Close Human Contact Research Articles

Contextual and psychological factors in using recycled stormwater for residential purposes: a case study from Taiyuan, China

ABSTRACT This paper reviewed the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) practices around the world and explored urban residents' attitudes towards using stormwater recycled through MAR for residential uses in a Chinese socio-cultural context. The exploration was conducted from both contextual and psychological perspectives based on two established theories. The moderating effect of gender on residents' attitudes was tested. The results showed that most respondents supported using recycled stormwater for residential purposes but demonstrated hesitance in using recycled stormwater for uses that present proximity to human contact, which normally requires connecting the water to their house. Regarding the water quality attributes such as the colour, odour, and salt content of recycled stormwater, respondents were more tolerant if the water was used for uses that have limited human contact and less tolerant for uses that have close human contact. Therefore, any future decision to connect recycled stormwater into houses would require careful consideration and investigation as it depends on a range of issues including the proximity to human contact and the quality attributes of the water. Gender was a weak predictor in moderating respondents' attitudes towards using recycled stormwater, which adds to the inconsistent literature.

Occurrence rate and species and subtypes of Cryptosporidium spp. in pet dogs in Yunnan Province, China

BackgroundCryptosporidium spp. is a ubiquitous, globally distributed intestinal protozoan infecting humans and at least 260 animal hosts. Due to close human contact with pet dogs and identification of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species and subtypes in these animals, dog health is not only a veterinarian issue but also a public health issue. This study aimed to understand occurrence and genetic characterization at both genotype and subtype levels in pet dogs in Yunnan Province, China.ResultsA total of 589 fresh fecal specimens were collected from adult pet dogs in the rural areas of eight cities/autonomous prefectures of Yunnan Province, China. 16 fecal specimens were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequence analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene, with an average occurrence rate of 2.7% (16/589) being observed. Three zoonotic Cryptosporidium species were identified: C. parvum (n = 7), C. suis (n = 5) and C. canis (n = 4). At the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) locus, only three C. parvum and two C. canis specimens were successfully amplified and sequenced, with subtype IIaA17G2R1 (n = 3) and subtypes XXa4 (n = 1) and XXa5 (n = 1) being identified, respectively.ConclusionsThe present finding of three zoonotic Cryptosporidium species in dogs implied that dogs infected with Cryptosporidium spp. may pose a threat to human health. C. suis was identified in dogs in this study for the first time, expanding the host range of this species. Identification of C. parvum subtype IIaA17G2R1 and C. canis subtypes XXa4 and XXa5 will be helpful to explore the source attribution of infection/contamination and assess the transmission dynamics of C. parvum and C. canis in the investigated areas in the future.

Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of pathogenic Escherichia coli from commercial swine and poultry abattoirs and farms in South Africa: A One Health approach

Pathogenic Escherichia coli (PEC) are important foodborne bacteria that can cause severe illness in humans. The PECs thrive within the intestines of humans as well as animals and may contaminate multiple ecosystems, including food and water, via faecal transmission. Abattoir and farm employees are at high risk of PEC exposure, which could translate to community risk through person-to-person contact. To determine the epidemiology and resistome of PECs in Gauteng and Limpopo provinces of South Africa, 198 swine faecal samples, 220 poultry cloacal swabs, 108 human hand swabs, 11 run-off water samples from abattoirs and farms were collected from four swine and five poultry commercial abattoirs and two swine farms. One effluent sample each was collected from four wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and a tertiary hospital setting. Phenotypic and genotypic techniques were used including polymerase chain reaction, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). Results showed EHEC and EPEC prevalence was 4.1 % (22/542) and 20.8 % (113/542), respectively, with the O26 serogroup detected the most in PEC isolates. According to the PFGE dendrogram, isolates from poultry, human hand swabs and run-off water clustered together. Diverse virulence factors such as the novel stx2k subtype and eae genes were detected among the 36 representative PEC isolates according to WGS. The results showed that 66.7 % (24/36) of sequenced PECs presented with multi-drug resistance (MDR) to β-lactamase 13.9 % (5/36), aminoglycoside 61.1 % (22/36), tetracycline 41.7 % (15/36) and quinolones 38.9 % (14/36). No colistin nor carbapenem resistance was detected. Sequence types (STs) associated with MDR in this study were: ST752, ST189, ST206, ST10, ST48 and ST38. The findings highlight the threat of zoonotic pathogens to close human contacts and the need for enhanced surveillance to mitigate the spread of MDR foodborne PECs.

Assessing the Impact of the Influential Factors of Airport Biometric Technology on Air Traveler Behavioral Intentions in the With-COVID-19 Era: The Role of Attitude and Mental Health Value

ABSTRACT The risk of virus transmission while traveling due to COVID-19 has increased travelers' concerns about the general state of mental health, such as anxiety, depression and psychological distress. Biometric technologies have the potential to enhance passenger mental health, since this technology is contactless, replacing the physical check of travel documents and the close human contact. Therefore, the present study sought to develop a theoretical framework to investigate the impact of influential factors of biometric technology at an airport (i.e., perceived security, perceived convenience and functional value), and perceptions of viral disease risk, on passengers’ mental health, attitudes toward biometric technology, and behavioral intentions. Findings showed that the perceived security and functional value of biometric technology and the perception of viral disease risk influenced passengers’ mental health while perceived security and perceived convenience affected attitudes and behavioral intentions. Mental health was the most significant factor in explaining intentions toward biometric technology.

Catcalls: exotic cats discriminate the voices of familiar caregivers.

The ability to differentiate familiar from unfamiliar humans has been considered a product of domestication or early experience. Few studies have focused on voice recognition in Felidae despite the fact that this family presents the rare opportunity to compare domesticated species to their wild counterparts and to examine the role of human rearing. We tested whether non-domesticated Felidae species recognized familiar human voices by exposing them to audio playbacks of familiar and unfamiliar humans. In a pilot study, we presented seven cats of five species with playbacks of voices that varied in familiarity and use of the cats' names. In the main study, we presented 24 cats of 10 species with unfamiliar and then familiar voice playbacks using a habituation-dishabituation paradigm. We anticipated that human rearing and use of the cats' names would result in greater attention to the voices, as measured by the latency, intensity, and duration of responses regardless of subject sex and subfamily. Cats responded more quickly and with greater intensity (e.g., full versus partial head turn, both ears moved versus one ear twitching) to the most familiar voice in both studies. They also responded for longer durations to the familiar voice compared to the unfamiliar voices in the main study. Use of the cats' name and rearing history did not significantly impact responding. These findings suggest that close human contact rather than domestication is associated with the ability to discriminate between human voices and that less social species may have socio-cognitive abilities akin to those of more gregarious species. With cats of all species being commonly housed in human care, it is important to know that they differentiate familiar from unfamiliar human voices.

Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Kumasi: With a First Report of Zoonotic Pathogens in Abattoir Workers.

Tick-borne pathogens continue to infect humans and animals worldwide. By adapting to the movement of livestock, ticks facilitate the spread of these infectious pathogens. Humans in close contact with animals that could be amplifying hosts are especially at risk of being infected with tick-borne pathogens. This study involved the collection of dry blood spots (DBSs) to determine tick-borne pathogens occurring in slaughtered livestock and abattoir workers in Kumasi. This study employed the use of conventional PCR, RT-PCR, and Sanger sequencing to detect and identify the tick-borne pathogens. The resulting data was analysed using Stata version 13. A total of 175 DBSs were collected from goats (76), cattle (54), and sheep (45) in the Kumasi abattoir (130, 74.29%) and Akwatia Line slaughter slab (45, 25.71%). The pathogens identified were mostly bacterial including Anaplasma capra (9.71%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (1.14%), and Rickettsia aeschlimannii (0.57.%). The only parasite identified was Theileria ovis (9.14%). A significant association was seen between A. capra (p < 0.001) infection and female sheep sampled from the Akwatia Line slaughter slab. Again, there was a significant association between T. ovis (p < 0.001) infections and female sheep from the Kumasi abattoir. From the human DBS (63) screened, the pathogens identified were all bacterial including Coxiella burnetii (1.89%), Rickettsia africae (1.89%), and R. aeschlimannii (1.89%). This study reports the first detection of R. aeschlimannii in livestock as well as the occurrence of the above-mentioned pathogens in humans in Ghana. Animals can serve as amplifying hosts for infectious pathogens; hence, there is an increased risk of infections among the abattoir workers. Continuous surveillance effort is essential, and abattoir workers need to protect themselves from tick bites and infectious tick-borne pathogens.

Scabies prevalence and its associated factors among prisoners in southern Ethiopia: An institution-based analytical cross-sectional study.

Scabies is an ectoparasitic infestation that can easily spread during close human contact and in overcrowded areas such as prisons and public places where sanitation is a problem. Globally, as many as 300 million people are infested with scabies each year. Within Ethiopia, its burden in institutions like prisons is not well-studied. As a consequence, we sought to estimate the prevalence of scabies and also identify factors associated with it among prison inmates in southern Ethiopia. An institution-based analytical cross-sectional study design was employed. We used, a simple random sampling technique to select 422 prisoners. A pretested-structured questionnaire was used to collect the necessary information. EpiData version 4.2.0.0 and Statistical Packages for Social Science version 25 software were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. The model fitness was checked using the Hosmer-Lemeshow and omnibus tests. The association between the independent and outcome variables was presented in the form of a table showing the crude odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) along with their 95% confidence interval (CI). The level of statistical significance was declared at P.value ≤ 0.05. A total of 418 prisoners were interviewed, yielding a 99.1% response rate. The age of the participants ranged from 17 to 60 years. As many as 381 (91.1%) participants were male. The prevalence of scabies was found to be 8.9%. A history of sexual contact in the past two months, before imprisonment (AOR: 9.92 (95% CI 3.07, 32.02), P <0.001), a period of stay less than two months duration in the prison (AOR: 4.54 (95% CI 1.51, 13.54), P = 0.007), poor ventilation (AOR: 3.36 (95% CI 1.07, 10.58), P = 0.038), lack of hygiene soap (AOR: 5.53 (95% CI 1.45, 21.17), P = 0.012), and sharing clothes among each other (AOR: 3.81 (95% CI (1.09, 13.29), P = 0.036) were factors independently associated with a scabies infestation. In this study, we found the prevalence of scabies was high among prison inmates in Wolaita Zone prison. Furthermore, scabies infestations were associated with a previous history of sexual contact, poorly ventilated rooms, lack of hygiene soaps for washing, and sharing clothes amongst the inmates. Prison administrations should be encouraged to improve sanitary and screening and isolation of prisoners during imprisonment.

A systematic mapping review of links between handling wild meat and zoonotic diseases

1.Hunting, trade, and consumption of wildlife present a serious threat to global public health as it places humans in close contact with zoonotic pathogens.2.We systematically mapped the literature on wild meat handling and zoonotic disease transmission (1996–2022) using the online database Web of Science and Google search engine and identified 6229 articles out of which 253 were finally selected for use in our mapping review; 51 of these provided specific information regarding transmission risks.3.The reviewed studies reported 43 zoonotic pathogens (17 bacteria, 15 viruses, and 11 parasites) that could pose a potential risk to human health.4.Sixteen hygienic and sanitary behaviours were described in the reviewed studies. Disease surveillance was the most frequent. Most of the surveillance studies were carried out in Europe and were less common in the tropics.5.To inform policy and practical actions effectively, it is imperative to broaden our understanding of how various mitigation behaviours can be employed to minimize the risk of transmission.

Assessment of Mobile Air Cleaners to Reduce the Concentration of Infectious Aerosol Particles Indoors

Airborne transmission via aerosol particles without close human contact is a possible source of infection with airborne viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 or influenza. Reducing this indirect infection risk, which is mostly present indoors, requires wearing adequate respiratory masks, the inactivation of the viruses with radiation or electric charges, filtering of the room air, or supplying ambient air by means of ventilation systems or open windows. For rooms without heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, mobile air cleaners are a possibility for filtering out aerosol particles and therefore lowering the probability of indirect infections. The main questions are as follows: (1) How effectively do mobile air cleaners filter the air in a room? (2) What are the parameters that influence this efficiency? (3) Are there room situations that completely prevent the air cleaner from filtering the air? (4) Does the air cleaner flow make the stay in the room uncomfortable? To answer these questions, particle imaging methods were employed. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to determine the flow field in the proximity of the air cleaner inlet and outlet to assess regions of unpleasant air movements. The filtering efficiency was quantified by means of particle image counting as a measure for the particle concentration at multiple locations in the room simultaneously. Moreover, different room occupancies and room geometries were investigated. Our results confirm that mobile air cleaners are suitable devices for reducing the viral load indoors. Elongated room geometries, e.g., hallways, lead to a reduced filtering efficiency, which needs to be compensated by increasing the volume flow rate of the device or by deploying multiple smaller devices. As compared to an empty room, a room occupied with desks, desk separation walls, and people does not change the filtering efficiency significantly, i.e., the change was less than 10%. Finally, the flow induced by the investigated mobile air cleaner does not reach uncomfortable levels, as by defined room comfort standards under these conditions, while at the same time reaching air exchange rates above 6, a value which is recommended for potentially infectious environments.

Respiratory syncytial virus-induced disease in healthy infants: we need to offload this burden.

In the slipstream of the extraordinary, worldwide natural experiment reducing close human contact to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a drastically but temporarily diminished transmission of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children occurred in the winter of 2020–21.1 This glimpse of a world without RSV gained momentum for the urgent need for preventive strategies for this prototypical paediatric pathogen, which causes a spectrum of mild upper-respiratory to severe lower-respiratory tract disease in young children.

The effects of part-time dam-contact and stepwise weaning and separation on the voluntary human approach behaviour of dairy calves

Dairy calves are commonly reared without contact with their dam, which facilitates a human-animal relationship based on close human contact and feeding. Dam-contact may negatively affect calves’ relationship with humans. The current study investigates the effect of dam-contact and weaning method on calves’ response to humans. A total of 69 dairy calves were allocated to one of three dam-contact treatments [Control (separated from dam after 24 h), Whole-day (housed with dam for 23 h/d), and Half-day (housed with dam for 10 h/d)]. Within each treatment, calves were allocated to one of two weaning treatments [Stepwise (weaning off milk at eight weeks, dam-separation/pen change at nine weeks) or Simultaneous (weaning off milk and dam-separation/pen change simultaneously at nine weeks), i.e Control were weaned in the same manner but only the pen change was possible at the separation step, as calves were already separated from the dam]. All animals received a similar amount of human contact, except control calves who were additionally fed milk by teat bucket twice a day. Calves were tested in a random order within block using a human approach test followed by an animal approach test conducted in a 2.5 m x 10 m arena at 10 weeks of age. Stepwise-Control calves had shorter latencies to first approach the test person than Stepwise-Whole-day (p < 0.05, median survival time of Stepwise-Control: 11 s, Stepwise-Whole-day: 111 s and Stepwise-Half-day: 52 s). Among Simultaneous calves, no dam-contact treatment differences were detected for the latency to first approach. Similarly, Stepwise-Control calves had an odds ratio (95% CI) of 24.2 (1.6–365.9, p < 0.05) for coming within 1 m of the test person vs Stepwise-Whole-day calves and 12.5 (1.1–141.1, p < 0.05) vs Stepwise-Half-day calves. Throughout the test period Simultaneous-Control vocalised less [estimated mean no. of vocalisations (95% CI), 3.6 (2.1–6.4)] than both Simultaneous-Whole-day [18.2 (12.8–25.9), p < 0.01] and Simultaneous-Half-day [15.7 (11.0–22.5), p < 0.01] while there was no difference under Stepwise. As expected, Control approached faster and were more likely to come close to the test person than dam-reared calves, but exclusively after the stepwise weaning and separation. For calves tested one week after simultaneous weaning and separation no effect of the dam-contact treatments was found, except a higher frequency of vocalisations for dam-reared calves. This implies that controlling for the stress level related to weaning and separation from the dam is important when interpreting human-animal relationship tests, as dam-contact treatment effects appeared to be affected by high levels of weaning stress.

Recombinant full-length Bacillus Anthracis protective antigen and its 63 kDa form elicits protective response in formulation with addavax.

Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent for the lethal disease anthrax, primarily affecting animals and humans in close contact with an infected host. The pathogenicity of B. anthracis is attributed to the secreted exotoxins and their outer capsule. The host cell-binding exotoxin component "protective antigen" (PA) is reported to be a potent vaccine candidate. The aim of our study is to produce several PA constructs and analyze their vaccine potential. We have designed the various subunit, PA-based recombinant proteins, i.e., full-length Protective antigen (PA-FL), C-terminal 63 kDa fragment (PA63), Protective antigen domain 1-domain 4 chimeras (PA-D1-4) and protective antigen domain 4 (PA-D4) and analyzed their vaccine potential with different human-compatible adjuvants in the mouse model. We have optimized the process and successfully expressed our recombinant antigens as soluble proteins, except full-length PA. All the recombinant antigen formulations with three different adjuvants i.e., Addavax, Alhydrogel, and Montanide ISA 720, were immunized in different mouse groups. The vaccine efficacy of the formulations was analyzed by mouse serum antigen-specific antibody titer, toxin neutralization assay, and survival analysis of mouse groups challenged with a lethal dose of B. anthracis virulent spores. We have demonstrated that the PA-FL addavax and PA63 addavax formulations were most effective in protecting spore-challenged mice and serum from the mice immunized with PAFL addavax, PA-FL alhydrogel, PA63 addavax, and PA63 alhydrogel formulations were equivalently efficient in neutralizing the anthrax lethal toxin. The higher levels of serum Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines in PA-FL addavax immunized mice correspond to the enhanced protection provided by the formulation in challenged mice. We have demonstrated that the PA-FL addavax and PA63 addavax formulations exhibit equivalent efficiency as vaccine formulation both in a mouse model of anthrax and mammalian cell lines. However, PA63 is a smaller antigen than PA-FL and more importantly, PA63 is expressed as a soluble protein in E. coli, which imparts a translational advantage to PA63-based formulation. Thus, the outcome of our study has significant implications for the development of protective antigen-based vaccine formulations for human use against the lethal disease anthrax.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Erythromycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Bovine Mastitis and Humans in Close Contact.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a major causative agent of mastitis and is resistant to many antibiotics. Thus, there is a need to characterize the genetic determinants of S. aureus erythromycin resistance, such as ermA, ermB and ermC. The current study aimed to determine the phenotypic and genotypic erythromycin resistance profile and relatedness of S. aureus recovered from bovine mastitis and humans in close contact. A total of 14 mastitis-infected buffalo milk samples and 16 samples from their respective milkers were collected from different farms of Lahore, Pakistan. The antibiotic resistance profile was determined through the disk diffusion test. The overall prevalence of S. aureus in mastitis-affected buffaloes was found to be 75%, of which 52.1% were resistant to erythromycin and 42.8% to clindamycin. S. aureus isolates recovered from milker nasal samples showed 56.25% resistance to erythromycin and 44% resistance to clindamycin. Genotypic antibiotic resistance profiles were determined from 14 milk samples through PCR. Overall, eight (52.1%), three (21.4%) and five (35.7%) S. aureus isolates were positive for the ermA, ermB and ermC genes, respectively. Moreover, 16 milker nasal S. aureus isolates were also tested for the presence of ermA, ermB and ermC genes. The ermA, ermB and ermC genes were observed in nine(56.7%), five (31.3%) and seven (43.7%) isolates, respectively. A significant association was shown between phenotypic and genotypic erythromycin resistance. The results indicate both that there are sufficient genetic similarities, and the actual transmission of erythromycin resistance genes between these two hosts of S. aureus.

Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Humans to Pets, Washington and Idaho, USA.

SARS-CoV-2 likely emerged from an animal reservoir. However, the frequency of and risk factors for interspecies transmission remain unclear. We conducted a community-based study in Idaho, USA, of pets in households that had >1 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans. Among 119 dogs and 57 cats, clinical signs consistent with SARS-CoV-2 were reported for 20 dogs (21%) and 19 cats (39%). Of 81 dogs and 32 cats sampled, 40% of dogs and 43% of cats were seropositive, and 5% of dogs and 8% of cats were PCR positive. This discordance might be caused by delays in sampling. Respondents commonly reported close human‒animal contact and willingness to take measures to prevent transmission to their pets. Reported preventive measures showed a slightly protective but nonsignificant trend for both illness and seropositivity in pets. Sharing of beds and bowls had slight harmful effects, reaching statistical significance for sharing bowls and seropositivity.

Occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia colicarrying antimicrobial resistance genes in sheep on smallholdings in Bangladesh.

Shiga toxin-producingEscherichia coli(STEC) are zoonotic foodborne pathogens and a significant concern with the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Close human contact might have a higher chance of being transmitted to humans from sheep if the sheep population is a potential reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant STEC. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the sheep population in rural Bangladesh for antimicrobial-resistant STEC. We screened 200 faecal samples collected from sheep in three Upazilas from the Chattogram district. Randomisation of sampling was not performed due to the smaller flock size (two to six animals per smallholding). Phenotypically positiveE. coliisolates were examined for two Shiga toxin-producing genes -stx1 andstx2. PCR-positive STEC isolates were investigated for the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes -blaTEM ,sul1andsul2. In total, 123 of the 200 tested samples were confirmed positiveE. coliusing culture-based methods. PCR results show 17 (13.8%)E. coliisolates harboured ≥ one virulent gene (stx1or/andstx2) of STEC. The AMR profile of STEC isolates was determined utilising the disc diffusion method. Of the STEC isolates, 82, 76, 71 and 71% were susceptible tochloramphenicol, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and ampicillin. In contrast, 47% of isolates were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and 41% were resistant to amoxicillin. In addition, six of the tested STEC isolates exhibitedthe blaTEM gene; eight STEC isolates hadthe sul1gene, andthe sul2gene was detected in ten STEC isolates. To our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal a substantial percentage of STEC isolated from sheep in rural Bangladesh harbouring AMR genes.

Exploration of public stereotypes of supply-and-demand characteristics of recycled water infrastructure - Evidence from an event-related potential experiment in Xi'an, China

There is a growing consensus that recycled water, as an alternative and renewable water source, can serve as a vital water supply to alleviate water scarcity problem and in support of water resilience. Accordingly, recycled water infrastructure investment has seen a significant growth in recent years in many regions of the world. However, previous studies found the perceptions of public, the main end user, toward using recycled water for potable or non-potable purposes remain negatively stereotyped. The negative stereotypes led to public rejections to the construction and operation of recycled water infrastructure. Traditionally, public perceptions of recycled water uses are captured through self-reporting interview or survey techniques. To gain a more accurate measurement of the implicit public stereotypes toward recycled water uses, this study employed an event-related potential (ERPs) technique to collect neurophysiological responses with participants and presented a few research findings. Firstly, the negative stereotypes of recycled water still exist. Secondly, the degree of human contact impacts the negative stereotypes of participants toward recycled water uses more significantly on the supply side (referring to the whole supply chain of recycled water) rather than on the demand side (referring to the potential consumers of recycled water) Third, knowledge level significantly impacts the negative stereotypes of participants toward recycled water uses that have close human contact, at both supply and demand sides, and shows a more significant impact on the supply side. The findings of study contributed to the literature through creatively dividing the negative stereotypes of recycled water into the “supply-side” and the “demand-side” ones, and meanwhile have managerial implication for policymaking and scheme implementation in the area.

Key Factors in the Implementation of Wearable Antennas for WBNs and ISM Applications: A Review WBNs and ISM Applications: A Review

The increasing usage of wireless technology has prompted the development of a new generation antenna compatible with the latest devices, with on-body antennas (wearable antennas) being one of the revolutionary applications. This modern design is relevant in technologies that require close human body contact, such as telemedicine and identification systems, due to its superior performance compared to normal antennas. Some of its finer characteristics include flexibility, reflection coefficient, bandwidth, directivity, gain, radiation, specific absorption rate (SAR), and efficiency that are anticipated to be influenced by the coupling and absorption by the human body tissues. Furthermore, improvements like band-gap structure and artificial magnetic conductors (AMC) and (DGS) are included in the wearable antenna that offers a high degree of isolation from the human body and significantly reduces SAR. In this paper, the development of on-body antennas and how they are affected by the human body were reviewed. Additionally, parameters that affect the performance of this new antenna model, such as materials and common technologies, are included as an auxiliary study for researchers to determine the factors affecting the performance of the wearable antenna and the access to a highly efficient antenna.

Covid-19 Impact on Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

One compromise from it is the financial expense to present these actions. This paper assesses the immediate expenses for monetary action while the actions are set up. This paper resolves the inquiry whether crosscountry contrasts in GDP advancement over the first and second quarter of 2020 are generally determined by contrasts in the force with which states enacted restrictions, such as lockdowns, i.e. by the economic effects of mandatory social distancing, or largely by differences in the fatality rate associated with the virus, i.e. by the economic effects of social distancing. The assumptions on the spread of the disease are not grounded in projections, they do not take into consideration the quality of the health systems in the affected countries, transport associations with impacted nations, and wellbeing strategy reactions to the flare-up. The model integrates the decrease popular because of diminished creation and salaries yet doesn't completely catch the free compression sought after, with the exception of the decreases in the travel industry and different administrations that require close human contact. It additionally does exclude the decrease in financial backer certainty and any monetary repercussions. This examination will advance as we tweak suspicions in accordance with early effects and assess possible situations of the spread of the infection. Economic models can be used to model the consequences of pandemics, we consider two scenarios: a global pandemic and an amplified global pandemic. Financial models can be utilized to demonstrate the results of pandemics, we think about two situations: a worldwide pandemic and an intensified worldwide pandemic. On account of the worldwide pandemic, it is accepted that nations bear only one-half of the effect of the full China shock. On account of the enhanced worldwide pandemic, the shocks are uniform across all nations. A pattern worldwide pandemic situation sees GDP of the world fall by 2% underneath the standard, of agricultural nations by 2.5 percent, and of modern nations by 1.8 percent. The downfalls are almost two times as huge in an enhanced pandemic situation in which regulation is accepted to take more time. Furthermore, our granular dataset is broken down at the level of industrial activity within countries, which allows us to make GDP forecasts at the county level. We foster a progression of models to comprehend the reason why rich economies spend essentially more per capita. Results demonstrate that the bundle per capita is emphatically connected with the COVID-19 passings for every 100,000 populace starting around 15 June 2020, populace of something like 65 years of age as percent of all out populace, and pay and salaried specialists as percent of complete business; and conversely connected with independently employed as percent of absolute work, and weak work as percent of all out business. We utilize this data to contrast genuine with anticipated bundles.

Increasing animal cognition research in zoos

Animal cognition covers various mental processes including perception, learning, decision-making and memory, and animal behavior is often used as a proxy for measuring cognition. Animal cognition/behavior research has multiple benefits; it provides fundamental knowledge of animal biology and evolution but can also have applied conservation and welfare applications. Zoos provide an excellent yet relatively untapped resource for animal cognition research, because they house a wide variety of species-many of which are under threat-and allow close observation and relatively high experimental control compared to the wild. Multi-zoo collaboration leads to increased sample size and species representation, which in turn leads to more robust science. However, there are salient challenges associated with zoo-based cognitive research, which are animal-based (e.g., small sample sizes at single zoos, untrained/unhabituated subjects, side effects) and human-based (e.g., time restrictions, safety concerns, and perceptions of animals interacting with unnatural technology or apparatus). We aim to increase the understanding and subsequent uptake of animal cognition research in zoos, by transparently outlining the main benefits and challenges. Importantly, we use our own research (1) a study on novelty responses in hornbills, and (2) a multi-site collaboration called the "ManyBirds" Project to demonstrate how challenges may be overcome. These potential options include using "drop and go" apparatuses that require no training, close human contact or animal separation. This study is aimed at zoo animal care and research staff, as well as external researchers interested in zoo-based studies.

Telehealth as a Pandemic Silver Lining: Healthcare Lessons from COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the third coronavirus to emerge in the past decade after the 2010 SARS-CoV and 2012 MERS-CoV, which originated in China and Saudi Arabia, respectively. The virus is transmitted via small droplets which are produced during activities such as coughing, sneezing, and talking and spread through close human contact or touching infected surfaces. Since its first reported case in Wuhan, China in December 2020, the virus has proved to be highly infectious, reaching epidemic levels with about 2.8 million COVID-19 cases recorded globally. As a result, the World Health Organization was prompted to declare it as a public health emergency of international concern. The virus is of unknown aetiology and has no clinical countermeasures to date; therefore, prevention is the best strategy to prevent its spread. Many countries have enforced physical distancing, banned public gathering, and restricted mobility and transportation options. However, such preventive measures have side-effects which negatively impact healthcare and population health at various levels. Physicians and nurses treating COVID-19 patients are often required to be isolated from their family. Further, clinicians who are not well-versed in the complexities and risks of infectious diseases are facing new challenges. Patients requiring regular or urgent care (e.g., expectant mothers and patients awaiting elective/ emergency surgery) are experiencing limited access to care. Telehealth can ameliorate some of these side-effects and improve healthcare access along with the quality of life for both patients and practitioners.