193 research outputs found
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Spatial distribution of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations in Austin, Texas
In this report, we estimate the spatial distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccine administration across Austin, TX. We find marked geographic differences in these outcomes. In particular, ZIP codes on the western side of the city tend to have higher vaccine coverage and lower estimated cumulative infections than ZIP codes on the eastern side of the city. These differences mirror disparities in social vulnerability, as measured by the CDC's social vulnerability index (SVI), which tends to be higher in eastern ZIP codes than in western ZIP codes.Integrative Biolog
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COVID-19 scenario projections for Austin, Texas - August 2021
To support public health decision-making and healthcare planning, we developed a model for the five-county Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (henceforth Austin) that can provide real-time estimates of the prevalence and transmission rate of COVID-19 and project healthcare needs into the future. The model incorporates key epidemiological characteristics of the disease, demographic information for Austin, local vaccination estimates, and local mobility data from anonymized cell phone traces. It uses daily COVID-19 hospitalization data to estimate the changing transmission rate and prevalence of the disease. In this report, we use COVID-19 hospitalization data for Austin from March 13, 2020 to July 28, 2021 to estimate the state of the pandemic in the summer of 2021 and project hospitalizations through November of 2021.Integrative Biolog
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An assessment of attitudes toward gender inequitable sexual and reproductive health norms in South Sudan: a community-based participatory research approach
Background: Communities in South Sudan have endured decades of conflict. Protracted conflict exacerbated reproductive health disparities and gender inequities. This study, conducted prior to the countryâs 2011 independence, aimed to assess attitudes toward gender inequitable norms related to sexual relationships and reproductive health and the effects of sex, age, and education on these attitudes. Methods: Applying a community-based participatory research approach and quota sampling, 680 adult male and female respondents were interviewed in seven sites within South Sudan in 2009â2011. The verbally administered survey assessed attitudes using the Gender Equitable Men scale. Data were stratified by sex, age (â€35 years and >35 years), and education. Results: Of 680 respondents, 352 were female, 326 were male, and 2 did not indicate their sex. The majority of women (77%) and men (74%) agreed âa man needs other women, even if things with his wife are fineâ. Respondents who reported no education (60%) were more likely than those who reported any education (45%) to agree âif a woman is married, she should have sex with her husband whenever he wants to, even if she doesnât want toâ (p = 0.002). The majority of women (74%) and men (73%) agreed âit is a womanâs responsibility to avoid getting pregnantâ. Respondents who reported no education (81%) were more likely than those who reported any education (72%) to agree with this statement (p = 0.04). When asked about condom use, the majority of respondents, across both sexes and both age groups, agreed âit would be outrageous for a wife to ask her husband to use a condomâ and âwomen who carry condoms are easyâ. There were no statistically significant differences between the two age groups for any of the assessed gender inequitable norms. Conclusion: The study reveals differences in attitudes toward gender inequitable sexual and reproductive health norms among those surveyed in South Sudan when stratified by sex and education. As a new nation seeks to strengthen its health system, these data can inform sexual and reproductive health policies and programming in South Sudan
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Heterogeneous burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in central Texas
The heterogeneous burden of the COVID-19 pandemic within and across US cities has been linked to myriad risk factors including occupation, socioeconomic status, and race [1-3]. Here we use fine-grain, anonymized hospitalization data to estimate the heterogeneous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Austin, Texas across age groups and ZIP codes. We provide estimates for (1) the percent of the population infected as of January 11, 2021 and (2) the reporting rate of infections, and relate these estimates to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) for each ZIPIntegrative Biolog
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Magnetostratigraphy and paleomagnetic poles from Late Triassic-earliest Jurassic strata of the Newark basin: Discussion and reply
The Discussion of Lucas and others underscores the potential usefulness of magnetostratigraphy for correlation between red beds of the broadly coeval Chinle Group of the western interior and the Newark Supergroup of eastern North America. Detailed magnetostratigraphic correlation between the Newark and the Chinle is very likely to change significantly, however, with the addition of new data from both of these units, and hence such an attempt as proposed in the Discussion may be premature
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An assessment of gender inequitable norms and gender-based violence in South Sudan: a community-based participatory research approach
Background: Following decades of conflict, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. Prolonged conflict, which included gender-based violence (GBV), exacerbated gender disparities. This study aimed to assess attitudes towards gender inequitable norms related to GBV and to estimate the frequency of GBV in sampled communities of South Sudan. Methods: Applying a community-based participatory research approach, 680 adult male and female household respondents were interviewed in seven sites within South Sudan in 2009â2011. Sites were selected based on program catchment area for a non-governmental organization and respondents were selected by quota sampling. The verbally-administered survey assessed attitudes using the Gender Equitable Men scale. Results were stratified by gender, age, and education. Results: Of 680 respondents, 352 were female, 326 were male, and 2 did not provide gender data. Among respondents, 82% of females and 81% of males agreed that âa woman should tolerate violence in order to keep her family togetherâ. The majority, 68% of females and 63% of males, also agreed that âthere are times when a woman deserves to be beatenâ. Women (47%) were more likely than men (37%) to agree that âit is okay for a man to hit his wife if she wonât have sex with himâ (p=0.005). Agreement with gender inequitable norms decreased with education. Across sites, 69% of respondents knew at least one woman who was beaten by her husband in the past month and 42% of respondents knew at least one man who forced his wife or partner to have sex. Conclusion: The study reveals an acceptance of violence against women among sampled communities in South Sudan. Both women and men agreed with gender inequitable norms, further supporting that GBV programming should address the attitudes of both women and men. The results support promotion of education as a strategy for addressing gender inequality and GBV. The findings reveal a high frequency of GBV across all assessment sites; however, population-based studies are needed to determine the prevalence of GBV in South Sudan. South Sudan, the worldâs newest nation, has the unique opportunity to implement policies that promote gender equality and the protection of women
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Texas Trauma Service Area (TSA) COVID-19 transmission estimates and healthcare projections
To support public health decision-making and healthcare planning, we developed a model that can provide real-time estimates of the prevalence and transmission rate of COVID-19 and project healthcare needs into the future for each of the 22 Trauma Service Areas (TSA) in Texas. The model incorporates key epidemiological characteristics of the disease, demographic information for each TSA, and local mobility data from anonymized cell phone traces. It uses daily COVID-19 hospitalization data to estimate the changing transmission rate and prevalence of disease. The framework can be readily applied to provide pandemic situational awareness and short-term healthcare projections in other cities around the US. In this report, we use COVID-19 hospitalization data for each TSA from April 11 to July 22, 2020 to estimate the state of the pandemic in late July and project hospitalizations through early August of 2020. The data were provided by Texas DSHS through daily and weekly reports as summarized in the Texas 2036 dashboard. We note two limitations with these data that could bias our projections. First, data are not available before April 11th. Second, the ratio between COVID-19 hospital admissions and hospitalizations is variable across TSA regions. Thus, there may be regional differences in reporting confirmed COVID-19 hospital admissions which are not explicitly considered in the projections below. In addition, the projections are based on multiple assumptions about the age-specific severity of COVID-19 and the role of asymptomatic infections in the transmission of the virus. These graphs below do not present the full range of uncertainty, but are intended to provide basic insight into the changing risks of COVID-19 transmission and healthcare surges in each TSA. Our estimates suggest that every TSA has experienced a recent surge in cases, hospitalizations, and mortality, with transmission starting to rise in early May. Many regions are now seeing declining numbers. In four TSAs, covering the largest metropolitan areas, the data indicate over a 90% chance that the current wave is subsiding (TSAs E, I, P, and Q). Our projections suggest that the only region with over a 90% chance that the current pandemic wave is still growing is Waco. In the remaining 17 TSAs, the future is more uncertain. COVID-19 is straining healthcare systems across the state. Although most TSAs are at low risk for reaching total hospital bed capacity, several could exceed ICU capacity. Only the Dallas, Paris, El Paso, Midland/Odessa, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston regions have at least 90% certainty of remaining within their ICU bed capacity over the next 3 weeks. We are posting these results prior to peer review to provide intuition for both policy makers and the public regarding both the immediate threat of COVID-19 and the extent to which continued social distancing, transmission-reducing precautions such as keeping physical distance, wearing cloth face coverings and staying isolated when symptomatic, can mitigate that threat.Integrative Biolog
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Texas Trauma Service Area (TSA) COVID-19 transmission estimates and healthcare projections: August 25, 2020
To support public health decision-making and healthcare planning, we developed a model that can provide real-time estimates of the prevalence and transmission rate of COVID-19 and project healthcare needs into the future for each of the 22 Trauma Service Areas (TSA) in Texas. The model incorporates key epidemiological characteristics of the disease, demographic information for each TSA, and local mobility data from anonymized cell phone traces. It uses daily COVID-19 hospitalization data to estimate the changing transmission rate and prevalence of disease. The framework can be readily applied to provide pandemic situational awareness and short-term healthcare projections in other cities around the US. In this report, we use COVID-19 hospitalization data for each TSA from April 11 to August 11, 2020 to estimate the state of the pandemic in late July and project hospitalizations through early September of 2020. The data were provided by Texas DSHS through daily and weekly reports as summarized in the Texas COVID-19 Data Resource by Texas 2036[1]. We note that the data are not available before April 11th and that the projections are based on multiple assumptions about the age-specific severity of COVID-19 and the role of asymptomatic infections in the transmission of the virus. These graphs below do not present the full range of uncertainty, but are intended to provide basic insight into the changing risks of COVID-19 transmission and healthcare surges in each TSA. Our estimates suggest that every TSA has experienced a recent surge in cases, hospitalizations, and mortality, with transmission starting to rise in early May. Transmission rates have declined since our July 22nd report, with no regions having over a 50% chance of a growing epidemic. While COVID-19 is still straining healthcare systems across the state, the risks of overwhelming surges have diminished. In all TSAs, the risk of exceeding general hospital capacity is now below 10%; only four TSAs have over a 10% risk of exceeding baseline (non-surge) ICU bed capacity: Laredo (20.6%), Abilene (19%), Wichita Falls (16.6%), and Amarillo (10.6%). We are posting these results prior to peer review to provide intuition for both policy makers and the public regarding both the immediate threat of COVID-19 and the extent to which continued social distancing, transmission-reducing precautions such as keeping physical distance, wearing cloth face coverings and staying isolated when symptomatic, can mitigate that threat. Note, this report replaces a report posted on August 19th, 2020. We recently identified inconsistencies in the reporting of hospital admissions across TSAs since July 21, 2020. Thus, we revised our estimates using only COVID-19 hospital census rather than both COVID-19 hospital admissions and census data starting on July 22, 2020.Integrative Biolog
\u3cem\u3eOAS1\u3c/em\u3e Polymorphisms Are Associated with Susceptibility to West Nile Encephalitis in Horses
West Nile virus, first identified within the United States in 1999, has since spread across the continental states and infected birds, humans and domestic animals, resulting in numerous deaths. Previous studies in mice identified the Oas1b gene, a member of the OAS/RNASEL innate immune system, as a determining factor for resistance to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. A recent case-control association study described mutations of human OAS1 associated with clinical susceptibility to WNV infection. Similar studies in horses, a particularly susceptible species, have been lacking, in part, because of the difficulty in collecting populations sufficiently homogenous in their infection and disease states. The equine OAS gene cluster most closely resembles the human cluster, with single copies of OAS1, OAS3 and OAS2 in the same orientation. With naturally occurring susceptible and resistant sub-populations to lethal West Nile encephalitis, we undertook a case-control association study to investigate whether, similar to humans (OAS1) and mice (Oas1b), equine OAS1 plays a role in resistance to severe WNV infection. We identified naturally occurring single nucleotide mutations in equine (Equus caballus) OAS1 and RNASEL genes and, using Fisher\u27s Exact test, we provide evidence that mutations in equine OAS1 contribute to host susceptibility. Virtually all of the associated OAS1 polymorphisms were located within the interferon-inducible promoter, suggesting that differences in OAS1 gene expression may determine the host\u27s ability to resist clinical manifestations associated with WNV infection
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