scholarly journals Rotation-based schedules in elementary schools to prevent COVID-19 spread: A simulation study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril Brom ◽  
Tomas Diviak ◽  
Jakub Drbohlav ◽  
Vaclav Korbel ◽  
Rene Levinsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Intervention ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Real Contact ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Contact Data ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Low Sensitivity ◽  
Contact Graphs ◽  
Antigen Testing

Little is known about how various interventions impact the spread of covid-19 in schools. Here, we examined effects of different types of rotations in various testing contexts using an agent-based modified SIER model run on real contact data acquired in an elementary school in Czechia (624 schoolchildren, 55 teachers, 27k social contacts). The results show that weekly rotations of in-class and distance learning reduce the spread of covid-19 by >75%; regular low-sensitivity (<40%) antigen testing twice a week significantly reduces infections; and the density of revealed contact graphs for older pupils is 1.5 times higher than the younger pupils graph, the teachers network is yet an order of magnitude denser. The results imply that teachers play a disproportionate role in spreading covid-19 and that weekly rotations with regular testing are an effective preventive intervention that can help to keep schools open during a worsened epidemic situation.

Disability in Schizophrenic Disorders

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
J. Wancata ◽  
M. Freidl ◽  
F. Friedrich ◽  
T. Matschnig ◽  
A. Unger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Subjective Burden ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Duration Of Illness ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Mean

Aims:The purpose of this study was to investigate disability among patients suffering from schizophrenia and to identify predictors of disability.Methods:101 patients from different types of psychiatric services in Vienna and diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 were included. They were investigates by means of 36-Item self-administered version of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHO-DAS-II) and the PANSS-scale. Patients’ mothers and fathers were asked to fill in the Family Problem Questionnaire.Results:The mean total score of the WHO-DAS-II was 74.1 (SD 21.9). When using weighted sub-scores the highest disability scores were found for social contacts, participation in society and household (means 2.58, 2.57 and 2.51 respectively). Using logistic regression, overall disability was positively associated with patient's age, overall severity of symptoms (PANSS) and number of previous hospital admissions. Overall disability was not associated with duration of illness and or patient's gender. The subjective burden experienced by patients’ fathers and mothers were increased by reduced social contacts and impaired participation in society, while we could not find an association with other domains of patient's disability (understanding, mobility, self-care, household).Conclusions:This study shows that schizophrenia results in disability in several domains. Family caregivers’ burden was predominantly increased by social consequences of schizophrenia.

Excitable Membrane Properties of Neurons

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard K. Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Neuronal Firing ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Potassium Ions ◽  
Single Action ◽  
Sodium Calcium ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

The intrinsic electrical properties of neurons are extremely varied. For example, the width of action potentials in different neurons varies by more than an order of magnitude. In response to prolonged stimulation, some neurons generate repeated action potential hundreds of times a second, while others fire only a single action potential or adapt very rapidly. These differences result from the expression of different types of ion channels in the plasma membrane. The dominant channels that shape neuronal firing patterns are those that are selective for sodium, calcium, and potassium ions. This chapter provides a brief overview of the biophysical properties of each of these classes of channel, their role in shaping the electrical personality of a neuron, and how interactions of these channels with cytoplasmic factors shape the overall cell biology of a neuron.

scholarly journals Experiences of the Urban Green Local Environment as a Factor for Well-Being among Adults: An Exploratory Qualitative Study in Southern Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Weimann ◽  
Jonas Björk ◽  
Carita Håkansson
Keyword(s):  
Local Environment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Derived Categories ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
The Life Course

The amount and quality of greenness in the local outdoor environment has repeatedly been linked to human well-being. Different types of green areas are likely required in order to meet the various needs of people throughout the course of their lives and with regard to individual social and economic living conditions. The aim of the present study was to increase the understanding of different pathways between green environments, well-being and health. We conducted 16 interviews to explore perceptions and experiences among adults residing in a semi-urban to urban area and derived categories and subcategories from the data using content analysis. We identified six categories; promoting activities, supporting social contacts, stimulating sensory impressions, providing a retreat, offering ways to influence and creating a sense of coherence, and we recognized that the availability to, and contrasts between and maintenance of the environment were experienced as prerequisites for health-promoting properties of the green local environment. The results illustrate a rich variety in potential pathways through which the green local environment may promote well-being. The study highlights the need to plan the local environment from multiple perspectives, as well as carefully considering prerequisites of various kinds in order for the green environment to support health across the life-course.

scholarly journals The Effects of Inequality, Density, and Heterogeneous Residential Preferences on Urban Displacement and Metropolitan Structure: An Agent-Based Model

Urban Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Boeing
Keyword(s):  
Path Dependence ◽  
Land Values ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Urban Settlement ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Residential Preferences ◽  
Housing Costs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Direct Use ◽  
New Settlements

Urban displacement—when a household is forced to relocate due to conditions affecting its home or surroundings—often results from rising housing costs, particularly in wealthy, prosperous cities. However, its dynamics are complex and often difficult to understand. This paper presents an agent-based model of urban settlement, agglomeration, displacement, and sprawl. New settlements form around a spatial amenity that draws initial, poor settlers to subsist on the resource. As the settlement grows, subsequent settlers of varying income, skills, and interests are heterogeneously drawn to either the original amenity or to the emerging human agglomeration. As this agglomeration grows and densifies, land values increase, and the initial poor settlers are displaced from the spatial amenity on which they relied. Through path dependence, high-income residents remain clustered around this original amenity for which they have no direct use or interest. This toy model explores these dynamics, demonstrating a simplified mechanism of how urban displacement and gentrification can be sensitive to income inequality, density, and varied preferences for different types of amenities.

INFLUENCE OF SURFACTANTS ON PROPERTIES OF ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS CONTAINING POLYANILINE

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (17n18) ◽  
pp. 2461-2467 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAŁGORZATA BOCIŃSKA ◽  
HENRYK WYCIŚLIK ◽  
MARCIN OSUCHOWSKI ◽  
JANUSZ PŁOCHARSKI
Keyword(s):  
Yield Stress ◽  
Current Density ◽  
Silicone Oil ◽  
Flow Curves ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Dynamic Yield ◽  
Rate Of Sedimentation ◽  
Er Fluids

Sedimentation which is a natural process in most of ER fluids can be reduced by addition of surfactants that influence also other properties of the fluids. To study both the ER effect and the rate of sedimentation was the aim of the investigations. The ER fluids comprised powdered polyaniline and silicone oil to which surfactants of different polarity were added. The rate of sedimentation was measured by a sedimentation balance. The flow curves were recorded under electric field up to 2.5 kV/mm. Current density was also measured as a function of shear rate. It was found that the activity of a surfactant depends strongly on its polarity. The lipophylic surfactants stabilized the suspension very well but about 30% decrease of the dynamic yield stress was observed. The current density was reduced as well by almost one order of magnitude. The hydrophylic surfactants hardly stabilized the suspension but increase of yield stress was observed that was not followed by increase of current density. The role of different types of non-ionic surfactants was discussed.

Pre-project Comparative Environmental Assessment of Alternative Locations for a Production Facility

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-45
Author(s):  
V.A. Zhigulsky ◽  
D.V. Zhigulskaya ◽  
V.F. Shuisky ◽  
E.Yu. Maximova
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Comparative Assessment ◽  
Production Facility ◽  
Technology Application ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Project Company

The technology of a pre-project comparative assessment of alternative options for locating production facilities, developed by the St. Petersburg ecological project company Eco-Express-Service, is presented. Comparison of options is carried out on the basis of a multi-criteria score-rating assessment in two stages: first, the determination and comparison of values of the environmental safety criteria, then a generalized summary assessment across the totality of the criteria. To bring the obtained results into a general comparative scoring, four competitive methods are used, differing in the degree of detail of the accounting for the indicator significance of the criteria and the ratio of different types of object sites. The stages of technology application are illustrated with concrete examples. The main positive effects and advantages of its use are due to the increased environmental safety of construction and significant (by an order of magnitude) savings of the federal, regional and local budgets and investors owing eliminating unfavorable placement options for the object at the early stages of development.

scholarly journals Extracting Data from Disparate Sources for Agent-Based Disease Spread Models

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Laskowski ◽  
B. C. P. Demianyk ◽  
J. Benavides ◽  
M. R. Friesen ◽  
R. D. McLeod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Data ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Telecommunication Service ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Contact Data

This paper presents a review and evaluation of real data sources relative to their role and applicability in an agent-based model (ABM) simulating respiratory infection spread a large geographic area. The ABM is a spatial-temporal model inclusive of behavior and interaction patterns between individual agents. The agent behaviours in the model (movements and interactions) are fed by census/demographic data, integrated with real data from a telecommunication service provider (cellular records), traffic survey data, as well as person-person contact data obtained via a custom 3G smartphone application that logs Bluetooth connectivity between devices. Each source provides data of varying type and granularity, thereby enhancing the robustness of the model. The work demonstrates opportunities in data mining and fusion and the role of data in calibrating and validating ABMs. The data become real-world inputs into susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) disease spread models and their variants, thereby building credible and nonintrusive models to qualitatively model public health interventions at the population level.

scholarly journals Making the case for simulation: Unlocking carbon reduction through simulation of individual ‘middle actor’ behaviour

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Owen ◽  
Alison Heppenstall
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
Design Detail ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Rule Sets ◽  
Modelling Techniques ◽  
Modelling Approach

This paper makes the case for agent-based modelling as a route to unlocking the potential of existing buildings to reduce energy demand and contribute to achieving carbon reduction targets. The construction of a model to simulate this system requires significant innovation in data collection and handling. The need to focus on ‘middle actors’ in construction – specifically the tradesmen who carry out repair, maintenance and renovation – in order to reduce energy demand in existing buildings is described. This is the first work that proposes to simulate these actors. After identifying this opportunity, the paper considers what modelling techniques are required to describe the possible effects of changes to middle actor behaviour across the construction industry. Having discussed the different types of data needed, the paper uses the ‘overview, design, detail’ approach to describe how an agent-based model might be developed, using rule sets derived from middle actor data. Finally, the types of interventions that might be tested are outlined, indicating how policy and practice could be informed by the proposed modelling approach.

Un análisis contrastivo de los vocativos en español y en alemán

2017 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Siebold ◽  
Juan Pablo Larreta Zulategui
Keyword(s):  
Social Contact ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Tertium Comparationis

AbstractVocatives play an important role for establishing and maintaining social contacts in human communication. Given the functional and formal diversity in their culture-specific realisation, this study, based on two spoken corpora of everyday conversations in Spanish and German, compares the use of different types of vocatives in these two languages, especially from a pragmatic and sociolinguistic point of view. Firstly, we present a brief review on the communicative functions of vocatives and describe the tertium comparationis, the methodology and the corpora used for this study. Then, we compare the frequency of Spanish and German vocatives in different conversational settings. What emerges is greater tendency to use vocatives in the Spanish data, especially for reinforcing social contact within the conversations. As far as the variation of vocative-forms is concerned, this contrastive analysis reveals different pragmatic and sociolinguistic functions of last-name-vocatives, endearment-terms and the use of the pronouns

scholarly journals Sensitivity of rapid antigen testing and RT-PCR performed on nasopharyngeal swabs versus saliva samples in COVID-19 hospitalized patients: results of a prospective comparative trial (RESTART)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonios Kritikos ◽  
Giorgia Caruana ◽  
René Brouillet ◽  
John-Paul Miroz ◽  
Abed-Maillard Samia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Trial ◽  
Hospitalized Patients ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Duration Of Symptoms ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Viral Transport Medium ◽  
One Step ◽  
Antigen Tests ◽  
Low Sensitivity ◽  
Antigen Testing

AbstractObjectivesSaliva sampling could serve as an alternative non-invasive sample for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis while rapid antigen testing (RAT) might help to mitigate the shortage of reagents sporadically encountered with RT-PCR. Thus, in the RESTART study we compared antigen and RT-PCR testing methods on nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs and salivary samples.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational study among COVID-19 hospitalized patients between 10th December 2020 and 1st February 2021. Paired saliva and NP samples were investigated by RT-PCR (Cobas 6800, Roche-Switzerland) and by two rapid antigen tests: One Step Immunoassay Exdia® COVID-19 Ag (Precision Biosensor, Korea) and Standard Q® COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (Roche-Switzerland).ResultsA total of 58 paired NP-saliva specimens were collected. Thirty-two of 58 (55%) patients were hospitalized in the intensive care unit and the median duration of symptoms was 11 days (IQR 5-19). NP and salivary RT-PCR exhibited sensitivity of 98% and 69% respectively whereas the specificity of these RT-PCRs assays were of 100%. NP RAT exhibited much lower diagnostic performances with sensitivities of 35% and 41% for the Standard Q® and Exdia® assays respectively, when a wet-swab approach was used (i.e. when the swab was diluted in the viral transport medium (VTM) before testing). The sensitivity of the dry-swab approach was slightly better (47%). These antigen tests exhibited very low sensitivity (4 and 8%) when applied to salivary swabs.ConclusionsNasopharyngeal RT-PCR is the most accurate test for COVID-19 diagnosis in hospitalized patients. RT-PCR on salivary samples may be used when nasopharyngeal swabs are contraindicated. RAT are not appropriate for hospitalized patients.

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