ABSTRACT
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in northern Taiwan led to the implementation of Level 3 alert measures during 2021 and thereby impacted the air quality significantly, which provided an unprecedented opportunity to better understand the control strategies on air pollutants in the future. This study investigated the variations in sources, chemical characteristics and human health risks of PM2.5 comprehensively. The PM2.5 mass concentrations decreased from pre-alert to Level 3 alert by 49.4%, and the inorganic ions, i.e., NH4+, NO3- and SO42-, dropped even more by 71%, 90% and 52%, respectively. Nonetheless, organic matter (OM) and elemental carbon (EC) simply decreased by 36% and 13%, which caused the chemical composition of PM2.5 to change so that the carbonaceous matter in PM2.5 dominated instead of the inorganic ions. Correlation-based hierarchical clustering analysis further showed that PM2.5 was clustered with carbonaceous matter during the Level 3 alert, while that clustered with inorganic ions during both pre-alert and post-alert periods. Moreover, 6 sources of PM2.5 were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF), in which secondary nitrate (i.e., aging traffic aerosols) exhibited the most significant decrease and yet primary traffic-related emissions, dominated by carbonaceous matter, changed insignificantly. This implied that secondary traffic-related aerosols could be easily controlled when traffic volume declined, while primary traffic source needs more efforts in the future, especially for the reduction of carbonaceous matter. Therefore, cleaner energy for vehicles is still needed. Assessments of both carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic risk induced by the trace elements in PM2.5 showed insignificant decrease, which can be attributed to the factories that did not shut down during Level 3 alert. This study serves as a metric to underpin the mitigation strategies of air pollution in the future and highlights the importance of carbonaceous matter for the reduction in PM2.5.
ABSTRACT
Background: ALG-000184 is a prodrug of ALG-001075, a novel, potent, pan-genotypic Class II CAM. CAMs are thought to have two mechanisms of action (MoA). The primary MoA affects pgRNA encapsidation resulting in inhibition of HBV DNA/RNA replication, as confirmed in CHB subjects receiving ALG-000184. The secondary MoA, which occurs at higher concentrations, regulates the establishment and replenishment of cccDNA, resulting in lowering of HBsAg, an effect that has not been reported to date with ALG- 000184. Method(s): ALG-000184-201 is a multi-part, multicenter, doubleblind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. In healthy volunteers (HVs), single doses up to 500 mg and multiple doses up to 250 mg were well tolerated with linear PK (Gane E., HBV TAG and APASL 2021). In treatment naive (TN) subjects with CHB, daily oral doses of 10-100 mg ALG-000184 for 28 days were well tolerated with linear PK and were associated with profound reductions of DNA/RNA regardless of HBeAg status or dose (Yuen MF, EASL 2022). Plasma exposures required to engage the secondary MoA are expected to be achieved at the 300 mg dose level. Data from a 300 mg cohort treated for 28 days are described here. Data from another ongoing cohort treated with 300 mg for 12 weeks will be presented at the conference. Result(s): Ten subjects were randomized to 300 mg ALG-000184 for 28 days and two to placebo. Two subjects randomized to ALG- 000184 were replaced due to missing data due to Covid-19 lockdown. Subjects were Asian, HBeAg positive, and genotype B or C. Mean baseline HBV DNA and RNA levels were 8.4 log10 IU/mL and 7.3 log10 copies/mL, respectively. One subject experienced a serious adverse event (AE) of pneumothorax>8 weeks after last dose which was considered unlikely related to study drug. No subjects prematurely discontinued study drug. All treatment emergent AEs were Grade <= 2 except for 4 Grade >= 3 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations, which an independent ALT Flare Committee assessed as not related to study drug toxicity. PK was similar to HBeAg negative and HV cohorts following body weight adjustment. Subjects dosed with 300 mg ALG-000184 experienced mean declines of 4.0 log10 IU/mL and 2.6 log10 copies/mL in HBV DNA and RNA levels, respectively, at Day 28. Three of 7 evaluable subjects who received ALG-000184 had HBsAg declines>0.2 log10 IU/mL (0.23-0.78 log10 IU/mL). One subject receiving ALG-000184 had unquantifiable HBsAg throughout the study. Additionally, one HBeAg positive subject in a prior 100 mg cohort had plasma exposures equivalent to the 300 mg dose level and experienced a 0.5 log10 IU/mL HBsAg decline. Conclusion(s): In TN HBeAg positive CHB subjects, 300 mg ALG- 000184 for 28 days was well tolerated, exhibited predictable PK and resulted in rapid and substantial declines in HBV DNA and RNA. Notably, 3 of 7 evaluable subjects from this cohort experienced HBsAg declines of up to 0.78 log10 IU/mL. These data suggest that ALG-000184 can engage the secondary MoA of CAM II. Cohorts evaluating 300 mg over longer durations are planned or ongoing.
ABSTRACT
This study investigated upper-room germicidal ultraviolet (UR-GUV) light application in a music rehearsal room with a high ceiling (7.5 m). The focus was on the influences of the elevation and height of UV zone on disinfection of airborne viruses. This study assumed a uniform UV fluence rate of 0.2 W/m2 in the UV irradiation zone. According to the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results, average viral concentrations (Ca), fraction remaining (FR), and equivalent air exchange rate (λe) attributed to GUV, have power relationships with UV zone height. Ca and FR decreased with UV zone height, while λe did the opposite. UV zone elevation showed little influence on UR-GUV performance, indicating well-mixed air in the rehearsal room. High ceiling makes it possible to achieve adequate UV dose by increasing both UV zone height and UV light intensity. Using open fixtures improved energy efficiency and reduced operational costs of the UR-GUV system. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Context and aims. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of environmental development in the seashore waters of Maluan Bay on the current situation of sustainable development of coastal villages. Methods. We used SPSS statistical software (ver. 26.0) to analyse the data with statistical verification, Student's t-test and ANOVA, the used the inverview method to solicit opinions on the questionnarie results, and, finally, conducted multivariate inspection and analysis to explore the results. Key results. The development of seashore waters can effectively enhance people's positive perceptions of the current economic, social, environmental and coastal ecological development, and increase their willingness to revisit and purchase property. Also, the insufficient number of security guards in villages can be improved, the environmental awareness of residents and their willingness to participate in decision-making can be enhanced. Conclusions and implications. Providing tourists with better tourism facilities, transportation, hotel and restaurant management and planning will increase leisure opportunities and solve environmental and waste problems such as in this scenic location. It will help achieve the goal of sustainable circular economy of water.
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The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a worldwide pandemic. The widespread infection of the medical staff has caused great attention from all quarters of society. There is a particular concern when considering intubation treatment in the emergency operating room, where a significant amount of virus droplets are typically spread within the room, exposing the medical staff to a high risk of infection. Hence, there is currently a pressing need to develop an effective protection mechanism for the medical staff to prevent them from being infected during routine work. In order to understand the spread of droplets and aerosols when different oxygen supply devices are used for intubation therapy, this study uses particle image velocimetry (PIV) technology to analyze the airflow distribution between the medical staff and the patient. In the experiment, a simple version of the respirator was established to reproduce the breathing of human lungs. This model used oil to create smoke as a tracer aerosol, then a high-sensitivity camera was used to record the scattering light from this smoke (which is irradiated by the green laser sheet). Ultimately, after applying post-processing techniques, the airflow distribution is analyzed. PAO aerosol is the primary aerosol source in this experiment, and it is used to quantify the patient's breathing;the concentration of PAO aerosol was measured at three different points: head, trunk, and feet. In addition, flow field visualization can effectively present the flow field distribution of the entire operating room;also, the results can be mutually verified with the PAO concentration measurement results. Aerosol concentrations were measured for six different oxygen supply devices with various tidal volumes of the artificial respirator, and the results were ranked from high to low concentrations for different oxygen supply devices and their operational oxygen supply flowrates: HFNC (70 l/min) > CPAP (40 l/min) > HFNC (30 l/min) > nasal cannula (15 l/min) > NRM (15 l/min) > VAPOX (28 l/min). © 2022, The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
In order to improve the cure rate of critically ill patients in Wuhan epidemic area and reduce the fatality rate, the state have dispatched medical staffs from the whole country to support Wuhan and treat critically ill patients in dedicated facilities. A medical team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, consisting of 133 medical staffs major in critical care medicine, respiralogy, infection, cardiology, and general surgery, entirely took over the critical care unit of the East Hospital of the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, and formed a multidisciplinary collaboration team with local medical staffs to treat patients together. Up to March 13th in 2020, the author's medical team has admitted a total of 109 patients, of which 48 had been discharged up on recovery. Critically ill patients with Corona Virus Disease 2019 mainly have elder age, comorbidities, complicated conditions, and difficult diagnosis and treatment. The author and the author's team combined with clinical practice, share experience and strategies of general surgery related issues in the treatment of critically ill patients, providing reference for collegues in general surgery.Copyright © 2020 by the Chinese Medical Association.
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Passengers significantly affect airport terminal energy consumption and indoor environmental quality. Accurate passenger forecasting provides important insights for airport terminals to optimize their operation and management. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the uncertainty in airport passenger since 2020. There are insufficient studies to investigate which pandemic-related variables should be considered in forecasting airport passenger trends under the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks. In this study, the interrelationship between COVID-19 pandemic trends and passenger traffic at a major airport terminal in China was analyzed on a day-by-day basis. During COVID-19 outbreaks, three stages of passenger change were identified and characterized, i.e., the decline stage, the stabilization stage, and the recovery stage. A typical "sudden drop and slow recovery” pattern of passenger traffic was identified. A LightGBM model including pandemic variables was developed to forecast short-term daily passenger traffic at the airport terminal. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values was used to quantify the contribution of input pandemic variables. Results indicated the inclusion of pandemic variables reduced the model error by 27.7% compared to a baseline model. The cumulative numbers of COVID-19 cases in previous weeks were found to be stronger predictors of future passenger traffic than daily COVID-19 cases in the most recent week. In addition, the impact of pandemic control policies and passengers' travel behavior was discussed. Our empirical findings provide important implications for airport terminal operations in response to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022
ABSTRACT
The pathogen diversity means that multiple strains coexist, and widely exist in the biology systems. The new mutation of SARS-CoV-2 leading to worldwide pathogen diversity is a typical example. What are the main factors of inducing the pathogen diversity? Previous studies indicated the pathogen mutation is the most important reason for inducing the pathogen diversity. The traffic network and gene network are crucial in shaping the dynamics of pathogen contagion, while their roles for the pathogen diversity still lacking a theoretical study. To this end, we propose a reaction–diffusion process of pathogens with mutations on meta-population networks, which includes population movement and strain mutation. We extend the Microscopic Markov Chain Approach (MMCA) to describe the model. Traffic networks make pathogen diversity more likely to occur in cities with lower infection densities. The likelihood of pathogen diversity is low in cities with short effective distances in the traffic network. Star-type gene network is more likely to lead to pathogen diversity than lattice-type and chain-type gene networks. When pathogen localization is present, infection is localized to strains that are at the endpoints of the gene network. Both the increased probability of movement and mutation promote pathogen diversity. The results also show that the population tends to move to cities with short effective distances, resulting in the infection density is high. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
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COVID-19 has affected a lot of industries in Malaysia including the construction industry. In an effort to curb the spread of the pandemic, the government has introduced the Movement Control Order (MCO), which has halted all developments and construction activities. Thus, this study was conducted to understand the pandemic's effects on the construction industry and the usage of technology during the MCO. A quantitative research method was adopted, where 400 questionnaire surveys were sent to contractors' grade G5, G6, and G7 in Malaysia and 30.5% of responses were received. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive analysis and the Relative Important Index (RII). Findings show that the significant impacts are the increased project cost, labour shortage, project delay, late payment, COVID-19 cluster on-site, limitation to visit the site and reduced number of construction projects. In terms of technology usage, BIM, IoT, and Computing are commonly used by the majority of the contractors. These 3 technologies are vital in moving towards the implementation of Digital Twin. Based on the findings, the Digital Twin strategies were then proposed to mitigate the effects faced by the contractors in terms of automation, prediction, monitoring, modelling and resource management. © 2022, University of Malaya. All rights reserved.
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Study Objectives: Sepsis accounts for half of hospital deaths and is a priority area of quality measurement and improvement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Social determinants of health have been associated with sepsis outcomes, with racial and ethnically minoritized patients experiencing higher mortality rates and worse outcomes. Standardization of emergency department (ED) sepsis-care protocols and quality measurement have improved sepsis outcomes and are closely tracked. However, it is unknown whether there are differences in ED sepsis care protocol adherence or outcomes by race, sex, or primary language spoken. The Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle (SEP-1) measure is a CMS quality measure used to bundle and track multiple elements of sepsis care that are shown to improve sepsis outcomes. This measure includes obtaining blood cultures and serum lactate measurements and timely administration of intravenous fluid and antibiotics, if indicated. In this study, we hypothesized there would be a difference in 3- hour bundle compliance based on differences in race, sex, and/or language spoken. Method(s): We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult ED patients who met SEP-1 reporting guidelines for severe sepsis, septic shock, or sepsis with organ failure, from April 8, 2019 to January 21, 2022 at a large health system in Rhode Island with over 150,000 annual ED visits. We included patients who had 3-hour bundle compliance reported to CMS. Statistical analysis was completed using univariate descriptive analyses and bivariate analyses with a chi-square test of independence. We conducted logistic regression to identify factors associated with 3-hour sepsis bundle compliance and differences in sepsis treatment by race, ethnicity, sex, primary language spoken, and use of an interpreter, adjusting for emergency severity index (ESI), disposition, inpatient department, and COVID test results. Result(s): The study population included 3,182 patients of which 44.6% (1418/3182) were female, 78.4% (2495/3182) white, and 11.3 % (360/3182) were Hispanic or Latino. The majority (85.5%, 2722/3182) spoke English. Among people who spoke a language other than English, over two-thirds (66.3%, 305/460) received an interpreter. Less than a quarter 23.5% (749/3182) had severe sepsis, over a third (35.5%, 1131/3182) had septic shock, and 40.9% (1302/3182) had sepsis with organ failure. Overall compliance with the SEP-1 bundle was low at 44.9% (1430/3182). There were no significant differences in sepsis bundle compliance by patient sex, race, ethnicity, or language spoken. Logistic regression showed a lower likelihood of compliance with the sepsis bundle among patients with severe sepsis compared to sepsis patients with organ failure (aOR 0.77 [95% CI: 0.65-0.90]). Conclusion(s): Our study did not identify a disparity in SEP-1 bundle compliance by sex, race, ethnicity, or language spoken. These findings support the hypothesis that using standardized ED sepsis protocols and measures are important tools to mitigate and/or prevent disparities in ED sepsis care. We also found low compliance with the SEP-1 bundle, with higher compliance noted among individuals with more severe disease, potentially diluting differences that may exist between demographic groups. Future studies are needed in populations with higher SEP-1 compliance to determine whether there are differences by sex, race, or language spoken. No, authors do not have interests to disclose Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
Turkey coronaviral enteritis caused by turkey coronavirus (TCoV) continues to infect turkey flocks, resulting in significant economic loss. Determining and understanding genetic relationships among different TCoV isolates or strains is important for controlling the disease. Using two-step RT-PCR assays that amplify the full length of TCoV spike (S) gene, TCoV isolates can be sequenced, analyzed, and genotyped. Described in this chapter is the protocol on PCR amplification and sequencing analysis of full-length TCoV S gene. Such protocol is useful in molecular epidemiology for establishing an effective strategy to control the transmission of TCoV among turkey flocks. Copyright © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
ABSTRACT
Turkey coronavirus (TCoV) infection causes acute atrophic enteritis in turkey poults, leading to significant economic loss in the turkey industry. Rapid detection, differentiation, and quantitation of TCoV are critical to the diagnosis and control of the disease. A specific one-step real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using TCoV-specific primers and dual-labeled fluorescent probe for detection and quantitation of TCoV in feces and intestine tissues is described in this chapter. The fluorogenic probe labeled with a reporter dye (FAM, 6-carboxytetramethylrhodamine) and a quencher dye (Absolute QuencherTM) was designed to bind to a 186 base-pair fragment flanked by the two PCR primers targeting the 3' end of spike gene (S2) of TCoV. The assay is highly specific and sensitive and can quantitate between 102 and 1010 copies/mL of viral genome. It is useful in monitoring the progression of TCoV-induced atrophic enteritis in the turkey flocks. Copyright © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York.
ABSTRACT
A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for differential detection of turkey coronavirus (TCoV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is presented in this chapter. Primers are designed from the conserved or variable regions of nucleocapsid (N) or spike (S) protein genes of TCoV, IBV, and BCoV and used in the same PCR reaction. Reverse transcription followed by PCR reaction is used to amplify a portion of N or S gene of the corresponding coronaviruses. Two PCR products, a 356-bp band corresponding to N gene and a 727-bp band corresponding to S gene, are obtained for TCoV. In contrast, one PCR product of 356 bp corresponding to a fragment of N gene is obtained for IBV strains and one PCR product of 568 bp corresponding to a fragment of S gene is obtained for BCoV. Copyright © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016.
ABSTRACT
Turkey coronavirus (TCoV) infection continues to threaten turkey industry. Because specific treatment and effective vaccination program are not available, rapid and cost-effective detection of antibodies to TCoV infection is an important control measure to monitor the disease status in the fields. Two antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) procedures for detection of antibodies to TCoV are outlined in this chapter. One ELISA method uses chicken infectious bronchitis coronavirus (IBV) as the coating antigen based on antigenic cross-reactivity between TCoV and IBV. The other method relies on a recombinant TCoV nucleocapsid protein. Both methods are useful for serological diagnosis of TCoV infection in the turkey flocks. Copyright © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016.
ABSTRACT
Expression and purification of turkey coronavirus (TCoV) nucleocapsid (N) protein from a prokaryotic expression system as histidine-tagged fusion protein are presented in this chapter. Expression of histidine-tagged fusion N protein with a molecular mass of 57 kDa is induced with isopropyl beta-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The expressed N protein inclusion body is extracted and purified by chromatography on nickel-agarose column to near homogeneity. The protein recovery can be 10 mg from 100 ml of bacterial culture. The purified N protein is a superior source of TCoV antigen for antibody-capture ELISA for detection of antibodies to TCoV. Copyright © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016.
ABSTRACT
Turkey coronavirus (TCoV) infection induces the production of protective antibodies against the sequent exposure of TCoV. Serological tests to determine TCoV-specific antibodies are critical to evaluate previous exposure to TCoV in the turkey flocks and differentiate serotypes from different isolates or strains. A specific virus neutralization assay using embryonated turkey eggs and immunofluorescent antibody assay for determining TCoV-specific neutralizing antibodies is described in this chapter. Virus neutralization titer of turkey serum from turkeys infected with TCoV is the dilution of serum that can inhibit TCoV infection in 50 % of embryonated turkey eggs. Virus neutralization assay for TCoV is useful to monitor the immune status of turkey flocks infected with TCoV for the control of the disease. Copyright © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016.
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A well-designed assessment has beneficial impacts on students' learning and competency attainment. Failure in obtaining psychomotor learning competency, lack of understanding of assessment principles among instructors, unoptimized information and technology facilities, and difficulties in ensuring the integrity of online examination are among the threats to validity of online anatomy assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the validity of anatomy assessment during the pandemic, it is important to adopt several educational principles into the assessment design. We solidify the input discussed in the Malaysian Anatomical Association webinar 2021, on the challenges of anatomy online assessment and proposed six solutions to the challenges, namely adopting the programmatic assessment design, conducting small group in-person high stake examination, modifying assessment policy, utilizing question bank software, upgrading ICT facilities, and offering the ICT training to the students and instructors. It is envisioned that anatomy assessment are future ready are adaptive to change. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: Patients with end-stage kidney disease who are undergoing dialysis have reduced immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination. Frailty is extremely common among dialysis patients and may contribute to the impaired immune responses. However, little is known about its effects on the immunogenicity following COVID-19 vaccination in the dialysis population. Method(s): Adult hemodialysis patients without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection who received one dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine were assessed for eligibility. Participants were categorized as robust, pre-frail, or frail using the Fried frailty criteria. Humoral responses were assessed at 28 days after vaccination by measuring titers of IgG antibody to the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Seroconversion was defined as antibody levels >= 50 AU/mL. Multivariate logistic regression analyses compared humoral responses of frail or pre-frail participants with robust participants. Result(s): A total of 206 participants were included in the study, of whom 50 (24.3%) were considered frail, 86 (41.7%) pre-frail, and 70 (34.0%) robust. Compared with robust patients, a significantly smaller proportion of pre-frail and frail patients developed antispike antibody seroconversion (87.1%, 66.3%, and 40.0%, respectively;P <0.001). Frailty was associated with the absence of humoral responses after adjustment for confounders including age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, coronary artery disease, serum albumin, and lymphocyte count (odds ratio, 0.25;95% CI, 0.08-0.80;P for trend = 0.025). Conclusion(s): Frailty is independently associated with impaired humoral responses following COVID-19 vaccination in hemodialysis patients. Whether repeated booster vaccination may improve the immunogenicity in frail hemodialysis patients needs further research.
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effects of interactional, motivational, self-regulatory, and situational factors on university students' online learning outcomes and continuation intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 255 students taking a business course at a university in southern China. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that while family financial hardship caused by COVID-19 was a marginally significant negative predictor of students' learning outcomes, learnercontent interaction;instructors' provision of e-resources, course planning, and organisation;and students' intrinsic goal orientation and meta-cognitive self-regulation were significant positive predictors with the latter two sets of predictors mediating the effects of learner-instructor and learnerlearner interactions, respectively. Multinominal logistic regression analyses showed that learnerinstructor interaction, learner-content interaction, and private learning space were significant positive predictors of students' intentions to continue with online learning, but learner-learner interaction was a significant negative predictor. These findings point to the differential effects of various types of interactional and situational factors on learning outcomes and continuation intentions, and the instructor- and learner-level factors that mediate the effects of learner-instructor and learner-learner interactions on learning outcomes. They contribute to our understandings of emergency online learning and provide implications for facilitating it.