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Search indexed bioRxiv preprints in genomics, neuroscience, cell biology and bioinformatics. Read source abstracts and check manuscript versions; preprints are not peer reviewed.

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Knowledge and Awareness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among Chinese dental students----a comparison study.

BackgroudThis study aimed to measure the knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 among Chinese dental students during the global outbreak recently. MethodA descriptive cross-sectional study was performed among dental students and nonmedical college students in China. All the participants were required to anonymously answer a reliable online questionnaire, which covered 3 different fields of COVID-19. Average scores of dental students (D group), including junior (JD group) and senior dental students (SD group), and nonmedical college students (N group) were compared respectively. Chi-square test and independent sample T test were taken for statistical analysis with SPSS.12. ResultsTotally 497 questionnaires were collected, including 224 from dental students and 273 from non-medical students. The overall average score was 57{+/-}19.2. The average scores of dental students were 64.5{+/-}18. The D group had significantly higher scores on the total score, section scores, and 20 questions respectively than with the N group. No significant differences were found on 5 questions. Compared with the N group, the SD group won on all three sections while JD group failed to win on the diagnose section. ConclusionAlthough the dental student showed good awareness regarding the clinical aspects of COVID-19 than non-medical students, there are still some weakness in the part of treatment and prevention, which need to be strengthened for better prepare during work. Besides, the low accuracy rate of lower grade dental students is also worth noting.

scientific communication and education↗

Does Food Insecurity exist among Farm households? Evidence from Ghana

Household food security exists when households have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food at all times that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Food security remains a serious challenge for many households in Ghana and the situation is even more prevalent among smallholder farmers. Using data collected from 2,603 farm households across Ghana and employing an ordered probit model the determinants of food security among farm households were assessed. The food security indicator-Food Consumption Score (FCS) which combines diet diversity, frequency of consumption and relative nutritional importance of different food groups was used for the analysis. Results indicated that farm households (76%) across Ghana were within the acceptable household food consumption groups. Nonetheless, 19% and 6% of farm households respectively were within the borderline and poor food consumption groups respectively. Further analysis revealed the determinants of food security to include experience, gender, improved variety adoption, access to credit and location. The suggestion is that government and private institutions should create an enabling environment to enhancing production capacities, economic and social resilience to improve on food security and nutrition.

scientific communication and education↗

A structured reflective process supports student awareness of employability skills development in a science placement module

Placements are often an extra-curricular activity of a science degree. This study reports on the outcomes of a final year credit-bearing 6-week placement module that was specifically designed to develop and enhance students employability skills. A key element of this module was that the student placements were not just evaluated from a science perspective, but with an emphasis on meaningful reflection and evaluation of employability skills development. Students recorded their levels of confidence in skills before, during and after the placement via an Online Reflective Log, as part of a modules summative assessment. First, results showed that taking part in the placement and conducting their own independent research helped students to make connections between their scientific knowledge, otherwise constrained within the walls of the undergraduate science lab, and the wider impact of their research on society. Another theme that emerged concerned career choices and aspirations, and the placement experience either confirmed prior choices or opened new horizons. The Online Reflective Log helped students to feel supported by their university supervisor who were at a distance, while feedback on their tasks challenged them to reflect on the scientific and personal skills as they were engaged in scientific activities during placement. Students agreed that they had further developed their employability skills during the placement. Students acknowledged it was challenging to have to acquire evidence of skills development but appreciated the usefulness of this reflection in relation to their future careers.

scientific communication and education↗

Germaphobia! Does our Relationship with, and Knowledge of Biodiversity Affect our Attitudes Towards Microbes?

Germaphobia -- a pathological aversion to microorganisms -- could be contributing to an explosion in human immune-related disorders via mass sterilisation of surfaces and reduced exposure to biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity and our connectedness to nature, along with poor microbial literacy may be augmenting the negative consequences of germaphobia on ecosystem health. In this study, we created an online questionnaire to acquire data on attitudes towards, and knowledge of microbes. We collected data on nature connectedness and interactions with nature and explored the relationships between these variables. We found a significant association between attitudes towards microbes and both duration and frequency of visits to natural environments. A higher frequency of visits to nature per week, and a longer duration spent in nature per visit, significantly associated with positive attitudes towards microbes. We found no association between nature connectedness and attitudes towards microbes. We found a significant relationship between knowledge of lesser known microbial groups (e.g., identifying that fungi, algae, protozoa, and archaea are microbes) and positive attitudes towards microbes. However, we also found that people who correctly identified viruses as being microbes expressed less positive views of microbes overall -- this could potentially be attributed to a COVID-19 effect. Our results suggest that basic microbial literacy and nature engagement may be important in reducing/preventing germaphobia. The results also suggest that a virus-centric phenomenon (e.g., COVID-19) could increase broader germaphobia. As the rise of immune-related disorders and mental health conditions have been linked to germaphobia, reduced biodiversity, and non-targeted sterilisation, our findings point to a feasible strategy to potentially help ameliorate these negative consequences. A greater emphasis on microbial literacy and promoting time spent in nature could be useful in promoting resilience in human health and more positive/constructive attitudes towards the foundations of our ecosystems - the microorganisms.

scientific communication and education↗

Gender and geographical disparity in editorial boards of journals in psychology and neuroscience

While certain metrics of diversity have seen great improvement in recent years in academic psychology and neuroscience, unequal representation remains for many positions of power. Here, we reviewed publicly available information in order to infer the proportion of editors by gender and their country of affiliation in the top 50 journals worldwide in each of the two fields. The sample included a total of 2,864 editors for psychology journals and 3,093 editors for neuroscience journals. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of male and female editors in both fields, both across editorial roles, and within various role categories, including editor-in-chief and their deputies at neuroscience journals, associate and section editors in both fields, and editorial and advisory board members in both fields. The only category in which there was not a significant imbalance of male and female scholars was the editors-in-chief of psychology journals and their deputies. Geographically, USA-based academics significantly outnumbered those from other countries as editors in both psychology and neuroscience. Results also indicated that over three quarters of psychology journals (76%) were comprised of more than 50% male editors, while only 20% had a similar proportion of female editors. In neuroscience, 88% of journals were comprised of more than 50% male editors, while only 10% of journals included a similar, proportional majority of female editors. Findings suggest that editorial positions in academic journals, possibly one of the most powerful decision-making roles in academic psychology and neuroscience, are not balanced in gender or geographical representation.

scientific communication and education↗

The Need for Sustainable Leadership in Academia - a German Case Study

Academic leaders are selected based on their publication record, citation index and acquisition of third party funding. However, heading a successful research team, also requires leadership skills. Despite the clear need, leadership development has been systematically neglected in the present academic system. At the same time, growing evidence suggests that leadership styles of academic supervisors can dramatically affect the mental health of academic employees as well as drive highly skilled researchers out of academia. Here, we assessed the current state of academic leadership in the German academic system by surveying 368 participants currently employed in academia in Germany. We report that 64% of current academic leaders did not feel prepared for their current position while 86% of participants expressed their interest in leadership development programs offered by their research institutions. Our results highlight the demand for leadership development programs in German academic institutions to ensure a more efficient academic system.

scientific communication and education↗

So you want to be a Super Researcher?

Publishing original scientific research is inherent to the work of a researcher. However, the pressure to maintain productivity and scientific impact can lead to research group publishing excessively, negatively affecting the mental health of a researcher. Ph.D. students and early career researchers are particularly susceptible to this pressure due to the inherent vulnerability of their positions. At present, there are no resources that concisely summarise the publication culture of a research group to help the researcher make an informed decision before joining. In this article, we present the Super Researcher app, an R Shiny application(app) with a user-friendly interface. Using text-mining methodology to extract publicly available author data from Scopus, this pilot app has four fundamental functions to provide snapshot information that will help researchers grasp the publication culture of a research group within minutes. The Super Researcher app provides information on: 1) institution data, 2) authors publication, 3) co-author network plots and 4) publication journals. The Super Researcher app is built on R shiny which provides an interactive interface to users. This app utilizes the Big Data framework Apache Spark to mine relevant information from a huge author information database. The authors information is stored and manipulated using both SQL(SQLite) and NoSQL(HBase) databases. Hbase is used for local data storage and manipulation while SQLite feeds data to the R Shiny interface. In this paper, we introduce these functionalities and illustrate how this information can help guide a researcher to select a new Principle Investigator (PI) with better compatibility in terms of publication attitude using a case study. Available: https://researchmind.co.uk/super-researcher/

scientific communication and education↗

Adequate knowledge of COVID-19 impacts good practices amongst health profession students in the Philippines

BackgroundThe spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines started with its first suspected case on January 22, 2020. The government reacted by imposing several measures including community quarantine, class suspensions, drug therapy and vaccine development, and travel restrictions. This online survey was done amongst Filipino health professions undergraduate students to uncover the relationship between their knowledge, attitude, and practice during this pandemic. MethodsCross-sectional data were obtained from an online survey done on students of medicine, dentistry, optometry, rehabilitative sciences, and pharmacy. ResultsAt a response rate of 100% (n=1257), the results show that healthcare profession students in the Philippines have good knowledge (87.6%) and practices (63.6%) regarding COVID-19, yet attitude (63.6%) was just passable. This study also shows that a strong correlation exists between knowledge and practice concerning the current pandemic, r(2) = 0.08, P = 0.004. ConclusionAdequate knowledge of COVID-19 impacts good practices of avoiding crowded places and misuse of steam inhalation amongst health profession students in the Philippines. Knowledge and practice pertaining to the current pandemic have been found to be good, but attitude remains low.

scientific communication and education↗

Preprints in motion: tracking changes between posting and journal publication

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, preprints in the biomedical sciences are being posted and accessed at unprecedented rates, drawing widespread attention from the general public, press and policymakers for the first time. This phenomenon has sharpened longstanding questions about the reliability of information shared prior to journal peer review. Does the information shared in preprints typically withstand the scrutiny of peer review, or are conclusions likely to change in the version of record? We assessed preprints from bioRxiv and medRxiv that had been posted and subsequently published in a journal through 30th April 2020, representing the initial phase of the pandemic response. We utilised a combination of automatic and manual annotations to quantify how an article changed between the preprinted and published version. We found that the total number of figure panels and tables changed little between preprint and published articles. Moreover, the conclusions of 7.2% of non-COVID-19-related and 17.2% of COVID-19-related abstracts undergo a discrete change by the time of publication, but the majority of these changes do not qualitatively change the conclusions of the paper.

scientific communication and education↗

Validation of the Early Warning and Response System (EWARS) for dengue outbreaks: Evidence from the national vector control program in Mexico

BackgroundDuring 2017, twenty health districts (locations) in Mexico implemented a dengue outbreak early warning and response system (EWARS) that uses epidemiological, meteorological and entomological variables (alarm indicators) to predict dengue outbreaks and triggers early response activities. Eleven of these districts were analyzed as they presented reliable information. Nine districts presented outbreak alarms but without subsequent outbreaks ("non-outbreak districts") and two presented after the alarms dengue outbreaks ("outbreak districts"). This study is concerned with i) if the alarms without outbreaks were false alarms or if the control services had established effective response activities averting an outbreak and ii) if vector control activities can mitigate or even avert dengue outbreaks. MethodsFive components of dengue outbreak response (larval control, entomological studies with water container interventions, focal spraying, indoor residual spraying, space spraying) were quantitatively analyzed across two groups ("outbreak districts" and "non-outbreak districts"). ResultsThe average coverage of vector control and responses were higher in non-outbreak districts and across all five components. In the "outbreak districts" the response activities started late and were of much lower intensity compared to "non-outbreak districts". District vector control teams demonstrated diverse compliance with local guidlines for initial, early and late responses to outbreak alarms which could explain the different outcomes observed following the outbreak alarms. Conclusionfindings from this study plausibly demonstrates important operational scenarios when succeeding or failing alarms signals generated by EWARS at national level. This study presents evidence warranting for further investigation into the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of EWARS using gold-standard designs.

scientific communication and education↗

Could Italy host the new coronavirus before China?

The pandemic of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been believed to originate in China and spread later to other parts of the world. It is well acknowledged that the first diseased individuals appeared in China as early as in December 2019, and possibly even earlier in November. It has also been well established that the virus stroke Italy later in January or in February 2020, distinctly after the outbreak in China. Paper by Apolone et al. published in a local Italian medical journal in November 2020 however exposed this chronology to doubt. By fitting early part of the epidemic curve with the exponential model and extrapolating it backwards in time, we could estimate the day-zero of the epidemic and calculated its confidence intervals in Italy and China. We also calculated how probable it is that Italy encountered the virus prior 1 January 2020. We determined an early portion of the epidemic curve representing unhindered exponential growth which fit the exponential model with high determination >0.97 in both countries. We suggest that the day-zero in China and Italy was 8 December (95% CI: 3 Dec., 20 Dec.) and 22 January (95% CI: 16 Jan., 29 Jan.), respectively. We could with high confidence reject that Italy encountered the virus earlier than China (p <0.01). Based on our analysis we oppose the findings published by Apolone at al. and view the proposed pre-pandemic presence of the virus in Italy as very unlikely.

scientific communication and education↗

A crosswalk to align the GSS and NIH grants databases based on university names

Notable reports over the past dozen years have recommended the federal government and others improve data collection on the research workforce in the United States. The federal government already collects a wealth of data, but important datapoints, like the number of biomedical postdocs working in the U.S., for example, are still not well defined. Furthermore, of the data that are collected, differences in collection method and data naming conventions, like inconsistent naming of universities, hinders our ability to merge information across different datasets. Here I describe the creation of three macros meant to align the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS) with NIH grants databases based on consolidating university names under a single name common to both databases. Aligning these databases will allow for a deeper understanding of how various federal and university policies affect the number trainees, grants, and funding at individual institutions.

scientific communication and education↗

Stratified Random Sampling Methodology for Observing Community Mask Use within Indoor Settings: Results from Louisville, Kentucky during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Wearing a facial mask can limit COVID-19 transmission. Measurements of communities mask use behavior have mostly relied on self-report. This studys objective was to devise a method for measuring the prevalence of mask-wearing and proper mask use in indoor public areas without relying on self-report. A stratified random sample of retail trade stores (public areas) in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, was selected and targeted for observation by trained surveyors during December 14-20, 2020. The stratification allowed for investigating mask use behavior by city district, retail trade group, and public area size. The average mask use prevalence among observed visitors of the 382 visited public areas was 96%, while the average prevalence of proper use was 86%. In 17% of the public areas, at least one unmasked visitor was among the observed visitors; in 48%, at least one improperly masked visitor was observed. The average mask use among staff was 92%, but unmasked staff were observed in fewer public areas, as an unmasked staff member was observed in 11% of the visited public areas. The average prevalence of proper make use among staff was 87%, similar to the average among visitors. However, the percentage of public areas where at least one improperly masked staff was observed was 33. Significant disparities in mask use and its proper use were observed among both visitors and staff by public area size, retail trade type, and geographical area. Observing unmasked and incorrectly masked visitors was more common in small (less than 1500 square feet) public areas than larger ones, also in food and grocery stores than other retail stores. Also, the majority of the observed unmasked persons were male and middle age adults.

scientific communication and education↗

A Comparison of Cell-Based and Cell-Cultured as Appropriate Common or Usual Names to Label Products Made from the Cells of Fish.

Using an online experiment with a nationally representative sample of 1200 adult American consumers, two "common or usual names," "Cell-Based Seafood" and "Cell-Cultured Seafood," were assessed using five criteria. Displayed on packages of frozen Atlantic Salmon, the names were evaluated on their ability to differentiate the novel products from conventionally-produced fish, to identify their potential allergenicity, and after learning its meaning, to be seen by participants as an appropriate term for describing the process for creating the product. In addition, the names were evaluated as to whether they would be interpreted as disparaging of new or existing products, and whether they elicited reactions contrary to the assertion that the products are nutritious, healthy and safe. The results confirmed earlier research showing that "Cell-Based Seafood" slightly outperformed "Cell-Cultured Seafood" as a common or usual name. Labeling products with the term "Cell-Based Seafood" meets important regulatory criteria by enabling consumers to distinguish such products from conventional seafood products, and by indicating the presence of allergens. From a marketing perspective, "Cell-Based" is also viewed as an appropriate term for describing the process for producing the products, meeting the criteria for transparency. Consumers also had more positive reactions to "Cell-Based Seafood" and were slightly more inclined to want to taste and purchase "Cell-Based" products both before and after learning the meaning of "Cell-Based" and "Cell-Cultured." Therefore, "Cell-Based Seafood" should be adopted as the best common or usual name to label cell-based seafood products. Practical ApplicationWidespread adoption and consistent use of a single "common or usual name" for "Cell-Based" seafood, meat, poultry and other products by the food industry, regulators, journalists, marketers, environmental, consumer, and animal rights advocates, and other key stakeholders would help shape public perceptions and understanding of this rapidly advancing technology and its products. This study confirms that "Cell-Based Seafood" is the best performing term to label seafood products made from the cells of fish. It meets relevant FDA regulatory requirements and slightly outperforms "Cell-Cultured Seafood" with regard to positive consumer perceptions, interest in tasting and likelihood of purchasing these novel products.

scientific communication and education↗

Meta-Research: Citation needed? Wikipedia and the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundWith the COVID-19 pandemics outbreak, millions flocked to Wikipedia for updated information. Amid growing concerns regarding an "infodemic", ensuring the quality of information is a crucial vector of public health. Investigating if and how Wikipedia remained up to date and in line with science is key to formulating strategies to counter misinformation. Using citation analyses, we asked: which sources informed Wikipedias COVID-19-related articles before and during the pandemics first wave (January-May 2020). ResultsWe found that coronavirus-related articles referenced trusted media sources and high-quality academic research. Moreover, despite a surge in COVID-19 preprints, Wikipedia had a clear preference for open-access studies published in respected journals and made little use of preprints. Building a timeline of English COVID-19 articles from 2001-2020 revealed a nuanced trade-off between quality and timeliness. It further showed how preexisting articles on key topics related to the virus created a framework for integrating new knowledge. Supported by a rigid sourcing policy, this "scientific infrastructure" facilitated contextualization and regulated the influx of new information. Lastly, we constructed a network of DOI-Wikipedia articles, which showed the shifting landscape of pandemic-related knowledge on Wikipedia and how academic citations create a web of shared knowledge supporting topics like COVID-19 vaccine development. ConclusionsUnderstanding how scientific research interacts with the digital knowledge-sphere during the pandemic provides insight into how Wikipedia can facilitate access to science. It also reveals how, aided by what we term its "citizen encyclopedists", it successfully fended off COVID-19 disinformation and how this unique model may be deployed in other contexts.

scientific communication and education↗

Kaolinite deposits in the upper Iguacu river, Brazil: formation and mineralogical attributes

Kaolinite (Kt) is the most studied mineral, being widely used in the ceramic, pharmaceutical and cellulose industries, in addition to being the main soil mineral in the world. Found in different parts of the planet, it differs in genesis and may be formed as a result of local weathering of the rocks, occurring in the silt fraction; and also due to the minerals neogenesis with a predominance of clay-sized particles. The plain of upper Iguacu river has the largest kaolinitic deposit in the south of Brazil and its formation raised doubts if this kaolin was transported or formed in situ due the high organic matter in the alluvial plain. To elucidate the origin of kaolin deposits, we sampled a possible font of the mineral, in the mountains of Serra do Mar and sampled two tubes that reach 4 m depth in the upper Iguacu plain. We performed textural analysis, organic carbon, X-ray diffraction, Kt crystallography in silt and clay fractions, thermal analysis (TDA/TG) to quantify Kt and Gb in the clay fraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with dispersive energy spectroscopy (EDS). The TDA/TG analysis demonstrated that saprolite has 66% of the kaolinite found in the plain. The XRD analysis shows a significant presence of mica (Mc) in all samples of the silt fraction, both in Serra do Mar and in the plain. In SEM/EDS, crystals with planar growth are observed, and the presence of pseudomorphic Mc-Kt in the silt fraction of all analyzed samples, with emphasis on the tubes sample with the crystal having almost twice the size of that observed in the saprolite sample from Serra do Mar, allowing to infer that the Kt of the silt fraction of the wetland soils were formed on site by the diagenesis of mica particles. The results obtained in this work indicate that the kaolinitic material found in the wetland of the upper Iguacu plain is the result of weathering processes in the wetland itself, evidenced by the large pseudomorphs found, even greater than those observed in Serra do Mar.

scientific communication and education↗

Nurturing Diversity and Inclusion in AI in Biomedicine through a Virtual Summer Program for High School Students

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the power to improve our lives through a wide variety of applications, many of which fall into the healthcare space; however, a lack of diversity is contributing to flawed systems that perpetuate gender and racial biases, and limit how broadly AI can help people. The UCSF AI4ALL program was established in 2019 to address this issue by promoting diversity and inclusion in AI. The program targets high school students from underrepresented backgrounds in AI and gives them a chance to learn about AI with a focus on biomedicine. In 2020, the UCSF AI4ALL three-week program was held entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus students participated virtually to gain experience with AI, interact with diverse role models in AI, and learn about advancing health through AI. Specifically, they attended lectures in coding and AI, received an in-depth research experience through hands-on projects exploring COVID-19, and engaged in mentoring and personal development sessions with faculty, researchers, industry professionals, and undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom were women and from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds. At the conclusion of the program, the students presented the results of their research projects at our final symposium. Comparison of pre- and post-program survey responses from students demonstrated that after the program, significantly more students were familiar with how to work with data and to evaluate and apply machine learning algorithms. There was also a nominally significant increase in the students knowing people in AI from historically underrepresented groups, feeling confident in discussing AI, and being aware of careers in AI. We found that we were able to engage young students in AI via our online training program and nurture greater inclusion in AI.

scientific communication and education↗

A meta-analysis of effects of feeding seaweed on beef and dairy cattle performance and methane yield

There has been considerable interest in the use of red seaweed, and in particular Asparagopsis taxiformis, to increase production of cattle and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We hypothesized that feeding seaweed or seaweed derived products would increase beef or dairy cattle performance as indicated by average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency measures, milk production, and milk constituents, and reduce methane emissions. We used meta-analytical methods to evaluate these hypotheses. A comprehensive search of Google Scholar, Pubmed and ISI Web of Science produced 14 experiments from which 23 comparisons of treatment effects could be evaluated. Red seaweed (A. taxiformis) and brown seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) were the dominant seaweeds used. There were no effects of treatment on ADG or dry matter intake (DMI). There was an increase in efficiency for feed to gain by 0.41 {+/-} 0.22 kg per kg [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.70 {+/-} 0.35; P = 0.001], but not for gain to feed (P = 0.215), although the direction of the change was for improved efficiency. The type of seaweed used was not a significant covariable for ADG and DMI. Milk production was increased with treatment on weighted mean difference (WMD; 1.35 {+/-} 0.44 kg/d; P <0.001); however, the SMD of 0.45 was not significant (P = 0.111). Extremely limited data suggest the possibility of increased percentages of milk fat (P = 0.040) and milk protein (P = 0.001) on DerSimonian and Laird (D&L) WMD evaluation. The limited data available indicate dietary supplementation with seaweed produced a significant and substantial reduction in methane yield by 5.28 {+/-} 3.5 g/kg DMI (P = 0.003) on D&L WMD evaluation and a D&L SMD of -1.70 (P = 0.001); however, there was marked heterogeneity in the results (I2 > 80%). In one comparison, methane yield was reduced by 97%. We conclude that while there was evidence of potential for benefit from seaweed use to improve production and reduce methane yield more in vivo experiments are required to strengthen the evidence of effect and identify sources of heterogeneity in methane response, while practical applications and potential risks are evaluated for seaweed use.

scientific communication and education↗