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Danielson RW, Grace E, White AJ, Kelton ML, Owen JP, Fisher KS, Martinez AD, Mozo M. Facilitating Systems Thinking Through Arts-Based STEM Integration. FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION 2022; 7:915333. [PMID: 38283981 PMCID: PMC10817773 DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2022.915333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Engaging with socio-scientific issues often involves making sense of how - and for whom - actions, choices, and policies might affect aspects of daily life. Understanding the complexity of socio-scientific issues also requires recognizing the interconnectedness of - and working across - multiple communities and professions. We suggest that art, whether musical composition, illustrations, or sculpture / collage across materials would promote the synthesis of different types of knowledge across different scales and systems. The present investigation seeks to understand how arts integration into STEM curriculum could support systems thinking around socio-scientific issues, specifically around the issue of pathogen transmission in rural-agricultural communities. Our after-school program, which works with 3rd - 5th grade students in rural-agricultural communities, leverages the arts to promote systems-level understanding of zoonotic diseases and ecosystem dynamics. A total of 23 students across two sites located in rural communities in the Western United States participated in our afterschool program. We found that after completing the program students expanded their understanding of both the connections between concepts and an understanding of careers related to ecosystem dynamics. We suggest that educators can integrate both arts and sciences together to enhance systems thinking and expand student perception of the interconnectedness of STEM disciplines and their everyday lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert William Danielson
- Department of Kinesiology and Educational Psychology, College of Education, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Grace
- Department of Teaching and Learning, College of Education, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, United States
| | - Alison Joanne White
- 4-H Youth Development Regional Specialist (Extension), College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Yakima, WA, United States
| | - Molly Louise Kelton
- Department of Teaching and Learning, College of Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Jeb P. Owen
- Department of Entomology, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Kristin Saba Fisher
- Department of Teaching and Learning, College of Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - AnaMaria Diaz Martinez
- Human and Family Development Regional Specialist (Extension), College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pasco, WA, United States
| | - Maria Mozo
- Biotechnology, MiraCosta College, Oceanside, CA, United States
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Vlaskamp DR, Thijsen SF, Reimerink J, Hilkens P, Bouvy WH, Bantjes SE, Vlaminckx BJ, Zaaijer H, van den Kerkhof HH, Raven SF, Reusken CB. First autochthonous human West Nile virus infections in the Netherlands, July to August 2020. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 25. [PMID: 33213687 PMCID: PMC7678035 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.46.2001904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
In October 2020, the first case of autochthonous West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease was diagnosed in the Netherlands with a presumed infection in the last week of August. Investigations revealed five more cases of local West Nile virus (WNV) infection. The cases resided in a region where WNV was detected in a bird and mosquitoes in August 2020. Molecular analysis was successful for two cases and identified the presence of WNV lineage 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danique Rm Vlaskamp
- These authors contributed equally.,Department of Neurology, St. Antonius hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Steven Ft Thijsen
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Diakonessenhuis Hospital, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,These authors contributed equally
| | - Johan Reimerink
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.,These authors contributed equally
| | - Pieter Hilkens
- Department of Neurology, St. Antonius hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Willem H Bouvy
- Department of Neurology, Diakonessenhuis Hospital, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sabine E Bantjes
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Bart Jm Vlaminckx
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Zaaijer
- Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation and Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Htc van den Kerkhof
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Stijn Fh Raven
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Service region Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.,These authors contributed equally
| | - Chantal Bem Reusken
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.,These authors contributed equally
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Petersen LR. Epidemiology of West Nile Virus in the United States: Implications for Arbovirology and Public Health. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 56:1456-1462. [PMID: 31549728 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Since West Nile virus (WNV) emerged in the United States in 1999, 22,999 neuroinvasive disease cases in humans were reported through 2017. These cases have arisen from an estimated seven million human infections. Population incidence is geographically heterogeneous and is highest in the West and Midwest. Upwards of 2% of the population in some jurisdictions may become infected during outbreaks. Before universal screening of the United States blood supply, this high infection incidence and that approximately 75% of those infected remain asymptomatic translated into a considerable risk of WNV transfusion transmission despite the short duration of viremia following infection. Universal blood donor screening has nearly eliminated the risk of WNV transfusion transmission, but at enormous cost. WNV transmission via transplanted organs carries extremely high morbidity and mortality. Improved vector surveillance and timely and effective response to surveillance data can reduce the impact of WNV and should remain public health priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyle R Petersen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO
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DeFelice NB, Schneider ZD, Little E, Barker C, Caillouet KA, Campbell SR, Damian D, Irwin P, Jones HMP, Townsend J, Shaman J. Use of temperature to improve West Nile virus forecasts. PLoS Comput Biol 2018. [PMID: 29522514 PMCID: PMC5862506 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological and laboratory studies have demonstrated that temperature modulates West Nile virus (WNV) transmission dynamics and spillover infection to humans. Here we explore whether inclusion of temperature forcing in a model depicting WNV transmission improves WNV forecast accuracy relative to a baseline model depicting WNV transmission without temperature forcing. Both models are optimized using a data assimilation method and two observed data streams: mosquito infection rates and reported human WNV cases. Each coupled model-inference framework is then used to generate retrospective ensemble forecasts of WNV for 110 outbreak years from among 12 geographically diverse United States counties. The temperature-forced model improves forecast accuracy for much of the outbreak season. From the end of July until the beginning of October, a timespan during which 70% of human cases are reported, the temperature-forced model generated forecasts of the total number of human cases over the next 3 weeks, total number of human cases over the season, the week with the highest percentage of infectious mosquitoes, and the peak percentage of infectious mosquitoes that on average increased absolute forecast accuracy 5%, 10%, 12%, and 6%, respectively, over the non-temperature forced baseline model. These results indicate that use of temperature forcing improves WNV forecast accuracy and provide further evidence that temperature influences rates of WNV transmission. The findings provide a foundation for implementation of a statistically rigorous system for real-time forecast of seasonal WNV outbreaks and their use as a quantitative decision support tool for public health officials and mosquito control programs. West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of domestically acquired arthropod-borne viral disease in the United States. Here we show that accurate retrospective forecasts of mosquito infection rates and human WNV cases can be generated for a variety of locations in the U.S. Incorporation of temperature forcing into a baseline dynamic model improves our ability to accurately forecast WNV outbreaks and provides further evidence that temperature modulates rates of WNV transmission. These findings provide a foundation for implementation of a statistically rigorous system for real-time short-term and seasonal forecast of WNV. Such a decision support tool would help public health officials and mosquito control programs target control of infectious mosquito populations, alert the public to future periods of elevated WNV spillover transmission risk, and identify when to intensify blood donor screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B. DeFelice
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Zachary D. Schneider
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Eliza Little
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Christopher Barker
- Center for Vectorborne Diseases, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Kevin A. Caillouet
- St. Tammany Parish Mosquito Abatement District, St. Tammany Parish, Slidell, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Scott R. Campbell
- Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory, Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Yaphank, New York, United States of America
| | - Dan Damian
- Vector Control Division, Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Patrick Irwin
- Northwest Mosquito Abatement District, Wheeling, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Herff M. P. Jones
- Iberia Parish Mosquito Abatement District, Iberia Parish, New Iberia, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - John Townsend
- Vector Control Division, Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey Shaman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
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Hospital-based enhanced surveillance for West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease. Epidemiol Infect 2016; 144:3170-3175. [DOI: 10.1017/s0950268816001138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYAccurate data on the incidence of West Nile virus (WNV) disease are important for directing public health education and control activities. The objective of this project was to assess the underdiagnosis of WNV neuroinvasive disease through laboratory testing of patients with suspected viral meningitis or encephalitis at selected hospitals serving WNV-endemic regions in three states. Of the 279 patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens tested for WNV immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, 258 (92%) were negative, 19 (7%) were positive, and two (1%) had equivocal results. Overall, 63% (12/19) of patients with WNV IgM-positive CSF had WNV IgM testing ordered by their attending physician. Seven (37%) cases would not have been identified as probable WNV infections without the further testing conducted through this project. These findings indicate that over a third of WNV infections in patients with clinically compatible neurological illness might be undiagnosed due to either lack of testing or inappropriate testing, leading to substantial underestimates of WNV neuroinvasive disease burden. Efforts should be made to educate healthcare providers and laboratorians about the local epidemiology of arboviral diseases and the optimal tests to be used in different clinical situations.
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Completeness of West Nile virus testing in patients with meningitis and encephalitis during an outbreak in Arizona, USA. Epidemiol Infect 2011; 140:1632-6. [PMID: 22123531 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268811002494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate data on West Nile virus (WNV) cases help guide public health education and control activities, and impact regional WNV blood product screening procedures. During an outbreak of WNV disease in Arizona, records from patients with meningitis or encephalitis were reviewed to determine the proportion tested for WNV. Of 60 patients identified with meningitis or encephalitis, 24 (40%) were tested for WNV. Only 12 (28%) of 43 patients aged <50 years were tested for WNV compared to 12 (71%) of 17 patients aged ≥50 years (P<0·01). Patients with clinical signs of weakness or paralysis, elevated CSF protein, admitted to an inpatient facility, or discharged to a rehabilitation facility were also more likely to have WNV testing performed. The lack of testing in younger age groups and in those with less severe disease probably resulted in substantial underestimates of WNV neuroinvasive disease burden.
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