COVID-19 in the homeless population: a scoping review and meta-analysis examining differences in prevalence, presentation, vaccine hesitancy and government response in the first year of the pandemic

AIMS: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) have been identified as being increasingly susceptible to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with policies enacted to test, isolate, increase hygiene practices and prioritise vaccines among this population. Here, we conduct a scoping review of the current evidence-base pertaining to the prevalence and presentation of COVID-19 in PEH, COVID-vaccine hesitancy rates and government interventions enacted within the first year of the pandemic for PEH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on Pubmed, Cochrane, Embase and MedRxiv databases for studies reporting primary data on COVID-19 prevalence and clinical characteristics in PEH, vaccine uptake for PEH and policies enacted targeting PEH. Study qualities were assessed with The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's set of Study Quality. RESULTS: Eighty-three studies were included in our final analysis. The overall prevalence of symptomatic COVID-19 infection in PEH is estimated at 35%. The most common symptoms found were cough and shortness of breath, followed by fever. Concerns regarding vaccine hesitancy amongst PEH related to thoroughness of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, side effects and mistrust of the government. The main strategies implemented by governments were mass testing, adaption of healthcare service provision, provision of alternative housing, encouraging personal hygiene (hand sanitation and mask wearing), and inter-organisational communication. DISCUSSION: In our meta-analysis, 35% of PEH with a COVID-19 infection presented symptomatically; the low prevalence of symptomatic COVID-19 infection suggests widespread testing following outbreaks would be beneficial for this group of individuals. Temporary recuperation units and measures for housing stability in the pandemic, namely provision of alternative housing and stopping evictions, were found to be highly effective. High rates of vaccine hesitancy means that education and encouragement towards vaccination would be beneficial for this vulnerable population, where comorbidities are common. Finally increased focus in research should be placed on the mental health burden of COVID-19 and the pandemic on PEH moving forwards

Coarse-grained simulation of transmembrane peptides in the gel phase

We use Dissipative Particle Dynamics simulations, combined with parallel tempering and umbrella sampling, to investigate the potential of mean force between model transmembrane peptides in the various phases of a lipid bilayer, including the low-temperature gel phase. The observed oscillations in the effective interaction between peptides are consistent with the different structures of the surrounding lipid phases

Daily electrical activity in the master circadian clock of a diurnal mammal

From eLife via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: collection 2021, received 2021-03-08, accepted 2021-10-09, pub-electronic 2021-11-30Publication status: PublishedFunder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/P009182/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/S01764X/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/N014901/1Funder: Wellcome Trust; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004440; Grant(s): 210684/Z/18/ZFunder: National Science Foundation; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001; Grant(s): DMS 155237Funder: Army Research Office; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000183; Grant(s): W911NF-16-1-0584Funder: US-UK Fulbright Commission; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000592Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; FundRef: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266; Grant(s): EP/N014391/1Circadian rhythms in mammals are orchestrated by a central clock within the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). Our understanding of the electrophysiological basis of SCN activity comes overwhelmingly from a small number of nocturnal rodent species, and the extent to which these are retained in day-active animals remains unclear. Here, we recorded the spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of single SCN neurons in the diurnal rodent Rhabdomys pumilio, and developed cutting-edge data assimilation and mathematical modeling approaches to uncover the underlying ionic mechanisms. As in nocturnal rodents, R. pumilio SCN neurons were more excited during daytime hours. By contrast, the evoked activity of R. pumilio neurons included a prominent suppressive response that is not present in the SCN of nocturnal rodents. Our modeling revealed and subsequent experiments confirmed transient subthreshold A-type potassium channels as the primary determinant of this response, and suggest a key role for this ionic mechanism in optimizing SCN function to accommodate R. pumilio’s diurnal niche

Disrupting education using smart mobile pedagogies

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019. As mobile technologies become more multifaceted and ubiquitous in society, educational researchers are investigating the use of these technologies in education. A growing body of evidence shows that traditional pedagogies still dominate the educational field and are misaligned with the diverse learning opportunities offered by the use of mobile technologies. There is an imperative to question those traditional notions of education, including how, where and when teaching and learning are enacted, and to explore the possible mediating roles of new mobile technologies. New smart pedagogies, which embrace the affordances offered by mobile technologies, have the potential to disrupt notions of schooling. In this chapter, we examine the nature of smart pedagogies and their intersection with mobile pedagogies. We unpack notions of innovation and disruption. We then discuss smart mobile learning activities for school students identified from a Systematic Literature Review, together with the pedagogical principles underpinning them. We argue to encourage smart pedagogies, teacher educators should support teachers to implement ‘feasible disruptions’. Consequently, implications for teacher education are explored

A metagenomic assessment of winter and summer bacterioplankton from Antarctica Peninsula coastal surface waters

© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in The ISME Journal 6 (2012): 1901-1915, doi:10.1038/ismej.2012.31.Antarctic surface oceans are well-studied during summer when irradiance levels are high, sea ice is melting and primary productivity is at a maximum. Coincident with this timing, the bacterioplankton respond with significant increases in secondary productivity. Little is known about bacterioplankton in winter when darkness and sea-ice cover inhibit photoautotrophic primary production. We report here an environmental genomic and small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) analysis of winter and summer Antarctic Peninsula coastal seawater bacterioplankton. Intense inter-seasonal differences were reflected through shifts in community composition and functional capacities encoded in winter and summer environmental genomes with significantly higher phylogenetic and functional diversity in winter. In general, inferred metabolisms of summer bacterioplankton were characterized by chemoheterotrophy, photoheterotrophy and aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis while the winter community included the capacity for bacterial and archaeal chemolithoautotrophy. Chemolithoautotrophic pathways were dominant in winter and were similar to those recently reported in global ‘dark ocean’ mesopelagic waters. If chemolithoautotrophy is widespread in the Southern Ocean in winter, this process may be a previously unaccounted carbon sink and may help account for the unexplained anomalies in surface inorganic nitrogen content.CSR was supported by an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biological Informatics (DBI-0532893). The research was supported by National Science Foundation awards: ANT 0632389 (to AEM and JJG), and ANT 0632278 and 0217282 (to HWD), all from the Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems Program

Mobile learning for science and mathematics school education: A systematic review of empirical evidence

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The ubiquity, flexibility, ease of access and diverse capabilities of mobile technologies make them valuable and a necessity in current times. However, they are under-utilized assets in mathematics and science school education. This article analyses the high quality empirical evidence on mobile learning in secondary school science and mathematics education. Our study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) using well-accepted and robust guidelines. The SLR resulted in the detailed analysis of 49 studies (60 papers) published during 2003–2016. Content and thematic analyses were used to ascertain pedagogical approaches, methodological designs, foci, and intended and achieved outcomes of the studies. The apps and technologies used in these studies were further classified for domain, type and context of use. The review has highlighted gaps in existing literature on the topic and has provided insights that have implications for future research

On-wafer drain current aariability in GaN MIS-HEMT on 200-mm silicon substrates

International audienceIn this study, a detailed on-wafer (or global) variability analysis of drain current characteristics of GaN MIS-HEMT devices grown on 200 mm silicon substrate is conducted. For the first time to our knowledge, the on-wafer variability sources in GaN technologies due to the manufacturing process are investigated by combining experimental data and analytical variability modeling. The key parameters which affect the variability are oxide the interface charge fluctuations, the mobility fluctuations, the gate oxide thickness and/or the gate area variations and the access resistance fluctuations in the contact as well as in the 2DEG regions (source and drain sides). Due the specificity of GaN MIS HEMT device engineering process, we show that their variability performances are not, for the time being, comparable to the state-of-the art silicon CMOS technologies, and this can be valuable for reliable improvement and optimization of GaN technology fabrication process. This study has been verified over a large range of channel gate lengths for three normally-off GaN MIS-HEMT wafers and having different gate process flows

Characterization of 2DEG in AlGaN/GaN heterostructure by Hall effect

International audienceThis paper presents a detailed characterization of 2D Electron Gas in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure by Hall Effect. For this purpose, we have developed a new experimental set-up to carry out Hall Effect measurements on an entire 200/300 mm wafer (rather than a small sample) using a new probe system including a permanent magnet. The measurement technique used in this work allows an accurate determination of the carrier concentration and mobility. One of the main issues of this experiment is the determination of the intensity of magnetic induction field (B) applied by the permanent magnet on the top side of the wafer. We first present our methodology for the determination of the magnetic field B. After the validation of the experimental set-up, the electrical characterization results for fully and partially processed GaN-on-Si wafers are presented