Relationship between social support and parental burnout in COVID-19 among Chinese young parents.

OBJECTIVE: To explore potential categories of parental social support for young parents under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, and to examine correlations of different types of parents' social support with parental burnout. METHOD(S): In April 2020, we conducted an online voluntary survey among young parents across China with scales and a self-designed questionnaire. The latent profile analysis method was used to analyze parents' received social support and perceived social support. The social support categories were taken as independent variables and parental burnout as dependent variables, and multiple regression analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between received social support, perceived social support and parental burnout. Finally, the moderating effect of resilience between social support groups and parental burnout was discussed. RESULT(S): The results of latent profile analysis revealed three potential types of received social support, namely isolate, normal, and multi-support and the proportions of the respondents with the three profiles were 14.1%, 78.0%, and 7.9%. Four potential types of perceived social support, namely, indigent, medium, affluent and divergent and the proportions of the respondents with the four profiles were 13.7%, 29.6%, 25.3%, and 31.3%. Among them, the parents with divergent perceived social support had more perception of social support from the couple, family and relatives, but less perception of social support from net-friend, social organizations and the government. Regression analysis showed that there was no statistically significant correlation between different profiles of received social support and parental burnout, and among the groups of perceived social support, there was a statistically significant correlation between indigent and divergent types of social support and parental burnout. The divergent parents had lower levels of parental burnout compared with indigent (beta=-0.120, P=0.003). Also, resilience moderated the effect of divergent perceived social support and parental burnout. Compared with the parents with low resilience, the parents with high resilience perceived divergent social support with lower parenting burnout. CONCLUSION(S): There are prominent latent types of received social support and perceived social support under epidemic. People with divergent perceived social support (more perceived supports from partner, family and friends) are prone to have a relatively lower risk of parental burnout. Parents with higher resilience will be more sensitive to the support of close acquaintances, and can better resist parental burnout.

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Utilization Trends in the United States: Evidence from 2012-2021 National Electronic Medical Records Data

Objectives: Bariatric surgery has evolved over the past two decades yet assessing trends of bariatric surgery utilization in the growing eligible population is lacking.This study aimed to update the trends in bariatric surgery utilization, changes in types of procedures performed, and the characteristics of patients who underwent bariatric surgery in the US, using real-world data. Method(s): This cross-sectional study was conducted using the TriNetX, a federated electronic medical records network from 2012 to 2021, for adult patients 18 years old or older who had bariatric surgery. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to assess patients' demographics and characteristics. Annual secular trend analyses were conducted for the annual rate of bariatric surgery, and the specific procedural types and proportions of laparoscopic surgeries. Result(s): A steady increase in the number of procedures performed in the US over the first six years of the study, a plateau for the following two years, and then a decline in 2020 and 2021 (during the coronavirus-19 pandemic). The annual rate of bariatric surgery was lowest in 2012 at 59.2 and highest in 2018 at 79.6 surgeries per 100,000 adults. During the study period, 96.2% to 98.8% of procedures performed annually were conducted laparoscopically as opposed to the open technique. Beginning in 2012, the Roux-en-Y (RYGB) procedure fell to represent only 17.1% of cases in 2018, along with a sharp decline in the adjustable gastric band (AGB) procedure, replaced by a sharp increase in the sleeve gastrectomy (SG) procedure to represent over 74% of cases in 2018. Conclusion(s): Bariatric surgery utilization in the US showed a moderate decline in the number of RYGB procedures, which was offset by a substantial increase in the number of SG procedures and a precipitous drop in the annual number of AGB procedures.Copyright © 2023

Daily tourism demand forecasting before and during COVID-19: data predictivity and an improved decomposition-ensemble framework

The global tourism industry is struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, daily tourism forecasting is more critical than ever before in supporting decisions and planning. Considering the changes in tourist psyche and behaviour caused by COVID-19, this study attempts to investigate whether the statistical modelling methods can work reliably under the new normal when travel restrictions are eased or lifted. To this end, we first compare the predictivity of daily tourism demand data before and during COVID-19, and observe heterogeneous impacts across different geographical scales. Then an improved multivariate & multiscale decomposition-ensemble framework is proposed to forecast daily tourism demand. The empirical study indicates the superiority and practicability of the proposed framework before and during COVID-19. Finally, we call for more research on the comparability of tourism demand forecasting.

Remember to Screen the Spleen: A Case Study of Spontaneous Splenic Rupture

Introduction: Splenic rupture is a potentially life-threatening condition often associated with trauma or viral infection. Most cases of splenic rupture are due to trauma, viral infection, lymphoproliferative disease, malaria, tick borne illness, splenic neoplasms, connective tissue disease, or in one case, sneezing. Spontaneous splenic rupture (SSR) is a rare condition with less than five cases reported. In this case, we present a 20-year-old male who was seen with abdominal pain who was found to have an SSR with no clear etiology. Case Description/Methods: A 20-year-old male with no relevant past medical history presented with abdominal pain that radiated to the left shoulder. The patient reported the pain began after an episode of emesis which occurred 12 hours prior to arrival. He reported experiencing shortness of breath and pain on inspiration. He denied any fall or trauma, recent travel or sick contacts, fevers, weight loss, or night sweats. His social history was significant for occasional marijuana use. Upon physical exam, the patient had diffuse abdominal tenderness most pronounced in the left upper quadrant without any palpable masses. Relevant labs included a hemoglobin of 12.2, WBC count within normal limits and unremarkable manual differential, and an INR of 1. Blood parasite, heterophile antibodies, COVID, influenza, CMV, and HIV were negative. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) revealed hematoma at the splenic hilum. Interventional radiology was consulted and did not recommend intervention at time of initial presentation. Patient was admitted;his hemoglobin remained stable and he was monitored with serial abdominal exam then discharged the following day. Imaging was repeated one month later which revealed near complete resolution of hematoma. (Figure) Discussion: SSR should be considered on the differential diagnosis of physicians when encountering patients who present with LUQ pain with unclear etiology. The patient presented with the characteristic Kehr's sign (left diaphragmatic irritation resulting in referred pain to the left shoulder) but not the Ballance sign (palpable tender mass in the left upper quadrant). The incidence of SSR is estimated to be around 1 to 7% with a mortality rate of 12.2% so a broad differential for young patients presenting with abdominal pain must be entertained and should include splenic rupture as it is a potentially life-threatening condition.

Self-regulation, motivation, emotion, and skill mastery of online learning: New evidence from a survey during COVID-19

Self-regulation is a core concept associated with the metacognitive, motivational, and emotional aspects of learning. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a large-scale setting to collect new empirical evidence to test this conceptual framework in an authentic online learning environment. By reference to 64,949 participants enrolled at 39 universities in China, the authors developed the Undergraduate Online Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire and estimated the associations among self-regulation, motivation, emotion, and skill mastery with regard to online learning across different subgroups of a diverse student body. The results demonstrated that males, rural students, lower-division undergraduates, first-generation college students, SEAM majors, and students at elite universities reported significantly lower UOSL scores. After controlling for motivation and emotion, these gaps decreased substantially and become statistically nonsignificant. The findings highlight the critical role played by targeted interventions in the creation of a supportive online environment for disadvantaged subgroups. © 2023, IGI Global.

Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes and Treatments of COVID-19 Patients from Two Hospitals Based on "Treatment of Disease in Accordance with Three Conditions".

Objective: To explore the guidance value of "treatment of disease in accordance with three conditions" theory in the prevention and treatment of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on the differences of syndromes and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments in COVID-19 patients from Xingtai Hospital of Chinese Medicine of Hebei province and Ruili Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Dai Medicine of Yunnan province and discuss its significance in the prevention and treatment of the unexpected acute infectious diseases. Method(s): Demographics data and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients from the two hospitals were collected retrospectively and analyzed by SPSS 18.0. The information on formulas was obtained from the hospital information system (HIS) of the two hospitals and analyzed by the big data intelligent processing and knowledge service system of Guangdong Hospital of Chinese Medicine for frequency statistics and association rules analysis. Heat map-hierarchical clustering analysis was used to explore the correlation between clinical characteristics and formulas. Result(s): A total of 175 patients with COVID-19 were included in this study. The 70 patients in Xingtai, dominated by young and middle-aged males, had clinical symptoms of fever, abnormal sweating, and fatigue. The main pathogenesis is stagnant cold-dampness in the exterior and impaired yin by depressed heat, with manifest cold, dampness, and deficiency syndromes. The therapeutic methods highlight relieving exterior syndrome and resolving dampness, accompanied by draining depressed heat. The core Chinese medicines used are Poria, Armeniacae Semen Amarum, Gypsum Fibrosum, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, and Pogostemonis Herba. By contrast, the 105 patients in Ruili, dominated by young females, had atypical clinical symptoms, and most of them were asymptomatic patients or mild cases. The main pathogenesis is dampness obstructing the lung and the stomach, with obvious dampness and heat syndromes. The therapeutic methods are mainly invigorating the spleen, resolving dampness, and dispersing Qi with light drugs. The core Chinese medicines used are Poria, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Coicis Semen, Platycodonis Radix, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, and Pogostemonis Herba. Conclusion(s): The differences in clinical characteristics, TCM syndromes, and medication of COVID-19 patients from the two places may result from different regions, population characteristics, and the time point of the COVID-19 outbreak. The "treatment of disease in accordance with three conditions" theory can help to understand the internal correlation and guide the treatments.Copyright © 2022, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Institute of Chinese Materia Medica. All rights reserved.

Invulnerability analysis for airport weighted networks before and after COVID-19

In order to improve airport network ' s ability to cope with emergencies, topological characteristics of Chinese airport network before and after COVID-19 were analyzed based on complex network theory. And the network was weighted by using node strength, and an invulnerability assessment method was developed after identifying inflection points of loss fitting curves for weighted network characteristics metrics under different attack strategies. The results show that the topological structure of airport weighted network has no significant changes before and after the pandemic, but its connectivity is slightly sparse. And the airport network in China is much more vulnerable under different intentional attack strategies. When attack ratio reaches 8. 6%, inflection point of loss fitting curves will appear, and relative loss of global network efficiency will amount to 24. 39%, while reduction rate of the largest connected subgraph reaches 14. 67%, and relative loss of average degree and average clustering coefficient is up to 76. 87% and 68. 84%, respectively. Moreover, loss of network efficiency and the largest connected subgraph reduction rate accelerates after inflection points, in which stage the network will be paralyzed. © 2022 China Safety Science Journal. All rights reserved.

Quercetin potentially suppresses renal fibrosis in patients with COVID-19 under hypoxic state

Introduction: Renal fibrosis is a main outcome of acute kidney injury in COVID-19 survivors, which is emerging as a global public health concern. Lung damage in the COVID-19 patients leads to acute and chronic hypoxia, which results in inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, and fibrosis in kidney. Quercetin is an abundant flavonoid in plant materials. Previous studies indicate that quercetin alleviates the decline of renal function, suppress epithelial to mesenchymal transformation in renal tubules, and reduce fibrosis. The study aimed to explore potential targets of quercetin on treating renal fibrosis in patients with COVID-19-induced hoxpia. Method(s): Gene/protein targets related to COVID-19, renal fibrosis, or quercetin were searched from ten databases, and Cytoscape 3.8.2 was then used to construct the protein-protein interaction network and to identify the core targets. The Metascape platform was used for bioconcentration analysis, while AutoDock Vina was used as the primary molecular docking tool. In vitro, the combination model of hypoxia- and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)- treated human proximal tubule epithelial cells (HK2 cells) was applied to determine the reno-protective effect of quercetin. Result(s): The network analysis showed that quercetin targeted on TGF-beta pathway in treating COVID-19 induced renal fibrosis. In the intersection PPI network, 115 targets were obtained, and gene enrichment analysis was conducted on 109 key nodes. Molecular docking analysis revealed that quercetin could spontaneously bind to eight targets on the TGF-beta pathway, and the binding energy of TGF-beta1 was 29.82 kJ/mol. The in vitro experiment further showed that quercetin significantly suppressed fibrosis in TGF-beta and hypoxia treated HK2 cells in a dose dependent manner by inhibiting TGF-beta/Smad3 pathway. Conclusion(s): Quercetin could attenuate renal fibrosis in patients with COVID-19 by suppressing TGF-beta/Smad3 pathway. No conflict of interestCopyright © 2023

Exploring Foreign Teachers' Perceptions of Communication with Students in Online Learning in China: A Case Study

Under the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic, and with the widespread use of online learning, the way in which teachers communicate with students via the internet has attracted great attention. Online communication bears unique challenges, such as the absence of nonverbal cues and lack of social interaction, both of which are necessary to enrich and assist learning in an online setting. This paper aims to explore foreign teachers' perceptions of online communications for learning and to examine the communication challenges in that environment. Set in China, this study adopts a qualitative design using semi-structured online interviews as data collection instrument. Seven foreign teachers (non-Chinese) (three females and four males) participated in this research. The thematic analysis method was adopted for data analysis. Results showed that four themes were generated, which were effectiveness, emotional feelings, means of communication, and communication skills. In addition, three themes were discussed in terms of communication challenges in online learning, such as technical obstacles, cultural issues, as well as communication problems. Teachers are encouraged to be prepared to deal with these problems. This research brings new and practical thoughts to learners and instructors in order to optimize the effect of online learning and makes recommendations for future projects. © 2023 Society for Research and Knowledge Management. All rights reserved.

Treatment Effects of Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Treatment Scheme on COVID-19: A Single-armed Clinical Trial

Backgroud: The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought unprecedented perils to human health and raised public health concerns in more than two hundred countries. Safe and effective treatment scheme is needed urgently. Objective(s): To evaluate the effects of integratedTCM and western medicine treatment scheme on COVID-19. Method(s): A single-armed clinical trial was carried out in Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, an affiliated hospital with Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. 102 confirmed cases were screened out from 725 suspected cases and 93 of them were treated with integrated TCM and western medicine treatment scheme. Result(s): 83 cases were cured, 5 cases deteriorated, and 5 cases withdrew from the study. No deaths were reported. The mean relief time of fever, cough, diarrhea, and fatigue were (4.78 +/- 4.61) days, (7.22 +/- 4.99) days, (5.28 +/- 3.39) days, and (5.28 +/- 3.39) days, respectively. It took (14.84 +/- 5.50) days for SARS-CoV-2 by nucleic acid amplification-based testing to turn negative. Multivariable cox regression analysis revealed that age, BMI, PISCT, BPC, AST, CK, BS, and UPRO were independent risk factors for COVID-19 treatment. Conclusion(s): Our study suggested that integrated TCM and western medicine treatment scheme was effective for COVID-19.Copyright © 2021

Predicting the antecedents of discontinuous usage intention of mobile government social media during public health emergencies

Mobile government social media (GSM) plays a crucial role in facilitating government–citizen crisis communication and pandemic-related information delivery during public health emergencies. However, the lack of interaction and supervision, as well as deviations from the government's crisis communication position, can lead to some mobile GSM accounts gradually becoming "zombie” and "empty shell” accounts, resulting in high discontinuance rates. To investigate the underlying mechanism of mobile GSM discontinuous usage intention during public health emergencies, this study utilized hybrid structural equation modeling with an artificial neural network approach to estimate linear and non-linear relations. Data were collected from 748 Chinese mobile GSM users during the COVID-19 pandemic from August to September 2021. The findings revealed that perceived risks and barriers, information overload, information irrelevance, and social media fatigue significantly affected mobile GSM users' discontinuous usage intentions during public health emergencies, while perceived internet censorship and information equivocality did not. The hybrid method predicted mobile GSM discontinuous usage intention during public health emergencies with an accuracy of 87.9%. This study provides a holistic understanding of the antecedents of mobile GSM discontinuous usage intention during public health emergencies. Practical insights were presented for mobile GSM managers to avoid user churn during public health emergencies. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Very Early Cognitive Impairment in COVID-19 Convalescents：a Study Using Data from a Questionnaire Survey

【】 Background COVID-19 may impair the central nervous system，but the prevalence and related factors of very early cognitive impairment in discharged COVID-19 convalescents are still unclear. Objective To assess the prevalence of very early cognitive impairment in discharged COVID-19 convalescents，and to identify its influencing factors. Methods This study included 574 COVID-19 convalescents from August 28 to September 30，2020，including individuals who were discharged from designated hospitals for treating COVID-19 in Wuhan from December 2019 to April 2020 randomly selected from the hospital information system，and those with informed consent recruited through news media. According to the Eight-item Informant Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia（AD8）score，the subjects were divided into a very early cognitive impairment group（AD8 ≥ 2）and a non-very early cognitive impairment group（AD8<2）. A questionnaire survey was conducted with the subjects by four investigators at Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese ＆amp;Western Medicine，using the General Information Questionnaire to collect demographic information and past disease history of the patients（including gender，age，underlying disease，classification of COVID-19 on admission，interval between discharge and the current survey，and various symptoms present at the time of follow-up），using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7（GAD-7），the PTSD Check List–Civilian Version（PCL-C），and the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire（SF-36）to assess patients' anxiety，post-traumatic stress disorder，and quality of life，respectively. Three hundred and eleven cases finally completed the cognitive function screening. Multiple Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effects of gender，age，underlying disease and admission classification of COVID-19 on very early cognitive impairment. A restricted cubic spline model was used to assess the quantitative relationship between anxiety level and very early cognitive impairment. Results 311（54.18%）who effectively responded to the survey was finally enrolled，including 170（54.7%）with very early cognitive impairment and 141（45.3%）without. 230 （23.9%）had residual symptoms after discharge. Comparisons of gender，age，insomnia，fatigue，chest tightness，shortness of breath，loss of appetite，generalized anxiety disorder，PTSD positive，and the score of each SF-36 entry among COVID-19 convalescents with and without very early cognitive impairment were statistically significant（P<0.05）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis suggested that females〔OR（95%CI）=2.658（1.528，4.625）〕，advanced age〔OR（95%CI）=3.736（1.083，12.890）〕，and having generalised anxiety disorder〔OR（95%CI）=5.081（1.229，21.008）〕were influential factors in increasing very early cognitive impairment（P<0.05）. Restricted cubic spline models indicated a linear quantitative relationship between anxiety level and very early cognitive impairment，with higher levels of anxiety associated with a greater likelihood of very early cognitive impairment（P for non-linear test =0.132）. Conclusion The incidence of very early cognitive impairment is high in COVID-19 convalescents，and it may be higher in those who are older，female，or have generalized anxiety symptoms. Timely interventions for psychiatric problems and alleviation of anxiety symptoms in COVID-19 convalescents，especially in older women，may help to improve their cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease. © 2023 Chinese General Practice. All rights reserved.

Factors influencing Chinese undergraduate students' emotions in an online EFL learning context during the COVID pandemic

Background: Considerable evidence suggests that students' achievement emotions are important contributors to their learning and success online. It is, therefore, essential to understand and support students' emotional experiences to enhance online education, especially under the COVID-19 context. However, to date, very few studies have investigated how students' achievement emotions might be affected by teaching and learning factors in online learning environments. Objectives: Based on Pekrun's (2006) control-value theory of achievement emotions, this study examined the influence of students' perceived online teaching quality and appraisals of control and value on their achievement emotions in an online second language (L2) learning context instigated by the COVID-19. Methods: Data were collected using an online survey of 1503 undergraduates from ten universities across different regions of China. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to test the validity of the instruments and structural equation modelling were conducted to examine the relations between L2 teaching and learning variables. Results and Conclusions: Results revealed that perceived teacher internet and communication technology competence had positive effects on enjoyment, but negative effects on anxiety and boredom, and these effects were fully mediated by perceived control and/or value. Perceived chaotic teaching structure (CTS) had reverse effects for the three emotions. Perceived CTS effects on enjoyment and anxiety were fully and partially mediated by perceived control, respectively. Takeaways: Online teaching quality is critical for students' appraisals and emotions towards L2 learning. Teachers should strive to improve online teaching quality and design interventions targeting students' perceived control and value to temper their affective experiences associated with the crisis-prompted online teaching practices. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Acute Coronary Syndrome Clinical Practice Patterns: Findings from a Multicenter Clinician Survey in China

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has severely affected healthcare systems around the world. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of cardiologists regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the clinical practice patterns for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Method(s): A multicenter clinician survey was sent to 300 cardiologists working in 22 provinces in China. The survey collected demographic information and inquired about their perceptions of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected ACS clinical practice patterns. Result(s): The survey was completed by 211 (70.3%) cardiologists, 82.5% of whom were employed in tertiary hospitals, and 52.1% reported more than 10 years of clinical cardiology practice. Most respondents observed a reduction in ACS inpatients and outpatients in their hospitals during the pandemic. Only 29.9% of the respondents had access to a dedicated catheter room for the treatment of COVID-19-positive ACS patients. Most respondents stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had varying degrees of effect on the treatment of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and unstable angina. Compared with the assumed non-pandemic period, in the designed clinical questions, the selection of coronary interventional therapy for STEMI, NSTEMI, and unstable angina during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly decreased (all p < 0.05), and the selection of pharmacotherapy was increased (all p < 0.05). The selection of fibrinolytic therapy for STEMI during the pandemic was higher than in the assumed non-pandemic period (p < 0.05). Conclusion(s): The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected ACS clinical practice patterns. The use of invasive therapies significantly decreased during the pandemic period, whereas pharmacotherapy was more often prescribed by the cardiologists. Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s).

Air Pollution Characteristics and Potential Source Regions During the COVID-19 in Beijing

The air pollution characteristics were analyzed during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Beijing. The hybrid single particle lagrangian integrated trajectory (Hysplit), potential source contribution function (PSCF), and concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) were also applied to study the main transport pathways and potential source regions of air masses during heavy pollution. Results show that compared with before COVID-19 (January 1-22, 2020) and the same period of 2019, the concentration of PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter of <2.5 μm) after COVID-19 (January, 23-31, 2020) increased by 149.7% and 62.2%, respectively, while increased by 40.6% and 6.8% for sulfur dioxide (SO2), 42.6% and 37.8% for carbon monoxide (CO), and 73.6% and 28.0% for ozone (O3). Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations after COVID-19 decreased by 27.9% and 21.6%, respectively, compared with before COVID-19 and the same period of 2019. The most polluted day in January 28 was selected to analyze the backward trajectory and potential source regions. The air masses from the surrounding of Beijing were the main transport pathways of heavy pollution episode. The main potential source regions mainly concentrated in Beijing, northern Langfang, and northern Tianjin. The long-distance transmission from central and western Inner Mongolia and northern Beijing had little impact on this heavy pollution episode. Therefore, it is still necessary to conduct the regional joint prevention and control to improve the air quality in Beijing. © 2022, Editorial Department of Journal of Beijing University of Technology. All right reserved.

Fuzzy evaluation model of urban resilience for COVID-19 prevention and control based on TOPSIS

At present, the novel coronavirus variant strain has broken out in some cities in China. After prevention and control, the epidemic situation is basically in the final stage of control. To assess the resilience of cities in different regions, this paper established a COVID-19 resilience assessment model based on TOPSIS and fuzzy mathematics. Firstly, according to the concept of urban resilience, three first-level indicators are selected, namely elasticity, resilience and adaptation. Then 17 second-level indicators are selected to quantify the three first-level indicators. Finally, based on the results of the model, possible approaches to improve resilience in COVID-19 prevention and control are proposed. © 2022 SPIE.

Analysis of antibody titers in patients with COVID-19 6 months after infection

Objective To analyze the antibody against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) of recovered patients with confirmed or suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Dawu County, Hubei Province, China 6 months after discharge from hospital. Methods A total of 166 serum samples were collected from the recovered patients with COVID-19 6 months after discharge from hospital and determined for neutralizing antibody by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), and the neutralizing antibody titer (EC50) was calculated. The specific IgG antibody against SARS-CoV-2 was determined by ELISA, of which the relationship to the neutralizing antibody titer was analyzed by Pearson method. Results The positive rates of neutralizing antibody and specific IgG in the 166 samples were 68. 7% and 77. 7%, while those in samples from patients with typical symptoms were 82. 2%, and 90. 1%, those from confirmed patients without symptoms were 66. 7% and 88. 9%, and those from suspected patients were 44. 6% and 53. 6%, respectively. The Pearson relationship between neutralizing antibody titer and IgG titer was 93. 0%. Conclusion The antibody against SARS-CoV-2 still exists in patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 6 months after discharge from hospital, and the titer of neutralizing antibody is significandy related to that of specific IgG against SARS-CoV-2. Copyright © 2022 Changchun Institute of Biological Products. All rights reserved.

Critique of “ Parallel Framework for Constraint-Based Bayesian Network Learning via Markov Blanket Discovery” by SCC Team from Peking University

Ankit Srivastava et al. [1] proposed a parallel framework for Constraint-Based Bayesian Network (BN) Learning via Markov Blanket Discovery (referred to as ramBLe) and implemented it over three existing BN learning algorithms, namely, GS, IAMB and Inter-IAMB. As part of the Student Cluster Competition at SC21, we reproduce the computational efficiency of ramBLe on our assigned Oracle cluster. The cluster has 4x36 cores in total with 100 Gbps RoCE v2 support and is equipped with Centos-compatible Oracle Linux. Our experiments, covering the same three algorithms of ramBLe, evaluate its strong and weak scalability of the algorithms using real COVID-19 data sets. We verify part of the conclusions in the paper and propose our explanation of the differences. IEEE