Avoidance Of Contact Research Articles

The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and coping behaviors in Japanese university students

COVID-19 is spreading all over the world, causing various social problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of fear of COVID-19 on the coping behavior of university students. 300 Japanese university students responded to the questionnaire. The results indicated that those who had a high fear of COVID-19 and emphasized tuning into others were more likely to adopt the coping behaviors of avoidance of contact and stockpiling, while those who emphasized self-determination were more likely to adopt the coping behaviors of avoidance of contact and focus on health care.

Touch thee not: Group conflict, caste power and untouchability in rural India

We investigate the impact of community power on the practice of untouchability - the avoidance of physical contact – by upper and backward caste Hindus vis-à-vis ‘scheduled’ castes (SCs) in rural India. We hypothesize that an upper or Other Backward caste (OBC) household's propensity to practise untouchability is determined not solely by its own characteristics but, crucially, also by the inter-group distribution of resources across both caste and religious divides, via political contestation over behavioural norms. Our model predicts that greater collective resource endowment (power) of SCs, or that of Muslims and Christians, will reduce the likelihood of an upper caste or OBC household practising untouchability. A marginal redistribution of power from OBCs to upper castes may reduce it as well. Greater power of the combined upper caste and OBC bloc will increase it. Identifying a community's power with its population weighted land share, we find associations consistent with these predictions in data from the India Human Development Survey 2011–12.

A compact, low-cost and high sensitive LIF based on pinhole metal-capillary and direct laser-diode excitation

For laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), the SNR and related concentration detectability was severely limited by background signal (noise). Herein, an axial-excitation LIF based on pinhole metal-capillary (PMC) and direct laser-diode excitation was proposed. An overall ~480 fold improvement on SNR was realized, because the laser-sidewall interaction (LSI) and related background signal (noise) can be effectively suppressed in PMC by avoidance of laser leakage and laser contact with capillary sidewall. For rhodamine B detection without sample enrichment, a detection limit of concentration (DLC) of 0.4 pM was obtained, which is 2.5 fold lower than the DLC (1 pM) of commercial LIFs equipped with bulky and expensive Ar+ laser. For selective detection of Cu2+, a DLC of 5 pM was realized, which is more than 40 fold lower than that of previous fluorimetry detection with similar quantum-dot probe. The PMC-LIF features compact (16 × 4 × 4 cm3), low-cost and high concentration detectability.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Infection with Soil Transmitted Helminths in Children from Bandjoun, the West Region of Cameroon

Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) continue to be a public health problem in developing countries. In Bandjoun, annual deworming is usually administered to school-age children through the national programme for the control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Cameroon. However, official data on the level of STH infections are scarce in this locality.
 Methods: We investigated the prevalence and associated risk factors of STHs among children in Bandjoun with the intention to help design future intervention plans. We obtained demographic data and potential risk factors through the interview of children using a structured questionnaire. Stool samples from these children were collected and examined for helminth eggs using Willis’ technique.
 Results: Three STHs were identified with an overall prevalence of 8.7%. These nematodes were Ascaris lumbricoides (8.3%), Trichuris trichiura (0.3%) and hookworms (Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus) (0.7%). Failure to wash hands before meals (AOR: 2.152 [1.056-4.389]) was the main predictor associated with Ascaris infections. Not eating food picked up from the ground (AOR: 0.494 [0.261-0.937]) and not raising pigs at home (AOR: 0.109 [0.045-0.268]) reduced risk of infection.
 Conclusion: We recommend that STHs control interventions in Bandjoun focus on the good management of domesticated pigs, the avoidance of contact with soil and handwashing from the earliest ages as a part of daily hygiene practice.

Teacher's Physical Activity and Mental Health During Lockdown Due to the COVID-2019 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led teachers to an unpredictable scenario where the lockdown situation has accelerated the shift from traditional to online educational methods, and relationships have been altered by the avoidance of direct contact with the others, with implications for their mental health. Physical activity seemed to be a factor that could prevent mental disorders such as anxiety or depression in this peculiar situation. Therefore, the aims of this study were to explore how teachers have been affected by the lockdown with respect to their mental health and their relationships in three main fields: work, family, and social relationships, and to know which is the role of physical activity in the mentioned variables. For that purpose, an online survey was designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Results showed that indoor physical activity acts as preventive in lockdown situations, whereas the level of activity does not affect mental health. Also, teachers have experienced higher levels of distress due to the workload generated during the lockdown. In conclusion, to prevent health problems among teachers in future similar situations, it would be important to facilitate the practice of physical activity at home. Furthermore, teacher training in blended or online educational methods would be crucial for their favorable work development.

Attachment as a framework to facilitate empowerment for people with severe mental illness.

ObjectivesRecovery and empowerment have evolved into key objectives in the treatment and care of people with severe mental illness (SMI), and interest has grown in the role of social relationships in recovery. This study is the first to explore whether attachment styles are related to levels of empowerment, and secondly, whether attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are associated with lower empowerment levels, independently of quality and frequency of social contact.DesignWe used a cross‐sectional design.MethodsIn a sample of 157 participants with SMI in outpatient care, associations between attachment (Revised Adult Attachment Scale), self‐reported social functioning, and empowerment (Netherlands Empowerment List) were assessed.ResultsAttachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were both associated with lower levels of empowerment. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the prediction of empowerment was significantly improved by adding attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance to quality and frequency of social contact. Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and quality of social contact were significant predictors; frequency of social contact was not.ConclusionsAlthough our design does not allow causal conclusions, our results highlight the importance of interpersonal processes and behaviours as routes to improving empowerment for people with SMI. A promising approach might thus consist of securing attachment bonds with significant others so that the self and the other are perceived as reliable resources. Our findings also feature the importance of reciprocity and equality in social relationships. Taken together, our study emphasizes the value of social, contextualized interventions in recovery work for people with SMI.Practitioner points Working towards attachment safety in interpersonal relations may be important in recovery‐oriented treatment and care for people with severe mental illness (SMI).Helping people with SMI to recognize and change how they tend to relate themselves to others may promote engagement and effectiveness of recovery‐oriented treatment and care.Reciprocity and equality in social relationships as vital complements to the more one‐sided nature of ‘standing alongside’ and offering support may be important requisites for empowerment.

A novel attention bias modification single session training improves eye gaze behaviour in social anxiety disorder: a pilot study

Background Attention bias modification (ABM) can reduce anxiety and attentional bias towards threatening stimuli, but evidence of its usefulness as a potential intervention for socially anxious individuals has been mixed. Eye contact avoidance, a maladaptive attentional strategy in social anxiety disorder (SAD), has yet to be targeted by ABM research. Aims This study sought to establish whether a new ABM training paradigm could increase attentional deployment towards eyes and what effect this would have on social and gaze-related anxiety. Method Participants (n = 23) recruited through adverts calling for people who felt anxious in social situations completed either a novel ABM training task designed to induce attentional bias towards images of eyes over images of noses, or control training. Data on response times (RTs), accuracy of responses, gaze behaviour (using an eye tracker) and scores on clinical measures of social and gaze-related anxiety were collected before and after both training tasks. Results ABM training produced a greater number of initial saccades towards eye images than did the control task, indicating an induced shift in early attentional deployment. ABM training was also associated with a marginal increase in fixation durations on eye images. No effect was observed on RTs or social and gaze-related anxiety. Conclusions Our results indicate that ABM can alter the gaze behaviour of socially anxious individuals. They also highlight the importance of eye tracking to ABM research, because it was more sensitive than analyses of RTs to changes in early attentional deployment.

COVID-19 and the Hospital Neurologist: How should we confront the COVID pandemic?

Ninety-six patients were admitted to our hospital during the first wave of the 2020 COVID pandemic. Our hospital, a core hospital in Kobe, was in confusion at the beginning of the pandemic. The following three factors were considered important for preventing the collapse of hospitals during the pandemic based on our experiences: avoidance of contact, prompt and accurate communication, and role-sharing among community medical institutions. Of the 96 patients, 36 had severe cases with several neurological problems: 18 had consciousness disorders, 19 had generalized weakness, 7 had polyneuropathy, and 2 had severe limb weakness. There are several unsolved pathological problems, and neurologists should play important roles in the treatment of patients with COVID.

Contact Dermatitis from Hand Hygiene Practices in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread globally at a staggering speed. At present, there is no effective treatment or vaccine for COVID-19. Hand disinfection is a cost-effective way to prevent its transmission. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, we should wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs) with at least 60% alcohol are the alternative. With diligent hand disinfection reinforced during COVID-19, there is an increased prevalence of contact dermatitis. This commentary highlights the fact that contact dermatitis is a readily treatable condition and should not cause any deviation of proper hand hygiene. In irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), the management strategies are selection of less irritating hand hygiene products, frequent use of moisturisers to rebuild the skin barrier, and education on proper hand hygiene practices. In allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), the identification and avoidance of the contact allergen is the key to treatment. However, ACD is less common and only accounts for 20% of the cases. The identified allergens in hand cleansers are predominantly preservative excipients and ACD attributable to ABHR are very uncommon. Alcohol-free hand rubs are widely available on the market but it is not a recommended alternative to ABHRs by the CDC.

Health information, attitudes and actions at religious venues: Evidence from hajj pilgrims

Mass gatherings for sporting events, music shows, and religious needs continue to grow in our urban areas, requiring local authorities to develop safety procedures to mitigate the challenges of keeping the attendees safe. These challenges are even more pronounced at pilgrimage venues where social distancing and contact avoidance are difficult as pilgrims are required to perform various rituals in close proximity with others, in a sequential manner, either daily or weekly, as per their religious tenets. Over two million pilgrims attend the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia annually. Keeping the local and visiting pilgrims safe from crowd crush, sunstroke, skin infections, recurrence of prior medical issues, and contagious diseases requires the Saudi government to allocate huge investments for health communication and prevention programs every year. However, there is no evidence to date that has empirically tested whether Hajj pilgrims’ are able to receive such information and are subsequently adopting various health promoting behaviors. This study aims to do that by framing it within the Health Belief Model. Data collected and analyzed from 245 pilgrims in Makkah between September 9th-19th, 2017 suggests that roughly 48% of the pilgrims adopted all five protective measures. However, language barriers, limited health care facilities, and difficulties in purchasing prescription mediciens were cited as impediments to adopting healthy measures. The study concludes with recommendations for the KSA government agencies, Hajj authorities, Mission authorities and pilgrims, during various phases of travel-- i.e. pre-travel, during the pilgrimage and post-travel, in light of new emerging health threats.

Delayed gaze shifts away from others’ eyes in children and adolescents with social anxiety disorder

BackgroundSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) is linked to atypical attention to other's eyes. Empirical literature about this phenomenon in childhood and adolescence is scarce. Previous studies in adults have suggested that SAD may be characterized by either rapid avoidance of eye contact, or by impaired shifting of attention away from eyes once eye contact has been established. SAD has also been linked to quick orienting towards eyes, indicating vigilant monitoring of perceived threat. MethodsIn the largest eye-tracking study of youth with SAD to date, 10 to 17 year-olds with SAD (n = 88) and healthy controls (n = 62) were primed to look at either the eyes or the mouth of human faces. The latency and likelihood of a first gaze shift from, or to the eyes, was measured. ResultsIndividuals with SAD were slower to shift their gaze away from the eye region of faces than controls, but did not differ in orienting toward eyes. LimitationsParticipants were assessed once after the onset of SAD symptoms, meaning that the longitudinal predictive value of delayed gaze shifts from others’ eyes could not be examined. ConclusionsYouth with SAD may be impaired in shifting attention from other's eyes. This could contribute to the experience of eye contact as aversive, and may be a maintaining factor of childhood SAD.

Mindsets about language learning and support for immigrants’ integration

People rely on their lay theories, or mindsets, to make meaning of their experience in intercultural contact. Given that proficiency in the local language is a crucial social marker of immigrants’ integration, we argue that language mindsets (i.e., beliefs about whether language learning ability is fixed or changeable) guide members of the receiving society to make inferences about immigrants’ language ability (e.g., “can immigrants improve their language ability?”). This social inference, in turn, predicts their willingness to interact with immigrants and support immigrants’ language education. In a correlational study (n = 231) and an experimental study (n = 106), we investigated whether and how language mindsets influence participants’ support for immigrants’ intercultural contact. We found that trait and experimentally-induced fixed (vs. growth) mindsets led to negative judgments of immigrants’ potential to develop their skills in the local language, which in turn predicted avoidance of contact with migrants and opposition to governmental funding of immigrants’ language education. The effects held even after controlling for participants’ political orientations, perceived difficulties of the English language, and judgments of target immigrants’ language fluency. These findings suggest that promoting growth mindsets about language ability can lead to more positive intercultural attitudes that impact the acceptance of migrants. We discussed the implications of language mindsets for understanding the processes of intercultural communication and forming positive intercultural relations.

A Differential Game Problem of Many Pursuers and One Evader in the Hilbert Space $$\ell_2$$

In this paper, we investigate a differential game problem of multiple number of pursuers and a single evader with motions governed by a certain system of first-order differential equations. The problem is formulated in the Hilbert space $$\ell_2,$$ with control functions of players subject to integral constraints. Avoidance of contact is guaranteed if the geometric position of the evader and that of any of the pursuers fails to coincide for all time t. On the other hand, pursuit is said to be completed if the geometric position of at least one of the pursuers coincides with that of the evader. We obtain sufficient conditions that guarantees avoidance of contact and construct evader’s strategy. Moreover, we prove completion of pursuit subject to some sufficient conditions. Finally, we demonstrate our results with some illustrative examples.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

The family physician should understand the features of hypersensitivity pneumonitis which is a potentially serious, even fatal disorder. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with breathlessness, particularly if there is a history of a recurrent influenza-like illness or pneumonia. Prompt recognition and avoidance of contact with the offending antigen will avoid permanent disability. In Australia the avian antigens and exposure to dry rot are the most frequent documented causes.

‘Immunity Passports’ for SARS-CoV-2: an online experimental study of the impact of antibody test terminology on perceived risk and behaviour

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of describing an antibody-positive test result using the terms Immunity and Passport or Certificate, alone or in combination, on perceived risk of becoming infected with severe...

Ethnische Vorurteile in Max Frischs „Andorra“

Diese Arbeit orientiert sich ans Ziel, das Drama von Max Frisch „Andorra“ in Bezug auf National-Vorurteile den Juden gegenüber anhand der Hauptfigur des Dramas Andri mit der werkimmanenten Methode zu untersuchen, und im Rahmen der Allports Vorurteilsforschung, die die Natur und Entwicklung des Vorurteils in fünf Stufen teilt, ans Licht zu bringen, dass Vorurteile unbewusst das Denken des Menschen steuern und analog zu den in Allports Skala genannten Stufen der Vorurteile Schritt für Schritt einen unschuldigen Menschen zum Tode führen können. Im Drama „Andorra“, das der Schweizer Schriftsteller Max Frisch 1961 verfasste, sind fünf Stufen Allports auffällig, die vom schwächsten bis zum stärksten angeordnet sind. Auf der ersten Stufe tritt Andri als der Betroffene von Vorurteilen von andorranischen Mitbürgern auf die Bühne. Auf der zweiten Stufe geht es um konsequente Kontaktvermeidung der Andorraner mit dem Betroffenen, der wegen seiner jüdischen Herkunft angefeindet und als ein „Anderer“ ausgegrenzt wird. Auf der dritten Stufe ist die Hauptfigur aus allen Bereichen des sozialen Lebens ausgegrenzt, was Allport als Diskriminierung bezeichnet. Dieser Stufe folgt körperliche Gewaltanwendung, die alle körperliche Misshandlungen umfasst. Im Andorra wird Andri von intoleranten Landesleuten (von den Soldaten) verprügelt. Und als höchste Stufe der Vorurteil-Skala Allports wird er in einer Judenschau unter Leitung eines Judenschauers im „weißen“ Andorra zum Tode verurteilt. In einem schneeweißen Land findet Andri keinen Platz für sich selbst und in diesem Land, dessen Gebäude geweißelt sind und dessen Bürger nichts zu fürchten haben, wird er unschuldiges Opfer von Vorurteilen. Die Menschen in Andorra, die sich nicht im geringsten schuldig fühlen und sich dennoch für ihre rassistischen Handlungen unschuldig fühlen, beweisen die entscheidende Kraft von Vorurteilen bei menschlichen Handlungen.

Concealability beliefs facilitate navigating intergroup contexts

AbstractLiving in a diverse world requires the ability to navigate intergroup contexts. However, interacting with outgroup members can cause anxiety that leads to lower‐quality interactions and avoidance of future contact. One reason people experience this anxiety is the concern that others will judge them on the basis of an identity. These concerns may be reduced among people who believe the identity is unperceivable by others. The belief that one's identity is concealable may therefore reduce intergroup anxiety and ease people's experiences in intergroup contexts. The present work tests this proposition in two studies and finds that individual differences in concealability beliefs are negatively associated with intergroup anxiety and positively associated with the propensity to initiate intergroup contact and with the quantity and quality of people's cross‐group friendships. Materials, data, and code for both studies and a pre‐registration for Study 2 are available online (https://osf.io/4cjhg/).

Airway Management in the Operating Room and Interventional Suites in Known or Suspected COVID-19 Adult Patients: A Practical Review.

Current evidence suggests that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread occurs via respiratory droplets (particles >5 µm) and possibly through aerosol. The rate of transmission remains high during airway management. This was evident during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic where those who were involved in tracheal intubation had a higher risk of infection than those who were not involved (odds ratio 6.6). We describe specific airway management principles for patients with known or suspected COVID-19 disease for an array of critical care and procedural settings. We conducted a thorough search of the available literature of airway management of COVID-19 across a variety of international settings. In addition, we have analyzed various medical professional body recommendations for common procedural practices such as interventional cardiology, gastroenterology, and pulmonology. A systematic process that aims to protect the operators involved via appropriate personal protective equipment, avoidance of unnecessary patient contact and minimalization of periprocedural aerosol generation are key components to successful airway management. For operating room cases requiring general anesthesia or complex interventional procedures, tracheal intubation should be the preferred option. For interventional procedures, when tracheal intubation is not indicated, cautious conscious sedation appears to be a reasonable approach. Awake intubation should be avoided unless it is absolutely necessary. Extubation is a high-risk procedure for aerosol and droplet spread and needs thorough planning and preparation. As updates and modifications in the management of COVID-19 are still evolving, local guidelines, appraised at regular intervals, are vital in optimizing clinical management.

A Novel Attention Bias Modification Single Session Training Improves Eye Gaze Behaviour in Social Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot Study

Abstract Background Attention bias modification (ABM) can reduce anxiety and attentional bias towards threatening stimuli, but evidence of its usefulness as a potential intervention for socially anxious individuals has been mixed. Eye contact avoidance, a maladaptive attentional strategy in social anxiety disorder (SAD), has yet to be targeted by ABM research. Aims This study sought to establish whether a new ABM training paradigm could increase attentional deployment towards eyes and what effect this would have on social and gaze-related anxiety. Method Participants (n = 23) recruited through adverts calling for people who felt anxious in social situations completed either a novel ABM training task designed to induce attentional bias towards images of eyes over images of noses, or control training. Data on response times (RTs), accuracy of responses, gaze behaviour (using an eye tracker) and scores on clinical measures of social and gaze-related anxiety were collected before and after both training tasks. Results ABM training produced a greater number of initial saccades towards eye images than did the control task, indicating an induced shift in early attentional deployment. ABM training was also associated with a marginal increase in fixation durations on eye images. No effect was observed on RTs or social and gaze-related anxiety. Conclusions Our results indicate that ABM can alter the gaze behaviour of socially anxious individuals. They also highlight the importance of eye tracking to ABM research, because it was more sensitive than analyses of RTs to changes in early attentional deployment.

A REVIEW ARTICLE ON: CORONA VIRUS A RAISING GAINT

The 2019-nCoV has been identified as the reason of an outbreak of respiratory illness in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China beginning in December 2019. This outbreak had spread to 19 countries with 11,791 confirmed cases, including 213 deaths, as of January 31, 2020. The WHO declared it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This study analyzed and discussed 70 research articles published until January 31, 2020 for a better understanding of the virology, pathogenesis, mode of transmission, classification, genome structure of this virus. Studies thus far have shown origination in link to a seafood market in Wuhan, but specific animal association has not been confirmed. The reported symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, pneumonia, headache, diarrhea, hemoptysis, and dyspnea. Preventive measures like masks, hand hygiene practices, avoidance of public contact, case detection, contact tracing, and quarantines are being suggested for reducing the transmission. To date, no specific antiviral treatment is proven effective; hence, infected people primarily rely on symptomatic treatment and supportive care. Although these studies had relevance to control a public emergency, more research need to be conducted to provide valid and reliable ways to manage this kind of public health emergency in both short- and long- term. Coronaviruses (CoV) belong to the genus Coronavirus with its high mutation rate in the Corona viridae. The objective of this review article was to have a primary opinion about the disease mode of transmission, virology in this early stage of COVID-19 outbreak.
 Keywords: 2019-nCoV, virology, pathogenesis, genome structure