An Epistemic Trend or a Digital Pitfall? De-Westernizing Media and Communication Studies in Digital China

Governments hiding facts and truth from the public seems to have become a common phenomenon, especially during the social crisis in China. The practice of the public using various media to express dissent and opinions, to overcome government censorship, appears to contribute to freedom of speech. Inspired by widespread online articles during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this paper argues that the flaws in this logic are the dualism, which digital media created (pro-democracy vs authoritarian;freedom vs control), in understanding media in China. By borrowing the discussion of the de-westernization of media and communication studies, the paper argues that the introduc-tion of digital media makes de-westernized studies in China harder because it prompts us to think "digitally."

RNA in Municipal Wastewater Reveals Magnitudes of COVID-19 Outbreaks across Four Waves Driven by SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

: There are no standardized protocols for quantifying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater to date, especially for population normalization. Here, a pipeline was developed, applied, and assessed to quantify SARS-CoV2 and key variants of concern (VOCs) RNA in wastewater at Saskatoon, Canada. Normalization approaches using recovery ratio and extraction efficiency, wastewater parameters, or population indicators were assessed by comparing to daily numbers of new cases. Viral load was positively correlated with daily new cases reported in the sewershed. Wastewater surveillance (WS) had a lead time of approximately 7 days, which indicated surges in the number of new cases. WS revealed the variant alpha and delta driving the third and fourth wave, respectively. The adjustment with the recovery ratio and extraction efficiency improved the correlation between viral load and daily new cases. Normalization of viral concentration to concentrations of the artificial sweetener acesulfame K improved the trend of viral load during the Christmas and New Year holidays when populations were dynamic and variable. Acesulfame K performed better than pepper mild mottle virus, creatinine, and ammonia for population normalization. Hence, quality controls to characterize recovery ratios and extraction efficiencies and population normalization with acesulfame are promising for precise WS programs supporting decision-making in public health.

Comparative Analysis of RNA-Extraction Approaches and Associated Influences on RT-qPCR of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a University Residence Hall and Quarantine Location

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides an early warning and trend analysis approach for determining the presence of COVID-19 in a community and complements clinical testing in assessing the population level, even as viral loads fluctuate. Here, we evaluate combinations of two wastewater concentration methods (i.e., ultrafiltration and composite supernatant-solid), four pre-RNA extraction modifications, and three nucleic acid extraction kits using two different wastewater sampling locations. These consisted of a quarantine facility containing clinically confirmed COVID-19-positive inhabitants and a university residence hall. Of the combinations examined, composite supernatant-solid with pre-RNA extraction consisting of water concentration and RNA/DNA shield performed the best in terms of speed and sensitivity. Further, of the three nucleic acid extraction kits examined, the most variability was associated with the Qiagen kit. Focusing on the quarantine facility, viral concentrations measured in wastewater were generally significantly related to positive clinical cases, with the relationship dependent on method, modification, kit, target, and normalization, although results were variable-dependent on individual time points (Kendall's Tau-b (tau) = 0.17 to 0.6) or cumulatively (Kendall's Tau-b (tau) = -0.048 to 1). These observations can support laboratories establishing protocols to perform wastewater surveillance and monitoring efforts for COVID-19.

Emerging investigator series: meta-analyses on SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA levels in wastewater and their correlations to epidemiological indicators

Background: recent applications of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) have demonstrated its ability to track the spread and dynamics of COVID-19 at the community level. Despite the growing body of research, quantitative synthesis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater generated from studies across space and time using diverse methods has not been performed. Objective: the objective of this study is to examine the correlations between SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater and epidemiological indicators across studies, stratified by key covariates in study methodologies. In addition, we examined the association of proportions of positive detections in wastewater samples and methodological covariates. Methods: we systematically searched the Web of Science for studies published by February 16th, 2021, performed a reproducible screening, and employed mixed-effects models to estimate the levels of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA quantities in wastewater samples and their correlations to the case prevalence, the sampling mode (grab or composite sampling), and the wastewater fraction analyzed (i.e., solids, solid-supernatant mixtures, or supernatants/filtrates). Results: a hundred and one studies were found;twenty studies (671 biosamples and 1751 observations) were retained following a reproducible screening. The mean positivity across all studies was 0.68 (95%-CI, [0.52;0.85]). The mean viral RNA abundance was 5244 marker copies per mL (95%-CI, [0;16 432]). The Pearson correlation coefficients between the viral RNA levels and case prevalence were 0.28 (95%-CI, [0.01;0.51]) for daily new cases or 0.29 (95%-CI, [-0.15;0.73]) for cumulative cases. The fraction analyzed accounted for 12.4% of the variability in the percentage of positive detections, followed by the case prevalence (9.3% by daily new cases and 5.9% by cumulative cases) and sampling mode (0.6%). Among observations with positive detections, the fraction analyzed accounted for 56.0% of the variability in viral RNA levels, followed by the sampling mode (6.9%) and case prevalence (0.9% by daily new cases and 0.8% by cumulative cases). While the sampling mode and fraction analyzed both significantly correlated with the SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA levels, the magnitude of the increase in positive detection associated with the fraction analyzed was larger. The mixed-effects model treating studies as random effects and case prevalence as fixed effects accounted for over 90% of the variability in SARS-CoV-2 positive detections and viral RNA levels. Interpretations: positive pooled means and confidence intervals in the Pearson correlation coefficients between the SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA levels and case prevalence indicators provide quantitative evidence that reinforces the value of wastewater-based monitoring of COVID-19. Large heterogeneities among studies in proportions of positive detections, viral RNA levels, and Pearson correlation coefficients suggest a strong demand for methods to generate data accounting for cross-study heterogeneities and more detailed metadata reporting. Large variance was explained by the fraction analyzed, suggesting sample pre-processing and fractionation as a direction that needs to be prioritized in method standardization. Mixed-effects models accounting for study level variations provide a new perspective to synthesize data from multiple studies.

Quantitative Assessment of Parenchymal Involvement Using 3D Lung Model in Adolescent With Covid-19 Interstitial Pneumonia.

Background: Amount of parenchymal involvement in patients with interstitial pneumonia Covid-19 related, seems to be associated with a worse prognosis. Nowadays 3D reconstruction imaging is expanding its role in clinical medical practice. We aimed to use 3D lung reconstruction of a young lady affected by Sars-CoV2 infection and interstitial pneumonia, to better visualize, and quantitatively assess the parenchymal involvement. Methods: Volumetric Chest CT scan was performed in a 15 years old girl with interstitial lung pneumonia, Sars-CoV2 infection related. 3D modeling of the lungs, with differentiation of healthy and affected parenchymal area were obtained by using multiple software. Results: 3D reconstruction imaging allowed us to quantify the lung parenchyma involved, Self-explaining 3D images, useful for the understanding, and discussion of the clinical case were also obtained. Conclusions: Quantitative Assessment of Parenchymal Involvement Using 3D Lung Model in Covid-19 Infection is feasible and it provides information which could play a role in the management and risk stratification of these patients.