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  • Correction: Phenotypic and genotypic drug susceptibility patterns of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> isolates from pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Central and Southern Ethiopia

    by Melaku Tilahun, Teklu Wegayehu, Biniam Wondale, Tewodros Tariku Gebresilase, Tesfaye Gebreyohannes, Abraham Tekola, Mekdes Alemu, Sebsib Neway, Bethlehem Adnew, Maeruf Fetu Nassir, Yonas Kassahun, Abraham Aseffa, Kidist Bobosha



  • A study on the determination of the factors affecting the happiness levels of older individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish society

    by Nurşen Çomaklı Duvar, Ahmet Kamil Kabakuş, Neslihan İyit, Ömer Alkan

    This study aims to determine the factors affecting the happiness levels of older individuals in Türkiye during the COVID-19 pandemic. The microdata set from the 2020 Life Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute was utilized, involving 1,863 individuals aged 60 and above. The relationship between happiness levels and various factors was investigated using the chi-square independence test, and the factors affecting happiness were further analyzed through generalized ordered logistic regression. According to the generalized ordered logistic regression model, participants in the 60–64 age group are 10.1% less likely to report happiness compared to those aged 65 and older. Men are 4.3% less likely than women to report happiness. Furthermore, individuals with no formal education and those with primary school education have a 14.4% and 9.4% higher likelihood of happiness, respectively, compared to university graduates. The literature on happiness demonstrates the relationship between different factors and happiness. This study determined that such factors as gender, age, educational status, source of happiness, health satisfaction, hope scale, and homeownership have an impact on the happiness levels of older individuals. The amount of societal support provided to older individuals can be an indicator of their level of happiness.

  • Correction: Comprehensive assessment of a nationwide simulation-based course for artificial life support

    by Mateusz Puslecki, Marek Dabrowski, Marcin Ligowski, Bishoy Zakhary, Ahmed S. Said, Kollengode Ramanathan, Elaine Cooley, Lukasz Puslecki, Sebastian Stefaniak, Piotr Ziemak, Ilona Kiel-Puslecka, Agata Dabrowska, Tomasz Klosiewicz, Maciej Sip, Radoslaw Zalewski, Malgorzata Ladzinska, Wojciech Mrowczynski, Piotr Ladzinski, Lidia Szlanga, Konrad Baumgart, Piotr Kupidlowski, Lukasz Szarpak, Marek Jemielity, Bartlomiej Perek



  • Class-specific school closures for seasonal influenza: Optimizing timing and duration to prevent disease spread and minimize educational losses

    by Yukiko Masumoto, Hiromi Kawasaki, Ryota Matsuyama, Miwako Tsunematsu, Masayuki Kakehashi

    School closures are a safe and important strategy for preventing infectious diseases in schools. However, the effects of school closures have not been fully demonstrated, and prolonged school closures have a negative impact on students and communities. This study evaluated class-specific school closure strategies to prevent the spread of seasonal influenza and determine the optimal timing and duration. We constructed a new model to describe the incidence of influenza in each class based on a stochastic susceptible-exposed-infected-removed model. We collected data on the number of infected absentees and class-specific school closures due to influenza from four high schools and the number of infected cases from the community in a Japanese city over three seasons (2016–2017, 2017–2018, and 2018–2019). The parameters included in the model were estimated using epidemic data. We evaluated the effects of class-specific school closures by measuring the reduced cumulative incidence of class closures per day. The greatest reduction in the cumulative absences per day was observed in the four-day class closure. When class-specific school closures lasted for four days, the reduction in the cumulative number of infections per class closure day was greater when the closure was timed earlier. The highest reduction in the number of class closures per person-day occurred when the threshold was around 5.0%. Large variations in the reduction of cumulative incidence were noted owing to stochastic factors. Reactive, class-specific school closures for seasonal influenza were most efficient when the percentage of newly infected students exceeded around 5.0%, with a closure duration of four days. The optimal strategy of class-specific school closure provides good long-term performance but may be affected by random variations.

  • Correction: Correction: Association of dietary sodium intake with impaired fasting glucose in adult cancer survivors: A population-based cross-sectional study

    by The PLOS ONE Staff