scholarly journals Extensive Host Sharing of Central European Tula Virus

2009 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 459-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit ◽  
Sandra Essbauer ◽  
Rasa Petraityte ◽  
Kumiko Yoshimatsu ◽  
Kirsten Tackmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Sequence Evolution ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Microtus Arvalis ◽  
Transmission Cycle ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Tula Virus ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Large Panel ◽  
Vole Species

ABSTRACT To examine the host association of Tula virus (TULV), a hantavirus present in large parts of Europe, we investigated a total of 791 rodents representing 469 Microtus arvalis and 322 Microtus agrestis animals from northeast, northwest, and southeast Germany, including geographical regions with sympatric occurrence of both vole species, for the presence of TULV infections. Based on serological investigation, reverse transcriptase PCR, and subsequent sequence analysis of partial small (S) and medium (M) segments, we herein show that TULV is carried not only by its commonly known host M. arvalis but also frequently by M. agrestis in different regions of Germany for a prolonged time period. At one trapping site, TULV was exclusively detected in M. agrestis, suggesting an isolated transmission cycle in this rodent reservoir separate from spillover infections of TULV-carrying M. arvalis. Phylogenetic analysis of the S and M segment sequences demonstrated geographical clustering of the TULV sequences irrespective of the host, M. arvalis or M. agrestis. The novel TULV lineages from northeast, northwest, and southeast Germany described here are clearly separated from each other and from other German, European, or Asian lineages, suggesting their stable geographical localization and fast sequence evolution. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that TULV represents a promiscuous hantavirus with a large panel of susceptible hosts. In addition, this may suggest an alternative evolution mode, other than a strict coevolution, for this virus in its Microtus hosts, which should be proven in further large-scale investigations on sympatric Microtus hosts.

scholarly journals Monitoring the COVID-19 epidemic with nationwide telecommunication data

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (26) ◽  
pp. e2100664118
Author(s):  
Joel Persson ◽  
Jurriaan F. Parie ◽  
Stefan Feuerriegel
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Spatiotemporal Analysis ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Novel ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

In response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), governments have introduced severe policy measures with substantial effects on human behavior. Here, we perform a large-scale, spatiotemporal analysis of human mobility during the COVID-19 epidemic. We derive human mobility from anonymized, aggregated telecommunication data in a nationwide setting (Switzerland; 10 February to 26 April 2020), consisting of ∼1.5 billion trips. In comparison to the same time period from 2019, human movement in Switzerland dropped by 49.1%. The strongest reduction is linked to bans on gatherings of more than five people, which are estimated to have decreased mobility by 24.9%, followed by venue closures (stores, restaurants, and bars) and school closures. As such, human mobility at a given day predicts reported cases 7 to 13 d ahead. A 1% reduction in human mobility predicts a 0.88 to 1.11% reduction in daily reported COVID-19 cases. When managing epidemics, monitoring human mobility via telecommunication data can support public decision makers in two ways. First, it helps in assessing policy impact; second, it provides a scalable tool for near real-time epidemic surveillance, thereby enabling evidence-based policies.

Covalent Atomic Bridges Enable Unidirectional Enhancement of Electronic Transport in Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingguang Chen ◽  
Wangxiang Li ◽  
Anshuman Kumar ◽  
Guanghui Li ◽  
Mikhail Itkis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Electrical Transport ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Electrical Measurements ◽  
Metal Atoms ◽  
Aligned Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Transport Channels ◽  
Walled Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Bulk Structures

<p>Interconnecting the surfaces of nanomaterials without compromising their outstanding mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties is critical in the design of advanced bulk structures that still preserve the novel properties of their nanoscale constituents. As such, bridging the p-conjugated carbon surfaces of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) has special implications in next-generation electronics. This study presents a rational path towards improvement of the electrical transport in aligned semiconducting SWNT films by deposition of metal atoms. The formation of conducting Cr-mediated pathways between the parallel SWNTs increases the transverse (intertube) conductance, while having negligible effect on the parallel (intratube) transport. In contrast, doping with Li has a predominant effect on the intratube electrical transport of aligned SWNT films. Large-scale first-principles calculations of electrical transport on aligned SWNTs show good agreement with the experimental electrical measurements and provide insight into the changes that different metal atoms exert on the density of states near the Fermi level of the SWNTs and the formation of transport channels. </p>

scholarly journals IoT Traffic: Modeling and Measurement Experiments

IoT ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-162
Author(s):  
Hung Nguyen-An ◽  
Thomas Silverston ◽  
Taku Yamazaki ◽  
Takumi Miyoshi
Keyword(s):  
Smart Home ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Traffic Modeling ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Network Behavior ◽  
Performance Accuracy ◽  
Traffic Generator ◽  
Multiple Devices ◽  
Iot Devices ◽  
The Internet Of Things

We now use the Internet of things (IoT) in our everyday lives. The novel IoT devices collect cyber–physical data and provide information on the environment. Hence, IoT traffic will count for a major part of Internet traffic; however, its impact on the network is still widely unknown. IoT devices are prone to cyberattacks because of constrained resources or misconfigurations. It is essential to characterize IoT traffic and identify each device to monitor the IoT network and discriminate among legitimate and anomalous IoT traffic. In this study, we deployed a smart-home testbed comprising several IoT devices to study IoT traffic. We performed extensive measurement experiments using a novel IoT traffic generator tool called IoTTGen. This tool can generate traffic from multiple devices, emulating large-scale scenarios with different devices under different network conditions. We analyzed the IoT traffic properties by computing the entropy value of traffic parameters and visually observing the traffic on behavior shape graphs. We propose a new method for identifying traffic entropy-based devices, computing the entropy values of traffic features. The method relies on machine learning to classify the traffic. The proposed method succeeded in identifying devices with a performance accuracy up to 94% and is robust with unpredictable network behavior with traffic anomalies spreading in the network.

scholarly journals Multi-Objective Optimization of Integrated Civilian-Military Scheduling of Medical Supplies for Epidemic Prevention and Control

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Hai-Feng Ling ◽  
Zheng-Lian Su ◽  
Xun-Lin Jiang ◽  
Yu-Jun Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
Problem Instances ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
And Control ◽  
Minimum Ratio

In a large-scale epidemic, such as the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), there is huge demand for a variety of medical supplies, such as medical masks, ventilators, and sickbeds. Resources from civilian medical services are often not sufficient for fully satisfying all of these demands. Resources from military medical services, which are normally reserved for military use, can be an effective supplement to these demands. In this paper, we formulate a problem of integrated civilian-military scheduling of medical supplies for epidemic prevention and control, the aim of which is to simultaneously maximize the overall satisfaction rate of the medical supplies and minimize the total scheduling cost, while keeping a minimum ratio of medical supplies reservation for military use. We propose a multi-objective water wave optimization (WWO) algorithm in order to efficiently solve this problem. Computational results on a set of problem instances constructed based on real COVID-19 data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

scholarly journals Comparative genomics suggests a taxonomic revision of the Staphylococcus cohnii species complex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Lavecchia ◽  
Matteo Chiara ◽  
Caterina De Virgilio ◽  
Caterina Manzari ◽  
Carlo Pazzani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Genomics ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Genomic Sequence ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Staphylococcus Cohnii ◽  
Taxonomic Assignments

Abstract Staphylococcus cohnii (SC), a coagulase-negative bacterium, was first isolated in 1975 from human skin. Early phenotypic analyses led to the delineation of two subspecies (subsp.), Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. cohnii (SCC) and Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. urealyticus (SCU). SCC was considered to be specific to humans whereas SCU apparently demonstrated a wider host range, from lower primates to humans. The type strains ATCC 29974 and ATCC 49330 have been designated for SCC and SCU, respectively. Comparative analysis of 66 complete genome sequences—including a novel SC isolate—revealed unexpected patterns within the SC complex, both in terms of genomic sequence identity and gene content, highlighting the presence of 3 phylogenetically distinct groups. Based on our observations, and on the current guidelines for taxonomic classification for bacterial species, we propose a revision of the SC species complex. We suggest that SCC and SCU should be regarded as two distinct species: SC and SU (Staphylococcus urealyticus), and that two distinct subspecies, SCC and SCB (SC subsp. barensis, represented by the novel strain isolated in Bari) should be recognized within SC. Furthermore, since large scale comparative genomics studies recurrently suggest inconsistencies or conflicts in taxonomic assignments of bacterial species, we believe that the approach proposed here might be considered for more general application.

scholarly journals Biogeography of acoustic biodiversity of NW Mediterranean coralligenous reefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Di Iorio ◽  
Manon Audax ◽  
Julie Deter ◽  
Florian Holon ◽  
Julie Lossent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

AbstractMonitoring the biodiversity of key habitats and understanding the drivers across spatial scales is essential for preserving ecosystem functions and associated services. Coralligenous reefs are threatened marine biodiversity hotspots that are challenging to monitor. As fish sounds reflect biodiversity in other habitats, we unveiled the biogeography of coralligenous reef sounds across the north-western Mediterranean using data from 27 sites covering 2000 km and 3 regions over a 3-year period. We assessed how acoustic biodiversity is related to habitat parameters and environmental status. We identified 28 putative fish sound types, which is up to four times as many as recorded in other Mediterranean habitats. 40% of these sounds are not found in other coastal habitats, thus strongly related to coralligenous reefs. Acoustic diversity differed between geographical regions. Ubiquitous sound types were identified, including sounds from top-predator species and others that were more specifically related to the presence of ecosystem engineers (red coral, gorgonians), which are key players in maintaining habitat function. The main determinants of acoustic community composition were depth and percentage coverage of coralligenous outcrops, suggesting that fish-related acoustic communities exhibit bathymetric stratification and are related to benthic reef assemblages. Multivariate analysis also revealed that acoustic communities can reflect different environmental states. This study presents the first large-scale map of acoustic fish biodiversity providing insights into the ichthyofauna that is otherwise difficult to assess because of reduced diving times. It also highlights the potential of passive acoustics in providing new aspects of the correlates of biogeographical patterns of this emblematic habitat relevant for monitoring and conservation.

A multi-objective sparse evolutionary framework for large-scale weapon target assignment based on a reward strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 10043-10061
Author(s):  
Xiaoping Shi ◽  
Shiqi Zou ◽  
Shenmin Song ◽  
Rui Guo
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Genetic Operators ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Target Assignment ◽  
Solution Selection ◽  
Battlefield Environment ◽  
Sparse Problems ◽  
Novel Model ◽  
Error Parameter

 The asset-based weapon target assignment (ABWTA) problem is one of the important branches of the weapon target assignment (WTA) problem. Due to the current large-scale battlefield environment, the ABWTA problem is a multi-objective optimization problem (MOP) with strong constraints, large-scale and sparse properties. The novel model of the ABWTA problem with the operation error parameter is established. An evolutionary algorithm for large-scale sparse problems (SparseEA) is introduced as the main framework for solving large-scale sparse ABWTA problem. The proposed framework (SparseEA-ABWTA) mainly addresses the issue that problem-specific initialization method and genetic operators with a reward strategy can generate solutions efficiently considering the sparsity of variables and an improved non-dominated solution selection method is presented to handle the constraints. Under the premise of constructing large-scale cases by the specific case generator, two numerical experiments on four outstanding multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) show Runtime of SparseEA-ABWTA is faster nearly 50% than others under the same convergence and the gap between MOEAs improved by the mechanism of SparseEA-ABWTA and SparseEA-ABWTA is reduced to nearly 20% in the convergence and distribution.

Derivation of Pheromone-Based Larval Thresholds in Spruce Budworm Accounting for Distance to Defoliated Forest Stands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Rhainds ◽  
Ian DeMerchant ◽  
Pierre Therrien
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
General Guideline ◽  
Number Of Males

Abstract Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clem. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is the most severe defoliator of Pinaceae in Nearctic boreal forests. Three tools widely used to guide large-scale management decisions (year-to-year defoliation maps; density of overwintering second instars [L2]; number of males at pheromone traps) were integrated to derive pheromone-based thresholds corresponding to specific intergenerational transitions in larval densities (L2i → L2i+1), taking into account the novel finding that threshold estimates decline with distance to defoliated forest stands (DIST). Estimates of thresholds were highly variable between years, both numerically and in terms of interactive effects of L2i and DIST, which limit their heuristic value. In the context of early intervention strategy (L2i+1 &gt; 6.5 individuals per branch), however, thresholds fluctuated within relatively narrow intervals across wide ranges of L2i and DIST, and values of 40–200 males per trap may thus be used as general guideline.

Sick on the Frontlines:A Cross Sectional Study on COVID-19 Infection, Symptom Severity Amongst Emergency Medicine Residents and Fellows in Urban Academic Hospital Settings (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey Frisch ◽  
Sarah Jones ◽  
James Willis ◽  
Richard Sinert
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Emergency Medicine ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Academic Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Time Period ◽  
High Infection ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Specific Symptoms

BACKGROUND COVID-19, an illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, affected many aspects of healthcare worldwide in 2020. From March to May of 2020, New York City (NYC) experienced a large surge of cases. OBJECTIVE The authors aimed to characterize the amount of illness experienced by residents and fellows in 2 NYC hospitals during this time period. METHODS This was a cross-sectional observational study. An IRB-exempt survey was distributed to emergency medicine housestaff in May 2020 and submissions were accepted through August 2020. RESULTS 64 residents and fellows responded to our survey (a 62% response rate). 42% of responders tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Most residents experienced symptoms that could be consistent with COVID-19 however few received PCR testing. Fevers and/or chills along with loss of smell and/or taste were the most specific symptoms for COVID-19, with p-values <0.05. All 13 housestaff who reported no symptoms during the study period tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that the rate of COVID-19 illness among emergency department housestaff is much higher than previously reported. Further studies are needed to characterize illness among medical staff in emergency departments across the nation. The high infection rate among emergency medicine trainees stresses the importance of supplying adequate PPE for healthcare professionals.

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