Is social capital associated with individual social responsibility? The case of social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Individual social responsibility is essential to achieving the sustainable development goals of the society, yet there has been very little research on whether and how social and cultural factors influence individual social responsibility. Using the Covid-19 pandemic as our empirical context, this research examines the relationship between social capital and individual social distancing behaviors during the pandemic. Social distancing is a form of socially responsible behavior because it is critical in mitigating the spread of the Covid-19 virus. By exploiting daily mobile GPS location data, we provide strong evidence for the divergent relationships between the two constituents of social capital-civic norms and social networks-and social distancing behaviors. While civic norms are positively associated with social distancing, social networks have a negative association with social distancing. These results are consistent with a nuanced view of social capital: civic norms facilitate cooperation and self-sacrifice for the common good, whereas social networks increase individual embeddedness and hence inertia in maintaining social interactions, resulting in opposite effects on social distancing. Our results contribute to the research at the intersection of social capital and individual social responsibility by highlighting the nuanced effects of social capital on individual responses to the pandemic and provide valuable insights for policymakers and businesses in disaster management.

A Potential Molecular Inhibitor of the SARS-COV-2 Main Protease Obtained by Virtual Screening (preprint)

SARS-CoV-2 has been out breaking around the world for more than three years and continues to evolve variants, which has become a major global health threat. Main protease (Mpro, also called 3CLpro) plays a key role in viral replication and proliferation, making it an attractive drug target. Here, we have identified novel potential inhibitor of Mpro by applying a virtual screening of hundreds Nilotinib structure-like compounds we designed and synthesized. The screened compounds were followed for the SP docking, XP docking, MM-GBSA analysis, IFD docking, MD simulation, ADME/T prediction and then enzymatic assay in vitro. We finally identified compound V291 as a potential SARS-COV-2 Mpro inhibitor with high docking affinity and enzyme inhibitory activity. Moreover, the docking results indicate that His41 is a favorable amino acid for pi-pi inter-actions, while Glu166 can participate in salt bridge formation with protonated primary or secondary amines in the screened molecules. Thus, compounds reported here are capable of engaging the key amino acids His41 and Glu166 in ligand-receptor interactions. Pharmacophore analysis further validates this assertion.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the etiology and characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia among children requiring bronchoalveolar lavage in northern China (preprint)

Background: To investigate the etiology and clinical characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among children requiring bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and analyze the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the pathogen spectrum and clinical manifestations. Methods: Children <14 years old hospitalized with CAP requiring BLA were enrolled between February 2019 to January 2020 and August 2021 to July 2022. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) was used for pathogen detection. The demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between different pathogen-type infection groups, and before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Pathogen was detected in 91.66% (1363/1487) children. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, adenovirus and human rhinovirus were the most frequently detected pathogens. The frequency of detection of virus infections and co-infections was decreased during the pandemic, but the detection of atypical bacterial infections was increased. The clinical manifestations and the results of CT scans and fiberoptic bronchoscopy showed a significant difference between different types of pathogen infection, and lung inflammation was reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the pandemic. Conclusions: M. pneumoniae infection might be the greatest pediatric disease burden leading to CAP in northern China. Wearing masks and social distancing in public places during the COVID-19 pandemic effectively reduced the transmission of respiratory viruses, but it did not reduce the infection rate of M. pneumoniae. In addition, these interventions significantly reduced lung inflammation in children compared with before the pandemic.

A General Equilibrium Analysis of Achieving the Goal of Stable Growth by China's Market Expectations in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a weakening of expectations of market players and local governments. It is necessary to explore some effective paths to stabilize China's market expectations. This paper draws on computable general equilibrium (CGE) model elasticity indicators and marginal utility indicators to simulate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on market agents and the impact of shocks brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic on various industry sectors. Our results first show that the Keynesian closure is still valid, with the impact values of the COVID-19 pandemic on GDP, urban consumption, rural consumption, investment, imports, and exports being 2.35%, 7.96%, 9.79%, 4.10%, -3.13%, and 6.15%, respectively, with the COVID-19 pandemic shock having a particularly strong impact on rural consumption. Second, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different industries is comprehensive and non-equilibrium. In consumption, urban and rural residents have the largest changes in consumption demand in the tertiary and primary industries, and the overall change in consumption of rural residents is larger than that of urban residents. In investment, the tertiary industry investment changes most significantly, while the primary industry has a gentle change. The impact of weaker import and export expectations on industry imports and exports is concentrated in the secondary and primary industries. Third, the weakening expectation induces a decline in the multiplier effect, making it difficult for economic growth to return to pre-pandemic levels, which needs to be accompanied by fiscal policies such as reducing taxes, lowering fees, and raising fiscal spending to achieve growth targets. In addition, while fiscal policy significantly boosts import and export trade, it has a significantly greater impact on exports than imports.

Exploring the self-reported physical fitness and self-rated health, mental health disorders, and body satisfaction among Chinese adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Background Physical activity (PA) and Physical fitness (PF) have received tremendous attention in the field of physical and mental health. However, limited attention has been given to the associations of self-reported physical fitness with some health-related outcomes. Given the COVID-19 pandemic is still active in many Chinese regions, assessing health-related physical fitness (HRPF) in adolescents using field-based assessment (such as a shuttle run for cardiorespiratory fitness) is unrealistic, therefore, this study was conducted via a self-reported questionnaire. Purpose The present cross-sectional study was aimed at delving into the relationship between self-reported physical fitness with self-rated health, depression, anxiety, and body satisfaction in adolescents. Three thousand eight hundred and seven study participants from 12 public schools in South-eastern China were recruited and 2,407 of them provided valid data on variables that this study needed for analysis. Materials and methods Study participants were asked to self-report their sociodemographic factors (e.g., sex, grade, age), independence, and outcomes. Generalized linear models were used to explore the associations of self-reported physical fitness (comprising general physical fitness, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, speed and agility, and flexibility) with depression, anxiety, and body satisfaction. A total of 2,407 children and adolescents with a mean age of 13.82 (±2.1) years were included in the final study analysis. Results Higher self-reported levels of general physical fitness and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with better self-rated health, and body satisfaction but with lower risks of depression and anxiety. Conclusion The current study offered evidence on the roles of self-reported physical fitness and health-related outcomes. To facilitate health in children and adolescents, advocating fitness education, and promotion could be a feasible approach.

Is social capital associated with individual social responsibility? The case of social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic

Individual social responsibility is essential to achieving the sustainable development goals of the society, yet there has been very little research on whether and how social and cultural factors influence individual social responsibility. Using the Covid-19 pandemic as our empirical context, this research examines the relationship between social capital and individual social distancing behaviors during the pandemic. Social distancing is a form of socially responsible behavior because it is critical in mitigating the spread of the Covid-19 virus. By exploiting daily mobile GPS location data, we provide strong evidence for the divergent relationships between the two constituents of social capital–civic norms and social networks–and social distancing behaviors. While civic norms are positively associated with social distancing, social networks have a negative association with social distancing. These results are consistent with a nuanced view of social capital: civic norms facilitate cooperation and self-sacrifice for the common good, whereas social networks increase individual embeddedness and hence inertia in maintaining social interactions, resulting in opposite effects on social distancing. Our results contribute to the research at the intersection of social capital and individual social responsibility by highlighting the nuanced effects of social capital on individual responses to the pandemic and provide valuable insights for policymakers and businesses in disaster management.

Mathematical modeling identifies optimal dosing schedules for COVID-19 vaccines to minimize breakthrough infections (preprint)

While the development of different vaccines has slowed the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2, the occurrence of breakthrough infections continues to fuel the pandemic. As a strategy to secure at least partial protection, with a single dose of a given COVID-19 vaccine to maximum possible fraction of the population, delayed administration of subsequent doses (or boosters) has been implemented in many countries. However, waning immunity and emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 suggest that such measures may jeopardize the attainment of herd immunity due to intermittent lapses in protection. Optimizing vaccine dosing schedules could thus make the difference between periodic occurrence of breakthrough infections or effective control of the pandemic. To this end, we have developed a mechanistic mathematical model of adaptive immune response to vaccines and demonstrated its applicability to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines as a proof-of-concept for future outbreaks. The model was thoroughly calibrated against multiple clinical datasets involving immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and mRNA vaccines in healthy and immunocompromised subjects (cancer patients undergoing therapy); the model showed robust clinical validation by accurately predicting neutralizing antibody kinetics, a correlate of vaccine-induced protection, in response to multiple doses of mRNA vaccines. Importantly, we estimated population vulnerability to breakthrough infections and predicted tailored vaccination dosing schedules to maximize protection and thus minimize breakthrough infections, based on the immune status of a sub-population. We have identified a critical waiting window for cancer patients (or, immunocompromised subjects) to allow recovery of the immune system (particularly CD4+ T-cells) for effective differentiation of B-cells to produce neutralizing antibodies and thus achieve optimal vaccine efficacy against variants of concern, especially between the first and second doses. Also, we have obtained optimized dosing schedules for subsequent doses in healthy and immunocompromised subjects, which vary from the CDC-recommended schedules, to minimize breakthrough infections. The developed modeling tool is based on generalized adaptive immune response to antigens and can thus be leveraged to guide vaccine dosing schedules during future outbreaks.

Analysis of microstructure and protective performance of melt-blown materials for medical protective masks

Since the end of 2019, the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a surge in the use of all kinds of medical supplies, especially surgical masks. Based on the microstructure and anti-virus mechanism of melt-blown materials used for medical masks, this paper introduces the research status of nonwoven filter materials used for protective masks. At the same time, the surface interface structure of four disposable medical protective masks from different manufacturers was analyzed by scanning electron microscope, and the difference of melt-blown materials of these masks was studied. The results show that the fiber diameter of melt-blown mask with better protective effect is fine and compact, and the aperture formed between fibers is smaller. This reasearch provides new ideas for further research and development of non-woven materials for medical masks.

Digital Resilience: How Work-From-Home Feasibility Affects Firm Performance

Digital technologies may make some tasks, jobs and firms more resilient to unanticipated shocks. We extract data from over 200 million U.S. job postings to construct an index for firms' resilience to the Covid-19 pandemic by assessing the work-from-home (WFH) feasibility of their labor demand. Using a difference-in-differences framework, we find that public firms with high pre-pandemic WFH index values had significantly higher sales, net incomes, and stock returns than their peers during the pandemic. Our results indicate that firms with higher digital resilience, as measured through our pre-pandemic WFH index, performed significantly better in general, and in non-essential industries in particular, where WFH feasibility was necessary to continue operation. The ability to use digital technologies to work remotely also mattered more in non-high-tech industries than in high-tech ones. Lastly, we find evidence that firms with lower pre-pandemic WFH feasibility attempted to catch up to their more resilient competitors via greater software investment. This is consistent with a complementarity between digital technologies and WFH practices. Our study's results are robust to a variety of empirical specifications and provide a first look at how WFH practices improved resilience to a major, unanticipated social and economic shock.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 SNPs as the common genetic loci and optimal early identification genetic markers for COVID-19 (preprint)

Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is implicated as a host cell receptor that causes infection in the pathogenesis of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and its genetic polymorphisms in the ACE2 gene may promote cardiovascular disease and systemic inflammatory injury in COVID-19. Hence, genetic background may potentially explain the broad inter-individual variation of disease susceptibility and/or severity. Methods The genetic susceptibility to COVID-19 by examining single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ACE2 was analyzed in 196 patients with COVID-19 and 210 normal controls using TaqMan genotyping assay. Results We demonstrated that ACE2 SNP rs4646142, rs6632677, and rs2074192 were associated with COVID-19 (all P < 0.05), and the differences of ACE2 SNPs rs4646142 and rs6632677 were correlated with COVID-19 related systemic inflammatory injury and cardiovascular risk. Specially, rs4646142 was associated with high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), prealbumin (PAB), apolipoprotein A (APOA), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and acid glycoprotein (AGP). Rs6632677 was also associated with elevated CRP and haptoglobin (HPT). Conclusions Our results suggest that early identification of these individuals can provide a possible strategy for preventing the spread of the COVID-19, and ACE2 SNPs rs4646142 and rs6632677 may be a common genetic loci and optimal early identification genetic marker for COVID-19 with cardiovascular risks.

15-Month Health Outcomes of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients from Onset: A Cohort Study (preprint)

Background: The long-term impact of COVID-19 on patient health has been a recent focus. This study aims to determine the persistent symptoms and psychological conditions of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 15 months after onset. The potential risk factors were also explored.Methods: A cohort of COVID-19 patients discharged from February 20, 2020 to March 31, 2020 was recruited. Follow-ups were conducted using validated questionnaires and psychological screening scales at 15 months after onset to evaluate the patients’ health status. The risk factors for long-term health impacts and their associations with disease severity was analyzed.Findings: 534 COVID-19 patients were enrolled. The median age of the patients was 62.0 years old (IQR 52.0-70.0) and 295 were female (55.2%). The median time from onset to follow-up was 460.0 (451.0-467.0) days. Sleep disturbance (18.5%, 99/534) and fatigue (17.2%, 92/534) were the most common persistent symptoms. 6.4% (34/534) of the patients had depression, 9.2% (49/534) were anxious, 13.0% (70/534) had insomnia and 4.7% (25/534) suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Multivariate adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that glucocorticoid use during hospitalization (OR 3.58, 95% CI 1.12-11.44) was significantly associated with an increased risk of fatigue. The OR values for anxiety and sleep disorders were 2.36 (95% CI 1.07-5.20) and 2.16 (95% CI 1.13-4.14) in females compared with males. The OR value of PTSD was 25.6 (95% CI 3.3-198.4) in patients with persistent symptoms to those without persistent symptoms. No significant associations were observed between fatigue syndrome or adverse mental outcomes and disease severity.Interpretation: 15-month follow-up in this study aroused the need of extended rehabilitation intervention for complete recovery in COVID-19 patients. Funding: None to declare. Declaration of Interest: All the authors declare no competing interests.Ethical Approval: The Research Ethics Committee of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital approved this study (2020SL007).

Cinobufacini Improves the Respiratory Function of Severe COVID-19 Patients

Targeted therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2 virus caused COVID-19 are in urgent need. Cinobufacini has been reported to have broad-spectrum antiviral effects and widely used in Southeast Asian countries. This study aims to assess the efficacy of Cinobufacini injection in treating patients with severe COVID-19. A randomized preliminary clinical trial was conducted and eligible patients were allocated to receive general treatment plus Cinobufacini injection or only general treatment as control for 7 days. The primary outcomes of the oxygenation index PaO2/FiO2 and ROX, secondary outcomes of white blood cell count, respiratory support step-down time (RSST), safety indicators, etc were monitored. After 7 days of treatment, the oxygenation index was improved in 95.2% patients in the treatment group compared with 68.4% in the control group. The PaO2/FiO2 and ROX indices in the treatment group (mean, 226.27±67.35 and 14.01±3.99 respectively) were significantly higher than the control group (mean, 143.23±51.29 and 9.64±5.54 respectively). The RSST was 1 day shorter in the treatment group. Multivariate regression analysis suggested that Cinobufacini injection contributed the most to the outcome of PaO2/FiO2. No obvious adverse effects were observed. The preliminary data showed that Cinobufacini injection had apparent efficacy in improving the respiratory function of patients with severe COVID-19.

Electrochemical detection of carbendazim with mulberry fruit-like gold nanocrystal/multiple graphene aerogel and DNA cycle amplification.

An aptasensor for electrochemical detection of carbendazim is reported with mulberry fruit-like gold nanocrystal (MF-Au)/multiple graphene aerogel (MGA) and DNA cycle amplification. HAuCl4 was reduced by ascorbic acid in a CTAC solution containing KBr and KI and formed trioctahedron gold nanocrystal. The gold nanocrystal underwent structural evolution under enantioselective direction of L-cysteine. The resulting MF-Au shows a mulberry fruit-like nanostructure composed of gold nanocrystals of about 200 nm as the core and many irregular gold nanoparticles of about 30 nm as the shell. The exposure of high-index facets improves the catalytic activity of MF-Au. MF-Au/MGA was used for the construction of an aptasensor for electrochemical detection of carbendazim. The aptamer hybridizes with assistant strand DNA to form duplex DNA. Carbendazim binds with the formed duplex DNA to release assistant strand DNA, triggering one three-cascade DNA cycle. The utilization of a DNA cycle allows one carbendazim molecule to bring many methylene blue-labeled DNA fragments to the electrode surface. This promotes significant signal amplification due to the redox reaction of methylene blue. The detection signal is further enhanced by the catalysis of MF-Au and MGA towards the redox of methylene blue. A differential pulse voltammetric signal, best measured at - 0.32 V vs. Ag/AgCl, increases linearly with the carbendazim concentration ranging from 1.0 × 10-16 to 1.0 × 10-11 M with a detection limit of 4.4 × 10-17 M. The method provides ultrahigh sensitivity and selectivity and was successfully applied to the electrochemical detection of carbendazim in cucumber. This study reports on an ultrasensitive aptasensor for electrochemical detection of carbendazim in cucumber based on mulberry fruit-like gold nanocrystal-multiple graphene aerogel and DNA cycle double amplification.

SARS-CoV-2 infection with gastrointestinal symptoms as the first manifestation in a neonate

Since December 2019, the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The infected cases were noted mostly in adults, but rarely reported in children, especially neonates. Most children with SARS-CoV-2 infection present mainly with respiratory symptoms, but less commonly with gastrointestinal symptoms, and tend to have mild clinical symptoms. A neonate with SARS-CoV-2 infection, who had vomiting and milk refusal as the first symptom, was recently admitted to Wuhan Children's Hospital. After two weeks of treatment, the patient recovered gradually and was discharged. Here, this case is reported to improve the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates.

Epidemiological investigation of an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 in Dalian, Liaoning, July-August, 2020

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Dalian, Liaoning, July-August, 2020, and provide reference for the prevention and control of COVID-19.

A Comparison of Dental Education Between University of Toronto and Zhejiang University During COVID-19 Pandemic (preprint)

Background: To compare the contingency modifications to the dental education between the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry and the Zhejiang University School of Stomatology during COVID-19 pandemic, and to share experiences in keeping the dental academic continuity, resuming practicing activities and preparing the faculty and students for a new normality. Three approaches were adopted to collect information and data: online interviews and email-contact with the instructors and the deans, a small-scale online survey of dental students, and official online announcements of various authorities. Results: The two universities shared similarity in changing trends, while differed in details. The delivery of lectures, seminars and exams was transitioned from in-person mode to online mode and has proceeded effectively and efficiently. The pre-clinical lab training and clinical rotation were the most retarded parts and will not be resumed until the settle-down of the pandemic. Research activities have been kept on at the best possible level. Since the Zhejiang University reopened the campus in May 2020, clinical activities and research works were in recovery with a cautiously-planned and gradual phased approach. Conclusion: Both universities have been trying their best to meet the academic needs of students while protect their health, and to keep alert to the real time epidemic situation in preparation for resumption. Dental institutions could take the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to armor dental students with infection control measures prior to their reengagement into clinical practice. There is a need of a new normality for global dental education that spans time and space.

Molecular Structure Modulated Trap Distribution and Carrier Migration in Fluorinated Epoxy Resin

Surface charge accumulation on epoxy insulators is one of the most serious problems threatening the operation safety of the direct current gas-insulated transmission line (GIL), and can be efficiently inhibited by the surface modification technology. This paper investigated the mechanisms of fluorination modulated surface charge behaviors of epoxy resin through quantum chemical calculation (QCC) analysis of the molecular structure. The results show that after fluorination, the surface charge dissipation process of the epoxy sample is accelerated by the introduced shallow trap sites, which is further clarified by the carrier mobility model. The electron distribution probability of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) under positive charging and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) under negative charging shows distinctive patterns. It is illustrated that electrons are likely to aggregate locally around benzenes for the positively charged molecular structure, while electrons tend to distribute all along the epoxy chain under negatively charging. The calculated results verify that fluorination can modulate surface charge behaviors of epoxy resin through redesigning its molecular structure, trap distribution and charging patterns.