Infectious Epidemics Research Articles

Investigating the Relationship between the Antibody Levels of the Novel Coronavirus (SARS-Cov2) and Demographic Parameters of the Employees of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the Summer of 2021

Introduction: The novel coronavirus pandemic (SARS-Cov2) has presented daunting challenges to health systems in numerous countries. The levels of protective antibodies and predisposing factors are great contributors to people's susceptibility, especially in work environments. The present study aimed to assess the levels of IgM and IgG antibodies against COVID-19 and their relationships with other demographic findings in the employees of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 758 employees of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences were selected by convenience sampling method. The data were collected using the country's standard questionnaire, and the level of IgG and IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV2 was determined by ELISA. The results were analyzed in SPSS software (version 16) using related statistical tests (P<0.05). Results: As evidenced by the obtained results, 386 (50.9%) cases were male, and the rest were female. IgG and IgM antibodies were found in 138 (18.9%) and 41 (5.6%) participants, respectively. The most common symptoms in subjects who experienced the disease were cough, fever, chills, headache, shortness of breath, loss of smell, weakness, myalgia, arthralgia, and impaired consciousness. The use of public transportation, history of travel, and frequent presence at work were significantly found to be predisposing factors. In the diagnostic process, radiological examination (CT-Scan), molecular test (PCR), and antibody test when symptoms appeared were requested, respectively. Conclusion: During infectious epidemics, it is recommended to pay close attention to maintaining social distancing, raising awareness, frequent health monitoring, and air conditioning.

INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSES OF ILT VIRUS INFECTION IN LAYER AT PRODUCTION STAGE IN IRAQ

Since 2011, there have been epidemics of respiratory infection in Iraq's laying hen farms, including hemorrhage tracheitis, which closely resembles laryngotracheitis and exhibits symptoms such as symptoms and lesions, respiratory issues, and swelling. Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in layers hen farms in Iraq had to be molecularly identified and determined, together with viral load and innate immune responses of gene transcription (INF-γ, IL1, IL6, and IL10). A total of 40 samples 20 trachea and 20 lungs were taken from various suspect contaminated layer flocks of Iraqi farms (age: 33 weeks). Real-time PCR results showed that 10 samples from both tissues tested positive for the ILT virus. The highest viral load, 5.52×103 copies/L viral nucleic acid, was found in tracheal tissue at 7 dpi, whereas the lowest viral load, 1.65×103 copies/L viral nucleic acid, was found in lung tissues. At 3 and 7 days after infection, the expression of INF-γ, IL1 and IL6 was significantly higher there in tracheal tissues (P≤0.05) than in the lung tissues, indicating a down regulation of these three molecules. In both organs at the same time, there was no up regulation of IL10. The findings of this study show that ILTv up-regulates the transcription of several cytokines in the trachea, including INF-γ, IL1, and IL6, during various stages of the cytokine production process.

Evaluation of Complete Blood Count Changes in Patients Undergo Hemodialysis in Shendi Town, Sudan

Background: Chronic Renal failure is a major health problem and affects the economic and social status of patients. In Sudan, according to the ministry of health records, the prevalence of renal failure is increasing by approximately 70 to 140 new patients undergoing dialysis each year. This high frequency is thought to be due to epidemic malarial infection, which is well known to cause glomerulonephritis. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Shendi town during the period from September 2021 to January 2022, and aimed to determine hematological parameters in hemodialysis patients. A total of venous blood samples were collected in EDTA anticoagulant containers then mix well and transfer to the laboratory, following standard procedures to prevent contamination, then count complete blood count automatically. Results: Statistical analysis by SPSS showed that the Mean of HB in pre and post-hemodialysis was(7.4g/dl and7.9 g/dl), the mean PCV in pre and post-hemodialysis was(22.7% and 25.8%), the mean of RBCs count in pre and post hemodialysis was(2.6x1012cell/l and 2.8x1012cell/l), the mean of WBCs count in pre and post hemodialysis was(5.4x109/L and 5.1x109/L), the mean of platelet count in pre and post hemodialysis was(152000cell/mm3 and 146000cell/mm3), the mean of the MCV in pre and post-hemodialysis was(86.7fl and 89.0fl), the mean of MCH in pre and post-hemodialysis was(28.3pg and 28.2pg) and the mean of MCHC pre and in post hemodialysis (32.8g/dl and 31.9g/dl). Conclusion: The study concluded that the hematological parameters in Shendi town in Hemodialysis patients cause an increase in RBCs, Hb, PCV, and lymphocyte count, no significant effect on PLTs, red cell indices not affected by hemodialysis and remain within normal range and women more affected than men as well as elder people.

Reflections on health information sources in epidemics in synchrony with the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

This study aims to scrutinize prevalent sources of health information utilized by individuals for informed decision-making regarding protective and preventive health behaviors amidst an infectious epidemic. The acquisition of comprehensible and reliable information relevant to individual needs is deemed imperative in this context. This scoping review encompasses investigations into the sources of information employed during infectious epidemics, conducted in both Persian and English languages, spanning the timeframe from 2003 to 2019. The search for pertinent studies was executed across diverse databases, including PubMed, Embase, ProQuest, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Scientific Information Database. This review incorporated a total of 13 relevant studies. Findings indicate that traditional media, comprising television, radio, and newspapers, emerged as the predominant information sources during epidemics. Conversely, government resources and official government websites were identified as the least utilized channels. Additionally, the most reliable sources were identified as television, newspapers, and healthcare personnel. Given the historical prevalence of traditional media as a primary information source during past infectious epidemics, health officials and policymakers must consider enhancing public education through these channels during epidemic dissemination. However, due attention should also be directed towards the provision of pertinent and credible content on online social media platforms, particularly catering to the informational needs of young adults and the emerging generation. The identified limitations in the extant studies, namely their contextual dependence on sociocultural factors, the trajectory of lifestyle modifications, technological advancements, and the recent advent of the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the necessity for additional and comprehensive investigations in this domain.

Changes in care managers' positive attitudes toward dying patients compared to that of nurses by one-day online advance care planning communication training.

Culturally appropriate communication training programs for a wide range of professions that can be used during infection epidemics are crucial for advance care planning implementation. Starting in 2018, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare made a major policy change, and doctors, nurses, and social workers, and care managers were identified in the guidelines as the professions that promote advance care planning. Motivated by the lack of online programs for Japanese care managers, we proposed a new one-day program. This study aimed to determine the changes in the positive attitude of care managers toward dying patients compared to that of nurses, which has been used in past literature as an outcome of advance care planning educational interventions, after administering the program in Japan. Before-after comparison study. Care managers were recruited through our website, ACP-Piece, http://plaza.umin.ac.jp/~acp-piece/piece.html. A questionnaire survey concerning positive attitudes toward dying patients was administered before and after the program on 28 August 2021. Sixty-six subjects participated in the training and 60 participants, including 14 care managers, consented to the study and completed the questionnaire surveys before and after the program. The Frommelt attitude toward care of the dying scores for care managers increased after the program (p-values, confidence intervals, and effect sizes: p < 0.001, -11.90 to -4.388, -1.252). After training, care managers had a significantly higher maximum score occurrence than nurses. Older care managers with advance care planning experience may have had a higher maximum score occurrence compared to younger, inexperienced participants. To our knowledge, this is the first to demonstrate the increased positive attitude scores toward dying patients after online communication training for Japanese care managers. The limitations of this study include the lack of evidence regarding reasons for score changes, long-term score changes, and effectiveness for patients and their families.

Assessment of Industrial Wastewater on Environment and Human Health in Nigeria: Effects and Treatments

This paper aims to examines the environmental and health impacts of untreated industrial wastewater effluents in Nigeria. Industrial wastewater is frequently dumped into the environment in underdeveloped nations such as Nigeria with minimal or no treatment, resulting in serious environmental and health issues. Untreated or improperly treated effluents degrade water bodies by promoting eutrophication and creating circumstances conducive to dangerous microorganisms and toxin-producing cyanobacteria. This poses a risk to relaxation center water users and may result in epidemics of water-borne infections. Furthermore, wastewater frequently contains toxic anthropogenic substances, including those that alter endocrine systems. To counteract these effects, it is critical to develop proper wastewater treatment techniques, follow regulations, and conduct regular monitoring.

Characterizing edge-based doubly resolving sets within circulant networks $ C_n(1, 2) $

&lt;abstract&gt;&lt;p&gt;The focus of this article lies on the notion of the edge version of doubly resolving sets (EVDRSs) in circulant networks. EVDRSs refer to unique edge subsets that are necessary for identifying individual edges in a network and distinguishing them based on their edge distances to the elements of the EVDRS. The main objectives were to define the minimal size of EVDRSs for circulant networks $ C_n(1, 2) $ and to investigate their basic properties. The systematic research helped to achieve a new understanding of the existence, construction, and characterization of EVDRSs in circulant networks $ C_n(1, 2) $. It is established that the EVDRSs in the circulant network $ C_n(1, 2) $ are finite and are bounded by the order of the network. Among the numerous implications of these findings are those that refer to the design and optimization of distributed sensor networks, improving communication and network protocols, as well as tracking the spread of infectious diseases and epidemics over social networks. The application of the identified methodology helps improve the process of network optimization which contributes to the development of more effective and robust circulant-based structures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/abstract&gt;

Structural network characteristics affect epidemic severity and prediction in social contact networks

Understanding and mitigating epidemic spread in complex networks requires the measurement of structural network properties associated with epidemic risk. Classic measures of epidemic thresholds like the basic reproduction number (R0) have been adapted to account for the structure of social contact networks but still may be unable to capture epidemic potential relative to more recent measures based on spectral graph properties. Here, we explore the ability of R0 and the spectral radius of the social contact network to estimate epidemic susceptibility. To do so, we simulate epidemics on a series of constructed (small world, scale-free, and random networks) and a collection of over 700 empirical biological social contact networks. Further, we explore how other network properties are related to these two epidemic estimators (R0 and spectral radius) and mean infection prevalence in simulated epidemics. Overall, we find that network properties strongly influence epidemic dynamics and the subsequent utility of R0 and spectral radius as indicators of epidemic risk.

Reducing Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae via the Efficient Use of Bacteriophages ZI3 and HI3

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common cause of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pneumonia, bacteremia, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and other systemic infections. K. pneumoniae is the third most common pathogen in blood cultures from sepsis patients. It can cause severe epidemic and endemic nosocomial infections. Antibiotic treatment of K. pneumoniae infections is getting increasingly challenging due to the development of antimicrobial resistance among pathogens. Hence, a new alternative strategy is required to treat such infections. Bacteriophages are the most prevalent biological entity on the planet with an estimated 1031 particles. As obligatory intracellular parasites, they infect bacterial cells. They have a high host specificity and can replicate and lyse bacterial cells. In this research, two novel indigenous bacteriophages against K. pneumoniae strain kp8890 were isolated, characterized, and labeled as ZI3 and HI3. Both these phages were found to have a specific host range for K. pneumoniae. HI3 was able to lyse 7 out of 10 different K. pneumoniae clinical isolates, while ZI3 was able to lyse 5 out of 10 isolates, although it could not infect bacteria from other species. The isolated phages showed viability up to 50°C and pH ranging from 3 to 9. HI3 inhibited bacterial growth for 18 hours. Whereas, ZI3 showed an excellent bacterial reduction ability by inhibiting and decreasing the number of initial bacterial inoculum for 24 hours of observation. Keeping in view the excellent bacterial growth reduction, phage titer, pH and thermal stability, and host range, it is suggested that both bacteriophages, that is, ZI3 and HI3 can be potential phage therapy candidates after necessary animal modeling and clinical trials in the future.

Why Face Masks Should not be Imposed on the Public Again: A Review Article

Viral epidemics of acute respiratory infections pose a global threat. Influenza outbreaks occur almost every year. Specifically, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), emerged in late 2019. This unprecedented event resulted in many countries requiring masks in public spaces to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, the early and previous systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found that medical/surgical masks did not appear to reduce respiratory viral infections. Also, N95 respirators did not provide superior protection over surgical masks against viral infections or influenza-like infections among healthcare workers (HCWs), although N95 respirators theoretically provide better protection. This led to the recommendation not to wear facemasks as potential benefits are limited, and there is a risk of self-contamination if misused. However, with the ongoing spread of SARS-CoV-2, several health authorities suddenly shifted their recommendations and advised the general public to wear masks, with some governments even mandating it. By July 2023, the health-protective benefits of wearing facemasks are still conflicting, and debate over the idea of a mask mandate is ongoing. Therefore, this review aims to discuss ten reasons why face masks should not be imposed on the public again, which include the functional weaknesses of facemasks, lack of justification for the sudden change in the recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of facemasks in the community and among HCWs based on the systematic reviews of the RCTs, their effectiveness based on the RCTs, the effectiveness of N95 respirators versus surgical masks in protecting from acute respiratory infection based on the systematic reviews, their potential harms, the poor quality of most masks used by the public, their misuse, the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic despite masking, and the importance of acknowledgment of the rights of people in wearing masks or not.

Application of Mathematical Models of the Dynamics of the Epidemic Acute Respiratory Viral Infections to Increase the Efficiency of Epidemiological Surveillance

Uncertainty in the calculations of forecasts of the spread of epidemic acute respiratory infections obtained using mathematical models, associated with data error and uncertainty in the choice of a model, as well as the lack of verification of modeling results by interdisciplinary teams including epidemiology specialists, prevent the correct prediction of the effectiveness of disease control measures. In this paper, we propose a solution to these problems by using a software package consisting of a family of epidemic models, methods for estimating the error of output data depending on the error of the initial morbidity data, as well as a graphical interface with the possibility of manual correction of the results of automatic calibration and generation of epidemic bulletins. The novelty of the presented study is the methodology for integrating epidemic models into software tools used by supervisory authorities, which allows to supplement weekly bulletins and annual epidemiological reports in semi-automatic mode with a quantitative interval estimation of the error of calculated indicators. The ultimate goal is to provide the supervisory authorities with informative and promptly obtained calculated data for decision-making in the field of infection control.

Antiviral activity of chrysin and naringenin against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is one of the critical pathogens causing diarrhea in piglets and has caused huge economic losses to the swine industry in worldwide. However, there is currently no effective therapeutic medication available for the treatment of PEDV. Natural compounds are a hot topic for researching and screening antiviral lead compounds due to their abundant sources, varied activities, and low toxicity. In this study, a total of 6 compounds from different plant sources were selected for in vitro anti-PEDV screening, including chrysin, naringenin, soy isoflavone, glycyrrhetinic acid, oleanolic acid, and geniposide. Then two active compounds, chrysin and naringenin, were further evaluated on PEDV infected cells at different stage. And the anti-PEDV mechanism was analyzed by molecule docking and molecular dynamics. The results showed that both chrysin and naringenin showed the most significant anti-PEDV activity by increasing the cell viability and decreasing the virus copy number. Both natural compounds could inhibit viral titer, mRNA and protein levels in the prophylactic and post-viral entry stages of PEDV infection. Furthermore, chrysin and naringenin mainly interacted with viral replicase proteins such as 3CLpro and PLP-2 through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic forces. The complexes formed by chrysin and naringenin with the two PEDV replication proteases had high stability. These results suggested that chrysin and naringenin may exert antiviral effects by interacting with the virus 3CLpro protein or PLP2 protein, thereby affecting their role in the formation of PEDV non-structural proteins or interfering with virus replication. This study lays the foundation for developing chrysin and naringenin as novel anti-PEDV therapeutic drugs.

Path Planning Method in Taigu County Based on the Hybrid Ant Colony Optimization-Genetic Algorithm in the Context of COVID-19

&lt;p&gt;During the period of COVID-19, there is a mixture of areas that are susceptible to COVID-19 infection and areas that are not susceptible to COVID-19 infection in cities. Blind wandering is often accompanied by the risk of infection. Hence, in order to improve the safety of people&amp;rsquo;s travel, this paper uses the hybrid Ant Colony Optimization-Genetic Algorithm (ACO-GA) to plan the central path of Taigu County. The volatilization coefficient of pheromone in Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is changed dynamically. Pheromones in high-risk areas that are susceptible to epidemic infection are more volatile, while pheromones in low-risk areas that are less suscep-tible to epidemic infection are less volatile. Adjust the selection of &amp;ldquo;gene&amp;rdquo; mutation in Genetic Algorithm (GA). Vulner-able areas should be closed off to cut off the source of infection. As long as the shortest route which is of lower risk is formulated, people should stay away from high-risk areas that are susceptible to infection as much as possible to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of people&amp;rsquo;s lives. The path under the influence of the COVID-19 is predicted and analyzed in the form of a simulation. The experimental results show that the algorithm can help to effectively avoid areas susceptible to the COVID-19 and reduce the risk of people getting sick.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Population health as a component of public security: the experience of the European Union and Ukraine

The scientific article, taking into account the original concept of public safety, examines the European experience and domestic approaches to public health protection in a comprehensive, risk-oriented and preventive mode. The urgency of the investigated issues is shown not only in national, but also in international dimensions. The EU initiative on health security (2020-2025), which aims to create a regional workforce responsible for the prevention and control of infectious disease challenges and strengthen regional cooperation to overcome cross-border health security threats, has been positively evaluated. It is established that the outbreak of COVID-19 in the world has created new "opportunities" for organized criminal groups, given that law enforcement agencies are actively involved in resolving crisis situations in order to reduce the further spread of viral infection.&#x0D; From the standpoint of legal comparative analyses, the Ukrainian approach to public health protection within the national public safety program is highlighted. In particular, in Ukraine, the sphere of public security includes relations related to compliance with quarantine rules and the fight against particularly dangerous infectious diseases and epidemics. It was noted that the task of the Ukrainian authorities in the context of countering the spread and consequences of the corona crisis was not only the introduction of administrative and strengthening of criminal liability, but also the introduction at the local level of clear and specific rules of conduct during quarantine and timely and full communication of their content to the population.&#x0D; It is emphasized that the duty of citizens during large-scale threats to health is to strictly comply with regulations and requirements of competent authorities. It was determined that this directly depends, first of all, on the clear interaction of such state institutions as the bodies of the National Police, the State Emergency Service, the National Guard, local self-government bodies, communal enterprises, health care institutions, transport, human rights organizations, public associations for the protection of law and order among themselves and with the public.

A High Copy Number from a Pharyngeal Swab Is Not Associated with Different Presenting Features in 100 Children with Acute Adenovirus Infection from a Cluster in Italy.

Human mastadenoviruses, frequently denominated adenoviruses (HAdVs), may cause respiratory tract, gastrointestinal or, less frequently, other involvements. Epidemics of HAdV infections occur globally, in communities, and in closed or crowded settings. In our institution, a cluster of infants and children admitted for HAdV infection was recently observed. The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of their presenting features and investigate the possible correlation between the HAdV copy number and the clinical picture. Two main patterns of clinical presentation were observed: 68 patients had mainly respiratory symptoms (pharyngitis n = 67, cough n = 44; tonsillar exudate n = 17; other respiratory signs n = 4) while 26 patients showed prevalent gastrointestinal involvement (diarrhea n = 26, vomiting n = 8). Patients with respiratory symptoms had a significantly higher count of WBC, PMN, and platelets, while CRP level approached statistical significance (p = 0.07) for higher values in the patients with diarrhea. In order to explore the impact of selected presenting features, the possible association between the level of CRP and the presence of pharyngeal exudate, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, duration of fever, number of neutrophils, and administration of antibiotics was analyzed. Patients falling in the tertile with more elevated CRP values had tonsillar exudate and diarrhea significantly more often, while those in the lower tertile had a 4.4-day duration fever vs. ≥5.0 days in the remaining patients. Antibiotic therapy was administered more frequently to patients with higher values of CRP (p = 0.006). The duration of hospitalization was not associated with the CRP level. The median time from the receipt of a positive HAdV PCR test result to patient discharge was 1 day in 73% of cases. The number of copies of HAdV detected via PCR ranged between 47 million and 15/μL. Falling in the highest tertile of copy number was significantly associated with pharyngitis. The 24 patients with evidence of viral coinfection had no difference in the demographics or presenting features, with the only exception being a significantly higher leukocyte count. The rapid turn-around of the results of the molecular testing of the HAdV genome on a pharyngeal swab allowed us to rapidly diagnose HAdV infection, allowing us to stop antibiotic therapy and immediately discharge the patients, with reduced discomfort for the families and more appropriate use of hospital beds. A high copy number of HAdV from a pharyngeal swab should not be taken as an indicator of worse prognosis, thus allowing for the preferential use of qualitative rather than quantitative assay.

Solving Epidemics of Lyme and Other Vector-Borne Infections through the Immune System

Solving Epidemics of Lyme and Other Vector-Borne Infections through the Immune System

Rapid detection of human influenza A viruses by HFman probe-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification assays

Since China abandoned the zero-COVID policy at the end of 2022, a wave of severe Flu pandemic emerged in China. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of Influenza A virus (IAV) is critical for clinical management and therapeutic decision-making of patients with fever. Here, we reported a novel IAV HF-LAMP assay, which can be performed with purified RNA or directly using clinical samples. The assays with purified RNA and clinical samples have high sensitivity with limit of detection (LOD) of 9.6 copies/reaction, 9900 copies/mL, and short sample-to-answer times of 36 and 50 min, respectively. Both assays showed high specificity and significantly higher IAV detection rate than the rapid antigen detection (RAD) assays. Furthermore, we found the vast majority (91.2 %) of children with fever during the pandemic were infected by IAV, and current IAV infection has a very narrow detectable window. The novel IVA HF-LAMP assays will provide robust tools to facilitate early diagnosis of IAV infection in current and future seasonal influenza epidemics.

An agent-based multi-level model to study the spread of gonorrhea in different and interacting risk groups

IntroductionMathematical modeling has emerged as a crucial component in understanding the epidemiology of infectious diseases. In fact, contemporary surveillance efforts for epidemic or endemic infections heavily rely on mathematical and computational methods. This study presents a novel agent-based multi-level model that depicts the transmission dynamics of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This infection poses a significant public health challenge as it is endemic in numerous countries, and each year sees millions of new cases, including a concerning number of drug-resistant cases commonly referred to as gonorrhea superbugs or super gonorrhea. These drug-resistant strains exhibit a high level of resistance to recommended antibiotic treatments.MethodsThe proposed model incorporates a multi-layer network of agents' interaction representing the dynamics of sexual partnerships. It also encompasses a transmission model, which quantifies the probability of infection during sexual intercourse, and a within-host model, which captures the immune activation following gonorrhea infection in an individual. It is a combination of agent-based modeling, which effectively captures interactions among various risk groups, and probabilistic modeling, which enables a theoretical exploration of sexual network characteristics and contagion dynamics.ResultsNumerical simulations of the dynamics of gonorrhea infection using the complete agent-based model are carried out. In particular, some examples of possible epidemic evolution are presented together with an application to a real case study. The goal was to construct a virtual population that closely resembles the target population of interest.DiscussionThe uniqueness of this research lies in its objective to accurately depict the influence of distinct sexual risk groups and their interaction on the prevalence of gonorrhea. The proposed model, having interpretable and measurable parameters from epidemiological data, facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the disease evolution.

Risk attitude toward epidemic and impulsive travel intention: influences on perceived helpfulness of online review

ABSTRACT To comprehend the unclear mechanisms through which risk attitude toward epidemics affects perceived helpfulness of online review, this study proposes a theoretical framework based on Dual Process Theory and Construal Level Theory to observe the mechanisms. Through empirical analysis based on 456 valid questionnaires, from review readers’ information processing manner perspective, risk-averse tourists prefer a systematic manner, whereas risk-appetite ones prefer heuristics manner, which leads to significantly higher perceived helpfulness for risk-averse than for risk-appetite ones. The mechanisms through which risk attitude directly negatively affects perceived helpfulness and also indirectly attenuates perceived helpfulness through inhibiting impulsive travel intention also are unveiled. As well as the moderating effects of two temporal distances that are defined as recovering from epidemic infection and near-future travel plans are underscored. These results indicate that risk attitude and impulsive travel intention are both antecedents of perceived helpfulness and provide new theoretical insights and feasible practical implications.

Disentangling local and global climate drivers in the population dynamics of mosquito-borne infections.

Identifying climate drivers is essential to understand and predict epidemics of mosquito-borne infections whose population dynamics typically exhibit seasonality and multiannual cycles. Which climate covariates to consider varies across studies, from local factors such as temperature to remote drivers such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. With partial wavelet coherence, we present a systematic investigation of nonstationary associations between mosquito-borne disease incidence and a given climate factor while controlling for another. Analysis of almost 200 time series of dengue and malaria around the globe at different geographical scales shows a systematic effect of global climate drivers on interannual variability and of local ones on seasonality. This clear separation of time scales of action enhances detection of climate drivers and indicates those best suited for building early-warning systems.