Variola minor in coalfield areas of England and Wales, 1921–34: geographical determinants of a national smallpox epidemic that spread out of effective control

This paper uses techniques of binary logistic regression to identify the spatial determinants of the last national epidemic of smallpox to spread in England and Wales, the variola minor epidemic of 1921–34. Adjusting for age and county-level variations in vaccination coverage in infancy, the analysis identifies a dose-response gradient with increasing odds of elevated smallpox rates in local government areas with (i) medium (odds ratio [OR] = 5.32, 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI] 1.96–14.41) and high (OR = 11.32, 95% CI 4.20–31.59) coal mining occupation rates and (ii) medium (OR = 16.74, 95% CI 2.24–125.21) and high (OR = 63.43, 95% CI 7.82–497.21) levels of residential density. The results imply that the spatial transmission of variola virus was facilitated by the close spatial packing of individuals, with a heightened transmission risk in coal mining areas of the country. A syndemic interaction between common respiratory conditions arising from exposure to coal dust and smallpox virus transmission is postulated to have contributed to the findings. We suggest that further studies of the geographical intersection of coal mining and acute infections that are transmitted via respiratory secretions are warranted

College students and COVID-19: Psychological well-being and academic performance

When the United States declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 13, 2020, many college students were forced out of campus and back to their homes, altering normal routines and academic environments for students. Recent research suggests potential psychological and academic implications from the pandemic on college students. The goal of the current study was to explore overall psychological well-being and changes in academic performance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in college students. Psychological well-being was defined as an individual’s levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and social isolation. 89 undergraduate students at Campbell University were asked to complete an online Qualtrics survey that included the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a revised social isolation questionnaire, and questions about academic performance. Preliminary results supported the hypotheses. 63% of students felt that their academic performance was negatively impacted by the pandemic. Strong positive correlations were found between social isolation and depression (r = .717; p\u3c.001), social isolation and anxiety, (r = .734; p\u3c.001), and depression and anxiety (r = 0.866; p\u3c.001). There was an upward trend of students who felt that their GPA was lower than previous semesters from Spring 2020 to Spring 2021. One-way ANOVA analyses revealed a significant difference between levels of depression and perceived academic impact [F(2,87) = 4.32, p = .016], levels of anxiety and perceived academic impact [F(2,87) = 5.469, p = .006], and social isolation and perceived academic impact [F(2,87) = 4.169, p = .019]

Exposure to predator kairomones influences egg number and size in Littorina littorea

STUDENT/STAFF RESEARCH COLLABORATIONPredator kairomones play an important role in intertidal ecosystems, but knowledge on their potential role in influencing maternal effects is lacking. The aim of this study was to test whether egg production by female Littorina littorea was influenced by short-term exposure to predator kairomones before egg laying. Laboratory populations were exposed to predator cues from the intertidal crab Carcinus maenas for nine days, and egg number, egg size, and survivorship of the offspring were measured and compared with those from reference populations. Snails exposed to predator cues produced significantly more eggs, which were also significantly smaller than those produced from mothers in control seawater, suggesting a trade-off between egg size and number. This effect was consistent over time, but egg production decreased in each treatment over the course of the study. Furthermore, eggs from the predator cue treatment had lower survivorship. These results suggest that the presence of predator kairomones in marine environments could significantly alter the reproductive investment strategies in prey species

Comparative study of diffusion classification by lapse rate, gustiness and a modified Pasquill method

Nearly all models for calculating atmospheric diffusion of gases or small particles include parameters to describe the horizontal and vertical diffusion rates. This study was designed to determine the amount of disagreement among three methods for estimating these parameters and to modify procedures for computing the Pasquill stability classes from surface observations to improve agreement. Two years of hourly surface observations and tower measurements including gustiness classes were used. Lapse rates and stability classes were computed. The degree of agreement between these measures of diffusion was calculated and the conditions under which poor agreement occurred were determined. The method of computing the Pasquill classes was modified and results examined. The modified version gave better agreement between computed stability classes and the other methods and gave a more realistic distribution of unstable, neutral and stable classes

Reexamining evidence-based practice in community corrections: beyond 'a confined view' of what works

This article aims to reexamine the development and scope of evidence-based practice (EBP) in community corrections by exploring three sets of issues. Firstly, we examine the relationships between the contested purposes of community supervision and their relationships to questions of evidence. Secondly, we explore the range of forms of evidence that might inform the pursuit of one purpose of supervision—the rehabilitation of offenders—making the case for a fuller engagement with “desistance” research in supporting this process. Thirdly, we examine who can and should be involved in conversations about EBP, arguing that both ex/offenders’ and practitioners’ voices need to be respected and heard in this debate

The Relationship between Physical Activity Variety and Objectively Measured Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity Levels in Weight Loss Maintainers and Normal-Weight Individuals

Given the importance of physical activity (PA) for weight control, identifying strategies to achieve higher PA levels is imperative. We hypothesized that performing a greater variety of self-reported moderate-to-vigorous activities (MVPAs) would relate to higher objectively measured MVPA minutes in two groups who were successfully maintaining their body weight: weight loss maintainers (WLM/n = 226) and normal-weight individuals (NW/n = 169). The Paffenbarger Questionnaire and RT3 accelerometer were used to determine variety/number of different MVPAs performed and MVPA minutes, respectively. The variety/number of different activities performed by WLM and NW was similar (1.8 ± 1.2 versus 1.7 ± 1.2, P = 0.52). Regression analyses showed that greater variety (P < 0.01) and WLM status (P < 0.05) were each positively related to greater MVPA minutes/day and meeting the ≥250 MVPA minutes/week guideline for long-term weight maintenance. The association between greater variety and higher MVPA was similar in NW and WLM. Future studies should test whether variety can facilitate engagement in higher MVPA levels for more effective weight control

Motavizumab, A Neutralizing Anti-Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Rsv) Monoclonal Antibody Significantly Modifies The Local And Systemic Cytokine Responses Induced By Rsv In The Mouse Model

Motavizumab (MEDI-524) is a monoclonal antibody with enhanced neutralizing activity against RSV. In mice, motavizumab suppressed RSV replication which resulted in significant reduction of clinical parameters of disease severity. We evaluated the effect of motavizumab on the local and systemic immune response induced by RSV in the mouse model. Balb/c mice were intranasally inoculated with 106.5 PFU RSV A2 or medium. Motavizumab was given once intraperitoneally (1.25 mg/mouse) as prophylaxis, 24 h before virus inoculation. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and serum samples were obtained at days 1, 5 (acute) and 28 (long-term) post inoculation and analyzed with a multiplex assay (Beadlyte Upstate, NY) for simultaneous quantitation of 18 cytokines: IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, KC (similar to human IL-8), IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-17, TNF-α, MCP-1, RANTES, IFN-γ and GM-CSF. Overall, cytokine concentrations were lower in serum than in BAL samples. By day 28, only KC was detected in BAL specimens at low concentrations in all groups. Administration of motavizumab significantly reduced (p < 0.05) BAL concentrations of IL-1α, IL-12p70 and TNF-α on day 1, and concentrations of IFN-γ on days 1 and 5 compared with RSV-infected untreated controls. In the systemic compartment, the concentrations of IL-10, IFN-γ and KC were significantly reduced in the motavizumab-treated mice compared with the untreated controls. In summary, prophylactic administration of motavizumab was associated with significant reductions on RSV replication and concentrations of cytokine and chemokines, which are likely related to the improvement observed in clinical markers of disease severity