Project description:Raw metagenomic sequences of the he WELCOME (WEilL COrnell Medicine Employees) (protocol number IRB# 20-04021831) trial conducted at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) and New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYP)
Project description:Europe recently experienced a large influx of refugees, spurring much public debate about the admission and integration of refugees and migrants into society. Previous research based on cross-sectional data found that European citizens generally favour asylum seekers with high employability, severe vulnerabilities, and Christians over Muslims. These preferences and attitudes were found to be homogeneous across countries and socio-demographic groups. Here, we do not study the general acceptance of asylum seekers, but the acceptance of refugee and migrant homes in citizens' vicinity and how it changes over time. Based on a repeated stated choice experiment on preferences for refugee and migrant homes, we show that the initially promoted "welcome culture" towards refugees in Germany was not reflected in the views of a majority of a sample of German citizens who rather disapproved refugee homes in their vicinity. Their preferences have not changed between November 2015, the peak of "welcome culture," and November 2016, after political debates, media reporting and public discourse had shifted towards limiting admission of immigrants. A minority of one fifth of the sample population, who were initially rather approving of refugee and migrant homes being established in their vicinity, were more likely to change their preferences towards a rather disapproving position in 2016. Experience of contact with refugees and migrants, higher education, and general pro-immigration attitudes explain acceptance of refugee and migrant homes as well as preference stability over time. Country of origin and religion of refugees and migrants are considered less important than decent housing conditions and whether refugee and migrants arrive as families or single persons. In this respect our results highlight the importance of humanitarian aspects of sheltering and integration of refugees and other migrants into society.
Project description:This study explored whether there is a gender difference in letter-sound knowledge when children start at school. 485 children aged 5-6 years completed assessment of letter-sound knowledge, i.e., large letters; sound of large letters; small letters; sound of small letters. The findings indicate a significant difference between girls and boys in all four factors tested in this study in favor of the girls. There are still no clear explanations to the basis of a presumed gender difference in letter-sound knowledge. That the findings have origin in neuro-biological factors cannot be excluded, however, the fact that girls probably have been exposed to more language experience/stimulation compared to boys, lends support to explanations derived from environmental aspects.
Project description:I am pleased to introduce Methods and Protocols, a new multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal devoted to providing an open forum to report on new procedural approaches and cutting-edge methodological developments.[...].
Project description:Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses, or representatives of the proposed order Megavirales, belong to families of giant viruses that infect a broad range of eukaryotic hosts. Megaviruses have been previously described to comprise a fourth monophylogenetic TRUC (things resisting uncompleted classification) together with cellular domains in the universal tree of life. Recently described pandoraviruses have large (1.9-2.5 MB) and highly divergent genomes. In the present study, we updated the classification of pandoraviruses and other reported giant viruses. Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on six informational genes. Hierarchical clustering was performed based on a set of informational genes from Megavirales members and cellular organisms. Homologous sequences were selected from cellular organisms using TimeTree software, comprising comprehensive, and representative sets of members from Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Phylogenetic analyses based on three conserved core genes clustered pandoraviruses with phycodnaviruses, exhibiting their close relatedness. Additionally, hierarchical clustering analyses based on informational genes grouped pandoraviruses with Megavirales members as a super group distinct from cellular organisms. Thus, the analyses based on core conserved genes revealed that pandoraviruses are new genuine members of the 'Fourth TRUC' club, encompassing distinct life forms compared with cellular organisms.
Project description:"Letters to the Editor" that address original articles significantly contribute to medical literature. Utilizing letters published in obstetrics and gynecology journals as a study model, I aimed to classify letters according to their context, providing a valuable framework for readers to comprehend the significance of letters and for authors to effectively write them. Using a sample of 40 recent letters from the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research (JOGR), I classified letters into three main categories based on their attitude to addressed articles: Disagreement, Agreement, and Complementary. I further subclassified each category into subcategories, including "Interpretation claim," "Data addition," and "Historical viewpoint." The same procedure was carried out for the 24 most recent letters from BJOG and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and also for the JMA Journal. Disagreement letters were prevalent in all three OBGYN journals, accounting for 1/2 to 2/3 of all letters. The rest letters were categorized either as "Agreement" or "Complimentary." Subcategorizations demonstrated different ratios of letters of the three categories among journals. I believe that the attempt to categorize and subcategorize letters offers valuable insights into the letters, potentially enhancing clarity in medical literature communication.