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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Its pandemic has become a global threat and has dealt a heavy blow to public health, life and the world economy. At present, there is still no specific drug for this virus. In order to improve the resistance of susceptible population, extensive vaccination has been started all over the world. This paper summarizes the research on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and antibody, in order to provide reference for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. © 2023 Editorial Board of Medical Journal of Wuhan University. All rights reserved.
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Previous research has emphasised the importance of online learning during COVID-19 for local students. However, previous research has not fully explored how international students in higher education perceive online learning. To fill the gap in the literature, this research specifically focuses on international students' satisfaction level with online learning during COVID-19 at a South Korean university. In the present study, international student satisfaction with online learning was assessed utilising a research instrument previously employed by Almusharraf and Khahro (2020). A total of 44 undergraduate and 215 graduate students participated in the survey via convenience sampling, and structural equation modeling was used to analyse the data. The study results indicated that gender played a significant role in satisfaction with online learning, that previous online learning experience did not predict satisfaction, that undergraduate and graduate students were satisfied with online learning, but that only graduate students perceived school support as important. In addition, the results showed that international students were satisfied with their online learning regarding instructors' online teaching methods and school support. Finally, the implications of providing effective online education for international students are discussed. © Authors.
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Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the demand for natural latex products with increased mechanical properties and aging resistance has surged. Based on the excellent adhesion and antioxidant properties of polydopamine (PDA), we employed a one-pot method to modify the surface of silica substrates using PDA containing a polyphenol structure, to prepare a reinforced silica-PDA composite latex material with antioxidant properties. As expected, the silica-PDA composite achieved both uniform dispersion and good interfacial interactions with natural rubber latex (NRL). In addition, compared with common NRL/silica films, the mechanical properties of the NRL/silica-PDA film were significantly improved;specifically, silica-PDA can highly-enhanced the mechanical property of NRL film from 24.94 to 32.18 MPa of tensile strength. Further, the antioxidant activity of the silica-PDA film exceeded that of commercially available antioxidant D. Considering the notable performance boost of silica-PDA composites on NRL films, we believe that the treatment of silica with natural polyphenols offers a convenient and facile new route for the preparation of environmentally friendly multifunctional silica additives. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 brings many unpredictable situations to human travel, such as temporarily closed highways, parking lots, etc. The scenarios mentioned above will lead to a large backlog of vehicles, and the requirements of Internet of vehicle (IoV) applications increase sharply in a period of short time correspondingly. Mobile edge computing (MEC) is a key enabling technology that can guarantee the diverse requirements of IoV applications through the optimization of resource scheduling. However, the sharp increasing in requirements of IoV applications caused by the congestion of highways or parking lots still bring great challenges to the deployment of traditional MEC. Therefore, in this paper, we construct an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) enabled MEC system, in which the data generated from IoV applications is processed by offloading to UAVs with MEC servers to ensure the efficiency of data processing and the response time of IoV applications. In order to approximate real-world UAV enabled MEC system, we consider the stochastic offloading and downloading processing time. Moreover, the priority constraints of sensors from the same vehicle are taken into consideration since they have different importance degrees. Then, we propose an Markov network-based cooperative evolutionary algorithm (MNCEA) to search out the optimal UAV scheduling solution to guarantee the shortest response time, in which the solution space is divided into multiple sub-solution spaces with the help of MN structure and parameters. Finally, we construct multiple simulation experiments with different probability distributions to simulate uncertainty factors. The simulation results verify the validity of MNCEA compared with the state-of-the-art methods, which is reflected by the shortest response time of requirements of IoV applications IEEE
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This paper proposes a novel interconnected multilayer network framework based on variance decomposition and block aggregation technique, which can be further served as a tool of linking and measuring cross-market and within-market contagion. We apply it to quantifying connectedness among global stock and foreign exchange (forex) markets, and demonstrate that measuring volatility spillovers of both stock and forex markets simultaneously could support a more comprehensive view for financial risk contagion. We find that (i) stock markets transmit the larger spillovers to forex markets, (ii) the French stock market is the largest risk transmitter in multilayer networks, while some Asian stock markets and most forex markets are net risk receivers, and (iii) interconnected multilayer networks could signal the financial instability during the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 crisis. Our work provides a new perspective and method for studying the cross-market risk contagion. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.
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Background COVID-19 vaccination significantly reduces the risk of infection and its associated morbidity and mortality. However, poor uptake of the COVID-19 vaccination was reported among the high-risk group of older people amidst emerging variants of concern. This community case study reports an outreach program in Singapore, COVE (COVID-19 Vaccination for the Elderly) initiated by healthcare workers in a cluster of primary care clinics. They assessed the vaccine hesitancy among these older persons, addressed their concerns and facilitated their vaccination appointment during a brief phone conversation. Method Twenty one thousand six hundred and sixty three unvaccinated adults aged ≥60 years were contacted by healthcare worker volunteers over two phases from June to October 2021. In phase I, they contacted adults aged above 70 years over 2 weeks. Adults who were uncontactable in phase I and those aged 60–69 years were sent SMS in phase II. Data were analyzed via descriptive data analysis. Results After phase 1, 65.5% (n = 5,646/8,617) of older adults had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The respondents expressed intention to vaccinate (39%, n = 3,390), requested to seek further information (25%, n = 2,138), reported access barrier (8%, n = 715), or were concerned of the vaccine adverse effects (3%, n = 288). Vaccination was refused by 24% (n = 2,086) of the respondents. Eventually 60.4% (n = 13,082/21,663) of them were vaccinated 3 months after COVE implementation. Conclusion The COVE program increased the COVID-19 vaccination uptake of older adults from 84.6 to 96.3%. A person-centric proactive approach by healthcare workers addressed vaccine hesitancy and optimized vaccination. The outreach scheduling of vaccination appointments is key in promoting vaccination uptake among older adults.
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This paper examines the influence of mortality salience on preference for humanoid robot service. Six studies confirm that consumers/tourists are reluctant to adopt humanoid (vs. non-humanoid) service robots and robotic services when mortality is salient. The effect is driven by the perceived threat to human identity. However, temporal distance can alleviate the mortality salience effect. Eliciting a distant-future temporal perspective can reduce consumers'/tourists' existential anxiety, and then attenuate negative reactions to humanoid service robots. This research provides an innovative standpoint on consumers' reactions to service robots under conditions of mortality salience (e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic). It also offers insight into service robot implementation and design in the hospitality and tourism industry.
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Thirty-six puerperas who underwent emergency cesarean section at Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 24, 2020 to February 9, 2020, who all wore medical surgical masks, were retrospectively included in this study.Anesthesia management was performed under tertiary medical protection measures.A dedicated anesthesia equipment was separately sterilized.Narcotic drugs were used for one patient only, and disposable medical supplies were used for anesthetic supplies.Contact transmission should be avoided when a neonate required resuscitation, and early isolation and nucleic acid testing were provided for the neonates.The rate of suspected cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was 11% , and the rate of clinically diagnosed cases was 17% before surgery.The rate of clinically diagnosed cases of SARS-CoV-2 was 22%, the rate of confirmed cases was 8%, and the total positive rate of diagnosis was 31% after surgery.The rate of neuraxial anesthesia was 86%, the rate of general anesthesia was 14%, the time of spinal puncture was (15±7) min, the time of tracheal intubation under general anesthesia was (2.1±1.3) min, the operation time was (95±36) min, and blood loss was (276±166) ml.The Apgar score of newborns was 8.8±0.5.There was 1 neonate whose mother was diagnosed as having coronavirus disease 2019 after operation, an oropharyngeal swab specimen was obtained at 36 h of birth, and the swab was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by nucleic acid testing.As of February 10, 2020, an anesthesiologist involved in the operation was diagnosed to have infection by SARS-CoV-2.In conclusion, diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 during pregnancy is more difficult, it is necessary to perform anesthesia management for cesarean section under tertiary medical protection.Although the difficulty in anesthesia operation is increased under tertiary medical protection, anesthesiologists can carry out standardized anesthesia management and guarantee the safety of maternal and infants and anesthesiologists themselves as long as they are rigorously trained and adhere to protective protocols. © 2020 Chinese Medical Association
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Few studies have reported the implications of performing endotracheal intubation for critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Therefore, this study aimed to summarize the outcomes of COVID-19 patients in the ICU following endotracheal intubation and provide a clinical reference for the high-risk procedure. From February 1 to February 18, 2020, we enrolled 59 critically ill COVID-19 patients who received emergency endotracheal intubation in the ICUs of Tongji Hospital. We recorded demographic information, laboratory parameters, comorbidities, changes in vital signs pre- and post-intubation, the airway grade, intubation success rate using three types of laryngoscopes, and the experience of intubators. Follow-up evaluations were performed for all proceduralists to monitor nosocomial infections. The majority of the patients requiring intubation were elderly and had at least one comorbidity. Of the patients, 86.4% developed hypoxia before intubation. The first and second attempts of successful endotracheal intubation with the Macintosh laryngoscope (70.0% and 83.3%), Airtraq videolaryngoscope (93.5% and 80%), and UE videolaryngoscope (88.9% and 100%) were performed. Notably, SpO(2) <93% and hypotension were observed 3 min after intubation in 32.2% and 39% patients, respectively. With the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), no nosocomial infections were observed among proceduralists. Full PPE increased the occurrence of fogging on goggles and myopia glasses. Overall, a higher success rate of intubation was achieved by senior intubators using a videolaryngoscope. Although inconvenient, appropriate ensembles of PPE could prevent nosocomial infections.