPSS (Version 22). RESULTS: Out of the 79 participants, 73 completed the interview successfully with a response rate of 92.4%. Of the total, 56.2% were diploma nurses and 43.9% were associate nurses. The median attitude score was 68.89/100 (IQR = 48.89). The majority (94.5%) of the nurses agreed that oral cavity assessment is nurse’s responsibility and 94.5% reported adequate training is needed to provide quality oral care. On the other hand, the median practice score was 50.00/100 (IQR = 17.86). Majority of the participants (76.7%) did not perform routine oral health assessment. Almost all (98.4%) used gauze and normal saline for oral care. Practice score was significantly different across the various wards (p < 0.001), however, it was not significantly correlated with attitude (p = 0.646). CONCLUSIONS: The participants had poor level of oral care practice to hospitalized patients, nevertheless, they had favourable attitude. Therefore, Orotta National Referral Hospital needs to give further effort to train the nursing staff, ensure the availability of adequate oral care equipment and provide clear guidelines regarding oral care of hospitalized patients.


Lopinavir/ritonavir: vomiting and watery diarrhoea: case report


title: Guidelines for planning and conducting high-quality research and testing on animals

text: There are important scientific, legal and ethical reasons for optimising the quality of animal research and testing. Concerns about the reproducibility and translatability of animal studies are now being voiced not only by those opposed to animal use, but also by scientists themselves. Many of the attempts to improve reproducibility have, until recently, focused on ways in which the reporting of animal studies can be improved. Many reporting guidelines have been written. Better reporting cannot, however, improve the quality of work that has already been carried out - for this purpose better planning is required. Planning animal studies should involve close collaboration with the animal facility where the work is to be performed, from as early a stage as possible. In this way, weaknesses in the protocol will be detected and changes can be made before it is too late. Improved planning must focus on more than the “mathematical” elements of experimental design such as randomisation, blinding and statistical methods. This should include focus on practical details such as the standard of the facility, any need for education and training, and all the factors which can improve animal welfare. The PREPARE (Planning Research and Experimental Procedures on Animals: Recommendations for Excellence) checklist was developed to help scientists be more aware of all the issues which may affect their experiments. The checklist is supported by comprehensive webpages containing more information, with links to the latest resources that have been developed for each topic on the list.


docid: lqpcsync

title: Tocilizumab: Neutropenia: case report


Hydroxychloroquine/lopinavir/ritonavir/methylprednisolone: Manic episode with psychotic features during an off-label use: case report


title: The emerging landscape of circular RNAs in immunity: breakthroughs and challenges

text: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently linked RNAs that exhibit individual strand with a closed-loop framework compared with a conserving, steady and abundant linear counterpart. In recent years, as high-throughput sequencing advancement has been developing, functional circRNAs have been increasingly recognized, and more extensive analyses expounded their effect on different diseases. However, the study on the function of circRNAs in the immune system remains insufficient. This study discusses the basic principles of circRNAs regulation and the systems involved in physiology-related and pathology-related processes. The effect of circRNAs on immune regulation is elucidated. The ongoing development of circRNAs and basic immunology has multiplied their potential in treating diseases. Such perspective will summarize the status and effect of circRNAs on various immune cells in cancer, autoimmune diseases and infections. Moreover, this study will primarily expound the system of circRNAs in T lymphocytes, macrophages and other immune cells, which creates a novel perspective and lay a theoretical basis for treating diseases.


title: Food systems for resilient futures

text: In this time of the pandemic, nothing is as it used to be. This change creates space for new narratives towards resilience. The resilience perspective implies preparing for shocks as well as various futures that might evolve. Thus, more sustainable food systems cannot only be built to be pandemic proof. This preparation can be facilitated by co-designing contrasting future narratives, identifying means for developing capacity to adapt to those futures and developing tools to enhance that capacity, such as demonstrated here. The capacity of food systems to adapt and transform is enhanced by dialogue, transparency and collective learning in food value chains and networks, sovereignty over resources, and built-in diversity in response to change. In market-led global food chains, supplier-buyer diversity is important, while in public-led regions with some market protection, farm and crop diversity might matter more in response to variability in weather, price and policies. During, for example, an international conflict, or the time of a pandemic, diverse food sourcing from local producer-consumer cooperatives to community-supported and urban agriculture could secure food for citizens. Assessments of critical diversity in response to shocks and volatility can help actors to tailor effective diversity to manage resilience while avoiding the long-feared trade-off between diversity and resource-use efficiency. The interdependence of humanity deserves attention, as food systems are only as resilient as their weakest actor. A truly resilient global food system implies not only preparedness for coming shocks and changes but also a foundation that makes shocks less probable and critical.


Multiple drugs interaction: Reduction in drug level and QTc prolongation following off label use: 2 case reports


Multiple drugs interaction: Serotonin syndrome and off-label use: 2 case reports


title: Contextual factors associated with depression among urban refugee and displaced youth in Kampala, Uganda: findings from a cross-sectional study

text: BACKGROUND: Advancing mental health among refugee and displaced adolescents and youth is critically important, as chronic psychological stress can have lifelong harmful impacts. These groups experience socio-environmental stressors that can harm mental health. Informed by a social contextual framework, this study explored the prevalence of depression among urban refugee and displaced youth in Kampala, Uganda and associations with symbolic (violence), relational (social support), and material (food and community insecurity) contexts. METHODS: We implemented a cross-sectional survey with refugee and displaced adolescent girls and young women and adolescent boys and young men aged 16–24 living in Kampala’s informal settlements. We conducted peer-driven recruitment, whereby peer navigators shared study information with their networks and in turn participants were invited to recruit their peers. We conducted gender disaggregated analyses, including stepwise multiple regression to examine factors associated with depression. We then conducted structural equation modeling (SEM) using weighted least squares estimation to examine direct paths from violence, food insecurity, and community insecurity to depression, and indirect effects through social support. RESULTS: Among participants (n = 445), young women (n = 333) reported significantly higher depression symptoms than young men (n = 112), including any symptoms (73.9% vs. 49.1%, p < 0.0001), mild to moderate symptoms (60.4% vs. 45.5%, p = 0.008), and severe symptoms (13.5% vs 3.6%, p = 0.002). SEM results among young women indicate that the latent violence factor (lifetime sexual and physical violence) had direct effects on depression and social support, but social support did not mediate the path from violence to depression. The model fit the data well: χ2(3) = 9.82, p = 0.020; RMSEA = 0.08, 90% CI [0.03, 0.14], CFI = 0.96). Among young men, SEM findings indicate that food insecurity had direct effects on social support, and an indirect effect on depression through the mediating role of social support. Fit indices suggest good model fit: χ2(3) = 2.09, p = 0.352; RMSEA = 0.02, 90% CI [0.000, 0.19], CFI = 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: Findings reveal widespread depression among urban refugee and displaced youth in Kampala, disproportionately impacting young women. Contextual factors, including food insecurity and violence, increase depression risks. Strategies that reduce gender-based violence and food insecurity, and increase social support networks, have the potential to promote mental health among urban refugee and displaced youth.


Remdesivir: Various toxicities: 4 case reports


Levosimendan/norepinephrine: Lack of drug effect: case report


docid: mujqcqyz

title: Enoxaparin-sodium: Intracranial haemorrhage: case report


Hydroxychloroquine: Hepatotoxicity following off-label treatment: case report


Natalizumab: Pneumonia caused by COVID-19: case report


title: Development of a hexavalent recombinant protein vaccine adjuvanted with Montanide ISA 50 V and determination of its protective efficacy against acute toxoplasmosis

text: BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that can infect almost all warm-blooded animals, avian species and humans. Toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic in healthy individuals, whereas it may lead to death in immune suppressed or deficient patients. A vaccine against T. gondii is required to prevent consequences of the infection. The aim of this study is to generate a multivalent recombinant protein vaccine against T. gondii. METHODS: 49 previously discovered antigenic proteins of T gondii were evaluated by their expression level in E. coli and by comprehensive bioinformatics analyses to determine antigenic epitopes. Based on these analyses, six vaccine candidate proteins were selected to generate a hexavalent recombinant protein vaccine adjuvanted with Montanide ISA 50 V. Humoral and cellular immune responses were determined by flow cytometry and ELISA. Vaccinated mice were challenged with T. gondii Ankara strain tachyzoites. RESULTS: In mice vaccinated with hexavalent vaccine, strong total IgG (P < 0.0001) and IgG2a (P < 0.001) responses were induced compared to controls, the ratio of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes secreting IFN-γ increased, and significantly higher extracellular IFN-γ secretion was achieved compared to the controls (P < 0.001). The survival time of the vaccinated mice increased to 8.38 ± 2.13 days which was significantly higher than controls (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, these results show that the hexavalent vaccine which is developed for the first time against T. gondii induced strong and balanced Th1 and Th2 immune responses as well as conferred significant protection against challenge with lethal toxoplasmosis in murine model.


Fingolimod: Lymphopenia and COVID-19 infection complicated by pneumonia: case report


docid: acbhufld

title: Toolbox: Verbreitete und leistungsfähige Fragebögen, Tests und Skalen

text: Es gibt ein breites Repertoire an wissenschaftlichen, validierten Fragebögen, Tests und Skalen zur Erfassung verschiedener Aspekte von Führung. Viele davon sind frei verfügbar, leistungsfähig und ohne größeren Entwicklungsaufwand auch für die nicht-akademische Praxis einsetzbar. Dies macht es möglich – wenn die entsprechende Statistik-Expertise vorhanden ist – eigene Untersuchungen zu konzipieren, ohne auf kommerzielle Verfahren mit teilweise sehr hohen Lizenzgebühren zurückzugreifen. Mögliche Untersuchungsfelder sind die Leistungsfähigkeit, die Persönlichkeit und die Einstellungen von Führungskräften, die Führungsmotivation, verschiedene Aspekte des Führungsverhaltens sowie komplexe führungsbezogene Verhaltensmuster bzw. Führungsstile.


Young dentists create new online community


docid: udqcihyc

title: Nursing oral care


Dental dam: the time is right


Family bubbles


Within spitting distance


Déjà vu!


Updated oral health strategy


A centralised approach


Thanks are due


Finding the positives


For the record


Dexamethasone for pulpitis


title: Dependence of new environmental nano organic semiconductor nickel-(II)-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin films on substrate type for energy storage applications

text: Characterization of organic nickel-(II)-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin films as a function of substrate type was performed for energy storage applications and consequently environmental enhancement. Nickel-(II)-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin films show an amorphous phase. They have a crystallite size of 8–11 nm. Strain caused a shift of different humps’ positions. The measured transmittance has high values within the range of 85–91%, and the absorption coefficient values were included within the high-absorption region. Both optical gap and fundamental gap, refractive index, carrier-concentration-to-effective-mass ratio and lattice dielectric constant were calculated, and they were found to be increased, except refractive index and lattice dielectric constant. The obtained data indicated that nickel-(II)-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin films are a candidate for energy storage applications.


docid: enulsvsw

title: PC-FACS July 2, 2020


Evidence-based medicine in times of crisis


Limiting positive end-expiratory pressure to protect renal function in SARS-CoV-2 critically ill patients


COVID-19 Presenting as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Complicated with Atrial Fibrillation


Editors’ page


title: Food defense—“Back to the basics”

text: This is a chapter about food defense that focuses on “Back to the Basics” with a significant study of risk, vulnerability, and threat. Many key food defense terms are defined in an effort to “level set” on them before looking at historical perspectives, consumer education, and federal government/food and agriculture sector specific plans. Several case studies (the Bagwan Shree Rajneesh attempt in Oregon, 1984; EHEC O104 in Germany, 2011; Horsemeat Scandal in UK, 2013) are explored before outlining the next steps.


Bronchitis and Pneumonia


Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice)


title: Data and food supply chain: Blockchain and GS1 standards in the food chain: a review of the possibilities and challenges

text: This chapter examines the integration of GS1 standards with the functional components of Blockchain technology as an approach to realize a coherent standardized framework of industry-based tools for successful food supply chain transformation. The vulnerability of food supply chains is explored through traceability technologies and standards with particular attention paid to interoperability.


Wir beweisen Gestaltungswillen


title: Oral Management in Rehabilitation Medicine: Oral Frailty, Oral Sarcopenia, and Hospital-Associated Oral Problems

text: Oral health is a crucial but often neglected aspect of rehabilitation medicine. Approximately 71% of hospitalized rehabilitation patients and 91% of hospitalized acute care patients have impaired oral health. Poor oral condition in hospitalized patients can be attributed to factors such as age, physical dependency, cognitive decline, malnutrition, low skeletal muscle mass and strength, and multimorbidity. Another major factor is a lack of knowledge and interest in oral problems among health care workers. Recently, new concepts have been proposed, such as oral frailty, oral sarcopenia, and hospital-associated oral problems. Oral frailty, the accumulation of a slightly poor status of oral conditions and function, strongly predicts physical frailty, dysphagia, malnutrition, need for long-term care, and mortality in community-dwelling older adults. Oral sarcopenia refers to sarcopenia associated with oral conditions and function, although its definition has not yet been fully discussed. Hospital-associated oral problems are caused by disease, disease treatment, surgery, endotracheal intubation, poor self-care abilities, lack of care by medical staff, drugs, and iatrogenic factors during hospitalization. Furthermore, oral problems have negative impacts on rehabilitation outcomes, which include functional recovery, length of hospital stay, discharge home, and in-hospital mortality. Oral health management provided by dental hygienists improves not only oral status and function, swallowing function, and nutritional status but also activities of daily living, discharge home, and in-hospital mortality in post-acute rehabilitation. Oral rehabilitation, promotion, education, and medical-dental collaboration can be effective interventions for oral problems and therefore are necessary to improve rehabilitation outcomes.


title: Diabetes Update 2020: das Wichtigste für die ärztliche Praxis

text: At the virtual event Diabetes Update 2020, numerous new findings and recommendations on diagnosis, therapy and management of diabetes and related topics were presented, of which the topics type 2 diabetes, diabetes and heart, diabetes and pregnancy as well as vaccinations are described in detail in separate articles in the current issue of Der Diabetologe. In the following, the most important and, from the author’s point of view, most relevant news from the other diabetes-related subject areas are briefly presented.


Eine Frage der Haltung


"Wir können dankbar sein, in diesem System zu arbeiten"


title: Macrophage, the potential key mediator in CAR-T related CRS

text: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a new frontier in cancer therapy. The toxicity of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) has become one of the major challenges that limits the wider use of CAR T cells to fight cancer. Exploration of CRS pathogenesis and treatment is becoming the main focus of ongoing studies. Myeloid-derived macrophages were found to play a critical role in CRS pathogenesis, and these cells mediate the major production of core cytokines, including IL-6, IL-1 and interferon (IFN)-γ. Colocalization of macrophages and CAR T cells was also identified as necessary for inducing CRS, and CD40L-CD40 signaling might be the key cell–cell interaction in the tumor microenvironment. Macrophages might also take part in endocrine and self-amplified catecholamine loops that can directly activate cytokine production and release by macrophages during CRS. In addition to tocilizumab and corticosteroids, several novel CRS therapies targeting macrophage-centered pathways have shown much potential, including GM-CSF blockade and administration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and α-methyltyrosine (metyrosine, MTR). In the present review, we summarized the role of macrophages in CRS and new developments in therapeutic strategies for CRS-associated toxicities.


Kopf- und andere Schmerzen im Fokus


Managing uncertain consequences of a global crisis: SMEs encountering adversities, losses, and new opportunities


title: Religious education as opening the hermeneutical space

text: A hermeneutic‐communicative model of religious education is proposed which is grounded in a Christian anthropology. The human person is presented as a 'fragile hermeneutical space'—consisting of a radical openness to reality, an essential indeterminateness and an ability to transcend his or her own reality. This means that people have an inbuilt capacity for receiving meaning. One of the tasks of religious education is to allow children and young people to discover this hermeneutical space within themselves and others. The radical openness of the human person to God is discussed, as are the deficiencies of mono-correlational pedagogies in a pluralised context and the importance of teachers having something to say about the Christian tradition and the way they have integrated it in their own lives.


Positive Fehlerkultur als Ressource


Campus und Karriere


docid: letpaajd

title: Introduction to the Gothic Handbook Series: Welcome to Hell

text: The introduction to the Palgrave Gothic Handbook: Modern Gothic 1918 to the Present, edited by Clive Bloom, Professor Emeritus, Middlesex University UK, is the most comprehensive short introduction to the modern gothic milieu now available. Written for those engaged in academic research, but also accessible to students, the chapter is packed with analysis of the genre in both theory and practice as it appeared in the last hundred years. Starting in 1918 with the impact of film on the genre’s development, and moving through its many and varied international incarnations, the chapter chronicles the history of the gothic milieu from the movies to gaming platforms and internet memes, through television and theatre, as well as looking at fashion, music and popular culture: a multilayered, multi-ethnic, even a transgendered experience as we move into the twenty-first century.


title: Pulmonary Thromboembolism in COVID-19: Venous Thromboembolism or Arterial Thrombosis?

text: BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in hospitalized patients is frequently complicated by pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). PURPOSE: To investigate CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) findings of PTE in COVID-19 and its association with clinical and radiological conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study includes 109 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who underwent CTPA for suspected PTE from March 20 to May 3, 2020. Data were collected from our PACS. CTPA findings of PTE were evaluated. Based on the presence or absence of PTE, patients were divided in two groups and the clinical and radiological conditions were compared using Mann-Whitney U test and χ(2) test. RESULTS: Study population comprised 82M/19F, mean age 64.1±15.0 [95% confidence interval CI:60.4-67.6] years. CTPAs were performed 19.8±6.1 [95% CI:18.1-20.2] days after the symptom onset and 10.5±3.8 [95% CI:10.2-12.9] days after the admission. Patients with PTE were 41/101(40.6%). PTE was mostly bilateral or only right (37/41[90.2%]), mainly involved segmental (37/41[90.2%]) or subsegmental (25/41[61.0%]) arteries, and affected mainly the lower lobes branches (30/41[73.2%]). Parenchymal segments supplied by segmental arteries with PTE showed a prevalent consolidation pattern (25/37[67.6%]). Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was present only in 5/41(12.2%). Comparing groups with and without PTE, no significant difference was observed in age, gender, onset symptoms, comorbidities, tumor history, use of respiratory supports, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time and DVT. Conversely, differences were evaluated in CT lesion score (15.7±1.4 [95% CI:15.3-16.1] vs 14.1±1.1 [95% CI:13.8-14.4], p=0.035); d-dimer (p<0.001); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p<0.001), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (p=0.042). CONCLUSION: PTE in COVID-19 involves mainly the segmental and sub-segmental arteries of segments affected by consolidations in patients with more severe lung disease. We hypothesize that the development of PTE in COVID-19 might be a pulmonary artery thrombosis due to severe lung inflammation and hypercoagulability rather than thromboembolism.


Response to paper by Tsioufis et al.


One World; One Family; One Love


title: Clustering of Covid-19 morbidity cases in Germany

text: The Covid-19 coronavirus has spread almost all over the world. Though it has been reported recently that the epidemic declines in China, in other countries it still hasn’t achieved peak level. The data analysis methods may help struggling against the disease. The Covid-19 Tracking Germany dataset has been handled in the research. It’s daily refreshed dataset available at the kaggle.com site. It contains information on number of fallen ill people in Germany. The cases are grouped by federal land, city, age diapason and date. The main goal of the research is to underline differences in morbidity registered in different lands of Germany. There have been published new suggestions about connection between coronavirus morbidity and BCG vaccination. This question is also taken into account. Analysis based on the handled dataset is able to make only oblique conclusions because of lack of information. Differences in coronavirus morbidity in various regions and various age groups are highlighted. The regions of Germany are clustered into groups by gravity of recent situation.


title: Design of Examination Management System for Engineering Management

text: Through the analysis of the engineering management training system, we know that the courses in the system can be divided into theoretical, practical and experimental courses. We aims to develop an examination management system by restructuring the evaluation process of the three types of courses. And the organizational structure, hardware architecture, and software architecture of the test management system are designed to be applied in the entire process of system development, operation and maintenance. Besides, under the influence of “the pneumonia caused by novel coronavirus, COVID-19” on education, we wish that the examination management system is more suitable for the needs of the macro environment, and the results can be used to the training and evaluation of other professionals.


docid: glaaaqbt

title: Multisystemic Infarctions in COVID-19: Focus on the Spleen

text: The literature suggests that COVID-19 provokes arterial and venous thrombotic events, although the mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we describe patients with confirmed coronavirus infection associated with multisystemic infarction, focusing on splenic infarction. More data are required to elucidate how COVID-19 and thrombotic disease interact and so that preventive and early diagnosis strategies can be developed. LEARNING POINTS: Thrombotic disease as a complication of COVID-19 must be suspected by clinicians, and recognized and monitored by radiologists. Thrombosis is often the initial manifestation of SARS-CoV-2, hence the importance of early diagnosis to avoid complications and reduce morbidity and mortality.


title: Late Pulmonary Embolism after COVID-19 Pneumonia despite Adequate Rivaroxaban Treatment

text: INTRODUCTION: SARS-CoV-2 infection may predispose patients to thrombotic disease. Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who are receiving non-vitamin K antagonists or direct oral anticoagulants for chronic disease are usually switched to heparin treatment during hospitalization. However, information about the most appropriate antithrombotic therapy after the acute infection phase is lacking. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report the case of a patient with chronic atrial fibrillation who was recently hospitalized for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Four weeks after discharge he experienced an episode of an acute pulmonary embolism while on rivaroxaban therapy with adequate drug plasma levels, and in the absence of strong predisposing risk factors. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the risk of thrombotic complications after COVID-19 infection, raises some concern about their underlying mechanisms, and supports the use of effective anti-thrombotic therapy. LEARNING POINTS: COVID-19 infection is associated with frequent thrombotic events. A pro-coagulative status could be triggered by the persistent inflammatory phase of the infection despite anticoagulation. Adequate antithrombotic therapy is necessary for the prevention of acute and later thrombotic complications and needs close monitoring.


title: COVID-19, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Pneumothorax: A Frightening Triad

text: We describe the case of a male patient admitted to our emergency department during the Italian COVID-19 epidemic, for progressive worsening dyspnoea. A diagnosis of pneumothorax and diffuse interstitial lung involvement was promptly made by lung ultrasound and confirmed by an HRCT scan. A chest CT scan also showed diffuse emphysema, as observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and small consolidations in the lower lobes, suggestive for COVID-19 pneumonia. A chest tube was immediately inserted in the emergency room with complete resolution of the dyspnoea. A nasopharyngeal swab for 2019-nCoV was positive. Unfortunately, the patient died from COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome after 48 days of hospitalization. LEARNING POINTS: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can cause death from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Pneumothorax is a common complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The combination of COVID-19, COPD and pneumothorax can prove fatal.


title: Transient Type 1 Brugada Pattern without Ongoing Fever during COVID-19 Pneumonia

text: Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia can develop heart problems and may also may be susceptible to proarrhythmia, virus-related issues such as fever, stress, electrolyte disturbance and adverse effects from the use of antiviral drugs. We report a transient Brugada-like ECG pattern without ongoing fever in a 57-year-old man, admitted with a diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia, who did not have syncope or a family history of sudden cardiac death. LEARNING POINTS: Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia can develop heart problems. A transient Brugada-like ECG pattern was observed in a non-febrile COVID-19 patient. SARS-CoV-2 may have a direct effect on myocardial ion channels.


title: Unusually Rapid Development of Pulmonary Hypertension and Right Ventricular Failure after COVID-19 Pneumonia

text: COVID-19 is a novel viral disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. The mid- and long-term outcomes have not yet been determined. COVID-19 infection is increasingly being associated with systemic and multi-organ involvement, encompassing cytokine release syndrome and thromboembolic, vascular and cardiac events. The patient described experienced unusually rapid development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular failure after recent severe COVID-19 pneumonia with cytokine release syndrome, which initially was successfully treated with methylprednisolone and tocilizumab. The development of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure – in the absence of emboli on multiple CT angiograms – was most likely caused by progressive pulmonary parenchymal abnormalities combined with microvascular damage of the pulmonary arteries (group III and IV pulmonary hypertension, respectively). To the best of our knowledge, these complications have not previously been described and therefore awareness of PH as a complication of COVID-19 is warranted. LEARNING POINTS: COVID-19 increasingly presents with systemic and multi-organ involvement with vascular, thromboembolic and cardiac events. Patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and concomitant cytokine release syndrome may be particularly at risk for the development of secondary pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure. Pulmonary hypertension can develop unusually rapidly following COVID-19 pneumonia and probably results from progressive pulmonary interstitial and microvascular abnormalities due to COVID-19.


title: Erythematous Papular Rash: A Dermatological Feature of COVID-19

text: COVID-19 is the clinical expression of the highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral infection. Most patients have mild symptoms, but a significant proportion have severe or critical disease, which can include cardiac injury, sepsis, acute kidney failure and respiratory failure. It is also worth highlighting the increasing number of reported COVID-19 cases with dermatological disease/manifestations. The cutaneous clinical spectrum is wide and includes maculopapular, urticarial, varicelliform and petechial rashes, pseudo perniosis, livedo reticularis, and pityriasis rosea-like, violaceous and pustular lesions. Until the physiological mechanism is fully understood, it is important to describe these manifestations, which could help identify a typical pattern. This report describes a cutaneous manifestation in a COVID-19 patient. LEARNING POINTS: SARS-CoV-2 presents with multiple symptoms with the dermatological manifestations currently under-recognized. Clinicians should be aware of patients presenting only with cutaneous symptoms, which in some cases are the initial clinical feature of COVID-19.


title: COVID-19 in a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia with Pseudohypoxemia

text: Infection with SARS-CoV-2 causes critical disease in approximately 5% of affected patients, particularly the elderly, hypertensive, obese and immunocompromised. Patients with haematological cancer, including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), are particularly at risk of complications. Very rarely, patients with extreme leukocytosis may develop spurious hypoxemia, or pseudohypoxemia, which confuses the diagnosis of complications and can lead to intervention errors. We report the case of a patient with CLL, severe infection with SARS-CoV-2 and pseudohypoxemia. LEARNING POINTS: Patients with haematological neoplasms are susceptible to viral, bacterial and fungal infections, and are thus at risk of COVID-19. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia may rarely, due to a high lymphocyte count, present with spurious, or in vitro, hypoxemia. The clinician must identify and properly treat such cases to prevent any unnecessary treatments and their complications.


title: Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Patients with COVID-19

text: We described three COVID-19-infected patients with profound immune thrombocytopenia causing haemorrhagic mucocutaneous complications. We conclude that an immune mechanism was responsible as common causes were excluded. Since corticoids were considered harmful in the circumstances, the patients were successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulins without later relapse. LEARNING POINTS: The severity of haemorrhagic syndrome is not correlated with the severity of COVID-19 infection. Thrombocytopenia in mild COVID-19 infection seems to have an autoimmune mechanism. Intravenous immunoglobulins (1 g/kg) should be the first line of treatment.


title: Cutaneous Complications Secondary to Haemostasis Abnormalities in COVID-19 Infection

text: We describe the case of a patient hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure in a standard medical ward. During hospitalization, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and transferred to a special unit. The clinical course was marked by worsening of the respiratory disease, the development of right parotiditis and thrombosis of the left internal jugular vein. Therapeutic anticoagulation was initiated and 2 days later, the minimal dermatoporosis lesions previously present in the upper extremities evolved to haemorrhagic bullae with intra-bullae blood clots and dissecting haematomas. Surgical management of the dissecting haematomas was difficult in the context of haemostasis abnormalities. The patient died 29 days after hospital admission. LEARNING POINTS: Single room accommodation should be preferred to double room accommodation in standard wards during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anticoagulation therapy and the presence of lupus anticoagulant may induce cutaneous complications during COVID-19 infection. The discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy did not help improve the management of cutaneous lesions.


title: Can Lung Ultrasound be Used to Screen for Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia?

text: Thromboembolic disease is strongly associated with, or even an integral part of, COVID-19 pneumonia. Indeed, endothelial/microvascular damage to pulmonary capillaries seems to be the main trigger of the pneumonia. Here we report a case of pulmonary embolism in a COVID-19 patient with an atypical clinical presentation. Blood gas analysis and lung ultrasound allowed the correct diagnosis to be reached. LEARNING POINTS: COVID-19 pneumonia is associated with cardiovascular complications and pulmonary embolisms. Lung ultrasound can aid diagnosis by visualizing small peripheral pulmonary embolisms.


title: Rapid Radiological Worsening and Cytokine Storm Syndrome in COVID-19 Pneumonia

text: BACKGROUND: In June 2020, a large randomised controlled clinical trial in the UK found that dexamethasone was effective in reducing the number of deaths in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a patient with rapid worsening of COVID-19 pneumonia and its dramatic improvement under corticosteroids. DISCUSSION: Corticosteroids could be useful in patients with an inflammatory profile, considering that acute respiratory distress syndrome may be the consequence of cytokine storm syndrome. LEARNING POINTS: One of the main pathophysiological hypotheses for severe COVID-19 pneumonia is inappropriate immunological hyperactivation. Corticosteroid therapy may be useful in these patients.


Because Every Drop Counts: Blood Donation During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Reply to Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in patients with liver injury


title: Le baluchonnage

text: Â«Â BaluchonnageÂ Â» is a new respite device in France, enabling informal caregivers to rest for a few days, the only break in the long years devoted to accompanying a loved one with disabilities or loss of autonomy. What is the Baluchonnage system? And, can we reasonably expect employees to work 144 consecutive hours?


On the Importance of Data Transparency


title: Precision medicine for gastrointestinal cancers: a conference report

text: As cancer management evolves into precision medicine national/international cancer meetings bring novel therapeutic approaches and potentially practice-changing results of clinical studies are presented. This year, the ASCO GI Symposium 2020 had also several updates from ongoing and finalized clinical trials. Although there were no groundbreaking results that impact the daily practice directly, several highly important data from ongoing studies were shared with the audience. In this report, the highlights of the ASCO GI Symposium 2020 are presented with a future perspective.


title: Mesenchymal stem cell use in acute respiratory distress syndrome: a potential therapeutic application

text: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a condition of acute respiratory failure resulting from noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. It may occur as a consequence of lung infection, sepsis, trauma, aspiration or drug reaction. The pathogenesis of ARDS is understood to be an unregulated inflammatory cascade with both endothelial and epithelial layer damage leading to alveolar fluid collection and pulmonary edema. Despite improved understanding of the cause of ARDS, treatment remains supportive with a mortality rate ranging from 25–40%. Preclinical and early phase clinical trials have highlighted the potential role of mesenchymal stem cells in combating the inflammatory cascade through immunomodulatory mechanisms and assisting in tissue repair.


title: Electron beam irradiation on novel coronavirus (COVID-19): A Monte–Carlo simulation

text: The novel coronavirus pneumonia triggered by COVID-19 is now raging the whole world. As a rapid and reliable killing COVID-19 method in industry, electron beam irradiation can interact with virus molecules and destroy their activity. With the unexpected appearance and quickly spreading of the virus, it is urgently necessary to figure out the mechanism of electron beam irradiation on COVID-19. In this study, we establish a virus structure and molecule model based on the detected gene sequence of Wuhan patient, and calculate irradiated electron interaction with virus atoms via a Monte Carlo simulation that track each elastic and inelastic collision of all electrons. The characteristics of irradiation damage on COVID-19, atoms’ ionizations and electron energy losses are calculated and analyzed with regions. We simulate the different situations of incident electron energy for evaluating the influence of incident energy on virus damage. It is found that under the major protecting of an envelope protein layer, the inner RNA suffers the minimal damage. The damage for a ∼100-nm-diameter virus molecule is not always enhanced by irradiation energy monotonicity, for COVID-19, the irradiation electron energy of the strongest energy loss damage is 2 keV.


title: Rapid Structure-Based Screening Informs Potential Agents for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak

text: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus, has spread rapidly across China. Consequently, there is an urgent need to sort and develop novel agents for the prevention and treatment of viral infections. A rapid structure-based virtual screening is used for the evaluation of current commercial drugs, with structures of human angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2), and viral main protease, spike, envelope, membrane and nucleocapsid proteins. Our results reveal that the reported drugs Arbidol, Chloroquine and Remdesivir may hinder the entry and release of virions through the bindings with ACE2, spike and envelope proteins. Due to the similar binding patterns, NHC (β-d-N4-hydroxycytidine) and Triazavirin are also in prospects for clinical use. Main protease (3CLpro) is likely to be a feasible target of drug design. The screening results to target 3CL-pro reveal that Mitoguazone, Metformin, Biguanide Hydrochloride, Gallic acid, Caffeic acid, Sulfaguanidine and Acetylcysteine seem be possible inhibitors and have potential application in the clinical therapy of COVID-19.


COVID-19 pandemic highlights racial health inequities


Inflammatory olfactory neuropathy in two patients with COVID-19


docid: qjxgmbwp

title: COVID-19 and Racism—a double edged dagger


COVID-19: A pandemic of values and more()


docid: zgmaalfq

title: Plaidoyer pour une culture scientifique ouverte et socialement responsable


Medico-legal issues of COVID-19 pandemic()


Coagulation disorder in COVID-19


Anti-IL-6 receptor antibody treatment for severe COVID-19 and the potential implication of IL-6 gene polymorphisms in novel coronavirus pneumonia


An adult presentation consistent with PIMS-TS


Clinical challenges in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients who suffered SARS-CoV-2 infection()


Covid-19, Ã©thique et confraternitÃ©: un nouveau conflit de valeursÂ ?


Hope and Homes for Children welcomes the new Lancet Group Commission


Machine learning for COVID-19—asking the right questions


Ejercicio físico: un posible aliado en la prevención de complicaciones en personas susceptibles de contraer covid-19


title: Reflecting on 25 Years of Teaching Animal Law: Is it Time for an International Crime of Animal Ecocide?

text: 2019 marked the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Animal Law to the law degree at Liverpool John Moores University. This article examines changes in the legal protection of animals during this time and the impact this will have on research and scholarship in the law relating to animals. We examine whether the overall international treatment of animals has improved and how far the approach to the Animal Law curriculum should be influenced by the growth in concerns around climate change. In this context, we examine the development of the law of ecocide and the extent to which it addresses concerns around animal welfare across the globe. We suggest that those involved in the development of Animal Law, ethics and policy might usefully engage in a new vision of ecocide, which incorporates a clearer notion of ‘animal ecocide’. This new approach would enhance the international and national focus on animals in their own right, would recognise increasing knowledge of animal sentience and would move our responsibilities to them beyond anthropocentric approaches to environmental protection. We argue that the inclusion of a more specific reference to animal ecocide would contribute to the development of Animal Law and would lead to an enhanced relationship between Animal Law and attempts to protect the environment.


1000 at 1000: The effect of electric field and pressure on the synthesis and consolidation of materials: a review of the spark plasma sintering method


title: Short-windedness Would Weaken Effective Climate Policy

text: Most states have implemented quite strict measures designed to slow down the spread of the coronavirus among their populations. For most sectors, these measures have resulted in a significant reduction of economic activity, output, and hence also output-related emissions. Commitment to these measures, apparently regardless of the economic costs involved, is considered by some people to be a blueprint for the commitment required to mitigate climate change and to achieve the Paris climate targets. However, when it comes to devising an efficient climate policy, the differences between the two crises—cororonavirus and climate change—need to be taken more seriously than the similarities. Alarming have been the various calls to put a quick end to corona prevention measures and the restrictions they place on public and economic activity, indicative as they are of the priority accorded to high discount rates and the absence of precautionary thinking among policy-makers. Both the differences between the two crises themselves and the similarities in the reluctance to focus on achieving (more) long-term benefits emphasize once again the need for long-term commitment to climate policies in line with agreed targets.


title: Modeling and simulation of the infection zone from a cough

text: The pandemic of 2020 has led to a huge interest of modeling and simulation of infectious diseases. One of the central questions is the potential infection zone produced by a cough. In this paper, mathematical models are developed to simulate the progressive time-evolution of the distribution of locations of particles produced by a cough. Analytical and numerical studies are undertaken. The models ascertain the range, distribution and settling time of the particles under the influence of gravity and drag from the surrounding air. Beyond qualitative trends that illustrate that large particles travel far and settle quickly, while small particles do not travel far and settle slowly, the models provide quantitative results for distances travelled and settling times, which are needed for constructing social distancing policies and workplace protocols.


title: Framework for assessing vertebrate invasive species damage: the case of feral swine in the United States

text: The aim of this study is to provide a general overview of the economic impacts associated with vertebrate invasive species (VIS) in the United States and suggests a methodology for differentiating types of damage. We identify a general framework for categorizing VIS damage that separates this damage into three main categories: destruction, depredation, and disease. We then examine how this framework fits into current published estimates of damage and management costs. Economic impacts associated with feral swine damage and management are plentiful enough to warrant separate treatment from other VIS and are observed in all three categories. For all VIS examined in this study, damage estimates associated with destruction provide the most evaluations of VIS impacts, especially destruction of crops. Evaluations of the losses associated with depredation are largely absent from the literature. We find that while published studies have estimated substantial economic impact associated with VIS, the current state of the literature focusing on VIS frequently fails to address all of the categories of damage, is difficult to compare or replicate, and is unsuited for extrapolation to nation-wide estimates of damage.


title: The Economy, Climate Change and Infectious Diseases: Links and Policy Implications

text: This short paper provides a modeling framework for unifying the economy, climate change and the outbreak of infectious diseases such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We stress that continuous growth of consumption activities, capital accumulation and climate change could increase the potential of the epidemic, its contact number or the probability of its arrival. This framework of analysis allows us to think of infectious disease policies in two stages. In the short run, containment policies like social distancing could help to stop the epidemic. In the medium and the long run, economic policies could help to reduce the potential of the epidemic or the probability of its emergence.


title: Vaccination and Therapeutics: Responding to the Changing Epidemiology of Yellow Fever

text: PURPOSE OF REVIEW: At the turn of the nineteenth century, yellow fever (YF) was considered the most dangerous infectious disease with high case fatality. Subsequent, mass vaccination campaigns coupled with widespread elimination of the YF mosquito vector significantly decreased YF cases and reduced outbreaks to the tropical and subtropical forested regions of Africa and South America. RECENT FINDINGS: However, recent (2016) large outbreaks in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South-Eastern Brazil, where previously had been demarcated as low-risk regions, have highlighted the possibility of a rapidly changing epidemiology and the potential re-emergence of yellow fever virus (YFV). Furthermore, the first-ever importation of YFV into Asia has highlighted the potential fear of YFV emerging as a global threat. SUMMARY: In this review, we describe the changing epidemiology of YF outbreaks and highlight the use of public health policies, therapeutics, and vaccination as tools to help eliminate future YFV outbreaks.


title: A Revised Weighted Fuzzy C-Means and Center of Gravity Algorithm for Probabilistic Demand and Customer Positions

text: This study proposes four probabilistic fuzzy c-means algorithms which include a probabilistic fuzzy c-means algorithm (Probabilistic FCM), a probabilistic revised weighted fuzzy c-means algorithm (Probabilistic RWFCM) and hybrid algorithms that combine these algorithms with the center of gravity methods for the un-capacitated planar multi-facility location problem when customer positions and customer demands are probabilistic with predetermined service level. The performance of proposed algorithms was tested with 13 data sets and compared with each other. Experimental results indicate that Probabilistic RWFCM-COG algorithm performs better than other compared algorithms in terms of cost minimization.


title: Fuzzy Uncertainty Modelling in Cost and Cash Flow Forecasting in Project

text: Numerous projects (e.g. more than 50% of IT projects) are not finished within budget and cause serious financial problems to the organisations implementing them. It is thus important to be able to predict the cost of projects and cash flows related to them early enough, in order to be able to assess with the necessary anticipation whether the necessary financial means will be available on time and if not, to take in time the necessary measures to solve the menacing problem. In the paper the sources of uncertainty with respect to project cost and cash flows will be identified and their modelling by means of fuzzy sets will be proposed. Such issues neglected in the project management literature as various taxes, duties and impositions, which belong to the area in which project managers are not experts and where they do not follow the detailed regulations, will be discussed too. They are of high importance, because legal changes in this area come often as a surprise for project managers and lead to serious liquidity problems. The approach will be illustrated with a real world case study, in which one of the authors was the member of the project team.


title: Determining Significant Factors Affecting Vaccine Demand and Factor Relationships Using Fuzzy DEMATEL Method

text: Even though deadly effects of outbreaks such as SARS, H1N1, EBOLA and COVID-19 took the attention of the community, generating 100% vaccination uptake from people who are expected to be affected by such outbreaks is almost impossible. Hence, determining the actual vaccine demand for typical viruses and reaching this population are becoming important issues to prevent from spreading such viruses like wildfire. Many countries have been forecasting vaccine demand according to birth rates. However, factors such as district-level per capita income, literacy rate, urbanization, and some other factors should also be considered for more accurate forecasts. There is another factor affecting countries’ vaccine demand; some of the vaccines that WHO recommends are included in the national immunization programs, while others are only recommended. Thus, this study first aims to explore the most significant factors that affect the demand of vaccines that are not included in national immunization campaigns then to present the cause and effect relationships among the factors using the fuzzy DEMATEL method to provide insights to managers for better vaccine demand forecast and to increase vaccine uptake. According to the analysis results, immunization related beliefs is the most important factor among others included in this research.


title: Geld- und Vermögensanlage

text: Es ist der Zeitraum zwischen den in den Anleihebedingungen genannten Verzinsungsbeginn und der Fälligkeit der Anleihe. Kurzfristige Laufzeit: bis zu 4 Jahre Mittelfristige Laufzeit: 4 bis 8 Jahre Langfristige Laufzeit: mehr als 8 Jahre Ewige Anleihen: keine festgelegte Laufzeit.


title: Picture Fuzzy Linear Assignment Method and Its Application to Selection of Pest House Location

text: The theory of picture fuzzy sets is useful for handling uncertainty in multiple attribute decision making problems by considering membership, non-membership and indeterminacy degrees independently for each element. In this paper, by extending the classical linear assignment method, we propose a novel method which is called picture fuzzy linear assignment method (PF-LAM) for solving multiple criteria group decision-making problems with picture fuzzy sets. A ranking procedure consisting of aggregation functions, score functions, accuracy functions, and weighted rank frequency and a binary mathematical model are presented to determine the priority order of various alternatives. The applicability and validity of the proposed method is shown through the selection of pest house locations. The proposed method helps managers to find the best location to construct the pest house based on the determined criteria.


title: Physician Selection with a Neutrosophic Multi-criteria Decision Making Method

text: In this study, it is done that the evaluation of neurology clinics of two hospitals under the Ministry of Health and their physicians, considering patient preferences. While effective service policies and procedures of hospitals increase customer satisfaction, the performance of physicians ensures preferability. Therefore, measuring satisfaction and performance is crucial for management. However, measurement includes many challenges in connection with many factors and uncertainty on these factors. Thus, neutrosophic multi-criteria decision-making methods have been particularly chosen to overcome these challenges in this study. The related literature on the subject shows that easy access, cleaning and comfort, technological infrastructure, and equipment, total service time, physicians’ communication skills, recognition of physicians, treatment effectiveness, treatment rate, academic career are the main criteria. The values of weights for these criteria and the physicians ranking based on the values of those weights were found by using the Neutrosophic Analytical Hierarchy Process (N-AHP). It has been validated that the ranking is fitting to patient preferences in the Central Physicians Appointment System. As a result, the recommended method can be effectively used in selecting physicians.


title: Multi-shift Single-Vehicle Routing Problem Under Fuzzy Uncertainty

text: This research considers the single-vehicle routing problem (VRP) with multi-shift and fuzzy uncertainty. In such a problem, a company constantly uses one vehicle to fulfill demand over a scheduling period of several work shifts. In our case, a crew executes maintenance jobs in different sites. The working team runs during different work shifts, but recurrently returns to the depot by the end of the shift (overtime avoidance). The goal consists in minimizing the number of work shifts (makespan). We observe the impact of uncertainty in travel and maintenance processing time on the overtime avoidance constraint. We realize an Artificial Immune Heuristic to get optimal solutions considering both makespan and overtime avoidance. First, we present a Pareto-based framework to evaluate the uncertainty influence. Then, we show a numerical real case study to survey the problem. In particular, a case study scenario has been created on the basis of the environmental changes in travel and processing times observed in Italy during the Covid-19 lockdown period (started on March 9, 2020). Results present important improvements are obtained with the proposed approach.


title: Bedside calculation of mechanical power during volume- and pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation

text: BACKGROUND: Mechanical power (MP) is the energy delivered to the respiratory system over time during mechanical ventilation. Our aim was to compare the currently available methods to calculate MP during volume- and pressure-controlled ventilation, comparing different equations with the geometric reference method, to understand whether the easier to use surrogate formulas were suitable for the everyday clinical practice. This would warrant a more widespread use of mechanical power to promote lung protection. METHODS: Forty respiratory failure patients, sedated and paralyzed for clinical reasons, were ventilated in volume-controlled ventilation, at two inspiratory flows (30 and 60 L/min), and pressure-controlled ventilation with a similar tidal volume. Mechanical power was computed both with the geometric method, as the area between the inspiratory limb of the airway pressure and the volume, and with two algebraic methods, a comprehensive and a surrogate formula. RESULTS: The bias between the MP computed by the geometric method and by the comprehensive algebraic method during volume-controlled ventilation was respectively 0.053 (0.77, − 0.81) J/min and − 0.4 (0.70, − 1.50) J/min at low and high flows (r(2) = 0.96 and 0.97, p < 0.01). The MP measured and computed by the two methods were highly correlated (r(2) = 0.95 and 0.94, p < 0.01) with a bias of − 0.0074 (0.91, − 0.93) and − 1.0 (0.45, − 2.52) J/min at high-low flows. During pressure-controlled ventilation, the bias between the MP measured and the one calculated with the comprehensive and simplified methods was correlated (r(2) = 0.81, 0.94, p < 0.01) with mean differences of − 0.001 (2.05, − 2.05) and − 0.81 (2.11, − 0.48) J/min. CONCLUSIONS: Both for volume-controlled and pressure-controlled ventilation, the surrogate formulas approximate the reference method well enough to warrant their use in the everyday clinical practice. Given that these formulas require nothing more than the variables already displayed by the intensive care ventilator, a more widespread use of mechanical power should be encouraged to promote lung protection against ventilator-induced lung injury.


Radiology Leadership in a Time of Crisis: A Chair's Perspective


docid: dybozins

title: IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSAL TESTING FOR SARS-CoV-2 IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH INTENDED ADMISSION FOR DELIVERY


title: Inflammation is a major regulator of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters: Consequences for the personalization of drug treatment

text: Inflammation is an evolutionary process that allows survival against acute infection or injury. Inflammation is also a pathophysiological condition shared by numerous chronic diseases. In addition, inflammation modulates important drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters (DMETs), thus contributing to intra- and interindividual variability of drug exposure. A better knowledge of the impact of inflammation on drug metabolism and its related clinical consequences would help to personalize drug treatment. Here, we summarize the kinetics of inflammatory mediators and the underlying transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms by which they contribute to the inhibition of important DMETs. We also present an updated overview of the effect of inflammation on the pharmacokinetic parameters of most of the drugs that are DMET substrates, for which therapeutic drug monitoring is recommended. Furthermore, we provide opinions on how to integrate the inflammatory status into pharmacogenetics, therapeutic drug monitoring, and population pharmacokinetic strategies to improve the personalization of drug treatment for each patient.


Interferon revisited: Peering behind the lines of antiviral defense


title: Analysis of Breast Cancer Detection Using Different Machine Learning Techniques

text: Data mining algorithms play an important role in the prediction of early-stage breast cancer. In this paper, we propose an approach that improves the accuracy and enhances the performance of three different classifiers: Decision Tree (J48), Naïve Bayes (NB), and Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO). We also validate and compare the classifiers on two benchmark datasets: Wisconsin Breast Cancer (WBC) and Breast Cancer dataset. Data with imbalanced classes are a big problem in the classification phase since the probability of instances belonging to the majority class is significantly high, the algorithms are much more likely to classify new observations to the majority class. We address such problem in this work. We use the data level approach which consists of resampling the data in order to mitigate the effect caused by class imbalance. For evaluation, 10 fold cross-validation is performed. The efficiency of each classifier is assessed in terms of true positive, false positive, Roc curve, standard deviation (Std), and accuracy (AC). Experiments show that using a resample filter enhances the classifier’s performance where SMO outperforms others in the WBC dataset and J48 is superior to others in the Breast Cancer dataset.


title: RPP Algorithm: A Method for Discovering Interesting Rare Itemsets

text: The importance of rare itemset mining stems from its ability to discover unseen knowledge from datasets in real-life domains, such as identifying network failures, or suspicious behavior. There are significant efforts proposed to extract rare itemsets. The RP-growth algorithm outperforms previous methods proposed for generating rare itemsets. However, the performance of the RP-growth degrades on sparse datasets, and it is costly in terms of time and memory consumption. Hence, in this paper, we propose the RPP algorithm to extract rare itemsets. The advantage of the RPP algorithm is that it avoids time for generating useless candidate itemsets by omitting conditional trees as RP-growth does. Furthermore, our RPP algorithm uses a novel data structure, RN-list, for creating rare itemsets. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we conduct extensive experiments on sparse and dense datasets. The results show that the RPP algorithm is around an order of magnitude better than the RP-growth algorithm.


title: Pareto Optimization in Oil Refinery

text: This article describes the process of multicriteria optimization of a complex industrial control object using Pareto efficiency. The object is being decomposed and viewed as a hierarchy of embedded orgraphs. Performance indicators and controlling factors lists are created based on the orgraphs and technical specifications of an object, thus allowing to systematize sources of influence. Using statistical data archives to train, the neural network approximates key sensors data to identify the model of the controllable object and optimize it.


title: An Evaluation Algorithm of the Importance of Network Node Based on Community Influence

text: Identifying nodes in social networks that have great influence on information dissemination is of great significance for monitoring and guiding information dissemination. There are few methods to study the influence of communities on social networks among the existing node importance evaluation algorithms, and it is difficult to find nodes that promote information dissemination among communities. In view of this reason, this paper proposes a node importance evaluation algorithm based on community influence (abbreviated as IEBoCI algorithm), which evaluates the importance of the nodes based on the influence degree of the nodes on the communities and the ability to disseminate information the communities to which the nodes are connected. This algorithm firstly calculates the activation probability of nodes to other nodes, which is used to divide communities and evaluate influence. Secondly, the network is divided into communities based on LPA algorithm. Finally, the importance of the node is calculated by combining the influence of the community itself and the influence of the node on the community. Experiments are carried out on real social network data and compared with other community-based methods to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.


title: Adaptive and Dynamic Knowledge Transfer in Multi-task Learning with Attention Networks

text: Multi-task learning has shown promising results in many applications of machine learning: given several related tasks, it aims to generalize better on the original tasks, by leveraging the knowledge among tasks. The knowledge transfer mainly depends on task relationships. Most of existing multi-task learning methods guide learning processes based on predefined task relationships. However, the associated relationships have not been fully exploited in these methods. Replacing predefined task relationships with the adaptively learned ones may lead to superior performance as it can avoid the misguiding of improper pre-definition. Therefore, in this paper, we propose Task Relation Attention Networks to adaptively model the task relationships and dynamically control the positive and negative knowledge transfer for different samples in multi-task learning. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, experiments on various datasets are conducted. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms both classical and state-of-the-art multi-task learning baselines.


title: Research on Short-Term Urban Traffic Congestion Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation and Machine Learning

text: There are many factors that affect urban traffic flow. In the case of severe traffic congestion, the vehicle speed is very slow, which results in the GPS positioning system’s estimation of the vehicle speed being very inaccurate, which in turn leads to poor reliability of the estimated congestion time of the road segment. The main contents of this study are: in the case of urban traffic congestion, the prediction and analysis of the degree of traffic congestion and the length of congestion. Taking the dynamic traffic data of Shenzhen on June 9, 2014 as an example, the road section of Binhe Avenue is selected, and the data of traffic flow, average speed of traffic volume and traffic volume density in the current time period are calculated after data preprocessing, as a measure of traffic. The main impact indicators of congestion status. Then we use the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to divide TSI as a traffic congestion evaluation index and divide the road congestion into four levels. In this way, we can get the congestion of the road in each time period of the day and the time required to pass. Then we use the random forest, adaboost, GBDT, Lasso CV and BP neural networks in the machine learning algorithm to build models to measure traffic congestion for training and testing. Finally, the BP neural network has the best effect on this problem, and mean square error is 0.0190. Finally, we used BP neural network to predict and congest the road in the next three hours. From the experimental simulation results, this method can effectively analyze and predict the real-time traffic congestion.


title: Research on PM(2.5) Integrated Prediction Model Based on Lasso-RF-GAM

text: PM(2.5) concentration is very difficult to predict, for it is the result of complex interactions among various factors. This paper combines the random forest-recursive feature elimination algorithm and lasso regression for joint feature selection, puts forward a PM(2.5) concentration prediction model based on GAM. Firstly, the original data is standardized in the data input layer. Secondly, features were selected with RF-RFE and lasso regression algorithm in the feature selection layer. Meanwhile, weighted average method fused the two feature subsets to obtain the final subset, RF-lasso-T. Finally, the generalized additive models (GAM) is used to predict PM(2.5) concentration on the RF-lasso-T. Simulated experiments show that feature selection allows GAM model to run more efficiently. The deviance explained by the model reaches 91.5%, which is higher than only using a subset of RF-RFE. This model also reveals the influence of various factors on PM(2.5), which provides the decision-making basis for haze control.


title: Application of Decision Tree Algorithm Based on Clustering and Entropy Method Level Division for Regional Economic Index Selection

text: The economy of a region is affected by many factors. The purpose of this study is to use the entropy method clustering and decision tree model fusion to find the main factors affecting the regional economy with the support of big data and empirical evidence. First extract some important indicators that affect the regional economy, and use the entropy method to find the relative weights and scores of these indicators. Then use K-means to divide these indicators into several intervals. Based on the entropy fusion model, obtain the ranking of each category of indicators, use these rankings as the objective value of the decision tree, and finally establish an economic indicator screening model. Participate in optimization and build a decision tree model that affects regional economic indicators. Through the visualization of the tree and the analysis of feature importance, you can intuitively see the main indicators that affect the regional economy, thereby achieving the research goals.


title: PCA Based Kernel Initialization for Convolutional Neural Networks

text: The initialization of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) is about providing reasonable initial values for the convolution kernels and the fully connected layers. In this paper, we proposed a convolution kernel initialization method based on the two-dimensional principal component analysis (2DPCA), in which a parametric equalization normalization method is used to adjust the scale between each neuron weight. After that the weight initial value can be adaptively adjusted according to different data samples. This method enables each neuron to fully back-propagate errors and accelerate network model training. Finally, a network model was built and experiments were performed using Tanh and ReLU activation functions. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method through the distribution of histograms and the curve comparison diagrams of model training.


title: Hypothesis Verification for Designing Flyback Booster by Analysis of Variance Visualized on Triangular Matrix Representations

text: This study performed data mining for nondominated-solution datasets of flyback-booster geometry for next-generation space transportation procured by evolutionary computation. We prepared two datasets of nondominated solutions due to two problem definitions, which differ merely in the definition of some design variables based on a design hypothesis gained from evolutionary-computation results. This study aims at verifying the hypothesis by applying mining to these two datasets to elucidate the contrast in the influence of the design variables. We used functional analysis of variance for data mining; scrutinized the effects of single and two-combined design variables. Furthermore, intuitive visualization by triangular matrix representations could distinguish the discrepancy between the obtained results. The consequence has verified the significance of the hypothesis; it revealed that the discontinuous surface naturally evaded in the hypersonic range because of surface temperature upsurge is capable of enhancing the lift-to-drag ratio in the low-speed range; the hypothesis grew into a new design problem.


What Else but Covid-19 Pandemic? Lessons Learned


title: The INSPIRE Bio-Resource Research Platform for Healthy Aging and Geroscience: Focus on the Human Translational Research Cohort (The INSPIRE-T Cohort)

text: BACKGROUND: The Geroscience field focuses on the core biological mechanisms of aging, which are involved in the onset of age-related diseases, as well as declines in intrinsic capacity (IC) (body functions) leading to dependency. A better understanding on how to measure the true age of an individual or biological aging is an essential step that may lead to the definition of putative markers capable of predicting healthy aging. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the INStitute for Prevention healthy aging and medicine Rejuvenative (INSPIRE) Platform initiative is to build a program for Geroscience and healthy aging research going from animal models to humans and the health care system. The specific aim of the INSPIRE human translational cohort (INSPIRE-T cohort) is to gather clinical, digital and imaging data, and perform relevant and extensive biobanking to allow basic and translational research on humans. METHODS: The INSPIRE-T cohort consists in a population study comprising 1000 individuals in Toulouse and surrounding areas (France) of different ages (20 years or over — no upper limit for age) and functional capacity levels (from robustness to frailty, and even dependency) with follow-up over 10 years. Diversified data are collected annually in research facilities or at home according to standardized procedures. Between two annual visits, IC domains are monitored every 4-month by using the ICOPE Monitor app developed in collaboration with WHO. Once IC decline is confirmed, participants will have a clinical assessment and blood sampling to investigate markers of aging at the time IC declines are detected. Biospecimens include blood, urine, saliva, and dental plaque that are collected from all subjects at baseline and then, annually. Nasopharyngeal swabs and cutaneous surface samples are collected in a large subgroup of subjects every two years. Feces, hair bulb and skin biopsy are collected optionally at the baseline visit and will be performed again during the longitudinal follow up. EXPECTED RESULTS: Recruitment started on October 2019 and is expected to last for two years. Bio-resources collected and explored in the INSPIRE-T cohort will be available for academic and industry partners aiming to identify robust (set of) markers of aging, age-related diseases and IC evolution that could be pharmacologically or non-pharmacologically targetable. The INSPIRE-T will also aim to develop an integrative approach to explore the use of innovative technologies and a new, function and person-centered health care pathway that will promote a healthy aging. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.14283/jfa.2020.38 and is accessible for authorized users.


title: How does brief guided mindfulness meditation enhance empathic concern in novice meditators?: A pilot test of the suggestion hypothesis vs. the mindfulness hypothesis

text: Despite the widespread popularity of mindfulness meditation for its various benefits, the mechanism underlying the meditation process has rarely been explored. Here, we present two preliminary studies designed to test alternative hypotheses: whether the effect of brief guided mindfulness meditation on empathic concern arises from verbal suggestion (suggestion hypothesis) or as a byproduct of an induced mindfulness state (mindfulness hypothesis). Study 1 was a pilot randomized control trial of sitting (breath-and-body) meditation vs. compassion meditation that provided preliminary support for the mindfulness hypothesis. Study 2 was set up to rule out the possibility that the meditation effects observed in Study 1 were the effects of repeated measures. An inactive control group of participants underwent the repeated measures of empathic concern with no meditation in between. The pre-post comparison demonstrated no significant changes in the measures. Thus, the results of two studies supported the mindfulness hypothesis. Limitations of the present study and future research directions are discussed. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12144-020-00881-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


title: Involvement of Spike Protein, Furin, and ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2-Related Cardiovascular Complications

text: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global epidemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 has a similar structure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-1(SARS-CoV-1). The S protein on the surface of the virus is cleaved by host proprotein convertases (PCs) to expose the active N-terminal S1 extracellular domain. Its receptors are angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and the C-terminal S2 membrane anchoring protein is responsible for translocating the virus into the cell. Among patients with COVID-19, there is a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease, and more than 7% of patients have suffered myocardial damage due to the infection, but the internal mechanism is still poorly understood. There is currently no specific and effective targeted treatment. Reduction of the patient’s morbidity and mortality is an urgent problem that needs to be solved clinically. By exploring the theoretical analysis of PCs and ACE2 in COVID-19 cardiovascular susceptibility, some insights on how to prevent and alleviate adverse cardiovascular prognosis have been provided in this study.


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title: Design and development of a chimeric vaccine candidate against zoonotic hepatitis E and foot-and-mouth disease

text: BACKGROUND: Zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection emerged as a serious threat in the industrialized countries. The aim of this study is exploring a new approach for the control of zoonotic HEV in its main host (swine) through the design and development of an economically interesting chimeric vaccine against HEV and against a devastating swine infection: the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infection. RESULTS: First, we adopted a computational approach for rational and effective screening of the different HEV-FMDV chimeric proteins. Next, we further expressed and purified the selected chimeric immunogens in Escherichia coli (E. coli) using molecular cloning techniques. Finally, we assessed the antigenicity and immunogenicity profiles of the chimeric vaccine candidates. Following this methodology, we designed and successfully produced an HEV-FMDV chimeric vaccine candidate (Seq 8-P222) that was highly over-expressed in E. coli as a soluble protein and could self-assemble into virus-like particles. Moreover, the vaccine candidate was thermo-stable and exhibited optimal antigenicity and immunogenicity properties. CONCLUSION: This study provides new insights into the vaccine development technology by using bioinformatics for the selection of the best candidates from larger sets prior to experimentation. It also presents the first HEV-FMDV chimeric protein produced in E. coli as a promising chimeric vaccine candidate that could participate in reducing the transmission of zoonotic HEV to humans while preventing the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease in swine.


title: Complete dimensional collapse in the continuum limit of a delayed SEIQR network model with separable distributed infectivity

text: We take up a recently proposed compartmental SEIQR model with delays, ignore loss of immunity in the context of a fast pandemic, extend the model to a network structured on infectivity and consider the continuum limit of the same with a simple separable interaction model for the infectivities [Formula: see text] . Numerical simulations show that the evolving dynamics of the network is effectively captured by a single scalar function of time, regardless of the distribution of [Formula: see text] in the population. The continuum limit of the network model allows a simple derivation of the simpler model, which is a single scalar delay differential equation (DDE), wherein the variation in [Formula: see text] appears through an integral closely related to the moment generating function of [Formula: see text] . If the first few moments of u exist, the governing DDE can be expanded in a series that shows a direct correspondence with the original compartmental DDE with a single [Formula: see text] . Even otherwise, the new scalar DDE can be solved using either numerical integration over u at each time step, or with the analytical integral if available in some useful form. Our work provides a new academic example of complete dimensional collapse, ties up an underlying continuum model for a pandemic with a simpler-seeming compartmental model and will hopefully lead to new analysis of continuum models for epidemics.


Prompt identification of primary cutaneous nocardiosis utilizing immunohistochemical staining: a case report


title: A User-Centered Approach to Digital Household Risk Management

text: Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to become as common as electricity (OECD 2016) and there is a high probability for connected homes to become central parts of critical societal. IoT technologies might access, manage and record sensitive data about citizens and, as they become more and more pervasive, unintended data breaches reports increase every week. However, most of the tools designed to protect users’ privacy and personal data on IoT devices fail to contemplate the experience of persons with disabilities, elderly and other vulnerable categories of people. As a consequence, they are forced to rely on the help of family members or other related persons with technical skills, as frequent technical problems turn out to be the rule rather than the exception. With humans traditionally considered to be the “weak link” in technological networks there is the need of a vast educational project to raise awareness on the subject. This ongoing research paper aims to fill the existing gap in research by asking how humans deal with the risk factors linked to connected homes and how to develop a universally designed set of tools for everyday risk management in connected homes.


title: Me Without My Smartphone? Never! Predictors of Willingness for Smartphone Separation and Nomophobia

text: The smartphone as a ubiquitous mobile computer can be regarded as a ‘digital companion’, being with us 24/7 and supporting us in every aspect of modern life. This companionship might lead to a psychological attachment to the device comparable to the attachment to social (human) partners, and ultimately even compulsive usage. Here, a relevant construct is the fear of missing out (short: FoMO) leading to a constant checking of one’s phone. Furthermore, users can develop a fear called ‘nomophobia’ (no-mobile-phone phobia). Despite this fear, resolutions to reduce overuse also known as a ‘digital detox’ is an emerging trend. Our research aims at revealing predictors of nomophobia and the willingness to limit one’s smartphone usage, and which sub-factors of nomophobia are dominating. N = 220 participants filled out an online survey including factors like compulsive usage, FoMO, nomophobia, frequency of smartphone usage and willingness to separate from one’s smartphone. Multiple regression analyses revealed potential predictors for nomophobia and willingness for smartphone separation.


title: Evidence-Based Analysis of Issues in Environment, Energy, and Disaster Risks with CGE Models: An Introduction to Part I

text: This chapter demonstrates the capabilities of CGE modeling as a tool for the numerical assessment of the likely consequences for economies of a number of severe risks. These relate to the environment, particularly climate change, energy, and disastrous events, such as a pandemic. These were issues of particular concern to Yuzuru Miyata who developed CGE models to examine them. The discussion of the Part I chapters draws out how carefully undertaken CGE analysis can provide vital numerical evidence to inform policy-makers. Particular attention is paid to two key features of the chapters: customization of general-purpose CGE models for capturing essential features of the issue under examination; and a careful examination of simulation results with explanations provided in terms of the key model mechanisms driving them.