A Century of Seminars: Celebrating the Centennial of Knowledge Transfer in Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota

The advent of horticulture, backed by research, teaching, and extension in the State of Minnesota during the 1800s, had long-term ramifications for initiating opportunities for the newly formed University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Minnesota State Horticultural Society--all of which worked closely together. The founding of the horticulture department in 1888, then known as the Division of Horticulture and Forestry, provided long-term commitment to address the needs of the horticulture field. The integration of female students in 1897 provided inclusivity of gender perspectives in horticulture and enabled essential services during World War I (WWI), when male students, faculty, and administrators were drafted into military service. After the sudden death of Dr. Samuel Green, the first Department Head, in 1910, Dr. LeRoy Cady (who served as an Acting Department Head) instituted a novel idea at the time of having weekly departmental seminars. These formally commenced on 13 Jan. 1913, with the first seminar entitled "Organization of the Seminar." A survey across the country of horticulture or plant science-based departments revealed its uniqueness as being the oldest seminar series in the country and, undoubtedly, the world. An early seminar tradition included taste-testing of fruit. Early seminars were conducted in the department office of the newly built Horticulture Building (opened in 1899). This idea of the seminar format--as a valuable mechanism of exchanging ideas and increasing department associations--was spread by faculty and Dr. Cady at national and regional meetings of the American Society for Horticultural Science. The seminar concept stretched across the country to other universities and colleges with horticulture programs to make such a forum commonplace to convey research, teaching, and outreach findings in academic settings. Knowledge of the history of the seminar series remained obscure until the record book was discovered in 2010, which provided documentation of its founding and the early years of knowledge-sharing in seminar format. To mark this unique event in horticultural science, a centennial celebration of the seminar series occurred on 13 Jan. 2013. An estimated total of 1899 seminars have been presented during this century-long period. However, a gap in the seminars during 1916 to 1925 was unexplained in the record book. Examination of the departmental, college, and university archives during this time period revealed two primary reasons for this: WWI and the 1918 influenza epidemic. The War Department's takeover of all college and university campuses in 1918 resulted in the decimation of the faculty and student body by mandatory service (all males age 18--45 years), the institution of a wartime curriculum (which limited the number and types of horticulture classes), the takeover of essential departmental functions by nondrafted men and all female students/faculty, the building of barracks (many of which were on horticultural research plots), and the cessation of all activities, including the seminar. Concurrently, the 1918 infuenza outbreak prohibited social gatherings, thus limiting interactions such as seminars. Only a few photographs exist of students wearing masks in 1918, but the impact of the flu seriously affected the ability of students to return to the University of Minnesota after WWI. One subtle benefit in 1918 was the first-ever admission of disabled students (veterans) to horticulture classes. The deaths of students, faculty, and administrators on WWI battlefields, in training camps, or by influenza, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, devastated the department for years. Lessons learned from these tragedies resonate with the modern-day continuation of the seminar series in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of HortScience is the property of American Society for Horticultural Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Effect of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Asthma Biological Rhythms.

Asthma has a striking temporal character, in which time-of-day, patient age, and season each influence disease activity. The extent to which rhythms in asthma activity reflect exposure to specific disease triggers remains unclear. In this study, we examined how virus mitigation strategies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic ("lockdown measures") affected rhythms in asthma clinical activity in children. To this end, we retrospectively analyzed asthma clinical presentations in children aged <18 years to our regional academic medical center, comparing 4 years of medical records prior to COVID-19 lockdown measures with the 12 months immediately after the institution of such measures. We correlated these data to positive viral test results, febrile seizures, and allergic clinical surrogates (allergic reaction visits and Emergency Department [ED] antihistamine prescriptions, respectively) over the same time frame. In the 12 months following the institution of the COVID-19 lockdown, positivity rates for common respiratory viruses dropped by 70.2% and ED visits for asthma among children dropped by 62% compared to pre-COVID years. Lockdown suppressed seasonal variation in positive viral tests and asthma ED visits, while diurnal rhythms in asthma visits were unchanged. Asthma seasonality correlated most strongly with rhinovirus positivity both before and after the institution of COVID lockdown measures. Altogether, our data support a causal role for viruses in driving seasonal variability in asthma exacerbations in children.

Plasmonic Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein with Polymer-Stabilized Glycosylated Gold Nanorods.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for innovative biosensing, diagnostic, and surveillance platforms. Here we report that glycosylated, polymer-stabilized, gold nanorods can bind the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and show correlation to the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in primary COVID-19 clinical samples. Telechelic polymers were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization, enabling the capture of 2,3-sialyllactose and immobilization onto gold nanorods. Control experiments with a panel of lectins and a galactosamine-terminated polymer confirmed the selective binding. The glycosylated rods were shown to give dose-dependent responses against recombinant truncated SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and the responses were further correlated using primary patient swab samples. The essentiality of the anisotropic particles for reducing the background interference is demonstrated. This highlights the utility of polymer tethering of glycans for plasmonic biosensors of infection.

Age-Dependent Reduction in Asthmatic Pathology through Reprogramming of Postviral Inflammatory Responses.

Asthma is a chronic disease of childhood, but for unknown reasons, disease activity sometimes subsides as children mature. In this study, we present clinical and animal model evidence suggesting that the age dependency of childhood asthma stems from an evolving host response to respiratory viral infection. Using clinical data, we show that societal suppression of respiratory virus transmission during coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown disrupted the traditional age gradient in pediatric asthma exacerbations, connecting the phenomenon of asthma remission to virus exposure. In mice, we show that asthmatic lung pathology triggered by Sendai virus (SeV) or influenza A virus is highly age-sensitive: robust in juvenile mice (4-6 wk old) but attenuated in mature mice (>3 mo old). Interestingly, allergen induction of the same asthmatic traits was less dependent on chronological age than viruses. Age-specific responses to SeV included a juvenile bias toward type 2 airway inflammation that emerged early in infection, whereas mature mice exhibited a more restricted bronchiolar distribution of infection that produced a distinct type 2 low inflammatory cytokine profile. In the basal state, aging produced changes to lung leukocyte burden, including the number and transcriptional landscape of alveolar macrophages (AMs). Importantly, depleting AMs in mature mice restored post-SeV pathology to juvenile levels. Thus, aging influences chronic outcomes of respiratory viral infection through regulation of the AM compartment and type 2 inflammatory responses to viruses. Our data provide insight into how asthma remission might develop in children.

Comparison of 6 SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Methods and Correlation With the Cycle Threshold Distribution in Clinical Specimens.

BACKGROUND: The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patient samples is of critical importance in the management of patients and monitoring transmission in the population. However, data on the analytical performance characteristics for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical specimens between individual targets within the same platform, and among different analytical platforms, are limited. METHODS: Here we evaluated the performance of 6 different sample-to-answer SARS-CoV-2 detection methods-Roche cobas 6800, Cepheid GeneXpert, Diasorin Simplexa, Luminex Aries emergency use authorization (EUA), Luminex Aries research use only (RUO), and bioMérieux BioFire-in clinical specimens with a range of viral loads. RESULTS: The positive percentage agreement between the Roche cobas 6800 and GeneXpert was 100%, Diasorin 95%, Aries EUA 74%, Aries RUO 83%, and BioFire 97%. Notably, in samples with cycle threshold (Ct) values below 30 for the E gene on the Roche cobas 6800 platform, we found 100% positive agreement among all platforms. Given these results, we examined the distribution of over 10 000 Ct values of all positive specimens from individuals at our institution on the Roche cobas platform. Nearly 60% of specimens from asymptomatic individuals had a PCR Ct value >30 as measured using the cobas 6800 assay E gene. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate performance characteristics between different platforms by Ct value and provide data regarding the distribution of viral RNA present in positive specimens.

Glycan-Based Flow-Through Device for the Detection of SARS-COV-2.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and future pandemics, require diagnostic tools to track disease spread and guide the isolation of (a)symptomatic individuals. Lateral-flow diagnostics (LFDs) are rapid and of lower cost than molecular (genetic) tests, with current LFDs using antibodies as their recognition units. Herein, we develop a prototype flow-through device (related, but distinct to LFDs), utilizing N-acetyl neuraminic acid-functionalized, polymer-coated, gold nanoparticles as the detection/capture unit for SARS-COV-2, by targeting the sialic acid-binding site of the spike protein. The prototype device can give rapid results, with higher viral loads being faster than lower viral loads. The prototype's effectiveness is demonstrated using spike protein, lentiviral models, and a panel of heat-inactivated primary patient nasal swabs. The device was also shown to retain detection capability toward recombinant spike proteins from several variants (mutants) of concern. This study provides the proof of principle that glyco-lateral-flow devices could be developed to be used in the tracking monitoring of infectious agents, to complement, or as alternatives to antibody-based systems.

Multiplatform Assessment of Saliva for SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Detection in Symptomatic Healthcare Personnel and Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Saliva has garnered great interest as an alternative specimen type for molecular detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Data are limited on the relative performance of different molecular methods using saliva specimens and the relative sensitivity of saliva to nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs. METHODS: To address the gap in knowledge, we enrolled symptomatic healthcare personnel (n = 250) from Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University Medical Center and patients presenting to the Emergency Department with clinical symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; n = 292). We collected paired saliva specimens and NP swabs. The Lyra SARS-CoV-2 assay (Quidel) was evaluated on paired saliva and NP samples. Subsequently we compared the Simplexa COVID-19 Direct Kit (Diasorin) and a modified SalivaDirect (Yale) assay on a subset of positive and negative saliva specimens. RESULTS: The positive percent agreement (PPA) between saliva and NP samples using the Lyra SARS-CoV-2 assay was 63.2%. Saliva samples had higher SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold values compared to NP swabs (P < 0.0001). We found a 76.47% (26/34) PPA for Simplexa COVID-19 Direct Kit on saliva and a 67.6% (23/34) PPA for SalivaDirect compared to NP swab results. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate molecular assays have variability in performance for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva.

Introduction of a novel COVID-19 biomarker panel by coventry and warwickshire pathology services (CWPS)

COVID-19 is heterogeneous in presentation, with cough, fever, dyspnoea and in some cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome documented. Confidence in the interpretation of clinical symptoms and management of patients can be enhanced with the use of biomarkers and could provide clinicians with a tool to predict prognosis and mortality, allowing for earlier interventions and optimal resource allocation.In March 2020, clinicians approached CWPS requesting the provision of biomarkers, as highlighted in early publications. The aim of this change was to improve the clinical management of patients, remove the need for referral laboratory testing and ensure swift translation of recent evidence into clinical practice. Cost, method availability, IT requirements, assay verification, sample needs and appropriate testing were all considered when extending the scope of service. Continued dialogue with those leading the local COVID clinical pathway ensured the change was clinically supported and that testing was incorporated into the trust ward management strategies.Royal College of Pathology guidelines later published in April 2020 supported the service change and literature reviews continue to highlight the role of inflammatory markers for patient stratification;with a recent systematic review finding some of the included biomarkers increased in more severe infections. The Association of Clinical Biochemistry have also made a statement encouraging this type of innovation, utilising both scientific and medical staff in the improvement of patient care.In collaboration with statisticians from local universities, biomarker data is being interrogated so that any findings may be translated into practice. Currently, multiple regression analysis has allowed the creation of models to explain association of analytes with outcomes and it is hoped continued work will allow the creation of decisions trees and clinical reference values.

Rapid establishment of a COVID-19 biobank at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)

Various hypotheses are currently explored regarding COVID-19 and its pathogenesis;however, the clinical spectrum of symptoms, severity and outcomes are not fully understood. Identifying how host response and co-morbidities impact disease presentation and progression are important to enable the development of treatments and predictive markers.In March 2020, Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Service began saving clinical samples from COVID patients for verification of new assays. Ethical approval was obtained to continue, thus providing a biobank for future collaborative research efforts. Challenges included;the need to establish an effective detection system for samples, the standardisation of procedures to enable timely processing, the organisation of DNA extraction and the storage of samples in an HTA approved facility.Daily search routines were developed to generate lists in a standardised template, enabling staff to identify and retrieve samples quickly. Sample processing was centralised and managed by re-deployed staff. Given supply chain issues with RNA extraction consumables for automated platforms, a manual approach to DNA extraction was taken with the help of local university research staff. Finally, collaboration with the UHCW Arden Tissue Bank enabled the storage of samples, complying with all legislation and regulatory procedures.As a result of the strategies employed, over 10,000 samples have been stored, with numbers continuing to rise. Clinical information has been sourced including;ethnicity, co-morbidities, ventilation, and patient outcome. This has enabled grouping of patients based on disease severity. Since multiple samples from single patients were saved, this has allowed for disease trajectory focussed projects.Not only is the biobank providing samples for trust-led research, through Arden Tissue Bank, samples and ethics can be supplied to academic, commercial and charity organisations - both nationally and internationally.

Association between community-based self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and social deprivation explored using symptom tracker apps: a repeated cross-sectional study in Northern Ireland.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the spatial and temporal relationships between the prevalence of COVID-19 symptoms in the community-level and area-level social deprivation. DESIGN: Spatial mapping, generalised linear models, using time as a factor and spatial-lag models were used to explore the relationship between self-reported COVID-19 symptom prevalence as recorded through two smartphone symptom tracker apps and a range of socioeconomic factors using a repeated cross-sectional study design. SETTING: In the community in Northern Ireland, UK. The analysis period included the earliest stages of non-pharmaceutical interventions and societal restrictions or 'lockdown' in 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Users of two smartphone symptom tracker apps recording self-reported health information who recorded their location as Northern Ireland, UK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Population standardised self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and correlation between population standardised self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and area-level characteristics from measures of multiple deprivation including employment levels and population housing density, derived as the mean number of residents per household for each census super output area. RESULTS: Higher self-reported prevalence of COVID-19 symptoms was associated with the most deprived areas (p<0.001) and with those areas with the lowest employment levels (p<0.001). Higher rates of self-reported COVID-19 symptoms within the age groups, 18-24 and 25-34 years were found within the most deprived areas during the earliest stages of non-pharmaceutical interventions and societal restrictions ('lockdown'). CONCLUSIONS: Through spatial regression of self-reporting COVID-19 smartphone data in the community, this research shows how a lens of social deprivation can deepen our understanding of COVID-19 transmission and prevention. Our findings indicate that social inequality, as measured by area-level deprivation, is associated with disparities in potential COVID-19 infection, with higher prevalence of self-reported COVID-19 symptoms in urban areas associated with area-level social deprivation, housing density and age.

Development of a Digital Lifestyle Modification Intervention for Use after Transient Ischaemic Attack or Minor Stroke: A Person-Based Approach.

This paper describes the development of the 'Brain-Fit' app, a digital secondary prevention intervention designed for use in the early phase after transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke. The aim of the study was to explore perceptions on usability and relevance of the app in order to maximise user engagement and sustainability. Using the theory- and evidence-informed person-based approach, initial planning included a scoping review of qualitative evidence to identify barriers and facilitators to use of digital interventions in people with cardiovascular conditions and two focus groups exploring experiences and support needs of people (N = 32) with a history of TIA or minor stroke. The scoping review and focus group data were analysed thematically and findings were used to produce guiding principles, a behavioural analysis and explanatory logic model for the intervention. Optimisation included an additional focus group (N = 12) and individual think-aloud interviews (N = 8) to explore perspectives on content and usability of a prototype app. Overall, thematic analysis highlighted uncertainty about increasing physical activity and concerns that fatigue might limit participation. Realistic goals and progressive increases in activity were seen as important to improving self-confidence and personal control. The app was seen as a useful and flexible resource. Participant feedback from the optimisation phase was used to make modifications to the app to maximise engagement, including simplification of the goal setting and daily data entry sections. Further studies are required to examine efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this novel digital intervention.

Evaluation of PCR cycle threshold values by patient population with the quidel lyra SARS-CoV-2 assay.

The Lyra SARS-CoV-2 assay was the primary method for molecular testing performed at Barnes-Jewish Healthcare System in St. Louis, Missouri during the initial COVID-19 surge from mid-March to late-April 2020. We performed a retrospective analysis of 1,043 positive Lyra SARS-CoV-2 results during these 36 days to investigate associations between cycle threshold (CT)  value and patient characteristics. Total RNA were extracted from NP or OP swabs using either the EasyMag or KingFisher automated extraction systems and quantified with RotorGene Q (Qiagen) or Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Dx thermocyclers respectively. Notably, we found lower a significant median lower CT for samples tested on the KingFisher-ABI 7500 fastDX (KF/ABI) system compared to the EasyMag/RotorGene (EM/RGQ) platform. Since 77.5% of our tests were ran on the EM/RGQ pipeline we then perform additional analysis on these values and found that C T values in outpatient care settings compared to samples obtained in the emergency department or inpatient had significantly lower C T values. These collective findings suggests a difference in viral load amongst various patient populations.

The Effects of "Dry Swab" Incubation on SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Testing.

BACKGROUND: Widespread testing of SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in shortages of collection devices and transport media. We evaluated the stability of flocked swabs inoculated with SARS-CoV-2-containing specimen incubated dry (i.e., without transport medium) at room temperature. METHODS: A pool of SARS-CoV-2 positive specimen was used to inoculate flocked swabs. Five swabs were placed immediately into universal transport media (UTM) following inoculation, and tested immediately (day 0). Fifteen of the swabs were placed into sterile 15-mL conical tubes and incubated at room temperature for 1, 2, or 7 days. Following incubation, swabs were hydrated in separate vials of UTM and tested. This protocol was repeated for viral transport media (VTM) and saline. As a comparison, a series of swabs was prepared and tested in parallel, but stored in the corresponding liquid transport media (UTM, VTM, or saline) and incubated at room temperature. Testing was performed at 1, 2, and 7 days postinoculation in duplicate. All molecular testing was performed using the Roche cobas SARS-CoV-2 assay. RESULTS: All dry swabs tested on days 1, 2, and 7 provided results that were within 2 cycle thresholds (CTs) of the average CT values for swabs hydrated in the same media and tested on day 0. There was no statistical difference in CT values between swabs incubated in liquid media versus dry swabs incubated at room temperature prior to hydration in liquid media. CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of "dry swabs" may simplify specimen collection, negate the need for liquid transport media, and mitigate safety risks while preserving the accuracy of testing.

Association between SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies and Commercial Serological Assays.

BACKGROUND: Commercially available SARS-CoV-2 serological assays based on different viral antigens have been approved for the qualitative determination of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. However, there are limited published data associating the results from commercial assays with neutralizing antibodies. METHODS: Sixty-six specimens from 48 patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 and a positive result by the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG, or EUROIMMUN SARS-CoV-2 IgG assays and 5 control specimens were analyzed for the presence of neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Correlation, concordance, positive percent agreement (PPA), and negative percent agreement (NPA) were calculated at several cutoffs. Results were compared in patients categorized by clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The correlation between SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing titer (EC50) and the Roche, Abbott, and EUROIMMUN assays was 0.29, 0.47, and 0.46, respectively. At an EC50 of 1:32, the concordance kappa with Roche was 0.49 (95% CI; 0.23-0.75), with Abbott was 0.52 (0.28-0.77), and with EUROIMMUN was 0.61 (0.4-0.82). At the same neutralizing titer, the PPA and NPA for the Roche was 100% (94-100) and 56% (30-80); Abbott was 96% (88-99) and 69% (44-86); and EUROIMMUN was 91% (80-96) and 81% (57-93) for distinguishing neutralizing antibodies. Patients who were intubated, had cardiac injury, or acute kidney injury from COVID-19 infection had higher neutralizing titers relative to those with mild symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 patients generate an antibody response to multiple viral proteins such that the calibrator ratios on the Roche, Abbott, and EUROIMMUN assays are all associated with SARS-CoV-2 neutralization. Nevertheless, commercial serological assays have poor NPA for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization, making them imperfect proxies for neutralization.