scholarly journals Mask exposure during COVID-19 changes emotional face processing

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258470
Author(s):  
Elyssa M. Barrick ◽  
Mark A. Thornton ◽  
Diana I. Tamir
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Emotion Perception ◽  
Mental States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Social Exchanges ◽  
Conversational Cues ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Valence And Arousal ◽  
The Impact

Faces are one of the key ways that we obtain social information about others. They allow people to identify individuals, understand conversational cues, and make judgements about others’ mental states. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, widespread mask-wearing practices were implemented, causing a shift in the way Americans typically interact. This introduction of masks into social exchanges posed a potential challenge—how would people make these important inferences about others when a large source of information was no longer available? We conducted two studies that investigated the impact of mask exposure on emotion perception. In particular, we measured how participants used facial landmarks (visual cues) and the expressed valence and arousal (affective cues), to make similarity judgements about pairs of emotion faces. Study 1 found that in August 2020, participants with higher levels of mask exposure used cues from the eyes to a greater extent when judging emotion similarity than participants with less mask exposure. Study 2 measured participants’ emotion perception in both April and September 2020 –before and after widespread mask adoption—in the same group of participants to examine changes in the use of facial cues over time. Results revealed an overall increase in the use of visual cues from April to September. Further, as mask exposure increased, people with the most social interaction showed the largest increase in the use of visual facial cues. These results provide evidence that a shift has occurred in how people process faces such that the more people are interacting with others that are wearing masks, the more they have learned to focus on visual cues from the eye area of the face.

scholarly journals Mask exposure during COVID-19 changes emotional face processing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elyssa M Barrick ◽  
Mark Allen Thornton ◽  
Diana Tamir
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Emotion Perception ◽  
Mental States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Social Exchanges ◽  
Conversational Cues ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Valence And Arousal ◽  
The Impact

Faces are one of the key ways that we obtain social information about others. They allow people to identify individuals, understand conversational cues, and make judgements about other’s mental states. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, widespread mask-wearing practices were implemented, causing a shift in the way Americans typically interact. This introduction of masks into social exchanges posed a potential challenge – how would people make these important inferences about others when a large source of information was no longer available? We conducted two studies that investigated the impact of mask exposure on emotion perception. In particular, we measured how participants used facial landmarks (visual cues) and the expressed valence and arousal (affective cues), to make similarity judgements about pairs of emotion faces. Study 1 found that participants with higher levels of mask exposure used cues from the eyes to a greater extent when judging emotion similarity than participants with less mask exposure. Study 2 measured participants’ emotion perception in both April and September 2020 – before and after widespread mask adoption – in the same group of participants to examine changes in the use of facial cues over time. Results revealed an overall increase in the use of visual cues from April to September. Further, as mask exposure increased, people with the most social interaction showed the largest increase in the use of visual facial cues. These results provide evidence that a shift has occurred in how people process faces such that the more people are interacting with others that are wearing masks, the more they have learned to focus on visual cues from the eye area of the face.

scholarly journals Impact of the first COVID-19 shelter-in-place order in the United States on emergency department utilization, Marin County, California

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett R. Bayles ◽  
Michaela F George ◽  
Haylea Hannah ◽  
Patti Culross ◽  
Rochelle R. Ereman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emergency Department Utilization ◽  
Marin County ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
The Impact

Background: The first shelter-in-place (SIP) order in the United States was issued across six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on critical care resources. We sought to assess the impact of this large-scale intervention on emergency departments (ED) in Marin County, California. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive and trend analysis of all ED visits in Marin County, California from January 1, 2018 to May 4, 2020 to quantify the temporal dynamics of ED utilization before and after the March 17, 2020 SIP order. Results: The average number of ED visits per day decreased by 52.3% following the SIP order compared to corresponding time periods in 2018 and 2019. Both respiratory and non-respiratory visits declined, but this negative trend was most pronounced for non-respiratory admissions. Conclusions: The first SIP order to be issued in the United States in response to COVID-19 was associated with a significant reduction in ED utilization in Marin County.

scholarly journals Gangs in School: Exploring the Experiences of Gang-Involved Youth

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dena C. Carson ◽  
Finn-Aage Esbensen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
School Context ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Knowledge ◽  
School Life ◽  
Gang Involvement ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Impact

This study explores three questions: (1) What are the criteria that current or formerly gang-involved youth use to identify the presence of gangs in school? (2) Do gang activities produce incivilities and victimizations within the school context? and (3) What is the impact of a gang presence on youth in the school, specifically with respect to the presence or absence of fear? We examine the influence of gangs in schools through qualitative analysis of 180 in-depth semistructured interviews. The sample includes youth with varying levels of gang involvement who attended schools across the United States. Youth relied on personal knowledge and visual cues to identify gangs in their school. Despite the occurrence of vicarious victimizations and incivilities at the hands of gang youth, respondents indicated that gangs did not impact their school life. These youth frequently used normalization and delimitation processes to deal with gangs in their school.

Disentangling the Interaction of Migration, Mobility, and Labor-Force Participation

2002 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A V Clark ◽  
Suzanne Davies Withers
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Labor Force Participation ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Family Migration ◽  
Labor Force Status ◽  
Dual Earner ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Status Of Women

The authors examine the impact of mobility on the labor-force status of two-earner households in the United States, in a longitudinal context. There has recently been a resurgence of interest within industry and academia in the impact of family migration on the labor-force status of women, and on dual-earner families in general. Much of the research in this field has documented the disruptive effects of migration on the labor-force status of women, particularly with respect to unemployment, under-employment, and interrupted careers. However, there is another body of research that has challenged the disruption assumption with findings that many women benefit from family migration. The conflicting results persist when the modeling procedures account for the selectivity of migrants. Missing from the literature is a comparison of the impact of mobility on the labor-force status of men as well as women at varying geographical scales. The authors have used a new methodology to extend previous work on the impact of family migration by directly comparing the labor-force status of dual-earner households who migrate long distances, with that of households who move within the same labor market, and with that of households who remain residentially stable. The authors have used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to show conclusively that, although there are disruptive effects, these are relatively short lived for most households. In addition, the results suggest that average changes mask very large variations in what happens to husbands and wives who relocate. This study emphasizes the dynamic nature of wives' labor-force participation relative to their husbands' immediately before and after a move, a finding that has not been established by other work on migration and labor-force participation.

scholarly journals Changes in Patient Visits and Diagnoses seen in an Academic Ophthalmology Department during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan K Berkenstock ◽  
Paulina Liberman ◽  
Peter J McDonnell ◽  
Benjamin C Chaon
Keyword(s):  
Practice Patterns ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Pediatric Ophthalmology ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Diagnostic Codes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BACKGROUND: To minimize the risk of viral transmission, ophthalmology practices limited face to face encounters to only patients with urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions, in the weeks after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States. The impact of this is unknown. METHODS: We did a retrospective analysis of the change in the frequency of ICD-10 code use and patient volumes in the six weeks before and after the changes in clinical practice associated with COVID-19.RESULTS: The total number of encounters decreased four-fold after the implementation of clinic changes associated with COVID-19. The low vision, pediatric ophthalmology, general ophthalmology, and cornea divisions had the largest total decrease of in-person visits. Conversely, the number of telemedicine visits increased sixty-fold. The number of diagnostic codes associated with ocular malignancies, most ocular inflammatory disorders, and retinal conditions requiring intravitreal injections increased. ICD-10 codes associated with ocular screening exams for systemic disorders decreased during the weeks post COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmology practices need to be prepared to experience changes in practice patterns, implementation of telemedicine, and decreased patient volumes during a pandemic. Knowing the changes specific to each subspecialty clinic is vital to redistribute available resources correctly.

scholarly journals The Impact of the “Muslim Ban” Executive Order on Healthcare Utilization in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Samuels ◽  
Lilla Orr ◽  
Elizabeth B. White ◽  
Altaf Saadi ◽  
Aasim I. Padela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Healthcare Utilization ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Executive Order ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Muslim Majority ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjectiveDetermine whether the 2017 “Muslim Ban” Executive Order impacted healthcare utilization by people born in Order-targeted nations living in the United States.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of people living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN in 2016-2017 who were: 1) born in Order-targeted nations, 2) born in Muslim-majority nations not listed in the Order, and 3) born in the United States and non-Latinx. Primary outcomes were: 1) primary care visits, 2) missed primary care appointments, 3) primary care diagnoses for stress-responsive conditions, 4) emergency department visits, and 5) emergency department visits for stress-responsive diagnoses. We evaluated visit trends before and after Order issuance using linear regression and differences between study groups using a difference-in-difference analyses.ResultsIn early 2016, primary care visits and stress-responsive diagnoses increased among individuals from Muslim majority nations. Following the Order, there was an immediate increase in emergency department visits among individuals from Order-targeted nations.ConclusionsIncreases in healthcare utilization among people born in Muslim majority countries before and after the “Muslim Ban” likely reflect elevated cumulative stress including the impact of the Order.

scholarly journals The Impact of the Louisiana Master Gardener Program on the Perceived and Actual Horticultural Knowledge of Program Participants

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 968E-969
Author(s):  
Bobby H. Fletcher ◽  
Michael F. Burnett ◽  
Krisanna L. Machtmes ◽  
Jeff S. Kuehny
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Perceived Knowledge ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
The Impact

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the impact of participation in the Master Gardener program on horticultural knowledge and practice. In 1972, the “Master Gardener” concept was initiated in Washington State due to the high demand to answer consumer horticultural questions. The main objective of this program is to increase horticultural knowledge of program participants so they can transfer this information to consumer horticultural clientele. The program quickly spread throughout the United States. It reached Louisiana in 1994 and was expanded throughout most metropolitan areas by 1997. No formal evaluation has been conducted to determine the horticultural knowledge impacts of this program. All 257 participants in the 2004 Louisiana Master Gardener (LMG) program were surveyed before and after participation in this program. The survey used was a researcher-developed instrument designed to measure self-perceived knowledge, tested knowledge, and Best Management Practices (BMPs) used. Data were collected by master gardener coordinators and submitted to the researcher after each phase of data collection (pre and post). Results of the study revealed that the LMG participants were highly educated, mostly Caucasian, and mostly female. Significant improvements were identified in all of the knowledge and practice measurements included in the study. These included self-perceived knowledge, tested knowledge, and use of BMPs. It was concluded that the 2004 Louisiana Master Gardener program was effective in increasing the self-perceived horticultural knowledge and tested horticultural knowledge of program participants. In addition, the study concluded that the 2004 Louisiana Master Gardener program improved the use of BMPs among the participants.

scholarly journals (312) Implementing and Assesing a Bilingual Educational Program for Hispanic Nursery Workers in Ohio

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1055E-1056
Author(s):  
Alejandra Acuna ◽  
Hannah Mathers ◽  
Luke Case
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Life Skills ◽  
Family Relationship ◽  
The United States ◽  
Course Evaluation ◽  
Plant Structure ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Hispanics are becoming the main source of labor in many productive- and service-oriented businesses in the United States, and the nursery industry is one example. Employers invest much time and money into employees, making the employees their biggest investment. However, the educational needs of Hispanic employees have not been adequately addressed, and no formal educational program for Hispanic workers in the nursery industry has been implemented and tested in Ohio. This project has two objectives: 1) measure the impact of a bilingual educational program containing instruction in horticulture and instruction in life skills to a Hispanic workforce, and 2) investigate which type of training is more essential to the stabilization of the Hispanic family unit, technical horticultural training, or training in life-skills. Eight nurseries throughout Ohio were selected to participate in this project. At each of the nurseries, an average group size of 15 employees was trained. Only half of this number participated in the social skills lessons to determine differences between the group who received social skills lessons and the group who did not. Three horticultural topics were selected: basic plant structure and development, pruning, and nutrition. Forty-minute lessons in Spanish with key concepts in English were prepared with the topics mentioned. Three social skills topics were selected: meeting your and your family's needs in the United States, social support in your community, and communication. In order to measure the impact of a bilingual educational program, two tests (The Rosenberg Selfeteem and Index of Family Relationship) were applied before and after the program was performed. A course evaluation was completed by each of the participants after the program was completed.

The effect of lodging tax increases on US destinations

2019 ◽  
pp. 135481661989075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Hudson ◽  
Fang Meng ◽  
Kevin Kam Fung So ◽  
Scott Smith ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Daily Rate ◽  
States Data ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City ◽  
Room Time

This study examined the impact of lodging tax increases on eight different destinations of the United States. Data were collected via in-depth stakeholder interviews and monthly statistics provided by Smith Travel Research including average daily rate, occupancy, and revenue per available room. Time series analysis was employed to estimate the impact of tax increases in each destination by analyzing that time series before and after the imposition of the tax. Overall, our results did not fully support the hypothesis that when a city’s hotel tax greatly increases above that of an easily accessible competitor, it will result in an economic loss to the city with the disproportionate tax rates. Hotels appear to have absorbed any tax increases with little impact to their businesses, but there was concern among stakeholders as to how the lodging tax was spent.

scholarly journals Catastrophic High School and Collegiate Cheerleading Injuries in the United States: An Examination of the 2006-2007 Basket Toss Rule Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca K. Yau ◽  
Savannah G. Dennis ◽  
Barry P. Boden ◽  
Robert C. Cantu ◽  
James A. Lord ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
High School ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Injury Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Injury Rates ◽  
Rule Change ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Background: Cheerleading is a specialized athletic activity that can lead to catastrophic injuries. Cheerleading rules are in place to maximize safety of participants. The purpose of this study was to describe catastrophic cheerleading injuries among high school and collegiate-level participants in the United States and to explore whether the 2006-2007 basket toss rule change was effective at reducing the number of catastrophic injuries. Hypothesis: The 2006-2007 basket toss rule change contributed to a reduction in the number of catastrophic injuries among high school and collegiate cheerleaders. Study Design: Case series. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: Data on catastrophic cheerleading injuries were collected by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research from July 2002 to June 2017. Information collected included cheerleader, event, and injury characteristics. The impact of the 2006-2007 rule change banning the basket toss on any hard surfaces was assessed by comparing injury rates and 95% CIs before and after the rule change. Results: There were 54 catastrophic cheerleading injuries, or 3.6 injuries per year. From July 2002 through June 2017, the injury rate was 2.12 per 1,000,000 cheerleaders (95% CI, 1.56-2.69). Most cheerleaders sustained serious injuries (n = 27; 50%) during practice (n = 37; 69%) to the head (n = 28; 52%) and cervical spine (n = 17; 32%). From July 2002 through June 2017, basket tosses were the stunt that accounted for the highest proportion of injuries (n = 19; 35%). The basket toss injury rate decreased from 1.55 to 0.40 per 1,000,000 cheerleaders among both high school and collegiate cheerleaders after the rule change. Conclusion: Catastrophic injury rates in cheerleading decreased dramatically after the 2006-2007 rule change banning basket tosses from being performed on any hard surfaces. In particular, there was a nearly 4-fold reduction in the rate of catastrophic basket toss injuries.

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