Confinement Period Research Articles

Psychoactive Substance Users Attitudes during the Period of COVID 19 Sanitary Confinements: Experience of Addiction Treatment Center of Arrazi University Psychiatric Hospital in Sale, Morocco

Objective: The objectives of the study are to evaluate the socio-demographic, clinical characteristics as well as the impact of Covid 19 on the addictive behavior during the period of sanitary confinement. Methods: This study included a sample of 70 patients followed in the addiction treatment center of Ar-Razi university psychiatric hospital in salé, for an addiction problem during the sanitary Covid19 quarantine. A questionnaire has been developed for this occasion. Results: The average age of our patients is 33 years old, 85.7% of them were male, 95.8% live in an urban area, 60% were without profession, 38.5% of them had an history of inpatient detoxification, 71% tried a withdrawal treatment. Psychiatric and somatic comorbidities were respectively among 60%, and 8.5% of our population. Almost half of patients (51%) reported having reduced their consumption during this period of confinement. Conclusion: COVID-19 and addictions are two epidemiological threats to public health. Many efforts are being made to raise public awareness of the deleterious effects of addictions and the risk of corona virus contamination. Public health programs could be developed along the lines of those already in existence to prevent and manage these disorders.

Subcutaneous fat thickness at slaughter in castrated and non-castrated Santa Inês and Dorper lambs and its influence on meat and carcass quality

The objective of this study was to evaluate the carcass characteristics and meat quality of castrated and non-castrated Santa Inês and Dorper lambs, finished in confinement and slaughtered with different subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), which was evaluated using in vivo ultrasound. Sixty-nine male lambs from two genetic groups were used - 34 Santa Inês and 35 Dorper. Dorper lambs showed superior conformation and finishing, 22% and 15.73%, respectively, compared to that of the Santa Inês lambs. The lambs were classified and slaughtered according to the following criteria: intended subcutaneous fat thickness close to 0 mm, close to 3 mm and close to 6 mm. Measurements were taken of the longissimus lumborum muscle in the region between the 12th and 13th ribs on the left side of the animal. Dorper lambs deposited more fat than Santa Inês lambs, and when slaughtered with the intended thickness of subcutaneous fat of 6 mm, they presented 7.34 mm fat thickness made in the muscle, while 3.61 mm was observed in Santa Inês lambs with the same age and confinement period. The meat became darker, less reddish, and less yellow at subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) between 0 and 6 mm. The measurement of SFT using the ultrasound showed a high positive correlation with the fat thickness measured in the muscle with a caliper (MFT), demonstrating the possibility of using this method in vivo for accurate prediction of MFT. Slaughter of lambs with 3 mm of subcutaneous fat is recommended and is enough to guarantee a quality standard for both carcass and meat.

Confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic: How multi-domain work-life shock events may result in positive identity change

During the COVID-19 pandemic many countries enforced mandatory stay-at-home orders. The confinement period that took place may be regarded as a multi-domain work-life shock event, severely disrupting both the professional and the family sphere. Taking an identity lens, this study examines whether and how identity changed during confinment by drawing from a diary study consisting of 14 working parents who filled out a daily diary over a period of seven weeks of mandated home confinement in France. The findings suggest how both work-related and family-related identity change may occur when individuals are confronted with a multi-domain work-life shock event such as the pandemic. Further, the findings point to three identity responses to this event: work-life identity threat, work-life identity reflection, and work-life identity reconstruction. For most participants, the seven-week period resulted in significant and positive shifts in their work and family identities to better align with their internal beliefs rather than relying on societally imposed expectations about what it means to be a good parent and worker.

Impact of the COVID-19 confinement on movement behaviors among French young children: the ONAPS national survey.

The present study examines the effects of the COVID-19 confinement on health-related behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behaviors) of young French children. Parents of 348 French children under 6 years of age completed an online survey launched during the first days of the initial COVID-19-related confinement. They were asked to indicate whether their kids increased, decreased or maintained their physical activity level, time spent in sedentary behaviors, and sleep time. Information regarding the configuration of their home environment (access to outdoor facilities, implantation area) and lifestyle habits (solitary activity, parents' solicitation; nap time; night waking episodes and night duration) were also collected. A total of 25.0% of the children were reported to decrease, 24.7% maintained and 50.3% increase their physical activity during the confinement. Greater proportions of kids who had access to a collective (51.4%) or individual (53.7%) outdoor area increased their physical activity. Regardless of the housing situation (urban, suburban or rural) or access to outdoor facilities, the majority of children increased their screen time (60.4%). Two-thirds (66.7%) of parents reported nap time remained unchanged for their kids. Fifty-one percent of parents admitted a link between teleworking and their kids' screen time. Health behaviors were differentially impacted in very young kids during a confinement period. Importantly, a majority of parents admitted a causal effect of telecommuting on their kids' screen exposure. The present results also show that the proneness to increase physical activity during confinement is positively related to access to a favorable outdoor environment.

Correlation analysis of sleep quality, mood and teleoperation performance in the MDRS206 analog mission

Human space exploration and the development of the new space industry demands specific studies on long-term human space missions. Spending an extended duration of time in an isolated and confined environment could degrade the cognitive state and performance of the operators within a crew. In the context of Mars exploration or a Lunar base, professional tasks such as teleoperation will be performed, and therefore their outcome might be impacted by the crew’s cognitive state. Previous studies have shown evidence of the impact that stressors associated to confinement have on behavioural patterns and sleep quality. This investigation links then the aforementioned stressors to task performance. Hence, in order to investigate whether teleoperation task performance might be impacted by the crew’s mental state in a confined and isolated setting, a correlational study was run on data acquired from the Crew 206 of the Mars Desert Research Station (mdrs) (mdrs) in the Utah Desert. The participants were French students (n=5, Mean Age=21, σ=0.707) who underwent a confinement period of 3 weeks. Over these weeks, they performed 7 teleoperation tasks. The task consisted in the guidance of a rover for a sample collection on the lunar surface. Operator performance was measured by recording the completion time and the frequency of errors. The participants’ sleep data were measured with the Dreem headband, a portable Electroencephalogram (eeg) (eeg). Only the sleep data from the night before each session were considered. Also, operator cardiac activity was measured during the teleoperation task using a Faros 360 electrocardiography system. Lastly, operator mood was assessed just before performing the task using a shortened version of the Positive and Negative Affects (panas) questionnaire. A Spearman correlation run on these data revealed several statistical correlations that uncover links between professional task performance, sleep quality and mood in a confined and isolated setting. Amongst them are notably significant correlations between sleep duration and task completion time (ρ=0.6197, p<0.01), the reported feeling of confinement with the negative affect component of the mood (ρ=0.5797, p<0.01), the negative affect component and several sleep quality parameters (ρ=0.4686 or 0.4944,p<0.01). In addition to paving the way towards a better assessment of the impact of confinement and isolation on professional tasks, linking these parameters with specific personality traits could help in the selection of candidates for future human missions, thus increasing mission safety and reliability.

Living Space and Job Prospects and Their Relationship with Subjective Well-Being during COVID-19 Confinement in Spain: The Mediator Role of Resilience.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships of participants’ home characteristics (living space) and job prospects after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to their subjective psychological well-being (SWB) (in terms of both affective and cognitive aspects). We also examined the role of participants’ resilience as a possible mediator in the relationships among the aforementioned variables. The sample comprised 474 Spanish adults who completed an online questionnaire between 14 and 24 April 2020, when COVID-19 confinement was very strict in Spain. We proposed a path analysis model including the described variables. The model presented a good fit (χ2 = 7.41, df = 5, p = 0.376, comparative fit index = 0.996, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.987; root mean square error of approximation = 0.032). The results indicated that living space and future job prospects predicted resilience, which, in turn, was related to SWB. Moreover, the bootstrapping results revealed a mediating effect of resilience that showed indirect relationships between living space and SWB and between job prospects and SWB. Our results underline the importance of environmental (living space) and job-related variables to predict SWB as well as the mediating role that resilience may play during the confinement period.

When COVID-19 delays the management of an urgent heart condition: A rare case of a spontaneous dissection of two coronary arteries.

Some severe life‐threatening conditions could be misdiagnosed during the current COVID‐19 pandemic.

The relationship between irritability and autism symptoms in children with ASD in COVID-19 home confinement period.

ObjectiveThis study investigated the impact of COVID‐19 home confinement on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms and irritability in children and adolescents with ASD.MethodThe study participants included 46 drug‐naive children aged 4‐17 years diagnosed with ASD. Parents of the participants completed the Autism Behaviour Checklist (AuBC) and Affective Reactivity Index (ARI) scales for both normal conditions and COVID‐19 home confinement.ResultsAll subscale scores for AuBC (sensory, relating, body and object use, language, and social and self‐help) and ARI scores significantly increased during the COVID‐19 home confinement period (P < .05). The participants’ irritability and ASD symptoms were significantly worse during the COVID‐19 outbreak and home confinement period compared to normal conditions. The variables that predicted irritability were the social and self‐help subscales of AuBC.DiscussionThese results have alerted us of the importance of focusing on the symptoms such as irritability exhibited by extremely vulnerable populations during disease outbreaks and of the necessity of developing new strategies to avoid such adverse outcomes in similar situations.

Study on the heterogeneity in mixture carrageenan gels viewed by long time particle tracking

The network structure of mixed κ- (KC) and ι- (IC) carrageenan gels were investigated using particle tracking in a long time observation. The Brownian motion of 100 nm particles tracked for ~1400 s was utilized to probe the microenvironment in the mixed gels. The individual mean square displacement (msd) of particles in different mixing ratios of KC/IC showed a broad distribution, indicating spatial heterogeneity in the particle diffusion, suggesting the phase-separated network structure with KC-rich and IC-rich domains. The broad distribution of msd further suggests fast-moving particles in IC-rich and slow-moving particles in KC-rich domains. The distribution of displacement for each of the fast-moving particles showed a non-Gaussian distribution indicating the heterogeneous diffusion behavior. The time-course of the radius of gyration in a sliding time window with a duration time for the mobile particles revealed multiple confinement events. These were attributed to the sterical hindrance or the interaction with the surface of the KC-rich domain, which tolerates the breakaway from the confinement by the Brownian motion. Simulation of particle diffusion was performed to understand the interaction that causes the confinement period. Results revealed that the confinement was caused by the interaction between the particle and the KC-rich domain covered with KC chains. The KC chains have the negatively charged sulfonic group, but salt ions of KCl should satisfyingly shield the repulsive interaction by the sulfonic group to have cohesive interaction with the particle.

Factor analysis approach to investigate the prevalence of stress among Indian students during COVID 19 pandemic

Objective: Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a considerable threat with its associated high mortality, infection, and hazard of physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual stress (WHO, 2020). A large number of students are affected due to a chronic break from classroom academic activities, the pressure of being hired for an internship or final placement and staying at home. The main focus of this learning is to know the stressors of graduate and post-graduate Indian students and their major hurdles during the COVID-19 lockdown. Further, the study aims to facilitate a proposed model of training, by combining 7 psychosocial variables of emotional resilience which might empower the students to cater to stressors and improve personal, academic, and professional effectiveness (Chen et.al, 2020; Horesh et.al, 2020) Methods: Using a convenience method, an internet survey of the 6-item COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire (CSSQ) (modified version Zurlo et.al, 2020) was conducted on students across India. together with their demographic details, the participants also reported their study patterns and challenges during their confinement period. The statistical scores for the responses were calculated and also the demographic variables were analyzed using the factor analysis technique. (Ahorsu et. al,2020) Findings, Discussion, and implications: The findings suggest that self-awareness, self-regulation, mental agility, optimism, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and psychological safety may be the important emotional resilience to be developed among the Indian students to cope with physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual stressors confronted by them during COVID 19 pandemic to increase personal and professional effectiveness (Maria et.al, 2020, Zurlo et.al. 2017) Conclusion: The study has several practical implications for counselling psychologists, academicians, parents, life coaches handling youth and mental health workers related to the graduate and post-graduate education sector (Taylor et.al, 2020; Sahu et.al, 2020).

Academic stress in university students in a period of confinement due to COVID 19

Was to analyze the level of academic stress according to sociodemographic factors in university students in a period of confinement due to COVID-19, the most important characteristics of the stressors, symptoms and coping strategies presented by the students were described. 462 students from a public university in Arequipa were included, a measurement instrument with 21 items was used that allowed us to understand the current situation of the student regarding their academic responsibilities. The results indicate that there is a moderate to severe level of academic stress and that the main reasons for this problem are due to the limited time to do the work, the overload of tasks, the lack of clarity about what the teachers want when assigning the tasks, evaluations, the demands of teachers, and above all the permanent use of technology bringing repercussions on a physical, psychological and social level.&#x0D; Keywords: Academic stress, COVID-19, university students.&#x0D; References&#x0D; [1]Ministerio de Educación, «Disposiciones del Minedu ante el Coronavirus (COVID-19),» Resolución Viceministerial N° 081-2020-MINEDU, 12 Marzo 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.gob.pe/institucion/minedu/campa%C3%B1as/855-disposiciones-del-minedu-ante-el-coronavirus-covid-19. [Last access: 10 Octubre 2020].&#x0D; [2]B. Alfonso, M. Calcines, R. Monteagudo y Z. Nieves, «Estrés académico,» Revista Edumecentro, vol. 7, nº 2, pp. 163-178, 2015.&#x0D; [3]S. Carrasco, Metodología de la investigación científica. Pautas metodológicas para diseñar y elaborar el proyecto de investigación, Lima: Editorial San Marcos E.I.R.L., 2019.&#x0D; [4]R. D. Alania, R. A. Llancari, M. De la Cruz y d. I. Ortega, «Adaptación del cuestionario de estrés académico SISCO SV al contexto de la crisis por COVID-19,» Revista Científica de Ciencias Sociales, vol. 4, nº 2, pp. 111-130, 2020.&#x0D; [5]N. Montalvo y M. Aarón, «Impacto del COVID-19 en el estrés de unirsitarios,» Ava Cient, vol. 4, nº 2, pp. 1-8, 2020.&#x0D; [6]N. Suárez y L. B. Díaz, «Estrés académico, deserción y estrategias de retención de estudiantes en la educación superior,» Revista de Salud Pública, vol. 17, nº 2, pp. 300-313, 2015.&#x0D; [7]C. Castillo, T. Chacón y D. Gabriela, «Ansiedad y fuentes de estrés académico en estudiantes de carreras de la salud,» Investigación en educación médica, vol. 5, nº 20, pp. 230-237, 2016.&#x0D; [8]C. M. Apaza, R. S. Seminario y J. E. Santa-Cruz, «Factores psicosociales durante el confinamiento por el Covid-19 – Perú,» Revista Venezolana de Gerencia, vol. 25, nº 90, pp. 1-10, 2020.&#x0D; [9]F. N. Bedoya, L. J. Matos y E. C. Zelaya, «Niveles de estrés académico, manifestaciones psicosomáticas y estrategias de afrontamiento en alumnos de la facultad de medicina de una universidad privada de Lima en el año 2012» Revista de Neuro-Psiquiatría, vol. 77, nº 4, pp. 262-270, 2014.&#x0D; [10]N. Suarez y L. B. Diaz, «Estrés académico, deserción y estrategias de retención de estudiantes en la educación superior,» Revista Salud Pública, vol. 17, nº 2, pp. 300-313, 2015.&#x0D; [11]Y. Díaz, «Estrés académico y afrontamiento en estudiantes de Medicina,» Humanidades Médicas, vol. 10, nº 1, pp. 1-17, 2010.&#x0D; [12]N. E. Zárate, M. G. Soto, E. G. Martínez, M. L. Castro, R. A. García y N. M. López, «Hábitos de estudio y estrés en estudiantes del área de la salud.,» FEM: Revista de la Fundación Educación Médica, vol. 21, nº 3, pp. 153-157, 2018.&#x0D; [13]M. M. Marín, «Estrés en estudiantes de educación superior de Ciencias de la Salud,» RIDE Revista Iberoamericana para la Investigación y el Desarrollo Educativo, vol. 6, nº 11, pp. 1-14, 2015.&#x0D; [14]C. Toribio y S. Franco, «Estrés Académico: El Enemigo Silencioso» Salud y Administración, vol. 3, nº 7, pp. 11-18, 2016.&#x0D; [15]A. Barraza, Inventario Sistémico Cognoscitivista para el estudio del estrés académico. Segunda versión de 21 ítems SISCO SV-21, México: Ecorfan, 2018.&#x0D; [16]D. Frías, Apuntes de consistencia interna de las puntuaciones de un instrumento de medida, Valencia: Universidad de Valencia, 2019.&#x0D; [17]C. Pérez, Técnicas estadisticas predictivas con IBM SPSS, España: Garceta, 2016.&#x0D;

Pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional observational descriptive study.

AimTo provide data on the fears of pregnant women during the confinement period and to learn about the factors, which may have exacerbated fear in Spanish pregnant women during the pandemic.DesignA cross‐sectional observational and descriptive study.MethodsAn anonymous survey was carried out using virtual media in a pregnant population (aged ≥18 years) during the confinement period from 1 April to 1 May 2020.ResultsThe total sample comprised of 62 individuals, with a mean age of 33.6 ± 3.6 years and a mean gestation time of 23.6 ± 9.8 weeks. All of the women used preventive measures against SARS‐CoV‐2. The most common preventive measures were social isolation (82.3%, n = 51) and frequent handwashing (69.4%, n = 43). The most common feeling was fear (29%, n = 18). The main fears were related to transplacental infection (27%, n = 16), loneliness during childbirth, and being separated from the newborn (27%, n = 16). In addition, 59.7% (n = 37) considered changing their child‐rearing practices after the pandemic.

An evaluation of the impact of confinement on the quality of e-learning in higher education institutions

PurposeTechnology acceptance research in the L&T contexts has a necessity for enabling the significant inclusion of technology in educational settings (Scherer et al., 2019). Despite the propensity for information communication and technology to enhance the teaching and learning process, the acceptance or rejection of learning technology is essential. Technological acceptance model (TAM) has evolved to become a key model to depict the predictors of human behaviour towards prospective rejection or acceptance of technology (Granic and Marangunic, 2019). In their recent systematic review of the extensive literature on TAM, Granic and Marangunic (2019) found that most of TAM research originate from Asia (Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea and China), Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, research on TAM has been very scarce in small island economies. This study aims to guide the empirical model of Al-Fraihat et al. (2020), which wants to uncover the quality of learning by understanding the intentions and satisfaction of tertiary education learners on the acceptance and use of information technology (IT) for e-learning, during the confinement period.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a quantitative approach. The proposed framework was borrowed from Al-Fraihat et al. (2020) and amended based on the contextual aspect of the study. The model proposed by Al-Fraihat et al. (2020) takes into consideration the quality of e-learning through technical system quality, information quality, service quality, educational system quality, support system quality, learner quality and instructor quality. The framework has as the basis the TAM where the perceived satisfaction, perceived usefulness, use and benefits of E-learning have been evaluated. This current study evaluated the quality of the e-learning platform from the students’ perspective in the confinement period. The service quality construct has been broken into three different dimensions, namely, service quality from an IT perspective, service quality from an administration perspective and service quality from the faculty represented by the Head of Departments. Another dimension has been added so as to evaluate the learner’s point of view when studying during confinement, namely, confinement and learning quality.FindingsThe findings of this study did not support H25, that is the hypothesis that perceived usefulness has a positive relationship with perceived satisfaction, in contradiction to similar previous studies that confirmed the relationship (Al-Sabawy et al., 2011; Al-Fraihat et al., 2020). However, interestingly, the findings of this research supported the relationship between perceived satisfaction and benefits (H26). This means that the greater the satisfaction of the learner, the greater the benefits on students. The results of this study further supported that there is a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and benefits (H27); there is a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and use (H28); and finally, there is a positive relationship between use and benefits (H29). Such relationships were also found in the existing literature (Al-Sabawy et al., 2011; Cidral et al., 2018; Al-Fraihat et al., 2020). The perception of the usefulness of the e-learning system determines the benefits, usefulness and system use. When the learners feel that the system is enhancing their learning, learning activities and performance, hence learning more effectively, they tend to see the e-learning system as useful and they are more likely to use the e-learning system/tool. The use of the tool/system, thus positively impacts the benefits that the learners derived from the system.Originality/valueThe COVID-19 and overnight decision for a country-wide lockdown drastically changed the education sector. School and all teaching institutions were closed. However, most universities had to review their teaching and learning models to introduce e-learning to ensure the semester’s progress. Hence, the use of the various LMS tools became a necessity overnight. This study on e-learning in Mauritius uses the TAM as the theoretical foundation because the theory has long been extensively used to investigate the quality of learning eg. Davis (1989), Scherer et al. (2019), Al-Fraihat et al. (2020).

Mismothering and remedying the mother-young relationship in stabled dromedary camels

This study aimed to characterize inappropriate maternal behaviours in stabled dromedary camels in order to detect the main causes of calf rejection, and to develop a suitable method to remediate mismothering. A herd of 45 pregnant females was under video surveillance to detect periparturient females. Twelve pregnant dromedary females (6 accepting their newborns and 6 rejecting them 1 h after calving) were selected as experimental subjects. A blood sample was collected during calving to determine cortisol levels. Maternal behaviour at the calving site was assessed during the first hour postpartum. Rejecting dams and their neonates were moved into a confinement enclosure to assess their maternal behaviour over a period of 30 min at 1 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h during confinement and at 7 d postpartum. Five IU of synthetic oxytocin were injected at 8:00, 12:00 and 16:00 to induce milk ejection in rejecting dams and one qualified person collected colostrum. The newborns were fed by holding the bottle of colostrum on the surface of the mother’s udder and keeping body contact between the two animals. Results showed that the duration of parturition was longer in the mothers that rejected their calves (P = 0.04). Such females spent more time in standing position during the calving process (P = 0.01) compared to accepting mothers, had higher plasma cortisol levels (P < 0.01), and gave birth preferentially while standing. Rejecting mothers changed calving sites and displayed head-turning more frequently (P < 0.01 in both parameters) than accepting mothers. Two causes of rejection were identified: dystocia and presence of an alien calf at the birth site. Moreover, a female showed a case of repeated rejecters. During the first hour postpartum, rejecting mothers failed to express good maternal care and moved away from their neonates. In the confinement enclosure, they exhibited attack behaviour toward their calves, displayed low sniffing activity, and emitted mainly high-pitched grunt. Aggression diminished progressively and disappeared (P < 0.0001) on the 2nd day of confinement while sniffing behaviour increased steadily (P = 0.001). The number of high-pitched grunt decreased over time while the number of low-pitched grunt increased over the first 3 days before declining significantly at the end of the confinement period (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, rejecting mothers can be very aggressive towards their own newborns. However, three days of confinement and forced contact with the calf while bottle-feeding it with the mother’s milk was sufficient to alleviate mismothering in dromedaries and establish proper mother-young relationships.

INCREASED VALUE OF SUBSTANCES OR DECREASING ALTERNATIVES? BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

COVID-19 offers a chance to test the Reinforcer Pathology (RP) model through the effects of social constraints on the motivation to use drugs. Aims. This study aimed to empirically assess the RP model in the context of a cross-sectional online survey in Spain. Method. During the strictest period of confinement (14th March-12th April 2020), 203 participants provided measures on past 30-day use of legal and illegal substances and responded to hypothetical alcohol and cigarette purchase tasks. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to inform on pre- and intra-pandemic substance use patterns. Breakpoint (i.e., price at which consumption ceases), elasticity (i.e., sensitivity of demand to rises in costs) and intensity (i.e., unrestricted consumption) were used as indicators of substance use demand. Results. Past 30-day alcohol use decreased from 71.4% (145/203) to 50.7% (103/203), tobacco from 14.3% (30/203) to 12.8% (26/203), and cannabis from 8.9% (18/203) to 4.4% (9/203). Predictably, illegal substance use went from 1% (2/203) to 0%. Conclusions. Despite reductions in substance use, alcohol and tobacco reinforcement, as measured by intensity and breakpoint, slightly increased within the first month of confinement. Potentially beneficial nudges and intervention strategies are discussed from the preventive and treatment standpoint.

Assessment and characterization of the physicochemical parameters of Moroccan leachate during the confinement period (coronavirus)

This work was carried out to respond to a major environmental issue which is water pollution and its repercussions on receiving environments, in particular the problem of leachate in the city of Fez-Morocco. The leachates generated by many economically relevant industrial activities contain recalcitrant organic compounds that remain unchanged at the biological stage of the treatment plant, which could make it difficult to comply with the discharge standard limits currently in force. During this work, we evaluated the elements present in the leachate as well as a physicochemical characterization study such as the chemical oxygen demand (COD), the biochemical oxygen demand over 5 days (BOD5), the pH, the electrical conductivity, the total phosphorus, the ammonium, suspended matter, and heavy metals, before and during the period of coronavirus containment.

Factors influencing breastfeeding practices in China: A meta-aggregation of qualitative studies.

The World Health Organization recommends that women exclusively breastfeed until their babies are 6 months old and continue to breastfeed while introducing complementary foods. A meta‐aggregation methodology was used to systematically review and synthesise the qualitative studies on factors influencing breastfeeding practices of healthy Chinese women in Greater China. English and Chinese databases were searched to identify peer‐reviewed qualitative studies (published 2008–2019). Relevant data were extracted, and key themes related to factors influencing breastfeeding practices were identified. Of 7587 articles identified, 22 qualitative studies met inclusion criteria for the review, 10 of which were published in Chinese. A total of 87 themes were extracted from all included studies and classified into 9 subcategories: government enactment of policies, implementation of policies in workplaces, social expectations, social support, medical and health services, services with Chinese characteristics, breastfeeding and pumping facilities, maternal perceptions of breastfeeding and self‐efficacy to breastfeed. The nine subcategories were then grouped into four categories. Potential effect associations among these influence factors of breastfeeding practices emerged from categories and subcategories. Family members' influence on breastfeeding motivation and self‐efficacy suggest a potential benefit of breastfeeding promotion interventions targeting the whole family. The role of primary care should be fully exploited in breastfeeding promotion, including both prenatal education and post‐partum visits. Standardising the training and qualifications of maternity matrons (yuesao) and folk breastfeeding specialists (cuirushi) can promote evidence‐based approaches to facilitating breastfeeding during the confinement period. Increased availability of breastfeeding and pumping facilities in the workplace would facilitate continuing breastfeeding after returning to work.

Air Quality in the Italian Northwestern Alps during Year 2020: Assessment of the COVID-19 «Lockdown Effect» from Multi-Technique Observations and Models

The effect of COVID-19 confinement regulations on air quality in the northwestern Alps is assessed here based on measurements at five valley sites in different environmental contexts. Surface concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2), ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), together with a thorough microphysical (size), chemical, and optical (light absorption) aerosol characterisation, complemented by observations along the vertical column are considered. Even in the relatively pristine environment of the Alps, the «lockdown effect» is well discernible, both in the early confinement phase and in late 2020. The variations observed during the first confinement period in the city of Aosta (−61% NO, −43% NO2, +5% O3, +9% PM2.5, −12% PM10, relative to average 2015–2019 conditions) are attributed to the competing effects of air pollution lockdown-induced changes (−74%, −52%, +18%, −13%, −27%, relative to the counterfactual scenario for 2020 provided by a predictive statistical model trained on past measurements) and meteorology (+52%, +18%, −11%, +25%, +20%, relative to average conditions). These changes agree well with the ones obtained from a chemical transport model with modified emissions according to the restrictions. With regard to column-integrated quantities and vertical profiles, the NO2 column density decreases by &gt;20% due to the lockdown, whereas tropospheric aerosols are mainly influenced by large-scale dynamics (transport of secondary particles from the Po basin and mineral dust from the Sahara desert and the Caspian Sea), except a shallow layer about 500 m thick close to the surface, possibly sensitive to curtailed emissions (especially exhaust and non-exhaust particles from road traffic and fugitive emissions from the industry).

Online assessment in higher education during Spanish confinement by COVID-19: The view of students

The purpose of this study is to describe how university students rate the evaluation systems and strategies that have been proposed for use in Higher Education during the period of COVID-19 confinement and online teaching as a result of the coronavirus crisis in Spain. For this purpose, we prepared a descriptive study by means of an online questionnaire, specifically designed on the basis of evaluation and qualification proposals made by REACU (Spain), ANECA (Spain), UNESCO, and the Spanish Ministry of Universities. The results obtained, after applying them to a sample of 1008 students from different universities in Spain, and covering most of the Autonomous Communities (17), indicate that students agree with and value the changes recommended by agencies and agree that the assessment should be flexible, diverse, formative and continuous. On the other hand, their experiences indicate that the Universities have not yet applied some of the suggested recommendations.

Behavior Guidance during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Health Literacy as a Weapon against the Virus

ABSTRACT Portugal was hit by COVID-19 on the 2nd of March 2020. For almost two months, the country was confined due to the declaration of the emergency state. The confinement was always conveyed by the media, who clearly guided citizens toward preventive behaviors and so became a means of fighting this pandemic by helping the country stay home. Several authors recognize the importance of health communication and health literacy in fighting COVID-19. In a public health crisis like this, media are important actors in the promotion of health and prevention of disease, and they can have a central role in behavior change. To further understand how the media guided citizens toward preventive behaviors we applied a questionnaire survey to Portuguese journalists. More than 90% assumed citizens’ behavior guidance. Journalists’ perceptions about their work reflect a true concern with the promotion of health literacy, and their assumption of a public service mission was crucial in people’s adherence to confinement. Health literacy achieved its maximum during this confinement period, not only because these were extraordinary times but also because Portuguese journalists had an exemplar behavior.