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Seasonal human coronaviruses (HCoVs) cause respiratory infections, especially in children. Currently, the knowledge on early childhood seasonal coronavirus infections and the duration of antibody levels following the first infections is limited. Here we analyzed serological follow-up samples to estimate the rate of primary infection and reinfection(s) caused by seasonal coronaviruses in early childhood. Serum specimens were collected from 140 children at ages of 13, 24, and 36 months (1, 2, and 3 years), and IgG antibody levels against recombinant HCoV nucleoproteins (N) were measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Altogether, 84% (118/140) of the children were seropositive for at least one seasonal coronavirus N by the age of 3 years. Cumulative seroprevalences for HCoVs 229E, HKU1, NL63, and OC43 increased by age, and they were 45%, 27%, 70%, and 44%, respectively, at the age of 3 years. Increased antibody levels between yearly samples indicated reinfections by 229E, NL63, and OC43 viruses in 20-48% of previously seropositive children by the age of 3 years. Antibody levels declined 54-73% or 31-77% during the year after seropositivity in children initially seropositive at 1 or 2 years of age, respectively, in case there was no reinfection. The correlation of 229E and NL63, and OC43 and HKU1 EIA results, suggested potential cross-reactivity between the N specific antibodies inside the coronavirus genera. The data shows that seasonal coronavirus infections and reinfections are common in early childhood and the antibody levels decline relatively rapidly. IMPORTANCE The rapid spread of COVID-19 requires better knowledge on the rate of coronavirus infections and coronavirus specific antibody responses in different population groups. In this work we analyzed changes in seasonal human coronavirus specific antibodies in young children participating in a prospective 3-year serological follow-up study. We show that based on seropositivity and changes in serum coronavirus antibody levels, coronavirus infections and reinfections are common in early childhood and the antibodies elicited by the infection decline relatively rapidly. These observations provide further information on the characteristics of humoral immune responses of coronavirus infections in children. The rapid spread of COVID-19 requires better knowledge on the rate of coronavirus infections and coronavirus specific antibody responses in different population groups. In this work we analyzed changes in seasonal human coronavirus specific antibodies in young children participating in a prospective 3-year serological follow-up study.

Purpose: COVID-19 occurred at the end of 2019 and forced the world to change daily routines. Schools and offices were closed and needed to move to online mode. Educational technology (EdTech) aims to advance the learning results for students, foster individual approaches, and diminish teachers' burnout. The study aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 on business model innovation (BMI) at EdTech startups. Modern scholars show interest in researching firms that have various business models simultaneously. It is still unclear how business model diversification corresponds to its accomplishments. COVID-19 was a rapid and unexpected change. Hence, companies did not have much time to change their strategies and act on the spot. The level of the company's agility depends on many factors. For example, the area of operations and its size may affect the eagerness to shift dramatically. The study sheds light on the research gap on how agility and dynamic capabilities help companies to survive during crisis. Approach: The data was collected by reviewing the existing literature and conducting 17 semistructured in-depth interviews with 14 EdTech startups and three industry’s experts. To analyze qualitative data, the researchers utilized content analysis and MAXQDA 2020 software in which data was coded into 14 categories to find answers to the research questions. Results: There is no doubt that COVID-19 compelled the educational industry to utilize digital tools more actively than ever before. As a result, COVID-19 forced the EdTech industry to grow faster than expected. EdTech startups did not invent a new business model. They still use SaaS (Software as a Service) as a basis and charge users per specific time. Business model innovation (BMI) occurred in all segments of a business model. The main alteration happened in discovering parents as a new target audience and offer pricing plans for them. Second, EdTech startups accentuated their marketing efforts on the advantages of remote education and usability of the products at home. Lastly, EdTech startups focus on adjustability to hybrid learning environments, integrations with the existing platforms, and customer support for teachers and parents. As for the pricing plan, most EdTech startups provided their solution for free for a longer time than usual to support the educational community, increase awareness of the tool, and boost the user base. Implications: The study is beneficial for EdTech startups in the following ways. First, it allows them understanding how other startups from the same industry coped with the pandemic. Second, the study makes it possible for EdTech startups to start internal discussions on revisiting the business model and think about what should be changed. Concerning uncertain time as COVID-19 in the future, EdTech startups must always believe in their product and understand the target audience. peerReviewed

Over the past few decades, extensively drug resistant (XDR) resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae has become a notable burden to healthcare all over the world. Especially carbapenemase-producing strains are problematic due to their capability to withstand even last resort antibiotics. Some sequence types (STs) of K. pneumoniae are significantly more prevalent in hospital settings in comparison to other equally resistant strains. This provokes the question whether or not there are phenotypic characteristics that may render certain K. pneumoniae more suitable for epidemic dispersal between patients, hospitals, and different environments. In this study, we selected seven epidemic and non-epidemic carbapenem resistant K. pneumoniae isolates for extensive systematic characterization for phenotypic and genotypic qualities in order to identify potential factors that precede or emerge from epidemic successfulness. Studied characteristics include growth rates and densities in different conditions (media, temperature, pH, resource levels), tolerance to alcohol and drought, inhibition between strains, ability to compensate pH, as well as various genomic features. Overall, there are clear differences between isolates, yet, only drought tolerance was found to notably associate with non-epidemic K. pneumoniae strains. We further report a preliminary study on the potential to control K. pneumoniae ST11 with an antimicrobial component produced by a non-epidemic K. pneumoniae. This component initially restricts bacterial growth, but stable resistance develops rapidly in vitro. peerReviewed

Gradussani 'Kun paikallinen saa globaalin fokuksen: Ebolan leviämisen narratiivit vuosina 2014 – 2015 Toronto Star -lehdessä' tutkin otsikon mukaisesti Ebolan leviämisen narratiiveja viimeisimmän Ebolaepidemian ajalta. Toronto Star on Kanadan suurin päivittäin ilmestyvä sanomalehti, jonka julkaisupaikka on Torontossa Ontarion provinssissa. Teoreettisena viitekehyksenä käytän Melissa Leachin vuonna 2008 kehittelemää temaattisten narratiivien kategorisointia verenvuotokuumeista (esimerkiksi Ebola ja Marburgin virus). Hänen kategorisointi sisältää seuraavat narratiivit: (1) Globaali uhka: Afrikasta nousevaa ruttoa vastaan taisteleminen, (2) Tappavat paikalliset sairaustapaukset: globaali nopea reagointi paikallisiin tapahtumiin, (3) Kulttuuri ja konteksti: paikallisen tiedon ja osaamisen hyödyntäminen, (4) Mysteerit ja kuolleisuus: ekologisen ja sosiaalisen dynamiikan huomioiminen. Näiden pohjalta graduni tutkimuskysymykset ovat vastaavasti (1) Millaiset leviämisen narratiivit Toronto Star esitteli vuosina 2014 – 2015? (2) Ketkä Toronto Star esitteli päätoimijoina Ebolaepidemian aikana vuosina 2014 – 2015? (3) Millaiset roolit päätoimijat saivat Ebolaepidemian aikana Toronto Star – lehden mukaan? Teoreettisena viitekehyksenä toimijoille käytän sekä Proppin (1968) että Sealen (2002) ajatusta siitä, että hyvä tarina sisältää niin sankareita, auttajia kuin vastustajia. Tarinan lopussa vastustajat häviävät ja sankarit voittavat. Terveyteen liittyvissä tarinoissa sairaus ja kuolema esitetään vastustajana. Sitä vastoin lääkärit ja hoitajat nähdään sankareina, sillä he yrittävät taltuttaa sairauden ja voittaa kuoleman. Tutkimuksessani käytän myös sekä Katzin, Kornbletin, Arnoldin, Liefin ja Fischerin (2011) että Brownin, Mackeyn, Shapiron, Kolkerin ja Novotnyn (2014) teorioita, jotka esittelevät toimijoita globaalin terveysdiplomatian kentällä. Kyseiset teoriat auttavat Ebola-alueen toimijoiden löytämisessä Toronto Starin artikkeleista. Aineistoni koostuu 97 relevantista Ebola-artikkelista, jotka on julkaistu Toronto Star lehdessä vuosina 2014 – 2015 ja kerätty ProQuest Central -palvelun avulla. Analyysini tulokset osoittavat, että Toronto Star esitteli seuraavat päänarratiivit: (1) Ebola globaalina turvallisuusuhkana, (2) Tappavat paikalliset sairaustapaukset ja hidas globaali reagointi tapahtumiin, (3) Kulttuuri ja konteksti: enemmän olisi pitänyt kiinnittää huomiota paikallisten osallistamiseen, (4) Ebolan vuosina 2014 – 2015 leviämisen taustalla pitkään jatkunut köyhyys ja vaillinnaiset terveydenhoitojärjestelmät Länsi-Afrikassa. Tämän lisäksi Guinean, Sierra Leonen ja Liberian terveysministeriöt ja maiden presidentit nähdään globaalin terveysdiplomatian ydintoimijoina. Sen sijaan YK-järjestelmän olennaiset toimijat, Kanadan hallitus, Kanadan ulkoministeri, Yhdysvaltain hallitus ja Yhdysvaltain presidentti nähdään monisidosryhmäisen globaalin terveysdiplomatian toimijoina. Lääkärit ilman rajoja, Punaisen Ristin ja Punaisen Puolikuun yhdistysten kansainvälinen liitto, PHAC, CDC, terveydenhuollon työntekijät, sosiaalisen liikkuvuuden auktoriteetit, hautaustiimin jäsenet, paikalliset kyläpäälliköt, karanteeniviranomaiset, kansanterveyden asiantuntijat, viranomaiset, tutkijat, laivayhtiöt, lentöyhtiöt, lääkeyhtiöt ja yksityiset lahjoittajat nähdään epävirallisen globaalin terveysdiplomatian toimijoina. Ebola-tarinassa roolit eri toimijoille vaihtelevat uhreista sankareihin ja avunantajista avun vastustajiin. In my Master's Thesis 'When local gets a global focus: Ebola outbreak narratives in 2014 – 2015 in Toronto Star' I research Ebola outbreak narratives of the most recent Ebola outbreak. Toronto Star is Canada's biggest daily newspaper which is being published in Toronto, Ontario. As my theoretical background, I use Melissa Leach's (2008) categorization on thematic narratives related to haemorrhagic fevers (for example Ebola and Marburg virus). Her categorization includes: (1) A global threat: tackling the emerging plague out-of-Africa, (2) Deadly local disease events: the building of universal rapid response, (3) Culture and context: building positively on local knowledge, (4) Mysteries and mobility: taking long-term ecological and social dynamics seriously. Building on these, my research questions in this Thesis are (1) What kinds of outbreak narratives on Ebola were presented by Toronto Star during 2014 – 2015? (2) Who were presented as the main actors during the 2014 – 2015 Ebola outbreak by Toronto Star? and (3) What kinds of roles did the main actors receive over the outbreak period by Toronto Star? As a theoretical background for analysis of actors and different roles, I use Propp's (1968) and Seale's (2002) idea that a good story includes heroes, helpers and villains. At the end of a story, villains loose and heroes win. In the health-related stories, disease and death are being portrayed as a villain. Instead, doctors and nurses are seen as heroes because they are trying to tackle the disease and overcome death. I also use theories by Katz, Kornblet, Arnold, Lief and Fischer (2011) as well as by Brown, Mackey, Shapiro, Kolker, Novotny (2014) which introduce global health diplomacy actors. These theories help me to identify the main Ebola actors being presented in the research data. My research data consists of 97 relevant articles related to the Ebola outbreak published in Toronto Star in 2014 – 2015, collected through the database ProQuest Central. The results of my analysis indicate that Toronto Star represented the following main narratives: (1) Ebola as a global security threat, (2) Deadly local disease events and slow universal response, (3) Culture and context: more attention should have been given on how to include locals into the outbreak response and (4) The 2014 – 2015 Ebola outbreak as an outcome of long-lasting poverty and lacking health care systems in West Africa. Further, the analysis showed how the ministries of Health in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia as well as the presidents of the three mentioned countries are considered as the core global health diplomacy actors. Instead, the relevant actors of UN system as well as the Canadian government, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Government and the U.S. President are considered as multi-stakeholder global health diplomacy actors. Médecins Sans Frontières, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health care workers, social mobilization authorities, burial team members, local chiefs, quarantine officers, public health experts, officials, scientists, shipping companies, airline companies, pharmaceutical companies and private donors are considered as informal global health diplomacy actors. In the Ebola narrative, the roles for different actors vary from victims to heroes as well as from aiders to opposers.