ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the changes of disease spectrum in pediatric inpatients before and after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods The data of gender, age, habitual residence, diagnosis and other relevant information of 1 931 hospitalized children in Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University) from Feb. 2019 to Jan. 2020 (1 year before the COVID-19 epidemic) and 618 hospitalized children from Feb. 2020 to Jan. 2021 (1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic) were collected. The total number, habitual residence, gender and disease spectrum of hospitalized children 1 year before and 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic were statistically analyzed. Results The number of hospitalized children decreased by 68.00% (1 313/1 931) 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic. The number of hospitalized children from other provinces and cities was decreased (17.80%110/618vs 29.00%560/1 931) and there was significantly difference in the distribution of habitual residence of hospitalized children between 1 year before and 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (P<0.01). One year after the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of children with respiratory diseases decreased by 92.04% (971/1 055), and the proportion was also decreased (13.59%84/618vs 54.63%1 055/1 931);the number of children with endocrine system diseases increased by 20.71% (29/140), and the proportion was increased (27.35%169/618vs 7.25%140/1 931);the number of children with neonatal diseases decreased by 43.01% (166/386), but the proportion was increased (35.60%220/618 vs 19.99%386/1 931). Compared with 1 year before the COVID-19 epidemic, there were significant differences in the proportions of respiratory diseases, endocrine system diseases and neonatal diseases in hospitalized children 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (all P<0.01). The age distribution of hospitalized children 1 year before and 1 year after the epidemic of COVID-19 was different (P<0.01), and the number of hospitalized children was also different in different seasons (P<0.05). One year after the epidemic of COVID-19, the number of hospitalized children with respiratory diseases was decreased most significantly, and the number of children with pneumonia decreased by 93.71% (655/699), with a significant difference found in the proportions of pneumonia between 1 year before and 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (52.38%44/84vs 66.26% 699/1 055, P<0.05). Compared with 1 year before the COVID-19 epidemic, the proportion of endocrine system diseases such as short stature/growth retardation was decreased and the proportion of precocious puberty/early puberty development was increased 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (P<0.05). Conclusion The COVID-19 epidemic has led to a significant decrease in hospitalized children in department of pediatric, especially in the proportion of respiratory diseases, but it has led to an increase in hospitalized children with endocrine system diseases, suggesting that epidemic prevention and control measures can effectively reduce respiratory diseases requiring hospitalization, but may increase precocious puberty and early puberty development. These changes should be considered by department of pediatrics in general hospitals.Copyright © 2022, Second Military Medical University Press. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the changes of disease spectrum in pediatric inpatients before and after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods The data of gender, age, habitual residence, diagnosis and other relevant information of 1 931 hospitalized children in Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University) from Feb. 2019 to Jan. 2020 (1 year before the COVID-19 epidemic) and 618 hospitalized children from Feb. 2020 to Jan. 2021 (1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic) were collected. The total number, habitual residence, gender and disease spectrum of hospitalized children 1 year before and 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic were statistically analyzed. Results The number of hospitalized children decreased by 68.00% (1 313/1 931) 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic. The number of hospitalized children from other provinces and cities was decreased (17.80%[110/618]vs 29.00%[560/1 931]) and there was significantly difference in the distribution of habitual residence of hospitalized children between 1 year before and 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (P<0.01). One year after the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of children with respiratory diseases decreased by 92.04% (971/1 055), and the proportion was also decreased (13.59%[84/618]vs 54.63%[1 055/1 931]);the number of children with endocrine system diseases increased by 20.71% (29/140), and the proportion was increased (27.35%[169/618]vs 7.25%[140/1 931]);the number of children with neonatal diseases decreased by 43.01% (166/386), but the proportion was increased (35.60%[220/618] vs 19.99%[386/1 931]). Compared with 1 year before the COVID-19 epidemic, there were significant differences in the proportions of respiratory diseases, endocrine system diseases and neonatal diseases in hospitalized children 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (all P<0.01). The age distribution of hospitalized children 1 year before and 1 year after the epidemic of COVID-19 was different (P<0.01), and the number of hospitalized children was also different in different seasons (P<0.05). One year after the epidemic of COVID-19, the number of hospitalized children with respiratory diseases was decreased most significantly, and the number of children with pneumonia decreased by 93.71% (655/699), with a significant difference found in the proportions of pneumonia between 1 year before and 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (52.38%[44/84]vs 66.26% [699/1 055], P<0.05). Compared with 1 year before the COVID-19 epidemic, the proportion of endocrine system diseases such as short stature/growth retardation was decreased and the proportion of precocious puberty/early puberty development was increased 1 year after the COVID-19 epidemic (P<0.05). Conclusion The COVID-19 epidemic has led to a significant decrease in hospitalized children in department of pediatric, especially in the proportion of respiratory diseases, but it has led to an increase in hospitalized children with endocrine system diseases, suggesting that epidemic prevention and control measures can effectively reduce respiratory diseases requiring hospitalization, but may increase precocious puberty and early puberty development. These changes should be considered by department of pediatrics in general hospitals.Copyright © 2022, Second Military Medical University Press. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
In response to the construction process of Healthy China. it is rather important to create a safe, healthy and energy-efficient indoor environment for public buildings. The public building space is often densely populated, with a large flow of people and many types of air pollution, which presents non-uniform dynamic distribution characteristics. This brings great challenges to the control of indoor air safety, especially during the pandemic period of COVID-19. Excessive ventilation may not only cause large energy waste. but also lead to cross-contamination and even a cluster of infection. In this paper, an operation and maintenance (O&M) control system for indoor air safety is developed based on the core concepts and basic methods of human ergonomics. In this system, one of the important human environmental variables is focused for control, i.e.. indoor air pollution level. Especially after the outbreak of COVID-19. droplets and droplet nuclei from respiration are the most significant air pollution categories required for mitigation. Towards the efficient control of air pollution in large public buildings. it should further take into account the interaction of human, equipment and machines (i.e., ventilation_ air purification and disinfection and intelligent control system) and building environment. Firstly, on the basis of the online monitoring of indoor air pollution concentration and personnel flow, the non-uniform dynamic distribution of indoor pollutants and personnel can be obtained by using the non-uniform and low-dimensional rapid prediction models and computer vision processing. Then, the optimal setting results of ventilation parameters (e.g., ventilation modes, supply air rate. etc.) can be outputted by the environmental control decision system. Finally, based on a combination of monitoring sensors, controllers and actuator hardware equipment (at the location of fans or dampers), the intelligent regulation and control of ventilation system can be realized, aimed at minimizing energy consumption and reducing pollutant concentration and exposure level. Meanwhile, the air purification and disinfection system (especially for the disinfection of virus particles) are operated under the condition of the ventilated environment, which can serve as a powerful auxiliary to the maintenance of indoor air safety. The workflow and effect of the O&M control system are demonstrated by an engineering application case of the front hall in the International Convention and Exhibition Center. The results indicate that the non-uniform and low-dimensional rapid prediction model for pollutant concentration is effective for the ventilation control with the average prediction difference of 11.9%. The implementation of the intelligent ventilation system can reduce the risk of human infection to less than 4%. and its energy-saving ratio for the ventilation can be as high as about 45%. Through optimizing the layout strategies of disinfection devices based on the intelligent ventilation control, the space accessibility of negative oxygen ions can be well accepted, to further increase the removal efficiency of air pollution. The calculated value of space disinfection rate is more than 99%, which can further reduce the risk of infection by 1-2 orders of magnitude. This study can provide an important reference for the promotion and upgrading of O&M control system for indoor air safety.
ABSTRACT
Due to the large height and span of indoor spaces, efficient indoor ventilation performance may be difficult to achieve using the side air supply for large halls, to control the indoor air pollutants or reduce the infection risk, such as the transmission of COVID-19 within the breathing zone of occupants. An efficient Ventilation Mode with Deflector and Slot air outlets (VMDS) was developed by this study. The use of a deflector with slot air outlets was introduced by utilizing jet collision and adhesion effect to accentuate the ventilation performance of the side air supply for the large space. The numerical simulation model used in this study was validated experimentally. The VMDS was compared with three other side air supply modes used in large spaces, and the results were evaluated comprehensively. The results show that VMDS is effective in reducing indoor air pollutant concentrations and transmission of infectious diseases in large spaces while satisfying the energy efficiency and thermal comfort requirements. Compared with the common side-supply and side-return ventilation modes, VMDS can reduce indoor air pollutant concentration by nearly 40%, reduce the transmission risk of infectious disease to less than 1% at a low air change rate and increase the ventilation efficiency from about 0.85 to about 1.2. In addition, VMDS can theoretically reduce ventilation energy consumption by about 85%. © The Author(s) 2022.
ABSTRACT
As the world's largest trading bloc, the agreement of RCEP, which was formalized in September 2020, is believed to play a non-neglectable role in the post-pandemic recovery. Real economies and the capital markets of the participating countries will have greater interactions due to tariff reduction and negative lists. By looking into the shocks in early 2020 that affect the stock markets of RCEP participating countries, we measure the stock market reaction to common risks just before the RCEP agreement was formalized. Following return-based, volume-based and liquidity-based event-study approaches, we use daily data from 11 Asia-Pacific countries to examine the stock market reactions. We find that RCEP economies for which the agreement took effect on January 1st, 2022 showed better risk resistance in response to COVID-19 shocks. In the long run, trading benefits brought by the RCEP agreement are expected to form and strengthen a system of circular flow of international trading activities among the participating countries, which will in turn increase the risk resistance ability of their stock markets. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
ABSTRACT
During the normalization phase of COVID-19 epidemic, it is gradually reverted to use building space, especially for office. Prevention of airborne pollutant has emerged as a major challenge. Ventilation strategies can mitigate the spread of airborne disease in indoor environment, such as increasing ventilation rate, modifying ventilation mode, etc. The larger ventilation rate can lead to higher energy consumption may not effectively reduce infection risk. The potential of ventilation modes for COVID-19 control should be explored. Furthermore, it is necessary to adopt low-cost strategies, such as physical barrier, to increase the prevention efficiency while combining the ventilation system. This study was to investigate the impact of physical barrier on the spread of particles and infection risk in an office with a sufficient ventilation rate, and then compare different ventilation strategies, including mixing ventilation (MV), zone ventilation (ZV), stratum ventilation (SV) and displacement ventilation (DV), for the optimal one. The simulation model was mainly used in this work and validated by the experiment to show a good agreement with the model prediction. The results showed that (1) the SV showed greater performance in mitigating infection disease spread than MV, ZV and DV, with a minimum infection risk of 13%;(2) a barrier height of at least 60 cm above the desk surface is needed to effectively prevent the transmission of viruses with the risk of infection reduced by about 72%. This work can provide a reference for development of ventilation strategies as well as low-cost prevention interventions in public space oriented the prevention of COVID-19. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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The lack of accurate data on the rural communities' perspectives of the COVID-19 vaccine impairs the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of vaccine programs. Notably, we do not have adequate data to understand why, although COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted minority populations in these communities, they are reported to be the least likely to be vaccinated. This paper develops a cost-effective community sampling frame based on satellite imagery and machine learning to improve the diversity of data and study the association between household-level visual information and COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Alabama Black Belt. The results provided solid evidence for the hypothesis that high-resolution satellite imagery contains valuable information to understand communities' perspectives on the COVID-19 vaccine. It also generated extra knowledge and implications for community health to help social workers to develop future vaccine promotion strategies in rural America. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
As the world's largest trading bloc, the agreement of RCEP, which was formalized in September 2020, is believed to play a non-neglectable role in the post-pandemic recovery. Real economies and the capital markets of the participating countries will have greater interactions due to tariff reduction and negative lists. By looking into the shocks in early 2020 that affect the stock markets of RCEP participating countries, we measure the stock market reaction to common risks just before the RCEP agreement was formalized. Following return-based, volume-based and liquidity-based event-study approaches, we use daily data from 11 Asia-Pacific countries to examine the stock market reactions. We find that RCEP economies for which the agreement took effect on January 1st, 2022 showed better risk resistance in response to COVID-19 shocks. In the long run, trading benefits brought by the RCEP agreement are expected to form and strengthen a system of circular flow of international trading activities among the participating countries, which will in turn increase the risk resistance ability of their stock markets.
ABSTRACT
Background: Anticoagulants are promising regimens for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, whether prophylactic or intermediate-to-therapeutic dosage is optimal remains under active discussion. Methods: We comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials, and MedRxiv databases on April 26, 2022. Two independent researchers conducted literature selection and data extraction separately according to predetermined criteria. Notably, this is the first meta-analysis on COVID-19, taking serious consideration regarding the dosage overlap between the 2 comparison groups of prophylactic anticoagulation (PA) and intermediate-to-therapeutic anticoagulation (I-TA). Results: We included 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 36 cohort studies with 27,051 COVID-19 patients. By analyzing all the RCTs, there was no significant difference in mortality between the PA and I-TA groups, which was further confirmed by trial sequential analysis (TSA) (odds ratio [OR]: 0.93;95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71–1.22;P = 0.61;TSA adjusted CI: 0.71–1.26). The rate of major bleeding was remarkably higher in the I-TA group than in the PA group, despite adjusting for TSA (OR: 1.73;95% CI: 1.15–2.60;P = 0.009;TSA adjusted CI: 1.09–2.58). RCTs have supported the beneficial effect of I-TA in reducing thrombotic events. After including all studies, mortality in the I-TA group was significantly higher than in the PA group (OR: 1.38;95% CI: 1.15–1.66;P = 0.0005). The rate of major bleeding was similar to the analysis from RCTs (OR: 2.24;95% CI: 1.86–2.69;P < 0.00001). There was no distinct difference in the rate of thrombotic events between the 2 regimen groups. In addition, in both critical and noncritical subgroups, I-TA failed to reduce mortality but increased major bleeding rate compared with PA, as shown in meta-analysis of all studies, as well as RCTs only. Meta-regression of all studies suggested that there was no relationship between the treatment effect and the overall risk of mortality or major bleeding (P = 0.14, P = 0.09, respectively). Conclusion: I-TA is not superior to PA for treating COVID-19 because it fails to lower the mortality rate but increases the major bleeding rate in both critical and noncritical patients. Copyright © 2022 Shandong University, published by Wolters Kluwer, Inc.
ABSTRACT
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there continues to be a need for innovative virtual teaching methods. Chalk talks, or brief illustrated talks given on a whiteboard, are easily made virtual with a tablet and online whiteboard. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of a live virtual chalk talk given to medical students on their dermatology clerkship. Methodology: A 1-hour chalk talk was delivered over Zoom. The instructor engaged 3-4 students to complete a table differentiating five common papulosquamous diseases, which was followed by an interactive case-based practice session. Pre- and postintervention surveys were administered. Results: A total of 18 students participated. Based on a Likert scale (1 = least confident to 5 = most confident), and comparing pre- to postintervention, students became more confident recognizing (2.11 ± 0.76 versus 3.72 ± 0.46, P <.001) and differentiating (2.00 ± 0.59 versus 3.44 ± 0.62, P <.001) papulosquamous conditions, and students were able to more list more papulosquamous conditions (0.56 ± 2.45 versus 4.83 ± 0.51, P <.001). Qualitative responses showed that the talk was well-received: students appreciated the case-based practice (n = 13, 72.2%), the white-board table (n = 10, 55.6%), level of interaction (n = 8, 44.4%), and the mix of didactic learning followed by practice (n = 6, 33.3%). The most common suggestion was a request for more details about each disorder (n = 3, 16.7%). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the ability of live virtual chalk talks to teach dermatology to medical students in an effective and engaging manner. The results encourage the broader application of this teaching format in the virtual classroom.
ABSTRACT
In response to the construction process of Healthy China. it is rather important to create a safe, healthy and energy-efficient indoor environment for public buildings. The public building space is often densely populated, with a large flow of people and many types of air pollution, which presents non-uniform dynamic distribution characteristics. This brings great challenges to the control of indoor air safety, especially during the pandemic period of COVID-19. Excessive ventilation may not only cause large energy waste. but also lead to cross-contamination and even a cluster of infection. In this paper, an operation and maintenance (O&M) control system for indoor air safety is developed based on the core concepts and basic methods of human ergonomics. In this system, one of the important human environmental variables is focused for control, i.e.. indoor air pollution level. Especially after the outbreak of COVID-19. droplets and droplet nuclei from respiration are the most significant air pollution categories required for mitigation. Towards the efficient control of air pollution in large public buildings. it should further take into account the interaction of human, equipment and machines (i.e., ventilation_ air purification and disinfection and intelligent control system) and building environment. Firstly, on the basis of the online monitoring of indoor air pollution concentration and personnel flow, the non-uniform dynamic distribution of indoor pollutants and personnel can be obtained by using the non-uniform and low-dimensional rapid prediction models and computer vision processing. Then, the optimal setting results of ventilation parameters (e.g., ventilation modes, supply air rate. etc.) can be outputted by the environmental control decision system. Finally, based on a combination of monitoring sensors, controllers and actuator hardware equipment (at the location of fans or dampers), the intelligent regulation and control of ventilation system can be realized, aimed at minimizing energy consumption and reducing pollutant concentration and exposure level. Meanwhile, the air purification and disinfection system (especially for the disinfection of virus particles) are operated under the condition of the ventilated environment, which can serve as a powerful auxiliary to the maintenance of indoor air safety. The workflow and effect of the O&M control system are demonstrated by an engineering application case of the front hall in the International Convention and Exhibition Center. The results indicate that the non-uniform and low-dimensional rapid prediction model for pollutant concentration is effective for the ventilation control with the average prediction difference of 11.9%. The implementation of the intelligent ventilation system can reduce the risk of human infection to less than 4%. and its energy-saving ratio for the ventilation can be as high as about 45%. Through optimizing the layout strategies of disinfection devices based on the intelligent ventilation control, the space accessibility of negative oxygen ions can be well accepted, to further increase the removal efficiency of air pollution. The calculated value of space disinfection rate is more than 99%, which can further reduce the risk of infection by 1-2 orders of magnitude. This study can provide an important reference for the promotion and upgrading of O&M control system for indoor air safety.
ABSTRACT
The global epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a great threat to human life and health. At present, various types of vaccines have been approved for use worldwide to prevent the spread of the epidemic, among which recombinant vector vaccine plays an important role. Up to May 25, 2021, four vector vaccines have been approved for use in different countries, while 17 ones are in clinical trials and more than 40 ones in preclinical studies. This paper summarizes the research status of recombinant vector vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in the world.
ABSTRACT
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic period, the airborne transmission of viruses has raised widespread concern as daily activities are resumed in public buildings. It is essential to develop mitigation strategies of infection disease transmission (e.g., increase of ventilation rate) in different scenarios to reduce the infection risk. For classrooms in schools, natural ventilation is generally used to provide outdoor air into rooms. However, the supply air volume depends strongly on the local conditions, e.g., window opening size and outdoor wind speed. In this study, the optimal design of classroom window openings is investigated, based on which low-cost window-integrated fans are then employed to enhance the efficiency of natural ventilation and infection disease control. Taking infected students as pollutant sources, numerical simulations are carried out to predict the pollutant concentration under various scenarios of pollutant sources and window opening modes (with/without fans), and to calculate the infection risk. It is found that by redesigning window openings, the airflow distribution performance index (ADPI) can be increased by 17% with corresponding infection likelihood decreased by 27%. The window integrated fan has a significant effect on improving ventilation performance and prevention of infection disease transmission, leading to an ADPI of 99% and minimum infection probability of 11% for students sitting near the windows. This work can help to develop low-cost and effective mitigating measures of infection disease in classrooms by using hybrid ventilation systems.
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Given the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, people need to wear masks to protect themselves and reduce the spread of COVID, which brings new challenge to the traditional face recognition task. Since features like the nose and mouth, which are well distinguishable, are hidden under the mask, traditional methods are no longer simply applicable, even though they once achieved a high degree of accuracy. In response to this problem, the Masked Face Recognition Challenge & Workshop (MFR) was held in conjunction with the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) 2021. This article details a method that combining the classic ArcFace and pairwise loss to target the new masked face recognition task. So far, our method has achieved the second place in the competition.
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The unprecedented global pandemic COVID-19 significantly disrupted the higher education sector by forcing educators to rethink modes of content delivery. As COVID-19 restrictions slowly lifts, many institutions are operating a hybrid course delivery structure: online lectures and small groups of in-person, hands-on learning sessions. In this paper, a method to model student cohort learning communities is proposed. This model would limit viral spreading through its small and static nature, while promoting a sense of community and identity-building. A similar learning community model was implemented within a 2nd year Integrated Learning Stream pilot program. The goal of this study is to identify the optimal student cohort configuration, based on an anonymized dataset of 81 electrical engineering students' Fall 2020 semester enrollment records. Three very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit clustering algorithms (Hyperedge Coarsening, Modified Hyperedge Coarsening, and Best Choice) are implemented. The resulting cohorts are evaluated based on cohort members' number of possible interactions external to their cohort. The Best Choice algorithm yielded more uniform cohorts that are less connected with other clusters, showing the cohort model to be a viable method of grouping students to limit cross-cohort transmission. Post-pandemic, the proposed method can be applied in many cohort-based learning use cases. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
ABSTRACT
In the Chinese medical insurance industry, the assessor's role is essential and requires significant efforts to converse with the claimant. This is a highly professional job that involves many parts, such as identifying personal information, collecting related evidence, and making a final insurance report. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the previous offline insurance assessment has to be conducted online. However, for the junior assessor often lacking practical experience, it is not easy to quickly handle such a complex online procedure, yet this is important as the insurance company needs to decide how much compensation the claimant should receive based on the assessor's feedback. In order to promote assessors' work efficiency and speed up the overall procedure, in this paper, we propose a dialogue-based information extraction system that integrates advanced NLP technologies for medical insurance assessment. With the assistance of our system, the average time cost of the procedure is reduced from 55 minutes to 35 minutes, and the total human resources cost is saved 30% compared with the previous offline procedure. Until now, the system has already served thousands of online claim cases. © 2021 Association for Computational Linguistics
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The COVID-19 lockdowns had forced young children to take digital preschooling and their parents to practize digital parenting. This study explored how Chinese parents viewed and mediated early digital use during the lockdowns. A total of 2491 parents were recruited nationally and surveyed online in late 2020. The results indicated that: (1) Chinese parents held mixed views of early digital use with some being positive (25.09%), and negative (35.13%), and balanced or ambivalent (32.64%);(2) they were concerned about the negative impact on early learning and development even though the lockdown has led to an inevitable surge in digital use;and (3) they mainly perceived parental roles as guides (35.84%) and supervisors (32.04%) and adopted four digital parenting approaches: supervision, active mediation, restrictive mediation, and co-use or co-view. The findings imply that Chinese parents were not ready to cope with the challenges caused by early digital use.