Face Masks as a Factor in Eventuality of Changes in Driving Safety

During the COVID-19, pandemics or worsening virus situation, taxi and regular-route bus drivers are recommended to work in medical masks. However, the quantitative and qualitative influence of wearing protective face masks on safety of driving vehicles has not been previously studied. Therefore, this became the objective of preliminary studies to determine the specifics of the influence of a face protective mask on the change in psychophysiological qualities of a car driver as a factor in safety eventuality under urban traffic conditions.The method of an open-ended survey of 108 healthy adult drivers was used to obtain a quantitative subjective assessment of the effect of face masks on changing driving safety conditions and a comfortable emotional state while driving. A qualitative analysis of assessment of the level of psychophysiological qualities of drivers wearing and not wearing a face mask was carried out using Meleti hardware-software complex.A sharp decrease in neuropsychic functions with a simultaneous increase in quality of thinking and visual analysis of the traffic situation was revealed regarding the drivers wearing a face protective mask compared to those driving without a mask while the level of psychomotor reaction remains unchanged regardless of the gender of the driver.The subjective assessment of survey participants of the effect of a face mask on professionally important, psychophysiological characteristics of drivers revealed a significant (41,7 %) or insignificant (20,4 %) decrease in reaction, while 38 % of drivers did not notice significant changes in driving because of the effect of the mask.Based on these results, it is assumed that the face mask may serve as a predictor of a road pre-accident situation.To assess the effect of the face mask on the driver, a coefficient of eventuality of reducing road safety is proposed. It is recommended to use it as an additional factor in a situational pandemic environment when developing recommendations for the use of face masks for car and bus drivers, and when analysing the causes of road accidents.

Falciform fat:femur length ratio provides a novel method for objective postmortem estimation of total body fat in overweight and obese cats

Determination of the nutritional condition, including estimation of amounts of total body fat (tBF), at routine postmortem examination of cats is typically based on subjective visual assessment. Subjective assessment may result in uncertainties regarding degree of overweight, and objective methods that provide a numerical value reflecting the tBF could be valuable to accurately judge excess body fat. We investigated if the falciform fat pad weight (FFPW) was correlated to tBF and could be used to detect overweight and obesity in cats. The FFPW and the femur length (FL) were recorded at postmortem examination in 54 cats and the FFPW:FL ratio (FFR) calculated. Each cat was additionally assigned to a fat category (FC) according to subjective assessment. Computed tomography was used to determine tBF as the body fat percentage (%BF), the body fat volume (BFV), and BFV normalized to animal size (nBFV) in 39 cats. There was strong correlation between the FFPW and the BFV ( r = 0.888) and between the FFR and the nBFV ( r = 0.897). The correlation between the nBFV and %BF was very strong ( r = 0.974). Using a lower FFR cutoff value of 3.5 for obesity and 1.6 for overweight, there was a discrepancy in FC between using the FFR and subjective assessment in 6 of 54 cats (11%). We conclude that the FFPW increases proportionally with tBF and that the FFR provides a method for objective tBF estimation. We suggest introducing the FFR to feline postmortem examination protocols as an objective estimate of tBF.

Mucosal Bridge Reconstruction: A Novel Approach for the Vocal Fold Mucosal Bridge

Introduction: Mucosal Bridges (MBs) are defined as benign connective tissue abnormalities of unclear etiology that extend over the free surface of the vocal fold, are attached to the front and back of the vocal fold but are not attached to its free surface, and are histologically covered by stratified squamous epithelium. In order to overcome these drawbacks, we aimed to retrospectively evaluate and present the preoperative and postoperative results of patients with MB, who were applied the method we call “Mucosal Bridge Reconstruction” (MBR), which we apply as suturing rather than resection of the MB. Methods: Between January 2016 and February 2020, 5 patients who applied to the voice clinic due to dysphonia and were diagnosed with MB via laryngostroboscopic examination and direct laryngoscopy under general anesthesia were included in the study. Dr Speech software was used for acoustic analysis; mean fundamental frequency (fo), jitter %, shimmer %, and noise to harmonic ratio (NHR) were objectively measured and recorded. Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) was used for positive self-reporting of the severity of vocal symptoms. GRBAS scale (G: Grade, R: Roughness, B: Breathiness, A: Asthenia, and S: Strain) was also used (by the same clinician) for clinic subjective evaluation. Results: Patient age ranged from 33 to 55 years and mean patient age was 42 years. Mean duration of symptoms was 22 months (range 16-30). Mean postoperative follow-up time was 14 months (range 6-24). Unilateral MB was observed in all patients (2 left, 3 right). There was a significant improvement in objective and subjective assessment methods in all our patients after surgery. Conclusions: According to the results of our few patients, MBR offers a physiological and anatomical approach to the treatment of patients with MB. The outcomes of delicate microlaryngeal surgery are promising.

Environmental Knowledge of Participants’ Outdoor and Indoor Physical Education Lessons as an Example of Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies

(1) Background: The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of physical activity outdoors in nature as part of physical education in schools on the level of knowledge and ecological attitudes. (2) Material and methods: A total of 220 students took part in the study, with 103 of them in the treatment group, which usually practiced outdoor physical education classes, and 117 in the control group, which practiced mainly indoor. The project lasted 21 months, covering the last two years of primary school. The authors used the Children’s Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale CHEAKS in this study. The authors sought for an answer to the question of whether bringing a young person closer to nature by participating in a greater number of outdoor physical education lessons results in in-depth environmental knowledge. (3) Results: The appearance of seven statistically significant differences in ecological knowledge in the final study in favor of the group having outdoor physical education lessons proves the cognitively and visually stimulating role of a natural environment for physically active people. The location of physical education lessons turned out to be a much stronger condition for in-depth knowledge than gender, place of residence, parents’ education level, and subjective assessment of the financial satisfaction level. (4) Conclusion: These results are an incentive to further developing the young generation’s contact with nature through outdoor physical education lessons.

Perceived Need Factor Analysis on the Utilization of Elderly Health Services in Puskesmas and Posyandu

The need factor-based to the theory of Andersen and Newman (2005) is seen from 2 aspects, which include the individual assessment aspect (perceived need factor) and the clinical aspect (evaluated need). There is still no publication of review research that discusses specific analyzes of subjective assessment of the needs of the elderly on the use of services in health facilities at Puskesmas and Posyandu. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the influence of perceived need factors on the utilization of health services for the elderly at the Puskesmas and Posyandu. This study is a qualitative study with a literature review using quantitative and mixed methods analysis which are published from 2016 to 2021. The collection of literature using the Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. The search results obtained 60 articles that matched the keywords and then the overall identification was carried out using inclusion and exclusion criteria in the content of the article so that 12 articles were reviewed. The results showed which variable of perceived need factor that most commonly found to be related to the utilization of elderly health care services at Puskesmas and Posyandu was the chronic condition variable (n = 4 articles), followed by the self-rated health, subjective health complaint, perception for benefit matter and limitation in daily activities variable, each of them are (n=2 articles). Further studies are needed to develop an appropriate instrument in assessing the factors of the needs of the elderly in full, namely the factors of the needs of the elderly which are seen from the clinical aspect of the utilization of health services at the Puskesmas and Posyandu.

Парные глаголы с каузативным значением: семантические особенности (на материале бурятского языка)

Introduction. The article discusses the semantics of paired causative verbs in the Buryat language, which has not been the subject of a special study yet. The aim was to study the semantic features of Buryat paired causative verbs by way of identifying: 1) the types of paired causative verbs, 2) the contribution of each semantic component of a verbt of its general semantics and their correlation, and 3) paired causative verbs as a special case in expressing causative semantics. Materials and methods. The data was collected from works of fiction in the Electronic Corpus of the Buryat language; contextual and distributive analysis were used as the primary methods of research. Results. Semantic analysis of paired causative verbs, illustrative of causative relationships in the linguistic picture of the Buryat world, indicated that in pairs of non-causative + causative verb the latter is a leading component, which demonstrates the power of causative semantics; the verbs of this type most often express various emotions associated with impact and subjective assessment. The other type are represented by pairs of synonymous causative verb + causative verb that are effective in expressing the intensity of the impact; with the semes of the synonymous verbs combined, the meaning of causation in such pairs is enhanced, and their expressiveness and emotionale valuation aspects come to the fore.

Patient Satisfaction Based on IOL Implantation Results

Purpose: to found the relationship between the obtained postoperative visual acuity, the increase in visual acuity in the lines and the subjective satisfaction of patients with the results of the operation.Material and methods. The study included 165 patients (186 eyes) who received cataract phacoemulsification surgery with IOL implantation (n = 170) or refractive lensectomy with IOL implantation (n = 16). The average age of the subjects was 70.23 ± 10.14 years. The group included patients without concomitant systemic or ophthalmic pathology, without previous surgical interventions in the eye for any purpose. At least 1 month after the operation, patients filled out a questionnaire in order to find out the subjective satisfaction with the treatment (scale from 0 to 4 points). The results of the questionnaire were compared with postoperative BCVA, and increased vision (postoperative BCVA — preoperative BCVA). Preoperative BCVA — Me 0.4 (Q1–Q3: 0.1–0.68), postoperative BCVA — Me 1.0 (Q1–Q3: 0.95–1.0), increased vision — Me 0.6 (Q1–Q3: 0.3–0.9) according to Snellen’s table.Results. Visual acuity in satisfaction subgroups: 0 points — Me 1.0 (Q1–Q3: 0.9–1.0) / n = 5 (2.7 %); 1 point — 1 case, postoperative BCVA 1.16 (0.5 %); 2 points — Me 0.95 (Q1–Q3: 0.84–1.0) / n = 14 (7.5 %); 3 points — Me 1.0 (Q1–Q3: 0.9–1.16) / n = 57 (30.6 %); 4 points — Me 1.0 (Q1–Q3: 0.96–1.0) / n = 109 (58.6 %). Postoperative BCVA and increased in visual acuity do not have statistically significant differences depending on satisfaction with treatment (p > 0.05). The correlation between postoperative BCVA and satisfaction is not statistically significant (p = 0.65; rxy = 0.136), as well as between vision improvement and satisfaction (p = 0.55; rxy = 0.141).Conclusion. There was a lack of a statistically significant relationship between postoperative BCVA and improved vision with subjective patient satisfaction with treatment. Identification of factors affecting subjective assessment requires a deeper analysis. Practicing ophthalmologists should remember the importance of the dialogue between the doctor and the patient at the preoperative stage, informing the patient about the expected results of the operation and the possible course after the operation period.

Risk Readiness as an Adaptive Resource: Subjective Assessments of the Adult Population of Russia

The article attempts to deepen scientific knowledge about the role of risk preparedness as an adaptive resource at different stages of the process of adaptation to uncertainty. Based on analysis of the scientific literature, the essence of risk readiness is shown as a rational choice of the method of interaction with uncertainty, based on the assessment of the situation by the adaptant, his own capabilities and the consequences of the decision made. The approach to measuring risk readiness through a subjective assessment of its sufficiency / lack / neutrality as an adaptive resource is substantiated. The theoretical basis is the position of the sociology of adaptations by L. V. Korel about the differentiation of adaptation resources according to their relationship with the speed and level of adaptation of the subject. An empirical interpretation of the speed of adaptation is proposed through the adaptive capacity and the level of adaptability, and the success / failure of adaptation through selfassessment of social well-being. The hypothesis of the relationship between the risk readiness of the adult population of Russia with the indicators of the speed and success of adaptation to the conditions of uncertainty caused by transformational processes in modern society is subjected to empirical testing on the basis of “RLMSHSE” data analysis. Socio-demographic factors differentiating respondents by subjective assessment of risk readiness, such as gender and age, are recorded. It has been established that a high subjective assessment of risk readiness associated with high assessments of adaptive capacity and adaptability level determines a high rate of adaptation. The relationship between the subjective assessment of risk readiness and the level of social well-being is shown. Risk readiness is justified as a specific adaptive resource that ensures the speed of the adaptation process and its result “at the exit” – the success or failure of adaptation to uncertainty conditions.

Measurement Methods of Fatigue, Sleepiness, and Sleep Behaviour Aboard Ships: A Systematic Review

Since seafarers are known to be exposed to numerous job-related stress factors that can cause fatigue, sleepiness, and disturbed sleep behaviour, the aim of this review was to provide an overview of the subjective and objective measurement methods of these strains. Using a systematic review, 166 studies were identified within the period of January 2010 to December 2020 using the PubMed database. Of the 21 studies selected, 13 used both subjective and objective measurement methods. Six studies used only subjective and two studies only objective methods. For subjective assessment, 12 different questionnaires could be identified as well as activity and sleeping logs. Actigraphy and reaction time tests (RTT) were the most common objective methods. In single cases, electrooculography (EOG), pupillometry and ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) were used. Measurement-related limitations due to vessel-related impacts were less often reported than expected. No restrictions of daily routines on board were described, and only single-measurement disturbances due to ship movements were mentioned. The present literature review reveals that there are various routines to measure fatigue, sleepiness, and sleep behaviour on board. A combination of subjective and objective methods often appears to be beneficial. The frequent use of actigraphy and RTT on board suggests good feasibility and reliable measurements with these methods. The use of ambulatory PSG in maritime-like contexts suggests that this method would also be feasible on board.

Subjective perceptions of students and teachers to environmental noise in public schools

Formal education takes place in the classroom, where learning involves intensive verbal communication between teachers and students. Therefore, classrooms must offer the necessary conditions for good teaching and learning activities, especially teacher-student communication. It is in this context that the importance of classroom acoustics is highlighted. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the acoustic quality in two classrooms. To this end, the perception of teachers and students about the noise inside and outside the classroom was investigated through questionnaires. Then, the background noise levels and the reverberation time values ​​inside the classrooms were evaluated in situ. These results were compared with the assessment of the subjective perception of the questionnaires. The levels of background noise found in classrooms were above what NBR 10152 recommends. The subjective assessment showed that students and teachers perceive the noise in classrooms and consider them bothersome. According to the teachers, noise is a factor that negatively affects teaching. In conclusion, the results obtained in this work show the lack of acoustic comfort in classrooms and highlight the need for interventions.