scholarly journals The COVID digital home assemblage: Transforming the home into a work space during the crisis

2021 ◽  
pp. 135485652110308
Author(s):  
Ash Watson ◽  
Deborah Lupton ◽  
Mike Michael
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Primary Site ◽  
First Year ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Domestic Life ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Home Life ◽  
Digital Home ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Domestication Theory

Major changes to home life and work practices globally have been brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. Periods of strict restrictions placed on people’s movements outside their homes, aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus, have meant that the home was requisitioned as a primary site for work for many people. In this article, we draw on case studies from an ethnographic project that explored how people living in Sydney use digital technologies in the home setting. Our fieldwork commenced in early 2020, just prior to the national COVID lockdown period in Australia, and continued throughout the lockdown and the months following. As a result, we were able to document people’s experiences of transitioning to working from home during the first year of the pandemic. In this article, we adopt a sociomaterial approach together with domestication theory to analyse the complexities of the changed COVID home in the context of digitised working arrangements. We surface and theorise the tensions and leaky boundaries between workplaces and family/domestic life that are brought about by, through and beyond the digital. By addressing the sociomaterial choreographies and modalities of presence involved, we attempt to capture the processes through which the COVID digital home assemblage is continuously configured and the more or less simultaneous presence and absence of people in both domestic and work domains.

scholarly journals The first year of COVID-19 in Italy: Incidence, lethality, and health policies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierpaolo Ferrante
Keyword(s):  
Moving Average ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
First Year ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Population Mobility ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Incident Cases ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Suppression Strategy

Background: The novel coronavirus disease is an ongoing pandemic that started in China in December 2019. This paper is aimed at estimating the first two infections waves in Italy in relation to adopted health policies.Design and methods: We moved deaths of the Italian COVID-19 registry from recorded to infection date by the weighted moving average. We considered two infection fatality ratios related to the effective or saturated health system, we estimated the likely incidence curve from the resulting deaths and evaluated the curve shape before and after the national health policies.Results. From the 24th of February 2020 to the 7th of February 2021, we estimated 6,664,655 (4,639,221-9,325,138) cases distributed on two waves. Suitable daily infection fatality rates were 2.53% within the first wave and 1.15% within the second one. The first wave (February-July 2020) had its peak on the 14th of March 2020 (26,575). The second wave (August 2020-February 2021) was fatter with the peak on the 12th of November (60,425) and a hump in December before decreasing to 26,288 at the end. Adopted health policies were followed by changes in the curve rate.Conclusion: Tracing infection contacts and quarantining asymptomatic people reduced virus lethality in the second wave.  Restriction on population mobility is effective within a suppression strategy, distance learning reduces contacts among families. Removal of restrictions should be implemented by sequential steps for avoiding a quick rising of incident cases. A reasonable public health daily goal to control both virus spread and lethality could be to find at least 87 cases for each death.

scholarly journals Measures to Control Covid-19 Epidemic in Public and Reduce the Patient Load in Hospitals: A Report From Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-144
Author(s):  
Reza HabibiSaravi ◽  
◽  
Yahya Saleh Tabari ◽  
Fariba Ghasemihamedani ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Site ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cruise Ship ◽  
Disease Propagation ◽  
Patient Load ◽  
Rapid Transmission ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

After presenting the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in china, it has spread rapidly in the community and now has declared as a pandemic causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). At the date of writing this report, the COVID-19 has affected 192 countries and one international conveyance (the Diamond Princess cruise ship harbored in Yokohama, Japan) around the world with the total cases of 341,529. In Iran, the emergence of the disease was reported with two cases of COVID-19 deaths in Qom city on February 19, 2020, that caused great concern for the health system and the general public. It was rapidly spread around the country and reach to 21,638 definite cases by March 22, 2020. The special nature of the disease in rapid transmission among individuals in society requires urgent measures and serious actions to control it as quickly as possible. In this report, we describe the current status of the COVID-19 response strategy for reducing transmission in public and patient load in hospitals in Iran. Although Iran has tried to use the successful experience of other countries, such as China, for various reasons, such as non-quarantine of Qom province, as the primary site of disease propagation, lack of public quarantine, lack of seriousness by some citizens and officials, the lack of facilities and personal protective equipment needed for staff use, and restrictions regarding purchasing equipment from other countries due to international sanctions, have served as obstacles to achieve good results.

Comparative docking of SARS-CoV-2 receptors antagonists from repurposing drugs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micael Davi Lima de Oliveira ◽  
Kelson Mota Teixeira de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Lung Cells ◽  
The Novel ◽  
High Modulation ◽  
Main Protease ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Viral Receptors ◽  
Theoretical Results

According to the World Health Organisation, until 16 June, 2020, the number of confirmed and notified cases of COVID-19 has already exceeded 7.9 million with approximately 434 thousand deaths worldwide. This research aimed to find repurposing antagonists, that may inhibit the activity of the main protease (Mpro) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as partially modulate the ACE2 receptors largely found in lung cells, and reduce viral replication by inhibiting Nsp12 RNA polymerase. Docking molecular simulations were performed among a total of 60 structures, most of all, published in the literature against the novel coronavirus. The theoretical results indicated that, in comparative terms, paritaprevir, ivermectin, ledipasvir, and simeprevir, are among the most theoretical promising drugs in remission of symptoms from the disease. Furthermore, also corroborate indinavir to the high modulation in viral receptors. The second group of promising drugs includes remdesivir and azithromycin. The repurposing drugs HCQ and chloroquine were not effective in comparative terms to other drugs, as monotherapies, against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SARS-COV2 virus and Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 977-982
Author(s):  
Mohamed J. Saadh ◽  
Bashar Haj Rashid M ◽  
Roa’a Matar ◽  
Sajeda Riyad Aldibs ◽  
Hala Sbaih ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Fatal Disease ◽  
Mild Disease ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

SARS-COV2 virus causes Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and represents the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. The novel coronavirus (2019) was discovered in 2019 in Wuhan, the market of the wet animal, China with viral pneumonia cases and is life-threatening. Today, WHO announces COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. COVID-19 is likely to be zoonotic. It is transmitted from bats as intermediary animals to human. Also, the virus is transmitted from human to human who is in close contact with others. The computerized tomographic chest scan is usually abnormal even in those with no symptoms or mild disease. Treatment is nearly supportive; the role of antiviral agents is yet to be established. The SARS-COV2 virus spreads faster than its two ancestors, the SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but has lower fatality. In this article, we aimed to summarize the transmission, symptoms, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine to control the spread of this fatal disease.

Coronavirus: Towards controlling of the pandemic - Indian scenario

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 462-468
Author(s):  
Latika kothari ◽  
Sanskruti Wadatkar ◽  
Roshni Taori ◽  
Pavan Bajaj ◽  
Diksha Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Control Measures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Medical Treatments ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
The Social ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
The Government ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a communicable infection caused by the novel coronavirus resulting in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV). It was recognized to be a health crisis for the general population of international concern on 30th January 2020 and conceded as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. India is taking various measures to fight this invisible enemy by adopting different strategies and policies. To stop the COVID-19 from spreading, the Home Affairs Ministry and the health ministry, of India, has issued the nCoV 19 guidelines on travel. Screening for COVID-19 by asking questions about any symptoms, recent travel history, and exposure. India has been trying to get testing kits available. The government of India has enforced various laws like the social distancing, Janata curfew, strict lockdowns, screening door to door to control the spread of novel coronavirus. In this pandemic, innovative medical treatments are being explored, and a proper vaccine is being hunted to deal with the situation. Infection control measures are necessary to prevent the virus from further spreading and to help control the current situation. Thus, this review illustrates and explains the criteria provided by the government of India to the awareness of the public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Association and treatment of diabetes in patients affected by Covid-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1198-1201
Author(s):  
Syed Yasir Afaque
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Prognostic Value ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The World ◽  
Treatment Of Diabetes ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
Composite Outcomes ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

In December 2019, a unique coronavirus infection, SARS-CoV-2, was first identified in the province of Wuhan in China. Since then, it spread rapidly all over the world and has been responsible for a large number of morbidity and mortality among humans. According to a latest study, Diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, Hypertension etc. are being considered important risk factors for the development of this infection and is also associated with unfavorable outcomes in these patients. There is little evidence concerning the trail back of these patients possibly because of a small number of participants and people who experienced primary composite outcomes (such as admission in the ICU, usage of machine-driven ventilation or even fatality of these patients). Until now, there are no academic findings that have proven independent prognostic value of diabetes on death in the novel Coronavirus patients. However, there are several conjectures linking Diabetes with the impact as well as progression of COVID-19 in these patients. The aim of this review is to acknowledge about the association amongst Diabetes and the novel Coronavirus and the result of the infection in such patients.

The role and relationship of mindreading and social attunement in HRI – position statements of interdisciplinary researchers. Workshop HRI'20

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Wykowska ◽  
Jairo Pérez-Osorio ◽  
Stefan Kopp
Keyword(s):  
Mental States ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Artificial Agents ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This booklet is a collection of the position statements accepted for the HRI’20 conference workshop “Social Cognition for HRI: Exploring the relationship between mindreading and social attunement in human-robot interaction” (Wykowska, Perez-Osorio & Kopp, 2020). Unfortunately, due to the rapid unfolding of the novel coronavirus at the beginning of the present year, the conference and consequently our workshop, were canceled. On the light of these events, we decided to put together the positions statements accepted for the workshop. The contributions collected in these pages highlight the role of attribution of mental states to artificial agents in human-robot interaction, and precisely the quality and presence of social attunement mechanisms that are known to make human interaction smooth, efficient, and robust. These papers also accentuate the importance of the multidisciplinary approach to advance the understanding of the factors and the consequences of social interactions with artificial agents.

The Political Impact of Affective Polarization: How Partisan Animus Shapes COVID-19 Attitudes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Druckman ◽  
Samara Klar ◽  
Yanna Krupnikov ◽  
Matthew Levendusky ◽  
John B. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
American Politics ◽  
The Other ◽  
Policy Discourse ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Citizens Attitudes

Affective polarization is a defining feature of 21st century American politics—partisans harbor considerable dislike and distrust of those from the other party. Does this animus have consequences for citizens’ opinions? Such effects would highlight not only the consequences of polarization, but also shed new light onto how citizens form preferences more generally. Normally, this question is intractable, but the outbreak of the novel coronavirus allows us to answer it. We find that affective polarization powerfully shapes citizens’ attitudes about the pandemic, as well as the actions they have taken in response to it. However, these effects are conditional on the local severity of the outbreak, as the effects decline in areas with high caseloads—threat vitiates partisan reasoning. Our results clarify that closing the divide on important issues requires not just policy discourse but also attempts to reduce inter-partisan hostility.

Telehealth During COVID-19 for Remote Vision Rehabilitation of a Patient with mTBI

2020 ◽  
pp. 191-198
Keyword(s):  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Therapeutic Goals ◽  
Vision Rehabilitation ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Performance Challenges ◽  
Perception Of Performance

Background: Binocular and accommodative vision problems are common after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Traditionally, the management of visual dysfunctions following mTBI included in-office vision rehabilitation with a trained eye care provider. The concept of providing telehealth for remote vision rehabilitation in mTBI patients is a relatively novel practice that has not been widely utilized until the recent outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Case Report: We describe the implementation of telehealth for remote vision rehabilitation during COVID-19 within the Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA) system in an adult patient with multiple confirmed histories of mTBI. Conclusion: Our telehealth remote vision rehabilitation was successfully implemented utilizing established VHA’s web-based videoconferencing tools. Therapeutic goals identified prior to COVID 19 were addressed without any challenges. The delivery of vision rehabilitation intervention via telehealth allowed for the continuance of services within the home setting that led to improvements in functional vision, decreased perception of performance challenges, and improved quality of life.

Curve Estimation Modeling for Predictions of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Epidemic in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Christian Ebere Enyoh ◽  
Andrew Wirnkor Verla ◽  
Chidi Edbert Duru ◽  
Emmanuel Chinedu Enyoh ◽  
Budi Setiawan
Keyword(s):  
State Governments ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Curve Estimation ◽  
Exponential Models ◽  
Inverse Models ◽  
Forward Prediction ◽  
S Curve ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Best Fit ◽  
Official Data

Based on the official Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) data, the current research paper modeled the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Nigeria. Ten different curve regression models including linear, logarithmic, inverse, quadratic, cubic, compound, power, S-curve, growth, and exponential were used to fit the obtained official data. The cubic (R2 = 0.999) model gave the best fit for the entire country. However, the growth and exponential had the lowest standard error of estimate (0.958) and thus may best be used. The equations for these models were e0.78897+0.0944x and 2.2011e0.0944x respectively. In terms of confirmed cases in individual State, quadratic, cubic, compound, growth, power and exponential models generally best describe the official data for many states except for the state of Kogi which is best fitted with S-curve and inverse models.  The error between the model and the official data curve is quite small especially for compound, power, growth and exponential models. The computed models will help to realized forward prediction and backward inference of the epidemic situation in Nigeria, and the relevant analysis help Federal and State governments to make vital decisions on how to manage the lockdown in the country.

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