scholarly journals Viral Diversity of House Mice in New York City

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e01354-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon H. Williams ◽  
Xiaoyu Che ◽  
Joel A. Garcia ◽  
John D. Klena ◽  
Bohyun Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACTThe microbiome of wildMus musculus(house mouse), a globally distributed invasive pest that resides in close contact with humans in urban centers, is largely unexplored. Here, we report analysis of the fecal virome of house mice in residential buildings in New York City, NY. Mice were collected at seven sites in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx over a period of 1 year. Unbiased high-throughput sequencing of feces revealed 36 viruses from 18 families and 21 genera, including at least 6 novel viruses and 3 novel genera. A representative screen of 15 viruses by PCR confirmed the presence of 13 of these viruses in liver. We identified an uneven distribution of diversity, with several viruses being associated with specific locations. Higher mouse weight was associated with an increase in the number of viruses detected per mouse, after adjusting for site, sex, and length. We found neither genetic footprints to known human viral pathogens nor antibodies to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.IMPORTANCEMice carry a wide range of infectious agents with zoonotic potential. Their proximity to humans in the built environment is therefore a concern for public health. Laboratory mice are also the most common experimental model for investigating the pathobiology of infectious diseases. In this survey of mice trapped in multiple locations within New York City over a period of 1 year, we found a diverse collection of viruses that includes some previously not associated with house mice and others that appear to be novel. Although we found no known human pathogens, our findings provide insights into viral ecology and may yield models that have utility for clinical microbiology.

scholarly journals Initial Mapping of the New York City Wastewater Virome

mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Gulino ◽  
J. Rahman ◽  
M. Badri ◽  
J. Morton ◽  
R. Bonneau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Metagenomic Data ◽  
Functional Importance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Viral Communities ◽  
Local Sampling

ABSTRACT Bacteriophages are abundant members of all microbiomes studied to date, influencing microbial communities through interactions with their bacterial hosts. Despite their functional importance and ubiquity, phages have been underexplored in urban environments compared to their bacterial counterparts. We profiled the viral communities in New York City (NYC) wastewater using metagenomic data collected in November 2014 from 14 wastewater treatment plants. We show that phages accounted for the largest viral component of the sewage samples and that specific virus communities were associated with local environmental conditions within boroughs. The vast majority of the virus sequences had no homology matches in public databases, forming an average of 1,700 unique virus clusters (putative genera). These new clusters contribute to elucidating the overwhelming proportion of data that frequently goes unidentified in viral metagenomic studies. We assigned potential hosts to these phages, which appear to infect a wide range of bacterial genera, often outside their presumed host. We determined that infection networks form a modular-nested pattern, indicating that phages include a range of host specificities, from generalists to specialists, with most interactions organized into distinct groups. We identified genes in viral contigs involved in carbon and sulfur cycling, suggesting functional importance of viruses in circulating pathways and gene functions in the wastewater environment. In addition, we identified virophage genes as well as a nearly complete novel virophage genome. These findings provide an understanding of phage abundance and diversity in NYC wastewater, previously uncharacterized, and further examine geographic patterns of phage-host association in urban environments. IMPORTANCE Wastewater is a rich source of microbial life and contains bacteria, viruses, and other microbes found in human waste as well as environmental runoff sources. As part of an effort to characterize the New York City wastewater metagenome, we profiled the viral community of sewage samples across all five boroughs of NYC and found that local sampling sites have unique sets of viruses. We focused on bacteriophages, or viruses of bacteria, to understand how they may influence the microbial ecology of this system. We identified several new clusters of phages and successfully associated them with bacterial hosts, providing insight into virus-host interactions in urban wastewater. This study provides a first look into the viral communities present across the wastewater system in NYC and points to their functional importance in this environment.

Implementing Small Theme High Schools in New York City: Great Intentions and Great Tensions

2006 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
JACQUELINE ANCESS ◽  
DAVID ALLEN
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
High Schools ◽  
School Reform ◽  
York City ◽  
Small Schools ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Small High Schools ◽  
Wide Range

In this article, Jacqueline Ancess and David Allen use New York City as a case study to examine the promises and the perils of the small high school reform movement that is sweeping the nation. They analyze the varying extent to which New York City's small high schools have implemented curricular themes in order to promote academic quality and equity. After identifying a wide range in the level of theme implementation in the city's small schools, Ancess and Allen suggest that small theme high schools have the potential to boost student engagement and achievement. However, the authors also express concern about the manner in which curricular themes may serve as socioeconomic, academic, or racial codes that threaten to merely repackage old patterns of school stratification and segregation.

scholarly journals New York City House Mice (Mus musculus) as Potential Reservoirs for Pathogenic Bacteria and Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e00624-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon H. Williams ◽  
Xiaoyu Che ◽  
Ashley Paulick ◽  
Cheng Guo ◽  
Bohyun Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
York City ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disease ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance Genes

ABSTRACTHouse mice (Mus musculus) thrive in large urban centers worldwide. Nonetheless, little is known about the role that they may play in contributing to environmental contamination with potentially pathogenic bacteria. Here, we describe the fecal microbiome of house mice with emphasis on detection of pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes by molecular methods. Four hundred sixteen mice were collected from predominantly residential buildings in seven sites across New York City over a period of 13 months. 16S rRNA sequencing identifiedBacteroidetesas dominant and revealed high levels ofProteobacteria. A targeted PCR screen of 11 bacteria, as indicated by 16S rRNA analyses, found that mice are carriers of several gastrointestinal disease-causing agents, includingShigella,Salmonella,Clostridium difficile, and diarrheagenicEscherichia coli. Furthermore, genes mediating antimicrobial resistance to fluoroquinolones (qnrB) and β-lactam drugs (blaSHVandblaACT/MIR) were widely distributed. Culture and molecular strain typing ofC. difficilerevealed that mice harbor ribotypes associated with human disease, and screening of kidney samples demonstrated genetic evidence of pathogenicLeptospiraspecies. In concert, these findings support the need for further research into the role of house mice as potential reservoirs for human pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in the built environment.IMPORTANCEMice are commensal pests often found in close proximity to humans, especially in urban centers. We surveyed mice from seven sites across New York City and found multiple pathogenic bacteria associated with febrile and gastrointestinal disease as well as an array of antimicrobial resistance genes.

scholarly journals Using Dental Health Care Personnel During a Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-147
Author(s):  
Victor Badner ◽  
Mana Saraghi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Health Care Personnel ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Dental Staff ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Step Down

The first few months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic challenged health care facilities worldwide in many ways. Inpatient and intensive care unit (ICU) beds were at a premium, and personnel shortages occurred during the initial peak of the pandemic. New York State was the hardest hit of all US states, with a high concentration of cases in New York City and, in particular, Bronx County. The governor of New York and leadership of hospitals in New York City called upon all available personnel to provide support and patient care during this health care crisis. This case study highlights the efforts of Jacobi Medical Center, located in the northeast Bronx, from March 1 through May 31, 2020, and its use of nontraditional health care personnel, including Department of Dentistry/OMFS (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) staff members, to provide a wide range of health care services. Dental staff members including ancillary personnel, residents, and attendings were redeployed and functioned throughout the facility. Dental anesthesiology residents provided medical services in support of their colleagues in a step-down COVID-19–dedicated ICU, providing intubation, ventilator management, and critical and palliative care. (Step-down units provide an intermediate level of care between ICUs and the general medical–surgical wards.) Clear communication of an acute need, a well-articulated mission, creative use of personnel, and dedicated staff members were evident during this challenging time. Although not routinely called upon to provide support in the medical and surgical inpatient areas, dental staff members may provide additional health care personnel during times of need.

scholarly journals Urban Park Usage During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150008
Author(s):  
Bita Alizadehtazi ◽  
Korin Tangtrakul ◽  
Sloane Woerdeman ◽  
Anna Gussenhoven ◽  
Nariman Mostafavi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
York City ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Early Phases

Urban parks and green spaces provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including social interaction and stress reduction. When COVID-19 closed schools and businesses and restricted social gatherings, parks became one of the few places that urban residents were permitted to visit outside their homes. With a focus on Philadelphia, PA and New York City, NY, this paper presents a snapshot of the park usage during the early phases of the pandemic. Forty-three Civic Scientists were employed by the research team to observe usage in 22 different parks selected to represent low and high social vulnerability, and low, medium, and high population density. Despite speculation that parks could contribute to the spread of COVID-19, no strong correlation was found between the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in adjacent zip codes and the number of park users. High social vulnerability neighborhoods were associated with a significantly higher number of COVID-19 cases ([Formula: see text]). In addition, no significant difference in the number of park users was detected between parks in high and low vulnerability neighborhoods. The number of park users did significantly increase with population density in both cities ([Formula: see text]), though usage varied greatly by park. Males were more frequently observed than females in parks in both high vulnerability and high-density neighborhoods. Although high vulnerability neighborhoods reported higher COVID-19 cases, residents of Philadelphia and New York City appear to have been undeterred from visiting parks during this phase of the pandemic. This snapshot study provides no evidence to support closing parks during the pandemic. To the contrary, people continued to visit parks throughout the study, underscoring their evident value as respite for urban residents during the early phases of the pandemic.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Scott MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Natural History ◽  
York City ◽  
American Museum ◽  
Animal Life ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
African Mammals ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World

The introduction creates a context for a wide range of avant-doc films (that is, films that work in the zone between conventional documentary and what has usually been called “avant-garde” filmmaking), locating these films within the tradition established a century ago by the development of the habitat diorama of animal life, specifically the Akeley Hall of African Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The habitat diorama provides precise documentation of the specifics of animal life that is, insofar as possible, devoid of political argument. The aim of the habitat diorama, and of the films discussed throughout the book, is to be as purely educational as cinema can be: the creator of the habitat dioramas and the film documents discussed provide precise visions of what the makers believe we need to see, in order to understand more of the world around us.

“Ballerinas on the Dole:” Dance and the U.S. Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA), 1974–1982

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 70-89
Author(s):  
Colleen Hooper
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Public Service ◽  
York City ◽  
Correctional Facility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Employment Training ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Us Federal Government

The Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) was a program of the US federal government that employed dancers, performers, and other artists to provide public service in municipalities across the country from 1974 to 1982. This article focuses on dancers who participated in the CETA program. It describes this important source of government funding for dance and the arts that has been largely overlooked in scholarship. Through an analysis of one New York City CETA dance community performance site, it reveals the tensions present in the construct of “dance as public service.” This case study is offered as an exemplar of how the largest CETA arts program in the United States served a wide range of artists and communities. Through an analysis of two CETA dance performances at the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility in New York City, the article questions who was served by dance as public service.

Martha Wollstein: A pioneer American female clinician-scientist

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-174
Author(s):  
Jeanne Abrams ◽  
James R Wright
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Medical Specialty ◽  
Rockefeller Institute ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Clinician Scientist ◽  
Scientific Skills

Martha Wollstein was not only the first fully specialized pediatric perinatal pathologist practicing exclusively in a North America children’s hospital, she also blazed another pathway as a very early pioneer female clinician-scientist. Wollstein provided patient care at Babies Hospital of New York City from 1891 until her retirement in 1935, and also simultaneously worked for many years as a basic scientist at the prestigious Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Wollstein published over 65 papers, many frequently cited, during her career on a wide range of topics including pediatric and infectious diseases. Wollstein was a rare female in the field of pathology in an era when just a relatively small number of women became doctors in any medical specialty. Wollstein was born into an affluent Jewish American family in New York City in 1868 and graduated from the Women’s Medical College in 1889. This paper explores her family support and ethnic and religious background, which helped facilitate her professional success. During her time, she was recognized internationally for her research and was respected for her medical and scientific skills; unfortunately today her important career has been largely forgotten.

scholarly journals Seroepidemiology among Employees of New York City Health and Hospitals during the First Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander D Bryan ◽  
Kathleen Tatem ◽  
Jillian Diuguid-Gerber ◽  
Caroline Cooke ◽  
Anya Romanoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Community Factors

Objective: Estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among New York City Health + Hospitals healthcare workers, and identify demographic and occupational factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study using data from SARS-CoV-2 serological tests accompanied by a demographic and occupational survey administered to healthcare workers. Participants were employed by New York City Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H) and either completed serologic testing at NYC H+H between April 30 and June 30, 2020, or completed SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing outside of NYC H+H and were able to self-report results. Results: Seven hundred twenty-seven survey respondents were included in analysis. Participants had a mean age of 46 years (SD= 12.19) and 543 (75%) were women. Two hundred fourteen (29%) participants tested positive or reported testing positive for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgG+). Characteristics associated with positive SARS-CoV-2 serostatus were Black race (25% IgG+ vs. 15% IgG-, p=0.001), having someone in the household with COVID symptoms (49% IgG+ vs. 21% IgG-, p<0.001), or having a confirmed COVID-19 case in the household (25% IgG+ vs 5% IgG-, p<0.001). Characteristics associated with negative SARS-CoV-2 serostatus included working on a COVID patient floor (27% IgG+ vs. 36% IgG-, p=0.02), working in the ICU (20% IgG+ vs. 28% IgG-, p=0.03), or having close contact with a patient with COVID-19 (51% IgG+ vs. 62% IgG-, p=0.03). Conclusions: Results underscore the significance of community factors and inequities might have on SARS-CoV-2 exposure for healthcare workers.

Access Management at a High-Volume Interchange

2003 ◽  
Vol 1858 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome Gluck ◽  
Peter King
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
New York State ◽  
High Volume ◽  
York State Department ◽  
Traffic Operations ◽  
Access Management ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Level

Alternatives for improving operations and safety at the complex urban Highbridge Interchange of the Cross Bronx Expressway (Interstate 95) and the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87) in New York City are presented. These alternatives were developed as part of the Bronx Arterial Needs Major Investment Study (BAN MIS) that is being performed for the New York State Department of Transportation. The unusually high levels of congestion on Interstate 95 and Interstate 87 required a high level of analysis and alternatives development for this location. This interchange experiences high levels of delay and accident frequency for several reasons. The interchange incorporates two of the most heavily used Interstate highways in the city, and both of these have a high volume of trucks. It includes or is adjacent to other heavily used facilities, including park-ways, other expressways, and high-volume local arterials and the George Washington Bridge (a 14-lane facility). Finally, it is sited in a part of the western Bronx and northern Manhattan of New York City that is severely constrained by adjacent land uses, severe grades, and elevation changes. The BAN MIS is exploring a wide range of strategies in the vicinity of Highbridge Interchange to improve traffic operations and safety. Strategies applied basic principles of access management to reduce conflicts and eliminate weaving, to separate through from local movements, and to maintain a hierarchy of roads by function. These principles are applicable to other interchange projects to help in developing alternatives for improving traffic operations and safety.

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