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Relationship‐oriented human resource management (HRM) contributes to organizational functioning by promoting employee relationships, coordination, and cooperation. We propose unit‐level positive affective climate as a motivational mechanism through which relationship‐oriented HR systems can positively influence unit service quality and relationships with beneficiaries, and prevent individual emotional exhaustion. Moreover, we propose collective occupational calling serves as an alternative motivational source that can substitute for the positive effects of positive affective climate. In analyzing a sample composed of 742 nurses from 48 nursing units of two hospitals in China with data collection at three time points before and after the COVID‐19 outbreak, our results supported the substituting effects of unit‐level collective occupational calling on positive affective climate stemmed from relationship‐oriented HR systems. Our study connects strategic HRM and motivation research by shedding light on an affective mechanism from relationship‐oriented HR systems and the contingencies involving employees' various sources of motivation, such as occupational calling. We further discuss theoretical and practical implications of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza viruses continually evolve new antigenic variants, through mutations in epitopes of their major surface proteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Antigenic drift potentiates the reinfection of previously infected individuals, but the contribution of this process to variability in annual epidemics is not well understood. Here, we link influenza A(H3N2) virus evolution to regional epidemic dynamics in the United States during 1997-2019. We integrate phenotypic measures of HA antigenic drift and sequence-based measures of HA and NA fitness to infer antigenic and genetic distances between viruses circulating in successive seasons. We estimate the magnitude, severity, timing, transmission rate, age-specific patterns, and subtype dominance of each regional outbreak and find that genetic distance based on broad sets of epitope sites is the strongest evolutionary predictor of A(H3N2) virus epidemiology. Increased HA and NA epitope distance between seasons correlates with larger, more intense epidemics, higher transmission, greater A(H3N2) subtype dominance, and a greater proportion of cases in adults relative to children, consistent with increased population susceptibility. Based on random forest models, A(H1N1) incidence impacts A(H3N2) epidemics to a greater extent than viral evolution, suggesting that subtype interference is a major driver of influenza A virus infection ynamics, presumably via heterosubtypic cross-immunity.

The COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges for K-12 schools during the 2020-2021 school year (e.g, establishing social distancing measures, decisions regarding testing protocols, and transition from in-person to distance learning). Changes in teaching and learning modalities, from in-person to remote learning options, quickly became a reality for many students [an estimated 95%, according to Engzell et al. (2021)]. With an increase in distance learning came changes in students' structured and unstructured physical activity participation. The impact of these changes is unknown and justifies research investigating the effect modality shifts held on students' participation in physical activity and any associated outcomes. A mixed-methods survey was administered to examine changes in K-12 students' learning modality, participation in physical activity, and associated outcomes. Changes in learning modality from in-person to online were most frequently indicated (90%). Respondents stated both challenges and success stories associated with students' participation in physical activities resulting from modality shifts (e.g, decreased social engagements, decreased exposure to structured and facilitated physical education, and increased outdoor play). Positive outcomes were most prevalent in children engaging in moderate PA. However, 85% of respondents indicated a decrease in their child's physical activity participation. Our findings justify further investigation of the immediate and long-term impact of school modality shifts on students' engagement in physical activities., Introduction Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the United States K-12 education system faced a breadth of challenges in providing students with an effective learning experience as a result of the [...]

We construct text-based measures of the primary concerns listed firms associated with the spread of COVID-19 and other epidemic diseases. We identify which firms perceive to lose or gain from a given epidemic and textually decompose the epidemic's effect on the firm's demand and supply. We find that the effects of COVID-19 manifest as a simultaneous shock to demand and supply, with both shocks affecting firms' market valuations in equal measure on average. By contrast, demand-related impacts appear more important in accounting for the observed collapse in firm-level investment during the COVID-19 crisis. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birth-death models play a key role in phylodynamic analysis for their interpretation in terms of key epidemiological parameters. In particular, models with piecewise-constant rates varying at different epochs in time, to which we refer as episodic birth-death-sampling (EBDS) models, are valuable for their reflection of changing transmission dynamics over time. A challenge, however, that persists with current time-varying model inference procedures is their lack of computational efficiency. This limitation hinders the full utilization of these models in large-scale phylodynamic analyses, especially when dealing with high-dimensional parameter vectors that exhibit strong correlations. We present here a linear-time algorithm to compute the gradient of the birth-death model sampling density with respect to all time-varying parameters, and we implement this algorithm within a gradient-based Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) sampler to alleviate the computational burden of conducting inference under a wide variety of structures of, as well as priors for, EBDS processes. We assess this approach using three different real world data examples, including the HIV epidemic in Odesa, Ukraine, seasonal influenza A/H3N2 virus dynamics in New York state, America, and Ebola outbreak in West Africa. HMC sampling exhibits a substantial efficiency boost, delivering a 10- to 200-fold increase in minimum effective sample size per unit-time, in comparison to a Metropolis-Hastings-based approach. Additionally, we show the robustness of our implementation in both allowing for flexible prior choices and in modeling the transmission dynamics of various pathogens by accurately capturing the changing trend of viral effective reproductive number.

In an era when intricately woven global networks dictate the pulse of commerce, supply chain issues have ascended as a critical focal point--particularly within the medical device industry. The turn [...]

'Thermal governance' has been discussed elsewhere as the regulation of temperature through infrastructure, technology and social and political organisation. We extend it here to include a subtle and heretofore under-recognised element of public health: the governance of recent urban epidemics by the Chinese state. The SARS epidemic of 2002–2003 in Guangzhou and more markedly the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan triggered massive emergency responses by public health authorities which differed from previous strategies in more fully activating the state health sector known in China as Chinese Medicine (zhongyi) and outside China as Traditional Chinese Medicine. With this enlistment comes a body of theory and practice which makes meteorology central to diagnostic and prescriptive processes, and reinforces as part of state discourse the long-standing Chinese cultural understanding of 'heat' as an internal micro-climatic element transcending temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a spatial heterogeneous and temporal periodic nonlocal susceptible-infected-susceptible epidemic model with Dirichlet boundary conditions, where the total population is varying. We first study a principal eigenvalue problem for a time-periodic nonlocal dispersal operator and obtain the limiting profile of principal eigenvalue. Next, we establish the existence, uniqueness and stability of steady states of the model in terms of the basic reproduction ratio. Finally, we discuss the impacts of small diffusion rates on the persistence and extinction of the disease. We show the asymptotic profiles of the disease-free equilibrium, endemic equilibrium and basic reproduction ratio as the diffusion rate tends to zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In May 2024, a chickenpox outbreak was reported at Xiasha Primary School located in Nanshan District, Shenzhen City, China, with a total of 12 cases identified. Despite thorough on-site investigations, the source of infection remained undetected. The purpose of our study was to infer the timing and duration of the infectious period of the initial case using modeling techniques, thereby deducing the identity of the source. Methods: We conducted an individual contact survey within the class affected by the epidemic and utilized an agent-based model (ABM) to estimate the key parameters related to the timing of the infectious source's emergence and the duration of its infectiousness. The point estimates derived from the ABM served as prior information for a subsequent Bayesian analysis, which in turn provided the posterior distribution for these parameters. Results: Our models suggested the infection source entered the classroom around April 24th (95% credible interval: April 22nd to April 26th), with an infectious period of approximately two days. Based on these findings, we should aim to detect students who may have been absent due to atypical chickenpox symptoms during this period and closely examine teachers who were present for two consecutive days for any indication of potential infection. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the efficacy of combining contact surveys with mathematical modeling for outbreak source tracing, offering a novel approach to supplement field epidemiological surveys. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we conduct a global stability analysis of an extended Susceptible-Unidentified infected-Confirmed (SUC) epidemic mathematical model. In the original SUC model, the entire population consists of individuals who are susceptible, those with unidentified infections, and those with confirmed infections, without accounting for births and deaths. In the proposed extended SUC model, we incorporate the dynamics of births and deaths into the original SUC model. We analyze the global stability of this extended SUC epidemic mathematical model and perform several computational experiments to validate the global stability analysis. Through this realistic extended SUC model, we aim to advance the current understanding of epidemiological modeling and provide valuable insights for guiding public health interventions and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the current status of H5N1 avian influenza, emphasizing its low risk to humans despite widespread animal infections. Topics discussed include the virus's spread among wild and domestic animals, potential for mammalian transmission, and the importance of monitoring and managing risks to prevent human infection.

HIV infection is monitored through the National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS) to help improve the health of people with HIV and reduce transmission. NHSS data are routinely used at federal, state, and local levels to monitor the distribution and transmission of HIV, plan and evaluate prevention and care programs, allocate resources, inform policy development, and identify and respond to rapid transmission in the United States. We describe the expanded use of HIV surveillance data since the 2013 NHSS status update, during which time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinated to revise the HIV surveillance case definition to support the detection of early infection and reporting of laboratory data, expanded data collection to include information on sexual orientation and gender identity, enhanced data deduplication processes to improve quality, and expanded reporting to include social determinants of health and health equity measures. CDC maximized the effects of federal funding by integrating funding for HIV prevention and surveillance into a single program; the integration of program funding has expanded the use of HIV surveillance data and strengthened surveillance, resulting in enhanced cluster response capacity and intensified data-to-care activities to ensure sustained viral suppression. NHSS data serve as the primary source for monitoring HIV trends and progress toward achieving national initiatives, including the US Department of Health and Human Services' Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative, the White House's National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022-2025), and Healthy People 2030. The NHSS will continue to modernize, adapt, and broaden its scope as the need for high-quality HIV surveillance data remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The risk for mpox virus (MPXV) transmission in most workplaces has not been thoroughly assessed in the context of the 2022 global mpox outbreak. Our objectives were to describe mpox case patients who worked while infectious and the subsequent workplace contact tracing efforts, risk assessments, and outcomes. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested information from health departments in the United States in September 2022 to identify people with confirmed or probable mpox who worked outside the home while infectious, either before or after diagnosis, from June 1 through August 31, 2022. We collected and summarized data on demographic, clinical, and workplace characteristics of case patients and workplace contact investigations. We stratified data by industry and occupation categories. Results: In total, 102 case patients were reported by 6 jurisdictions. The most common industries were accommodation and food services (19.8%) and professional business, management, and technical services (17.0%). Contact investigations identified 178 total contacts; 54 cases (52.9%) had no contacts identified. Of 178 contacts, 54 (30.3%) were recommended to receive postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and 18 (10.1%) received PEP. None of the contacts developed a rash or were tested for orthopox or mpox, and none were reported to have confirmed or probable mpox. Conclusion: Data from 6 jurisdictions suggest that the risk of MPXV transmission from workers to others in workplace settings in many industries is low. These findings might support future updates to exposure risk classifications and work activity recommendations for patients. These findings also demonstrate the importance of collecting and analyzing occupation and industry data in case reports to better understand risks in workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This art installation centers on then-recent outbreaks of rabies and Nipah viruses in India and Bangladesh, and reveals unexpected connections between vultures, fruit bats, and humans. Using Victorian and Dutch decorative arts from time periods in which England and the Netherlands were connected to these contemporary outbreak sites through colonization, the installation highlights the way climate injustice influences which humans and animals bear the most risk in disease spillovers. Using work by cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, the installation also considers how culture (particularly art) functions as a psychological mechanism for coping with death anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical incidents (CI) trigger acute stress reactions and psychological trauma because of direct or vicarious exposure. These events include natural disasters, wars, terrorist attacks and pandemics, and usually result in deaths and serious physical injuries. Their life-threatening nature makes them reasonable candidates to induce mortality salience (MS). The current review aims to consolidate Terror Management Theory (TMT) research using CIs as MS. A systematic literature review was conducted. Overall, 74 articles with 113 studies were included. Through this review, strong support for MS effects of CI has been found. Consistent with TMT, CIs tend to trigger worldview defence, self-esteem enhancement and relationship seeking. CIs have also been found to impact negatively on individual well-being and organisational health. Recommendations specific to crisis interventions and well-being will be discussed. The review concludes with potential future research directions to strengthen and expand empirical knowledge in CI salience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Die Orthopädie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: To facilitate the reception and care of discharged patients, streamlining processes at the University Hospital and promoting a seamless transition to continuity of care services post-discharge. Design/methodology/approach: Hospitalised patients undergo the Blaylock risk assessment screening score (BRASS), a screening tool identifying those at risk of complex discharge. Findings: Pre-pandemic, patients with a medium-to-high risk of complex discharge were predominantly discharged to their residence or long-term care facilities. During the pandemic, coinciding with an overall reduction in hospitalisation rates, there was a decrease in patients being discharged to their residence. Originality/value: The analysis of discharges, with the classification of patients into risk groups, revealed a coherence between the BRASS score and the characteristics of the studied sample. This tool aids physicians in decision-making by identifying the need for a planned discharge in a systematic and organised manner, preventing the loss of crucial information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-scale coupled models provide a new idea to understand how within-host dynamics impact disease spread between hosts. In previous studies, many theoretical results have been obtained on multi-scale coupled models, but little attention has been paid to the issue of final and peak epidemic sizes. In this work, we first develop a multi-scale homogeneous susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model by linking the within- and between-host models using link functions. The existence and uniqueness of the solution of the model are established, the epidemiological reproduction number and final and peak epidemic sizes equations are derived, and the uniqueness of the solution of the final size equation is proved. Specifically, we draw on the concept of separating biological time scales to derive the peak arrival time and the duration of the epidemic. Then, we further explore the effect of contact heterogeneity between individuals on the epidemiological quantities obtained above. We consider the multi-scale heterogeneous network SIR model, give the epidemiological reproduction number and the final epidemic size equation, and prove the uniqueness of the solution to the final size equation. Moreover, the sensitivity of the epidemiological reproduction number of the multi-scale homogeneous SIR model to each parameter of the within-host model and the influence of the degree distribution on the dynamic behavior of the multi-scale heterogeneous network SIR model are analyzed. These results are useful not only for understanding how multi-scale model assumptions may affect the critical quantities but also for confirming which factors are more important in determining the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Improving acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among nursing students is an important strategy for both preventing infection and building public confidence in the vaccine. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the views of intern nursing students on the COVID-19 vaccine and to evaluate their experiences in the COVID-19 vaccination unit. METHODS: This was a phenomenological qualitative study with a descriptive design. The 46 intern nursing students included in this study were all trained in the COVID-19 vaccination unit. The data was collected at focus group interviews conducted during June 2021 and October 2021. RESULTS: The mean age of intern nursing students was 22.78±0.91. From the focus group interviews, two themes were identified regarding the views of intern nursing students on the COVID-19 vaccine and their experiences in the COVID-19 vaccination unit: Theme 1. Positive views; Theme 2. Negative views. Intern nursing students described that they trust the COVID-19 vaccine and believe in its protection. Intern nursing students who performed their clinical practices in COVID-19 vaccination unit stated that they realized their responsibilities toward patients and the community. CONCLUSIONS: From the INSs' point of view, confidence in the vaccine, responsibility towards patients, their families and the community, and VU practice experience, the health risk associated with COVID-19 positively affected their decision to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The participation of intern nursing students in clinical practice during the pandemic influenced both intern nursing students and population in terms of the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the harm of heroin to human and society, the use and spread of heroin have been regarded as an epidemic, it is urgent for us to study and analyze the dynamical behavior of heroin epidemic model. Therefore, in this paper, we will investigate a stochastic heroin epidemic model with distributed delay. By constructing some suitable Lyapunov functions, we establish sufficient condition for the existence of a stationary distribution π(⋅) for the stochastic heroin epidemic model with distributed delay. Then, we analyze the theoretical results and give some suggestions to control the spread of heroin’s infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An epidemic can cause enormous damage through financial and economic losses in addition to impaired health and loss of life. Good epidemic models can provide insights into ongoing waves that may facilitate public health responses and other readiness. Epidemic systems can undergo or consist of more than two driving forces; actually, they involve several. This paper deals with the modeling epidemics with two wave dynamics. We present a mathematical model with three driving forces, which is more compatible with the biology of the epidemic than conventional bilogistic and bi‐Richards ones, which have two driving forces. Simulation results show that our proposed model can predict turning points (waves) and cumulative case numbers during the two waves of epidemics satisfactorily. As a sample examination of our proposed model against real data, we show that the second phase of a typical epidemic can be detected by using less case data past the beginning of the epidemic than the bi‐Richards model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The projected trajectory of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) epidemics depends on the reproductive fitness of circulating strains of MDR M. tuberculosis (Mtb). Previous efforts to characterize the fitness of MDR Mtb have found that Mtb strains of the Beijing sublineage (Lineage 2.2.1) may be more prone to develop resistance and retain fitness in the presence of resistance-conferring mutations than other lineages. Using Mtb genome sequences from all culture-positive cases collected over two years in Moldova, we estimate the fitness of Ural (Lineage 4.2) and Beijing strains, the two lineages in which MDR is concentrated in the country. We estimate that the fitness of MDR Ural strains substantially exceeds that of other susceptible and MDR strains, and we identify several mutations specific to these MDR Ural strains. Our findings suggest that MDR Ural Mtb has been transmitting efficiently in Moldova and poses a substantial risk of spreading further in the region. Chitwood et al. report on the rapid expansion of a Ural-lineage multidrug resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Moldova. This strain has an estimated reproduction number more than two times greater than otherwise similar drug susceptible strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social and spatial structures of host populations play important roles in pathogen transmission. For environmentally transmitted pathogens, the host space use interacts with both the host social structure and the pathogen's environmental persistence (which determines the time-lag across which two hosts can transmit). Together, these factors shape the epidemiological dynamics of environmentally transmitted pathogens. While the importance of both social and spatial structures and environmental pathogen persistence has long been recognized in epidemiology, they are often considered separately. A better understanding of how these factors interact to determine disease dynamics is required for developing robust surveillance and management strategies. Here, we use a simple agent-based model where we vary host mobility (spatial), host gregariousness (social) and pathogen decay (environmental persistence), each from low to high levels to uncover how they affect epidemiological dynamics. By comparing epidemic peak, time to epidemic peak and final epidemic size, we show that longer infectious periods, higher group mobility, larger group size and longer pathogen persistence lead to larger, faster growing outbreaks, and explore how these processes interact to determine epidemiological outcomes such as the epidemic peak and the final epidemic size. We identify general principles that can be used for planning surveillance and control for wildlife host–pathogen systems with environmental transmission across a range of spatial behaviour, social structure and pathogen decay rates. This article is part of the theme issue 'The spatial–social interface: a theoretical and empirical integration'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the online anti-epidemic resource allocation between demanders and suppliers considering the epidemic spatial spread. The spatial crowdsourcing with sharing platform is an effective way for anti-epidemic resource allocation, and a reasonable online matching strategy can improve the efficiency of resource utilization. The paper proposes online matching heuristic strategy (HSTRF-LRLUF strategy) and designs an online batch bilateral matching algorithm for anti-epidemic resources, which considers the impact of grid spatial aggregation and diffusion risk of emerging infectious diseases. The population distribution within grids and the commuting patterns between grids can provide decision support for selecting online matching strategies of anti-epidemic resources. A larger matching time window focusing on the spatial transmission risk (TR) of the epidemic can obtain better matching results. However, with a smaller matching time window, the decision makers can focus on spatial agglomeration risk (OR) or spatial diffusion risk (IR). The paper effectively combines the spatial crowdsourcing model with the anti-epidemic resource allocation to achieve the allocation of emergency resources to individuals. A combined anti-epidemic resource online matching heuristic strategies is designed from the spatial agglomeration risk and the spatial diffusion risk. Decision makers can dynamically adjust the online matching strategies of anti-epidemic resources by evaluating the spatial agglomeration risk, the spatial diffusion risk, and the overall spatial transmission risk based on the real-time spread of the epidemic and the supply of anti-epidemic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The epidemic situation of influenza from 2014 to 2023 in Huanggang City was analyzed to provide reference for prevention and control of influenza in Huanggang City. [WTHZ]Methods [WTBZ]The data of influenza online report, ILI monitoring data and etiological detection data in Huanggang City from 2014 to 2023 were collected and analyzed. [WTHZ]Results [WTBZ]From 2014 to 2023, the annual incidence of influenza in Huanggang City ranged from 5.38/100,000 (2014) to 1,178.19/100,000 (2023), with a trend of first increasing (2014-2019), then decreasing (2020-2022), and reaching a peak in 2023.Retrospective spatiotemporal scanning analysis showed that the onset time was mainly concentrated in December of each year and January and February of the following year. In the epidemic season, Huangzhou, Luotian and Qichun were the main cluster areas of Class I and Class II. The ILI% value of each year in Huanggang City from 2014 to 2023 ranged from 4.41% to 13.17%, and the difference of ILI% each year was statistically significant (χ2=83 652.46, P<0.01), and the annual change trend was similar to that reported by influenza network. The positive rate of influenza virus in ILI case samples showed the characteristics of peak in winter and spring and small peak in summer, and H3N2, H1N1 and BBV were alternately or co-prevalent in each year and within each year. The analysis of correlation results between ILI% and positive rate of influenza virus showed that: except 2014-2016 and 2020-2022, the other 4 years showed positive correlation, and the P-value was less than 0.05, [WTHZ]Conclusion [WTBZ]The prevalence of influenza in Huanggang showed an increasing trend year by year, with obvious seasonal characteristics and temporal and spatial aggregation. The dominant strains, mainly H1N1, H3N2 and BV, alternated or co-circulated within the year and between different years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat of the emergence of potential pandemics in the future has been looming ever since the world witnessed the worst-ever public health catastrophe following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 pandemic affected billions of people killing millions of people throughout the world. Now, we have been noticing an alarming rise in the cases of mpox disease caused by Mpox virus (MPXV). Although discovered in 1958, mpox was largely confined to monkeys before causing the first human infection in 1970. The MPXV is demonstrating a complex transmission behavior as noted by its discovery first in Denmark in monkeys imported from Singapore (Asia) and later spreading to humans causing repeated re-emergence. The virus was confined to the African nations including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before reemerging in the United States of America in 2003 affecting several people who had a history of contact with animals. Following scattered reports from endemic regions, the virus appears to have remerged after approximately two decades in 2022 involving the United States of America (USA) and European countries. The virus has been spreading across the globe as evidenced by its discovery in 60 countries in 2022 to more than 120 countries in the current year. It is therefore essential to improve the understanding of the MPXV, its epidemiology, pathogenicity and virulence, clinical features, and control and preventive measures and increase preparedness to efficiently tackle any future public health emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lassa fever is an acute viral zoonotic illness endemic in parts of West Africa. In Nigeria, the disease causes periodic large outbreaks, putting strain on healthcare resources and infrastructure. This article reviews the burden and socioeconomic impact of Lassa fever in Nigeria. The vast majority of cases are mild or asymptomatic, however severe illness still occurs in 20% of patients. Late-stage pregnancy infection has high fatality rates. Diagnosis is challenging and early supportive care is critical for survival. The disease affects all age groups in endemic regions, especially impoverished rural communities. Outbreaks disrupt local economies and agriculture and require increased healthcare spending. Specific economic impacts include industry shutdowns, expenditure on protective equipment for healthcare workers, costs for specialized training programs and treatment facilities, high treatment costs for patients, deterrence of investors and businesses, job losses, and declines in tourism revenue. Social impacts include stigmatization of patients. Recommendations for control emphasize improvements to rural healthcare infrastructure, disease surveillance, affordable diagnostics and treatment access, community outreach and education programs, and fostering local economic growth and sustainability. A multidimensional approach engaging all levels of government and civil society is required to mitigate the burden of Lassa fever on Nigeria. This article covers the disease background, populations affected, economic and social impacts, and recommendations to address the substantial public health burden of Lassa fever outbreaks on Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Methods Results Conclusions Several recent accounts have failed to replicate the so‐called Narcissism Epidemic, suggesting potential influences of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008 as a reason for narcissism trend reversals. Here, we provide evidence for narcissism test score changes from 1982 to 2023.We investigated self‐report data on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) from 1105 studies (k = 1621, N = 546,225) using precision‐weighted cross‐temporal meta‐analysis.Data collection years were meaningfully negatively associated with narcissism scores in virtually all analyses (bs: −0.409 to −0.008; partial eta square's: < 0.001 to 0.118; ps: < 0.001 to 0.174), thus indicating cross‐temporally decreasing narcissism self‐report scores. Examination of regression segments pre‐ and post‐dating the GFC and segmented line regressions indicated mostly stable narcissism scores during the 1980s and 1990s that subsequently showed negative slopes with somewhat differing decreases onsets according to analytical subsets.Here, we provide evidence for negative cross‐temporal changes in narcissism from 1982 to 2023 globally, thus contrasting the idea of a Narcissism Epidemic having taken place at any point during the past four decades. Changes appear to generalize across different regions and participant sex, although mean scores were differentiated, yielding higher narcissism values for North American and younger samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the concept of peer-to-peer energy sharing in wildlife communication systems is explored. In this context, wild animals can share energy wirelessly besides their data communications as they opportunistically come into range of each other. Our goal is to find a way to balance the energy among the nodes and minimize this energy loss. We propose a novel encounter-based energy-sharing scheme, called EBES, that utilizes single and multi-hop transmission to achieve energy balance, minimize energy losses, and maximize the lifetime of the wildlife communication system. EBES is based on a variety of parameters, including the amount of energy left in the system and the nodes' encounter rate, and buffer sizes. In the simulation studies, we considered a wildlife communication network that is involved in data communication and applied EBES over the opportunistic routing protocols such as EBR, Spray&Wait, and Epidemic resulting in a network lifetime increase of 35% and improving the routing protocols performance. Additionally, we compared EBES with the other well-known energy balancing techniques that also contribute to data communication such as EA-Epidemic, EERPFAnt, and OE-OLSR and the results show the remaining energy was improved by 31%, 26%, and 15%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government responses to COVID-19 are among the most globally impactful events of the 21st century. The extent to which responses--such as school closures--were associated with changes in COVID-19 outcomes remains unsettled. Multiverse analyses offer a systematic approach to testing a large range of models. We used daily data on 16 government responses in 181 countries in 2020-2021, and 4 outcomes--cases, infections, COVID-19 deaths, and all-cause excess deaths--to construct 98,404 analytic models. Among those, 42% suggest outcomes improved following more stringent responses ("helpful"). No subanalysis (e.g. limited to cases as outcome) demonstrated a preponderance of helpful or unhelpful associations. Among the 14 associations with P values < 1 × 10-30, 5 were helpful and 9 unhelpful. In summary, we find no patterns in the overall set of models that suggests a clear relationship between COVID-19 government responses and outcomes. Strong claims about government responses' impacts on COVID-19 may lack empirical support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of pathogen community structure provide evidence for both the coexistence and replacement of related strains. Despite many studies of specific host-pathogen systems, a unifying framework for predicting the outcomes of interactions among pathogens has remainedelusive. We address this gap by developinga pathogen invasion theory (PIT) based on modern ecological coexistence theory and testing the resulting framework against empirical systems. Across major human pathogens, PIT predicts near-universal mutual susceptibility of one strain to invasion by another strain. However, predicting co-circulation from mutual invasion also depends on the degree to which susceptible abundance is reduced below the invasion threshold by overcompensatory epidemic dynamics, and the time it takes for susceptibles to replenish. The transmission advantage of an invading strain and the strength and duration of immunity are key determinants of susceptible dynamics. PIT unifies existing ideas about pathogen co-circulation, offering a quantitative framework for predicting the emergence of novel pathogen strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study is to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of other infectious diarrhea diseases (OIDDs) reported in Guangzhou in the past 15 years and the meteorological data of the city in the same period, to explore the correlation between meteorological factors and the incidence. Methodology. This study starts with using quartiles to test the normal distribution of case data. This study has selected five meteorological factors with the highest correlation coefficients and case data from 2006 to 2018 were used to establish a multiple linear regression equation, and the regression equation was tested with case data from 2019 to 2020. Results. Regression modeling based on the statistics for OIDDs during 2006 to 2018 obtained a correlation coefficient R (multiple R) value of about 0.50. The R square value, also known as the coefficient of determination or goodness of fit, was about 0.25. The adjusted R square value was about 0.25. The overall significance test value (significance F) in the regression equation was much lower than the F statistic, thereby indicating that the dependent variable and independent variable were significant. Conclusion. The results indicated that factors other than meteorological or social factors should be considered to understand the outbreak of OIDDs in Guangzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study SIR‐type epidemics (susceptible‐infected‐resistant) on graphs in two scenarios: (i) when the initial infections start from a well‐connected central region and (ii) when initial infections are distributed uniformly. Previously, Ódor et al. demonstrated on a few random graph models that the expectation of the total number of infections undergoes a switchover phenomenon; the central region is more dangerous for small infection rates, while for large rates, the uniform seeding is expected to infect more nodes. We rigorously prove this claim under mild, deterministic assumptions on the underlying graph. If we further assume that the central region has a large enough expansion, the second moment of the degree distribution is bounded and the number of initial infections is comparable to the number of vertices, the difference between the two scenarios is shown to be macroscopic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating Vaccine‐Derived Poliovirus Type 2 (cVDPV2) was isolated in sewage and later in stool samples from children with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in northern Ghana. Method: A multidisciplinary and multisectoral team investigated this outbreak and reported on epidemiological and laboratory investigations. Sewage/wastewater samples were collected from the environment, while stool samples were collected from AFP/contact children under 5 years of age. The samples were processed for virus isolation, and positive isolates were sequenced. We also conducted a descriptive investigation involving a review of records, active case search, and Monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine 2 campaigns. Additionally, we interviewed caregivers about the vaccination status of their children, as well as their knowledge on polio prevention. Water quality, sanitation, hygiene practices, and health‐seeking behaviours were also assessed. Results: A total of 18 cVDPV2 were confirmed in the three regions of Ghana during the outbreak in 2019–2020. All strains were genetically linked to a Nigerian cVDPV2 strain NIE‐KWS‐KSB‐18‐006HC29 that circulated in 2018. Evaluation of the surveillance system shows that officers have good knowledge of AFP and know how to collect samples, package them, and ship them to the laboratory. Few communities had access to potable water. Open defecation was common, and the water supply, sanitation, and hygiene practices of the communities were poor. Conclusion: The cVDPV2 outbreak represents the first time cVDPV2 has circulated in the country since Ghana embarked on the polio eradication program in 1996. However, with quality mOPV2 mop‐up campaigns, a nationwide IPV catch‐up campaign coupled with enhanced surveillance measures, transmission was interrupted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has undergone mutations, resulting in pandemic and epidemic waves. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, crucial for cellular entry, binds to the ACE2 receptor exclusively when its receptor-binding domain (RBD) adopts the up-conformation. However, whether ACE2 also interacts with the RBD in the down-conformation to facilitate the conformational shift to RBD-up remains unclear. Herein, we present the structures of the BA.2.86 and the JN.1 spike proteins bound to ACE2. Notably, we successfully observed the ACE2-bound down-RBD, indicating an intermediate structure before the RBD-up conformation. The wider and mobile angle of RBDs in the up-state provides space for ACE2 to interact with the down-RBD, facilitating the transition to the RBD-up state. The K356T, but not N354-linked glycan, contributes to both of infectivity and neutralizing-antibody evasion in BA.2.86. These structural insights the spike-protein dynamics would help understand the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and its neutralization. JN.1 lineage is a globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2. Here, the authors examine structural insights into the BA.2.86 and JN.1 spike dynamics to help understand the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and its neutralizing-antibody evasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2022, a global outbreak of mpox (formerly monkeypox virus) affected thousands of mainly gay and bisexual men. Mpox is usually a time-limited illness that can involve fever, pain, and skin lesions, but may require hospitalisation. There is scant research into the firsthand experiences of people affected by mpox, including experiences of symptoms, healthcare, and recovery. This study considers the different illness narratives of people who experienced mpox in Australia in 2022. In-depth interviews and 6-month follow-up interviews were conducted with 16 people, including 13 people diagnosed with mpox and three close contacts. All participants were cisgender gay or bisexual men living in Australia. Participants' accounts described minor to severe periods of sickness, negative and stigmatising experiences engaging with healthcare, and some participants experienced long-term effects on their sexual well-being and complications from mpox. The emergency outbreak context meant that mpox was highly distressing, making it difficult to manage and producing varying forms of disruption to everyday life. Mpox was narrated as disruptive in different ways: as a minor interruption to holiday plans, a prolonged period of poor health, or a biographically disruptive event prompting a re-evaluation of sexual values and health. This analysis demonstrates that an unfamiliar emergent disease outbreak related to sexual practices and sociality can reconfigure personal life and sexual well-being, suggesting a need to focus on providing quality patient care in outbreaks of mpox and other infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research on pattern formations in networked reaction–diffusion (RD) systems predominantly focuses on the impacts of diffusion heterogeneity between nodes, often overlooking the contact heterogeneity between individuals within nodes in the reaction terms. In this paper, we establish a networked RD model incorporating infection through higher-order interaction in simplicial complexes in the reaction terms. Through theoretical and numerical analysis, we find that these higher-order interactions may induce Turing instability in the system. Notably, the relationship between the size of the Turing instability range and the average 2-simplices degree within nodes can be approximated by a quadratic function. Additionally, as the average 2-simplices degree increases, the amplitude of the patterns exhibits three distinct trends: increasing, decreasing, and initially increasing then decreasing, while the average infection density increases consistently. We then provide a possible explanation for these observations. Our findings offer new insights into the effects of contact heterogeneity within nodes on networked pattern formations, thereby informing the development of epidemic prevention and control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In epidemic networks, it has been demonstrated that implementing any intervention strategy on nodes with specific characteristics (such as a high degree or node betweenness) substantially diminishes the outbreak size. We extend this finding with a disease-spreading meta-population model using testkits to explore the influence of migration on infection dynamics within the distinct communities of the network. Notably, we observe that nodes equipped with testkits and no testkits tend to segregate into two separate clusters when migration is low, but above a critical migration rate, they coalesce into one single cluster. Based on this clustering phenomenon, we develop a reduced model and validate the emergent clustering behavior through comprehensive simulations. We observe this property in both homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Population analysis unit is the spatiotemporal object and basic part of geographical analysis in different urban scenes. Aiming at the problem that the current unit expression model pays less attention to the description of specific population analysis features and lacks the correlation method and reference standard of scene and unit feature expression. We propose a population analysis unit expression model considering urban scene change. Methods: The model first considers the unit's demand for feature description of population spatiotemporal analysis in two-dimensional space, as well as the dissimilarity of components such as objects and environments of urban scenes, forming a population analysis unit expression model that integrates scene components. Then, based on the content of model expression, the relationship between urban scene and population analysis unit is analyzed. Referring to the geographic scene modeling method, the correlation characteristics and reference standards between scene and population analysis unit are constructed. Results: In order to verify the rationality of the method, we take the epidemic analysis scenario in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China as a case to realize the population analysis unit modeling and attribute feature dynamic update considering the scenario change. The results show that the proposed model can correlate urban scene information with population analysis unit characteristics according to standards and help to improve unit description ability. Conclusions: By associating the information and characteristics of urban scene elements, the proposed model can enhance the expression ability of units and map the information and characteristics of urban scene in a more standard and reasonable way. It can also provide a reference for the geometric construction of the unit and the interpretation of the analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human bocavirus (HBoV) has been identified as a viral agent with a global presence, especially in young patients with gastrointestinal infections. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the epidemiological patterns of the HBoVs associated with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in Taiwan. A total of 2994 AGE fecal samples from several diarrhea outbreaks from 2018 to 2022 were analyzed. From the samples, 73 positive samples were detected in three different bocaviruses: 30 (41.1%) were from HBoV1; 37 (50.7%) were from HBoV2; and 6 (8.2%) were from HBoV3, revealing the respective prevalences in AGE of 1%, 1.2%, and 0.2%. HBoV1 and HBoV2 were the two major epidemic agents of HBoVs in Taiwan during this study period and have seasonal distinct patterns with an epidemic peak from October to the following March. Phylogeny reconstruction and evaluation were implemented in Mega X; the results revealed that most HBoV1 strains in Taiwan appeared to be closely related to those strains from other Asian countries. The HBoV2 exhibited substantial genetic diversity and the HBoV3 genes showed discordance of groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The objective of this study is to examine collective foodborne illnesses (TIAC) reported in the province of Kenitra from 2019 to 2023, with the aim of determining the epidemiological profile and evaluating the effectiveness of the management measures implemented. On August 5, 2019, the survey therefore highlighted 9 cases (response rate of 75%), with an average age of 29 years and 75.5% women. Nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting were the main symptoms. The study revealed a significant correlation between the consumption of fish (75% attack rate), fries (90%) and soda (80%). Likewise, the study conducted on February 1, 2022 revealed a significant correlation between intoxication and consumption of soup (RR=1.4), chicken (RR=2.4), salad (RR= 1.62) and bread (RR=2.4). Rice presents a higher risk (RR=5.1, p=0.05). Levels of staphylococcus aureus were detected during microbiological analyses, exceeding acceptable thresholds. Faced with these findings, monitoring of food safety practices seems necessary. Preventing these outbreaks in the future would be most effective by improving food handling, storage and preparation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Methods from mainstream texts in calculus provide resources and opportunities to fit realistic curves to data from epidemics, such as Kermack and McKendrick's approximation, which is a shifted Verhulst curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we conducted a study on the optimal control problem of an epidemic model which consists of two strain with different types of incidence rates: bilinear and non-monotonic. We also considered use of the saturation treatment function. Two basic regeneration numbers are calculated from the epidemic model, which are denoted as R 1 and R 2 . The global stability of the disease-free equilibrium point was studied by the Lyapunov method, and it was proved that the disease-free equilibrium point is globally asymptotically stable when R 1 and R 2 are less than one. Finally, we formulated a time-dependent optimal control problem by Pontryagin's maximum principle. Numerical simulations were performed to establish the effects of model parameters for disease transmission as well as the effects of control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last several decades, a growing group of environmental and medical historians have argued that engagement with the materiality of disease is critical to eroding the false boundaries between environment and health, and especially to the historical study of major epidemics and pandemics. This article evaluates the ways in which environmental and medical historians have engaged materiality when thinking through questions of infectious disease. It argues that far from eschewing cultural constructions of disease and analysis of medical systems, these works demonstrate that engagement with materiality in the study of disease articulates the stakes of medical regimes and practices of healing, and renders legible the multiple scales at which epidemics occur. Addressing key controversies in the use of sources, it provides examples of works that incorporate material objects, biological ideas and actors, and non-humans without falling prey to the extremes of "biological determinism" or "constructivism." It argues that commonalities in the methods employed by these works – utilization of scientific frameworks and data, multispecies analysis, attention to scale, and spatial thinking – reveal unseen and untold aspects of past pandemics. It concludes with a brief example of how these frameworks come together in practice through a case study on the history of enteric fever in Dublin, Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The image of dazed, plague-infected rats coming out of their nests and performing a pirouette in front of the surprised eyes of humans before dying is one well-known to us through Albert Camus's The Plague (1947). This article examines the historical roots of this image and its emergence in French missionary narratives about plague outbreaks in the Chinese province of Yunnan in the 1870s on the eve of the Third Plague Pandemic. Showing that accounts of the "staggering rat" were not meant as naturalist observations of a zoonotic disease, as is generally assumed by historians, but as a cosmological, end-of-the-world narrative with a colonial agenda, the article argues for an approach to historical accounts of epidemics that does not succumb to the current trend of "virus hunting" in the archive, but rather takes colonial outbreak narratives ethnographically seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]