Background
New Zealand's (NZ) complete absence of community transmission of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) after May 2020, likely due to COVID‐19 elimination measures, provided a ...rare opportunity to assess the impact of border restrictions on common respiratory viral infections over the ensuing 2 years.
Methods
We collected the data from multiple surveillance systems, including hospital‐based severe acute respiratory infection surveillance, SHIVERS‐II, ‐III and ‐IV community cohorts for acute respiratory infection (ARI) surveillance, HealthStat sentinel general practice (GP) based influenza‐like illness surveillance and SHIVERS‐V sentinel GP‐based ARI surveillance, SHIVERS‐V traveller ARI surveillance and laboratory‐based surveillance. We described the data on influenza, RSV and other respiratory viral infections in NZ before, during and after various stages of the COVID related border restrictions.
Results
We observed that border closure to most people, and mandatory government‐managed isolation and quarantine on arrival for those allowed to enter, appeared to be effective in keeping influenza and RSV infections out of the NZ community. Border restrictions did not affect community transmission of other respiratory viruses such as rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus type‐1. Partial border relaxations through quarantine‐free travel with Australia and other countries were quickly followed by importation of RSV in 2021 and influenza in 2022.
Conclusion
Our findings inform future pandemic preparedness and strategies to model and manage the impact of influenza and other respiratory viral threats.
Abstract By early 2022, the highly transmissible Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 had spread across most of the world. For the first time since the pandemic began, New Zealand was experiencing high ...levels of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We enroled a cohort of households to better understand differences in transmission dynamics among subvariants of Omicron. We enroled 71 households, comprising 289 participants, and aimed to use viral genomes to gain a clearer understanding of variant-specific differences in epidemiological parameters affecting transmission dynamics. Approximately 80% of the households enroled experienced transmission of BA.2, while most of the remaining households had infections with BA.1 or BA.5. Using a logistic regression generalised linear mixed model, we found no difference in household secondary infection rate between Omicron subvariants BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5. Of the households recruited, the vast majority (92%) experienced a single chain of transmission with one inferred introduction. Further, we found that in 48% of the households studied, all household participants became infected following an index case. Most household participants tested positive within a week following an introduction, supporting the seven-day isolation requirement for household contacts that was in place in New Zealand at the time. By integrating genomic and epidemiological data, we show that viral transmission dynamics can be investigated with a higher level of granularity than with epidemiological data alone. Overall, households are a high risk setting for viral transmission in New Zealand.
EN This Final Degree Project aims to design an application for smartphones that can act as a link between visitors to the Natural Science museum in Valencia and the exposed fossils. The will of any ...visitor in a museum to be able to touch the fossils he sees is well known, but this is logically prohibited by their conservation. It is for this reason that this interactive application is elaborated, in which the user can touch and see closely those pieces exposed behind the windows. In this way a much more direct approach between visitor and exhibition is created. This work is based on the previous development that was done in 3D scanning the skulls of the dinosaurs that make up Rodrigo Botet's exhibition in the museum.
ES El presente Trabajo Fin de Grado tiene como objetivo diseñar una aplicación para smartphones que pueda ejercer de vínculo entre los visitantes del museo de Ciencias Naturales de Valencia y los fósiles expuestos. Es bien conocida la voluntad de cualquier visitante en un museo de poder tocar los fósiles que ve, pero esto está lógicamente prohibido por la conservación de los mismos. Es por este motivo por el que se elabora esta aplicación interactiva, en la que el usuario puede a través de su teléfono tocar y ver de cerca aquellas piezas expuestas detrás de las vitrinas. De esta forma se crea un acercamiento entre visitante y exposición mucho más directa. Este trabajo parte del desarrollo previo que se realizó escaneando en 3D los cráneos de los dinosaurios que componen la exposición de Rodrigo Botet en el museo.
ES El presente Trabajo Fin de Grado tiene como objetivo diseñar una aplicación para smartphones que pueda ejercer de vínculo entre los visitantes del museo de Ciencias Naturales de Valencia y los fósiles expuestos. Es bien conocida la voluntad de cualquier visitante en un museo de poder tocar los fósiles que ve, pero esto está lógicamente prohibido por la conservación de los mismos. Es por este motivo por el que se elabora esta aplicación interactiva, en la que el usuario puede a través de su teléfono tocar y ver de cerca aquellas piezas expuestas detrás de las vitrinas. De esta forma se crea un acercamiento entre visitante y exposición mucho más directa. Este trabajo parte del desarrollo previo que se realizó escaneando en 3D los cráneos de los dinosaurios que componen la exposición de Rodrigo Botet en el museo.
EN This Final Degree Project aims to design an application for smartphones that can act as a link between visitors to the Natural Science museum in Valencia and the exposed fossils. The will of any visitor in a museum to be able to touch the fossils he sees is well known, but this is logically prohibited by their conservation. It is for this reason that this interactive application is elaborated, in which the user can touch and see closely those pieces exposed behind the windows. In this way a much more direct approach between visitor and exhibition is created. This work is based on the previous development that was done in 3D scanning the skulls of the dinosaurs that make up Rodrigo Botet's exhibition in the museum.
The present study addresses to the synthesis and determination of the dielectric function of Cu2Zn(GexSi1-x)Se4 solid solutions with x = 0.4 and 0.8 over the range 1–4.5 eV by spectroscopic ...ellipsometry analysis, with the aim to achieve a suitable band gap tuning. The dielectric function of the samples is determined using the Adachi model. From the analysis the lowest E0 transition and high energy E1A and E1B transitions are identified. It is found that the band gap varies nonlinearly on composition in the Cu2Zn(GexSi1-x)Se4 alloys and band gap values as large as 1.87 eV are obtained. These results are essential for the design of efficient tailored photovoltaic solar cells and show the high potential of the kesterite compounds for the development of low-cost sustainable future solar cells.
Display omitted
•Cu2Zn(GexSi1-x)Se4 bulk polycrystals are grown by modified Bridgman method.•Spectroscopic ellipsometry characterization in the 1.0–4.5 eV spectral region.•Analysis of spectroscopic ellipsometry data is performed using the Adachi model.•The optical constants of Cu2Zn(GexSi1-x)Se4 bulk polycrystals are evaluated.
The pseudo dielectric function of Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)4 x = 0.35, 0.62, 0.81 bulk polycrystals is determined over the range 1.1–4.6 eV at room temperature from the analysis of spectroscopic ellipsometry ...data using the Adachi model. From the analysis, the lowest E0 transition and high energy E1A and E1B transitions are clearly identified, and used to follow the evolution of the pseudo dielectric function as a function of the composition. It is shown that the fundamental E0 and high energy E1A transitions can be tuned by increasing the sulfur content over a range of 0.3 eV. These results show the potential of the kesterite compounds for the design of efficient tailored photovoltaic solar cells.
•Spectroscopic ellipsometry of Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)4 bulk polycrystals are measured.•Analysis of spectroscopic ellipsometry data is performed using the Adachi model.•Dielectric functions are determined over the range 1.1–4.6 eV at room temperature.•Nonlinear increasing of Eg with increasing S content is obtained.
Purpose
Increasingly, cancer centers are delivering population-based approaches to narrow the gap between known cancer prevention strategies and their effective implementation. Leveraging successful ...healthy community initiatives, MD Anderson developed Be Well Communities™, a model that implements evidence-based actions to directly impact people’s lives.
Methods
In partnership with local organizations, MD Anderson’s Be Well Communities team executed and evaluated 16 evidence-based interventions to address community priorities in healthy diets, physical activity, and sun safety. Evaluation included assessing the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions, stakeholders’ perceptions of collaboration, and the population-level impact on dietary and physical activity behaviors among students using the School Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey and the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time. Two-tailed
t
-tests were used to compare tested parameters at baseline and follow-up.
p
values less than .05 were considered significant.
Results
This model achieved its early outcomes, including effectively implementing evidence-based interventions, building strong partnerships, increasing access to healthy foods, improving the built environment, and increasing healthy food and water consumption and moderate to vigorous physical activity among students (
p
< .001).
Conclusions
Be Well Communities is an effective model for positively impacting community health which could be leveraged by others to deliver evidence-based actions to improve population health.
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