Causes, characteristics, and patterns of prolonged unplanned school closures prior to the COVID-19 pandemic - United States, 2011 - 2019

IntroductionOutside of pandemics, there is little information about occurrence of prolonged unplanned K-12 school closures (PUSC). We describe here the reasons, characteristics, and patterns of PUSC in the United States during 8 consecutive inter-pandemic academic years, 2011-2019. MethodsFrom August 1, 2011 through June 30, 2019, daily systematic online searches were conducted to collect data on publicly announced unplanned school closures lasting [≥]1 school days in the United States. Closures were categorized as prolonged when schools were closed for [≥]5 unplanned days (approximating one full workweek), excluding weekends and scheduled days off per school calendars. ResultsDuring the eight academic years, a total of 22,112 PUSCs were identified, affecting over 800,000 teachers and 13 million students that resulted in 91.5 million student-days lost. A median of 62.9% of students in PUSC-affected schools were eligible for subsidized school meals. Most affected schools were in cities (35%) and suburban areas (33%). Natural disasters (47%), adverse weather conditions (35%), and budget/teacher strikes (15%) were the most frequently cited reasons for PUSC; illness accounted for 1%, and building/facility issues, environmental issues and violence together accounted for the remaining 2%. The highest number of PUSCs occurred in Health and Human Services Regions 2, 3, 4, and 6 encompassing areas that are frequently in the path of hurricanes and tropical storms. The majority of PUSCs in these regions were attributed to a handful of hurricanes during the fall season, including hurricanes Sandy, Irma, Harvey, Florence, and Matthew. ConclusionsPUSCs occur annually in the United States due to a variety of causes and are associated with a substantive loss of student-days for in-school learning. Both these prior experiences with PUSCs and those during the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrate a need for creating sustainable solutions for high-quality distance learning and innovative supplemental feeding programs nationwide, especially in disaster-prone areas.

COVID-19-associated school closures and related efforts to sustain education and subsidized meal programs, United States, February 18-June 30, 2020

Pre-emptive school closures are frontline community mitigation measures recommended by CDC for implementation during severe pandemics. This study describes the spatiotemporal patterns of publicly announced school closures implemented in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and assesses how public K-12 districts adjusted their methods of education delivery and provision of subsidized meals. During February 18-June 30, 2020, we used daily systematic media searches to identify publicly announced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related school closures lasting [≥]1 day in the United States (US). We also collected statewide school closure policies from state government websites. Data on distance learning and subsidized meal programs were collected from a stratified sample of 600 school districts. The first COVID-19-associated school closure occurred on February 27, 2020 in Washington state. By March 30, 2020, all but one US public school districts were closed, representing the first-ever nearly synchronous nationwide closure of public K-12 schools in the US. Approximately 100,000 public schools were closed for [≥]8 weeks because of COVID-19, affecting >50 million K-12 students. Of 600 districts sampled, the vast majority offered distance learning (91.0%) and continued provision of subsidized meal programs (78.8%) during the closures. Despite the sudden and prolonged nature of COVID-19-associated school closures, schools demonstrated flexibility by implementing distance learning and alternate methods to continue subsidized meal programs.

Age-specific social mixing of school-aged children in a US setting using proximity detecting sensors and contact surveys

Comparisons of the utility and accuracy of methods for measuring social interactions relevant to disease transmission are rare. To increase the evidence base supporting specific methods to measure social interaction, we compared data from self-reported contact surveys and wearable proximity sensors from a cohort of schoolchildren in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Although the number and type of contacts recorded by each participant differed between the two methods, we found good correspondence between the two methods in aggregate measures of age-specific interactions. Fewer, but longer, contacts were reported in surveys, relative to the generally short proximal interactions captured by wearable sensors. When adjusted for expectations of proportionate mixing, though, the two methods produced highly similar, assortative age-mixing matrices. These aggregate mixing matrices, when used in simulation, resulted in similar estimates of risk of infection by age. While proximity sensors and survey methods may not be interchangeable for capturing individual contacts, they can generate highly correlated data on age-specific mixing patterns relevant to the dynamics of respiratory virus transmission.

Progress on Function and Biosynthesis of Benzoxazinoids / 中国生物工程杂志

Benzoxazinoids (BXs) are important secondary metabolites in plants.There has been a wide range of attention and research of them because of their role in defensive and allelopathy.With the development of genomics and molecular biology,the BXs biosynthesis and other molecular areas research has made great progress.The BXs profile,the function of BXs,the genetic basis of BXs biosynthesis and expression regulation were briefly introduced.

Findings of Phlebotomy Practices in Kenya in 2010: Need for Action.

BACKGROUND: Phlebotomy, a commonly performed medical procedure in healthcare, is essential for disease diagnosis and patient management. However, poorly performed phlebotomy can compromise patient safety, healthcare worker (HCW) safety, and specimen quality. We carried out a study between June and July 2010 to assess knowledge, quality and safety of phlebotomy before implementation of a public-private partnership between Becton, Dickinson and Company and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional observational study in 8 healthcare facilities within 4 regions of Kenya. HCWs were observed conducting venous and capillary blood collections, and pre- and posttests were offered during HCW training. RESULTS: Of 283 blood samples obtained, 194 were venous draws conducted by 72 HCWs and 89 were capillary draws performed by 33 HCWs. Based on 12 preset quality-associated criteria, none of the 194 observed phlebotomies met the standard. In total, 91 HCWs were trained in phlebotomy. The mean knowledge increase between pre- and posttraining test was 41%, ranging from 39% to 45% (95% confidence interval, 29.3%-53.5%;P< .001). CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate knowledge and imperfect phlebotomy procedures were noted. This formed the basis for the safe phlebotomy partnership to address these deficiencies. To ensure sustainability, safe phlebotomy practices were integrated into preservice training.