Background: Web search data have proven to bea valuable early indicator of COVID-19 outbreaks. However, the influence of co-morbid conditions with similar symptoms and the effect of media coverage on symptom-related searches are often overlooked, leading to potential inaccuracies in COVID-19 simulations.
Method: This study introduces a machine learning-based approach to estimate the magnitude of the impact of media coverage and comorbid conditions with similar symptoms on online symptom searches, based on two scenarios with quantile levels 10-90 and 25-75. An incremental batch learning RNN-LSTM model was then developed for the COVID-19 simulation in Australia and New Zealand, allowing the model to dynamically simulate different infection rates and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Result: The COVID-19 infected person-directed symptom searches were found to account for only a small proportion of the total search volume (on average 33.68% in Australia vs. 36.89% in New Zealand) compared to searches influenced by media coverage and comorbid conditions (on average 44.88% in Australia vs. 50.94% in New Zealand). The proposed method, which incorporates estimated symptom component ratios into the RNN-LSTM embedding model, significantly improved COVID-19 simulation performance.
Conclusion: Media coverage and comorbid conditions with similar symptoms dominate the total number of online symptom searches, suggesting that direct use of online symptom search data in COVID-19 simulations may overestimate COVID-19 infections. Our approach provides new insights into the accurate estimation of COVID-19 infections using online symptom searches, thereby assisting governments in developing complementary methods for public health surveillance.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2024.2311281 | DOI Listing |
Sensors (Basel)
January 2025
College of Geodesy and Geomatics, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China.
Underwater acoustic transducers need to expand the coverage of acoustic signals as much as possible in most ocean explorations, and the directivity indicators of transducers are difficult to change after the device is packaged, which makes the emergence angle of the underwater acoustic transducer limited in special operating environments, such as polar regions, submarine volcanoes, and cold springs. Taking advantage of the refractive characteristics of sound waves propagating in different media, the directivity indicators can be controlled by installing an acoustic lens outside the underwater acoustic transducer. To increase the detection range of an underwater acoustic transducer in a specific marine environment, a curvature-determining method for the diverging acoustic lens of an underwater acoustic transducer is proposed based on the acoustic ray tracing theory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNurs Rep
January 2025
Department of Nursing, University of Applied Health Sciences, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Mass media play a crucial role not only in informing the public but also in shaping public perception, educating, and enhancing the visibility of various professions, including nursing. Despite being the most populous healthcare profession, nursing remains underrepresented in media coverage. This imbalance affects the social status of the nursing profession and its public perception.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomimetics (Basel)
January 2025
Research Group Architectural Engineering, Department of Architecture, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
Mycelium-based composites (MBCs) are highly valued for their ability to transform low-value organic materials into sustainable building materials, offering significant potential for decarbonizing the construction sector. The properties of MBCs are influenced by factors such as the mycelium species, substrate materials, fabrication growth parameters, and post-processing. Traditional fabrication methods involve combining grain spawn with loose substrates in a mold to achieve specific single functional properties, such as strength, acoustic absorption, or thermal insulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Statistics and Data Science, College of Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Social media is profoundly changing our society with its unprecedented spreading power. Due to the complexity of human behaviors and the diversity of massive messages, the information-spreading dynamics are complicated, and the reported mechanisms are different and even controversial. Based on data from mainstream social media platforms, including WeChat, Weibo, and Twitter, cumulatively encompassing a total of 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Public Health
January 2025
School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia.
Background: HIV continues to be a significant global health issue, particularly affecting sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania. Knowing one's HIV status is a crucial first step in combating HIV/AIDS and achieving the targets set for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. However, despite ongoing efforts, HIV testing coverage remains low in developing countries, including Tanzania, where testing among young people poses particular challenges.
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