scholarly journals Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of the Effect of Cultural Background in the IELTS Listening Test

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Culturally Specific ◽  
Listening Test ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Al Ain ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Negative Effect

This study examined the effect of culturally-specific items on the performance of Arab candidates on the IELTS Listening Test. Using an online survey and focus-group discussions with 16 IELTS teachers and 32 IELTS candidates at Al Ain University in Abu Dhabi/the United Arab Emirates, the current study showed that the independent variable, i.e. ‘culture’, has a negative impact on the candidates’ performance. The results revealed that the most culturally-loaded section of the IELTS Listening Test is Section 1, followed by Section 2, Section 3 and Section 4, respectively. The results also demonstrated that the culturally-specific items included in the Listening Test had a negative effect on the candidates’ answers who were not aware of certain cultural aspects referenced in the test. The study concluded with some recommendations that aim to improve the cultural awareness of Arab candidates.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on resident physicians: A cross-sectional study

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Anja Barac ◽  
Paola Krnjaic ◽  
Nikola Vujnovic ◽  
Nino Matas ◽  
Edita Runjic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Resident Physicians ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Stress At Work ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 presents a threat to the mental health of the medical staff working with COVID-19 patients. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of working during the COVID-19 pandemic on resident physicians. METHODS: The study was conducted via anonymous online survey and included resident physicians. The survey contained questions about sociodemographic information, general job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their personal lives. RESULTS: This study included a response from 728 resident physicians. The majority of residents rated that the COVID-19 pandemic had a mostly negative impact on their satisfaction with professional life (59.9%) and quality of work (62.8%), their personal lives (44.7%) and quality of life (57.1%). Half of all residents indicated that they did not have enough personal protective equipment (PPE). About one-third of residents indicated that the level of stress at work during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher. CONCLUSIONS: Working as resident physicians during COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on participants’ professional and personal lives. Residents did not have all the necessary PPE nor felt safe working with patients with suspected or proven COVID-19. Further action is needed to provide support for physician residents working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Low Back Pain in Commercial Airline Pilots

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (12) ◽  
pp. 940-947
Author(s):  
Matthias Albermann ◽  
Maria Lehmann ◽  
Christian Eiche ◽  
Joachim Schmidt ◽  
Johannes Prottengeier
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
German Population ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Airline Pilots ◽  
Acute Low Back Pain ◽  
Commercial Airline ◽  
Negative Effect

BACKGROUND: In their working life, airline pilots are exposed to particular risk factors that promote nonspecific low back pain (LBP). Because of the varying incidence internationally, we evaluated the point prevalences of acute, subacute, and chronic nonspecific LBP, as well as the current prevalences in German airline pilots. Furthermore, we compared the prevalence to the general German population and to European counterparts.METHODS: An anonymous online survey of 698 participating German airline pilots was evaluated. The impairment between groups was analyzed. Prevalences from our data were compared to existing data.RESULTS: The following point prevalences were found: 8.2% acute, 2.4% subacute, 82.7% chronic LBP; 74.1% of all individuals were suffering from current LBP when answered the questionnaire. A total time spent flying greater than 600 h within the last 12 mo was significantly related to acute nonspecific LBP. Individuals with any type of LBP were significantly impaired compared to those unaffected. It was found that German airline pilots suffer more often from current LBP than the general population and have a higher point prevalence of total LBP than their European counterparts.CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation showed a surprisingly high, previously unidentified, prevalence of nonspecific LBP in German airline pilots. Why German airline pilots suffer more often from LBP remains uncertain. The number of flying hours appears to have a negative effect on developing acute low back pain, but causation cannot be concluded. Other risk factors could not be confirmed.Albermann M, Lehmann M, Eiche C, Schmidt J, Prottengeier J. Low back pain in commercial airline pilots. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(12):940947.

PD-L1 and survival in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-294
Author(s):  
S. I. Kutukova ◽  
N. P. Beliak ◽  
G. A. Raskin ◽  
M. S. Mukhina ◽  
Yu. V. Ivaskova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Effect Of Pd

Relevance. Prognostic value of PD-L1 expression in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) and its effect on survival is still controversial. It should be to determine the prognostic role of PD-L1 expression on tumor and immune cells of OCSCC and assess their effect on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).Materials and methods. A prospective study included 145 patients, first diagnosed with OCSCC. PD-L1 expression on tumor and immune cells, infiltrating tumor and its microenvironment, was assessed in all tumor samples by IHC, CPS was calculated. Cut-off values were determined by ROC analysis for identification of PD-L1 expression effect on OS and PFS.Results. Most patients with oral mucosa squamous cell carcinoma showed positive expression of PD-L1 on tumor (77.2%) and immune cells (92.4%). The median PD-L1 expression on tumor cells was 13.5% [1.0-40.0], the median PD-L1 expression on immune cells was 5.0% [1.0-11.0], and the median CPS – 18.0 [3.0-7.8]. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a significant negative effect of PD-L1 expression on immune cells ≤ 7% on OS (HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.45-0.93; p = 0.0498); PD-L1 expression in tumor cells ≤ 15% (HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.43-0.98; p = 0.0416) and CPS ≤ 21 (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.44-0.92; p = 0.0183) for PFS. PD-L1 expression in tumor cells ≤ 6% (HR 0.71; 95% CI 0.47-1.08; p = 0.1096) and CPS ≤ 7 (RR 0.67; 95% CI 0.44-1.01; p = 0.0575) had a confident tendency to negative impact on OS.Conclusion. Positive PD-L1 expression in tumor and immune cells as well as CPS are effective additional factors in the prognosis of the disease course, OS and PFS in patients with OCSCC.

scholarly journals The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Conditions, Employment, Career Development and Well-Being of Refugee Researchers

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Ourania Tzoraki ◽  
Svetlana Dimitrova ◽  
Marin Barzakov ◽  
Saad Yaseen ◽  
Vasilis Gavalas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
The Public ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
The Impact

The ongoing ‘refugee crisis’ of the past years has led to the migration of refugee researchers (RRs) to European countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RRs often had to work from home and/or to continue their social, cultural and economic integration process under new conditions. An online survey carried out to explore the impact of the pandemic on the refugee researchers showed that RRs found it difficult to adapt their everyday working life to the ‘home’ setting. The majority have had neither a suitable work environment at home nor the appropriate technology. Although they stated that they are rather pleased with the measures taken by the public authorities, they expressed concern about their vulnerability due to their precarious contracts and the bureaucratic asylum procedures, as the pandemic has had a negative impact on these major issues. The majority of RRs working in academia seem not to have been affected at all as far as their income is concerned, while the majority of those employed in other sectors became unemployed during the pandemic (58%). Recommendations are provided to the public authorities and policy makers to assist RRs to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic on their life.

scholarly journals Relationships Among the Feeding Behaviors of a Mirid Bug on Cotton Leaves of Different Ages and Plant Biochemical Substances

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Song ◽  
Zhaoke Dong ◽  
Lili Li ◽  
Zengbin Lu ◽  
Chao Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Cotton Leaf ◽  
Young Plant ◽  
Feeding Behaviors ◽  
Probing Behavior ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Mirid Bug ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) (Hemiptera: Miridae) tends to feed on young plant tissues. To explore the relationship between stylet probing behaviors of adult A. lucorum and conditions of cotton leaves, we conducted an experiment using electropenetrography (EPG). Behaviors were recorded on four cotton varieties, in relation to thickness and biochemical traits of differently-aged leaves. Cotton leaf age had a significant effect on the probing behavior of A. lucorum but cotton variety did not. One-day-old leaves of A. lucorum received the highest mean number of stylet probes (penetrations) per insect, and longest mean durations per insect of combined stylet probing or its components, cell rupture and ingestion behaviors. All of the leaf traits (thickness and biochemical substances) were similar among these four cotton varieties. Leaf thickness had a significantly negative effect on the same four variables above. Gossypol and tannin also had a negative impact on combined probing duration. Redundancy analysis showed that the four EPG variables were closely related to nutrient substances (amino acids, sugar, and water) while they had the opposite relationship with plant defense substances (gossypol and tannin). On cotton in the seedling stages, A. lucorum fed more readily on the youngest, thinnest leaves in our no-choice EPG experiments. Nutrients and chemical resistance substances determined the probing duration of A. lucorum. Our findings can contribute to better understanding of patterns of feeding and host consumption by A. lucorum, ultimately improving cotton resistance to A. lucorum.

scholarly journals Relationships among the Degree of Participation in Physical Activity, Self-Concept Clarity, and COVID-19 Stress in Adolescents

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 482
Author(s):  
Dae-Jung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
School Students ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
State And Local

The COVID-19 pandemic situation threatens the health of people globally, especially adolescents facing mental problems such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder due to constant COVID-19 stress. The present study aimed to provide basic data highlighting the need to alleviate COVID-19 stress among adolescents by promoting physical activity participation and strengthening self-concept clarity (SCC). To examine the relationships among participation in physical activity, SCC, and COVID-19 stress in pandemic-like conditions, the study was conducted on middle and high school students aged 14 to 19 and an online survey was conducted on 1046 Korean adolescents (521 male and 525 female students in the preliminary survey and main survey). Frequency, reliability, confirmatory factor, descriptive, and path analyses were performed using SPSS and AMOS 18.0. Participation in physical activity exerted a positive effect on SCC (p < 0.001) as well as a negative effect on COVID-19 stress (p = 0.031). Our findings also indicated that SCC exerted a negative effect on COVID-19 stress (p < 0.001). Regular participation in physical activity and strong SCC are also fundamental elements for alleviating COVID-19 stress. Given these results, state and local governments and educational institutions should encourage youth to participate in sports by suggesting policies, providing guidelines, and offering education. Such information may allow adolescents to endure and overcome COVID-19 stress during this critical period of life.

scholarly journals 764 Human Factors in Operative Theatres During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Analysis of Operating Theatre Staff Experiences in a Regional Centre

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
L E Murchison ◽  
R Anbarasan ◽  
A Mathur ◽  
M Kulkarni
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Operating Theatre ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Theatre Staff

Abstract Introduction In the already high-risk, high-stress environment of the operating theatre, operating during Covid-19 has brought its own unique challenges. Communication, teamwork and anxiety related new operating practices secondary to Covid-19 are hypothesised to have a negative impact on patient care. Method We conducted a single-centre online survey of operating theatre staff from 22nd June–6th July 2020. Respondents completed 18 human factors questions related to COVID-19 precautions including communication, teamwork, situational awareness, decision making, stress, fatigue, work environment and organisational culture. Questions consisted of yes/no responses, multiple choice and Likert items. Kruskall-Wallis tests, Chi-Squared, Mann Whitney U tests, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, lambda and Cramer’s V tests were used. Free-text responses were also reviewed. Results 116 theatre staff responded. Visual (90.5%), hearing/ understanding (96.6%) difficulties, feeling faint/lightheaded (66.4%) and stress (47.8%) were reported. Decreased situational awareness was reported by 71.5% and correlated with visors (r = 0.27 and p = 0.03) and FFP2/3 mask usage (r = 0.29 and p = 0.01). Reduced efficiency of theatre teams was reported by 75% of respondents and 21.5% felt patient safety was at greater risk due to Covid-19 precautions in theatre. Conclusions Organisational adjustments are required, and research focused on development of fit-for-purpose personal protective equipment (PPE).

scholarly journals Mental Health, Information and Being Connected: Qualitative Experiences of Social Media Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic from a Trans-National Sample

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 735
Author(s):  
Schoultz Mariyana ◽  
Leung Janni ◽  
Bonsaksen Tore ◽  
Ruffolo Mary ◽  
Thygesen Hilde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
National Study ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mental Health Information ◽  
The Uk

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strict national policies regarding social distancing behavior in Europe, America and Australia, people became reliant on social media as a means for gathering information and as a tool for staying connected to family, friends and work. This is the first trans-national study exploring the qualitative experiences and challenges of using social media while in lockdown or shelter-in-place during the current pandemic. Methods: This study was part of a wider cross-sectional online survey conducted in Norway, the UK, USA and Australia during April/May 2020. The manuscript reports on the qualitative free-text component of the study asking about the challenges of social media users during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, USA and Australia. A total of 1991 responses were included in the analysis. Thematic analysis was conducted independently by two researchers. Results: Three overarching themes identified were: Emotional/Mental Health, Information and Being Connected. Participants experienced that using social media during the pandemic amplified anxiety, depression, fear, panic, anger, frustration and loneliness. They felt that there was information overload and social media was full of misleading or polarized opinions which were difficult to switch off. Nonetheless, participants also thought that there was an urge for connection and learning, which was positive and stressful at the same time. Conclusion: Using social media while in a shelter-in-place or lockdown could have a negative impact on the emotional and mental health of some of the population. To support policy and practice in strengthening mental health care in the community, social media could be used to deliver practical advice on coping and stress management. Communication with the public should be strengthened by unambiguous and clear messages and clear communication pathways. We should be looking at alternative ways of staying connected.

scholarly journals Avoidance of Healthcare Utilization in South Korea during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4363
Author(s):  
Minjung Lee ◽  
Myoungsoon You
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Healthcare Utilization ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
First Case ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Health Related

Avoidance of healthcare utilization among the general population during pandemic outbreaks has been observed and it can lead to a negative impact on population health. The object of this study is to examine the influence of socio-demographic and health-related factors on the avoidance of healthcare utilization during the global outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020. Data were collected through an online survey four weeks after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed the first case in South Korea; 1000 subjects were included in the analysis. The logit model for regression was used to analyze the associations between sociodemographic and health-related factors regarding the avoidance of healthcare utilization. Among the participants, 73.2% avoided healthcare utilization, and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of healthcare avoidance between groups with (72.0%) and without (74.9%) an underlying disease. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income level, and residential area) were related to healthcare avoidance. Among the investigated influencing factors, residential areas highly affected by COVID-19 (i.e., Daegu/Gyeoungbuk region) had the most significant effect on healthcare avoidance. This study found a high prevalence of healthcare avoidance among the general population who under-utilized healthcare resources during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the results reveal that not all societal groups share the burden of healthcare avoidance equally, with it disproportionately affecting those with certain sociodemographic characteristics. This study can inform healthcare under-utilization patterns during emerging infectious disease outbreaks and provide information to public health emergency management for implementing strategies necessary to improve the preparedness of the healthcare system.

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