scholarly journals Is population anxiety associated with COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths? A study protocol.

Author(s):  
Frederik Feys ◽  
Abdallah Naser

BACKGROUND The nocebo effect is any harmful reaction following a negative suggestion. Anxiety can be seen as a manifestation of a nocebo context. The psychological stress of the COVID-19 pandemic led some people to experience COVID-19 symptoms, which were not actually related to a COVID-19 infection. A fundamental goal during the COVID-19 pandemic is to limit the COVID-19 related demand on healthcare systems and to minimize COVID-19 related deaths. This exploratory study aims to determine to what extent the anxiety in the population is related to the number of covid-19 related hospitalizations and deaths. METHODS We will quantify the magnitude of the relationship between population anxiety and hospitalizations / deaths. Anxiety will be assessed using the results of the most frequently used anxiety measuring scale. Official websites of governments will be screened to determine hospitalizations and deaths. Studies will be included if they had at least 100 respondents, used a validated anxiety scale, reported on the general population of a country, and were conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic. A search strategy will take into account the limited resources for this study and will be used to search Pubmed, MedRXiv and PsychRXiv. Screening will take place at two levels: abstracts and titles, followed by full text reports. One researcher will extract data which will be double checked by a second researcher. We will perform weighted OLS regression to quantify the relationship of anxiety and covid-19 related hospitalizations / deaths. DISCUSSION Covid-19 related measures can carry a significant social cost and risk of unwanted effects; it is therefore important to assess the extent to which anxiety in the population is related to covid-19 related hospitalizations or deaths. If anxiety can be properly reduced in the population, health care will be safeguarded. Thus, any strategy that reduces anxiety can then be included in evidence-based decision making.

Author(s):  
Jie Su ◽  
Jun Li

The location social network generates a large amount of data; these dada reflect the user's preferences and the popularity of the route, and a new model is provided for travel route search. Based on this demand, a problem of local distributed travel route search is proposed for group users. In this problem, the personal preferences of group users are combined, and an access route is found with partial POI (point of interest) and the largest group profit. The check-in data are used to generate a POI transfer relationship diagram based on the user's transfer between POIs, and route search is performed on the relationship diagram. In order to improve the search efficiency, a two-layer transfer relationship diagram is designed according to the popularity and transfer relationship of POI, the POI is generalized, and a hierarchical query is realized. A branch and bound search strategy optimization algorithm is designed, and the control relationship between nodes is used for pruning; the search efficiency of the algorithm is further improved.


2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Besley ◽  
Robin Burgess

The Millennium Development Goals—global targets that the world's leaders set at the Millennium Summit in September 2000—are an ambitious agenda for reducing poverty. As a central plank, these goals include halving the proportion of people living below a dollar a day from around 30 percent of the developing world’s population in 1990 to 15 percent by 2015—a reduction in the absolute number of poor of around one billion. This paper examines what economic research can tell us about how to fulfill these goals. It begins by discussing poverty trends on a global scale—where the poor are located in the world and how their numbers have been changing over time. It then discusses the relationship of economic growth and income distribution to poverty reduction. Finally, it suggests an evidence-based agenda for poverty reduction in the developing world.


1978 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 767-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Allen ◽  
Stephen R. Schroeder ◽  
Patricia G. Ball

Two groups of 10 subjects tracked a segment of the Aetna training film, Traffic Strategy, six times by manipulating the controls of an Aetna Drivo-Trainer station. One group was composed of licensed drivers, the other, nonlicensed. No significant differences were found with respect to: (1) use of the accelerator, (2) frequency of eye movements, (3) length of eye movements, (4) fixation errors, (5) driving errors, or (6) the relationship of control actions to driving errors. Differences were noted with respect to: (1) steering and braking, (2) the effects of practice on control actions and driving errors, and (3) the relationship of amplitude of eye movement to control actions and driving errors. The results are discussed in terms of possible differences in search strategy between experienced and inexperienced drivers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 298-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason McGlothlin ◽  
Betsy Page ◽  
Kelsey Jager

The SIMPLE STEPS (McGlothlin, 2008) model of suicide assessment provides clinicians with a comprehensive mnemonic framework for assessing suicide lethality. It provides a broader context to assess suicide compared to other mnemonic devices with similar intent (i.e., PLAID, PIMP, IS PATH WARM, etc.) In this article, six years of data (N = 13,423 records of individual callers to a suicide prevention hotline) were analyzed. Via regression analysis, the researchers examined the relationship of the SIMPLE STEPS variables to caller's suicide lethality. It was found that all variables of the SIMPLE STEPS model predicted suicide lethality. Furthermore, this article depicts one of the few evidence-based studies for using a mnemonic device in practice. The results of this study have implications for the general practice of assessing suicidal clients with mnemonic devices and the general treatment of suicidal clients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S957-S957
Author(s):  
Julie H Rentsch ◽  
David Bass ◽  
Kathy Kelly ◽  
Katie Maslow ◽  
Alyssa Ciancibello ◽  
...  

Abstract Family members and friends are the main providers of care for persons living with dementia. However, dementia caregivers are at greater risk than other caregivers of experiencing negative caregiving consequences. Despite the development of evidence-based programs to support dementia caregivers, few health or social service organizations offer any of these programs due, in part, to a lack of knowledge about their availability. Best Practice Caregiving is a newly launched website where professionals can get detailed information about these programs. Data collected to develop Best Practice Caregiving are analyzed for a sample of 42 evidence-based dementia caregiving programs to describe similarities and differences among programs including gaps in assistance available from these programs. Results show 64% of programs are delivered to caregivers only while the remaining are delivered to the caregiver and/or persons with dementia. Nearly half (43%) of the 42 programs are delivered in-person, 38% by phone, with 17% delivered all or in part online. Most programs are delivered by professionals (86%) followed by trained lay leaders (40%) and self-guided (12%). Most programs (95%) provide assistance with coping with illness/caregiving and the relationship of the dyad. Fewer than half of the programs assist caregivers with issues regarding finances (45%), end-of-life care (43%), and medical care (40%). Data from 233 delivery organizations show the most common challenge was getting caregivers to accept and complete the program (86%). Delivery sites reported more success with funding the program (mean=8.2 on a scale of 1-10) than with marketing and recruiting participants (mean=6.7).


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Gage ◽  
Terrance Scott ◽  
Regina Hirn ◽  
Ashley S. MacSuga-Gage

Teachers’ classroom management practices have a direct impact on their students’ probability of success. Evidence-based classroom management practices include (a) active instruction and supervision of students (i.e., teaching), (b) opportunities for students to respond, and (c) feedback to students. In this study, we examined the degree to which teachers implemented evidence-based classroom management practices and whether there was a relationship between use of those teacher behaviors and students’ time engaged in instruction and rate of disruptions. Using latent class analysis, we identified four groups of teachers from 1,242 teacher–student dyads in 65 elementary schools, with one group of teachers demonstrating very low rates of classroom management practices. We then modeled the predictive relationship of being in classrooms with low rates of classroom management practices and student engagement and disruptive behavior within a multilevel framework. Results indicate that students in classrooms with low rates of classroom management practices were statistically significantly less engaged in instruction, whereas no differences in disruptions were found. The results are discussed within the context of prior research, students with or at risk for emotional and/or behavioral disorders, and study limitations.


Paleobiology ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 6 (02) ◽  
pp. 146-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Oliver

The Mesozoic-Cenozoic coral Order Scleractinia has been suggested to have originated or evolved (1) by direct descent from the Paleozoic Order Rugosa or (2) by the development of a skeleton in members of one of the anemone groups that probably have existed throughout Phanerozoic time. In spite of much work on the subject, advocates of the direct descent hypothesis have failed to find convincing evidence of this relationship. Critical points are:(1) Rugosan septal insertion is serial; Scleractinian insertion is cyclic; no intermediate stages have been demonstrated. Apparent intermediates are Scleractinia having bilateral cyclic insertion or teratological Rugosa.(2) There is convincing evidence that the skeletons of many Rugosa were calcitic and none are known to be or to have been aragonitic. In contrast, the skeletons of all living Scleractinia are aragonitic and there is evidence that fossil Scleractinia were aragonitic also. The mineralogic difference is almost certainly due to intrinsic biologic factors.(3) No early Triassic corals of either group are known. This fact is not compelling (by itself) but is important in connection with points 1 and 2, because, given direct descent, both changes took place during this only stage in the history of the two groups in which there are no known corals.


Author(s):  
D. F. Blake ◽  
L. F. Allard ◽  
D. R. Peacor

Echinodermata is a phylum of marine invertebrates which has been extant since Cambrian time (c.a. 500 m.y. before the present). Modern examples of echinoderms include sea urchins, sea stars, and sea lilies (crinoids). The endoskeletons of echinoderms are composed of plates or ossicles (Fig. 1) which are with few exceptions, porous, single crystals of high-magnesian calcite. Despite their single crystal nature, fracture surfaces do not exhibit the near-perfect {10.4} cleavage characteristic of inorganic calcite. This paradoxical mix of biogenic and inorganic features has prompted much recent work on echinoderm skeletal crystallography. Furthermore, fossil echinoderm hard parts comprise a volumetrically significant portion of some marine limestones sequences. The ultrastructural and microchemical characterization of modern skeletal material should lend insight into: 1). The nature of the biogenic processes involved, for example, the relationship of Mg heterogeneity to morphological and structural features in modern echinoderm material, and 2). The nature of the diagenetic changes undergone by their ancient, fossilized counterparts. In this study, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), high voltage TEM (HVTEM), and STEM microanalysis are used to characterize tha ultrastructural and microchemical composition of skeletal elements of the modern crinoid Neocrinus blakei.


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