cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Six challenges in modelling for public health policy
Creators: name: Edmunds, W.J
name: Metcalf, C.J.E
name: Lessler, J
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2015

description: The World Health Organisation's definition of public health refers to all organized measures to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole (. World Health Organization, 2014). Mathematical modelling plays an increasingly important role in helping to guide the most high impact and cost-effective means of achieving these goals. Public health programmes are usually implemented over a long period of time with broad benefits to many in the community. Clinical trials are seldom large enough to capture these effects. Observational data may be used to evaluate a programme after it is underway, but have limited value in helping to predict the future impact of a proposed policy. Furthermore, public health practitioners are often required to respond to new threats, for which there is little or no previous data on which to assess the threat. Computational and mathematical models can help to assess potential threats and impacts early in the process, and later aid in interpreting data from complex and multifactorial systems. As such, these models can be critical tools in guiding public health action. However, there are a number of challenges in achieving a successful interface between modelling and public health. Here, we discuss some of these challenges.
Isadelphus coriarius
Creators: name: Riedel
name: Pénigot
name: Schwarz
name: Diller
name: Johansson
name: Japoshvili, G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Isadelphus
Isadelphus coriarius

description: Isadelphus coriarius (TASCHENBERG, 1865)
M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Trap7: 1♀ 13-27.vii.
D i s t r i b u t i o n: Western Palaearctic, known from Azerbaijan (JONAITIS & ALIEV 1983a), new record for Georgia.
description: Published as part of Riedel, Pénigot, Schwarz, Diller, Johansson & Japoshvili, G., 2023, Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of the Kintrishi National Park, Sakartvelo (Georgia), with descriptions of six new species, pp. 61-153 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 55 (1) on page 123, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10788481
Representation and inclusion among members and affiliates of the Society for Epidemiologic Research: Findings from the 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Survey
Creators: name: Peña, Courtney
name: Reed, Domonique M
name: Andrea, Sarah B
name: DeVilbiss, Elizabeth A
name: Babalola, Obafemi
name: Frankenfeld, Cara L
name: Fernández-Rhodes, Lindsay
name: Alvero, A J
name: Staley, Brooke S
name: Thompson, Caroline A
name: Santana, Mary V Díaz
name: Fasehun, Luther-King O
name: Magid, Hoda S Abdel
name: Lopez, David S
name: Fink, David S
name: Puac-Polanco, Victor
name: González, David J X
name: Society for Epidemiologic Research Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Publisher: name: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Year: 2024

description: Representation and inclusion are stated priorities for many scientific and professional organizations, including the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER), which was founded in 1967 with the intention of bringing together epidemiologists across career stages and specialties (1,2). Representation and inclusion are necessary for fostering safe and equitable educational and professional environments, recruiting future generations of researchers and practitioners, and addressing critical public health questions. However, there has been persistent underrepresentation and systemic exclusion of marginalized groups in the sciences, including epidemiology (2–12), which are symptoms of interpersonal and structural racism, classism, sexism, ableism, heteronormativity, religious-based discrimination, and other dimensions of marginalization (13,14). To advance SER’s goals, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee has sought to characterize representation and inclusion among SER members and affiliates through surveys conducted in 2018 and 2021.
Seven challenges in modeling vaccine preventable diseases
Creators: name: Hollingsworth, T.D
name: Lessler, J
name: Andreasen, V
name: Grenfell, B.T
name: Bjørnstad, O.N
name: Eames, K
name: Edmunds, W.J
name: Viboud, C
name: Metcalf, C.J.E
name: Funk, S
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2015

description: Vaccination has been one of the most successful public health measures since the introduction of basic sanitation. Substantial mortality and morbidity reductions have been achieved via vaccination against many infections, and the list of diseases that are potentially controllable by vaccines is growing steadily. We introduce key challenges for modeling in shaping our understanding and guiding policy decisions related to vaccine preventable diseases.
Draconarius volubilis Liu & Li & Pham 2010, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Liu, Jie
name: Li, Shuqiang
name: Pham, Dinh-Sac
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Agelenidae
Draconarius
Draconarius volubilis

description: Draconarius volubilis sp. nov. Figs 76–77, 87 Type material. Holotype female, 12 female paratypes, VIETNAM: Ninh Binh Province, Cuc Phuong National Park (20º21.44’N, 105º34.21’E), March 2007 to March 2008, Dinh-Sac PHAM leg; 6 female paratypes, VIETNAM: Vinh Phuc Province, Tam Dao National Park (21º31.56’N, 105º33.15’E), March 2007 to March 2008, Dinh-Sac PHAM leg. Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the Latin adjective ‘ volubilis ’, referring to the voluble copulatory ducts in the new species. Diagnosis. The new species is similar to D. cucphuongensis sp. nov., but can be distinguished from the latter by the relatively small epigynal teeth and the loop-shaped copulatory ducts which are enwinding the spermathecae (Figs 76 A–B, 77A–B). Description. Female. Total length 6.40–7.00. Holotype total length 6.75, prosoma 3.00 long, 2.05 wide; opisthosoma 3.75 long, 2.75 wide. Eye measurements: AME 0.05; ALE 0.13; PME 0.13; PLE 0.13; AME– AME 0.03; AME–ALE 0; ALE–PLE 0; PME–PME 0.05; PME–PLE 0.05. Clypeus height 0.08. Leg formula: IV, II, III; leg measurements: I: 7.60 [2.25, 2.60, 1.70, 1.05]; II: 6.10 [1.75, 2.00, 1.50, 0.85]; III: 5.70 [1.65, 1.75, 1.50, 0.80]; IV: 7.95 [2.25, 2.75, 2.05, 0.90]. Chelicerae with three promarginal and two retromarginal teeth (Fig. 76C). Epigynal teeth small, situated posteriorly and laterally, widely separated (Figs 76A, 77B); atrium small, extremely close to epigastric furrow (Figs 76A, 77B); copulatory ducts long, loop-shaped, enlacing the spermathecae, originating posteriorly (Figs 76B, 77C); spermathecal heads short and small, situated anteriorly and laterally on spermathecae, widely separated (Figs 76B, 77C); spermathecae large, rounded and slightly separated (Figs 76B, 77C). Male. Unknown. Habitat preferences. These specimens were collected by pitfall traps, this species may live on the forest floor or in leaf litter. Distribution. Vietnam (Ninh Binh, Vinh Phuc) (Fig. 87).
description: Published as part of Liu, Jie, Li, Shuqiang & Pham, Dinh-Sac, 2010, 2377, pp. 1-93 in Zootaxa 2377 on pages 79-80
Evaluation of respondent-driven sampling in seven studies of people who use drugs from rural populations: findings from the Rural Opioid Initiative
Creators: name: Akhtar, Wajiha
name: Cooper, Hannah L.
name: Rudolph, Abby E.
name: Miller, William C.
name: Whitney, Bridget M.
name: Nance, Robin M.
name: Young, April M.
name: Frost, Simon D. W.
name: Zule, William A.
name: Cook, Ryan
name: Korthuis, Philip T.
name: Friedmann, Peter D.
name: Crane, Heidi M.
name: Westergaard, Ryan P.
name: Stopka, Thomas J.
name: Bobashev, Georgiy
name: Ruderman, Stephanie A.
name: Pho, Mai T.
name: Go, Vivian F.
name: Brook, Daniel
name: Seal, David W.
name: Delaney, Joseph A. C.
name: Tsui, Judith I.
name: Jenkins, Wiley D.
Publisher: name: Springer Nature
Year: 2024

description: Background Accurate prevalence estimates of drug use and its harms are important to characterize burden and develop interventions to reduce negative health outcomes and disparities. Lack of a sampling frame for marginalized/stigmatized populations, including persons who use drugs (PWUD) in rural settings, makes this challenging. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is frequently used to recruit PWUD. However, the validity of RDS-generated population-level prevalence estimates relies on assumptions that should be evaluated. Methods RDS was used to recruit PWUD across seven Rural Opioid Initiative studies between 2018-2020. To evaluate RDS assumptions, we computed recruitment homophily and design effects, generated convergence and bottleneck plots, and tested for recruitment and degree differences. We compared sample proportions with three RDS-adjusted estimators (two variations of RDS-I and RDS-II) for five variables of interest (past 30-day use of heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine; past 6-month homelessness; and being positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody) using linear regression with robust confidence intervals. We compared regression estimates for the associations between HCV positive antibody status and (a) heroin use, (b) fentanyl use, and (c) age using RDS-1 and RDS-II probability weights and no weights using logistic and modified Poisson regression and random-effects meta-analyses. Results Among 2,842 PWUD, median age was 34 years and 43% were female. Most participants (54%) reported opioids as their drug of choice, however regional differences were present (e.g., methamphetamine range: 4-52%). Many recruitment chains were not long enough to achieve sample equilibrium. Recruitment homophily was present for some variables. Differences with respect to recruitment and degree varied across studies. Prevalence estimates varied only slightly with different RDS weighting approaches, most confidence intervals overlapped. Variations in measures of association varied little based on weighting approach. Conclusions RDS was a useful recruitment tool for PWUD in rural settings. However, several violations of key RDS assumptions were observed which slightly impacts estimation of proportion although not associations.
Specifications of the ACMG/AMP Variant Curation Guidelines for Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Genes—ENG and ACVRL1
Creators: name: Tusseau, Maud
name: Shovlin, Claire L.
name: Lesca, Gaetan
name: Cantarini, Claudia
name: Jessen, Jaime
name: Dupuis-Girod, Sophie
name: Sbalchiero, Anna
name: Racher, Hilary
name: Ichikawa, Shoji
name: Massink, Maarten P. G.
name: DeMille, Desiree
name: Thompson, Bryony A.
name: Ganguly, Arupa
name: Olivieri, Carla
name: McDonald, Jamie
name: Jovine, Luca
name: Bernabeu, Carmelo
name: Bayrak-Toydemir, Pinar
name: Kasthuri, Raj S.
Publisher: name: Hindawi
Year: 2024

description: The 2015 ACMG/AMP standards and guidelines for interpretation of sequence variants are widely used by laboratories, including for variant curation of the hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) genes. However, the need for gene- and disease-specific modifications and specifications of these general guidelines to optimize and standardize variant classification was recognized at the time of publication. With this goal, the ClinGen HHT variant curation expert panel was formed. Here, we describe our recommended HHT-specific variant classification criteria and the outcomes from pilot testing of 30 variants of the ENG and ACVRL1 genes. Eight of the original ACMG/AMP rules were determined to not be applicable for ENG- or ACVRL1-related HHT or were previously recommended by ClinGen for removal, two rules were unmodified, and the remaining 18 rules were modified according to HHT specifications or previous ClinGen general recommendations. This study demonstrates the importance of HHT-specific criteria in the optimization and standardization of HHT variant classification and conflicting classification resolution.
The Contribution of Social Behaviour to the Transmission of Influenza A in a Human Population
Creators: name: Wei, V.W.I
name: Cummings, D.A
name: Riley, S
name: Kwok, K.O
name: Cowling, B.J
name: Read, J.M
name: Kucharski, A.J
name: Lessler, J
Publisher: name: Public Library of Science
Year: 2014

description: Variability in the risk of transmission for respiratory pathogens can result from several factors, including the intrinsic properties of the pathogen, the immune state of the host and the host's behaviour. It has been proposed that self-reported social mixing patterns can explain the behavioural component of this variability, with simulated intervention studies based on these data used routinely to inform public health policy. However, in the absence of robust studies with biological endpoints for individuals, it is unclear how age and social behaviour contribute to infection risk. To examine how the structure and nature of social contacts influenced infection risk over the course of a single epidemic, we designed a flexible disease modelling framework: the population was divided into a series of increasingly detailed age and social contact classes, with the transmissibility of each age-contact class determined by the average contacts of that class. Fitting the models to serologically confirmed infection data from the 2009 Hong Kong influenza A/H1N1p pandemic, we found that an individual's risk of infection was influenced strongly by the average reported social mixing behaviour of their age group, rather than by their personal reported contacts. We also identified the resolution of social mixing that shaped transmission: epidemic dynamics were driven by intense contacts between children, a post-childhood drop in risky contacts and a subsequent rise in contacts for individuals aged 35-50. Our results demonstrate that self-reported social contact surveys can account for age-associated heterogeneity in the transmission of a respiratory pathogen in humans, and show robustly how these individual-level behaviours manifest themselves through assortative age groups. Our results suggest it is possible to profile the social structure of different populations and to use these aggregated data to predict their inherent transmission potential.
Prediction of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in late childhood from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in early childhood.
Creators: name: Shapiro, Allison
name: Cochran, David
name: O'Shea, T Michael
name: Leve, Leslie
name: Calub, Catrina A
name: Hertz-Picciotto, Irva
name: Ahmad, Shaikh
name: Gold, Diane R
name: Mansolf, Maxwell
name: Bennett, Deborah
name: Chandran, Aruna
name: Mlodnicka, Agnieszka
name: Restrepo, Bibiana
name: Schweitzer, Julie B
name: Aris, Izzuddin M
name: Schmidt, Rebecca
Publisher: name: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Year: 2024

description: Limited analyses based on national samples have assessed whether early attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms predict later internalizing and externalizing symptoms in youth and the influence of sex and pubertal timing on subsequent psychiatric symptoms. This study analyzed data (n = 2818) from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program national cohort. Analyses used data from early childhood (mean age = 5.3 years) utilizing parent-reported ADHD symptoms to predict rates of internalizing and externalizing symptoms from late childhood/adolescence (mean age = 11.9 years). Within a subsample age at peak height velocity (APHV) acted as a proxy to assess pubertal timing from early childhood (mean age = 5.4 years) to adolescence (mean age = 12.3 years). Early-childhood ADHD symptoms predicted later psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, conduct problems, oppositional defiant disorder, and rule-breaking behavior. Earlier APHV was associated with increased Conduct Disorder symptoms from late childhood to adolescence for females only. A stronger relation between ADHD symptoms and later aggression was observed in females with earlier APHV, whereas this same pattern with aggression, conduct problems and depression was observed in males with later APHV. Clinicians should consider that both young girls and boys with elevated ADHD symptoms, particularly with off-set pubertal timing, may be at risk for later psychiatric symptoms.
Efficient augmented inverse probability weighted estimation in missing data problems
Creators: name: Qin, Jing
name: Zhang, Biao
name: Leung, Denis H.Y.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Mathematics
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: Biological Sciences
subject: Earth and Environmental Sciences
subject: Biotechnology

description: When analysing data with missing data, a commonly used method is the inverse probability weighting method (Horvitz and Thompson, 1952), which reweights estimating equations with propensity scores. The popularity of the inverse probability weighting method is due to its simplicity. However, it is often being criticized for being inefficient because most of the information from the incomplete observations is not used. Alternatively, the regression method (Yates, 1933) is known to be efficient but is non-robust to the misspecification of the regression function. In this paper, we propose a novel way of optimally combining the propensity score function and the regression model. The resulting estimating equation enjoys the properties of robustness against misspecification of either the propensity score or the regression function, as well as being locally semiparametric efficient. We demonstrate analytically situations where our method leads to a more efficient estimator than some of its competitors. In a simulation study, we show the new method compares favourably with its competitors in finite samples.
Assessing the Relationship between Gulls Larus spp. and Pacific Salmon in Central California Using Radiotelemetry
Creators: name: Frechette, Danielle
name: Ann-Marie K. Osterback
name: Hayes, Sean A.
name: Moore, Jonathan W.
name: Shaffer, Scott A.
name: Pavelka, Mark
name: Winchell, Clark
name: Harvey, James T.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Science Policy
subject: Inorganic Chemistry
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: Biological Sciences
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Earth and Environmental Sciences
subject: Evolutionary Biology

description: Predation by marine birds has resulted in substantial losses to runs of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., in some cases necessitating management action. Recovery of PIT tags on a seabird breeding colony (Año Nuevo Island) indicated that western gulls Larus occidentalis prey upon federally listed Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch and steelhead O. mykiss in central California. Whereas salmonid populations in central California have decreased in recent decades, the western gull population on Año Nuevo Island has increased. We observed gulls Larus spp. within estuaries to document predation and used radiotelemetry to examine gull movement in relation to the availability of salmonids. During 2008 and 2009, observed predation events of out-migrating salmonids by gulls were rare; 21 events occurred during 338 h of observations at two estuaries. During the prehatch and chick-rearing phases of breeding, which coincided with migration of salmonids from fresh to salt water, 74% of the detections of radio-tagged western gulls occurred within 25 km of Año Nuevo Island, suggesting that the relative susceptibility of predation by western gulls using Año Nuevo Island decreased with distance from the island. Western gull presence at creek mouths was greatest during daylight hours (91% of detections), while juvenile salmonids were present predominantly at night (65% of detections). The greatest overlap between western gulls and salmonids occurred at dusk, and predation of out-migrating salmonids was likely opportunistic. Deterring gulls from creek mouths when overlap between predator and prey might otherwise occur may buffer out-migrating salmonids from predation. Our results will inform management strategies to most effectively reduce the impacts of gull predation on central California salmonids. Received May 8, 2014; accepted March 11, 2015
Voluntary wheel running exercise rescues behaviorally-evoked acetylcholine efflux in the medial prefrontal cortex and epigenetic changes in ChAT genes following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure
Creators: name: Vetreno, Ryan P.
name: Fecik, Matthew J.
name: Savage, Lisa M.
name: Nunes, Polliana T.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2024

description: Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure, which models heavy binge ethanol intake in adolescence, leads to a variety of deficits that persist into adulthood—including suppression of the cholinergic neuron phenotype within the basal forebrain. This is accompanied by a reduction in acetylcholine (ACh) tone in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Voluntary wheel running exercise (VEx) has been shown to rescue AIE-induced suppression of the cholinergic phenotype. Therefore, the goal of the current study is to determine if VEx will also rescue ACh efflux in the mPFC during spontaneous alternation, attention set shifting performance, and epigenetic silencing of the cholinergic phenotype following AIE. Male and female rats were subjected to 16 intragastric gavages of 20% ethanol or tap water on a two-day on/two-day off schedule from postnatal day (PD) 25–54, before being assigned to either VEx or stationary control groups. In Experiment 1, rats were tested on a four-arm spontaneous alternation maze with concurrent in vivo microdialysis for ACh in the mPFC. An operant attention set-shifting task was used to measure changes in cognitive and behavioral flexibility. In Experiment 2, a ChIP analysis of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) genes was performed on basal forebrain tissue. It was found that VEx increased ACh efflux in the mPFC in both AIE and control male and female rats, as well as rescued the AIE-induced epigenetic methylation changes selectively at the Chat promoter CpG island across sexes. Overall, these data support the restorative effects of exercise on damage to the cholinergic projections to the mPFC and demonstrate the plasticity of cholinergic system for recovery after alcohol induced brain damage.
The Role of Viral Introductions in Sustaining Community-Based HIV Epidemics in Rural Uganda: Evidence from Spatial Clustering, Phylogenetics, and Egocentric Transmission Models
Creators: name: Redd, A.D
name: Wawer, M.J
name: Tobian, A.A.R
name: Grabowski, M.K
name: Cummings, D.A.T
name: Serwadda, D
name: Ndyanabo, A
name: Beyrer, C
name: Lessler, J
name: Nalugoda, F
name: Lutalo, T
name: Quinn, T.C
name: Munshaw, S
name: Chang, L.W
name: Ray, S.C
name: Nelson, M.I
name: Laeyendecker, O
name: Reynolds, S.J
name: Kagaayi, J
name: Jennings, J.M
name: Gray, R.H
name: Mueller, A.C
name: Manucci, J
name: Bwanika, J.B
Publisher: name: Public Library of Science
Year: 2014

description: Background:It is often assumed that local sexual networks play a dominant role in HIV spread in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which continued HIV transmission in rural communities-home to two-thirds of the African population-is driven by intra-community sexual networks versus viral introductions from outside of communities.Methods and Findings:We analyzed the spatial dynamics of HIV transmission in rural Rakai District, Uganda, using data from a cohort of 14,594 individuals within 46 communities. We applied spatial clustering statistics, viral phylogenetics, and probabilistic transmission models to quantify the relative contribution of viral introductions into communities versus community- and household-based transmission to HIV incidence. Individuals living in households with HIV-incident (n = 189) or HIV-prevalent (n = 1,597) persons were 3.2 (95% CI: 2.7-3.7) times more likely to be HIV infected themselves compared to the population in general, but spatial clustering outside of households was relatively weak and was confined to distances <500 m. Phylogenetic analyses of gag and env genes suggest that chains of transmission frequently cross community boundaries. A total of 95 phylogenetic clusters were identified, of which 44% (42/95) were two individuals sharing a household. Among the remaining clusters, 72% (38/53) crossed community boundaries. Using the locations of self-reported sexual partners, we estimate that 39% (95% CI: 34%-42%) of new viral transmissions occur within stable household partnerships, and that among those infected by extra-household sexual partners, 62% (95% CI: 55%-70%) are infected by sexual partners from outside their community. These results rely on the representativeness of the sample and the quality of self-reported partnership data and may not reflect HIV transmission patterns outside of Rakai.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that HIV introductions into communities are common and account for a significant proportion of new HIV infections acquired outside of households in rural Uganda, though the extent to which this is true elsewhere in Africa remains unknown. Our results also suggest that HIV prevention efforts should be implemented at spatial scales broader than the community and should target key populations likely responsible for introductions into communities.Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.
Enablers and barriers to academic’s acceptance of technology: Can “individual differences” make a difference?
Creators: name: Musarrat, Maimuna
name: Loch, Birgit
name: Williams, Benedict
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: With the advances in technology the higher education sector is rapidly evolving. While some researchers are predicting the University of the Future to be more virtual, many academics at the coal face are still struggling to embrace emerging technologies. This paper reports the first stage of a project aimed at identifying the enablers and barriers for adopting new technology among Australian Higher Education academics. In this pilot study, academics who have integrated Tablet PCs in their teaching were surveyed. For a richer understanding of the enablers and barriers of technology uptake, focus groups will follow. The next stages of this research will be a wider survey open to all academics across universities. The ultimate goal of this project is to generate recommendations for universities in better managing the technological change.
Isadelphus inimicus
Creators: name: Riedel
name: Pénigot
name: Schwarz
name: Diller
name: Johansson
name: Japoshvili, G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Isadelphus
Isadelphus inimicus

description: Isadelphus inimicus (GRAVENHORST, 1829)
M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Trap 4: 1♀ 20.iv.-5.v., 1♀ 5-20.v.
D i s t r i b u t i o n: Transpalaearctic, known from Georgia (RIEDEL & JAPOSHVILI 2021).
description: Published as part of Riedel, Pénigot, Schwarz, Diller, Johansson & Japoshvili, G., 2023, Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of the Kintrishi National Park, Sakartvelo (Georgia), with descriptions of six new species, pp. 61-153 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 55 (1) on page 123, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10788481
Limiting regimes of turbulent horizontal convection. Part 1. Intermediate and low Prandtl numbers
Creators: name: Scotti, Alberto
name: Passaggia, Pierre-Yves
Publisher: name: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Year: 2024

description:  We report the existence of two new limiting turbulent regimes in horizontal convection (HC) using direct numerical simulations at intermediate to low Prandtl numbers. In our simulations, the flow is driven by a step-wise buoyancy profile imposed at the surface, with free-slip, no-flux conditions along all other boundaries, except along the spanwise direction, where periodicity is assumed. The flow is shown to transition to turbulence in the plume and the core, modifying the rate of heat and momentum transport. These transitions set a sequence of scaling laws that combine theoretical arguments from Shishkina, Grossmann and Lohse (SGL) and Hughes, Griffiths, Mullarney and Peterson (HGMP). The parameter range extends through Rayleigh numbers in the range [6.4 x 10^5, 1.92 x 10^15] and Prandtl numbers in the range [2 x 10^-3, 2]. At low Prandtl numbers and intermediate Rayleigh numbers, a core-driven regime is shown to follow a Nusselt-number scaling with Ra^1/6Pr^7/24. For Rayleigh numbers larger than  $10^14, the Nusselt number scales with    $Ra^0.225Pr^0.417. For these particular regimes, the Reynolds number is found to scale as  Ra^2/5 Pr^-3/5   for the low-Prandtl-number regime and  Ra^1/3 Pr^1   for Rayleigh numbers larger than 10^14. These results embed the HGMP model in the SGL theory and extend the known regime diagram of HC at high Rayleigh numbers. In particular, we show that HC and Rayleigh–Bénard share similar turbulent characteristics at low Prandtl numbers, where HC is shown to be ruled by its core dynamics and turbulent boundary layers. This new scenario confirms that fully turbulent HC enhances the transport of heat and momentum with respect to previously reported regimes at high Rayleigh numbers. This work provides new insights into the applicability of HC for geophysical flows such as overturning circulations found in the atmosphere, the oceans, and flows near the Earth's inner core.
SPECIFICITY OF THE SYMBOL AS AN ARTISTIC TOUCH
Creators: name: Sharipova, Dilnoza
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: The  article  deals  with  the the problem of the symbol is the field of philosophical knowledge, the intersection of various points of view, philosophical positions, views. Symbolization is one of the most important ways for any artist-thinker to comprehend reality. In the process of working on a work, the author seeks to express the essential depths of the phenomena of reality reproduced by him, those depths that are obviously inaccessible to direct sensory perception and can be "captured" by the subject of perception only indirectly, through a kind of semantic analogy and through the corresponding emotional experiences.
LM Test of Neglected Correlated Random Effects and Its Application
Creators: name: Jinyong Hahn
name: Hyungsik Roger Moon
name: Connan Snider
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: 19999 Mathematical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: Science Policy

description: This article aims at achieving two distinct goals. The first is to extend the existing LM test of overdispersion to the situation where the alternative hypothesis is characterized by the correlated random effects model. We obtain a result that the test against the random effects model has a certain max-min type optimality property. We will call such a test the LM test of overdispersion. The second goal of the article is to draw a connection between panel data analysis and the analysis of multiplicity of equilibrium in games. Because such multiplicity can be viewed as a particular form of neglected heterogeneity, we propose an intuitive specification test for a class of two-step game estimators.
Influenza outbreak control practices and the effectiveness of interventions in long-term care facilities: A systematic review
Creators: name: Chun, K
name: Rainwater-Lovett, K
name: Lessler, J
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Background: Evaluation of influenza control measures frequently focuses on the efficacy of chemoprophylaxis and vaccination, while the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) receives less emphasis. While influenza control measures are frequently reported for individual outbreaks, there have been few efforts to characterize the real-world effectiveness of these interventions across outbreaks. Objectives: To characterize influenza case and outbreak definitions and control measures reported by long-term care facilities (LTCFs) of elderly adults and estimate the reduction in influenza-like illness (ILI) attack rates due to chemoprophylaxis and NPI. Methods: We conducted a literature search in PubMed including English-language studies reporting influenza outbreaks among elderly individuals in LTCFs. A Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression model estimated the effects of control measures on ILI attack rates. Results: Of 654 articles identified in the literature review, 37 articles describing 60 influenza outbreaks met the inclusion criteria. Individuals in facilities where chemoprophylaxis was used were significantly less likely to develop influenza A or B than those in facilities with no interventions [odds ratio (OR) 0·48, 95% CI: 0·28, 0·84]. Considered by drug class, adamantanes significantly reduced infection risk (OR 0·22, 95% CI: 0·12, 0·42), while neuraminidase inhibitors did not show a significant effect. Although NPI showed no significant effect, the results suggest that personal protective equipment may produce modest protective effects. Conclusions: Our results indicate pharmaceutical control measures have the clearest reported protective effect in LTCFs. Non-pharmaceutical approaches may be useful; however, most data were from observational studies and standardized reporting or well-conducted clinical trials of NPI are needed to more precisely measure these effects.
title: Environmental Protection of the Host States In International Investment Law: Treaty Reinterpretation, Provision Design and Experience from China
Creators: name: Ren, Q
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2016

description: This thesis aims to evaluate the scope of environmental protection in the host states against the states’ obligations to protect and promote foreign investments, and to identify how the existing international investment treaty practice and dispute settlement practice are insufficient in light of considering the environmental interests of the host states in the standards of treatment, including the fair and equitable treatment, national treatment, most-favoured-treatment, and non-expropriation standard. This thesis argues that the existing regime of international investment law does not provide an appropriate framework for the protection of the host states’ environmental interests, especially in the countries with economic and social transition (like China) where the domestic need for environmental protection is emerging and growing significantly. In contributing to the means through which the host states are able to regulate foreign investments without otherwise violating treaty obligation, this research proposes: (1) interpreting investment treaty provisions by introducing more environmental consideration, and (2) rethinking and reshaping the current pro-investor mechanism of international investment law through embracing the provision of broad environmental exception.
title: Epistemic Gossip Protocols
Creators: name: Attamah, MK
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2016

description: In this thesis we study epistemic protocols for gossip. Each agent in the gossip scenario knows a unique piece of information which is called a secret. Agents communicate with each other by means of pairwise telephone calls, and in each call the calling pair of agents exchange all the secrets they currently know. In an epistemic gossip protocol, an agent $a$ can call another agent $b$, not because it is so instructed, but because agent $a$ knows that it satisfies some knowledge-based condition defined by the protocol. The goal of gossiping is typically epistemic, for example, that after a sequence of calls, every agent knows the secret of every other agent. The question then arises as to which knowledge conditions bring about the goal of gossiping, and what properties the resulting protocols have. In this thesis we describe a theoretical framework for the study of epistemic gossip protocols based on dynamic epistemic logic. We describe a number of epistemic gossip protocols and formalise these protocols using our theoretical framework. We study and prove the dynamic properties of these protocols in various types of underlying network topologies such as the line topology network, circle topology network, tree topology network, and the complete topology network. Based on our theoretical framework, we implement a software framework for describing, modelling and checking the dynamic properties of epistemic gossip protocols. We call this software framework the Epistemic Gossip Protocol (EGP) tool. The EGP tool automates the checking of dynamic properties of a given epistemic gossip protocol, such as, whether the given protocol achieves the goal of gossiping for every execution sequence of the protocol, whether the given protocol can produce execution sequences that lead to a deadlock, or whether the given protocol can produce an infinite execution sequence due to a loop. We describe the details of the implementation of the EGP tool, and use the tool to model, and check the dynamic properties of our example protocols. We present and discuss the results obtained from our experiments with the EGP tool.
A Likelihood-Based Approach to Identifying Contaminated Food Products Using Sales Data: Performance and Challenges
Creators: name: Hu, K
name: Edlund, S
name: Filter, M
name: Harry, A
name: Käsbohrer, A
name: Appel, B
name: Lessler, J
name: Thoens, C
name: Kaufman, J
name: Douglas, J
Publisher: name: Public Library of Science
Year: 2014

description: Foodborne disease outbreaks of recent years demonstrate that due to increasingly interconnected supply chains these type of crisis situations have the potential to affect thousands of people, leading to significant healthcare costs, loss of revenue for food companies, and-in the worst cases-death. When a disease outbreak is detected, identifying the contaminated food quickly is vital to minimize suffering and limit economic losses. Here we present a likelihood-based approach that has the potential to accelerate the time needed to identify possibly contaminated food products, which is based on exploitation of food products sales data and the distribution of foodborne illness case reports. Using a real world food sales data set and artificially generated outbreak scenarios, we show that this method performs very well for contamination scenarios originating from a single "guilty" food product. As it is neither always possible nor necessary to identify the single offending product, the method has been extended such that it can be used as a binary classifier. With this extension it is possible to generate a set of potentially "guilty" products that contains the real outbreak source with very high accuracy. Furthermore we explore the patterns of food distributions that lead to "hard-to-identify" foods, the possibility of identifying these food groups a priori, and the extent to which the likelihood-based method can be used to quantify uncertainty. We find that high spatial correlation of sales data between products may be a useful indicator for "hard-to-identify" products.
Review article: Incubation periods of mosquito-borne viral infections: a systematic review
Creators: name: Cummings, D.A.T
name: Rudolph, K.E
name: Kmush, B
name: Moloney, R.M
name: Lessler, J
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Mosquito-borne viruses are a major public health threat, but their incubation periods are typically uncited, non-specific, and not based on data. We systematically review the published literature on six mosquito-borne viruses selected for their public health importance: chikungunya, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, West Nile, and yellow fever viruses. For each, we identify the literature's consensus on the incubation period, evaluate the evidence for this consensus, and provide detailed estimates of the incubation period and distribution based on published experimental and observational data. We abstract original data as doubly interval-censored observations. Assuming a log-normal distribution, we estimate the median incubation period, dispersion, 25th and 75th percentiles by maximum likelihood. We include bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals for each estimate. For West Nile and yellow fever viruses, we also estimate the 5th and 95th percentiles of their incubation periods.
Game-like digital training tools: Transfer of cognitive and perceptual skills from static to dynamic interfaces
Creators: name: McLean, Greg
name: Wise, Lisa
name: Williams, Benedict
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: This paper explores the principles of skill acquisition and training transfer within the context of game-like digital training tools, expanding on previous research using an instrument scanning task in novice versus experienced pilots. While previous work demonstrated a game-like training tool is capable of developing high levels of performance within the game environment, initial findings suggest the likelihood of practical transfer to a real world environment is strongly dependent on the nature of the cognitive and perceptual skills developed. This paper investigates whether instrument scanning skills developed within a static training task transfer to a more dynamic video-based task. Despite strong performance within the static environment, preliminary data suggest a lesser degree of transfer when more dynamic perceptual skills are targeted. Findings are discussed broadly in terms of the principles of skill acquisition and training transfer, and how these principles may apply to game-like digital training tools.
Lysibia nanus
Creators: name: Riedel
name: Pénigot
name: Schwarz
name: Diller
name: Johansson
name: Japoshvili, G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Lysibia
Lysibia nanus

description: Lysibia nanus (GRAVENHORST, 1829)
M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Trap4:1♁15-29.vi.
D i s t r i b u t i o n: Holarctic and Oriental, known from Georgia (DJANELIDZE 1969, RIEDEL & JAPOSHVILI 2021).
description: Published as part of Riedel, Pénigot, Schwarz, Diller, Johansson & Japoshvili, G., 2023, Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of the Kintrishi National Park, Sakartvelo (Georgia), with descriptions of six new species, pp. 61-153 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 55 (1) on page 123, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10788481
Balancing Evidence and Uncertainty when Considering Rubella Vaccine Introduction
Creators: name: Metcalf, C.J.E
name: Lessler, J
Publisher: name: Public Library of Science
Year: 2013

description: Background:Despite a safe and effective vaccine, rubella vaccination programs with inadequate coverage can raise the average age of rubella infection; thereby increasing rubella cases among pregnant women and the resulting congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in their newborns. The vaccination coverage necessary to reduce CRS depends on the birthrate in a country and the reproductive number, R0, a measure of how efficiently a disease transmits. While the birthrate within a country can be known with some accuracy, R0 varies between settings and can be difficult to measure. Here we aim to provide guidance on the safe introduction of rubella vaccine into countries in the face of substantial uncertainty in R0.Methods:We estimated the distribution of R0 in African countries based on the age distribution of rubella infection using Bayesian hierarchical models. We developed an age specific model of rubella transmission to predict the level of R0 that would result in an increase in CRS burden for specific birth rates and coverage levels. Combining these results, we summarize the safety of introducing rubella vaccine across demographic and coverage contexts.Findings:The median R0 of rubella in the African region is 5.2, with 90% of countries expected to have an R0 between 4.0 and 6.7. Overall, we predict that countries maintaining routine vaccination coverage of 80% or higher are can be confident in seeing a reduction in CRS over a 30 year time horizon.Conclusions:Under realistic assumptions about human contact, our results suggest that even in low birth rate settings high vaccine coverage must be maintained to avoid an increase in CRS. These results lend further support to the WHO recommendation that countries reach 80% coverage for measles vaccine before introducing rubella vaccination, and highlight the importance of maintaining high levels of vaccination coverage once the vaccine is introduced.
Measles elimination: Progress, challenges and implications for rubella control
Creators: name: Metcalf, C.J.E
name: Lessler, J
name: Cutts, F.T
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Measles and rubella are major vaccine-preventable causes of child mortality and disability. They have been eliminated from the Americas and some other regions have also come close to elimination. In this paper, we review regional progress toward measles and rubella control/elimination goals, describe the recent epidemiology of these infections and discuss challenges to achieving the goals. Globally, measles vaccination is estimated to prevent nearly 2 million deaths each year. Despite this remarkable progress, large measles outbreaks have occurred in recent years, often involving older persons who were not vaccinated in earlier years. Such an occurrence would be particularly damaging for rubella control programmes as it could lead to peaks in congenital rubella syndrome. Challenges to achieving and sustaining high vaccination coverage include civil conflict, weak health systems, geographic, cultural and economic barriers to reaching certain population groups and inadequate monitoring and use of data for action. Countries and regions aiming to eliminate measles and control rubella urgently need to improve the implementation and monitoring of both routine and mass vaccination campaign strategies.
Percutaneous Wearable Biosensors: A Brief History and Systems Perspective
Creators: name: Peterson, Kaila L.
name: Daniele, Michael A.
name: Shukla, Rajendra P.
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 2024

description: Wearable biosensors are envisioned to disrupt both delivery and accessibility of healthcare by providing real‐time, continuous monitoring of informative and predictive physiological markers in convenient, user‐friendly, and portable designs. In recent years, there has been myriad demonstrations of biosensor‐integrated clothing and skin‐borne biosensor patches, enabled by device miniaturization, reduced power consumption, and new biosensing chemistries. Despite these impressive demonstrations, most consumer‐grade wearables have been limited to biophotonic and biopotential sensing methods to extrapolate information such as pulse, blood oxygenation, and electrocardiograms. The only commercial example of wearable electrochemical sensing methods is for glucose monitoring. However, there is a growing interest in developing percutaneous biosensors for monitoring in interstitial fluid (ISF), which offers direct access to popular analytes such as glucose, lactate, and urea, as well as new targets like hormones, antibodies, and even medications. Herein, a brief context for the current status of wearable biosensors is provided and assess the major engineering successes and pitfalls of percutaneous biosensors over the past five years, with a view to identifying areas for further developments that will enable deployable, clinical‐ or consumer‐grade systems.